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Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 16:55:18 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/22/2022 21:55

I didn't catch it before, but how in the world did Theron's performance for Monster miss that RYM top 500?

I am totally fine with it ranking lower, or even much lower than I have it (I go back and forth on its ultimate merits beyond the obvious fact of its impressive physical and expressive transformation) ... but isn't it -- undoubtedly -- at least among the 500 greatest? As much as I feel that RYM list is a fine collection, mostly pretty well-ordered, and among the better lists I've come across on the internet, there are several in its lower half especially, that are hard to imagine out-performing Theron's Monster, whether by personal selection or by consensus. I've only seen Monster twice, and years apart, so I am curious if over time has it lost its luster in the eyes of many film buffs? Or is it maybe the case of being unfortunately a part of a so-so film that has lost its initial impression over the years causing the voters just forget about it? I noticed it's also missing from the earlier filmsite top 100 I posted as well (though that can also be chalked up to the fact that list seems more geared towards "most iconic" performances, and maybe not as evaluative of other factors).

Any thoughts? I'm in the process of tinkering with my own list, including still determining how Theron's Monster places, as I've been revisiting and checking out various films, so am curious if there are any takes on this performance and how it lines up, and/or if it has fallen in critical estimation, and if so, why?, etc.

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 16:46:41 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/21/2022 21:46

EyeKanFly wrote:

Going through RYM's list and I think 12 Angry Men and Bicycle Thieves/Ladri di biciclette were the biggest ones that I haven't seen on any other lists. And quite frankly in each of these movies there's a few actors who could be thrown in. Both of these I believe are films that could have been of absolutely no interest to me if it weren't for the quality of acting talent.

I've made a preliminary list which I may be editing in the future. I should note that I'm not as much of a film buff as many others on this site, I've probably seen fewer movies overall, and I think I'll probably give more of a preference to comedic performances and/or iconic characters (e.g. Captain Jack Sparrow or Indiana Jones) than other people who know more about film. I'm also unfortunately lacking in foreign cinema, of a particular crime is that Star Wars is among my favorite movies and I've never seen the Japanese samurai movies that George Lucas drew so much inspiration from.

Here's a tentative list, may be meddling with this a bit in the future:
Actor / Character / Movie / Year

To start, some honorable mentions (because what is acting?):

Andy Serkis / Gollum / The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / 2002 (motion capture/voice role)
James Earl Jones / Darth Vader / The Empire Strikes Back / 1980 (voice role)
Bo Burnham / Bo Burnham / Bo Burnham: Inside / 2021 (sort of documentary?)

Now the ranked list:

Leandro Firmino da Hora / Zé Pequeno (Li'l Zé) / Cidade de Deus (City of God) / 2002
Henry Fonda / Juror 8 (Davis) / 12 Angry Men / 1957
Vincent D'Onfrio / Private Pyle (Leonard Lawrence) / Full Metal Jacket / 1987
Daniel Brühl / Alex Kerner / Good Bye Lenin! / 2003
Lamberto Maggiorani / Antonio Ricci / Ladri di Biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) / 1948
Al Pacino / Michael Corleone / The Godfather, Part II / 1974
Omar Sy / Driss Bassari / The Intouchables / 2011
Haley Lu Richardson / Casey / Columbus / 2017
Christian Bale / Ken Miles / Ford v Ferrari / 2019
Oscar Isaac / Llewyn Davis / Inside Llewyn Davis / 2013
Song Kang-ho / Kim Ki-taek (Mr. Kim) / Parasite / 2019
Gregory Peck / Atticus Finch / To Kill a Mockingbird / 1962
Jim Carrey / Truman Burbank / The Truman Show / 1998
Tom Hanks / Forrest Gump / Forrest Gump / 1994
Susan Sarandon / Sister Helen Prejean / Dead Man Walking / 1995
Cate Blanchett / Jude Quinn (Bob Dylan) / I'm Not There / 2007
Daniel Brühl / Niki Lauda / Rush / 2013
F. Murray Abraham / Antonio Salieri / Amadeus / 1984
Robert De Niro / Jake LaMotta / Raging Bull / 1980
Lakeith Stanfield / Bill O'Neal / Judas and the Black Messiah / 2021
Alexandre Rodrigues / Buscapé (Rocket) / Cidade de Deus (City of God) / 2002
Jim Carrey / Joel Barish / Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind / 2004
Brad Pitt / Mickey O'Neil / Snatch. / 2000
Frances McDormand / Marge Gunderson / Fargo / 1996
Will Ferrell / Buddy the Elf (Buddy Hobbs) / Elf / 2003
Kate Winslet / Clementine Kruczynski / Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind / 2004
Enzo Staiola / Bruno Ricci / Ladri di Biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) / 1948
John Cazale / Fredo Corleone / The Godfather, Part II / 1974
Viggo Mortenssen / Aragorn / The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / 2002
Bradley Cooper / Pat Solitano Jr. / Silver Linings Playbook / 2012
Kingsley Ben-Adir / Malcolm X / One Night in Miami... / 2020
Peter Sellers / Dr. Strangelove, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb / 1964
Katrin Sass / Christiane Kerner / Good Bye Lenin! / 2003
Ian McKellen / Gandalf the Grey / The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring / 2001
Park So-dam / Kim Ki-jung (Jessica) / Parasite / 2019
Edward Norton / Narrator ("Jack") / Fight Club / 1999
Michael B. Jordan / Bryan Stevenson / Just Mercy / 2019
Alice Braga / Angélica / Cidade de Deus (City of God) / 2002
Emma Stone / Mia Dolan / La La Land / 2016
E.G. Marshall / Juror 4 / 12 Angry Men / 1957
Humphrey Bogart / Sam Spade / The Maltese Falcon / 1941
Jamie Foxx / Walter McMillian / Just Mercy / 2019
Harrison Ford / Han Solo / Star Wars / 1977
Max von Sydow / Antonius Block / Det Sjunde Inseglet (The Seventh Seal) / 1957
Elsie Fisher / Kayla Day / Eighth Grade / 2018
Ralph Fiennes / Monsieur Gustave H. / The Grand Budapest Hotel / 2014
Jennifer Lawrence / Tiffany Maxwell / Silver Linings Playbook / 2012
Sean Astin / Samwise Gamgee / The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King / 2003
Joe Pesci / Vinny Gambini / My Cousin Vinny / 1992
Jack Nicholson / Jake Gittes / Chinatown / 1974
Sean Penn / Jeff Spicoli / Fast Times at Ridgemont High / 1982
Louise Fletcher / Nurse Ratched / One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest / 1975
James Stewart / George Bailey / It's a Wonderful Life / 1946
Ralph Fiennes / Amon Göth / Schindler's List / 1993
Tom Hulce / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Amadeus / 1984
Marpessa Dawn / Eurydice / Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus) / 1959
John David Washington / Ron Stallworth / BlacKkKlansman / 2018
Edward Norton / Derek Vinyard / American History X / 1998
Shameik Moore / Malcolm Adekanbi / Dope / 2015
Sacha Baron Cohen / Borat Sagdiyev / Borat / 2006
Sean Penn / Matthew Poncelet / Dead Man Walking / 1995
Jack Nicholson / R. P. McMurphy / One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest / 1975
Ethan Hawke / Vincent Freeman / Gattaca / 1997
Al Pacino / Tony Montana / Scarface / 1983
George MacKay / Will Schofield / 1917 / 2019
Tessa Thompson / Irene Redfield / Passing / 2021
John Cho / Jin Lee / Columbus / 2017
Rita Moreno / Anita / West Side Story / 1961
Steven Yeun / Jacob Yi / Minari / 2020
Daniel Kaluuya / Fred Hampton / Judas and the Black Messiah / 2021
Ryan Gosling / Sebastian Wilder / La La Land / 2016
Johnny Depp / Captain Jack Sparrow / Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl / 2003
Ryan Gosling / Holland March / The Nice Guys / 2016
James Franco / Tommy Wiseau / The Disaster Artist / 2017
Joaquin Phoenix / Commodus / Gladiator / 2000
Adam Sandler / Howard Ratner / Uncut Gems / 2019
Youn Yuh-jung / Soon-ja / Minari / 2020
Adam Driver / Flip Zimmerman / BlacKkKlansman / 2018
John C. Reiley / Dewey Cox / Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story / 2007
Harrison Ford / Indiana Jones / Raiders of the Lost Ark / 1981
Julie Andrews / Maria von Trapp / The Sound of Music / 1965
Cuba Gooding Jr. / Tre Styles / Boyz n the Hood / 1991
Joseph Gordon-Levitt / Adam Lerner / 50/50 / 2011
Grahm Greene / Kicking Bird / Dances with Wolves / 1990
Liam Neeson / Oskar Schindler / Schindler's List / 1993
Robin Williams / John Keating / Dead Poets Society / 1989
Douglas Silva / Dadinho (Lil Dice) / Cidade de Deus (City of God) / 2002
Javier Bardem / Anton Chigurh / No Country for Old Men / 2007
Octavia Spencer / Zelda Delilah Fuller / The Shape of Water / 2017
Ryan Gosling / The Driver / Drive / 2011
Stanley Tucci / Nigel Kipling / The Devil Wars Prada / 2006
Alan Kim / David Yi / Minari / 2020
Joaquin Phoenix / Arthur Fleck (Joker) / Joker / 2019
Colin Farrell / Ray / In Bruges / 2008
Guy Pearce / Ed Exley / L.A. Confidential / 1997
Mary Badham / Scout Finch / To Kill a Mockingbird / 1962
Robert Downey Jr. / Tony Stark (Iron Man) / Iron Man / 2008
Joe Pesci / Tommy DeVito / Goodfellas / 1990
Alec Guinness / Obi-Wan Kenobi / Star Wars / 1977
Ivana Baquero / Ofelia / Pan's Labyrinth / 2006

I originally made a "short" list expecting to have a hard time getting to 50, and it ended up being close to 200 roles. So I ranked them to 100. I ended up surprising myself a lot with my top few, especially my #1. I really thought Daniel Brühl would be #1 but I hard a hard time placing him above my top 3. I also ended up disappointing myself with the lack of female representation. Really goes to show how it is actually important to have separate categories for Actor and Actress at award ceremonies. For curiosity's sake, here are my top movies and actors/actresses from my list of 200ish:

Films:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy - 7 roles considered, 3 made my top 100 (and 1 made honorable mentions)
Cidade de Deus (City of God) - 5 roles considered, 4 made my top 100
The Godfather trilogy - 5 roles considered, 2 made my top 100
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 5 roles considered, 1 made my top 100 (and 1 changed to The Two Towers)
Jojo Rabbit - 5 roles considered, none made my top 100
Minari - 4 roles considered, 3 made my top 100
Parasite - 4 roles considered, 2 made my top 100
12 Angry Men - 4 roles considered, 2 made my top 100
Det Sjunde Inseglet (The Seventh Seal) - 4 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Dances with Wolves - 4 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Gangs of New York - 4 roles considered, none made my top 100

Actors & Actresses:

Ryan Gosling - 4 roles considered, 3 made my top 100
Tom Hanks - 4 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Edward Norton - 3 roles considered, 2 made my top 100
Christian Bale - 3 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Robert De Niro - 3 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Jennifer Lawrence - 3 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Russell Crowe - 3 roles considered, none made my top 100
Scarlett Johansson - 3 roles considered, none made my top 100
Leonardo DiCaprio - 3 roles considered, none made my top 100

Movies I need to revisit because I know there was good acting but I have a hard time remembering specifics:
- Catch Me If You Can
- Heat
- Ingluorious Basterds
- Once Upon a Time in the West
- Reservoir Dogs
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Wow - thank you for your picks - you obviously put a lot of work into this!

For my own list, I find there is lots to consider from these selections -- lots of alternative selections -- that I hadn't thought of recently and in a few cases just haven't seen. I like the fact that you put your own stamp on it so to speak, and included such a wide variety, even though (as you put it) not being as much of a film buff as some others on this site.

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

EyeKanFly — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 12:40:28 GMT

Author: EyeKanFly

Posted: 01/21/2022 17:40

Going through RYM's list and I think 12 Angry Men and Bicycle Thieves/Ladri di biciclette were the biggest ones that I haven't seen on any other lists. And quite frankly in each of these movies there's a few actors who could be thrown in. Both of these I believe are films that could have been of absolutely no interest to me if it weren't for the quality of acting talent.

I've made a preliminary list which I may be editing in the future. I should note that I'm not as much of a film buff as many others on this site, I've probably seen fewer movies overall, and I think I'll probably give more of a preference to comedic performances and/or iconic characters (e.g. Captain Jack Sparrow or Indiana Jones) than other people who know more about film. I'm also unfortunately lacking in foreign cinema, of a particular crime is that Star Wars is among my favorite movies and I've never seen the Japanese samurai movies that George Lucas drew so much inspiration from.

Here's a tentative list, may be meddling with this a bit in the future:
Actor / Character / Movie / Year

To start, some honorable mentions (because what is acting?):

Andy Serkis / Gollum / The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / 2002 (motion capture/voice role)
James Earl Jones / Darth Vader / The Empire Strikes Back / 1980 (voice role)
Bo Burnham / Bo Burnham / Bo Burnham: Inside / 2021 (sort of documentary?)

Now the ranked list:

Leandro Firmino da Hora / Zé Pequeno (Li'l Zé) / Cidade de Deus (City of God) / 2002
Henry Fonda / Juror 8 (Davis) / 12 Angry Men / 1957
Vincent D'Onfrio / Private Pyle (Leonard Lawrence) / Full Metal Jacket / 1987
Daniel Brühl / Alex Kerner / Good Bye Lenin! / 2003
Lamberto Maggiorani / Antonio Ricci / Ladri di Biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) / 1948
Al Pacino / Michael Corleone / The Godfather, Part II / 1974
Omar Sy / Driss Bassari / The Intouchables / 2011
Haley Lu Richardson / Casey / Columbus / 2017
Christian Bale / Ken Miles / Ford v Ferrari / 2019
Oscar Isaac / Llewyn Davis / Inside Llewyn Davis / 2013
Song Kang-ho / Kim Ki-taek (Mr. Kim) / Parasite / 2019
Gregory Peck / Atticus Finch / To Kill a Mockingbird / 1962
Jim Carrey / Truman Burbank / The Truman Show / 1998
Tom Hanks / Forrest Gump / Forrest Gump / 1994
Susan Sarandon / Sister Helen Prejean / Dead Man Walking / 1995
Cate Blanchett / Jude Quinn (Bob Dylan) / I'm Not There / 2007
Daniel Brühl / Niki Lauda / Rush / 2013
F. Murray Abraham / Antonio Salieri / Amadeus / 1984
Robert De Niro / Jake LaMotta / Raging Bull / 1980
Lakeith Stanfield / Bill O'Neal / Judas and the Black Messiah / 2021
Alexandre Rodrigues / Buscapé (Rocket) / Cidade de Deus (City of God) / 2002
Jim Carrey / Joel Barish / Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind / 2004
Brad Pitt / Mickey O'Neil / Snatch. / 2000
Frances McDormand / Marge Gunderson / Fargo / 1996
Will Ferrell / Buddy the Elf (Buddy Hobbs) / Elf / 2003
Kate Winslet / Clementine Kruczynski / Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind / 2004
Enzo Staiola / Bruno Ricci / Ladri di Biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) / 1948
John Cazale / Fredo Corleone / The Godfather, Part II / 1974
Viggo Mortenssen / Aragorn / The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / 2002
Bradley Cooper / Pat Solitano Jr. / Silver Linings Playbook / 2012
Kingsley Ben-Adir / Malcolm X / One Night in Miami... / 2020
Peter Sellers / Dr. Strangelove, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb / 1964
Katrin Sass / Christiane Kerner / Good Bye Lenin! / 2003
Ian McKellen / Gandalf the Grey / The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring / 2001
Park So-dam / Kim Ki-jung (Jessica) / Parasite / 2019
Edward Norton / Narrator ("Jack") / Fight Club / 1999
Michael B. Jordan / Bryan Stevenson / Just Mercy / 2019
Alice Braga / Angélica / Cidade de Deus (City of God) / 2002
Emma Stone / Mia Dolan / La La Land / 2016
E.G. Marshall / Juror 4 / 12 Angry Men / 1957
Humphrey Bogart / Sam Spade / The Maltese Falcon / 1941
Jamie Foxx / Walter McMillian / Just Mercy / 2019
Harrison Ford / Han Solo / Star Wars / 1977
Max von Sydow / Antonius Block / Det Sjunde Inseglet (The Seventh Seal) / 1957
Elsie Fisher / Kayla Day / Eighth Grade / 2018
Ralph Fiennes / Monsieur Gustave H. / The Grand Budapest Hotel / 2014
Jennifer Lawrence / Tiffany Maxwell / Silver Linings Playbook / 2012
Sean Astin / Samwise Gamgee / The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King / 2003
Joe Pesci / Vinny Gambini / My Cousin Vinny / 1992
Jack Nicholson / Jake Gittes / Chinatown / 1974
Sean Penn / Jeff Spicoli / Fast Times at Ridgemont High / 1982
Louise Fletcher / Nurse Ratched / One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest / 1975
James Stewart / George Bailey / It's a Wonderful Life / 1946
Ralph Fiennes / Amon Göth / Schindler's List / 1993
Tom Hulce / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Amadeus / 1984
Marpessa Dawn / Eurydice / Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus) / 1959
John David Washington / Ron Stallworth / BlacKkKlansman / 2018
Edward Norton / Derek Vinyard / American History X / 1998
Shameik Moore / Malcolm Adekanbi / Dope / 2015
Sacha Baron Cohen / Borat Sagdiyev / Borat / 2006
Sean Penn / Matthew Poncelet / Dead Man Walking / 1995
Jack Nicholson / R. P. McMurphy / One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest / 1975
Ethan Hawke / Vincent Freeman / Gattaca / 1997
Al Pacino / Tony Montana / Scarface / 1983
George MacKay / Will Schofield / 1917 / 2019
Tessa Thompson / Irene Redfield / Passing / 2021
John Cho / Jin Lee / Columbus / 2017
Rita Moreno / Anita / West Side Story / 1961
Steven Yeun / Jacob Yi / Minari / 2020
Daniel Kaluuya / Fred Hampton / Judas and the Black Messiah / 2021
Ryan Gosling / Sebastian Wilder / La La Land / 2016
Johnny Depp / Captain Jack Sparrow / Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl / 2003
Ryan Gosling / Holland March / The Nice Guys / 2016
James Franco / Tommy Wiseau / The Disaster Artist / 2017
Joaquin Phoenix / Commodus / Gladiator / 2000
Adam Sandler / Howard Ratner / Uncut Gems / 2019
Youn Yuh-jung / Soon-ja / Minari / 2020
Adam Driver / Flip Zimmerman / BlacKkKlansman / 2018
John C. Reiley / Dewey Cox / Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story / 2007
Harrison Ford / Indiana Jones / Raiders of the Lost Ark / 1981
Julie Andrews / Maria von Trapp / The Sound of Music / 1965
Cuba Gooding Jr. / Tre Styles / Boyz n the Hood / 1991
Joseph Gordon-Levitt / Adam Lerner / 50/50 / 2011
Grahm Greene / Kicking Bird / Dances with Wolves / 1990
Liam Neeson / Oskar Schindler / Schindler's List / 1993
Robin Williams / John Keating / Dead Poets Society / 1989
Douglas Silva / Dadinho (Lil Dice) / Cidade de Deus (City of God) / 2002
Javier Bardem / Anton Chigurh / No Country for Old Men / 2007
Octavia Spencer / Zelda Delilah Fuller / The Shape of Water / 2017
Ryan Gosling / The Driver / Drive / 2011
Stanley Tucci / Nigel Kipling / The Devil Wars Prada / 2006
Alan Kim / David Yi / Minari / 2020
Joaquin Phoenix / Arthur Fleck (Joker) / Joker / 2019
Colin Farrell / Ray / In Bruges / 2008
Guy Pearce / Ed Exley / L.A. Confidential / 1997
Mary Badham / Scout Finch / To Kill a Mockingbird / 1962
Robert Downey Jr. / Tony Stark (Iron Man) / Iron Man / 2008
Joe Pesci / Tommy DeVito / Goodfellas / 1990
Alec Guinness / Obi-Wan Kenobi / Star Wars / 1977
Ivana Baquero / Ofelia / Pan's Labyrinth / 2006

The Lord of the Rings trilogy - 7 roles considered, 3 made my top 100 (and 1 made honorable mentions)
Cidade de Deus (City of God) - 5 roles considered, 4 made my top 100
The Godfather trilogy - 5 roles considered, 2 made my top 100
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 5 roles considered, 1 made my top 100 (and 1 changed to The Two Towers)
Jojo Rabbit - 5 roles considered, none made my top 100
Minari - 4 roles considered, 3 made my top 100
Parasite - 4 roles considered, 2 made my top 100
12 Angry Men - 4 roles considered, 2 made my top 100
Det Sjunde Inseglet (The Seventh Seal) - 4 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Dances with Wolves - 4 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Gangs of New York - 4 roles considered, none made my top 100

Actors & Actresses:

Ryan Gosling - 4 roles considered, 3 made my top 100
Tom Hanks - 4 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Edward Norton - 3 roles considered, 2 made my top 100
Christian Bale - 3 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Robert De Niro - 3 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Jennifer Lawrence - 3 roles considered, 1 made my top 100
Russell Crowe - 3 roles considered, none made my top 100
Scarlett Johansson - 3 roles considered, none made my top 100
Leonardo DiCaprio - 3 roles considered, none made my top 100

Movies I need to revisit because I know there was good acting but I have a hard time remembering specifics:
- Catch Me If You Can
- Heat
- Ingluorious Basterds
- Once Upon a Time in the West
- Reservoir Dogs
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 23:46:38 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/21/2022 04:46

Hayden wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

Found a Top 500 on RYM that was voted for by members, and I think is more interesting than most, and definitely among the best "best acting performances" list I've come across on the internet. Makes a great source of ideas

Here: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/novocain...c-history/

Neat. They did a stellar job with this. Haven't combed through the second half yet, but the first is great. I appreciate the nod for Driver in Paterson. It was never an Oscar-y performance, but it remains one of my favourites of the last decade.

EDIT: Hmm... Thewlis should be a bit higher for Naked. Same with Phoenix (Her). And Isabelle Adjani is about 350 spots too low for Possession (and I'm not being dramatic). Otherwise though.

Agreed, I was surprised how much of it I aligned with pretty closely, especially because it looks like it was such a wide-cast vote with several rounds.

And I'm with ya on Thewlis, Pheonix and especially Adjani (my #1, though I'll need to revisit during this current acting-evaluation-kick just to double check, but either way should not be that low).

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

Hayden — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 23:06:11 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 01/21/2022 04:06

AfterHours wrote:

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 21:08:19 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/21/2022 02:08

Found a Top 500 on RYM that was voted for by members, and I think is more interesting than most, and definitely among the best "best acting performances" list I've come across on the internet. Makes a great source of ideas

Here: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/novocain...c-history/

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 17:12:56 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/19/2022 22:12

Just want to say that ranking a performance like Theron's Monster is particularly tough. If the ranking were based solely on the actor/actresses' hyper-realistic effort and total immersion into a performance, than it probably deserves a higher spot and (regardless) is among the peaks of the "method-style" craft, through Brando, DeNiro, to Rowlands, to Adjani's Possession, to Dern's Inland Empire (plus many others along the way) and one could argue began, or showed major signs of (at least in American acting) with Welles' Citizen Kane (and in a less multi-dimensional sense, way earlier with Falconetti of Passion of Joan of Arc). Or even if these last two aren't technically "method acting" they strongly allude to this art of acting in more ways than they don't. Perhaps the singular difference with Welles' landmark portrayal is that it is not just a performance (and among the most varied in film history; virtually every scene he is a different character or facet of being, a "chaos" of personalities) but also seems to simultaneously reflect and reveal the actor himself in his own personality, in profound ambiguities between acting and the real self, a profound metaphor of acting itself (what explains one's life? what is the true self? Which is the real Kane? The real Welles? Where does the magic trick begin and where does it end? Etc). What has eventually occurred decades later with Theron is among the greatest intensities and transformations of physical and psychological immersion any actor has ever undertaken, "the method" personified, and while I am tempted to rank it higher (and may still do so), I have some hesitancy because there is also the difficult to separate aspect to this (and, to some degree, all performances are reliant upon) that the character herself isn't as endlessly fascinating as many of the higher selections. This is (dishearteningly, in this case) where the director and writer and the themes of a film come into play as key factors in shaping or improving an already great performance (think of how key it is, for instance in Taxi Driver, that actor and director are so in concert with each other down to the way he is shot, the way the scenes are composed, the cinematography, the writing, and so on, that the "performance" is unavoidably enhanced by these facts; and all those other factors are likewise unavoidably enhanced by the fact DeNiro is playing the part and so in concert with them). Theron's is in the unfortunate position of being the overwhelming qualitative bulk of an otherwise very mediocre film. And it is a dilemma to try and rank with precision with these things under consideration, and one can only go so far (because they can't really be separated entirely, so by "performance" one is in essence quantifying the totality of a multitude of interdependent factors, even while the "performance" alone is the main one).

Just want to throw that out there ... some musings on the matter after trying to determine Theron's place. If anyone has any of their own thoughts on the matter or similar factors, I would be interested.

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

JOSweetHeart — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 16:45:14 GMT

Author: JOSweetHeart

Posted: 01/19/2022 21:45

AfterHours wrote:

JOSweetHeart wrote:

^^^ The Langoliers was his other big film.

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

P.S. His favorite film is The Wizard Of Oz which is why I have this gift for him in this clip here. A poem that I wrote for him is underneath the clip at the website.

Link

Thanks JOS!

You're welcome and thank you for your interest too. 😄 😄 😄

God bless you and Bronson always!!! 😄 😄 😄

Holly

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 16:36:43 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/19/2022 21:36

JOSweetHeart wrote:

Thanks JOS!

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

JOSweetHeart — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 15:54:34 GMT

Author: JOSweetHeart

Posted: 01/19/2022 20:54

^^^ The Langoliers was his other big film.

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

P.S. His favorite film is The Wizard Of Oz which is why I have this gift for him in this clip here. A poem that I wrote for him is underneath the clip at the website.

Link

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 06:34:16 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/19/2022 11:34

JOSweetHeart wrote:

For me, it is everything that we have received from actor Bronson Pinchot, I love him so much.

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

Thanks JOS, I used to catch Perfect Strangers sometimes as a kid. I'm not that familiar with him as a film actor, but I think the best films he has been in were probably Risky Business, Beverly Hills Cop, and True Romance.

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

JOSweetHeart — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 04:30:36 GMT

Author: JOSweetHeart

Posted: 01/19/2022 09:30

For me, it is everything that we have received from actor Bronson Pinchot, I love him so much.

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:24:36 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/19/2022 05:24

[quote="BozoTyrannus"]My personal top tens for actors and actresses:

Takashi Shimura (Ikiru)
Peter O'Toole (Lawrence of Arabia)
Charlie Chaplin (City Lights)
Peter Lorre (M)
Klaus Kinski (Fitzcarraldo)
Tony Leung Chiu-wai (In the Mood for Love)
Henry Fonda (12 Angry Men)
Al Pacino (The Godfather: Part II)
Orson Welles (Chimes at Midnight)
Donald O'Connor (Singin' in the Rain)

Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard)
Ingrid Bergman (Autumn Sonata)
Setsuko Hara (Late Spring)
Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)
Jeanne Moreau (Jules and Jim)
Maggie Cheung (In the Mood for Love)
Giulietta Masina (Nights of Cabiria)
Claudia Cardinale (Rocco and His Brothers)
Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation)
Janet Gaynor (Sunrise)[/quote]

Thank you, and way to go on those choices, Bozo! (couldn't resist) 🤣

Several of these are among my own favorites and you reminded me to immediately include Hara's (from Late Spring, which I just revisited a couple days ago) and Masina's. While others you list both remind and intrigue me and may just need a revisit or more thought before I decide placement.

Pacino's GF 2, for one, is a pretty glaring omission from my own list... (Not to mention GF 1, Dog Day Afternoon...)

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

BozoTyrannus — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 18:52:46 GMT

Author: BozoTyrannus

Posted: 01/18/2022 23:52

My personal top tens for actors and actresses:

Takashi Shimura (Ikiru)
Peter O'Toole (Lawrence of Arabia)
Charlie Chaplin (City Lights)
Peter Lorre (M)
Klaus Kinski (Fitzcarraldo)
Tony Leung Chiu-wai (In the Mood for Love)
Henry Fonda (12 Angry Men)
Al Pacino (The Godfather: Part II)
Orson Welles (Chimes at Midnight)
Donald O'Connor (Singin' in the Rain)

Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard)
Ingrid Bergman (Autumn Sonata)
Setsuko Hara (Late Spring)
Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)
Jeanne Moreau (Jules and Jim)
Maggie Cheung (In the Mood for Love)
Giulietta Masina (Nights of Cabiria)
Claudia Cardinale (Rocco and His Brothers)
Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation)
Janet Gaynor (Sunrise)

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 14:27:52 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/18/2022 19:27

EyeKanFly wrote:

This is a really interesting idea that I've never really thought about ranking before. Acting tends not to be my focus when watching a movie, I tend to focus on plot, production, setting/staging, cinematography/framing (interestingly, I tend not to focus on directing either, other than that the director...directs all these things I mentioned other than maybe plot). On the other hand, bad acting can totally ruin a movie, and good acting can be impossible not to recognize, especially if the movie is otherwise not particularly interesting.

I'll have to think about this for a bit and come back, this will be very interesting to dive into.

Right on, looking forward to what you come up with!

I am pretty much in the same boat as you. I don't think acting is quite as important as some do (for instance, I have friends that will go to a movie because it has a certain actor in it, whereas I would go much more due to its director), I would also agree that it can enhance or disrupt a film if it is great or noticeably poor. For the most part, I too, am more interested in those other factors you mention (visual design of the film, themes or plot, etc). Though in the end, I would just say that it (usually) comes down to the director, more than any single factor, because he/she tends to be (through coordination of those various aspects) directing the audience to what is being made important. So there are, of course, more script-heavy, acting-heavy films where the acting would matter above other factors (like, say, All About Eve...). So it depends, but yeah, generally I'm pretty much in the same boat as you.

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

EyeKanFly — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 12:31:21 GMT

Author: EyeKanFly

Posted: 01/18/2022 17:31

This is a really interesting idea that I've never really thought about ranking before. Acting tends not to be my focus when watching a movie, I tend to focus on plot, production, setting/staging, cinematography/framing (interestingly, I tend not to focus on directing either, other than that the director...directs all these things I mentioned other than maybe plot). On the other hand, bad acting can totally ruin a movie, and good acting can be impossible not to recognize, especially if the movie is otherwise not particularly interesting.

I'll have to think about this for a bit and come back, this will be very interesting to dive into.

Re: Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 16:23:57 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/17/2022 21:23

My selections... so far... very much in progress right now. There are many missing selections that I need to revisit (yes, Peter O'Toole for Lawrence of Arabia is one of them 😄 ). I am mid revising my list and am interested in your selections out of curiosity about both your point of view plus as possible reminders of those I should include, or for new ideas that I should check out.

My basic criteria lies in the creativity (unique, singular nature) of the performance combined with the impact and/or depth of emotional (or conceptual, thematic) expression. By "emotional" I mean it can be any type of emotion (whether comedic or cheerful emotions, more reserved emotions, hostile emotions, madness, power, pathos, etc). Depth is primarily indicated in the expressive range of the performance. And/or less varied range, fewer expressions, yet taken to a very full extent. I am not necessarily as impressed by the most "flawlessly honed, realistic" performance IF it isn't particularly creative/unique/singular and if it doesn't try and pull something extraordinary out of the portrayal, beyond that. No doubt these can be impressive but I personally don't feel they remain as fascinating or compelling, especially with multiple viewings or in the context of film history, as more singular performances that reach beyond this.

Best Acting Performances in Film History (MID REVISION / IN PROGRESS)

Isabelle Adjani - Possession - Andrzej Zulawski (1981)
Laura Dern - Inland Empire - David Lynch (2006)
Orson Welles - Citizen Kane - Orson Welles (1941)
Bibi Andersson - Persona - Ingmar Bergman (1966)
Denis Lavant - Holy Motors - Leos Carax (2012)
Al Pacino - The Godfather, Part 2 - Francis Ford Coppola (1974)
Gena Rowlands - A Woman Under the Influence - John Cassavetes (1974)
Renee Falconetti - The Passion of Joan of Arc - Carl Theodor Dreyer (1928)
Dustin Hoffman - Tootsie - Sydney Pollack (1982)
James Stewart - It's a Wonderful Life - Frank Capra (1946)
Giulietta Masina - Nights of Cabiria - Federico Fellini (1957)
Warren Oates - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - Sam Peckinpah (1974)
Marlon Brando - A Streetcar Named Desire - Elia Kazan (1951)
Takashi Shimura - Ikiru - Akira Kurosawa (1952)
Gloria Swanson - Sunset Boulevard - Billy Wilder (1950)
Martin Sheen - Badlands - Terrence Malick (1973)
Emily Watson - Breaking the Waves - Lars Von Trier (1996)
Bette Davis - Hush... Hush Sweet Charlotte - Robert Aldrich (1965)
Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront - Elia Kazan (1954)
Nicolas Cage - Leaving Las Vegas - Mike Figgis (1995)
Elizabeth Taylor - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Mike Nichols (1966)
Bette Davis - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? - Robert Aldrich (1962)
Mia Farrow - Rosemary's Baby - Roman Polanski (1968)
Al Pacino - Dog Day Afternoon - Sidney Lumet (1975)
Charlize Theron - Monster - Patty Jenkins (2003)
Marlon Brando - Last Tango in Paris - Bernardo Bertolucci (1972)
Vivien Leigh - A Streetcar Named Desire - Elia Kazan (1951)
Malcolm McDowell - A Clockwork Orange - Stanley Kubrick (1971)
Alexander Kaidanovsky - Stalker - Andrei Tarkovsky (1979)
Erland Josephson - The Sacrifice - Andrei Tarkovsky (1986)
Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump - Robert Zemeckis (1994)
Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Milos Forman (1975)
Al Pacino - Scarface - Brian De Palma (1983)
Catherine Deneuve - Repulsion - Roman Polanski (1965)
Irene Jacob - The Double Life of Veronique - Krzysztov Kieslowski (1991)
Orson Welles - Touch of Evil - Orson Welles (1958)
Dustin Hoffman - Straw Dogs - Sam Peckinpah (1971)
Joe Pesci - Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese (1990)
Dennis Hopper - Blue Velvet - David Lynch (1986)
Harry Dean Stanton - Paris, Texas - Wim Wenders (1983)
Setsuko Hara - Late Spring - Yasujiro Ozu (1949)
Adam Sandler - Uncut Gems - Josh and Benny Safdie (2019)
David Thewlis - Naked - Mike Leigh (1993)
Richard Burton - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Mike Nichols (1966)
John Travolta - Saturday Night Fever - John Badham (1977)
Gene Hackman - The Conversation - Francis Ford Coppola (1974)
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson (2007)
Holly Hunter - The Piano - Jane Campion (1993)
Robert De Niro - Raging Bull - Martin Scorsese (1980)
Montgomery Clift - Wild River - Elia Kazan (1960)
Charlie Chaplin - The Great Dictator - Charlie Chaplin (1940)
Carroll Baker - Baby Doll - Elia Kazan (1956)
Orson Welles - Chimes at Midnight - Orson Welles (1965)
Natalie Wood - Splendor in the Grass - Elia Kazan (1961)
James Stewart - Vertigo - Alfred Hitchcock (1958)
Cary Grant - North By Northwest - Alfred Hitchcock (1959)
Andy Griffith - A Face in the Crowd - Elia Kazan (1957)
Michael Gambon - The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover - Peter Greenaway (1989)
Jonathan Pryce - Brazil - Terry Gilliam (1985)
Cary Grant - Notorious - Alfred Hitchcock (1946)
Anthony Perkins - Psycho - Alfred Hitchcock (1960)
Robert De Niro - The Deer Hunter - Michael Cimino (1978)
Liv Ullmann - Persona - Ingmar Bergman (1966)
Tom Cruise - Magnolia - Paul Thomas Anderson (1999)
Aleksey Kravchenko - Come and See - Elim Klimov (1985)
Robert De Niro - The King of Comedy - Martin Scorsese (1983)
Jon Voight - Midnight Cowboy - John Schlesinger (1969)
Ellen Burstyn - Requiem for a Dream - Darren Aronofsky (2000)
Ronee Blakley - Nashville - Robert Altman (1975)
Al Pacino - The Godfather - Francis Ford Coppola (1972)
Monica Vitti - L'Avventura - Michelangelo Antonioni (1960)
Sean Gullette - Pi - Darren Aronofsky (1998)
Peter Finch - Network - Sidney Lumet (1976)
Faye Dunaway - Network - Sidney Lumet (1976)
Richard Widmark - Night and the City - Jules Dassin (1950)
Dustin Hoffman - Midnight Cowboy - John Schlesinger (1969)
Orson Welles - Compulsion - Richard Fleischer (1959)
Marlon Brando - The Godfather - Francis Ford Coppola (1972)
Samuel L. Jackson - Pulp Fiction - Quentin Tarantino (1994)
Klaus Kinski - Aguirre, the Wrath of God - Werner Herzog (1972)
Paul Newman - The Hustler - Robert Rossen (1961)
Robert De Niro - Taxi Driver - Martin Scorsese (1976)
Moira Shearer - The Red Shoes - Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger (1948)
Martin Sheen - Apocalypse Now - Francis Ford-Coppola (1979)
Gene Hackman - The French Connection - William Friedkin (1971)
Robert Mitchum - Night of the Hunter - Charles Laughton (1955)
Warren Beatty - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - Robert Altman (1971)

Again, selections are not final and I will be adding to this to fill it out more...

POSSIBLY / RANKING UNDECIDED
Gibson Gowland - Greed - Erich Von Stroheim (1924)
Brigette Helm - Metropolis - Fritz Lang (1927)
Janet Gaynor - Sunrise - F.W. Murnau (1927)
Charlie Chaplin - City Lights - Charlie Chaplin (1931)
Peter Lorre - M - Fritz Lang (1931)
Katherine Hepburn - Bringing Up Baby - Howard Hawks (1938)
Cary Grant - Bringing Up Baby - Howard Hawks (1938)
James Stewart - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - Frank Capra (1939)
Cary Grant - Suspicion - Alfred Hitchcock (1941)
Humphrey Bogart - Casablanca - Michael Curtiz (1942)
Ingrid Bergman - Casablanca - Michael Curtiz (1942)
Barbara Stanwyck - Double Indemnity - Billy Wilder (1944)
Joseph Cotten - The Third Man - Carol Reed (1947)
Humphrey Bogart - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - John Huston (1948)
Humphrey Bogart - In a Lonely Place - Nicholas Ray (1950)
Bette Davis - All About Eve - Joseph Mankiewicz (1950)
Toshiro Mifune - Rashomon - Akira Kurosawa (1950)
Machiko Kyo - Rashomon - Akira Kurosawa (1950)
Humphrey Bogart - The African Queen - John Huston (1951)
Katherine Hepburn - The African Queen - John Huston (1951)
Glenn Ford - The Big Heat - Fritz Lang (1953)
Laurence Olivier - Richard III - Laurence Olivier (1955)
Toshiro Mifune - The Seven Samurai - Akira Kurosawa (1954)
Giulietta Masina - La Strada - Federico Fellini (1954)
Max von Sydow - The Seventh Seal - Ingmar Bergman (1957)
Kirk Douglas - Paths of Glory - Stanley Kubrick (1957)
Toshiro Mifune - Throne of Blood - Akira Kurosawa (1957)
Emmanuelle Riva - Hiroshima, Mon Amour - Alain Resnais (1959)
Peter O'Toole - Lawrence of Arabia - David Lean (1962)
Peter Sellers - Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - Stanley Kubrick (1964)
Catherine Deneuve - Belle de Jour - Luis Bunuel (1967)
Lee Marvin - Point Blank - John Boorman (1967)
Al Pacino - The Godfather - Francis Ford Coppola (1972)
Ellen Burstyn - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Martin Scorsese (1974)
Peter Falk - A Woman Under the Influence - John Cassavetes (1974)
Jack Nicholson - Chinatown - Roman Polanski (1974)
Faye Dunaway - Chinatown - Roman Polanski (1974)
Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter - Michael Cimino (1978)
Peter Sellers - Being There - Hal Ashby (1979)
Jack Nicholson - The Shining - Stanley Kubrick (1980)
Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice - Alan Pakula (1982)
Klaus Kinski - Fitzcarraldo - Werner Herzog (1982)
Tatsuya Nakadai - Ran - Akira Kurosawa (1985)
Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man - Barry Levinson (1988)
Jeremy Irons - Dead Ringers - David Cronenberg (1988)
Daniel Day Lewis - My Left Foot - Jim Sheridan (1989)
Denzel Washington - Malcom X - Spike Lee (1992)
Sharon Stone - Basic Instinct - Paul Verhoeven (1992)
Brenda Blethyn - Secrets and Lies - Mike Leigh (1993)
Jean Reno - Leon: The Professional - Luc Besson (1994)
Natalie Portman - Leon: The Professional - Luc Besson (1994)
Woody Harrelson - Natural Born Killers - Oliver Stone (1994)
Juliette Lewis - Natural Born Killers - Oliver Stone (1994)
>>>>>Funny Games - Michael Haneke (1997)
Tony Leung - In the Mood for Love - Wong Kar-wai (2000)
Maggie Cheung - In the Mood for Love - Wong Kar-wai (2000)
Bjork - Dancer in the Dark - Lars Von Trier (2000)
Audrey Tautou - Amelie - Jean-Marie Jeunet (2001)
Adam Sandler - Punch Drunk Love - Paul Thomas Anderson (2002)
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman (2008)

Ensemble (Rough Draft)

Persona - Ingmar Bergman (1966)
Cries and Whispers - Ingmar Bergman (1972)
Nashville - Robert Altman (1975)
Rashomon - Akira Kurosawa (1950)
The Godfather - Francis Ford-Coppola (1972)
The Godfather, Part 2 - Francis Ford-Coppola (1974)
A Woman Under the Influence - John Cassavetes (1974)
Funny Games - Michael Haneke (1997)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Mike Nichols (1966)
Holy Motors - Leos Carax (2012)
Satantango - Bela Tarr (1994)
Underground - Emir Kusturica (1995)
The Passion of Joan of Arc - Carl Theodor Dreyer (1928)
Stalker - Andrei Tarkovsky (1979)
The Sacrifice - Andrei Tarkovsky (1986)
Repulsion - Roman Polanski (1965)
Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese (1990)
Midnight Cowboy - John Schlesinger (1969)
Pulp Fiction - Quentin Tarantino (1994)
Brazil - Terry Gilliam (1985)
The Kingdom - Lars Von Trier (1995)
A Streetcar Named Desire - Elia Kazan (1951)
Mean Streets - Martin Scorsese (1973)
Apocalypse Now - Francis Ford-Coppola (1979)
Written on the Wind - Douglas Sirk (1956)
Citizen Kane - Orson Welles (1941)
Raging Bull - Martin Scorsese (1980)

Greatest Acting Performances?

AfterHours — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 16:09:34 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/17/2022 21:09

Hi all, what do you think are the greatest acting performances in film history?

Preferably looking for top 10s, top 25s, or even top 50 type lists, but if you want to mention just one or a few, feel totally free to do so.

I am also interested in your criteria for selection, whether brief or more explanatory, if you have one that you want to share. But if not, no worries.

Btw, I am sure this has been done before (or very similar). For instance: I shared my picks on this forum some years back and various users shared theirs in reply (thread is locked). Plus, I recall a poll or two. Regardless, I am curious about your most updated picks anyway, including those of any newer users.

Here is a pretty standard "100 Greatest Movie Performances" list of mostly classic examples that might help stoke the flame when considering your selections: https://www.filmsite.org/100greatperformances4.html