Natalie Portman & Jean Reno in Leon
One of my favorite characters and performances.
Another
I saw this movie called “Downfall” over the weekend. It is a German movie, and it was about WW2 and Germany, and Hitler’s final days in his bunker before he killed himself.
The guy who played Hitler, Bruno Ganz, was incredible. Really, I was taken aback at just how well he portrayed Hitler. It was chilling, and goosebump inducing sometimes when he would go into a tirade. His portrayal of the evil mastermind is just uncanny. Seriously, it was like looking into a the past.
Oh, and the girl show plays Hitler’s secretary is smoking hot. Her name is Alexandra Maria Lara.
I agree with you Mufasa, that Sci-Fi doesnt get enough cred with the academy and other crones of the film world. I am very fond of Sigourney Weaver and her performance in the Alien Quadrilogy. I think she did an amazing job with her character and deserves more recognition than she got.
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I agree with you Mufasa, that Sci-Fi doesnt get enough cred with the academy and other crones of the film world. I am very fond of Sigourney Weaver and her performance in the Alien Quadrilogy. I think she did an amazing job with her character and deserves more recognition than she got. [/quote]
Agreed, but I have a feeling her fan base is pretty damn huge.
Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption. IMO he has one of the greatest narrative voices ever in film.
“Get busy living or get busy dying…”:
[quote]Mufasa wrote:
Hey, neph!
This stuff is most fun when you can discuss and debate it!
Another of my Top Dramatic Performances:
Tom Hanks as Captain Miller…
[center]“Saving Private Ryan”[/center]
“Every time I kill a man…I feel that much further from Home…”
Mufasa [/quote]
I think Saving Private Ryan cursed Tom Hank’s career. He is a great actor, and hasn’t had good role since. But with credits like Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, and Saving Private Ryan he doesn’t really need to do anything else. His place in film history has been secured.
For films that came out this year, Sergi Lopez in Pans Labyrinth was badass.
While we’re on the subject of Badass, the Quaker Oats guy, Wilfred Brimley, was surprisingly scary in The Firm.
Nick Nolte in Affliction (1997).
During the movie his character Wade, has a sore tooth. The pain get’s so bad and with all the crap going on in his life, he’s fed up & gargles with scotch then yanks the tooth with pliers right over the kitchen sink. Then gargles again with scotch as
one tear actually streams down his cheek. Great scene.
Oh yeah, and anything Gary Oldman does.
[quote]new2training wrote:
Another[/quote]
Agreed! Stole every scene.
Virtually anything by Brando.
Recently rewatched the Godfather trilogy. Amazing how different Pacino looks in II. Unlike his trademark explosions, whihc is really made for stage theatre, in II he communicated with his eyes. The intensity he maintained throughout is somewhat hypnotizing. It is a death mask. Of course, the climax of III is typical Pacino, and equally remarkable.
Well, off the top of my head…
Edward Norton in American History X and Fight Club (or anything, really).
Johnny Depp in anything.
Christian Bale in anything. Anybody who can do great with Newsies and pull of Bruce Wayne/Batman as effectively as he did is a badass.
Oh, and to whoever said Gary Oldman–he is incredibly underrated and may be the finest actor alive.
-boom
[center]…"It’s an easy question, Joey…“You fuckin’ my wife”…?[/center]
Robert DeNiro: “Raging Bull”
(GREAT stuff, guys! THANKS! I’ve got a few more! Just have to look in my Archives)
Mufasa
[center]…“You talkin’ tuh ME???..”[/center]
Robert DeNiro: “Taxi Driver”
Mufasa
Mufasa, you mentioned how snooty the Academy is about genre, and I agree. You want to see a performance that deserves the Academy Award but won’t get it because of genre, go see John Cusak in “1408.” Intense.
Another person I think deserved the Oscar but wasn’t nominated because of genre snobbery was Steve Carrell in “40 Year Old Virgin.”
Oh. And Christian Bale in “American Psycho.” Jesus.
Wow…
Sean Penn…
Let me preface what I’m about to say with this: he IS perhaps the greatest dramatic actor of his generation…with the ability to display emotion like no other.
Just look at the scene of finding his dead daughter in “Mystic River”…
Game over…
Now…EVERY host of the Academy Awards “roast” actors and actresses all the time; from Bob Hope to Johnny Carson to Billy Crystal…
They ALL have done it…
When Chris Rock host the “Awards”, he makes a really mild, off-handed remark about Jude Law…and Sean chooses to “call out” Chris in front of the Billions that watch the Awards.
I was VERY disappointed (and still am) in Penn…
Damn fine actor, though…
Mufasa
Ebert commented once on the abilities of John Travolta, saying that Travolta was not a great actor (perhaps not even a good one) because he never rose above the quality (or lack of) of any movie he was in. In other words, if the movie was mediocre, so would be his performance. If the movie was good, then it would enhance his performance.
I think that is one way to describe the quality of an actor - the ability to enhance the efforts of those around him or her.
[quote]Mufasa wrote:
Wow…
Sean Penn…
Let me preface what I’m about to say with this: he IS perhaps the greatest dramatic actor of his generation…with the ability to display emotion like no other.
Just look at the scene of finding his dead daughter in “Mystic River”…
Game over…
Now…EVERY host of the Academy Awards “roast” actors and actresses all the time; from Bob Hope to Johnny Carson to Billy Crystal…
They ALL have done it…
When Chris Rock host the “Awards”, he makes a really mild, off-handed remark about Jude Law…and Sean chooses to “call out” Chris in front of the Billions that watch the Awards.
I was VERY disappointed (and still am) in Penn…
Damn fine actor, though…
Mufasa[/quote]
Man definitely has a stick up his ass most of the time (or at least it seems to me) but a damn fine actor. I’m not so sure that I’d go for best of the generation. I really got turned off of him a while ago. Which brings me to an actual point…
have you ever had an actor ruined for you from one role, not even the role, but the reactions to it. Here I’m thinking about Penn in “I am Sam”, an annoying performance in an annoying movie. But pretty forgettable. But a bunch of praise and an oscar nod, I don’t know why, but it really turned me off of Penn.
Is this just me, or does anyone else have this happen to them?
Great stuff, Scotacus!
Another trait that I’ve always heard was it doesn’t matter how despicable a character may be…its an actors job to make you “feel” something for them…even “care” for them…
Two examples I’ve seen sited are:
Micky and Mallory in “Natural Born Killers” and “Bugsy” Siegel and Virginia Hill in “Bugsy”.
How many of you found yourself wanting Micky and Mallory to get away and live “happily ever after”?
How many of you found yourself wanting “Bugsy” Siegel to be successful in his Hotel venture and have him and Virginia live happy long lives?
A LOT of people did…despite the fact that all four were selfish, destructive thugs, murderers and criminals.
THAT is a tribute to Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Warren Beatty and Annette Benning.
Mufasa
[center]Micky and Mallory[/center]
Woody Harrelson
Juliette Lewis
“Natural Born Killers”
Mufasa
[quote]Mufasa wrote:
Sean Penn…
Let me preface what I’m about to say with this: he IS perhaps the greatest dramatic actor of his generation…with the ability to display emotion like no other.
[/quote]
VERY underrated, going all the way back to Bad Boys. State of Grace was as underrated as he is.