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Leo

Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 | Celebrity, Film

I think it is safe to claim I have always had a balanced view of Leonardo DiCaprio. Neither have I ever been one of the crazy fans (Back when I was at school almost all the other girls used to have pictures of him absolutely everywhere from school exercice books etc to bedroom walls) nor have I dismissed him as just another teen idol and thus bad actor. I’ve always loved Titanic (I’m hopelessly romantic sometimes) and admired him in Marvin’s Room and Romeo & Juliet. I disliked him during the Gangs of New York phase - I got the feeling he overdid it with proving he’s more than just a pretty face.

Now, I’ve seen Blood Diamond: and I think this has turned me into an avid admirer of his talent. But still, he needs the right project & script to work with. Though yet again playing an ‘against-type’ role, Danny Archer’s character is really well-developed on paper, and I think it is that which allows him to really shine in Blood Diamond. Although the movie is violent I couldn’t help but love it - because it is trying to show a situation that happened somewhere along those lines some years ago and is happening all over again today in places all over the world - in variations. To combine such a realistic portrayal with a political message (don’t buy conflict diamonds) and present it as an entertaining movie is quite an achievement! And it couldn’t have been made without Djimoun Hounsou’s and Jennifer Connelly’s excellent performances - or without the supporting cast.

I think I will dig up some older Leo movies and watch them. He really does bring something special to a movie, and he has that movie star ability to draw you in.

3 Comments to Leo

Mycah
May 29, 2007

I too was never a crazy fangirl nor hated him. I admit I love Titanic, and I watch it several times a year. Even though I absolutely HATE the dialogue in Romeo & Juliet (I’m sorry Shakespear confuses me) I liked both him and Claire in this. I have seen more Leo films than I probably even realize and I do think he is one fine actor. Blood Diamond to convinced me of this. I really thought he did good in Catch me if you Can, not a performance like Blood Diamond but i liked it. I still wanna see The Departed too.

Maria
May 30, 2007

I’ll have to re-watch Titanic once again soon I even own the 4-DVD set (won it, :YAY:). First ‘The Departed’ though.

Agree with Shakespeare. Coming from a non-English-speaking country (and not having gone to university or the like) I have never studied Shakespeare at school. All I know about his work comes from movies. Some of his plays make for good inspiration for modern films (e.g. She’s the Man, IMO). I like the new ‘As You Like It’ film, though (only available on Italian DVD).

Angie
May 30, 2007

Ah, I studied Shakespeare (2 plays, in fact) but I guess I understand him probably better than you guys, but yeah, the English language is messed up in general. Even I have problems with it at times & it’s my first language, haha. Anyway, I’m the same when it comes to Leo (and I’ve probably seen nearly every film he’s done as well) and having watched Catch Me… several times, he is pretty good in that movie. Haven’t watched Blood Diamond or The Departed yet but they’re in my rental queue.

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