Acting

One of the most important components of a good movie is the acting. Whether or not an actor can convey to the viewer the emotion of their character, whether or not the viewer believes in what they are seeing, are the chief responsibilities of an actor. When playing another character, I should not think, "Oh, that's Robert Downey Jr. in a digitally constructed iron suit." I should think, "Hey! It's Ironman!", and believe that somewhere in the world what I am watching is actually happening.

This being said, there are different levels of talent and dedication in show business. If I absolutely had to pick one performance to be placed above all other (and I do, since that is the point of this post), it would be Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker in "The Dark Knight". Never have I been enveloped with a character quite like The Joker in that movie. Typically, during a movie, one can say, "Wow, so-and-so is doing a fantastic job." But during "The Dark Knight", Heath Ledger did not exist. He had become The Joker in my eyes. Everything he did, down to his miniscule mannerisms, were perfect. He went outside of himself for that role.

We need this more in movies today. Too often we are subjected to John Cusack trying to be funny in "Hot-Tub Time Machine", only to leave the theater nauseated. We need actors to become their characters to the point where the average view cannot tell the difference. I'd be willing to be we would all attend the movies more if the performances were up to par with that of The Joker.