Post by queenzod on May 18, 2021 18:18:10 GMT
Anybody catching this on Netflix? I binged the entire thing last night and was very impressed.
Normally I don’t care much for Ryan Murphy productions. I tend to think they’re vapid and sensationalistic in a bad way, but this one had a nuanced understanding and depth in addition to portraying the lurid and juicy excesses of the Studio 54 era.
What drove this production over the top for me was Ewan MacGregor’s performance. It was truly brilliant - possibly his best work ever. He managed to embody, hold, and bring together all that disparate psychology. Abused as a child in a violent household which created a sensitive, narcissistic, driven, creative, cruel, emotional, needy, ambitious, and hedonistic man. Fascinating stuff with a sad but somehow uplifting ending.
I was riveted - I could not take my eyes off Ewan, and not just because he’s so damn pretty, lol. He’s really grown as an actor over time and this performance was very subtle in his face, even though he’s shouting and screaming at people and being incredibly over the top, but also long expanses of Halston’s overly controlled/controlling tightness. You could just read everything in his face and behind his eyes and his physical mannerisms, the voice, etc., were just perfect.
All the supporting actors were also good including the always wonderful Bill Pullman as the money man/power broker who supported Halston’s work through the tumultuous years of the 70s and 80s. Also, the woman who portrayed Liza Minnelli was terrific. She managed to “do” Liza without making it a characterization.
It did drag in a few places and I couldn’t figure out if they should have compressed it to 4 episodes instead of 5, or if they should have deepened it even more and stretched it out to 6. It’s difficult, I think, trying to understand and write such a mad, deeply creative kind of person. They really do exist in a different reality.
Apparently, though, like everything else these days, there’s some grumbling about the production and its portrayal of the man. Rumors are Halston’s family is upset. Ewan addressed this in a video, saying he’s sad they don’t like it and that he did talk to some of Halston’s family and friends while he was building the character. It wasn’t a flattering portrayal, but it did seem to be an honest one. Super-creative types can be difficult people, sometimes.
Anyway, I recommend it, if you like splashy biopics or just want to see a gorgeous Ewan chewing up alll the scenery. 😃👍🏼
Normally I don’t care much for Ryan Murphy productions. I tend to think they’re vapid and sensationalistic in a bad way, but this one had a nuanced understanding and depth in addition to portraying the lurid and juicy excesses of the Studio 54 era.
What drove this production over the top for me was Ewan MacGregor’s performance. It was truly brilliant - possibly his best work ever. He managed to embody, hold, and bring together all that disparate psychology. Abused as a child in a violent household which created a sensitive, narcissistic, driven, creative, cruel, emotional, needy, ambitious, and hedonistic man. Fascinating stuff with a sad but somehow uplifting ending.
I was riveted - I could not take my eyes off Ewan, and not just because he’s so damn pretty, lol. He’s really grown as an actor over time and this performance was very subtle in his face, even though he’s shouting and screaming at people and being incredibly over the top, but also long expanses of Halston’s overly controlled/controlling tightness. You could just read everything in his face and behind his eyes and his physical mannerisms, the voice, etc., were just perfect.
All the supporting actors were also good including the always wonderful Bill Pullman as the money man/power broker who supported Halston’s work through the tumultuous years of the 70s and 80s. Also, the woman who portrayed Liza Minnelli was terrific. She managed to “do” Liza without making it a characterization.
It did drag in a few places and I couldn’t figure out if they should have compressed it to 4 episodes instead of 5, or if they should have deepened it even more and stretched it out to 6. It’s difficult, I think, trying to understand and write such a mad, deeply creative kind of person. They really do exist in a different reality.
Apparently, though, like everything else these days, there’s some grumbling about the production and its portrayal of the man. Rumors are Halston’s family is upset. Ewan addressed this in a video, saying he’s sad they don’t like it and that he did talk to some of Halston’s family and friends while he was building the character. It wasn’t a flattering portrayal, but it did seem to be an honest one. Super-creative types can be difficult people, sometimes.
Anyway, I recommend it, if you like splashy biopics or just want to see a gorgeous Ewan chewing up alll the scenery. 😃👍🏼
