urbanpatrician
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"I just wanna go back, back to 1999. back to hit me baby one more time" - Charli XCX
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Post by urbanpatrician on Jun 22, 2020 23:50:39 GMT
John Wayne Clint Eastwood the others lol You don't appreciate any of the others?
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Post by countjohn on Jun 23, 2020 3:31:27 GMT
Not sure what the criterion is here which muddies the poll results a bit but I will rank them just on acting.
1. Tom Cruise- There's a lot to say about Cruise. His versatility is one of the big things, he can do straight drama, vulnerable romantic parts, comedy, and be an action hero. His charisma is unmatched. His top performances in things like Magnolia, EWS, Last Samurai, and Collateral stand up with anyone's on the list. I know there's been backlash, but he's still the clear pick for me from these.
2. Denzel Washington- Recently talked about him. About four great performances and lots of solid performances in bland action movies and thrillers. Might be the most talented actor on the list but has not always lived up to it.
3. Depp- Genuinely great once in Ed Wood and lots of very good work (Sleepy Hollow, POTC I, Finding Neverland, Sweeney Todd, Public Enemies, Black Mass)
4. Tom Hanks- Similar to Depp with one truly great performance (Gump) and generally dependable outside of that. Might slightly take the Gump performance over Ed Wood but Depp's "other" work is better.
5. Leo- I don't think he's ever been great but he's become consistently good/very good and is a great star.
6. John Wayne- Played a certain archetype better than anyone ever has, much like Bogart. Not versatile but he deserves to be a legend.
7. Brad Pitt- He's been great twice in Fight Club and Tree of Life but is mediocre and bland much the rest of the time.
8. Angelina Jolie- Quite good dramatic performance in Girl Interrupted and has real movie star charisma that shines through even in dreck like Tomb Raider. Was torn on her and Pitt but put Pitt a spot ahead because of his higher highs.
9. Will Smith- Up there with anyone in terms of pure charisma, unfortunately hasn't tested himself that much yet outside of a couple forays into straight drama where he's been good but not great and still feels like he's just riding his charm.
10. Clint Eastwood- To preface this, in terms of overall talent Clint would be no. 1 due to his directing. He's a top 5-10 American director in my book. I just really don't think he's a great actor, though. Good dramatic performance in Unforgiven but outside of that it's kind of like Leone said where his two emotions are "with the hat and without the hat".
11. Harrison Ford- A couple good dramatic performances in Blade Runner and Witness, fine in his action hero parts.
12. Julia Roberts- Good in Erin Brockovich, engaging enough in her rom-com stuff
13. Jennifer Lawrence- Used to think she had a lot of potential but over the years it seems she has two basic performances: the steely tough girl (Winter's Bone, Katniss Everdeen, some of her recent stuff like Red Sparrow) and then the "OMG, I'm such a quirky Millennial, I tripped at the Oscars!" persona (Her DOR parts, X-Men). She's good in the first kind of role but the second is obnoxious and insufferable.
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oneflyr
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Post by oneflyr on Jun 23, 2020 6:07:48 GMT
John Wayne Clint Eastwood the others lol You don't appreciate any of the others? I do, I just don’t think any of them quite measure up to the mythic, larger-than-life aura of these two.
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Post by tastytomatoes on Jun 24, 2020 9:08:35 GMT
Based on acting (ability, versatility, screen preference), my preference and their status as "biggest stars in America".
1. Brad Pitt - Few actors have combined versatility and screen presence such as Pitt. From psychotic characters in Kalifornia and 12 Monkeys, completely different dramatic roles in Legends of the Fall, Se7en, Killing Them Softly, Benjamin Button, Moneyball, etc to mere human beings with soulful acting in Babel, The Tree of Life and Ad Astra. Also no stranger to comedic roles such as Snatch, Inglourious Basterds and of course Burn After Reading. Not to mention the mesmerising, intimidating yet vulnerable role in The Assassination of Jesse James which I cannot imagine any other actors portraying. He can also play an impossibly cool character in Ocean's Eleven, movie star+physicality roles aka Troy, action comedies (Mr and Mrs Smith) and gave an iconic performance in Fight Club where he exhibits a completely different demeanour of masculinity than say Rusty Ryan or Cliff Booth. What I appreciate most is his ability to embody characters, not transformation to the extent of Bale, but in crafting unique characters in every movie performance. He can easily loose his star quality if the role demands so and still holds the screen (supporting roles like Snatch, Babel and The Big Short). His filmography is also one of the very best.
2. Denzel Washington - Denzel elevates movies he's in and this is evident in the slew of action movies though Training Day remains the sole iconic one. His ability to command the screen is what makes him famous world-wide. I consider his dramatic range in giving outspoken, emotional performances (for lack of better words) to be one of the best, followed by DiCaprio.
3. Tom Hanks - Hanks is like a better Damon, in terms of acting as everyday normal characters, with roles like Captain Phillips and Cast Away that goes for natural realism, giving excellent performances. Hanks always plays a likeable character and that's a slight limitation. I know everyone loves him but compared to his peers, he doesn't have as much iconic or memorable performances.
4. Leonardo DiCaprio - DiCaprio one of the best actors and his selective choice for movies certainly helps build his brand. I don't really like his style of acting however, which makes all the characters he portray as loud and emotionally agitated. I consider Wolf of Wall Street to be his best performance, but say when you put his performances in Inception, Shutter Island and Blood Diamond together, there is not much distinction. He isn't as interesting as an actor than say Brad Pitt or Denzel Washington. Although this might change as he gets older.
5. Johnny Depp - I haven't seen much of his work outside of weird, quirky characters, which becomes repetitive. I only saw clips of Black Mass but his performance can't seem to escape his Depp-character persona.
6. Julia Roberts - Excellent in Erin Brokovich, and decent in dramatic roles like Ben is Back and Wonder. Roberts need better roles and movies.
7. Jennifer Lawrence - Already a great actress with much potential. I haven't seen Winter's Bone but her performances in Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle are excellent, and mother! was a slight surprise where she disappeared into the role and remained magnetic on the screen.
8. Tom Cruise - Not much a fan likely because I haven't seen much of his earlier work apart from Rain Man and Interview with the Vampire. He has crafted a successful image in action movies but apart from Collateral, his more recent dramatic work like Last Samurai, War of the Worlds or American Made is just alright.
9. Will Smith - Yes he can act as seen in The Pursuit of Happiness, but apart from that he doesn't have any knock-out performances. I like him though, not every actor has to be the very best.
10. Harrison Ford - Cruise is a bit like Harrison Ford, great as the lead in action movies and also has the acting chops. Haven't seen a lot of his filmography but he's pleasant to see on the screen.
11. Clint Eastwood - Decent actor, better director. I don't see the praise for his role in Unforgiven - an excellent movie with an otherwise expected performance. His wince and wrinkles are sufficient enough for acting in the roles he chooses.
12. Angelina Jolie - Used to think she has potential but her filmography disappoints. There's no denying she has star appeal and was also pretty good in Changeling. She could be a Tom Cruise-equivalent in owning action franchises but I guess she is more interested in directing.
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