Lousy actors whom you don't care are lousy [Archive]

Chiasm

11-25-2007, 02:38 PM

Keanu Reeves sucks as an actor but Bill/Ted, Speed, the Matrix, and even Point Break are fun to watch and he works as the leading man in those movies.

Thats because he's one of many actors who are only good at playing the exact same character in every movie. When they try to deviate from that character its disastrous. Owen Wilson comes to mind as the most glaring of all actors who is only good at playing Owen Wilson as I can't think of a single role he's ever had where his character was different from another one.

jesse_custer

11-25-2007, 02:44 PM

How is Keanu the same character in "Speed" and "Bill and Ted"?

Cyke

11-25-2007, 02:47 PM

Ben Stein. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed roughly 95% of the films he's in, and I like watching him whenever he's up there. Still, a pretty lousy actor.

Karl J Barnes

11-25-2007, 02:48 PM

David Carusso. I don't care how stiff and posed he is,I just get a kick out of him.

Scorpion13

11-25-2007, 02:55 PM

David Carusso. I don't care how stiff and posed he is,I just get a kick out of him.

Very ture. Does he ever have a different expression on his face? Talk in a different tone of voice? Ever?

Oh, and Lee Majors. Same look on his face all the time, sometimes with a raised eyebrow. Thats it.

SPAfreak

11-25-2007, 03:01 PM

Very ture. Does he ever have a different expression on his face? Talk in a different tone of voice? Ever?

Caruso's best role ever was Kit Kat in Hudson Hawk.

He played a mime.

DDM

11-25-2007, 03:07 PM

Ben Stein. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed roughly 95% of the films he's in, and I like watching him whenever he's up there. Still, a pretty lousy actor.

Ben Stein plays himself. In this sense, he's like Dolly Parton. She has the same acting ability as Ben Stein.

jesse_custer

11-25-2007, 03:07 PM

I agree that Caruso is pretty stiff in general, but he did show some fire in "NYPD Blue" and "King of New York."

kalorama

11-25-2007, 03:10 PM

I don't think even Ben Stein would really consider himself an "actor" per se.

Thorlief

11-25-2007, 03:25 PM

maczero

11-25-2007, 03:54 PM

If we can expand the discussion to include actresses then I'd like to add Jessica Alba and Stacy Dash.

Kid Kamikaze10

11-25-2007, 03:59 PM

Christopher Lambert and that guy who played as Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat the movie.

SnowTrooper

11-25-2007, 04:00 PM

Vince Vaughn. Hes the same character in almost every movie hes in. The only movie I can think of where he isnt a fun loving goof-ball is Domestic Disturbance.

Darth Joker

11-25-2007, 04:18 PM

Keanu Reeves sucks as an actor but Bill/Ted, Speed, the Matrix, and even Point Break are fun to watch and he works as the leading man in those movies.

Agreed, except perhaps on Point Break (I haven't seen it).

Keanu was actually passable (not really good, but genuinely passable) in "The Devil's Advocate" too, imo.

The key for Keanu is that you have to stick him in a surreal, yet straightfoward, role (i.e. his character needs to have to deal with weirdness going on, but it also has to be the sort of role you could effectively describe in two sentences or less).

I saw him in one movie once (the name escapes me right now) where he was basically playing a fairly normal guy in a very normal universe... and it just fell flat.

OTOH, a role like John Constantine is just beyond him.

Lord of Denial

11-25-2007, 04:20 PM

I agree that Caruso is pretty stiff in general, but he did show some fire in "NYPD Blue" and "King of New York."

The character he plays on CSI Miami is one of the worst ever.

Ilash

11-25-2007, 04:26 PM

Ahnuld!

Seriously, we all know Schwarzenegger cannot act to save his life but he does have genuine charisma that makes him really likable in most of the roles he's played (Terminator excluded of course but then that movie made perfect use of his non-acting). Compare him to most of he fellow action stars to see what I mean.

DrewTheXenocide

11-25-2007, 04:26 PM

Agreed, except perhaps on Point Break (I haven't seen it).

Keanu was actually passable (not really good, but genuinely passable) in "The Devil's Advocate" too, imo.

The key for Keanu is that you have to stick him in a surreal, yet straightfoward, role (i.e. his character needs to have to deal with weirdness going on, but it also has to be the sort of role you could effectively describe in two sentences or less).

I saw him in one movie once (the name escapes me right now) where he was basically playing a fairly normal guy in a very normal universe... and it just fell flat.

OTOH, a role like John Constantine is just beyond him.

I really liked him in Hardball.

Ilash

11-25-2007, 04:28 PM

OTOH, a role like John Constantine is just beyond him.

Yeah, you ain't kidding. Still one of the most puzzling bit of miscasting that I've ever come across.

Toku King

11-25-2007, 04:31 PM

So I'm realizing, John Cleese is a really lousy actor. A comic genius, but name me one thing he's been in where he hasn't basically just been John Cleese?

WRONG!

Oh, and my choice is the Governator.

jesse_custer

11-25-2007, 04:48 PM

Clint Eastwood in his Leone's movies was the stiffest piece of wood ever seen, but he worked pretty well and personally I wouldn't want it to have more facial expression than the two mentioned by Leone himself "one with the cigar and one without the cigar"

Respectfully disagree. Eastwood was able to show more character by doing nothing than any other performer I've seen. He seems like a genuine caring man when he offers his cigar to a dying solider in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." And that's only a small moment where you can see a whole lot of personality through little effort.

Ilash

11-25-2007, 05:25 PM

Respectfully disagree. Eastwood was able to show more character by doing nothing than any other performer I've seen. He seems like a genuine caring man when he offers his cigar to a dying solider in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." And that's only a small moment where you can see a whole lot of personality through little effort.

Totally agree. I like Eastwood more for his film making abilities than his acting but he is a fine actor. More than anything else, it comes down to sheer presence.There are very few actors out there with even half of the presence of Clint Eastwood.

metalhead_dave743

11-25-2007, 05:31 PM

OTOH, a role like John Constantine is just beyond him.

I thought Keanu was pretty good as ConstanTEEN! Yeah but the role of ConstanTINE would be beyond him.

I liked Constantine. I know it's a total bastardization and butchery of Hellblazer, but I never read any Hellblazer so I wasn't as pissed off at it's unfaithfulness. I did Wiki all things Hellblazer though so I can see why people are pissed, and that the character of John Constantine could never be portrayed by Keanu effectively.

Thorlief

11-25-2007, 05:35 PM

Respectfully disagree. Eastwood was able to show more character by doing nothing than any other performer I've seen. He seems like a genuine caring man when he offers his cigar to a dying solider in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." And that's only a small moment where you can see a whole lot of personality through little effort.

no denying his personality is rock solid, but his acting abilites seemed pretty limited at that time. It's just me, probably

Lord of Denial

11-25-2007, 05:53 PM

I never got what all the fuss was about John Wayne.

jesse_custer

11-25-2007, 05:55 PM

Perhaps you haven't watch the right films. Something else that may help is try to think about Wayne in the context of his time. We take his image for granted nowadays.

Totoro Man

11-25-2007, 05:59 PM

Yeah, you ain't kidding. Still one of the most puzzling bit of miscasting that I've ever come across.

so... would the movie have been better if they cast Sting as the main character? or would it simply have sucked in a different way? I'm leaning towards "it would still suck" cuz...

Lord of Denial

11-25-2007, 06:18 PM

Perhaps you haven't watch the right films. Something else that may help is try to think about Wayne in the context of his time. We take his image for granted nowadays.

Recommend some films.

Deep_Sleeper

11-25-2007, 06:19 PM

so... would the movie have been better if they cast Sting as the main character? or would it simply have sucked in a different way? I'm leaning towards "it would still suck" cuz...

I think a better actor would have made that movie more enjoyable. The obvious choice would have been James Marster, but Johnny Depp would have done much more for that movie.

jerrymcl89

11-25-2007, 06:26 PM

The key for Keanu is that you have to stick him in a surreal, yet straightfoward, role (i.e. his character needs to have to deal with weirdness going on, but it also has to be the sort of role you could effectively describe in two sentences or less).

I saw him in one movie once (the name escapes me right now) where he was basically playing a fairly normal guy in a very normal universe... and it just fell flat.

OTOH, a role like John Constantine is just beyond him.

The essence of what Keanu does well is play a well-meaning but essentially clueless character (like Neo in the Matrix films) learning on the job as the audience learns along with him. Which is why he'd rank essentially last of all the people on earth in terms of appropriateness to play Constantine, who is always the smartest guy in the room, and literally a step ahead of the devil.

Ilash

11-25-2007, 06:30 PM

so... would the movie have been better if they cast Sting as the main character? or would it simply have sucked in a different way? I'm leaning towards "it would still suck" cuz...

I lean more towards the way of thinking that if they the film's producers had the guts to have John Constantine portrayed the way he's supposed to be portrayed by an actor who could do justice to so complex a character then it's pretty likely that the rest of the film would have fallen in line with that.

I actually didn't hate the film, it was an entertaining enough bit of nonsense but I did have to separate it completely from the source material. It's a pity though that they didn't do justice to the comic because Dangerous Habits, with only a few small tweaks here and there, has all the makings of a top-class film.

jesse_custer

11-25-2007, 06:33 PM

Recommend some films.

Stagecoach (his first "big" film)
The Searchers (probably his most conflicted performance)
The Cowboys (the way the boys in this film view Wayne is how America at large viewed him)
Big Jake (just a fun film where Wayne talks smack to bad guys and ... his own family)

The Xenos

11-25-2007, 06:35 PM

David Carusso. I don't care how stiff and posed he is,I just get a kick out of him.
The character he plays on CSI Miami is one of the worst ever.
http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/8679/carusocsi2sk6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Well I guess that's....

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3918/carusocsi1th6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
a matter of opinion.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/771/carusocsi3sb7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Also, David says,
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/3834/davidcarusofyousd9.gif

Quilt

11-25-2007, 06:38 PM

I'll be throwing down another vote for Keanu Reeves. He's a little robotic and stiff and emotionless and has no expression on his face at any point. I don't give a sh*t. I like his movies and he seems like a good guy on a personal level.

Lord of Denial

11-25-2007, 06:43 PM

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/8679/carusocsi2sk6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Well I guess that's....

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3918/carusocsi1th6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
a matter of opinion.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/771/carusocsi3sb7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Also, David says,
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/3834/davidcarusofyousd9.gif

You actually like his character on CSI Miami?

Thorlief

11-25-2007, 07:15 PM

so... would the movie have been better if they cast Sting as the main character? or would it simply have sucked in a different way? I'm leaning towards "it would still suck" cuz...

no, because the movie sucked big time even without Sting in my opinion. Being visually faithful doesn't equal quality, just look at LXG: excellent, spot on casting choices (let's pretend awful Tom wasn't there) and vomit-inducing results

ChrisIII

11-25-2007, 07:34 PM

Caruso has a small role in "First blood", the first Rambo movie. His tone of voice is completely different compared to NYPD Blue and CSI: Miami..

Thorlief

11-25-2007, 07:38 PM

The character he plays on CSI Miami is one of the worst ever.

has there ever been a good CSI character, in any serie?

I'm kidding. Maybe.

The Mirrorball Man

11-25-2007, 08:02 PM

So I'm realizing, John Cleese is a really lousy actor. A comic genius, but name me one thing he's been in where he hasn't basically just been John Cleese?

Didn't he play some kind of mad genius in Kenneth Branagh's "Frankenstein"?

Deep_Sleeper

11-25-2007, 08:07 PM

Julusnc

11-25-2007, 08:11 PM

I never got what all the fuss was about John Wayne.

There might be a special place in Hades for you friend :)

Have you never seen John Ford's The Searchers?

StoneGold

11-25-2007, 08:15 PM

Stagecoach (his first "big" film)
The Searchers (probably his most conflicted performance)
The Cowboys (the way the boys in this film view Wayne is how America at large viewed him)
Big Jake (just a fun film where Wayne talks smack to bad guys and ... his own family)

You forgot Liberty Vallance. But Wayne does have a tendency more often than not to sleepwalk through the acting in his movies and just play "himself." He does occasionally get a deeper performance, but it is rare.

Lord of Denial

11-25-2007, 08:22 PM

kalorama

11-25-2007, 08:39 PM

OTOH, a role like John Constantine is just beyond him.

I disagree. I thought the movie was pretty good and that he did a nice job in the role. I really think that the whole "Bill and Ted" thing has cast a sometimes unfair shadow over Reeves's career. He doesn't have great range, but he can do some good things within the narrow range he has.

Thorlief

11-25-2007, 08:51 PM

it's all in his face. Half samoan, part chinese/ english..you really can't tell what role he would fit into

(just kidding, obviously...although I do think face has or hasn't something to do with the success of certain good actors)

Magneto_X

11-25-2007, 09:11 PM

Thats because he's one of many actors who are only good at playing the exact same character in every movie. When they try to deviate from that character its disastrous. Owen Wilson comes to mind as the most glaring of all actors who is only good at playing Owen Wilson as I can't think of a single role he's ever had where his character was different from another one.

Actually, he's quite good as a serious actor. See Behind Enemy Lines.

Magneto_X

11-25-2007, 09:16 PM

handOFfate

11-25-2007, 09:59 PM

Another vote for the governator. I loved Predator, Terminator, Terminator 2, and True Lies. Hell, I even liked the Conan movies. Arnie cant act, but hes charismatic and a pretty convincing badass.

The Rock is far from a great actor but hes got charisma. I think "Walking Tall" is underrated. Just needs to find the right role.

Pretty much the entire Frat Pack are one-note actors, but their funny and thats what counts.

Karl J Barnes

11-25-2007, 10:08 PM

Vince Vaughn. Hes the same character in almost every movie hes in. The only movie I can think of where he isnt a fun loving goof-ball is Domestic Disturbance.

He was pretty cool in "The Cell" with Jennifer Lopez.

Karl J Barnes

11-25-2007, 10:13 PM

You forgot Liberty Vallance. But Wayne does have a tendency more often than not to sleepwalk through the acting in his movies and just play "himself." He does occasionally get a deeper performance, but it is rare.

The two movies that were non-westerns that I really enjoyed:Coogan's Bluff and The Quiet Man. Well acted and understated. Also, LOVED True Grit,but could've done without the "sequel" Rooster Corburn.

Cyke

11-25-2007, 10:16 PM

Double post.

Cyke

11-25-2007, 10:16 PM

I don't think even Ben Stein would really consider himself an "actor" per se.

Then he's being modest. No, I wouldn't say that he's outright pushing the boundaries of art, but to me, if you're on stage or screen reciting lines and doing it when any sort of regularity (which he does have, like, three times a year), then you're an actor.

I suppose that's me also being a bit supportive of anyone who's ever wanted to become an actor, but are too shy to admit it (ie, budding high school kids who love the art but shun the term because they don't feel like they've earned it).

So yeah, to me, he's a writer first, conservative pundit second, game show host third, actor seventh, but still an actor nonetheless.

The Mutt

11-25-2007, 10:21 PM

Give the Rock a chance and he will blow folks away. He's got the chops.

Bruce Willis is the most under-rated actor alive.

The Governator is a lousy actor, but I've enjoyed pretty much all of his movies.

DLFerguson

11-25-2007, 11:13 PM

Recommend some films.

True Grit
Reap The Wild Wind
Rio Bravo & El Dorado: "El Dorado" and "Rio Bravo" are virtually the same film but have enough individual quirks and plot twists that I feel justified in recommending them both.
The Shootist: Wayne's final film and his finest performance

StoneGold

11-25-2007, 11:15 PM

The two movies that were non-westerns that I really enjoyed:Coogan's Bluff and The Quiet Man. Well acted and understated. Also, LOVED True Grit,but could've done without the "sequel" Rooster Corburn.

Like I said, rare. Although I notice you avoided The Conquerer and The Greatest Story Ever Told.

DLFerguson

11-25-2007, 11:17 PM

Vince Vaughn. Hes the same character in almost every movie hes in. The only movie I can think of where he isnt a fun loving goof-ball is Domestic Disturbance.

There's also a nifty thriller called CLAY PIGEONS where Vince Vaughn plays a serial killer. And plays it straight. Well worth checking out if you're a Vince Vaughn fan.

SPAfreak

11-25-2007, 11:28 PM

There's also a nifty thriller called CLAY PIGEONS where Vince Vaughn plays a serial killer. And plays it straight. Well worth checking out if you're a Vince Vaughn fan.

That's the first movie I thought of as a non-Vince Vaughn Vince Vaughn role. Then I remembered that he's still a goofball in the film. Not as much of one but Vince is still there.

Karl J Barnes

11-25-2007, 11:38 PM

Like I said, rare. Although I notice you avoided The Conquerer and The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Having to view John Wayne as Genghis Khan should be classified as torture.

StoneGold

11-26-2007, 12:31 AM

That's the first movie I thought of as a non-Vince Vaughn Vince Vaughn role. Then I remembered that he's still a goofball in the film. Not as much of one but Vince is still there.

Lost World? Psycho? The Cell?

GRANT!

11-26-2007, 12:39 AM

So I'm realizing, John Cleese is a really lousy actor. A comic genius, but name me one thing he's been in where he hasn't basically just been John Cleese?

He played an a good oaf in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

I don't think playing one or two types of characters makes somebody a bad actor. I think an emotional range is more important. Not saying John Cleese has a wide emotional range (though he was pretty great in Fish Called Wanda).

I mean sometimes people get stuck playing the same roles. Peter Lorre was a great actor who got stuck playing the same role over and over again.

Thorlief

11-26-2007, 04:48 AM

and what about the Jewish inquisitor at the beginning of Brian? "Are you Matthewwww..." ahaha. Oscar worthy.

SPAfreak

11-26-2007, 08:13 AM

Lost World? Psycho? The Cell?

Why are you quoting me with these? I said Vince was Vince in Clay Pigeons.

StoneGold

11-26-2007, 11:37 AM

Why are you quoting me with these? I said Vince was Vince in Clay Pigeons.

Just adding a few more to the list. It wasn't a rebutt, it was an add.

kalorama

11-26-2007, 11:50 AM

That's the first movie I thought of as a non-Vince Vaughn Vince Vaughn role. Then I remembered that he's still a goofball in the film. Not as much of one but Vince is still there.

For most of his career Vince Vaughan has probably done as much if not more dramatic work than comedy. The now stock hipster/doofus act is something the he used mostly in his work with Favreau, but after the huge, surprising success of Old School (and the corresponding bigger paydays) he's pretty much abandoned any pretensions towards dramatic art and followed the money.

SPAfreak

11-26-2007, 01:42 PM

For most of his career Vince Vaughan has probably done as much if not more dramatic work than comedy. The now stock hipster/doofus act is something the he used mostly in his work with Favreau, but after the huge, surprising success of Old School (and the corresponding bigger paydays) he's pretty much abandoned any pretensions towards dramatic art and followed the money.

He was just in In the Wild though. I haven't seen it yet but I'd guess he's doing something more dramatic. I can't remember who said comic actors do drama better than strictly dramatic actors but it's something I agree with for the most part. The opposite is unfortunately rarely true.

The actor I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned yet is Denzel Washington. Now there is a guy who's range has narrowed substantially. He got an Oscar for playing the Denzel role. I enjoy watching him but it would be nice to see him step out of his mold again.

Forefinger

11-26-2007, 01:50 PM

Vince Vaughn. Hes the same character in almost every movie hes in. The only movie I can think of where he isnt a fun loving goof-ball is Domestic Disturbance.

I have to say different. He was in many more dramatic roles prior to his current comedic status. In all the comedies....yeah....same guy. He did do a different accent for Made though.

DDM

11-26-2007, 05:34 PM

Thorlief

11-26-2007, 05:55 PM

The actor I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned yet is Denzel Washington. Now there is a guy who's range has narrowed substantially. He got an Oscar for playing the Denzel role. I enjoy watching him but it would be nice to see him step out of his mold again.

see, the OP asked if you don't care about em being lousy, and in Denzel's case, I really do. I think he's totally overrated, just a decent actor who happened to win an Oscar just because there was a black trend going on in Hollywood. Overrated, overrated, overrated..just like Halle goddamn annoying Berry. Just like Tom Hanks. Just like a load of actors.

I do agree he's been playing Denzel since forever. Heck, even in Philadelphia he managed to be a angry black guy. Give me a break.

Black Atom

11-26-2007, 06:26 PM

The actor I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned yet is Denzel Washington. Now there is a guy who's range has narrowed substantially. He got an Oscar for playing the Denzel role. I enjoy watching him but it would be nice to see him step out of his mold again.

Buuh? I'm not sure Alonzo Harris, the character Washington got an Oscar for portraying in Training Day is anything like the likeable everyman he usually plays. In any case, he's hardly a "lousy" actor.

Fatguy

11-26-2007, 07:15 PM

Really shocked at no mention of Bruce Campbell. He's one of the all-time great bad actors!

kalorama

11-26-2007, 07:52 PM

Buuh? I'm not sure Alonzo Harris, the character Washington got an Oscar for portraying in Training Day is anything like the likeable everyman he usually plays.

And, although I've never met the man, I'm gonna guess he's not really the suicidal, alcoholic ex-CIA agent turned south of the border bodyguard for hire, turned revenge killer he played in Man on Fire. I'll go even further out on a limb and guess that he's also not really a ruthless, charming drug lord like the one he plays in American Gangster.

GRANT!

11-26-2007, 08:35 PM

He was just in In the Wild though. I haven't seen it yet but I'd guess he's doing something more dramatic. I can't remember who said comic actors do drama better than strictly dramatic actors but it's something I agree with for the most part. The opposite is unfortunately rarely true.

He was pretty good (but Zach Grafilinkis was way better) in "Into the Wild" though his role used a lot of his comedic talents even if the movie wasn't a comedy.

I think it takes a lot of talent to do what he does. He's someone who can think quickly on his feet when he's giving a performance. That's a pretty good indicator of a good actor.

DLFerguson

11-26-2007, 10:03 PM

Buuh? I'm not sure Alonzo Harris, the character Washington got an Oscar for portraying in Training Day is anything like the likeable everyman he usually plays. In any case, he's hardly a "lousy" actor.

Exactly. Denzel won the Academy Award for playing a role unlike any he had ever played before.

Although I have to admit that due to the extraordinary coincidence of three black actors winning Oscars that year (and I don't believe in coincidence) I sometimes wonder if a back room deal wasn't made to give Awards to Denzel, Halle Berry and Mr. Sidney Poitier all in the same year so that if a black actor doesn't win an Oscar for the next 10 years and the black community starts to grumble the Academy can point at that year and say; "Hey! Look, you got three in one year! Quit yer sqawkin'!"

jesse_custer

11-27-2007, 08:33 AM

Denzel isn't lousy. Check out his turn in "Glory." His character is a tragic image; a black man whose great anger is fostered by the dominance of white men. In fact, he becomes so angry at times that he antagonizes his own brethren. When he must be punished for insubordination, you can't help but pity him. As he's being whipped, he represents what many blacks had to go through during slavery. That is truly a larger-than-life performance.

Now, I admit that Denzel has been very formulaic as of late. However, I thought his role in "American Gangster" was definitely an improvement.

And from I have seen, Vince Vaughn has always sucked. Reilly is another story.

Jared

11-27-2007, 10:35 AM

Keanu Reeves had a supporting role in The Gift as a dangerous redneck, and he was surprisingly good. Hell, he was the third best thing in the movie.

Bruce Campbell actually showed some real chops in an episode of The X-Files.

Christopher Walken...okay, I haven't seen the Deer Hunter? Does he actually do some *acting* there? Because while I find him to be almost always entertaining, I can't think of a movie where I actually saw him give a performance where it seemed like he was doing more than just having fun.

Black Atom

11-27-2007, 11:00 AM

Exactly. Denzel won the Academy Award for playing a role unlike any he had ever played before.

Although I have to admit that due to the extraordinary coincidence of three black actors winning Oscars that year (and I don't believe in coincidence) I sometimes wonder if a back room deal wasn't made to give Awards to Denzel, Halle Berry and Mr. Sidney Poitier all in the same year so that if a black actor doesn't win an Oscar for the next 10 years and the black community starts to grumble the Academy can point at that year and say; "Hey! Look, you got three in one year! Quit yer sqawkin'!"

I guess that's possible. All anyone can do is speculate, really. I did think Halle's performance in Monster's Ball (and the movie itself) was pretty over-rated.

The Zapper

11-27-2007, 11:06 AM

I guess that's possible. All anyone can do is speculate, really. I did think Halle's performance in Monster's Ball (and the movie itself) was pretty over-rated.

Oh yes. That performance was way overrated. Berry is pretty overrated in the first place though.

The Mutt

11-27-2007, 11:08 AM

Christopher Walken...okay, I haven't seen the Deer Hunter? Does he actually do some *acting* there? Because while I find him to be almost always entertaining, I can't think of a movie where I actually saw him give a performance where it seemed like he was doing more than just having fun.

Yes! Yes! Yes! He plays a nice, normal small-town kid who goes through hell and gets turned into Christopher Walken.

Black Atom

11-27-2007, 11:26 AM

Oh yes. That performance was way overrated. Berry is pretty overrated in the first place though.

I think she's been pretty good in a couple movies, and was really good in Losing Isaiah, but yeah she doesn't really stand out, otherwise. She's not bad, but not terrific either.

Alphaxman

11-27-2007, 05:19 PM

Keanu Reeves had a supporting role in The Gift as a dangerous redneck, and he was surprisingly good. Hell, he was the third best thing in the movie.

I have to agree with this. Plus I think he was really charming and relaxed in “Something’s Gotta Give”. He had great chemistry with Diane to the point that it was rumored that they were dating for a short time.
And I thought he was great in 'My Own Private Idaho'(while not as good as River Phoenix).

Ilash

11-27-2007, 05:25 PM

Christopher Walken...okay, I haven't seen the Deer Hunter? Does he actually do some *acting* there? Because while I find him to be almost always entertaining, I can't think of a movie where I actually saw him give a performance where it seemed like he was doing more than just having fun.

Have you ever seen the film Biloxi Blues? He's fantastic in that - funny but with a real edge to him. But then I think he's a really good actor in general.

kalorama

11-27-2007, 08:48 PM

I think she's been pretty good in a couple movies, and was really good in Losing Isaiah, but yeah she doesn't really stand out, otherwise. She's not bad, but not terrific either.

Her worst performance may have been the one she won the Oscar for in Monster's Ball.

ultramandingo

11-27-2007, 09:02 PM

........i can watch shatner in anything

Christopher Cross Is God

11-27-2007, 09:29 PM

A lousy actor I love to watch is Gilbert Gottfried, the guy just makes me laugh.

Just adding a few more to the list. It wasn't a rebutt, it was an add.

Another "serious" Vince Vaughn role was Return To Paradise.

Buuh? I'm not sure Alonzo Harris, the character Washington got an Oscar for portraying in Training Day is anything like the likeable everyman he usually plays. In any case, he's hardly a "lousy" actor.

I was shocked as well, from seeing someone label Denzel Washington as a lousy actor. And hell, he's far better than the overrated Cuba Gooding Jr.

handOFfate

11-27-2007, 10:11 PM

[QUOTE=Jared;5882239]Keanu Reeves had a supporting role in The Gift as a dangerous redneck, and he was surprisingly good. Hell, he was the third best thing in the movie.
[QUOTE]

Reeves was excellent in The Gift. I was surprised at how much he made me hate his jerk redneck character.

Ilash

11-28-2007, 02:32 AM

........i can watch shatner in anything

I was waiting for that. Thing is though that I'm not really convinced that he is a lousy actor, he's really good in Boston Legal and he was really pretty great in Star Trek II and, lets not kid, those are actually fairly different rolls.

Pól Rua

11-28-2007, 05:49 AM

I never got what all the fuss was about John Wayne.

John Wayne was like Der Governator.
He's a movie star. He's not required to act, but rather to be an implacable force of nature. When Schwarzeneggar says he's going to kill a zillion thugs who murdered his puppy, you believe him.
Same with John Wayne.
He embodied a rock-solid, uncompromising character, and was convincing at doing that.

I'm not a fan. However, I do acknowledge his screen presence.

Pól Rua

11-28-2007, 05:52 AM

so... would the movie have been better if they cast Sting as the main character? or would it simply have sucked in a different way? I'm leaning towards "it would still suck" cuz...

No. Because the character was based on Sting, when he was in the film 'Quadrophenia', which was a hell of a long time ago.
That'd be like getting Sean Connery to play James Bond again. He's a different guy.

Pól Rua

11-28-2007, 06:01 AM

Bruce Campbell actually showed some real chops in an episode of The X-Files.

And in a phenomenal two-parter on 'Homicide: Life On The Streets'.

jesse_custer

11-28-2007, 08:22 AM

Jared

11-28-2007, 12:38 PM

Walken is shockingly great in "The Deer Hunter" and "King of New York."

I will also watch damn near anything with William Shatner. Did you know he was the murderer in one of those Columbo movies? The interplay between Shatner and Peter Falk was amazing and hilarious.

He's done at least two Columbos, as different characters. Though it's been many years since i've seen it, I recall him being pretty damn good in Star Trek III, at least in the scene where he's told that his son is dead. Still a craptacular movie though.

Ilash

11-28-2007, 01:56 PM

He's done at least two Columbos, as different characters. Though it's been many years since i've seen it, I recall him being pretty damn good in Star Trek III, at least in the scene where he's told that his son is dead. Still a craptacular movie though.

I actually quite like Trek III, its' pretty easily the best of the odd-numbered Star Trek movies.

BoosterBronze

11-28-2007, 02:00 PM

I will also watch damn near anything with William Shatner. Did you know he was the murderer in one of those Columbo movies? The interplay between Shatner and Peter Falk was amazing and hilarious.

The man is painfully underrated.

Young Shatner was great in "Nurmeberg" and I think the two best Twilight Zone episodes ever.

StoneGold

11-28-2007, 02:36 PM

The man is painfully underrated.

Young Shatner was great in "Nurmeberg" and I think the two best Twilight Zone episodes ever.

And Third Rock. Although Denny was pretty damn close to the Big Giant Head. Still, I'll always love... I think it was his second appearance, when he was getting off of a plane to meet the gang.

"My flight was fine, but I kept seeing this man... on the wing of the plane!"

To which Lithgow yells out "You too?!?!?!"

The joke being that Lithgow played Shatner's role from Nightmare at 30k' in the Twilight Zone movie. It took me a few beats to catch on to that one. Kind of an in joke.

Jettison

11-28-2007, 02:45 PM

Steven Segal

Jared

11-28-2007, 06:13 PM

I actually quite like Trek III, its' pretty easily the best of the odd-numbered Star Trek movies.

I always felt that having Spock truly come back ruined the drama of his sacrifice in Star Trek II. I would have had him appear in the movie, but maybe having been changed the Genesis in such a way that he can never return to the Enterprise, you know, another Man becomes Space God ending. I hated the replacement Saavik. Finally, the film lost me completely when Kirk did a backflip.

Of all the films, it does feel the most like an episode of the original series, I'll give it that.

Toonimator

11-29-2007, 11:49 AM

I hated the replacement Saavik.
I hated that they replaced an actor, but the replacement Saavik was a much better typical Vulcan than Kirstie Alley (in look and mannerism)

Wish I'd caught that 3rd Rock episode with Shatner & Lithgow's plane comparison... sounds great!

Another great Reeves performance -- Ortiz the Dog Boy in "Freaked". Very different, and--for what the film was--he was excellent in it!

Walken's a great choice. I haven't seen Deer Hunter, but I'm convinced he can act... he just chooses not to for most of his roles. Or rather, he opts to do what he thinks is fun rather than what the role requires sometimes. And it's entertaining!

the_big_billbowski

11-29-2007, 08:53 PM

Recommend some films.

If someone hasn't already mentioned it (I haven't read every post)

True Grit

Mclintock ( think i spelled it wrong)

maczero

11-30-2007, 08:19 AM

Charlie Murphy. OK he's a comedian (and not the best out there either) but he's been in enough stuff to qualify as a legitimate actor. Still I get a chuckle whenever he's on screen.