posted on June 28, 2001 10:03:47 AM new
The tv thread made me wonder if anyone feels the same way as I do about the majority of the recent hollywood hot properties.
Who do you feel (male or female) really can't act their way out of a paper bag?
I was surprised at the book store yesterday when some women tried to convince me that Arnold Swartzeneger (sp) was a really good actor. Ick!!! It doesn't mean I hate all of his movies but a Barrymore he is not.
Who can act? Who in your mind really deserves the big bucks?
I'm really curious if anyone feels the same as I do. I will post back with my list.
posted on June 28, 2001 10:20:55 AM new
I have found Tom Cruise to be a horrible actor when he's trying to be loving and sincere with women. He seems so flat and impersonal. There's no warmth in his eyes at all, just blank.
Ralph Macchio's acting in the Karate Kid movies made me cringe.
Diane Wiest and Richard Dreyfuss are two of my favorites.
posted on June 28, 2001 11:03:01 AM new"Who do you feel (male or female) really can't act their way out of a paper bag?"
For me, it is really the question of WHY, more than Who.
What I mean by that is a prediction that I made many years ago is coming true. I had noticed that Fox Channel, along with the other major networks, was "dumbing down" all of the TV shows, including the News. The comedies got to be so bad that most have been on a par with America's Funniest Home Videos. The more brainless, the more stupid that they were AND the heavier a Laugh-track that they used, the more that they poured it on.
I predicted that this was going to splash over to Hollywood Silver Screen movies as well. That eventually, the producers in Hollywood would try to imitate TV was very likely. And in these past five years, that has been exactly what has been going on -- a transference from TV "Dumbed Down" shows to large screen movies.
But the difference between the two can be dramatic in itself. There is no laugh-track in movies (yet -- that's coming soon!) to make actors funny. For instance, if you could ever block out the laugh-track from your mind and listen to say, Roseanne, you'd realize that she's not funny in the least in that TV show. I don't think that she's funny anywhere else either.
An example of this is Evolution in theaters right now. My gal wanted to see it so I relented and went as well. It was really bad, IMO, with a script made up entirely of catch-phrases; such as, "You the Man!" and "Let's Do This Thing!" You'll be surprised at how bad an actor David Duchovny really is outside of his one role that he was evidently lucky enough to land on the X-Files.
True, Hollywood has been making these awful films for years now, but it is going to get worse before it gets better, simply because someone is whispering into someone else's ear somewhere that "dumbing down" movies will make them more money.
And that is why you have such duds in Hollywood these days.
For the past four years, I have also been predicting that computer animations will get so good that you won't be able to distinguish between a real human actor and an animation. The producers in Hollywood are just drooling over this soon to be realized dream, because why should they pay $40 million dollars for an actor like Tom Hanks to play a part, with the clothing and sets and re-takes when they can spend $1 million and get just the right looking character for just the right part who acts the part perfectly exactly as they want it - no more, no less?
Johnny Depp
He chooses some interesting roles and will go on to be one of the good ones.
Al Pacino
Robert DeNiro
Tom Hanks
Chooses roles that seem to reflect the man himself, e.g. "Philadelphia". Who can ever forget his moving acceptance speech for that role at the Oscars? I get chills just remembering it.
Jeremy Irons
Especially in the dual role "Twins"
Denzel Washington
River Phoenix had great potential. What a waste.
Bad...
Keanu Reeves
(Drawing a blank right now, but I'm sure there are others)
Hi Snowy,
Except for Gerard, you and I could go to the movies together.
posted on June 28, 2001 01:26:13 PM new
I LOVE Kevin Spacey's acting and Rod Steiger (No Way to Treat a Lady <<<<<< )
I'm repulsed by Steven Seagall. His acting is the worse I've ever seen - ever. His get-ups are from Jupiter, and when he talks, I'd like to shoot a potatoe gun at him. Remember when he was on Larry King? Said he was as popular with the papparazzi (sp.) as Princess Diana......
posted on June 28, 2001 02:02:38 PM new
I have long been tired of brand-name actors who can't seem to distinguish between their onscreen and offscreen personas. Jack Nicholson is not an actor. At one time, perhaps. But now he's Jack Nicholson playing Jack Nicholson in any role he does. Ditto for Al Pacino. They're just so tiresome and boring, and they tend to ruin any movie they appear in, unless of course the sole intent of the film is to serve as a vehicle for yet another performance of "Look at Me! I'm Jack Nicholson!"
I think movies actually do better when they feature good actors who are largely unknown to the public. That way, it's easier to believe in them as the characters they are there to portray.
A lot of Hollywood executives have been sittiing around trying to figure out why The Fast and the Furious was such a hit since it doesn't have any big stars.
Well, that's just it. Movies don't need big stars. What carries them is the story and the action. Most movie makers seem to have forgotten all about story in the last two decades. You see people giving their reviews leaving the film, and they all say "Great effects!"
Whatever happened to "Great story!" or "Great acting!"
But then again, moviegoers nowadays seem more stupid and less demanding than ever. Plus, as Hepburn said in another thread, "The whole world is a pottymouth." And Hollywood is all too ready to cater to that market: American Pie, Something About Mary, Joe Dirt, the list goes on.
But getting back to who can act:
Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Kathy Bates.
Morgan Freeman.
Edward Norton.
Daniel Day Lewis.
Liam Neeson.
Tom Hanks.
Michael Keaton.
John Cusack.
Kevin Spacey.
Tim Robbins.
George Clooney (although he's on the verge of becoming "George Clooney as George Clooney" )
Harrison Ford.
P.S. Adam Sandler should not be allowed to make movies -- yet he's one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood. Tells you something about the climate movies are being made in these days.
I'm also tired of the "Ben Affleck/Matt Damon" effect.
posted on June 28, 2001 02:06:03 PM new
Liam Neeson can plant his shoes under my bed any time. So can Sean Connery. I also like Dustin Hoffman, but all my favorites dont act much anymore...they are retired or just too big for what is offered now to do a movie. I, too, cant stand Jack Nicholson. OH, OH...I cannot..no, CANNOT handle whatsherface...HELEN HUNT. Ewwwwww.
posted on June 28, 2001 02:23:04 PM new
Walken's very good, but he's another actor who's gone brand-name. He does basically one characterization and just brings it to different roles.
posted on June 29, 2001 12:18:11 PM new
I was sooo disappointed when Al Pacino (playing Pacino) won the Oscar over one of the finest performances I ever saw, Denzel Washington as Malcolm X.
posted on June 29, 2001 09:56:05 PM new
Too many good actors to list, but character actors that can always steal a scene aren't as plentiful. Here's 3 actors that will steal any scene no matter who they are opposite:
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Boogie Nights, Happiness, Magnolia)
William H. Macy (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Fargo)
Steve Buscemi (Fargo, Reservoir Dogs, Barton Fink)
BTW, If you doubt Tom Cruise is a good actor I recommend viewing Magnolia.
posted on June 29, 2001 11:26:32 PM newspaz:, George Clooney is one of those actors who does not have a real persona, but has to steal a real star's persona. In his case, he imitates Mel Gibson. He imitates the way mel speaks and vocal influctions, the same body language, the same style of acting. I do not think much of George Clooney as an actor if he can't be his own man, but has to copy someone else to get by, IMO.
posted on June 30, 2001 12:00:26 AM new
Sorry, but if Clooney is imitating Gibson he's doing such a piss poor job it is unrecognizable. The man simply can't *act*! His looks and slight charisma were enough for a TV show in which he was part of an ensemble cast, but on the big screen he's a zero. His last film was the final straw as far as I'm concerned--he's now on the list of actors whose films I avoid.
