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Saoirse Ronan Appreciation

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JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.

The song doesn't do anything for me, but that's a cool video. I'm glad it exists as I doubt even On Chesil Beach will hit Aussie threatres this year (feel free to prove me wrong, Transmission).

Edit: A few gifs, courtesy of Tumblr:
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JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
So conflicted with my irrational hatred of Ed Sheeran here.

Just watch it on mute, haha. The meat of the video is first-person and none of Saoirse's lines are audible.

Edit: Moved the gifs to my post above as it's a more fitting home.
 

Theodoricos

Member
I already grew to like Saoirse Ronan from watching Brooklyn, but I just saw Atonement a couple of days ago, and man, she was really good there. That movie proved to me that she's definitely got talent. Can't wait to see more movies with her.
 
I already grew to like Saoirse Ronan from watching Brooklyn, but I just saw Atonement a couple of days ago, and man, she was really good there. That movie proved to me that she's definitely got talent. Can't wait to see more movies with her.

Fell in love with her when watching Hannah (we're the same age). One of the best action movies I've ever seen, you should absolutely watch it. Just, if you happen to be German and want to watch it in English, be warned that Cate Blanchett's "German" is an incomprehensible mess. Like, I don't even know what the words are supposed to be half the time. Having her next to actual German actors really breaks immersion. Anyway, I'm drifting off...
 

Theodoricos

Member
Fell in love with her when watching Hannah (we're the same age). One of the best action movies I've ever seen, you should absolutely watch it. Just, if you happen to be German and want to watch it in English, be warned that Cate Blanchett's "German" is an incomprehensible mess. Like, I don't even know what the words are supposed to be half the time. Having her next to actual German actors really breaks immersion. Anyway, I'm drifting off...

Thank you for the recommendation, I'll definitely check it out. I should have no problems with Cate Blanchett's German since I doubt I could do much better myself!
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
I already grew to like Saoirse Ronan from watching Brooklyn, but I just saw Atonement a couple of days ago, and man, she was really good there. That movie proved to me that she's definitely got talent. Can't wait to see more movies with her.

Shameless cross-post:

Hanna is probably the film with the most general appeal thus far; it's worth a watch if you have ~100 minutes to kill (I'd like to see Joe Wright attached to a Bond film one day). The other (at least) generally well-received films she's in (Atonement, Arrietty, The Way Back, How I Live Now [to a somewhat lesser extent than TWB] and of course Grand Budapest Hotel) are ones I'd only recommend if the premise is of interest. Personally, I have a soft spot for The Lovely Bones also even though I agree with the critical consensus that it's composed more of style than substance.

I made that post in August 2014. A few more films have released since then:

Lost River: Best described as Ryan Gosling's attempt at channelling his inner David Lynch/Lars von Trier and finding himself out of his element, however it does score points for being the only film thus far with Saoirse as a brunette (excluding a certain scene in Violet & Daisy) -- and a singing brunette at that. To be fair, I think Gosling was forced to rewrite around budget cuts as the film was originally reported as a sort of Lynchian mind-bender primarily set in the flooded section of the city, which is only mentioned in passing a few times and barely seen in the final film. A dramatic shift in premise would also explain why it's no longer titled "How to Catch a Monster".

Stockholm, Pennsylvania: A drama that follows Leia's struggle to reintegrate herself into regular family life after being rescued several years following her kidnapping. The script doesn't do the premise justice, but the performances of Saoirse and Cynthia Nixon, who plays the increasingly-frustrated mother, make it a worthwhile watch.

Brooklyn: Excellent 1950s period drama that chronicles Eilis' transformation into an assertive young woman who ultimately has to choose between the life she left behind in Ireland and that which she's made for herself in the US. Fun fact: the "bucket scene" was improvised.

(I realise you've seen it already.)

Weepah Way for Now: Saoirse just narrates this, plus it's "not quite out", if you catch my drift. She's friends with the Michalka sisters, who are the leads in the film, and presumably just filled the role because they pulled some strings and offered it to her.

All of her upcoming films seem very interesting. I'm probably most looking forward to the Greta Gerwig-helmed Lady Bird (sorry, On Chesil Beach, but you are a close second) as it'll be Saoirse's first comedy since 2007's I Could Never Be Your Woman, which doesn't really count, and Gerwig has a long history of comedic roles behind her.
 

Theodoricos

Member
All of her upcoming films seem very interesting. I'm probably most looking forward to the Greta Gerwig-helmed Lady Bird (sorry, On Chesil Beach, but you are a close second) as it'll be Saoirse's first comedy since 2007's I Could Never Be Your Woman, which doesn't really count, and Gerwig has a long history of comedic roles behind her.

Man, look at that output for 2017. Four movies in which she's the lead actress. If at least half of them end up being good, I'll be satisfied.

Thank you so much for the informative post, JaseC. Simply seeing the movies listed in IMDB is one thing, understanding what they're about and knowing how well they're received is quite another. It looks like apart from Hanna, in the near-future I'll be checking out The Way Back and most likely Stockholm, Pennsylvania (and I'll also be staying the hell away from Lost River, lol).
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
Man, look at that output for 2017. Four movies in which she's the lead actress. If at least half of them end up being good, I'll be satisfied.

Between On Chesil Beach/The Seagull (the latter is stuck in some sort of post-production hell and may not release this year, but I'm confident the nomination would be for OCB regardless) and Sweetness in the Belly/Mary Queen of Scots, I'd say there's a very real chance that she'll score back-to-back Oscar noms. Should that happen, I think I could finally forgive the Academy for giving The Lovely Bones the coldest of shoulders. ;)

Thank you so much for the informative post, JaseC. Simply seeing the movies listed in IMDB is one thing, understanding what they're about and knowing how well they're received is quite another. It looks like apart from Hanna, in the near-future I'll be checking out The Way Back and most likely Stockholm, Pennsylvania (and I'll also be staying the hell away from Lost River, lol).

No worries! Needless to say, I find the subject of her career to be an interesting topic and don't exactly get a lot of opportunities to wax lyrical about it, haha.
 

Theodoricos

Member
So I watched Hanna and I loved it. This was one of the most stylish action flicks I've seen, one with some awesome cinematography to boot. The experience was elevated even more by Saoirse Ronan (duh) as well as the catchy soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers, which I just had to download after seeing the film. I also of course adored Saoirse's Hanna look.

Having only seen her in Atonement, Brooklyn and The Grand Budapest Hotel previously, I couldn't quite picture Saoirse kicking ass like she did in Hanna, but man was it satisfying to see.

Thanks for the recommendation guys - I thoroughly enjoyed it!
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
So I watched Hanna and I loved it. This was one of the most stylish action flicks I've seen, one with some awesome cinematography to boot. The experience was elevated even more by Saoirse Ronan (duh) as well as the catchy soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers, which I just had to download after seeing the film. I also of course adored Saoirse's Hanna look.

Having only seen her in Atonement, Brooklyn and The Grand Budapest Hotel previously, I couldn't quite picture Saoirse kicking ass like she did in Hanna, but man was it satisfying to see.

Thanks for the recommendation guys - I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Glad you enjoyed it! I'd love to see Joe Wright tackle Bond. I'd also love to see Saoirse kick arse again. It's a pity Order of the Seven was canned, which was originally (yet another) live action Snow White film but transmogrified into an action film with a focus on martial arts:

 
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Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
Man, Saoirse has been kind of unlucky with her films, aside from some, hasn't she?
 

Theodoricos

Member
Snow White re-imagined in 19th century Hong Kong? With Saoirse as the lead? Man, I would've eaten that up! It's really unfortunate that it got cancelled. I didn't even know such a film was going to be made.

Still, I'm actually glad that she'll mostly be starring in dramas in the future. As awesome as she was as Hanna, I wouldn't want for her to pull a Nicholas Cage/Tom Cruise and just end up doing action flicks - that would be a waste of her talents.
 

Speevy

Banned
Man, Saoirse has been kind of unlucky with her films, aside from some, hasn't she?

23 year old 2 time Oscar nominee widely regarded as a highly talented actress who is gorgeous to boot.

I'm going with no.

If we're talking in 10 years and her last IMDB role was a straight to DVD movie about a talking cat, then maybe.
 
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Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
23 year old 2 time Oscar nominee widely regarded as a highly talented actress who is gorgeous to boot.

I'm going with no.

If we're talking in 10 years and her last IMDB role was a straight to DVD movie about a talking cat, then maybe.

Yeah, it's about the latter. I think my post sounded pessimistic, she still will have a lot of opportunities to go big (even though I like her small films).
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.

I read about this the other day, but I'm not sure the jump is directly related to Brooklyn as a few articles have suggested. Slaney Productions still has no projects attached to it as per IMDb, nor is it listed in Irish production company directories (e.g. IFTN's), so I wouldn't think the dramatic increase is the result of revenue as it seems the company hasn't actually produced anything yet. Saoirse's said in the past she'd like to dip her toes into directing/producing at some point, so maybe the big influx of cash points instead to her setting those wheels in motion.
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
I really hope On Chesil Beach is picked up for US distribution and fast tracked as an eleventh-hour Oscar contender. Not to sell Greta Gerwig short as it's hard to say how Lady Bird will be received when so little is known about it, but there's a very good chance that Saoirse's performance will generate awards buzz and between Mary Queen of Scots, Sweetness in the Belly and possibly The Seagull, she's set up nicely for a nomination in 2019.
 
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Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
Niiiice! I'm glad it turned out well for her.
 
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