Young Leonardo DiCaprio movies based on

writers

Lately I’ve been obsessing over Leonardo DiCaprio. It all started while watching NATGEO when I came across an episode with James Cameron “National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence and Director” (As described in his title) and his persistent fascination and OCDness over the Titanic Ship Wreck in 1912. Of course after watching this I went straight to my room to watch Titanic (1997). I’ve probably seen this movie over 20 times -And I think most of us of the 80’s and 90’s generation have seen as much or more. Anyways, I realized and analyzed scenes and dialogues that I had never paid much attention too. Of course it’s corny, of course Jack says “Rose!” and Rose says “Jack” in almost every line. But it’s cute, it’s magical and it gets to you, and makes you think (at least in my case) about love and death. DiCaprio’s acting is overall cute, He’s the kind of character who knows -or at least is fast to think- what to do come any circumstance, and protects Rose to his death.

I consider him one of the greatest actors of our times,  a multifaceted actor, who has learned a great deal by the greats and has ever since grown into more complex and interesting characters. And soo…  I started to look up what PopCorn Time had for me as I entered “Leonardo DiCaprio” and came across two movies which caught my attention by realizing Leo’s age working on these movies.  It got me to think, was he a good or a bad actor when he started out?  I had seen What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and applaud at his incredible acting, and when I saw The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and his Lemmon Quaalude scene I saw that acting again. Incredible! -I thought, he was using facial expressions which he already mastered in 1993.

Now I wanted to see what other roles he played as a young actor.  So here are two movies which I would like to share with you tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st movie: This Boy’s Life (1993) while watching this movie with Robert De Niro in it, I could only imagine how much he must of learned from this incredible actor, and thought he might be out shined. But that was not the case. It’s an intense drama, featuring “Bully”, and by that I mean bullying is one of the theme’s in this movie. Leo plays a young Tobias Wolff, a film based on his memoir “This Boy’s Life”, first published in 1989.

So I looked up Wolff and went to sleep, two short stories you might enjoy:  “Say Yes” and “Bullet in the Brain” 

Next day on Popcorn Time I selected:

Movie number 2: The Basketball Diaries (1995), Leo portrays a 13 year old New York heroin addict, Jim Carroll. Again, incredible acting, you become astonished at how professional he is with his character.

The Basketball Diaries his based on Carroll’s memoir written in 1978 and mass marketed in 1980, becoming popular in campuses. After his youthful years on the streets of New York Carroll worked for Warhol and started a Punk Rock band, The Jim Carroll Band, collaborating with Keith Richards and Lou Reed, to say a few and was widely admired by the Bit Generation including Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. And too sum up what seems to be a very interesting, poetic and narrative life -as I Google him-, Carroll dies of a heart attack in 2009 at the age of 60, behind his writing desk in Manhattan.

Jim Carrol Band- People Who Died

Here’s a little excerpt of what awaits if you read his memoir or watch this film:

“You’re growing up. And rain sort of remains on the branches of a tree that will someday rule the Earth. And it’s good that there is rain. It clears the month of your sorry rainbow expressions, and it clears the streets of the silent armies… so we can dance.”
― Jim Carroll

And for those interested, here is a poem he wrote for Kurt Cobain after his death, “8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain”

So these are two movies worth watching with a young Leo portraying real people stories, and I came to notice -maybe- the type of movies he’s interesting in doing. Stories based on real people (in this case both are writers), but we have Jordan Belfort, J. Edgar Hoover, Howard Hughes, and Catch Me If You Can Guy, all based on real people, and most of the time he’s the narrator, as it is in these two movies. But I guess what i’m trying to say is, he’s an actor who likes a good story and a strong character. Someone who can guide you through his life. And he’s done it ever since.

 

This Boy’s Life Full Movie:

References:

http://cultura.elpais.com/cultura/2009/09/14/actualidad/1252879207_850215.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/books/14carroll.html