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Post by Mattsby on Aug 19, 2019 19:09:47 GMT
 Top 5 perfs? Most underrated? What kind of role do you wanna see him play? There doesn't seem to be a thread so any general thoughts are welcome too. His foreseeable future looks like sequel rotary - we may not get an "original" movie for several years and after this next batch he'll be over 60y/o! At what point does he step back from action tentpoles and go for some character-dramas? American Made is his best recent perf I think bc he's loose and charismatic, and shows he isn't afraid to look a little foolish, sort of playing around his star image. There's some of that in the early Edge of Tomorrow scenes too, and in Fallout's bathroom fight scene. MI's he remains impressive physically, but idk what's left to add in those next two from a performance standpoint. Anyway-- I have a tight Top 3, Magnolia, Rain Man, Collateral and then, what I also think is his most underrated, Interview with a Vampire. I watched that one kinda recently and he surprised me in the villain role - flamboyant and extravagant and quite funny yet utterly vicious, there's perverse joy in his diabolism. What kinda role... well, it's too bad he wouldn't go for Monty Clift, imagine Bennett Miller and Cruise doing that, it'd be major. He almost got the QT in Pitt's part? would've been very interesting. Can we even imagine him doing TV at some point? He never has--what role could even bring him into that space? There are a lot of Westerns in the works, I'd love to see him in the Park Chan Wook, like Fonda/OUATIW, as the villain. |
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Post by stephen on Aug 19, 2019 19:20:41 GMT
TOP FIVE PERFORMANCES:
1. Magnolia
2. Collateral
3. Tropic Thunder
5. Born on the Fourth of July
5. Interview with the Vampire
I think his most underrated performance is probably The Last Samurai, which I think would be a lot better received if there weren't the misguided criticism that he was the title character. Nathan Algren is actually a surprisingly fascinating character in his own right, and Cruise taps into some dark and brooding depths he hardly ever touches. (HM: Valkyrie)
I feel like Cruise is one of the most consistently "on" actors there has ever been. Never have I seen the man half-ass a performance. Even if he's in a bad movie, the guy is just electric. He's got one of the best auteur rosters of any actor alive or dead, too. I just wish he'd do some smaller films in between his blockbusters, or lent his prestige to some budding indie darling. And I think that he'd be perfect to square off against the likes of DiCaprio or Denzel -- imagine either of them as the next Mission: Impossible villain.
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Post by pacinoyes on Aug 19, 2019 19:40:53 GMT
I have a theory on Cruise that he is the prototype for the modern actor relative to audience expectations. The whole notion of "branding" - that gross term people think is a compliment (not when i use it) comes from him imo and actors as diverse as Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Bradley Cooper - guys that seem unique from each other even borrow a lot from Cruise's early film career overview. All are better actors to me ......but all take from his 80s model. His arc was quite different from the other actors who preceded him (Newman, etc.) partially because of the DVD market that intersected his rise and how the lead actor fit into that.
To me he's not anything special as an actor tbh (he is as a star) - his best performance is in Magnolia, Collateral is his best lead. Aside from that......um, he has taken some risks - Eyes Wide Shut (an amateur night performance), Interview With A Vampire (I like him there too)........and been Joe Cool a lot (too much), gone real deep.........never?
I don't hate him but I don't think he's my thing - my favorite actors are never - ever - concerned about consistency, popularity, money, or (gag) "branding" and that's where you start with Cruise. Now that doesn't mean I don't appreciate what he did and I listed his big influence above. The closest thing to him I guess is Harrison Ford in his action films - but Ford got to me a lot more than Cruise ever did tbh. When Cruise was at his acting peak well........I was a Johnny Depp fan specifically because he wasn't Cruise.
I actually think playing the Pitt role in OUATIH would have been a mistake - I don't think Pitt is doing any "deep" acting (though he's aces in the film) but Pitt's star turn fits whereas Cruise to me at least would have been jarring.
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Good God
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Post by Good God on Aug 19, 2019 23:04:42 GMT
Tom Cruise is in a special place, legacy wise, where he probably doesn't have to follow the same rules that other actors do. John Wayne isn't remembered for winning an Oscar. Getting nominated a few more times and winning an Oscar won't add much to Cruise's legacy because he's too far behind the elite in that space, but continued Box Office success will add to the lead he has over everybody else on that front. He is probably the biggest global movie star of all time, after all. And while he already has a great filmography, that's something he can and should improve on in order to be more remembered. He has had very few notable movies since his fall from grace in 2005, and he can surely do much better than that. But as long as he sees Box Office success from doing all those stunts he loves to do, he may never change his career path. Not until he is forced to due to age, anyway.
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Post by countjohn on Aug 20, 2019 2:05:15 GMT
Top five performances-
1. Eyes Wide Shut
2. Magnolia
3. Jerry Maguire
4. The Last Samurai
5. A Few Good Men
Most underrated- I guess Eyes Wide Shut since some people don't like him in it
What I want him to do next- Not action. I suggested in another thread that he should do mid budget prestige dramas like Leo does. I'd also like to see him do comedy more, particularly leveraging on his movie star image in a self deprecating way.
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Post by thomasjerome on Aug 20, 2019 9:47:00 GMT
I love the guy and I think as much as a huge star he is, some people still underestimate his acting talent. He's often great, no matter if it's a prestige drama, or some star performance, or a scene-stealing comedic turn (Tropic Thunder, Rock of Ages) or an action leading man. My top five would be:
1. Born on the Fourth of July
2. Collateral
3. Jerry Maguire
4. Rain Man
5. Magnolia
As for his most underrated, I don't know, "A Few Good Men" or "The Firm" maybe. Considering he didn't get any awards attention, "Valkyire' may also be another one. Or "Eyes Wide Shut", "Interview with the Vampire"....
As for what kind of role I want to see him in, I have to go with non-action as well. I love MI films, I also really like "Edge of Tomorrow" and I think he's a great action star but things like "Knight and Day", "Oblivion" and "Jack Reacher" are hardly giving him anything interesting to do. "American Made" was a decent attempt to do something different but still there were not enough material to work with. So while I don't have a specific kind of role and project for him on my mind, I just want to see him to do different stuff again and bit more often.
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Post by TerryMontana on Aug 20, 2019 13:23:57 GMT
Top-5 performances:
1. Born on the Fourth of July
2. Jerry Maguire
3. Collateral
4. The Last Samurai
5. Rain Man
His most underrated performance I guess is A Few Good Men or even Tropic Thunder.
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Post by jakesully on Aug 21, 2019 15:44:23 GMT
Top 5 fav Cruise performances
1. Collateral (doubt he'll ever top it. He did such a superb job )
2. Born on the Fourth of July
3. Rain Man
4. Jerry Maguire
5. The Last Samurai
Most Underrated imo would be Eyes Wide Shut. Most overrated performance is Magnolia.
Still need to see American Made.
I got to hand it to the guy, he is a one of a kind movie star (has amazing screen prescense and still does his own stunts in his mid 50s. Some of which are insane!)
I also like his performance as Jack Reacher. In the Reacher books, the character is supposed to be like 6'3 or 6'4 in height and very intimidating (I pictured someone like Liev Schreiber or Hugh Jackman) but Cruise pulled it off really well even though he is 5'7 at best lol.
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Post by countjohn on Aug 22, 2019 21:32:53 GMT
1.Magnolia 2.Born on Fourth of July 3.Tropic Thunder 4.Collateral 5.Risky Business Most Underrated, hmmmmmm Interview with the Vampire. He deserves some love from critics/Oscar. Well, He's not young anymore and he's not a character actor who also starred in Box office films and Oscar films in the same time (like Gary oldman, Hanks, Denzel) and he rarely worked with Auteurs like Brad Pitt or Leo so He's kind of An outcast, He could follow Clint Eastwood's path and makes his own thing. Idk what kind of roles? , Maybe a retired action hero who's living in his own world with An Old Butler. A young writer enters his life and promising a comeback story for him. All of sudden an old friend, a great director, let's say Steven Spielberg, calling him to join his new film. But it's all just misunderstanding leading to death of the young writer on the pool. In the end, He's going down the stair, closer to the camera...and say All right Mr.Spielberg I'm ready for my stunt act  You're joking but I would be all over a gender swapped Sunset Blvd. starring TC. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2019 2:45:54 GMT
He's kinda nuts in real life but a great actor and entertaining in everything I've seen him in, which I can't say about many. I wish he'd do more out there roles like in Eyes Wide Shut that bring out many of the facets that make him, IMO, such a good performer, like his ability to draw on this semi-confident bravado that borders on being almost tangibly pathetic at times, (as mentioned by Countjohn, he's honestly really great at comedy - he's hilarious in Magnolia while also delivering convincing meltdowns, can nail that sort of cartoon-y but sincere tone perfectly) instead of reclining back in his Mission: Impossible stuff.
Top 5 roles would go something like Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, Minority Report, Collateral, and A Few Good Men (iffy overall film aside).
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Aug 23, 2019 7:26:06 GMT
He's a really talented actor, but I generally don't care for his screen presence.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2019 12:36:47 GMT
Top male model Evandri Soldati... He's known as the "Brazilian Tom Cruise." So cute...  bob-coppola Zeb31 |
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Post by bob-coppola on Aug 25, 2019 23:36:30 GMT
@tyler jesus christ, my country never fails to surprise me with how "quirky" it can be  But yeah, this guy is quite dashing and looks a lot like Top Gun-era Cruise. |
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Post by futuretrunks on May 26, 2020 23:00:39 GMT
I think Soldati looks more like Hartnett.
Cruise is IMO the GOAT movie star, but the endless parade of action vehicles lately with second or third-tier directors has become sorry to see, as no matter how good the stunts may be, he became "Tom Cruise" by being a great star in movies more remembered for their storytelling. Enough with the Liman/McQuarrie/Kosinski carousel! Chazelle! Cronenberg! Boyle! Soderbergh! Tim Burton! Villeneuve! Nolan!
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2020 15:47:37 GMT
The only thing I've ever thought he was legitimately bad in was Interview with the Vampire - well, maybe not "bad" so much as woefully miscast. As others have said, he's one of the most charismatic and committed movie stars of all time, but he hasn't really challenged himself as an actor in a really long while.
What about a Lars Von Trier/Tom Cruise pairing?
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But yeah, this guy is quite dashing and looks a lot like Top Gun-era Cruise.