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Post by pacinoyes on Feb 28, 2020 9:28:02 GMT
 Love him and like I always say you can make a pretty strong case for him as the best actor of his generation (the 80s actors) - not the "greatest" because that to me implies many other things he doesn't have like stardom/box office but arguably the literal "best". Only Oldman, Pacino and Hanks can compete with him with the amount of genuinely convincing real life characters on film - he has 6 or so great ones - and the range of his real life performances is amazing in particular. Speaking of which - Auto Focus - his most underrated maybe imo, and a complex and deeply sad performance - got nominated for basically nothing - and obviously not an Oscar that year - which of course is for now at least the story of his life.  
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Post by Martin Stett on Feb 28, 2020 13:05:47 GMT
I've really only seen his post-2000 work, but he's definitely one of the best I've ever seen. I was recently impressed by his turn as the very sensitive Klaus in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The fact that he can turn around and do the Green Goblin during the same period, or later doing things like The Florida Project and At Eternity's Gate (still haven't seen The Lighthouse) shows that he's one of the most diverse actors around.
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Post by thomasjerome on Feb 28, 2020 13:31:49 GMT
Big fan. I've said it in other threads and need to say again that the man is one of the greatest actors alive. Nice to see he's getting more recognition in the last few years after being criminally underrated for so long. Almost all of his Oscar noms are inspiring. His range is incredible.
I admire his passion for acting and how he chase different kind of auteurs; always take risks, often leaves an impression with even such short amount of screentime (Born on the Fourth of July, eXistenZ, American Dreamz). Though there had been times he's wasted as well (Inside Man, Odd Thomas, Aquaman) which is always unfortunate to see.
As for some of his underrated roles; I wanna give a shout-out to "Dog Eat Dog" and "Go Go Tales". Not widely seen movies, and definitely not for everyone, but you can't deny that he's such a blast to watch. Some other great but less-known performances: "The Hunter", "My Hindu Friend", "Pasolini", "The Reckoning", "Animal Factory". Not sure about favorite performance, "Last Temptation of Christ" or maybe "Light Sleeper".
As an interviewee, he's always interesting (his SAG conversation and DP/30 interviews are cool stuff) and he's very funny also:
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Post by TerryMontana on Feb 28, 2020 13:43:11 GMT
I'm a big fan. Definitely one of the best of his generation. Totally deserves an Oscar.
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Post by DanQuixote on Feb 28, 2020 15:25:16 GMT
He's somehow gotten even better as he's aged. He's by far the bravest actor working today in terms of the risks he takes.
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Post by getclutch on Feb 28, 2020 15:37:58 GMT
One of the best. Makes me wish he was cast as the Joker in Tim Burton's Batman.
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Post by DeepArcher on Feb 28, 2020 20:02:52 GMT
What are you talking about, this is the Willem Dafoe appreciation account! When you think Willem Dafoe, you think eccentric. You think of someone who's willing to do anything, who can do anything, and who is insanely malleable to whatever project you want to fit him into. And his filmography certainly reflects that, as easily one of the most eclectic bodies of work of any actor that I know of. He's been in masterpieces, he's been in crap, he's been in everything in between, but the thing about Dafoe is, no matter what it is, he's always bringing it and committing himself 110%. I've never seen the man phone it in, and I'd be shocked if I ever do. He can bring the most to even the smallest of roles and can fill the screen with his presence unlike any other. Even in his one-scene appearance in Spider-Man 2 he's doing so much with his energy that he's one of the best things about it -- and that movie is all-around incredible so that's saying a hell of a lot. I don't specifically seek out his movies, because I don't do that with actors in general, that's just not that the way I approach movie-watching, but when he does show up in literally anything it's always like Christmas morning. One of the best actors of his generation, one of the best working today (and yes, he really has just gotten better in age), and one of my favorite ever. I couldn't love the man more and there's really no one else like him...  |
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Post by futuretrunks on Feb 28, 2020 20:38:10 GMT
Apologies to Kidman fans, but his career is kind of what Kidman stans mistakenly think she's doing. Authentic versatility.
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Post by pupdurcs on Feb 28, 2020 20:58:15 GMT
Apologies to Kidman fans, but his career is kind of what Kidman stans mistakenly think she's doing. Authentic versatility. As a Kidman stan, I disagree  Did you see Aquaman?
Dafoe legitimately gave arguably the worst performance in the movie ( Dolph Lundgren was better than him, by a lot. It was shocking). Kidman gave arguably the best performance in that film. And for fucks sake, she didn't really have to (It's only Aquaman). To me, that encapsulates the difference between them. Kidman never just shows up for a check or to do the bare minimum, where I think Dafoe has done that quite a lot and it's showed. Even if the movie is absolute dogshit, she'll do her best to try elevate or rise above it. Dafoe is has often been tepid/forgettable. Easy to ignore when he's on a hot streak of good roles/performances, but the guy has given a lot of performances where he seems barely engaged. He just inexpicably checks out a lot ( Inside Man is another example. Arguably the weakest in that cast as well) and that partially explains why he may have ended up in the "underrated" bracket. When he's "on" and the role is strong, he's as formidable as any actor working, but give me Kidman, who delivers far more often, in lesser roles than Dafoe ever has ( Dafoe has done 135 movies. He's got a lot of Aquamans and Inside Mans to his name, where he seems to be doing the bare minimum). Dafoe is a tremendous character actor, but there is a reason he hasn't exactly been on the tip of everyone's tongue in great actor discussions till quite recently. Conincidently enough they are acting together again as husband and wife in Robert Eggers The Northman |
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Post by futuretrunks on Feb 28, 2020 21:21:47 GMT
I thought he was totally fine in Inside Man. Nobody really had juicy material besides Clive, Denzel, Plummer, and Jodie (Ejiofor was fine as the sidekick, but also a slight role). I tried to watch Aquaman and turned it off after maybe half an hour.
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Post by thomasjerome on Jul 22, 2020 13:10:41 GMT
The legend turns 65 today
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Post by pacinoyes on Jul 22, 2020 13:19:24 GMT
 Happy Birthday .......like I always say - you can argue him as the best actor of the 80s and one guy in that generation has 8 Oscar nods and another is getting his 7th this year and I've argued will be remembered as THE GOAT and several others have 2 Oscars or are named Nic Cage. That's quite a statement ..........and this specific issue comes up all the time in my movie club irl - like literally every few weeks since The Lighthouse was released.
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Post by TerryMontana on Jul 22, 2020 13:38:00 GMT
Happy bday to a great actor!!
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morton
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Post by morton on Jul 22, 2020 14:18:41 GMT
I saw that it was his birthday and figured that's why I saw this thread bumped up and thought I might as well join in after seeing these photos. |
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Jul 23, 2020 6:26:25 GMT
I've loved him since I first saw Platoon (though over the years I think Berenger is the MVP instead)... he has such incredible range. He can go big like Cage or be as subtle as Day-Lewis.
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morton
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Post by morton on Jul 26, 2020 19:31:11 GMT
Since his birthday was only a few days ago, I thought it would be okay to post this silly video here.
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Post by pacinoyes on Jul 22, 2021 8:07:30 GMT
Can't believe with all the B-day threads we got on here that he's missing but I can't seem to find one for him (?)...........not just a marvelous actor but maybe the best actor of that entire 80s American generation of actors ..........or the actors in their late 50s to early 70s if you prefer that ............he's right in the middle and turns 66 today I can certainly make a case for him.........not as the biggest star .............but maybe the best actor.......and of course a MAR favorite....... Favorite films, performances, overrated, underrated? One that I love a lot is his work in Auto Focus ......... which is a major performance that's easy to miss within his large filmography.............also interesting, today is Paul Schrader's birthday too - his frequent collaborator.......and Auto Focus director ...........and upcoming in The Card Counter too   |
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Post by urbanpatrician on Jul 22, 2021 8:26:24 GMT
Happy birthday 🎉, my man. Such an underrated dude.
The longevity and miles on this guy. Depending on when you grew up you see him as Jesus, or Green Goblin, or Max Shreck, or as the Lighthouse keeper. In any way you can't not see him as something in pop culture because hes been around every decade, much like Bill Murray who is something to someone from every generation.
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Post by TerryMontana on Jul 22, 2021 8:43:10 GMT
Happy birthday!
For whatever reason, I was sure he was older...
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Post by thomasjerome on Jul 22, 2021 11:49:54 GMT
I'm sure there was a appreciation thread for him but can't find it right now. Anyways, happy birthday to the absolute legend. True artist who loves to explore new things and always challenge himself. Recognisable voice and face but he always disappears into the character. Kind of an actor that no matter how much the industry changes, he'll always be relevant. During all those years, he never had a decline and always gave great work. Whatever you ask, he has done it. He can break your heart in things like Platoon and can make you laugh out loud in Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. He's convincing no matter if he plays Jesus or Bobby Peru. He can go subtle, deliver beautifully nuanced works like Florida Project and can get deliciously over-the-top in The Boondock Saints. When he's the lead; he's incredibly compelling (At Eternity's Gate, Light Sleeper) and when his role is brief, chances are he'll still be very memorable (Born on the Fourth of July, eXistenZ, Cry-Baby). Just when you think he's done every kind of film already, he manages to find a way to surprise you. His auteur resume is incredible, worked with great directors all over the world.
Every prolific actor has some duds; sure, there were times he's wasted in nothing roles but at the same time, in some of his weaker stuff, he was still the best thing about the movie (Speed 2: Cruise Control). Even when you look at his rather basic works, like the films he made with Paul Weitz, you'll still get to witness highly amusing performances by him (American Dreamz, Cirque de Freak). Yes, he was in Body of Evidence also (which again, he's perhaps the best thing about it?) but he's the man who never afraid of taking risks and making controversial films. I mean this is the guy who made The Last Temptation of Christ and Antichrist.
Gonna mention ten underrated/underseen performances by him:
The Hunter (2012)
Dog Eat Dog (2015)
Triumph of the Spirit (1989)
Tommaso (2019)
Animal Factory (2000)
Go Go Tales (2007)
Victory (1995)
Pasolini (2014)
Tom & Viv (1994)
The Reckoning (2003)
And yes, Auto Focus is amazing as well. Paul Schrader and Abel Ferrara have expertly used his versatile talent in so many good films.
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Post by franklin on Jul 22, 2021 12:22:54 GMT
Dafoe was always considered a great actor, but I feel like after The Florida Project (2017) there has been a complete reevaluation of Dafoe's career and his performances of these last 35 years or more.
At Eternity's Gate (2018) and The Lighthouse (2019) also helped cementing it.
He's now considered each passing day as one of the all time greats.
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Post by Mattsby on Jul 22, 2021 18:14:45 GMT
HBD... Love him.... Here's a mix of fav and underrated, no order:
The Lighthouse
To Live and Die in LA
Light Sleeper
Go Go Tales
Platoon
Auto Focus
Mississippi Burning
Shadow of the Vampire
Dog Eat Dog
Tommaso
Pasolini
The Night and the Moment
Boondock Saints
Animal Factory
Tom & Viv
Last Temptation of Christ
At Eternity’s Gate
Florida Project
s/o to his Fishing With John episode (1991)
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Post by jakesully on Jul 23, 2021 1:23:17 GMT
Happy Bday to Mr Dafoe!   There is still so many films on his filmography that I haven't got around to seeing yet (and I consider myself a big film buff ...smh for shame  ) He brings it strong in pretty much everything film I've seen him in. Platoon Shadow of the Vampire The Lighthouse Antichrist The Hunter Those are probably my top 5 favorite performances from him (in no particular order) . Can't wait for The Northman! |
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rhodoraonline
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Your Generosity Hides Something Dirtier and Meaner
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Post by rhodoraonline on Jul 23, 2021 21:47:56 GMT
Willem Dafoe's case is increasingly turning out like Donald Sutherland's. Great actor, huge range, longevity with constant appeal and relevance; universally respected and admired more and more with every passing year. Makes the whole project stronger with even the merest supporting role. They will give him an honorary Oscar in 7 years if he hasn't won by then. And that would be VERY SATISFYING  |
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Aug 11, 2021 22:04:22 GMT
talented AND sexy  |
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