TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- Chill Out Room
-- Best and worst acting in a movie
Pages (7): [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 »

Best and worst acting in a movie

Well, I've been watching "The Shining" (1980, directed by Stanley Kubrick) for the first time today and all I can say is that Shelley Duvall's (plays Wendy, wife of main character) acting is hurting my eyes, i.e. is awful. The acting in the entire movie is pretty bad imho. It is void of life and too scripted (like in cheap Russian detective series lol). That being said, I think acting started to become less theatrical and more life-like about in the late 80's.

Name the best and worst acting you've seen in a movie

Re: Best and worst acting in a movie

quote:

Originally posted by boris_the_bear The acting in the entire movie is pretty bad imho.

Say what?

Jack Nicholson is great it in!

As for personal best/worst acting, I will have to have a long think.

Maybe....

Best -

Al Pacino - Scent of a Woman
Anthony Hopkins - The Silence of the Lambs
Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Marlon Brando - The Godfather

Worst - Still can't decide, there are so many.

Yeah, he is a great actor overall. Maybe the directing has effected his performance. But most of all, Duvall's acting.... yuck. Especially when she had a conversation with her son. They were following the script like computer voice generators. Watch the beginning, when they sit at the table and discuss the future stay at the mountain lodge imho, of course..

Not saying these are necessarily Oscar worthy, but these are some of my personal favorite performances that I revisit on a regular basis:

Kenneth Branagh- Conspiracy
Christian Bale- American Psycho
Christopher Walken- Catch Me If You Can
Joaquin Phoenix- 8mm
Brad Pitt- Snatch
Chazz Palminteri- A Bronx Tale

Unfortunately, the list of awful performances (which I also happen to revisit on a regular basis) is much harder to put together, but check out Harrison Ford's Russian accent in K19

...and just about anything in the Friday the 13th series, particularly this awesome moment of Crispin Glover hilarity that's outside the realm of 'good' and 'bad' acting:

I think you're confusing Stanley Kubrick's style with bad acting. He went to deliberate lengths to make his films dissonant and strange. In A Clockwork Orange there are deliberate continuity errors, for example.

Also: Stephen Lack in Scanners. My brother has the theory he's supposed to be emotionally crippled because he's never had human contact. My theory is that Stephen Lack is an unknown actor for a good reason.

Keanu Reeves.

quote:

Originally posted by Domesticated Keanu Reeves.

Keanu Reeves what?

quote:

Originally posted by boris_the_bear Keanu Reeves what?

Think of the last good Keanu Reeves performance you saw.

...Z'ACTLY!

well...yeah I know what you mean. But for me, The Matrix (first part only!) is an exception. One of the best movies ever imo.

I've remembered who the worst actor in history is........




Hayden Christensen







The untalented fuckwit.

One of the best is Maria Falconetti in Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc.
The list of worst performances is unfortunately almost endless. Like, everyone in Transformers. Or just think of all the hot chicks who are so untalented that they probably need to sleep with half of the movie crew to get the role.

quote:

Originally posted by Paradox Lost Think of the last good Keanu Reeves performance you saw. ...Z'ACTLY!

YoungBlood

worst has to be the kid in Gran Torino. But I don' tthink it counts since he is not an actor


best actor goes to Brad Pitt in any role.

quote:

Originally posted by boris_the_bear well...yeah I know what you mean. But for me, The Matrix (first part only!) is an exception. One of the best movies ever imo.

He was just as devoid of pathos and any form of expression what so ever in that movie as in any other movie he has done.

I liked him in Thumbsucker, though. His stone face works well with the wacko new age-doctor he played there.

Best:

Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate
Clive Owen in The Croupier
Chris Tucker in The Fifth Element
Anthony Hopkins in... well pretty much everything, including Zorro
Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront
the career resurrector that was Pulp Fiction, pretty much everyone got another 10 years of work because of it - Sammy L, Travolta, Bruce Willis, everyone realizing what a scary ass nigga Ving Rhames is, Q's undying love affair with Uma continues, fuck - even Harvey Keitel was impressive.

... I got a ton more I could name.

Worst:

Pretty much any action movie with your run-of-the-mill Segals, Van Dammes, Norrises. It's not intended for acting, but boy do they make sure they stray completely away from it. Just once I'd like to see a decent action flick with terrific acting all around.

quote:

Originally posted by denys envy Just once I'd like to see a decent action flick with terrific acting all around.

The Bittersweet Life

The Boondock Saints

You get it twice!

As for the worst, this will never get old:

quote:

Originally posted by OrZonE The Bittersweet Life The Boondock Saints

bittersweet life wasn't that good.

boondock had two great title characters, but all around i wouldn't say it was a gem. just because they're talking loud in italian doesn't make them good actors.

and yes, nick cage sucks in a lot of things, dunno how he gets work.

quote:

Originally posted by denys envy bittersweet life wasn't that good. boondock had two great title characters, but all around i wouldn't say it was a gem. just because they're talking loud in italian doesn't make them good actors.

I am not going to argue (even though I think "A Bittersweet Life" is an amazing movie that blows practically any US made movie out of the water) but you did ask for a decent action flick (which it is at the very least) that has terrific (I saw nothing wrong with the acting throughout the movie) acting all around.

I'd say you were just action movie averse but then again, you did name Chris Tucker in "The 5th Element" for some unknown reason

quote:

Originally posted by OrZonE Chris Tucker in "The 5th Element" for some unknown reason

i honestly thought it was a great performance by him.

edit: with Bittersweet Life, i just thought it relied a bit too much on violence and bloody shoot-outs.

Worst
Rosanna Arquette in The Big Blue
The kid in Gran Torino

Best
Meryl Streep in Doubt
Casey Affleck in Assasination of Jesse James & Gone Baby Gone

quote:

Originally posted by denys envy i honestly thought it was a great performance by him. edit: with Bittersweet Life, i just thought it relied a bit too much on violence and bloody shoot-outs.

I'd agree, it was a great performance. I'm just not sure how much of it was actually acting .

In regards to your BSL comment. Koreans mostly make uncensored movies (in regards to violence) but to say an action movie relied on violence/shoot-outs is comparable to saying that romance makes a chick flick or donkeys make a good porn flick .

But ya dude, I loved the movie you didn't - simple as that .

quote:

Originally posted by OrZonE I'd agree, it was a great performance. I'm just not sure how much of it was actually acting .

did you know most of it was improv? i thought he killed it. especially the physicality.



a lot of eccentic characters in that movie, also gary oldman's was great.

The only movie with acting so bad I had to stop it mid-way to take it back to Blockbuster was "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of...ad_2:_Contagium

i made this mistake of renting this once because i enjoyed the remake of dawn of the dead, and i must say it is the worst movie of all time.

quote:

Originally posted by Spam The only movie with acting so bad I had to stop it mid-way to take it back to Blockbuster was "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen".

WAT. I love that movie.

Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright © 2000-2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.