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For the first time, I saw Man in the Iron Mask on DVD the other night. It was the impetus for this thread.
If I knew nothing about John Malkovich other than what I saw in this film, I would assume that his short-lived acting career crashed and burned and that he was selling lawn equipment at a Lowe's in the middle of BFE.
And yet, John Malkovich is still considered by some to be a "Great Actor."
It's stupifying.
Feel free to add similar anecdotes about other so-called great actors.
It's completely beyond his control.
How about any number of actors who normally do well but being directed by George Lucas?
What about the category "Great Actor in Great Film Acting Horribly."
I nominate Jack Lemmon in Hamlet.
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I'm sure that the director has a level of culpability, as he is the one who decides when a take is "good." But in comparison to the other actors in the film, Malkovich stands out in a bad way.
Jeremy Irons is very good as Aramis.
Gerard Deparieu plays a buffoonish Porthos fairly well.
Leonardo DiCaprio isn't an actor so much as a pretty-boy teen idol, so I expect nothing from him, and therefore wasn't disappointed.
But Malkovich...I mean...damn...you think he would nail at least one scene...but no. Across the board, there was not one moment where he was believable.
But Malkovich...I mean...damn...you think he would nail at least one scene...but no. Across the board, there was not one moment where he was believable.
(Feebly raises hand) I LIKED him in that!
My vote goes for worst acting by a supposedly good actor goes to Sean Penn in State of Grace. Let's just say I was hoping for a "Mystic River" performance and ended up with something more like "Loverboy" (oh, wait, that was Patrick Dempsey). Gary Oldman sure was good in it, though.
P.S. Have you seen Malcovitch in Rounders? It might change your mind about him a bit.
Sean Connery in Avengers.
Sean Connery in just about anything, except the first couple James Bond movies and The Man Who Would Be King.
Anything fron Nick Cage or Keanu Reeves.
While I don't consider much of what Cage has done to be noteworthy, I have to give him the nod for Leaving Las Vegas. He was amazing in that movie. It's likely the best thing that he'll ever do in his life.
Not that I'll ever see it again, because it is the most bleak, depressing thing I've ever seen. I walked out of the theatre and wanted to step in front of a bus.
Although that brings up a good point. Ever notice how, for many actors, winning an Oscar is the kiss of death for a movie career? I offer up Ben Kingsley as a prominent example.
Anything fron Nick Cage or Keanu Reeves.They are supposedly good? :)
Sean Connery in Avengers.
Now that wasn't his fault, he was probably one of the best bits in that movie, I'm afraid Fiennes and Thurman took that particular accolade, the villains made that movie interesting the heroes pretty much killed it...
Now how about the first Scooby Doo movie I almost walked out when they did the Pamela Anderson driving the van breaking into the toy factory scene whilst my sister almost walked out over the farting sequences...
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While I don't consider much of what Cage has done to be noteworthy, I have to give him the nod for Leaving Las Vegas. He was amazing in that movie. It's likely the best thing that he'll ever do in his life.
Before that he was very goog in Wild at Heart with Laura Dern and Willem Dafoe.
Before that he was very goog in Wild at Heart with Laura Dern and Willem Dafoe.While I don't consider much of what Cage has done to be noteworthy, I have to give him the nod for Leaving Las Vegas. He was amazing in that movie. It's likely the best thing that he'll ever do in his life.
Yup, Cage was good in couple of films but after those he has started to get considerable name recognition on the turkey department...
Similarly, everyone who wants to have an opinion of Leonard DiCaprio should see What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
Similarly, everyone who wants to have an opinion of Leonard DiCaprio should see What's Eating Gilbert Grape.Like they say, even a blind dog finds a bone once in a while...
He's also excellent in The Aviator.
And he is incredible in Gilbert Grape. That's not a blind dog finding a bone once in a while. That would describe Keanu Reeves's ability more. How often do movies like Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure or the Matrix, both of which pretty much match the Keanuman's acting ranges, appear?
. Ever notice how, for many actors, winning an Oscar is the kiss of death for a movie career? I offer up Ben Kingsley as a prominent example.
This is very true for a lot of people, but Sir Ben was the t*ts in "Sexy Beast" as a TOTALLY different guy than Gandhi (and to a lesser extent his comic turns in "You Kill Me" and "Lucky Number Slevin", both of those movies were for suck...but I liked him in them).
Cage did alright in the ones mentioned plus Rumble Fish and Raising Arizona, but that dude takes himself and his 'talent' way too seriously.
Sean Penn now has a statue, and he's going for the Three Stooges? uhhhh.
And the "Mighty Aphrodite" woman. uhhhh.
Marisa Tomei. well, she's just all different kinds of awesome!
I've got to say, I was a LDiC hater. Then I saw Gilbert Grape and The Aviator, and had to step away from the hate.
Meh. Hated The Aviator. Didn't like Leo in it, either. From pouty pretty-boy to angsty-insane isn't really a big leap, to me.
I still though it was a decent film, but I had great time sitting with an ol' guy I know who was an Army-Air Force test pilot and fighter pilot, and it was fun listening to him take that movie apart from a technical POV.
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It would seem to me that just being a great actor will not save you from bad performances. Bad direction will make anyone look bad.
I have huge respect for Michael Caine, but some of the movies he has been in have truely sucked. "Water" anyone.
He has admited that there are some projects that you just do for the money waiting for the truely great movies to arrive.
I seriously doubt that Eddie Murphey really wanted to to Beverly Hills Cop 3 or "Pluto Nash", while waiting for "Dreamgirls" to come along.
Sometimes you have to go to work with what your given. Heaven knows some good performers can go through dry spells.
It would seem to me that just being a great actor will not save you from bad performances. Bad direction will make anyone look bad.
I have huge respect for Michael Caine, but some of the movies he has been in have truely sucked. "Water" anyone.
He has admited that there are some projects that you just do for the money waiting for the truely great movies to arrive.
I seriously doubt that Eddie Murphey really wanted to to Beverly Hills Cop 3 or "Pluto Nash", while waiting for "Dreamgirls" to come along.
Sometimes you have to go to work with what your given. Heaven knows some good performers can go through dry spells.
In the end it is always about the money, sometimes after a movie I check IMDB.com and see where the actors are now. Very often a perfectly good actor........just disappears. They don't get the work and they probably end up doing what we do: working 9-5.
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In the end it is always about the money, sometimes after a movie I check IMDB.com and see where the actors are now. Very often a perfectly good actor........just disappears. They don't get the work and they probably end up doing what we do: working 9-5.It would seem to me that just being a great actor will not save you from bad performances. Bad direction will make anyone look bad.
I have huge respect for Michael Caine, but some of the movies he has been in have truely sucked. "Water" anyone.
He has admited that there are some projects that you just do for the money waiting for the truely great movies to arrive.
I seriously doubt that Eddie Murphey really wanted to to Beverly Hills Cop 3 or "Pluto Nash", while waiting for "Dreamgirls" to come along.
Sometimes you have to go to work with what your given. Heaven knows some good performers can go through dry spells.
And sometimes that is thier true calling.
Here's another disappointing performance:
Tony Leung Chu-Wai in Chunking Express. He was so awesome in Infernal Affairs and Lust, Caution that I was like, "wow, this may be the best actor alive today." Then I saw some of his other ones... Every actor is entitled to a "free pass" once in a while, I guess.
I've got to say, I was a LDiC hater. Then I saw Gilbert Grape and The Aviator, and had to step away from the hate.
I think Leo suffers a bit from Star Factory thing, he gets mostly pretty boy roles where he doesn't get to show his acting range...I guess John Waters and Tim Burton rescued Johnny Depp from having the same fate.
There are numerous similar examples in older Hollywood, and with them it is often fun to check their first films when they hadn't yet been typecast (example: Marilyn Monroe playing psychotic babysitter in Don't Bother to Knock...highly recommended).Speaking of Oscar-winners, how is Halle Berry doing nowadays? I didn't see that Monsters' Ball which earned her the statue but she was just bad in X-Men...
How about any number of actors who normally do well but being directed by George Lucas?
It's an aura or something. Aura of Bad Acting. You get it as Blackguard of Destroying Childhood Memories, Making Great Franchises A Laughingstock and Making Formerly Great Villains Look Like Village Idiots.
George has 1000 levels in that class.
How about any number of actors who normally do well but being directed by George Lucas?It's an aura or something. Aura of Bad Acting. You get it as Blackguard of Destroying Childhood Memories, Making Great Franchises A Laughingstock and Making Formerly Great Villains Look Like Village Idiots.
George has 1000 levels in that class.
But out of that you also got Ewen McGregor who did an outstanding job as Obi Wan despite the prequels' obvious problems.
But out of that you also got Ewen McGregor who did an outstanding job as Obi Wan despite the prequels' obvious problems.
I don't know. I was distracted by the constant shouting of "get a shave you hippie." It might have been me.
But out of that you also got Ewen McGregor who did an outstanding job as Obi Wan despite the prequels' obvious problems.
Ewen McGregor was terrible and I am a big fan of Ewan. It should have been Kenneth Branagh as Obi he is probably the only actor that would come the closest to Sir Alec Guinness in ability.
Anything fron Nick Cage or Keanu Reeves.
I thought Keanu played a character with their personality surgically removed perfectly in Johnny Mnemonic.... oh wait.
I find that Samuel L. Jackson especially in recent years has gone down the tubes. He plays the same character over and over an authority figure with an attitude problem and thats pretty much his range.
He's not a motherf$&+ing authority figure with a motherf$%@ing attitude problem.
Ewen McGregor was terrible and I am a big fan of Ewan. It should have been Kenneth Branagh as Obi he is probably the only actor that would come the closest to Sir Alec Guinness in ability.
I'd still blame the directing and the scriptwriting before I'd blame McGregor.
My biggest problem with Eps I-III remain that they're too tightly focused on Anakin. He's not the hero. He's the soon-to-be villain. We already know that. I have no sympathy for him because it's pointless; he's doomed. From a literary standpoint, the story should be Obi-Wan's. He's the tragic hero here, not Anakin. Anakin is a petulant, angry boy that grows into a more petulant, angrier, overly-cocky teenager. Obi-Wan is the good guy who has the impossible task of training him, knowing deep down that he can't control his pupil, but honor-bound to try anyway. That's compelling.
Don't get me started on Clone Wars... [/threadjack]
I thought Edward James Olmos' performance in the pilot of the new Battlestar Galactica, especially the speech at the end, was absolutely atrocious. It was because of that speech that I never bothered to watch the series.
I thought Edward James Olmos' performance in the pilot of the new Battlestar Galactica, especially the speech at the end, was absolutely atrocious.
On his worst day, though, he's still head and shoulders better than Lorne Green... although I still like the original show better than the new one. Maybe it's just nostalgia.
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I find that Samuel L. Jackson especially in recent years has gone down the tubes. He plays the same character over and over an authority figure with an attitude problem and thats pretty much his range.He's not a motherf~#&ing authority figure with a motherf~#&ing attitude problem.
Check him out in National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1. Classic.
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How about any number of actors who normally do well but being directed by George Lucas?It's an aura or something. Aura of Bad Acting. You get it as Blackguard of Destroying Childhood Memories, Making Great Franchises A Laughingstock and Making Formerly Great Villains Look Like Village Idiots.
George has 1000 levels in that class.
Actually Lucas just got elevated to a divinity of Destroying childhood memories,etc. so I'm not sure he's limited by class levels anymore.
On his worst day, though, he's still head and shoulders better than Lorne Green... although I still like the original show better than the new one. Maybe it's just nostalgia.
Same here. My vote also goes to nostalgia, mainly because I've seen episodes of it again now that I'm all grown up. It's definitely nostalgia.
My list of "Must Hate Because They Play The Same Character ALL THE TIME" actors:
John Travolta
Nicholas Cage
Sean Connery *
Jack Nicholson
Tom Cruise
* I like Sean, but come on!
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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I find that Samuel L. Jackson especially in recent years has gone down the tubes. He plays the same character over and over an authority figure with an attitude problem and thats pretty much his range.
I find that of a lot of actors. They play one range really well and have a hard time stepping outside of it. Woodman... err... Keanu Reeves is one. Samuel L. Jackson is another.
Woodman... err... Keanu Reeves is one.
"Woah."
Ewen McGregor was terrible and I am a big fan of Ewan. It should have been Kenneth Branagh as Obi he is probably the only actor that would come the closest to Sir Alec Guinness in ability.
You know, I thought Sir Alec did a horrible, horrible job in the original movies; nothing at all like his work in, say, "The Ladykillers." MacGregor, I thought, got Guiness' wooden, hokey, psuedo-mystical hissy-fits just exactly right.
Branaugh I can usually take or leave, but damn, he was good in "Othello."
Where's the love for Gilderoy Lockhart?
(Ashamed to admit I had to google that one). I hated the first book, and never read the others... As a result, I never have the slightest clue what's going on in the movies; they're obviously geared to an audience that's "in the know." I'm not, so I tend to stare blankly at the screen a lot (although I sure liked the Prisoner of Kazakstan or whatever movie -- Gary Oldman rocks).
My thoughts: Sir Alec's a great actor, he didn't like the part and I think it comes through some...problem is he's so damn great, that even half-hearted it came out good. It works as the "mysterious sage" because its blank enough we can project onto it. His usual acting might have been to intense for a part who characterization was more suggested than acted.
And yeah, boys from N. Ireland can act. Take or leave Branaugh? What the heck've you been watching?
Take or leave Branaugh? What the heck've you been watching?