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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 19, 2019 21:43:42 GMT
Joe Pesci Genre: CrimeI've already covered Pesci's Irishman co-stars in crime (or cops) - De Niro, Pacino, Keitel in this thread but how Pesci fits into the crime genre it is fascinating and unique. If you look at Pacino and De Niro - those 2 titans arguably star in the major crime film of 4 different decades (70s, 80s, 90s, 10s) depending on how The Irishman is received.....but Pesci has insinuated himself along with them and like Keitel he did it in his own smaller but no less special way. I haven't seen The Irishman but ...... Goodfellas, Casino, The Irishman find him playing 3 distinct gangster types - he also appears in OUATIA and as a criminal element in Home Alone, A Bronx Tale, The Good Shepherd etc. which somehow doesn't make him seem stereotyped when taken in conjunction with his self-imposed retirement. He's a crucial element in these films. A remarkable kind of achievement in a way - a unique legacy too:
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Post by pupdurcs on Oct 19, 2019 22:30:22 GMT
Jet Li
Genre: Martial Arts
After the passing of Bruce Lee, many pretenders to his throne in Hong Kong and mainstream China emerged. Jackie Chan made the biggest impact by not trying to directly copy Lee, but by developing his own brand of Martial Arts melded with comedy.
As Chan carved out his own path, and the other Lee pretenders began to fade, Jet Li would arrive on the scene in the late 80's to make himself known. With the Once Upon A Time In China series in the 90's, among other titles like Tai Chi Master, Fist Of Legend and Black Mask, he soon became arguably the biggest movie star in mainland China.
Naturally, Hollywood would come calling. Limited by fairly poor English, Li mostly let his badass fight skills do the talking in his Hollywood films, such as Lethal Weapon , Romeo Must Die and The One.
Li returned to Chinese filmmaking in the 2000s with a bang, making extraordinarily lavish Wu-Shu epics like Hero, The Warlords and The Forbidden Kingdom. No remains in demand in both Chinese and Hollywood productions, and will next be seen as The Emperor in Disney's Mulan. Below, Li in Hero:
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Oct 20, 2019 17:17:49 GMT
Jet LiGenre: Martial ArtsAfter the passing of Bruce Lee, many pretenders to his throne in Hong Kong and mainstream China emerged. Jackie Chan made the biggest impact by not trying to directly copy Lee, but by developing his own brand of Martial Arts melded with comedy. As Chan carved out his own path, and the other Lee pretenders began to fade, Jet Li would arrive on the scene in the late 80's to make himself known. With the Once Upon A Time In China series in the 90's, among other titles like Tai Chi Master, Fist Of Legend and Black Mask, he soon became arguably the biggest movie star in mainland China. Naturally, Hollywood would come calling. Limited by fairly poor English, Li mostly let his badass fight skills do the talking in his Hollywood films, such as Lethal Weapon , Romeo Must Die and The One.Li returned to Chinese filmmaking in the 2000s with a bang, making extraordinarily lavish Wu-Shu epics like Hero, The Warlords and The Forbidden Kingdom. No remains in demand in both Chinese and Hollywood productions, and will next be seen as The Emperor in Disney's Mulan. Below, Li in Hero:
Good write-up. Jet-Li is up there with Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee as far as Chinese / Hong Kong stars breaking-out and having huge international success, especially in English language speaking countries. He's actually a bit underrated as an actor, particularly if you watch The Once Upon Time in China films, where he gives quite the performance(s), and you can see why he became a big star in the first place.
I also remember that brief period when Jet-Li was huge in the west. Hero was actually the first R-rated film I ever saw in the cinemas (still the only entire Foreign language film to ever top the NA box office too). A lot of his Hollywood films were pretty generic however, and mostly just put him in a typical Asian box of only doing able to action films. My favorite of his "Hollywood films" is probably the clone film The One, which I actually thought of when I saw the trailers for Gemini Man, but Unleashed is pretty good too, though it was made in France, and co-produced by Luc Besson.
To me Jet-Li is the "traditional wushu martial artist". A lot of his films are about the code of honor, and upholding Hong Kong rituals and beliefs. I think you can see that most in films like Fearless, The Legend, My Father is a Hero etc... though he hasn't been afraid to dabble in comedy too (see High Risk). I was actually happy to see him cast in Mulan, since it felt like it's been forever since he's done an actual film. I know he had health problems not long ago, that he just recently overcame.
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Post by pupdurcs on Oct 20, 2019 23:17:22 GMT
Jet LiGenre: Martial ArtsAfter the passing of Bruce Lee, many pretenders to his throne in Hong Kong and mainstream China emerged. Jackie Chan made the biggest impact by not trying to directly copy Lee, but by developing his own brand of Martial Arts melded with comedy. As Chan carved out his own path, and the other Lee pretenders began to fade, Jet Li would arrive on the scene in the late 80's to make himself known. With the Once Upon A Time In China series in the 90's, among other titles like Tai Chi Master, Fist Of Legend and Black Mask, he soon became arguably the biggest movie star in mainland China. Naturally, Hollywood would come calling. Limited by fairly poor English, Li mostly let his badass fight skills do the talking in his Hollywood films, such as Lethal Weapon , Romeo Must Die and The One.Li returned to Chinese filmmaking in the 2000s with a bang, making extraordinarily lavish Wu-Shu epics like Hero, The Warlords and The Forbidden Kingdom. No remains in demand in both Chinese and Hollywood productions, and will next be seen as The Emperor in Disney's Mulan. Below, Li in Hero:
Good write-up. Jet-Li is up there with Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee as far as Chinese / Hong Kong stars breaking-out and having huge international success, especially in English language speaking countries. He's actually a bit underrated as an actor, particularly if you watch The Once Upon Time in China films, where he gives quite the performance(s), and you can see why he became a big star in the first place.
I also remember that brief period when Jet-Li was huge in the west. Hero was actually the first R-rated film I ever saw in the cinemas (still the only entire Foreign language film to ever top the NA box office too). A lot of his Hollywood films were pretty generic however, and mostly just put him in a typical Asian box of only doing able to action films. My favorite of his "Hollywood films" is probably the clone film The One, which I actually thought of when I saw the trailers for Gemini Man, but Unleashed is pretty good too, though it was made in France, and co-produced by Luc Besson.
To me Jet-Li is the "traditional wushu martial artist". A lot of his films are about the code of honor, and upholding Hong Kong rituals and beliefs. I think you can see that most in films like Fearless, The Legend, My Father is a Hero etc... though he hasn't been afraid to dabble in comedy too (see High Risk). I was actually happy to see him cast in Mulan, since it felt like it's been forever since he's done an actual film. I know he had health problems not long ago, that he just recently overcame.
Yeah, I was happy to see him cast in Mulan as well. The pictures of him looking much older and frailer than his age due to his health issues were shocking, but if he's out there filming Disney tentpoles, his health must have improved significantly. Not least because he's have to be able to be insured by Disney for health purposes. Yeah, most of his Hollywood output was fairly generic action stuff. I guess part of that was due to his English being fairly rudimentary. Chow Yun Fat at least got something meaty like Anna And The King, because his English was good enough to go up against Jodie Foster in dramatic scenes. And Michelle Yeoh gets more varied work than most Chinese/Hong Kong movie stars that transition to Hollywood because her English is really good as well. I mean, she's the lead of a new Star Trek spin-off series developed around a character she played on the CBS series Star Trek: Discovery. That's pretty big. But her English and dramatic ability are trusted to carry things like that.
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Oct 21, 2019 1:25:56 GMT
Good write-up. Jet-Li is up there with Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee as far as Chinese / Hong Kong stars breaking-out and having huge international success, especially in English language speaking countries. He's actually a bit underrated as an actor, particularly if you watch The Once Upon Time in China films, where he gives quite the performance(s), and you can see why he became a big star in the first place.
I also remember that brief period when Jet-Li was huge in the west. Hero was actually the first R-rated film I ever saw in the cinemas (still the only entire Foreign language film to ever top the NA box office too). A lot of his Hollywood films were pretty generic however, and mostly just put him in a typical Asian box of only doing able to action films. My favorite of his "Hollywood films" is probably the clone film The One, which I actually thought of when I saw the trailers for Gemini Man, but Unleashed is pretty good too, though it was made in France, and co-produced by Luc Besson.
To me Jet-Li is the "traditional wushu martial artist". A lot of his films are about the code of honor, and upholding Hong Kong rituals and beliefs. I think you can see that most in films like Fearless, The Legend, My Father is a Hero etc... though he hasn't been afraid to dabble in comedy too (see High Risk). I was actually happy to see him cast in Mulan, since it felt like it's been forever since he's done an actual film. I know he had health problems not long ago, that he just recently overcame.
Yeah, I was happy to see him cast in Mulan as well. The pictures of him looking much older and frailer than his age due to his health issues were shocking, but if he's out there filming Disney tentpoles, his health must have improved significantly. Not least because he's have to be able to be insured by Disney for health purposes. Yeah, most of his Hollywood output was fairly generic action stuff. I guess part of that was due to his English being fairly rudimentary. Chow Yun Fat at least got something meaty like Anna And The King, because his English was good enough to go up against Jodie Foster in dramatic scenes. And Michelle Yeoh gets more varied work than most Chinese/Hong Kong movie stars that transition to Hollywood because her English is really good as well. I mean, she's the lead of a new Star Trek spin-off series developed around a character she played on the CBS series Star Trek: Discovery. That's pretty big. But her English and dramatic ability are trusted to carry things like that. In Michelle Yeoh's case, it helps that she had a lot of formal training in the UK as a teenager and as a result she learned how to properly speak English at a young age. In fact a lot of Hong Kong's biggest or most respected stars spent a lot of their childhoods overseas (Donnie Yen for example lived in Massachusetts as a teenager), and as a result their English is really solid. In comparison Jet Li was properly raised in China, and this meant he had a harder time communicating in English. Although he got much better later on, but by then people in the west had gotten really tired of him. You can see it in how much his box office gradually declined over the years in the US. It's why in the past decade The Expendables films are the only International Productions he's done.
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Post by Mattsby on Oct 21, 2019 1:27:58 GMT
Joe Pesci Genre: CrimeI've already covered Pesci's Irishman co-stars in crime (or cops) - De Niro, Pacino, Keitel in this thread but how Pesci fits into the crime genre it is fascinating and unique. If you look at Pacino and De Niro - those 2 titans arguably star in the major crime film of 4 different decades (70s, 80s, 90s, 10s) depending on how The Irishman is received.....but Pesci has insinuated himself along with them and like Keitel he did it in his own smaller but no less special way. I haven't seen The Irishman but ...... Goodfellas, Casino, The Irishman find him playing 3 distinct gangster types - he also appears in OUATIA and as a criminal element in Home Alone, A Bronx Tale, The Good Shepherd etc. which somehow doesn't make him seem stereotyped when taken in conjunction with his self-imposed retirement. He's a crucial element in these films. A remarkable kind of achievement in a way - a unique legacy too: Been thinking about Pesci - idk if there's another actor who can bring out such an intense pitch, and extremes of violence, with so much humor. (Falk maybe?). In other words, he takes scenes to a place where you're laughing and shocked at the same time. That's kinda why I love that "What do you mean I'm funny?" Goodfellas scene. He puts the viewer right at that edge. His out-and-out comedic-crime perfs hold up too - and he can play it differently - tightly cranky in Home Alone, hyper and fawning in the Lethal Weapons, etc. And then there's The Irishman..... I know I've only been litely praising him... but honestly, it's maybe the most convincing perf of the cast and a whole new counterbalance to what he's done before. That perf coming from him is special, like you said - especially how he conveys a steady but very astute mind.
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Post by Viced on Oct 21, 2019 1:36:09 GMT
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Post by pupdurcs on Oct 21, 2019 1:50:49 GMT
Yeah, I was happy to see him cast in Mulan as well. The pictures of him looking much older and frailer than his age due to his health issues were shocking, but if he's out there filming Disney tentpoles, his health must have improved significantly. Not least because he's have to be able to be insured by Disney for health purposes. Yeah, most of his Hollywood output was fairly generic action stuff. I guess part of that was due to his English being fairly rudimentary. Chow Yun Fat at least got something meaty like Anna And The King, because his English was good enough to go up against Jodie Foster in dramatic scenes. And Michelle Yeoh gets more varied work than most Chinese/Hong Kong movie stars that transition to Hollywood because her English is really good as well. I mean, she's the lead of a new Star Trek spin-off series developed around a character she played on the CBS series Star Trek: Discovery. That's pretty big. But her English and dramatic ability are trusted to carry things like that. In Michelle Yeoh's case, it helps that she had a lot of formal training in the UK as a teenager and as a result she learned how to properly speak English at a young age. In fact a lot of Hong Kong's biggest or most respected stars spent a lot of their childhoods overseas (Donnie Yen for example lived in Massachusetts as a teenager), and as a result their English is really solid. In comparison Jet Li was properly raised in China, and this meant he had a harder time communicating in English. Although he got much better later on, but by then people in the west had gotten really tired of him. You can see it in how much his box office gradually declined over the years in the US. It's why in the past decade The Expendables films are the only International Productions he's done. Well in Hollywood, The Expendables was kind of seen as the franchise for has-been action stars, and in terms of his Hollywood career, Li fit the bill. But I think it was a good career move for him to keep up his presence in Western films this decade. He got to be in three Expendables movies with big western profiles, and didn't have to carry the load of the box office. You never know...he might not have been cast in Mulan if he didn't keep his western profile relevant with those films. You know how it is....out of sight, out of mind. Hopefully, Mulan (which has a mostly Chinese cast speaking English) gives Li that much needed opportunity to show himself as a dramatic actor to English speaking audiences and Hollywood casting folk. His days as a big action lead in Hollywood films are probably over, but it'd be an interesting swerve if he started getting cast for dramatic gravitas in some Western movies now.
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Oct 21, 2019 2:03:15 GMT
In Michelle Yeoh's case, it helps that she had a lot of formal training in the UK as a teenager and as a result she learned how to properly speak English at a young age. In fact a lot of Hong Kong's biggest or most respected stars spent a lot of their childhoods overseas (Donnie Yen for example lived in Massachusetts as a teenager), and as a result their English is really solid. In comparison Jet Li was properly raised in China, and this meant he had a harder time communicating in English. Although he got much better later on, but by then people in the west had gotten really tired of him. You can see it in how much his box office gradually declined over the years in the US. It's why in the past decade The Expendables films are the only International Productions he's done. Well in Hollywood, The Expendables was kind of seen as the franchise for has-been action stars, and in terms of his Hollywood career, Li fit the bill. But I think it was a good career move for him to keep up his presence in Western films this decade. He got to be in three Expendables movies with big western profiles, and didn't have to carry the load of the box office. You never know...he might not have been cast in Mulan if he didn't keep his western profile relevant with those films. You know how it is....out of sight, out of mind. Hopefully, Mulan (which has a mostly Chinese cast speaking English) gives Li that much needed opportunity to show himself as a dramatic actor to English speaking audienced and Hollywood casting folk. His days as a big action lead in Hollywood films are probably over, but it'd be an interesting swerve if he started getting cast for dramatic gravitas in some Western movies now. The Expendables movies were also a case of convenience. I believe the reason why the third film wastes him so much, is in part because he didn't want to leave China which is understandable. Not wanting to leave China was also one of the reasons why he stopped doing movies in Hollywood, as he didn't want to be away from his family for a very long amount of time, and after a while he just got bored of the whole thing. I agree. I really hope Mulan puts him back on the map, and starts inspiring him to work again regularly. In my own mind I always imagined that Jet Li would star in an American detective TV series, as a man from Hong Kong who goes to New York City to solve a murder, and encounters all sorts of problems, that would allow him to expose his range of talents to a western audience, who only knew him as the guy who kicked ass. Of course, this would depend on how long he'd be willing to leave his home in China.
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Post by pupdurcs on Nov 1, 2019 10:57:40 GMT
Vincent D'Onofrio
Genre: Drama
Vincent D'Onofrio is one of the most spectacularly undervalued talents in American acting of his era.
A graduate of the Actors Studio, D'Onofrio first came to attention as a stage actor in New York in the mid-80's. Very soon after his broadway debut, D'Onofrio was "discovered" by Stanley Kubrick (or a casting director working for Kubrick) and cast as Private Pyle, an unstable Marine recruit in Full Metal Jacket. He'd been in two minor films previously, but for all intents and purposes, it was his introduction to cinema audiences, and it was a pretty spectacular one. D'Onofrio's trademark intensity and dynamic character choices were in full evidence as Pyle. In many ways he was quite similar to a notable character actor from the 1950's, Timothy Carey (look him up). D'Onofrio quickly showed his versatility by playing Thor in the classic 80's comedy Adventures In Babysitting. Rarely given the chance to play leads in films, he became something of a superstar character actor, making noise in smaller parts. Everything from JFK to The Player to a supremely inventive turn in Men In Black. A rare standout lead movie role as Conan The Barbarian author Robert E Howard in The Whole Wide World.
In recent years D'Onofrio has been able to really shine in TV. He did a long stint in a procedural cop show Law And Order: Criminal Intent, but he played what may come to be considered the best role of his career in Netflix's Daredevil, as Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin Of Crime. D'Onofrio is currently playing another impressive crime boss roles in the series Godfather Of Harlem. Below, D'Onofrio as Fisk giving a powerful monologue in Daredevil.
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Post by pacinoyes on Nov 1, 2019 13:25:06 GMT
I have said (too much!) that D'Onofrio's Robert Goren on Law & Order: Criminal intent is the single best male acting turn in network (non-cable) TV history - and I put that over Alan Alda in MASH, Andre Braugher in Homicide and Carroll O'Conner in All In The Family - that's a serious statement to say the least.
He was never nominated for an Emmy for it .....and many people flat out hate it too, but it's exactly the kind of acting I love - the kind that really you're not supposed to necessarily like much anyway - he's not a likable person and his conception of this role is an actor's checklist of mannerisms that will immediately be called "overacting" but it's the best kind of it - a vivid larger than life creation.
If you can see the show - which periodically pops up on Youtube - in chronological order through season 4 - you will get to see him do some spectacular acting opposite big name guests too (Bobby Cannavale, the amazing Olivia d'Abo etc.) and see him build the character out and add to it a little at a time. He is still great after season 4 but the scripts not as much.
In addition to that - I have recommended this short movie which he also directed - "5 Minutes Mr. Welles" - which all Welles fans should see, only 30 minutes long. Fairly brilliant short film about Welles, inspiration and The Third Man. Full film below:
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Nov 1, 2019 19:47:32 GMT
Vincent D'Onofrio
Genre: Drama
Vincent D'Onofrio is one of the most spectacularly undervalued talents in American acting of his era. A graduate of the Actors Studio, D'Onofrio first came to attention as a stage actor in New York in the mid-80's. Very soon after his broadway debut, D'Onofrio was "discovered" by Stanley Kubrick (or a casting director working for Kubrick) and cast as Private Pyle, an unstable Marine recruit in Full Metal Jacket. He'd been in two minor films previously, but for all intents and purposes, it was his introduction to cinema audiences, and it was a pretty spectacular one. D'Onofrio's trademark intensity and dynamic character choices were in full evidence as Pyle. In many ways he was quite similar to a notable character actor from the 1950's, Timothy Carey (look him up). D'Onofrio quickly showed his versatility by playing Thor in the classic 80's comedy Adventures In Babysitting. Rarely given the chance to play leads in films, he became something of a superstar character actor, making noise in smaller parts. Everything from JFK to The Player to a supremely inventive turn in Men In Black. A rare standout lead movie role as Conan The Barbarian author Robert E Howard in The Whole Wide World.In recent years D'Onofrio has been able to really shine in TV. He did a long stint in a procedural cop show Law And Order: Criminal Intent, but he played what may come to be considered the best role of his career in Netflix's Daredevil, as Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin Of Crime. D'Onofrio is currently playing another impressive crime boss roles in the series Godfather Of Harlem. Below, D'Onofrio as Fisk giving a powerful monologue in Daredevil. Great stuff. To me Vincent D'Onofrio is a great example of an actor, who found his calling much later in his life. You watch him in Full Metal Jacket, and Adventures in Babysitting, and you see a weird character in the making. I absolutely adored him in The Thirteen Floor, and as The Bug in Men in Black (he even played that role in the animated series). I'm glad you mentioned The Whole Wide World. That's a really obscure film, especially given how many around here love Zellwegger. I didn't even know there was a enough interest out there to make a Robert E. Howard biopic, let alone in 1996, but somehow they did, and it's pretty good. His performance gets a bit hysterical in it, but it's a really beautiful look at a confused individual, who is really brought to life by his performance.
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Post by pupdurcs on Nov 1, 2019 21:10:03 GMT
Vincent D'Onofrio
Genre: Drama
Vincent D'Onofrio is one of the most spectacularly undervalued talents in American acting of his era. A graduate of the Actors Studio, D'Onofrio first came to attention as a stage actor in New York in the mid-80's. Very soon after his broadway debut, D'Onofrio was "discovered" by Stanley Kubrick (or a casting director working for Kubrick) and cast as Private Pyle, an unstable Marine recruit in Full Metal Jacket. He'd been in two minor films previously, but for all intents and purposes, it was his introduction to cinema audiences, and it was a pretty spectacular one. D'Onofrio's trademark intensity and dynamic character choices were in full evidence as Pyle. In many ways he was quite similar to a notable character actor from the 1950's, Timothy Carey (look him up). D'Onofrio quickly showed his versatility by playing Thor in the classic 80's comedy Adventures In Babysitting. Rarely given the chance to play leads in films, he became something of a superstar character actor, making noise in smaller parts. Everything from JFK to The Player to a supremely inventive turn in Men In Black. A rare standout lead movie role as Conan The Barbarian author Robert E Howard in The Whole Wide World.In recent years D'Onofrio has been able to really shine in TV. He did a long stint in a procedural cop show Law And Order: Criminal Intent, but he played what may come to be considered the best role of his career in Netflix's Daredevil, as Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin Of Crime. D'Onofrio is currently playing another impressive crime boss roles in the series Godfather Of Harlem. Below, D'Onofrio as Fisk giving a powerful monologue in Daredevil. Great stuff. To me Vincent D'Onofrio is a great example of an actor, who found his calling much later in his life. You watch him in Full Metal Jacket, and Adventures in Babysitting, and you see a weird character in the making. I absolutely adored him in The Thirteen Floor, and as The Bug in Men in Black (he even played that role in the animated series). I'm glad you mentioned The Whole Wide World. That's a really obscure film, especially given how many around here love Zellwegger. I didn't even know there was a enough interest out there to make a Robert E. Howard biopic, let alone in 1996, but somehow they did, and it's pretty good. His performance gets a bit hysterical in it, but it's a really beautiful look at a confused individual, who is really brought to life by his performance. Thanks! The Whole Wide World was a lovely. little movie, and I'm also surprised at it's relative obscurity, even at places like here. I think it's got a lovely performance by both D'Onofrio and Zellweger. It's a shame D'Onofrio never had more leading roles in films. He could occasionally go over the top and hysterical as you said, which might make him more suited to colorful character parts, but no denying his screen presence.
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thomasjerome
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Post by thomasjerome on Nov 1, 2019 21:19:32 GMT
I'd like to give a mention to his charming lead performance in "Happy Accidents" and another fascinating supporting role in "The Cell" as well. Whatever he does, he's always interesting to watch. The guy is crazy underrated.
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Post by pupdurcs on Nov 1, 2019 21:36:12 GMT
I'd like to give a mention to his charming lead performance in "Happy Accidents" and another fascinating supporting role in "The Cell" as well. Whatever he does, he's always interesting to watch. The guy is crazy underrated. Indeed. He makes weird character choices like no other. Some backfire and leave people wondering what the hell he was doing or thinking he is too hammy an actor, but when he pulls it off it can be spectacular, and I'd say the good far outweighs the bad. He's no less talented than someone like say, Joaquin Phoenix.Interesting fact: D'Onofrio is in very real danger of becoming Sean Penn's father in law . Penn has been dating D'Onofrio's daughter for about 3 years.Penn is only a year younger than D'Onofrio who is 60. Christmas dinners must be weird as fuck at the D'Onofrio household these days
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Nov 1, 2019 21:42:39 GMT
Great stuff. To me Vincent D'Onofrio is a great example of an actor, who found his calling much later in his life. You watch him in Full Metal Jacket, and Adventures in Babysitting, and you see a weird character in the making. I absolutely adored him in The Thirteen Floor, and as The Bug in Men in Black (he even played that role in the animated series). I'm glad you mentioned The Whole Wide World. That's a really obscure film, especially given how many around here love Zellwegger. I didn't even know there was a enough interest out there to make a Robert E. Howard biopic, let alone in 1996, but somehow they did, and it's pretty good. His performance gets a bit hysterical in it, but it's a really beautiful look at a confused individual, who is really brought to life by his performance. Thanks! The Whole Wide World was a lovely. little movie, and I'm also surprised at it's relative obscurity, even at places like here. I think it's got a lovely performance by both D'Onofrio and Zellweger. It's a shame D'Onofrio never had more leading roles in films. He could occasionally go over the top and hysterical as you said, which might make him more suited to colorful character parts, but no denying his screen presence. The fact that it didn't get a big wide-release certainly didn't help. The movie fell into obscurity rather quickly, and it really doesn't deserve that fate. Yeah, I'm surprised by the lack of leading roles in the 80s and 90s. You'd think that D'Onfrio would be another one of those actors that Hollywood tried to make a "thing" and it didn't really work out, but no looking over his filmography prior to Law & Order, a lot of his biggest roles as the third or fourth billed guy. Another leading role would be Steal This Movie, a film I remember checking out a long time ago and finding very confusing, but he absolutely killed it in his role as a man who goes undercover to avoid being arrested for drug possession.
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Post by pupdurcs on Nov 1, 2019 21:55:47 GMT
Thanks! The Whole Wide World was a lovely. little movie, and I'm also surprised at it's relative obscurity, even at places like here. I think it's got a lovely performance by both D'Onofrio and Zellweger. It's a shame D'Onofrio never had more leading roles in films. He could occasionally go over the top and hysterical as you said, which might make him more suited to colorful character parts, but no denying his screen presence. The fact that it didn't get a big wide-release certainly didn't help. The movie fell into obscurity rather quickly, and it really doesn't deserve that fate. Yeah, I'm surprised by the lack of leading roles in the 80s and 90s. You'd think that D'Onfrio would be another one of those actors that Hollywood tried to make a "thing" and it didn't really work out, but no looking over his filmography prior to Law & Order, a lot of his biggest roles as the third or fourth billed guy. Another leading role would be Steal This Movie, a film I remember checking out a long time ago and finding very confusing, but he absolutely killed it in his role as a man who goes undercover to avoid being arrested for drug possession. I think his "look" held him back from consideration for more leading roles. I don"t think he's an unattractive dude, but the world's introduction to his talent was as Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket, where he looked as unattractive as he could possibly be made to look, and perhaps that perception of him stuck in casting circles. He's always been a beefy guy that carried a lot of weight on his frame at times (which made him a great Kingpin), and that also impacts whether you get perceived as a leading man type or character actor. If he looked like the young Joaquin Phoenix or Benicio Del Toro (talents that are comparable to him as film actors, imho) then I have no doubt Hollywood would have tried to make him happen as a leading man.
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Nov 1, 2019 22:47:11 GMT
The fact that it didn't get a big wide-release certainly didn't help. The movie fell into obscurity rather quickly, and it really doesn't deserve that fate. Yeah, I'm surprised by the lack of leading roles in the 80s and 90s. You'd think that D'Onfrio would be another one of those actors that Hollywood tried to make a "thing" and it didn't really work out, but no looking over his filmography prior to Law & Order, a lot of his biggest roles as the third or fourth billed guy. Another leading role would be Steal This Movie, a film I remember checking out a long time ago and finding very confusing, but he absolutely killed it in his role as a man who goes undercover to avoid being arrested for drug possession. I think his "look" held him back from consideration for more leading roles. I don"t think he's an unattractive dude, but the world's introduction to his talent was as Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket, where he looked as unattractive as he could possibly be made to look, and perhaps that perception of him stuck in casting circles. He's always been a beefy guy that carried a lot of weight on his frame at times (which made him a great Kingpin), and that also impacts whether you get perceived as a leading man type or character actor. If he looked like the young Joaquin Phoenix or Benicio Del Toro (talents that are comparable to him as film actors, imho) then I have no doubt Hollywood would have tried to make him happen as a leading man. His appearance certainly didn't help. He was a very weird sorta-threatening looking guy, perfect for more "heavy type roles", then dashing leading men parts. What lead roles he did, tended to be of the bizarre or the unusual, which fit with his appearance and made sense within the context of his career. I have no doubt if he had more of a "build" on his face, so to say, then he would have been offered more leading roles.
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Post by pupdurcs on Nov 2, 2019 15:48:10 GMT
Giancarlo Esposito
Genre: Crime
Speaking of criminally undervalued American actors of his era, Giancarlo Esposito is an astonishingly gifted character actor that has barely had a major lead role in his film career, but has done remarkable work in supporting/character parts. At the moment, he is giving an incredible performance as the real life civil rights leader Adam Clayton Powell in the period/crime TV show, Godfather Of Harlem.
A veteran stage actor, Esposito developed his film career as a member of Spike Lee's ensemble troupe in supporting parts in School Daze, Do The Right Thing, Mo Better Blues and Malcolm X. Though always in supporting parts, Lee gave Esposito a wide breadth of interesting parts that really showcased his talent and range.
I placed Esposito in the crime bracket, because a lot of his finest parts came in that genre. But in truth, the guy can do any genre without missing a beat. Godfather Of Harlem has already been mentioned, but his role as the sociopathic crime boss Gus Fring in the acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad has really cemented him with audiences as one of our premiere character actors. Television crime projects have obviously been very good to him, as another of his standout roles came on Homicide: Life On The Street. Below, Esposito as Gus Fring on Breaking Bad:
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Post by TerryMontana on Nov 2, 2019 16:00:11 GMT
Giancarlo EspositoGenre: Breaking Bad That would do just fine
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Nov 3, 2019 19:08:59 GMT
Giancarlo EspositoGenre: CrimeSpeaking of criminally undervalued American actors of his era, Giancarlo Esposito is an astonishingly gifted character actor that has barely had a major lead role in his film career, but has done remarkable work in supporting/character parts. At the moment, he is giving an incredible performance as the real life civil rights leader Adam Clayton Powell in the period/crime TV show, Godfather Of Harlem.A veteran stage actor, Esposito developed his film career as a member of Spike Lee's ensemble troupe in supporting parts in School Daze, Do The Right Thing, Mo Better Blues and Malcolm X. Though always in supporting parts, Lee gave Esposito a wide breadth of interesting parts that really showcased his talent and range. I placed Esposito in the crime bracket, because a lot of his finest parts came in that genre. But in truth, the guy can do any genre without missing a beat. Godfather Of Harlem has already been mentioned, but his role as the sociopathic crime boss Gus Fring in the acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad has really cemented him with audiences as one of our premiere character actors. Television crime projects have obviously been very good to him, as another of his standout roles came on Homicide: Life On The Street. Below, Esposito as Gus Fring on Breaking Bad: I think the first time I remember seeing Esposito was in Do The Right Thing, I'll admit he didn't make much of an impression on me at the time I saw the film. Like everyone else though I really grew to appreciate the guy when he took on the dangerous role of Gus in Breaking Bad. That made me go back and look at those older Spike Lee films, and he ended up standing out much more, as I realized just how he awesome he actually was. In particular I thought he was fantastic as the piano player in Mo Better Blues. I also really liked him recently in his small part in Okja. Dude is great at making an impression, even with the most "nothing of parts", which is a lot of his role unfortunately.
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Post by pupdurcs on Nov 4, 2019 4:43:22 GMT
Giancarlo EspositoGenre: CrimeSpeaking of criminally undervalued American actors of his era, Giancarlo Esposito is an astonishingly gifted character actor that has barely had a major lead role in his film career, but has done remarkable work in supporting/character parts. At the moment, he is giving an incredible performance as the real life civil rights leader Adam Clayton Powell in the period/crime TV show, Godfather Of Harlem.A veteran stage actor, Esposito developed his film career as a member of Spike Lee's ensemble troupe in supporting parts in School Daze, Do The Right Thing, Mo Better Blues and Malcolm X. Though always in supporting parts, Lee gave Esposito a wide breadth of interesting parts that really showcased his talent and range. I placed Esposito in the crime bracket, because a lot of his finest parts came in that genre. But in truth, the guy can do any genre without missing a beat. Godfather Of Harlem has already been mentioned, but his role as the sociopathic crime boss Gus Fring in the acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad has really cemented him with audiences as one of our premiere character actors. Television crime projects have obviously been very good to him, as another of his standout roles came on Homicide: Life On The Street. Below, Esposito as Gus Fring on Breaking Bad: I think the first time I remember seeing Esposito was in Do The Right Thing, I'll admit he didn't make much of an impression on me at the time I saw the film. Like everyone else though I really grew to appreciate the guy when he took on the dangerous role of Gus in Breaking Bad. That made me go back and look at those older Spike Lee films, and he ended up standing out much more, as I realized just how he awesome he actually was. In particular I thought he was fantastic as the piano player in Mo Better Blues. I also really liked him recently in his small part in Okja. Dude is great at making an impression, even with the most "nothing of parts", which is a lot of his role unfortunately. Yeah, his ability to make an impression in small parts is remarkable. And of course, his role as Gus Fring has allowed more fans to appreciate him. I think he's got bigger things ahead of him. Wouldn't be surprised if he landed a role that would bring him a supporting actor Oscar at some point.
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Nov 4, 2019 16:22:05 GMT
I think the first time I remember seeing Esposito was in Do The Right Thing, I'll admit he didn't make much of an impression on me at the time I saw the film. Like everyone else though I really grew to appreciate the guy when he took on the dangerous role of Gus in Breaking Bad. That made me go back and look at those older Spike Lee films, and he ended up standing out much more, as I realized just how he awesome he actually was. In particular I thought he was fantastic as the piano player in Mo Better Blues. I also really liked him recently in his small part in Okja. Dude is great at making an impression, even with the most "nothing of parts", which is a lot of his role unfortunately. Yeah, his ability to make an impression in small parts is remarkable. And of course, his role as Gus Fring has allowed more fans to appreciate him. I think he's got bigger things ahead of him. Wouldn't be surprised if he landed a role that would bring him a supporting actor Oscar at some point. Agreed. I could see delivering a well-received performance in a big well-received Oscar baity, and subsequent him getting swept up with a nomination because of it. He's a really good actor, who has only recently gotten the appreciation he really deserves.
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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 3, 2019 2:15:06 GMT
Forest Whitaker
Genre: Biopics
It took a couple of weeks, but now I can complete the masterful Godfather Of Harlem trifecta that began with Vincent D'Onofrio and Giancarlo Esposito, with the show's lead, Forest Whitaker.
Whitaker is one of the finest screen actors alive. Idiosyncratic and soulful, Whitaker made his big breakthrough by being handpicked by Clint Eastwood to star in his biopic of Jazz muscian genius, Charlie "Bird" Parker in Bird, which won Whitaker the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, signalling the auspicous arrival of a major actor. Whitaker stayed in demand afterwards, particularly with auteurs like Neil Jordan for the Crying Game, Wayne Wang for Smoke and Jim Jarmusch for Ghost Dog: Way Of The Samurai (easily Whitaker's best non-biopic role). But as an unconventional looking man, Whitaker often took whatever work he could in character roles.
It's mostly biopic roles that have given him his best opportunity to shine. Bird was his big breakthrough, but he finally won a Best Actor award for a chilling performances as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland. Other biopic parts included The Butler and The Great Debaters.
His latest biopic role has taken him to television in the role of real life Harlem Gangster, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, who is vying for control of the Harlem drug trade with the Italian-American mafia. While the American gangster genre on film has seen better days, it is probably with longform series television like The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire and Godfather Of Harlem to where the genre is best suited. And in his show, Whitaker is killing it (and killing quite a few people in it). Below, Whitaker as Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland:
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Dec 3, 2019 17:27:03 GMT
Forest WhitakerGenre: BiopicsIt took a couple of weeks, but now I can complete the masterful Godfather Of Harlem trifecta that began with Vincent D'Onofrio and Giancarlo Esposito, with the show's lead, Forest Whitaker.Whitaker is one of the finest screen actors alive. Idiosyncratic and soulful, Whitaker made his big breakthrough by being handpicked by Clint Eastwood to star in his biopic of Jazz muscian genius, Charlie "Bird" Parker in Bird, which won Whitaker the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, signalling the auspicous arrival of a major actor. Whitaker stayed in demand afterwards, particularly with auteurs like Neil Jordan for the Crying Game, Wayne Wang for Smoke and Jim Jarmusch for Ghost Dog: Way Of The Samurai (easily Whitaker's best non-biopic role). But as an unconventional looking man, Whitaker often took whatever work he could in character roles. It's mostly biopic roles that have given him his best opportunity to shine. Bird was his big breakthrough, but he finally won a Best Actor award for a chilling performances as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland. Other biopic parts included The Butler and The Great Debaters.His latest biopic role has taken him to television in the role of real life Harlem Gangster, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, who is vying for control of the Harlem drug trade with the Italian-American mafia. While the American gangster genre on film has seen better days, it is probably with longform series television like The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire and Godfather Of Harlem to where the genre is best suited. And in his show, Whitaker is killing it (and killing quite a few people in it). Below, Whitaker as Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland:
Whitaker is a very interesting actor to me. He's played leading roles, like in those many biopics you listed, but for the most part he's a very straightforward character actor, who's appeared in everything from Good Morning Vietnam to Black Panther. Of the biopics you mentioned, I think Bird might be my favorite, which was also Whitaker's first starring role. That was actually Clint Eastwood's second time where he didn't direct himself in a film, fifteen years after the first, so it was a financial risk for Warner Brothers, that didn't really pay off, mostly because it got dumped. Whitaker's performance as Charlie Parker is beautiful and longing. He plays a tragic soul, who wants more then what life will allow him. It's not surprising that a huge jazz fan like Clint, would make such a great tribute to a great in the genre, but he really went above and beyond with that film. More people should really see it.
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