i will. but i call 'em cowboy movies. generation thing i suppose -
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- Thread starter Town Heretic
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i will. but i call 'em cowboy movies. generation thing i suppose -
How about Lana Turner?
Angie Dickenson -
just to lighten things up - and these are great classic actors, still living mostly -
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A brief consideration of the work of Peter O'Toole.
1. Lawrence of Arabia It begins with a movie that is so perfect in its parts and their merging that you have to feel for O'Toole, who has managed his Citizen Kane as an actor, for good and ill. Good because it stands as one of the singular epics in the history of film and because his acting at the center is masterful. Ill because it would become, as Kane became for Wells, the standard by which everything he did after would be judged and that's inherently unfair.
2. Becket Two years later O'Toole plays the unsympathetic part of King Henry, who has his friend murdered for standing in the right and his way. Both O'Toole and his costar, Richard Burton (in the title role) were nominated for Academy awards for their efforts.
3. Lord Jim Probably one of the most subtle and nuanced performances of his career. As always, O'Toole is marvelous in depicting conflicted, psychologically ravaged individuals at the crossroads of moral conflict and choice. Here he plays Jim, a man who failed himself and others, moving toward his chance for redemption.
4. The Lion in Winter Not to be missed, O'Toole revisits Henry late in his life, having won the world he sought and brought into it a spate of ungrateful children, one of whom stands to inherit his throne. The cast is remarkable, with Anthony Hopkins as the young Richard, Nigel Terry (Arthur from the film Excalibur) as John, the youngest, and particularly Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine, plotting and scheming against the scheming Henry as they both jockey to wound the other they love. It doesn't sound like it, but by the end you'll be laughing with them both. A grand movie.
5. Goodbye Mr. Chips A remake of a classic done thirty years prior finds O'Toole playing against type as a mild, withdrawn professor who meets and loses the love of his life to war and responds to the loss by dedicating himself to generations of students. Touching, poignant and darn well done.
He did a number of notable, lesser films, but these five are not to be missed by anyone who loves movies.
1. Lawrence of Arabia It begins with a movie that is so perfect in its parts and their merging that you have to feel for O'Toole, who has managed his Citizen Kane as an actor, for good and ill. Good because it stands as one of the singular epics in the history of film and because his acting at the center is masterful. Ill because it would become, as Kane became for Wells, the standard by which everything he did after would be judged and that's inherently unfair.
2. Becket Two years later O'Toole plays the unsympathetic part of King Henry, who has his friend murdered for standing in the right and his way. Both O'Toole and his costar, Richard Burton (in the title role) were nominated for Academy awards for their efforts.
3. Lord Jim Probably one of the most subtle and nuanced performances of his career. As always, O'Toole is marvelous in depicting conflicted, psychologically ravaged individuals at the crossroads of moral conflict and choice. Here he plays Jim, a man who failed himself and others, moving toward his chance for redemption.
4. The Lion in Winter Not to be missed, O'Toole revisits Henry late in his life, having won the world he sought and brought into it a spate of ungrateful children, one of whom stands to inherit his throne. The cast is remarkable, with Anthony Hopkins as the young Richard, Nigel Terry (Arthur from the film Excalibur) as John, the youngest, and particularly Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine, plotting and scheming against the scheming Henry as they both jockey to wound the other they love. It doesn't sound like it, but by the end you'll be laughing with them both. A grand movie.
5. Goodbye Mr. Chips A remake of a classic done thirty years prior finds O'Toole playing against type as a mild, withdrawn professor who meets and loses the love of his life to war and responds to the loss by dedicating himself to generations of students. Touching, poignant and darn well done.
He did a number of notable, lesser films, but these five are not to be missed by anyone who loves movies.
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Moved. :e4e:
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ok doser
lifeguard at the cement pond
why?
eta: it's a vaild question - you spend an incredible amount of time celebrating modern pop culture (tv, movies, sports) and avoiding hard questions about God's Law.
eta again:
you said: "And sharing a good book or film or music is a reward in and of itself"
i said: perhaps, but it doesn't hold a candle to celebrating God
eta: it's a vaild question - you spend an incredible amount of time celebrating modern pop culture (tv, movies, sports) and avoiding hard questions about God's Law.
eta again:
you said: "And sharing a good book or film or music is a reward in and of itself"
i said: perhaps, but it doesn't hold a candle to celebrating God
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Coming Soon for actor: Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis, Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Laurence Olivier, Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, William Holden, Alec Guinness, Burt Lancaster, Marlon Brando, David Niven, Jack Lemon, Michael Caine, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman, Walter Matthau, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Jeff Bridges, Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Costner, Anthony Hopkins, Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, George Clooney
For actress: Irene Dunne, Greer Garson, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Jennifer Jones, Ingrid Bergman, Claudette Colbert, Gene Tierney, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine, Grace Kelly, Joanne Woodward, Elizabeth Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Shirley MacLaine, Julie Andrews, Jean Simmons, Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand, Faye Dunaway, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Anne Bancroft, Sigourney Weaver, Emma Thompson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Holly Hunter, Julia Roberts, Judi Dench, Renée Zellweger, Charlize Theron, Kate Winslet, Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon
These aren't the only people I'll probably get around to, but all of them are Oscar winners and I think have at least the requisite three great films or more worth seeing if you haven't. I suppose many who don't love movies won't understand it, but then this thread isn't for them. If, however, you love film I hope some of what I'm going through in the lists might be discoveries for you that will enrich your experience.
And sharing a good book or film or music is a reward in and of itself. :cheers:
For actress: Irene Dunne, Greer Garson, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Jennifer Jones, Ingrid Bergman, Claudette Colbert, Gene Tierney, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine, Grace Kelly, Joanne Woodward, Elizabeth Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Shirley MacLaine, Julie Andrews, Jean Simmons, Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand, Faye Dunaway, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Anne Bancroft, Sigourney Weaver, Emma Thompson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Holly Hunter, Julia Roberts, Judi Dench, Renée Zellweger, Charlize Theron, Kate Winslet, Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon
These aren't the only people I'll probably get around to, but all of them are Oscar winners and I think have at least the requisite three great films or more worth seeing if you haven't. I suppose many who don't love movies won't understand it, but then this thread isn't for them. If, however, you love film I hope some of what I'm going through in the lists might be discoveries for you that will enrich your experience.
And sharing a good book or film or music is a reward in and of itself. :cheers:
One of the more likable and durable of the early screen stars, Irene Dunne was a household name before motion pictures started talking. My favorites all came after that point and I hope there's another generation to appreciate black and white film and gets to know a wonderful actress with a deft touch for comedy.
She had a knack for starring in great movies that were later remade and matched or bettered. For instance, she does a noteworthy turn in Anna and the King, with Rex Harrison in 1946, but what people tend to remember is The King and I, a decade later, with Deborah Kerr and Yule Brynner. She was terrific in Love Affair, with Charles Boyer, in 1939, only to have that film remade by Cary Grant and, once again, Deborah Kerr, who may have had it in for Dunne, as An Affair to Remember nearly twenty years later.
I loved each version of those films, but my favorite Dunne moments are in her comedies, like Theodora Goes Wild or My Favorite Wife. She had a rare gift for timing and selling a line without overselling it...and she could move you when she wanted to, even in peculiar fare, like the ghostly A Guy Named Joe, holding her own with Spencer Tracey and Van Johnson...and there's the great family film Life With Father.
She was nominated for five Oscars but never won, which is a shame. The first was in 1930's Cimarron and the last in 1948's I Remember Mama.
Look her up on TCM or whatever old movie source you have. She's worth the effort and then some.
She had a knack for starring in great movies that were later remade and matched or bettered. For instance, she does a noteworthy turn in Anna and the King, with Rex Harrison in 1946, but what people tend to remember is The King and I, a decade later, with Deborah Kerr and Yule Brynner. She was terrific in Love Affair, with Charles Boyer, in 1939, only to have that film remade by Cary Grant and, once again, Deborah Kerr, who may have had it in for Dunne, as An Affair to Remember nearly twenty years later.
I loved each version of those films, but my favorite Dunne moments are in her comedies, like Theodora Goes Wild or My Favorite Wife. She had a rare gift for timing and selling a line without overselling it...and she could move you when she wanted to, even in peculiar fare, like the ghostly A Guy Named Joe, holding her own with Spencer Tracey and Van Johnson...and there's the great family film Life With Father.
She was nominated for five Oscars but never won, which is a shame. The first was in 1930's Cimarron and the last in 1948's I Remember Mama.
Look her up on TCM or whatever old movie source you have. She's worth the effort and then some.
Henry Fonda has had his star dim in recent years, though in 1999 he was named the 6th greatest male star of all time. A few, like Wayne and his best friend, Jimmy Stewart, have family friendly classics that tend to keep them around in the minds of popular culture more readily. Too bad, because there's a lot of complicated, terrific film under this fellow's belt. Here are a few you should find the time to watch at some point.
1. Twelve Angry Men: a jury is on the verge of sending a young man to his death or imprisonment when one lone voice of reason and reflection makes a gentle demand and begins a film classic and a study of human nature that isn't to be missed.
2. The Grapes of Wrath: Fonda's portrayal of Tom Joad, a young man caught up in the dust bowl migration of impoverished workers is moving and profound. And remarkably enough it came within a year of the book's publication.
3. The Ox Bow Incident: two men find themselves involved in a hanging party framed by a tragic mistake. Another powerful film about justice and human nature, tailor made for Fonda, who is most powerful when he plays an essential, decent man meeting a moment and test of character.
4. Mr. Roberts: terrific cast in this remake of the stage play about a man who mistakenly believes that his side bar involvement in the war is wasting an opportunity to become involved in the struggle of WWII. Other notables here: William Powell as the aging ship physician, James Cagney as the tyrannical, envious captain, and Jack Lemon as Ensign Pulver.
5. Fort Apache: has Fonda and a rare paring with Wayne in one leg of fabled director John Ford's classic western trilogy. Here Fonda has an unforgiving turn as a commander whose stiff necked approach to his occupation has landed him, a far western post and a collision course with a people he neither understands nor means to. Wayne is excellent as a seasoned commander who can see the inevitable but is powerless against it.
6. My Darling Clementine: another Ford/Henry pairing for the story of Wyatt Earp and the OK Corral as told with the actual technical assistance of Wyatt Earp. Ward Bond, who found his way into supporting most of the best movies of his day, is terrific again, as is Victor Mature.
7. Fail Safe: a little dated, but a terrific narrative about a President (Fonda) on the precipice of nuclear war. Larry Hagman has a nice turn as his translator.
8. Young Mr. Lincoln: until Spielberg approached the subject it was the best movie about Lincoln going and it's still, within the mythological approach to public figures, one to be appreciated.
9. On Golden Pond: won a long overdue Oscar acting opposite of his daughter in a film echoing a little of his actual life as Fonda plays a man toward the end in need of reconciliation with an estranged daughter. Hepburn and Coleman give solid supporting performances.
10. Once Upon a Time in the West: great movie with one of my favorite opening sequences. The only reason it's lower on the list is that Henry plays a villain of epic proportions and it's hard for me to warm to that role.
Other note worthies: The Wrong Man, The Lady Eve, Warlock, You Only Live Once
1. Twelve Angry Men: a jury is on the verge of sending a young man to his death or imprisonment when one lone voice of reason and reflection makes a gentle demand and begins a film classic and a study of human nature that isn't to be missed.
2. The Grapes of Wrath: Fonda's portrayal of Tom Joad, a young man caught up in the dust bowl migration of impoverished workers is moving and profound. And remarkably enough it came within a year of the book's publication.
3. The Ox Bow Incident: two men find themselves involved in a hanging party framed by a tragic mistake. Another powerful film about justice and human nature, tailor made for Fonda, who is most powerful when he plays an essential, decent man meeting a moment and test of character.
4. Mr. Roberts: terrific cast in this remake of the stage play about a man who mistakenly believes that his side bar involvement in the war is wasting an opportunity to become involved in the struggle of WWII. Other notables here: William Powell as the aging ship physician, James Cagney as the tyrannical, envious captain, and Jack Lemon as Ensign Pulver.
5. Fort Apache: has Fonda and a rare paring with Wayne in one leg of fabled director John Ford's classic western trilogy. Here Fonda has an unforgiving turn as a commander whose stiff necked approach to his occupation has landed him, a far western post and a collision course with a people he neither understands nor means to. Wayne is excellent as a seasoned commander who can see the inevitable but is powerless against it.
6. My Darling Clementine: another Ford/Henry pairing for the story of Wyatt Earp and the OK Corral as told with the actual technical assistance of Wyatt Earp. Ward Bond, who found his way into supporting most of the best movies of his day, is terrific again, as is Victor Mature.
7. Fail Safe: a little dated, but a terrific narrative about a President (Fonda) on the precipice of nuclear war. Larry Hagman has a nice turn as his translator.
8. Young Mr. Lincoln: until Spielberg approached the subject it was the best movie about Lincoln going and it's still, within the mythological approach to public figures, one to be appreciated.
9. On Golden Pond: won a long overdue Oscar acting opposite of his daughter in a film echoing a little of his actual life as Fonda plays a man toward the end in need of reconciliation with an estranged daughter. Hepburn and Coleman give solid supporting performances.
10. Once Upon a Time in the West: great movie with one of my favorite opening sequences. The only reason it's lower on the list is that Henry plays a villain of epic proportions and it's hard for me to warm to that role.
Other note worthies: The Wrong Man, The Lady Eve, Warlock, You Only Live Once
Maureen O'Hara was an amazingly talented actress once dubbed the Queen of Technicolor for her striking skin and red hair she managed to make a lot of actors look better than they had any right to expect. Here are a few of her gems.
The Quiet Man: my favorite role by her opposite her favorite actor, John Wayne, in a film packed with talent in support. Wayne arrives as a wounded former prize fighter reeling from having killed a man in the ring. He's left the states to return to the village in Ireland where he spent his childhood, in the very home which in buying sets him up against a local tough and land owner with eyes on the same parcel. O'Hara's role as that tough's sister, a fiery and headstrong woman who is more than a match for Wayne's fighter and exactly what he needs sets everyone involved on a romantic, funny, touching and thoroughly entertaining valentine to the old country.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame : opened the eyes of the world to the beautiful and talented actress, playing opposite a very talented Charles Laughton in the title role.
Miracle on 34th Street: a Christmas classic with all the bases nicely covered and the best telling of the tale.
The Rare Breed : almost everyone involved is playing under their age, but I love the heart of this movie. O'Hara is a widow determined to bring a new breed of bull and cattle into America, completing the work of her husband. She is aided by an aging, initially jaded cowboy, played by Jimmy Stewart and courted by a half crazed Scott, played by Brian Keith. It's sentimental and likable.
There are any number of other pairings with Wayne and Tyrone Powers and others, but these are a great place to start.
The Quiet Man: my favorite role by her opposite her favorite actor, John Wayne, in a film packed with talent in support. Wayne arrives as a wounded former prize fighter reeling from having killed a man in the ring. He's left the states to return to the village in Ireland where he spent his childhood, in the very home which in buying sets him up against a local tough and land owner with eyes on the same parcel. O'Hara's role as that tough's sister, a fiery and headstrong woman who is more than a match for Wayne's fighter and exactly what he needs sets everyone involved on a romantic, funny, touching and thoroughly entertaining valentine to the old country.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame : opened the eyes of the world to the beautiful and talented actress, playing opposite a very talented Charles Laughton in the title role.
Miracle on 34th Street: a Christmas classic with all the bases nicely covered and the best telling of the tale.
The Rare Breed : almost everyone involved is playing under their age, but I love the heart of this movie. O'Hara is a widow determined to bring a new breed of bull and cattle into America, completing the work of her husband. She is aided by an aging, initially jaded cowboy, played by Jimmy Stewart and courted by a half crazed Scott, played by Brian Keith. It's sentimental and likable.
There are any number of other pairings with Wayne and Tyrone Powers and others, but these are a great place to start.
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Harrison Ford was late to the party, his break out role happening at the less than tender age of thirty-five, but he's more than made up for it with a large number of memorable films. Here's a sampling:
1. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: the best of the trilogy finds Ford investing the character as he'd be remembered from then on.
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): an homage to B movies that transcended them and cemented Ford as an A list movie star. Great physical acting in it. His stutter approach to what he believes is his love interest having died in an explosion is one example. Fun and then some.
3. Blade Runner: a year later, is arguably the most imitated and influential science fiction film in modern cinema. Ford plays a jaded instrument of power with an idealist buried underneath. His specialty is hunting androids and three dangerous examples of them are running loose in his city searching for their creator. Rutger Hauer is excellent as leader of the pack.
4. Witness: a reprise of Decker, if less jaded. Ford plays John Book, a man of principle entrusted with the safety of a witness to a brutal murder, committed by members of Book's own police force. The realization sends him into hiding, wounded, among the Amish. The collision of worlds is an entertaining side bar, as is the obligatory romance. A solid film, enjoyable on several levels.
5. Working Girl: arguably his co-star's vehicle, noteworthy as a means of displaying more of Ford's comedic timing than prior efforts...at least successfully.
6. The Fugative: between Ford as Dr. Kimbal and Tommy Lee as Sam Gerard, it's an acting lesson (with a couple of memorable ad libs) that takes a decent vehicle and makes it special. The tale of a man who didn't kill his wife and the man who doesn't care pursuing him toward the inevitable truth.
7. Clear and Present Danger: the second of Ford's two turns as Jack Ryan and the best of those movies has Ford barking at the President like a junkyard dog. As with nearly anything Ford does, he invests the lead with a believable vulnerability. He's more everyman than Wayne, but a tougher version of that everyman than Fonda. This is a solid example of that persona in play.
8. Regarding Henry: Ford plays a lawyer who loses most of who he was and gains much of who he could be following a botched robbery that ends with brain trauma. A quiet gem.
9. What Lies Beneath: Ford does the unthinkable, playing a villain of the piece. And as with Fonda before him, it works so well in part because it plays off our expectations. Well done.
10. Sabrina/Six Days Seven Nights: two flawed but funny films. The first a remake of a Humphry Bogart film that was also flawed. But I like both versions. They're charming and good humored, as is the second film, which has Harrison playing closer to home as a man who'd rather fly a scrap bucket in the middle of nowhere than be part of the rat race. Curiously enough, the lack of chemistry between Ford and the romantic interests are at the heart of what fails in both films. Worth seeing, flaws and all.
Honorable mentions: Last Crusade, Patriot Games, Presumed Innocent, 42
1. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: the best of the trilogy finds Ford investing the character as he'd be remembered from then on.
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): an homage to B movies that transcended them and cemented Ford as an A list movie star. Great physical acting in it. His stutter approach to what he believes is his love interest having died in an explosion is one example. Fun and then some.
3. Blade Runner: a year later, is arguably the most imitated and influential science fiction film in modern cinema. Ford plays a jaded instrument of power with an idealist buried underneath. His specialty is hunting androids and three dangerous examples of them are running loose in his city searching for their creator. Rutger Hauer is excellent as leader of the pack.
4. Witness: a reprise of Decker, if less jaded. Ford plays John Book, a man of principle entrusted with the safety of a witness to a brutal murder, committed by members of Book's own police force. The realization sends him into hiding, wounded, among the Amish. The collision of worlds is an entertaining side bar, as is the obligatory romance. A solid film, enjoyable on several levels.
5. Working Girl: arguably his co-star's vehicle, noteworthy as a means of displaying more of Ford's comedic timing than prior efforts...at least successfully.
6. The Fugative: between Ford as Dr. Kimbal and Tommy Lee as Sam Gerard, it's an acting lesson (with a couple of memorable ad libs) that takes a decent vehicle and makes it special. The tale of a man who didn't kill his wife and the man who doesn't care pursuing him toward the inevitable truth.
7. Clear and Present Danger: the second of Ford's two turns as Jack Ryan and the best of those movies has Ford barking at the President like a junkyard dog.
As with nearly anything Ford does, he invests the lead with a believable vulnerability. He's more everyman than Wayne, but a tougher version of that everyman than Fonda. This is a solid example of that persona in play.8. Regarding Henry: Ford plays a lawyer who loses most of who he was and gains much of who he could be following a botched robbery that ends with brain trauma. A quiet gem.
9. What Lies Beneath: Ford does the unthinkable, playing a villain of the piece. And as with Fonda before him, it works so well in part because it plays off our expectations. Well done.
10. Sabrina/Six Days Seven Nights: two flawed but funny films. The first a remake of a Humphry Bogart film that was also flawed. But I like both versions. They're charming and good humored, as is the second film, which has Harrison playing closer to home as a man who'd rather fly a scrap bucket in the middle of nowhere than be part of the rat race. Curiously enough, the lack of chemistry between Ford and the romantic interests are at the heart of what fails in both films. Worth seeing, flaws and all.
Honorable mentions: Last Crusade, Patriot Games, Presumed Innocent, 42
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Few movie stars have been as much of a lightning rod for personal criticism and speculation as the mercurial Tom Cruise, but few have managed to match his track record for success across a few decades of work and with no appreciable sign that his run is drawing to a close. Here is highlight reel from that impressive cannon:
1. Risky Business (1981): Taps got a lot of people talking about Cruise, but it was this odd comedy about how badly things can go awry when the parents are away, as Joel (Cruise,) on the cusp of entering Princeton, inadvertently entertains a prostitute, ruins his father's Porsche and finds himself in the middle of the most unlikely scheme to set all right before his parents return.
2. A Few Good Men (1992): following a string of commercial and critical successes, including Top Gun, Rain Man, and The Color of Money, his performance as a JAG lawyer taking on a rouge General (played to the hilt by Jack Nicholson) is the stuff that settled the notion of the popular star as someone who could stand on his acting without leaning on a costar, or playing light comedy or the action card. As with the best of Cruise's work, he plays a troubled character in need of an epiphany and finds it where he least wants or expects to.
3. The Firm (1993): possibly the best adaptation of a Grisham legal thriller, Cruise is excellent as a young, talented attorney caught up in a spider's web of intrigue and corruption, fighting to save his marriage, career and soul.
4. Jerry McGwire (1996):Cruise returned to romantic comedy with another film about redemption. This time around it's a sports agent who has a crisis of conscience and changes the nature of his business, picking up an assistant who will teach him something even more important about life as she first follows and then leads him.
5. Magnolia (1999): a less successful commercial vehicle, this film is noteworthy for the depth of Cruise's portrayal of an unlikable and unraveling cult like figure. It is an astounding performance and displays an ability few thought present at that depth. Though the film itself was uneven, his performance alone is worth your time.
6. Minority Report (2002): largely forgotten until a recent, lifeless attempt to resurrect the idea for television, this thought provoking, science fiction driven attempt to question the nature of justice and the use of technology was both a critical and commercial success for Cruise and deservedly so, as he plays a first sure and then troubled member of a group that uses precognatives to stop murders that haven't happened by arresting murderers who aren't quite murderers yet...
7. The Last Samurai (2003): a personal favorite. It's the story of a disillusioned, alcoholic commander of Union troops haunted by his past who is presented the task of assisting the Japanese government in putting down a rebellion of Samurai, only to be captured, educated and ultimately redeemed by them. One of my favorite films in his catalogue.
8. Collateral (2004): Cruise takes the unusual chance of playing a villain in this tale of a hit man who meets and decides to hire the services of a cab driver (Jamie Fox) for a night's work. After a number of revelations and conflicts, the cabby and hit man play a desperate game of cat and mouse with both their futures and a few others hanging in the balance. Great work by Fox as well.
9. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011): the most critically and commercially successful of the MI series to that point, an act of terrorism in Russia is pinned on Ethan Hunt's group and the race is on to save themselves and the world from another sinister plot. As satisfying an adventure film as you could ask for.
9. Edge of Tomorrow (2014): the best of his forays into science fiction, Cruise plays a man who by virtue of a war time accident, dies only to relive the same period of time with each resurrection in the moment. Groundhog Day meets Terminator. His arc as a self-serving weasel who circumstance transforms into a genuine, thoughtful hero is one of his better acting jobs in years.
10. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015): arguably the strongest of the MI series, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) finds his group disbanded and himself hunted by a clandestine organization called The Syndicate which has the typical evil syndicate plan for world domination.
Honorable mentions: Tropic Thunder, War of the Worlds, Born on the 4th of July
1. Risky Business (1981): Taps got a lot of people talking about Cruise, but it was this odd comedy about how badly things can go awry when the parents are away, as Joel (Cruise,) on the cusp of entering Princeton, inadvertently entertains a prostitute, ruins his father's Porsche and finds himself in the middle of the most unlikely scheme to set all right before his parents return.
2. A Few Good Men (1992): following a string of commercial and critical successes, including Top Gun, Rain Man, and The Color of Money, his performance as a JAG lawyer taking on a rouge General (played to the hilt by Jack Nicholson) is the stuff that settled the notion of the popular star as someone who could stand on his acting without leaning on a costar, or playing light comedy or the action card. As with the best of Cruise's work, he plays a troubled character in need of an epiphany and finds it where he least wants or expects to.
3. The Firm (1993): possibly the best adaptation of a Grisham legal thriller, Cruise is excellent as a young, talented attorney caught up in a spider's web of intrigue and corruption, fighting to save his marriage, career and soul.
4. Jerry McGwire (1996):Cruise returned to romantic comedy with another film about redemption. This time around it's a sports agent who has a crisis of conscience and changes the nature of his business, picking up an assistant who will teach him something even more important about life as she first follows and then leads him.
5. Magnolia (1999): a less successful commercial vehicle, this film is noteworthy for the depth of Cruise's portrayal of an unlikable and unraveling cult like figure. It is an astounding performance and displays an ability few thought present at that depth. Though the film itself was uneven, his performance alone is worth your time.
6. Minority Report (2002): largely forgotten until a recent, lifeless attempt to resurrect the idea for television, this thought provoking, science fiction driven attempt to question the nature of justice and the use of technology was both a critical and commercial success for Cruise and deservedly so, as he plays a first sure and then troubled member of a group that uses precognatives to stop murders that haven't happened by arresting murderers who aren't quite murderers yet...
7. The Last Samurai (2003): a personal favorite. It's the story of a disillusioned, alcoholic commander of Union troops haunted by his past who is presented the task of assisting the Japanese government in putting down a rebellion of Samurai, only to be captured, educated and ultimately redeemed by them. One of my favorite films in his catalogue.
8. Collateral (2004): Cruise takes the unusual chance of playing a villain in this tale of a hit man who meets and decides to hire the services of a cab driver (Jamie Fox) for a night's work. After a number of revelations and conflicts, the cabby and hit man play a desperate game of cat and mouse with both their futures and a few others hanging in the balance. Great work by Fox as well.
9. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011): the most critically and commercially successful of the MI series to that point, an act of terrorism in Russia is pinned on Ethan Hunt's group and the race is on to save themselves and the world from another sinister plot. As satisfying an adventure film as you could ask for.
9. Edge of Tomorrow (2014): the best of his forays into science fiction, Cruise plays a man who by virtue of a war time accident, dies only to relive the same period of time with each resurrection in the moment. Groundhog Day meets Terminator. His arc as a self-serving weasel who circumstance transforms into a genuine, thoughtful hero is one of his better acting jobs in years.
10. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015): arguably the strongest of the MI series, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) finds his group disbanded and himself hunted by a clandestine organization called The Syndicate which has the typical evil syndicate plan for world domination.
Honorable mentions: Tropic Thunder, War of the Worlds, Born on the 4th of July
Arthur Brain
Well-known member
Well, I know this is about American film icons but it seemed a bit pointless to start a thread for a stalwart of cinema who's been in a myriad Hollywood productions as well as elsewhere so if TH doesn't object, I submit Michael Caine as a non American entry...
Two examples as to why: "The Ipcress File" & "Get Carter". Both of which are simply the opening credits of the films without him even uttering a Cockney word, bolstered no doubt by the talents of John Barry & Roy Budd as soundtrack composers respectively along with Sidney J Furie & Mike Hodges' directorial talents. In both examples he plays a methodical protagonist highlighted in the sequences of both. In the first a down to earth and cynical spy and in the second a clinical gangster, and the contrast between the two in terms of mannerisms and expressions leaves little in the way of doubt as to which character is which even if you haven't seen the films. Not many actors can pull such off with or without glasses...
He wasn't bad in one of the 'Batman' films either...
Two examples as to why: "The Ipcress File" & "Get Carter". Both of which are simply the opening credits of the films without him even uttering a Cockney word, bolstered no doubt by the talents of John Barry & Roy Budd as soundtrack composers respectively along with Sidney J Furie & Mike Hodges' directorial talents. In both examples he plays a methodical protagonist highlighted in the sequences of both. In the first a down to earth and cynical spy and in the second a clinical gangster, and the contrast between the two in terms of mannerisms and expressions leaves little in the way of doubt as to which character is which even if you haven't seen the films. Not many actors can pull such off with or without glasses...
He wasn't bad in one of the 'Batman' films either...
One of the best "Gangster films" that was ever produced was a little film entitled: "The Roaring Twenties" with Jimmy Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. If you're a Bogart/Cagney fan, it's a "Must see!" You can purchase it on Amazon. One of the best Westerns ever made and my personal favorite is, "The Hanging Tree" starring Gary Cooper and Karl Malden. It also has the distinction of being George C. Scott's first film. It can also be purchased on Amazon.
I would also recommend a Horror film from the 40s entitled: "The Beast with Five Fingers" with Peter Lorre.
However, I would have suggested they would have chosen a better ending to the film, it's kind of on the silly side. It's still worth watching, though. Peter Lorre is at his finest in this film. If you enjoy humorous Horror films, might I suggest: "The Comedy of Terrors" with Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and Basil Rathbone. There are some really funny scenes, that stand up to today's standards.
The films I wish they'd put on Bluray:
1) "The Shootest" with John Wayne
2) "High Sierra" with Humphrey Bogart
3) "Angels with Dirty Faces" with Bogart/Cagney
I would also recommend a Horror film from the 40s entitled: "The Beast with Five Fingers" with Peter Lorre.
However, I would have suggested they would have chosen a better ending to the film, it's kind of on the silly side. It's still worth watching, though. Peter Lorre is at his finest in this film. If you enjoy humorous Horror films, might I suggest: "The Comedy of Terrors" with Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and Basil Rathbone. There are some really funny scenes, that stand up to today's standards.
The films I wish they'd put on Bluray:
1) "The Shootest" with John Wayne
2) "High Sierra" with Humphrey Bogart
3) "Angels with Dirty Faces" with Bogart/Cagney
Terrific actor. One of my favorite films was actually the movie that introduced him broadly, Zulu. Both Ipcress and Carter are excellent films, as you noted. I thought Sleuth was really entertaining, watching him chew up the scenery with Olivier. Educating Rita and Cider House Rules are decent films he made so much better. And yes, the dad blasted super hero movies too. :chuckle:
How good is he? He's been nominated for an Oscar in each decade since 1960, baring the current one (though he has three years to play with). Only Jack Nicholson has that distinction.
Loved his character in Secondhand Lions.