Whats up with the acting?

[GKarsEye]

The first B5 I ever saw was the beginning of season 4. I had no idea what was going on and I thought the characters looked funny but the sense of drama and general "weight" of the whole thing drew my interest. This aspect of the show is created mostly by the acting (with due props to the direction which created a theater-like yet intimate framework for this to happen).

So I'm gonna have to strongly disagree with the original post here.

There's a lot of bad acting on B5, but it mostly comes from the following:
- Guest and one-off characters
- season 1 / The Gathering
- Claudia Christian (not always, but often enough)
- Pat Tallman (except after Byron died)

As for Delenn, I think she is the most fascinating, interesting, and eminently watchable character I have ever seen on television.

 

[Sindatur]

I agree with GKE's post. Claudia Christian had some weak moments and Pat Tallman really wasn't an actress, she was a stunt woman, but, by the time she left Babylon 5, her acting was at least as good as lots of other series actors.

Mira Furlan is a very compelling actress, she delivers a dramatic line like no one else. It's such a pleasure to get the occasional glimpse of her playing "Vorlon" in Season 1 of LOST. Hope she'll be making more appearances on LOST.

 

[Jan]

Word is that there will be at least one episode that she appears in during Season 2. No word so far on when it'll be filmed or aired.

Also, if anybody was a fan of Night Stalker, she filmed an episode of that. It was supposed to air on Dec. 8, but of course was cancelled before then. I hear that the Sci-Fi channel is picking it up and will air all of the unshown episodes.

Jan

 

[Sindatur]

Yea, there was talk before the season of LOST started that Bad Robot was trying to get ABC to agree a Danielle flashback mid season, haven't heard what came of it.

Night Stalker, isn't expected to show on SciFi Channel until next summer. I enjoyed the few episodes I saw, but wasn't religious about watching it. I feel sorry for the people who were faithful, that got it pulled out from under them in the middle of a 2 parter.

 

[GKarsEye]

I don't think Tallman necessarily improved as an actress, I just think she's better at some things than others. Before Byron's death the character was vulnerable, confused, and jumble of other emotions. Tallman probably just didn't have the experience and actor's sensitivity required because, as you say, she was primarily a stuntwoman. After Byron's death, she mostly conveyed anger and cloying "toughness," which came off well because she has harsh, angular features, red hair, and squinted a lot.

 

[Sindatur]

Yea, I think that's why she did a pretty decent job as Barbara in the remake of Night of the Living Dead, because she was a "tough girl", most of the time.

 

[GKarsEye]

I didn't know she was in a remake of Night of the Living Dead. I didn't even know there was a remake of Night of the Living Dead.

 

[KoshN]

I didn't know she was in a remake of Night of the Living Dead. I didn't even know there was a remake of Night of the Living Dead.

Oh yeah. I have both the original, and the remake with Pat on DVD. Usually, I end up not caring for remakes. This is an exception. The movie was good, and Pat was good in it. IIRC, it's where JMS first saw Pat, and immediately wanted her for the Lyta role.



IMO, Pat really started coming into her own in Season 4:

Remember the meeting where Bester tries to scan the B5 staff in Epiphanies?

"I want you to know that I object to this, Captain. Ms. Alexander has no business being here. She's a blip. By all right I should arrest her and take back with me."
"You could do that. And I could nail your head to the table, set fire to it, and feed your charred remains to the Pak'ma'ra. But it's an imperfect world and we never get exactly what we want. So get used to it."
"Captain, this is pointless. She is a P5. If I were really going to try something, she's not powerful enough to block me anyway. You're just embarrassing yourself, and her. Haven't we learned by now to trust each other."
"No. Now, sit."
-- Bester and Sheridan in Babylon 5:"Epiphanies"

When Bester attempts to scan the command staff he is blocked, and when he attempts to scan Lyta she mentally slaps him hard enough to jolt his head back.


...and then there was that time in Strange Relations:

"Feel like playing the odds, Mr. Bester?"

 

[Sindatur]

Yea, it's good GKE. There's a few differences in the story, one being that Barbara only remains a pathetic whinebag for a short period of time, and eventually becomes "Rambina". It apparently is actually truer to George Romero's original vision of the film, but, because women were thought of as meek back in the 60s, the studio made him change her character to what we see Judith O'Dea playing in the original. Tony Todd does a great job playing Ben, seamless interpretation of the character. Tom Savini, the effects guy from the original Trio of movies is the Director, and Goerge Romero is Producer (I believe) or at least pretty heavily involved. Yes, this is the movie JMS saw Pat Tallman in, and thought "she has telepath eyes. I need her" He wrote the part of Lyta to fit her, rather than finding her to fit the part of Lyta.

 

[GKarsEye]

Cool.

I'm not "against" remakes (one of my favorites, The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart is one, and I plan to see the new Kong in the theaters, hopefully IMAX).

I recently saw the remake of Dawn of the Dead and rather enjoyed it despite the fact that evertime I saw Ving Rhames I expected him to order a nigger to be in a rice bowl if the motherfucker shows up in Indochina so as he can pop a cap in his ass.

I'm definitely netflixing Lyta vs Zombies.

"You could do that. And I could nail your head to the table, set fire to it, and feed your charred remains to the Pak'ma'ra. But it's an imperfect world and we never get exactly what we want. So get used to it."

And people criticise the Sheridan character.. pfft.

 

[Sindatur]

Ooh, what did you think of the Richard Biggs "Newscast" in the special Features of the new Dawn of the Dead? And President Sheridan had a voiceover as well at the end. Andy's final days was pretty good too, although no B5 people, so, I guess that's a bit off topic.

 

[GKarsEye]

I did not watch the special features. What the hell are B5 people doing there?

 

[Sindatur]

Richard Biggs is a newcaster, doing a panicked newscast as the "infection" gets worse. At the end Bruce Boxleitner does a voice over as the President of the USA telling the viewing audience "to bend over and kiss your ass goodbye, i'm going to ground. {paraphrased}. It's really well done, IMHO. The President's press people add a certain something to the environment of the piece. It's about 20 minutes long.

 

[Springer]

To add to this though I finished watching the Gathering earlier. That Takanmishi whatever chic was terrible. I did not spot a single expression of emotion in the entire movie. She was basicially just reading lines. The most hollow character I have ever watched and I've watched a lot! The Doctor Ben dude was also simular but at least he managed to get some decent lines happening. I can see why both of them didn't make the series.

Which version of the Gathering were you watching? In the original version, she had to redub her lines because the WB executives wanted to change her performance somehow. The speical edition has her original performance in, which is a lot better. Maybe still not great, but better, with some feeling behind the lines.

 

[Londos6]

Night Stalker, isn't expected to show on SciFi Channel until next summer. I enjoyed the few episodes I saw, but wasn't religious about watching it. I feel sorry for the people who were faithful, that got it pulled out from under them in the middle of a 2 parter.

For anyone who's interested, the second part of that 2 parter can be purchased on iTunes for $1.99. It's called "The Sea". Additionally all the episodes that did air are available for sale as well. I was hoping they'd put up the other 3 that never aired. I suppose now that SciFi is going to show it, that's not going to happen.

 

[Alluveal]

I have to disagree completely on season 4. And what do you expect from Delenn? She's a minbari. It's hard to get the Religious caste all riled up. They're the masters at keeping emotions in check.

I've watched Season 4 numerous times and I don't see any difference from other seasons other than it's more streamlined and there is a certain level of comfort between the actors at this stage in the game.

It's like friendships and romances: it's all wine and roses and fireworks at first, but it eventually eases into a level of comfort and trust. Some mistake that for lack of interest or passion.