Timewaster's Guide Archive
Departments => Movies and TV => Topic started by: fuzzyoctopus on November 28, 2003, 05:38:49 PM
-
So while watching Dogma on TV I thought that this would be a fun idea for a topic. Post about an actor that you can't stand, but who has one (or event two) movies that you actually like.
I hate Ben Affleck, but I like him in Dogma. Or Cameron Diaz. Can't stand her. The only movie she's ever made that I like is The Mask.
-
What about Movie you Hate, Actor you Love? For me, What about Bob is a great example. I normally love Bill Murray, but that movie drives me up the wall--can't stand it.
-
Keanu Reeves, Matrix
I guess that's kind of a duh. But probably "love" is a bit strong a word for how I feel about the Matrix. I'm probably as entertained by Much Ado About Nothing too, and he's in that. Note that in neither do I think his acting is any better than usual.
On the other head, the original Bill and Ted's is hilarious. He does a decent job in that because well, there's no acting.
-
Vin Diesel=Overrated piece of cardboard
Pitch Black=Kinda cool sci-fi monster smackdown
-
Good point, EUOL- "Movie you hate- Actor you love" is good too. I think might be a little more frequent though.
And I can't think of any at the moment.
-
Leonardo DCaprio - "Catch me if you can." Great movie, even though he's a pansy. (i admit that he's a good actor - I just think he's a pansy).
-
I completely agree, Mustard. Well, I wouldn't call him a pansy, per se, but I don't really like him in general. There's also The Man in the Iron Mask in the same category.
-
Its a wonder I find Leo and Cruise in the same category. That being that they are both rather passay actors, but have a few good rolls. Take Leo in Gangs of new York, I thought he did that quite well. And Cruise in Top Gun wasn't that bad. But I think the bad outweighs the good with these dolls.
-
I can't watch movies with you people.
Yes, Cruise was that bad in Top Gun. Everything about that movie but fighter jets flying across the screen was just horrible horrible horrible.
Also, I don't think of Leo as even passable. I don't think he can act like a wet sponge, which is how I think of him.
And Man in the Iron Mask... ugh. You loved that movie? That film made me physically ill.
-
I'll agree with "Catch me if you Can" - that's a good example.
And he is a pansy. They both are. Actually they're something else that starts with p and ends in y, but that's another message board altogether.
-
Well, I should clarify: I liked MitIM, not loved. So maybe I was quick to group. I don't think it's as good as Catch Me If You Can. I guess I'm a sucker for 3 Musketeers movies. Though I think the original (if you can call it that), the one with Kiefer Sutherland, was much better than any of the later ones.
-
I don't think Leo is a bad actor, I think he's pretty good. Just look at some of his roles in films like Gilbert Grape and Basketball Diaries. I think the problem is that he keeps getting roles that he is not cut out for and when he tries to play them he comes across as obnoxious. Hollywood has tried to package him as the romantic leading man, but that just isn't who he is.
-
Well, I guess we'll see how he does in that next big one he's in. Alexandar the Great, right? Next spring?
-
Good grief, he's going to play one of the most intelligent and powerful men in the history of the world?
-
Yeah, about as ludicrous as watching Vin Diesel play a secret agent. Or Ben Affleck playing a character who is supposed to have depth.
-
I think we're giving all three of these actors too much credit.
-
I actually quite like Leo--he's done some excellent acting work in some very challenging roles. If he wants to go throwing his career away with teen idol junk like Titanic and MitIM, well that's his own fault. But don't judge him by his bad stuff, just his good stuff. Him as Alexander, though? Give me a break.
An actor I hate in a movie I love...well, Affleck would be a good one except I don't think I like anything he's in. It's always so depressing to see a commercial for a cool-looking movie and then suddenly realize that he's the star. I hate that.
Ooh, I've got one: Tomorrow Never Dies with Teri Hatcher. It's not my favorite Bond by any means (it's not even one of the better Brosnan ones), but I liked it and I like Bond, and Teri Hatcher really soured the whole experience. Come to think of it, maybe she's why it was so bad...
-
Going along the Bond movie thread with Fell, I'd have to say Madonna in Die Another Day. I don't like her acting style at all, but luckily Halle Berry completely eclipsed her, therefore saving the movie for me. It also helped that the main bad guy was played by Toby Stephens, who also played the Count Orsinio in Twelfth Night with Ben Kingsley and Helena Bonham Carter, one of my favorite movies of all time.
-
I liked Gattaca despite having Uma Thurman in it. I like signs despite Mel Gibson. I liked Minority Report despite Tom Cruise. I like A Beautiful Mind despite Russel Crowe.
I think a lot of it has to do with appropriate casting. For example, Kevin Costner cannot act in suspense/action movies (Robin Hood, Waterworld, Dragonfly). But he does all right when he is playing average American Joe (Dances with Wolves, Field of Dreams). Or another example, Meg Ryan kind of sucks when she leaves the romantic comedy genre.
-
i don't have such a problem with Gibson, though I can't think of anything I LOVED with him (Signs being the closest, though).
Costner though, did do a couple good movies. Not the least of which was co-starring Clint Eastwood (can't remember the title).
-
Gibson is also good in Mad Max, but over all I just don't care for him. Perhaps because I saw him in Forever Young, which was just an awful movie.
-
Yeah, strike Forever Young from your memory. Unfortunately RT was not around to warn us how bad that movie was.
I have to agree with 42 on Beautiful Mind. I really don't like Russell Crowe, but the movie was well done.
-
Ah, Mad Max. Mel will forever have a special place in my heart, based solely on Road Warrior.
-
The thing is that Mel shouldn't get too far from the Mad Max persona.
-
Ya right are you crazy? Wait you are. Anyway I like Mel. He's great in the lethal weapons, Ransom, payback (wich is an awsome movie), conspericy theory and *gasp* braveheart.
-
see, I knew I liked Gibson, I just couldn't remember what I liked him for. Mad Max is kinda hard to like him for, since Thunderdome was such a snoozer and the original Mad Max was such a B-Movie. But Lethal Weapon, yeah. It may be just an action flick, but they're A LOT of fun. He's not the best, but he does some interesting things. And admit it, even his Hamlet was pretty good.
-
I haven't seen A Beautiful Mind and don't ever plan on seeing it. I'm sure it's a great movie, and no one can understand why I haven't seen it, yet I can't make myself bother with it. Even people who know about my mom can't understand why I won't see it. Oh well.
I do like Mel Gibson, though I didn't like Ransom. I've liked so many of his other movies. I think we've mentioned our guilty pleasures before, and one of mine is Bird on a Wire.
-
you should cacth payback SE, TBS and TNT play it often enough. It's kinda a dark lethal weaponish style of movie (with Lucy Lu I might add) where Mel's a gangester out to get 10,000 dollers back from the people that stold it.
-
I like Gibson. He's done some good stuff.
And stacer, I was like you with A Beautiful Mind at first. Then I sat down and finally watched the movie, and ta-da, it was a good movie.
Now to bring an old debate to a new topic. I don't care what anyone thinks, but Alyson Hannigan is hot. She's a redhead too. She was the girl that played Willow in Buffy and was the "bandcamp giril" in American Pie, and other various roles I choose to forget at the moment.
-
I understand why you don't want to see it, stacer. But then, I think you explained that when we discussing Radio.
Allyson Hannigan is pretty. However, I'd rather not be subjected to American Pie or any of its ilk.
-
I used to think Allyson Hannigan was cute, but then I saw her on a talk show, without the aid of her TV/Movie make-up people, and she looked really wierd.
-
Allyson Hannigan was really cute unt il about the fourth or fifth season of Buffy when she started to do the American Pie movies. Then she just got wierd and kind of creepy.
And to defend my position, Mel Gison in Lethal Weapon, Conspiracy Theory, etc... are all roles simular to the Mad Max persona. Mel does best in the quirky action hero role. I didn't like him in Ransom and found him to be kind of boring in Braveheart and Hamlet.
-
I kind of liked him in Hamlet. My displeasure with him in Braveheart is mainly due to my overriding displeasure with the movie itself, which is unfair. But I do agree with 42--he makes a wonderful quirky action hero, as he is very personable and charismatic (Maverick might actually be his best role in this persona). I liked Ransom, too, but mainly because of Gary Sinise. On the whole, when Mel tries to get too serious (Braveheart, Patriot, etc.) is when he falls down.
-
ah, yes. Maverick. I forgot about that one too. Yeah, "quirky hero" describes him there. But it's also really unfair to say that puts him in the same category as Mad Max. In fact, I'd say the mood of his characters in Lethal Weapon and at least the first Mad Max are vastly different too. In MM its all angst and justice -- at first he's a dedicated law enforcer. In LW he's an irresponsible, reckless individual. Sure, they're both dedicated to bringing down the bad guy, but one is by the books till he's forced not to, and the other is "what's a book?" *shrug*
-
On this topic, I'd like to ask--is the first MM movie worth seeing? I mean, if you haven't seen it before, will it stand on its own and be a good movie? Or is it one of those that requires nostalgia to come off right?
-
well, it's not an artistic masterpiece, let's get that out.
The acting isn't rotten though.
The plot is fairly straightforward and predictable, exactly what you'd expect to come out of an afternoon's outlining and no further development. There aren't a lot of special effects, but they aren't really needed, which is good because it's obviously a low budget flick.
The action is fun, even if it could be better choreographed.
I enjoyed it when I saw it for the first time something like 7 or 8 years ago, so I don't think it needs nostalgia. But it's not a GREAT movie. Just a fun little one. I can't give it a wholehearted recommendation, but it's better than many films. I think it stands out mostly as an early example of post-apocalyptic film. There wasn't a lot of that on an earth-bound, gritty level previous to this. The idea sparked a lot, but the writing's not so great.
-
If you are in the mood for an independent scifi movie, Mad Max is definitely worth it. If you want a big-budget blockbuster scifi movie, then don't see MM.
-
Was the first one really all that sci-fi-ish? I've heard that it was very different from the second and third movies.
-
There were three movies? Which one had Tina Turner in it? I don't remember much about it except for "We Don't Need Another Hero" and a lot of dust. Though, strangely, I kind of want to see it again.
-
it is very different. No, it's not scifi-ish. It doesn't even necessarily rely on the future world it's set in to convey it's plot. You could do almost everything exactly the same and put it in the old west (blowing up a car would have to be different, but other than that, most of the automotive roles could be filled by horses). The only thing is the "restricted zone," which you could just turn around and say they're preventing slaves from escaping. Ok, it wouldn't work perfectly, but you could do most of it.
-
Did that 'blow up the car' scene (the one where he shoots the gas tank to make it look like he's dead) happen in the first movie? Maybe I have seen it. I thought it happened in the second one. Isn't the first one about Max being a cop, and a biker gang kills his family or something? Or, maybe you're talking about a different 'blow up the car' scene. There are probably plenty of them in the movies....
Tina was in the third one, MoD.
-
I watched the first one and was wildly unimpressed. I seem to remember having a hard time working out whether it was before or after the apocalypse - it didn't seem to be making any real effect on the plot anyway.
But i don't think i loved either of the other two either. Patriot i despised (one film where i really, really wanted the 'bad' guys to win ;)). Braveheart is not too bad, but is amusingly disconnected from reality. Uhm. LW 4 i saw a bit of. Trash.
-
Sad to say it but americans dont get Mad Max because it was redubbed. Some idiot back in the 80's decided we wouldn't understand how to "Speak Austrailian" so they Dubbed Max for the US release. Oddly no version in the US has ever been released undubbed. (unless you have a bootleg like me) The impact on the lines and the movie itself is irreperable.
MM is crucial to the series because it helps us chart the change of Max from honest clean cut cop to near brigand by thuderdome. The whole argument in the second movie is that the oil drillers want to go back to civilisation (where Max has exiled himself from) and what he tells them they will find. Essentially Max is wild... and mad. I think the loss of his family did that. Sadly his revenge doesnt end his story and he finds that he cant go back to the world he knew and that he doesnt want to join the other world thats rising. Thats why thunderdome is such a great movie too, Max reconnects with the things that make him feel human again (the children) and again falls into the role of law and protector. Its a role he's destined to follow untill it eventually kills him. Its the only thing I've ever liked gibson in too.
Ben Afleck and Dogma....
horrible actor... funny movie.
-
Well, perhaps there's some sort of magical dialogue in Jeffe's Mad Max that reveals ingenious secrets, but everything he said about it can be picked up just as easily by watching the dubbed version. It's a much better movie (in my humble opinion) than SE gives it credit for, and one of my favorites. Road Warrior is better overall, but they're both great. Essentially, the first one details a man's decent into revenge and vigilantism--a fall from civilization to sociopathy. The second movie explores the ideas of barbarity and hopelessness, though it ends on an up note (of sorts) as Max is given the incentive to redeem himself. The actual redemption comes in the third movie, which is sadly the weakest of the three--the redemption isn't much, but it's there.
The most intriguing part of the series is the way the environment mirrors Max's mental and emotional state. It's not a movie I'd hold up as a golden sample of sci-fi, because there's simply not much there. As a character study, however, and as an incredibly evocative piece of post-apocalyptic speculation, it's quite good.
I should point out, however, that the overall tone of the series is quite bleak. It's not for everybody.
-
no and I never meant ot imply it... but the movie flows better and sounds better. The actors actually act off each other and it deepens the story
-
The first MM is mildly scifi-ish. There are lots of little hints of it being in a kind of post-apocoliptic world, but nothing definite. The scenes of the abandoned city and the broken-down police station are the biggest hints to me, but they aren't necessarily scifi.
Like I said it's independent scifi which when done well usuallly only includes a few minor hints of being scifi as a result of lacking the budget to include more. Unless, it just a bad B-movie where they try to fake it with cheesy props and bad FXs.
-
I wouldn't know, but I'd like to know where Jeffe got this "no undubbed version" info, because the one I rented at Hollywood Video was full of Australian accents...
-
http://www.madmaxmovies.com/
Well it looks like they finally did release an undubbed version... (the dubbed one had austrailian accents too, just not as heavy). in 2002
The site madmaxmovies.com is pretty cool with some neat rebuilds of the V8 Interceptor and more movie info than you can shake a stick at.
-
Entropy: You just wanted the bad guys to win cause you're British.
-
also, because he's EVIL!
-
And freaking british!
-
lets not forget evil!
and give the man credit... he's a Scot first and a Briton second.
-
And we all know...
If it's not Scottish, IT'S CRAP!
-
and frequently, even if it is scottish it's crap.
-
Uhh...
Well, yeah. Brits versus upstart colonials - of course i want the boys in red to win. Though c'mon, they are fighting the all consuming evil of mel gibson! Gotta count for something.
Scot first or british first? Interesting question. Hard to answer actually.
-
If Basil heard you now, he'd feel so ashamed.
-
Don't bring that two-timer in on this! =P
-
didn't the boys in read put some smack down on various parts of Scotland as well?
-
I think that was the boys in red. The boys in read wern't too effective against a half mad bunch of men in skirts waving broadswords and screaming like lunatics.
-
I'm pretty sure I could take Entropy. And I read a lot.