Best Actor of the modern era?

BailMeOut

21 pages later and no mention of Meryl Streep who has to be one the greatest actors ever.

Hamsterchops

Ha, I deliberately didn't mention any female actresses as I thought we were listing actors, then I just remembered that actresses are now actors too.

When I was growing up actors were male and actresses were female, I guess that's all changed now.

Yamanoto

DavidLyons_

BailMeOut wrote: »

21 pages later and no mention of Meryl Streep who has to be one the greatest actors ever.

Possibly because she’s scum. An avid supporter of a confessed and convicted drugger and rapist of a child.

Very likely knew more about Weinstein’s shenanigans than she let on too.

Apart from The Deerhunter and Doubt, I’m struggling to think of any good films she had a prominent role in.

MonkieSocks

"The Dude" Jeff Bridges




Lots of great performances.......The Vanishing 1993,Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 1974 are memorable movies for me.


Also love all Liam Neeson Movies

Rothko

DavidLyons_ wrote: »

Possibly because she’s scum. An avid supporter of a confessed and convicted drugger and rapist of a child.

Very likely knew more about Weinstein’s shenanigans than she let on too.

Apart from The Deerhunter and Doubt, I’m struggling to think of any good films she had a prominent role in.

Kramer Vs. Kramer

DavidLyons_

Rothko wrote: »

Kramer Vs. Kramer

Yeah, I suppose. 40 odd year old film out of the guts of I would guess 100 she has made.

Hoffman‘s film though in my opinion. Streep won the Oscar for it but I seem to remember she had very little screen time (it may even have been a record for the least screen time for an Oscar winner).

Additionally, when Hoffman fell afoul of the Meetoo movement, it was only then that she decided would be a good time for her to accuse him of physical abuse on the set.

I love Christophe Waltz, and Michael Sheen as mentioned above. Anthony Hopkins is always compelling, even in a bad role. Leonardo DiCaprio is a good actor, but I find it hard to put him in the same bracket as Daniel Day Lewis as some do. DeNiro is making terrible choices the last few years, and then phoning them in. I suppose it keeps him off the streets. Honorable mention to the late Robin Williams whom I watched in One Hour Photo for the first time recently, he was fantastic in it and it's a shame he didn't do more straight roles.

Ann Dowd, the actress behind the most terrifying character on tv ever (Aunt Lydia, THT) is fantastic, and Margo Martindale is an exceptional character actress. Charlize Theron sometimes picks awful roles and sometimes her beauty overshadows her talent, but she is a phenomenal actress. Helen Mirren is always good.

It's hard to pick one above all that talent.

Errashareesh

Re Meryl Streep:

Sophie's Choice, The Iron Lady, Silkwood, Ironweed, Postcards From The Edge, Florence Foster Jenkins, Angels In America (she's unbelievable in the TV adaptation, August Osage County, The Hours, Cry In The Dark, Out of Africa.

It's true she had very little screen time in Kramer vs. Kramer. I think she's brilliant - still behaved dreadfully for sure though.

Like Polanski however, I can't help still liking her work.

I know that Streep is objectively a great character actress, but I've never warmed to her or been able to forget that it's Meryl Streep on the screen.

The exception was Big Little Lies where she plays Kidmans characters MIL, she managed to make herself mousy and small and massively aggressive at the same time. Impressive stuff.

DavidLyons_

Errashareesh wrote: »

Re Meryl Streep:

Sophie's Choice, The Iron Lady, Silkwood, Ironweed, Postcards From The Edge, Florence Foster Jenkins, Angels In America (she's unbelievable in the TV adaptation, August Osage County, The Hours, Cry In The Dark, Out of Africa.

It's true she had very little screen time in Kramer vs. Kramer. I think she's brilliant - still behaved dreadfully for sure though.

Like Polanski however, I can't help still liking her work.

Yep, Sophie’s Choice (the rest....Meh) is a good film and yep, she’s a vile human being.

Enormously overrated too in my view. She’s no Theron, Blanchett, Weaver, Julianne Moore, Johansson etc.

1990sman

me at work

niallo76

Tommy Wiseau...

Bobblehats

Joel Tobeck

CrankyHaus

Errashareesh wrote: »

Like Polanski however, I can't help still liking her work.

I'm like that Spacey. And Mel Gibson.

The Nal

DavidLyons_ wrote: »

Yep, Sophie’s Choice (the rest....Meh) is a good film and yep, she’s a vile human being.

Vile because she applauded Polanski 20 years ago?

What about Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp, Adrien Brody, Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly et al who have all worked with him since?

DavidLyons_

The Nal wrote: »

Vile because she applauded Polanski 20 years ago?

What about Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp, Adrien Brody, Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly et al who have all worked with him since?

Well done. Hollywood is a hypocritical cesspool. Or are you suggesting she get a pass because she wasn't alone in supporting him? I was responding to a post that specifically mentioned Meryl Streep.

The vast majority of those that you have named haven't really positioned themselves as virtue signalling moral guardians in the same fashion as her since. She very much knew what Polanski did and that he was guilty of same but chose to support him anyway. Not to mention the insinuations that she was more in the know regarding Weinstien's behavior than she let on.

As I said, I also feel she's bizarrely overrated in a big way in any case. I don't find many of her films enjoyable and the critical acclaim always seems a little sycophantic from the luvvies.

Temptamperu

Willem Dafoe is always great. Especially in The Lighthouse.

Yurt2

In the last twenty years, I'd have Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was incredible with Joaquin Phoenix in The Master. Capote, Magnolia and A Most Wanted Man also standouts. Also played Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman on stage, which you'd feel he was made for.

Leo DiCaprio gets written-off as a pretty-boy by many, but he has chops. Revolutionary Road was his best performance in my book and a movie I go back to a lot.

Yurt2

BailMeOut wrote: »

21 pages later and no mention of Meryl Streep who has to be one the greatest actors ever.

Hollywood luvvie. Solid actor, but can't think of a single performance where you'd stand back and say 'wow.' Although her Maggie Thatcher was good, but not mind-blowing.

Female actors wise, I'd rate Frances McDormand and Julianne Moore far above her.

Itssoeasy

Tom Hanks for me. Any film I’ve ever seen him in he’s just always excellent regardless of whether the film itself is good. He will always put in a great showing.

Yurt2

Musefan wrote: »

I think Shia LaBeouf has had some great performances recently. Honey Boy & Peanut Butter Falcon were particularly good.

His John McEnroe in Borg Vs McEnroe was excellent.

nj27

Has Brendan Gleason been mentioned? I can’t remember a bad performance by the guy and I’ve seen almost everything he has been in. He’s probably my favourite actor though so biased here.

DavidLyons_

Paddy Considine. Toby Kebbell. Sam Rockwell. Laura Linney. Frances McDormand. Jake Gyllenhaal.

El Gato De Negocios

Probably been mentioned already but Stephen Graham has matured into an exceptional actor, he adds an unparalleled air of reality to most everything he is in.

fatherted1969

Denzel Washington for me

billyhead

Ben and Casey Affleck are good actors.

riclad

There's actors like Tom Cruise who star in action films, he's not a great actor, he plays the good guy, hero in every film.

A good actor plays a wide range of roles like jeff bridges Jesse eisenberg.
I think joaquin phoenix is a great actor.
He has played a wide variety of characters in comedys, action and more realistic type roles.
He is not always the hero in the films he appears in.

AllForIt

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Tom Hanks for me. Any film I’ve ever seen him in he’s just always excellent regardless of whether the film itself is good. He will always put in a great showing.

Probably one of the nicest guys of the top Hollywood elite.

Temptamperu

I'm gonna say it. Colin Farrell.

Ikozma

Has to be denzel

Errashareesh

William Hurt - wonderful actor.

Also, Scott Glenn.

Capt'n Midnight

riclad wrote: »

There's actors like Tom Cruise who star in action films, he's not a great actor, he plays the good guy, hero in every film.

A good actor plays a wide range of roles like jeff bridges Jesse eisenberg.
I think joaquin phoenix is a great actor.
He has played a wide variety of characters in comedys, action and more realistic type roles.
He is not always the hero in the films he appears in.

Tom Cruise is a turn off. At best competent. Money spent on him wasn't spent on special effects or scriptwriters :mad:

Christian Bale said he based American Psycho on him "he just had this very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes,"

Is there a Tom Cruise film that wouldn't be better with an actor who cost a third of the price ?

Capt'n Midnight

riclad wrote: »

A good actor plays a wide range of roles like jeff bridges Jesse eisenberg.
I think joaquin phoenix is a great actor. .

James Cagney and Christopher Walker get bonus points for being able do great villains and dancing.

How many of today's "tough guy's" could out tap-dance Cagney or keep up with Walken in "Weapon Of Choice"

An Ri rua

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Tom Cruise is a turn off. At best competent. Money spent on him wasn't spent on special effects or scriptwriters :mad:

Christian Bale said he based American Psycho on him "he just had this very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes,"

Is there a Tom Cruise film that wouldn't be better with an actor who cost a third of the price ?

Tom Cruise is the bad guy in Collateral (Vincent) and he's quite scary.

A very fine actor. Under-rated by film snobs.

And what about Born on the 4th of July? And Tropic Thunder?! :P

tylercheribini

Jim Bartley.

Errashareesh

Troy McClure

An Ri rua

Tom Hardy is a superb all-rounder.

Warrior, the Krays, Venom, Lawless. The Revenant. Bane. Such a range of films beyond that.

But what about Locke??? What a performance!! Few could manage it. I dunno, maybe Hopkins or Burton. But it's intense.

Leslie Nielsen close 2nd and Phil Hogan plays a great Othello also.

Errashareesh

Yeah he's phenomenal in Locke. I didn't budge for the whole thing.

Capt'n Midnight

An Ri rua wrote: »

Tom Cruise is the bad guy in Collateral (Vincent) and he's quite scary.

Nah. How long would that character have lasted against Anton Chigurh from No Country For Old Men ?

Competent. Nothing to write home about, especially given what he costs.

Does he sing, tap-dance, do comedy, tragedy, play a disabled person, historical character, different accent, different character ?


Jamie Foxx and Mark Ruffalo have more done more varied stuff.

Daniel Day Lewis did Last of the Mohicans which was a proper action film and some other stuff.

Surreptitious

An Ri rua wrote: »

Tom Hardy is a superb all-rounder.

Warrior, the Krays, Venom, Lawless. The Revenant. Bane. Such a range of films beyond that.

But what about Locke??? What a performance!! Few could manage it. I dunno, maybe Hopkins or Burton. But it's intense.

Leslie Nielsen close 2nd and Phil Hogan plays a great Othello also.

Warrior is one of my favourite movies. Plus he's hot!

An Ri rua

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Nah. How long would that character have lasted against Anton Chigurh from No Country For Old Men ?

Competent. Nothing to write home about, especially given what he costs.

Does he sing, tap-dance, do comedy, tragedy, play a disabled person, historical character, different accent, different character ?


Jamie Foxx and Mark Ruffalo have more done more varied stuff.

Daniel Day Lewis did Last of the Mohicans which was a proper action film and some other stuff.

Play a disabled person??

Ron Kovic! 4th July.

Comedy Tropic Thunder.

riffmongous

Tommy Wiseau surely? The guy blows Brando and Dean out of the water

Errashareesh

Tom Cruise used to be a brilliant actor. His depiction of Ron Kovic is stunning. He's awesome in A Few Good Men too. And oh my god, Magnolia! :eek:

Dustin Hoffman got all the focus for Rain Man - understandably to an extent, but Tom Cruise is just brilliant as the selfish younger brother who builds a really beautiful bond with his estranged big brother gradually. Interview With The Vampire, Vanilla Sky and Minority Report - all great performances.

With the odd exception though (Tropic Thunder) he has slipped into mediocrity since the early 2000s. Partly I'd say due to the projects he's chosen.

And Far And Away - hang your head in shame, Thomas!

Surreptitious

Errashareesh wrote: »

Tom Cruise used to be a brilliant actor. His depiction of Ron Kovic is stunning. He's awesome in A Few Good Men too. And oh my god, Magnolia! :eek:

Dustin Hoffman got all the focus for Rain Man - understandably to an extent, but Tom Cruise is just brilliant as the selfish younger brother who builds a really beautiful bond with his estranged big brother gradually. Interview With The Vampire, Vanilla Sky and Minority Report - all great performances.

With the odd exception though (Tropic Thunder) he has slipped into mediocrity since the early 2000s. Partly I'd say due to the projects he's chosen.

And Far And Away - hang your head in shame, Thomas!

I loved Vanilla Sky but it got panned by the critics. Very good performance in it.

mr_edge_to_you

Bradley Cooper for me.

First saw him in The Hangover. Then I saw him in Silver Linings Playbook and American Sniper - he was excellent in both of those movies.
Tried his hand at the singing too In A Star Is Born.

KevRossi

John Cazale

Surreptitious

Jeff Bridges is good, adaptable actor

Errashareesh

Surreptitious wrote: »

I loved Vanilla Sky but it got panned by the critics.

I know! Didn't get that at all - love that movie.

fryup

anyone mention Nick Nolte yet??

i know nearly all the characters he plays are gruff types...

but his performance in the WWII movie The Thin Red Line was truly mesmerising you'd swear he was there in the middle of a battle with his face contorted with rage...best screen performance ever imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQLmH_uwnBI