Favorite acting performances?

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Da_O

Da_O

Abe Vigoda lives!
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Tell me some of your favorite acting performances and why?
 
De Niro in Taxi Driver.

De Niro in Raging Bull.

Denzel in Man on Fire

Tobey Maguire in Brothers

Russell Crowe in Gladiator
 
Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs

Tobey Maguire in Brothers

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
 
I'm at work so its difficult staying on SE for a long time, so for now ill say:

De Niro in Taxi Driver

Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer

Sellers in Dr. Strangelove

Clooney in Up in the Air - very underrated in that he played a lonely soul to pure subtlety

DD Lewis in There will be blood he matches De Niro's Taxi Driver imo

Brando's few lines in Apocalypse Now

Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke

Brad Pitt in Twelve Monkeys
 
I know I'll pretty much piss off everybody, but De Niro is the most overrated actor of all time. He pretty much plays one character in most of his movies--just variations of slight crazy and very tough. Which is fine. I like Clint Eastwood too, and he can't even play the "crazy" part. But you have to do more than that to be one of the greatest of all time.

I like guys like Brando and Dustin Hoffman and Paul Newman and the vastly underrated William H Macy (he's so awesomely horrible in Fargo).

Props to authentiq for Pitt in Twelve Monkeys--that's by far the best role he's ever played. He was freaking spectacular. Nobody ever talks about him in that film.

My favorite right now is Johnny Depp (Scissorhands to Ed Wood to Jack Sparrow). He's a guy who can take practically any role and make it work.
 
mook said:
I know I'll pretty much piss off everybody, but De Niro is the most overrated actor of all time. He pretty much plays one character in most of his movies--just variations of slight crazy and very tough. Which is fine. I like Clint Eastwood too, and he can't even play the "crazy" part. But you have to do more than that to be one of the greatest of all time.

I like guys like Brando and Dustin Hoffman and Paul Newman and the vastly underrated William H Macy (he's so awesomely horrible in Fargo).

Props to authentiq for Pitt in Twelve Monkeys--that's by far the best role he's ever played. He was freaking spectacular. Nobody ever talks about him in that film.

My favorite right now is Johnny Depp (Scissorhands to Ed Wood to Jack Sparrow). He's a guy who can take practically any role and make it work.
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Disagree with DeNiro. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King Of Comedy, and The Deer Hunter are all diverse, complex, and different types of roles that ol' Bobbie played to perfection. His latest films have been pretty awful and are recasts or variations of his former roles.
 
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Favorites

Peter Sellers in - Dr. Strangelove, Being There
Robert DeNiro in - Raging Bull, King of Comedy, Taxi Driver
Marlon Brando in - On the Waterfront
Daniel Day-Lewis in - My Left Foot, There will be blood
Richard Burton in - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Jack Nicholson in - Chinatown, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining, Five Easy Pieces
Toshiro Mifune in - Rashomon, Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress.
 
Da_O said:
Favorites

Peter Sellers in - Dr. Strangelove, Being There
Robert DeNiro in - Raging Bull, King of Comedy, Taxi Driver
Marlon Brando in - On the Waterfront
Daniel Day-Lewis in - My Left Foot, There will be blood
Richard Burton in - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Jack Nicholson in - Chinatown, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining, Five Easy Pieces
Toshiro Mifune in - Rashomon, Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress.
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I liked On The Waterfront. But I always thought streetcar named desire was a better performance.
 
Jim Carrey - Man on the moon, Truman Show
Frances McDormand - Fargo
Edward Norton - 25th hour, American History X
George C. Scott - Patton
Forest Whitaker - Last King Of Scotland, Ghost Dog
 
authentiq said:
I liked On The Waterfront. But I always thought streetcar named desire was a better performance.
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Both performances are considered legendary, I wouldn't call either one better and it's pretty much comes down to preference which one you like more. As for why I like it more, it's strictly the, "I coud've been a contender" speech.
 
I completely forgot about Jim Carrey in The Truman Show. That's my all time favorite Carrey movie, and he was flippin' brilliant in it.
 
Moo2K4 said:
I completely forgot about Jim Carrey in The Truman Show. That's my all time favorite Carrey movie, and he was flippin' brilliant in it.
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Carrey is a great actor, but takes a lot of shitty roles. I'd wish he'd take on more dramatic serious movies. Man on the moon, The Truman Show, and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind are all great performances.
 
I really wish Nolan would re-cast him as the Riddler and do it properly this time. I think he's perfect for that role.
 
Da_O said:
Carrey is a great actor, but takes a lot of shitty roles. I'd wish he'd take on more dramatic serious movies. Man on the moon, The Truman Show, and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind are all great performances.
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I agree. I think his career was hindered by the Ace Ventura movies. While I found them funny, he was largely type-casted throughout the 90's in a lot of stupid comedies. When he plays serious roles though, he's always been great in them.
 
I doubt Jim cares, though. He could've turned those roles down and he didn't.
 
Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade... just the way he was able to totally transform is an amazing thing. Eric Roberts in Star 80 makes me hate Eric Roberts because his character is such an asshole. Good stuff.
 
Sam Jackson in Pulp Fiction.
 
Daniel Day Lewis & Gary Oldman in everything.
Val Kilmer in Tombstone (for hamming it up).
Christian Bale in American Psycho.
Too many to list.

My all-time favourite is probably Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. Astonishing performance.

225px-Landawithfullmedals.jpg
 
I was watching American Psycho yesterday. I forgot how funny that movie was, too. Bale was great.

[video=youtube;8WdEL8DzvaM]
 
There isn't an actor in the world who pulls off the millionaire playboy, yuppie jack ass better than Bale.
 
speeds said:
Daniel Day Lewis & Gary Oldman in everything.
Val Kilmer in Tombstone (for hamming it up).
Christian Bale in American Psycho.
Too many to list.

My all-time favourite is probably Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. Astonishing performance.

225px-Landawithfullmedals.jpg
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Forgot about Waltz. That performance was amazing.
 
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