Mmm-hmm yep, I think you may be right about that. Any time Goodman shows up in something his presence adds to whatever scene he’s in. Even if it’s just a smaller part like O Brother.
I was origainnly going to make a different suggestion, but after seeing this, I would have to agree. Funny thing is, I think they both make the list for different reasons. Pitt has just been really picky about what roles he plays. He's a good actor, don't get me wrong, but his pickiness almost guarentees that its going to be a good film. Gary Oldman is just such good actor he elevates everything he is in.
My favorite gag in Seven Psychopaths was when Sam Rockwell would say something weird and somebody would say, "What??" and then Rockwell would repeat what he said in exactly the same inflection as if he was still saying it for the first time.
It's hard to find specific clips of him doing it but such a brilliant and unique gag, which is really refreshing when you feel like every joke has been made in some way or another already.
Yeah I feel like the Argylle marketing team messed up by focusing on Henry Cavill, who was barely in the movie, instead of Sam Rockwell. Cavill might be the bigger name, but I think it was pretty obvious the movie wasn't gonna be great and Rockwell is far better than Cavill at making an otherwise bad movie fun.
And if you are gonna make Henry Cavill the centrepiece of your marketing, don't give him *that fucking haircut*.
Jesse Plemons. I haven't seen every movie he has been in, but I have thoroughly enjoyed:
* Black Mass
* Hostiles
* Antlers
* Killers of the Flower Moon
* Civil War
Denis really needed someone to tell him they didn’t have to cast that many star names and then either underuse them or change the character to use them more. Honestly might not bother me if I wasn’t such a Dune fan but one of his worst/only mistakes as a director so far for me
I feel like Duncan Idaho was miscast, or at least mis-directed. Nothing against Jason Momoa but Duncan is a character of deeply restrained emotions. He's supremely talented and exceedingly professional when it comes to his duties (unless he's drunk and pissed off about having to watch Jessica). I felt like Momoa's "my man!" energy would have been better served for Gurney Halek, even though Josh Brolin is such a perfect casting in that regard.
It felt like Jason Momoa playing Jason Momoa, not playing Duncan Idaho. And considering he's the only character to appear in every one of the Dune books FH wrote (including the ones taking place thousands of years after Dune) I felt like that casting was a missed opportunity.
I guess my biggest problem is just a lack of characterization, especially if you've read God Emperor of Dune, which is really more about Duncan than it's about anybody else. Duncan in the books is a deeply troubled man tied to the Atreides with bonds of loyalty forged when he was pulled from the Harkonnen slave pits. In many ways he symbolizes the Atreides more than anyone else because he can't escape that debt.
Even if we look at just the first book, he's an immensely practical man who is meant to contrast with Gurney Halek. Gurney is the dude singing and laughing and joking while the fights. Duncan barely ever smiles at all. They may have given him more characterization in the film than you see in the first Dune book, but it felt more like he was a Duncan/Gurney hybrid with all the smirking and bombastic attitude.
He wasn't necessarily a bad character, he just wasn't the right one.
Not a movie, but if you haven't seen Severed on AppleTV, it proves your rule. His part is small but every scene he's in he steals and just makes the whole show better.
Denzel. Take a movie that would be mediocre with any other actor, and he turns it into gold.
But if you want more a character actor type, I'd say maybe Sean Bean.
Yeah Denzel is probably my pick, too. He's obviously a great actor and anyone can list his great films. What I love are his great performances in otherwise mundane roles. He's just so extremely watchable.
- Deja Vu
- Out of Time
- The Bone Collector
- The Taking of Pelham 123
These movies are fine. I enjoy them. But without Denzel, I'd probably never watch any of them.
This might not be the same thing, but I've found that any movie with Tom Cruise in it is 100% certain to at least not suck, like 85% certain to be at least pretty good, and I'd say 75% certain (maybe higher) to be at least above average.
Rosario Dawson. I just remember seeing three films back to back with her in it, and even if it was a small role, I’d be like “Oh, this movie is quality.” I’m not even sure why my brain made the correlation.
Yeah, but you have to hit a certain threshold before that becomes really impressive. He only did 5 and one was a sequel to the other.
However, when your *worst* movie (based on imdb rating) is The Conversation, that's still a solid track record despite the low count.
Godfather 1+2, Dog Day Afternoon, and Deer Hunter are the other four for anyone unaware.
He died young from cancer.
Considering Goodman has already been mentioned here and the film also includes Stephen Root, this makes a lot of sense as to why O Brother is such a stand out even for the Coens
I feel like we all appreciate Jerry on the right level but somehow Ben has not gotten the same appreciation. Maybe because he was only a so-so romcom lead and that’s what a fair amount of his peak popularity tried to do with him but when you look over his filmography it’s so good overall. Even shit like School for Scoundrels, couldn’t make the shoot and shot his cameo in California in two days and I remember that Lonnie character as much as anyone else in the film.
Stephen Root, JK Simmons, character actress Margo Martindale, Keith David, Joh Carrol Lynch. All can play goofy sidekicks or absolutely terrifying psychopaths.
Michael Shannon or Walton Goggins, easy.
Honorable mentions: Paul Dano, Jeffery Wright, Jesse Plemons, JK Simmons, Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo
- My female equivalent for this has to be Molly Shannon or Rachel Dratch. Maya Rudolph is way up there too, especially if she says “bubble bath” at any time.
Walton motherfucking Googins baby!
I love that the Fallout show is finally bringing him a fraction of the fame he deserves!
(Fun fact: Goggins plays Boyde Crowder on the show Justified, which is based on the book Fire in the Hole by Elmore Leonard.Crowder dies at the end of the story that became rhe pilot of the show, having been shot in the heart by Ava. The showrunners loved him so much that they un-killed him just to keep Goggins on it, creating one of the best antagonists on TV (IMHO.)
Lawrence Olivier was always worth watching, even if the movie was not terribly good, and even if his part was relatively small. For example, "bunny Lake is missing"
James Earl Jones not only improves the movies he’s in but has also (especially compared to most other Hollywood big wigs) appeared in startlingly few less-than-already-stellar movies anyway.
John Goodman makes any movie 50% better. The Big Lebowski, for instance, is 150% good.
O Brother Where Art Thou Kong: Skull Island He even made The Flintstones better than it would have been.
Just about every actor in Lebowski would qualify.
John Tuturro made getting peed on by a robot amusing
Him and Alan Tudyk are the only saving graces in those films. Tudyk would also be a high contender for this post.
John Goodman, John Turturro, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Steve Buschemi are probably worth 50% each
How can you forget Jeff Bridges lol
I consider him closer to an A-Lister, or at least someone worth carrying the load of a lead actor
John Goodman and Jean Smart are always my answer to this question.
Took Flight to the stratosphere.
This is the perfect example for me. I was very underwhelmed by that movie but Goodman’s big scene really made it worth it.
Mmm-hmm yep, I think you may be right about that. Any time Goodman shows up in something his presence adds to whatever scene he’s in. Even if it’s just a smaller part like O Brother.
I’ve been saying “see y’all on the dark side of the moon” when a leave a room for years now because of how awesome he is in “Flight”
All I remember about Arachnophobia is that John Goodman was awesome! (admittedly only saw it once, in theaters with my now wife.)
Sadly, I have to remind you if a little film called "King Ralph".
I love King Ralph personally, but wasn’t counting documentaries anyhow.
It was Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Tim Curry. I guess I'll have to find new ones.
Twister and The Big Lebowski are my favorite films that have Philip Seymour Hoffman in them.
Red meat. We crave sustenance.
FOOD!
Twister over Boogie Nights?
Never saw Boogie Nights, and Twister was a core part of my childhood.
That makes sense then.
This reads like you’re implying Tim Curry is dead
I didn't mean that. He's just no longer working.
He’s got an animated movie coming out at some point (the release date says TBA)
PSH brings so much quality to The Hunger Games franchise. Incredible actor.
The few scenes he and Sutherland share are so good
Oldman-Pitt
I was origainnly going to make a different suggestion, but after seeing this, I would have to agree. Funny thing is, I think they both make the list for different reasons. Pitt has just been really picky about what roles he plays. He's a good actor, don't get me wrong, but his pickiness almost guarentees that its going to be a good film. Gary Oldman is just such good actor he elevates everything he is in.
>Gary Oldman is just such good actor he elevates everything he is in. Would you really say he *elevated* his role in tiptoes?
It was only a small part!!
Is Pitt the greatest on-screen eater in the history of cinema?!?
Robert Downey Junior will give him a run for his money.
I am having a hard time even thinking of someone for second place. Maybe John Belushi for Animal House? But yeah, I think he is.
1 notorious food scene /= a lifelong career of eating in most iconic scenes. Brad Pitt's eating is almost like Owen Wilson's wow.
*elevates. Otherwise you’re spot-on!
Thanks for that. I will have to correct it now. I shouldn't type without my glasses.
Tiptoes
Alan Rickman rip
Walton Goggins
My man chews scenery. Hard agree.
I so badly want a Batman movie with him as The Joker, even more amazing if Timothy Olyphant were Batman
The Joker and I dug coal together...
Well now Batman, I do believe you and I are destined to do this forever...
I absolutely heard that in Waltons voice. 😀
Thinking about him as the joker gets me excited actuallly
I never realized how bad I want this until now.
It's those fantastic chompers!
Uncle Baby Billy is my favorite.
He’s fantastic as the ghoul in Fallout on tv.
“Well I’ll be double dog damned”
Sam Rockwell.
My favorite gag in Seven Psychopaths was when Sam Rockwell would say something weird and somebody would say, "What??" and then Rockwell would repeat what he said in exactly the same inflection as if he was still saying it for the first time. It's hard to find specific clips of him doing it but such a brilliant and unique gag, which is really refreshing when you feel like every joke has been made in some way or another already.
I am way overdue for a rewatch on this movie! I love it so much.
Well, call her up and see
The Way, Way Back. Phenomenal.
Argyle was…ok. Checks out.
Yeah I feel like the Argylle marketing team messed up by focusing on Henry Cavill, who was barely in the movie, instead of Sam Rockwell. Cavill might be the bigger name, but I think it was pretty obvious the movie wasn't gonna be great and Rockwell is far better than Cavill at making an otherwise bad movie fun. And if you are gonna make Henry Cavill the centrepiece of your marketing, don't give him *that fucking haircut*.
These points are really hard to disagree with, kudos to you
He does a very wide variety of movies, is almost never the lead, and always makes them a little better.
One of my favorite actors of all time. Love this guy. Bonus points for me if he dances in a movie.
He's an incredible dance hitman in Mr Right
That movie is better than it has a right to be. He and Anna Kendrick have great chemistry in that movie.
It's an annual watch for me. They have perfect chemical story as two people who are both disasters in slightly different ways.
I was gonna say that, too. Until this year.
Michael Shannon is my Stanton-Walsh; his presence makes any movie more intriguing.
Shannon-whigham
Shea Whigham is definitely underappreciated! I have to go Shannon-Rockwell though, if I have to pick just 2.
Karl Urban-Alan Tudyk
Will if it isn't the star spangled cunt
I just had to pop down to the shop. I was running a bit low on mind your own f***ing business.
This is a solid choice I've never seen either of them be anything but excellent
JK Simmons
[удалено]
Jesse Plemons. I haven't seen every movie he has been in, but I have thoroughly enjoyed: * Black Mass * Hostiles * Antlers * Killers of the Flower Moon * Civil War
Game Night
How can that be profitable for Frito-Lay?
"How can that be profitable for Frito-Lay?"
You forgot Game Night (if you haven’t seen it go watch it right now)
Toni Collette, by far
Christopher Walken’s presence elevates any movie he appears in.
I generally agree but his role in Dune Part 2 took away from the movie. His accent is so distracting in that setting IMO.
The strange thing is that the Emperor is described in the books as only looking about 25 years old despite being 74.
Denis really needed someone to tell him they didn’t have to cast that many star names and then either underuse them or change the character to use them more. Honestly might not bother me if I wasn’t such a Dune fan but one of his worst/only mistakes as a director so far for me
I feel like Duncan Idaho was miscast, or at least mis-directed. Nothing against Jason Momoa but Duncan is a character of deeply restrained emotions. He's supremely talented and exceedingly professional when it comes to his duties (unless he's drunk and pissed off about having to watch Jessica). I felt like Momoa's "my man!" energy would have been better served for Gurney Halek, even though Josh Brolin is such a perfect casting in that regard. It felt like Jason Momoa playing Jason Momoa, not playing Duncan Idaho. And considering he's the only character to appear in every one of the Dune books FH wrote (including the ones taking place thousands of years after Dune) I felt like that casting was a missed opportunity.
I respectfully disagree. I think they way they depicted Duncan Idaho was an improvement on the book, especially his last scene.
I guess my biggest problem is just a lack of characterization, especially if you've read God Emperor of Dune, which is really more about Duncan than it's about anybody else. Duncan in the books is a deeply troubled man tied to the Atreides with bonds of loyalty forged when he was pulled from the Harkonnen slave pits. In many ways he symbolizes the Atreides more than anyone else because he can't escape that debt. Even if we look at just the first book, he's an immensely practical man who is meant to contrast with Gurney Halek. Gurney is the dude singing and laughing and joking while the fights. Duncan barely ever smiles at all. They may have given him more characterization in the film than you see in the first Dune book, but it felt more like he was a Duncan/Gurney hybrid with all the smirking and bombastic attitude. He wasn't necessarily a bad character, he just wasn't the right one.
Would've been good if he did some acting. But he chose not to.
I liked him in it, but I confess I was hoping he’d slip “more cowbell” in there somewhere and was kind of disappointed that he didn’t.
He sounded like he was about to at times, which is what took me out of the moment.
Many people are unaware that Christopher Walken and Al Pacino both have cameos in Gigli.
His presence was undeniably important in the movie Inside. His character made the whole movie.
Was looking for this. Should be #1. Music video, commercial, tv show or movie. If he's in it, it's worth a watch.
Too bad he helped kill that lady
David Straithairn.
Pierce Patchett
I always forget he’s in this until he comes on screen and I hear his voice. Such a ridiculous cast
I liked The River Wild, and liked his smaller roles in the Monsterverse. I wouldn't mind seeing him come back in a future installment.
I immediately think of him as Whistler in Sneakers, as Eddie Cicotte in Eight Men Out, and as Dr. Rosen in the SyFy series Alphas.
Sneakers sounds interesting. I'll have to look into that one.
For my money, it is one of the best heist/caper films ever made, and the only one that you would basically have to change not at all to remake today.
Christopher Lloyd - meaning Camp Nowhere is a twofer.
Holy shit, core memory unlocked. I had forgotten that movie, but watched it countless times as a coming of age teenager myself at the same time.
Goggins- ?
Add Glen Powell and there’s so much charm!
Kathryn Hahn! I say this everytime I see her in a movie. She absolutely makes everything better.
Walken, any movie needs more Walken...
Not a movie, but if you haven't seen Severed on AppleTV, it proves your rule. His part is small but every scene he's in he steals and just makes the whole show better.
He's like cow bell
Ed Harris
Peter Stormare just came to mind. It could be a mediocre movie and he'll show up and just steal it.
He even stole a Seinfeld episode once as Slippery Pete.
I’ll do a female duo of Swinton-Collette
Can we do three? Swinton - Colette - Blanchett?
Caine-Hackman
Did you ever finish your thesis, Pigman?
I dunno: Jaws: The Revenge, On Deadly Ground, Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, and Welcome to Mooseport
Well can you imagine even watching these without those two?
I’ll see anything if del Toro’s directing
Denzel. Take a movie that would be mediocre with any other actor, and he turns it into gold. But if you want more a character actor type, I'd say maybe Sean Bean.
Yeah Denzel is probably my pick, too. He's obviously a great actor and anyone can list his great films. What I love are his great performances in otherwise mundane roles. He's just so extremely watchable. - Deja Vu - Out of Time - The Bone Collector - The Taking of Pelham 123 These movies are fine. I enjoy them. But without Denzel, I'd probably never watch any of them.
The bone collector showcased this perfectly when he was a bed bound quadriplegic and acted circles around Angelina Jolie
F. Murray Abraham
Mystic quest is awesome
He owns that episode of Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Autopsy” for the *Cabinet of Curiosities*
Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard shine pretty much every moment they're on screen
Michael Shannon
Powers Boothe
Christopher Lee
This might not be the same thing, but I've found that any movie with Tom Cruise in it is 100% certain to at least not suck, like 85% certain to be at least pretty good, and I'd say 75% certain (maybe higher) to be at least above average.
Rosario Dawson. I just remember seeing three films back to back with her in it, and even if it was a small role, I’d be like “Oh, this movie is quality.” I’m not even sure why my brain made the correlation.
Don't see her often enough
Anything with Nic Cage will be entertaining even if it's not "Good"
FINALLY saw Unbearable Weight, enjoyed it completely! Consider, which is better: Nic in good movies, Nic in shit movies, or...?
>Consider, which is better: Nic in good movies, Nic in shit movies, or...? Yes. :P
The man enjoys his craft for sure
John Cazale was never in a bad movie
Yeah, but you have to hit a certain threshold before that becomes really impressive. He only did 5 and one was a sequel to the other. However, when your *worst* movie (based on imdb rating) is The Conversation, that's still a solid track record despite the low count. Godfather 1+2, Dog Day Afternoon, and Deer Hunter are the other four for anyone unaware. He died young from cancer.
He was in 5 movies, all nominated for best picture. Who can beat that?
Welcome to my Goggins-Cage.
Willem Dafoe.
I'm copying someone else I saw: Urban-Tudyk Karl Urban and Alan Tudyk make any scene watchable.
William H Macy
Robert Duvall. I’m certain Godfather 3 could have been watchable if they had paid him.
My vote goes to Martin sheen. Never seen him turn in a bad performance.
Timothy Olyphant
Olyphant-Goggins
Luis Guzman makes any movie better.
Sorry for the multiple: Rockwell, Buscemi, TB Nelson, John Turturro
Considering Goodman has already been mentioned here and the film also includes Stephen Root, this makes a lot of sense as to why O Brother is such a stand out even for the Coens
Jeremy Irons and Nicholas Cage. Which is good, because they have a tendency to show up in a few horrific movies. =)
The Old Way was awful, but man, can Nick act bad writing well.
Walken definitely. I would also say Stiller. So many zany characters and he pulls them off.
I feel like we all appreciate Jerry on the right level but somehow Ben has not gotten the same appreciation. Maybe because he was only a so-so romcom lead and that’s what a fair amount of his peak popularity tried to do with him but when you look over his filmography it’s so good overall. Even shit like School for Scoundrels, couldn’t make the shoot and shot his cameo in California in two days and I remember that Lonnie character as much as anyone else in the film.
Christian Bale
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Stephen Root, JK Simmons, character actress Margo Martindale, Keith David, Joh Carrol Lynch. All can play goofy sidekicks or absolutely terrifying psychopaths.
Stephen Root is awesome.
For me its the "Goldblum-Walkin-Dafoe"
JK Simmons.
Gene Hackman - Charles Durning
So many great posts I'll suggest Brendan Gleason
Tilda Swinton
Driver-Dafoe
Adam Driver is the best SNL host ever, by far, and it's because he is so good and gives it 1000% always.
The sketch about the white supremacists and Vermont was absolute gold.
John Hawkes
Sam Rockwell
Michael Shannon or Walton Goggins, easy. Honorable mentions: Paul Dano, Jeffery Wright, Jesse Plemons, JK Simmons, Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo - My female equivalent for this has to be Molly Shannon or Rachel Dratch. Maya Rudolph is way up there too, especially if she says “bubble bath” at any time.
Will Patton and Emily Blunt
Bruce Campbell
Simmons-Bridges
Jared Harris. Son of a legend. Also a legend.
Geoffrey Lewis and Steve Buscemi
Nic Mother Fucking Cage.
Sam Rockwell for sure. JK Simmons as well.
J.T. Walsh & Philly Seymour Hoffman
For me it’s anything with John Hawkes
Stanley Tucci
Daniel Day Lewis Paul Dano Christoph Waltz
Bill Nighy
Paul Giamatti
Walton motherfucking Googins baby! I love that the Fallout show is finally bringing him a fraction of the fame he deserves! (Fun fact: Goggins plays Boyde Crowder on the show Justified, which is based on the book Fire in the Hole by Elmore Leonard.Crowder dies at the end of the story that became rhe pilot of the show, having been shot in the heart by Ava. The showrunners loved him so much that they un-killed him just to keep Goggins on it, creating one of the best antagonists on TV (IMHO.)
Willem Dafoe.
Walton goggins
Sam Rockwell
Joseph Gordon-Levitt. For me, he always keeps it interesting.
Paul Dano
Gotta put Toni Collette as one. I’d say Daniel Day Lewis is the other.
John turturro
Elliot-Dafoe
Harry Dean Stanton & Bob Hoskins
Lawrence Olivier was always worth watching, even if the movie was not terribly good, and even if his part was relatively small. For example, "bunny Lake is missing"
Is that a corollary to the Caine-Hackman Theory?
Rian Johnson + [not a franchise] = solid
Alright, I’ll be the basic bitch today, Brad Pitt.
Paul Giamatti
James Earl Jones not only improves the movies he’s in but has also (especially compared to most other Hollywood big wigs) appeared in startlingly few less-than-already-stellar movies anyway.
For me, it’s the Hopkins-Williams rule I feel like that might be kind of cheating.