Best Actor of the modern era?

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 06-07-2020 11:43pm

murpho999 wrote: »

Ok so your opinion on him appears to be based on you seeing him in only a couple of roles and not seeing his work that he's earned critical praise for?

I said I’ve seen many of him films, not “only a couple”?

See below.

I’m sorry, murpho999, am I not allowed to hold the opinion that Leo DiCaprio is not amongst the best actors? Why do I need to convince you of anything? Get over yourself.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

I haven’t seen all his films but I’ve seen many of them and I find him limited sometimes.

byronbay2 · 06-07-2020 11:47pm

Tilikum17 wrote: »

I’m probably completely wrong here, but did he not go nuts after the first one? He wanted this, that & the other for the 2nd film & they told him goodluck. They just used pre shot footage from the first movie with him in it, so they didn’t have to bring him back at all? Or was that the 3rd movie?

Again, I’m probably wrong.

I wouldn't say he went nuts but he was always (and notoriously) very difficult to work with. He drove directors bonkers! Before he was allowed work on The Godfather, he was made to sign a contract that (among many clauses) forced him to pay the costs of any production issues caused by him.

I Am Nobody · 06-07-2020 11:50pm

byronbay2 wrote: »

I’m surprised there are so many different actors being proposed as the best. For me, one actor is well ahead of the rest and that is Marlon Brando. He brought method acting into the mainstream and the intensity/passion he brought to his roles is unsurpassed.

His greatest roles for me were in On The Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Godfather but The Wild One and Last Tango in Paris would be in any other actor’s Top 3. Even his cameo in Apocalypse Now (greatest movie ever made) is exquisite!

He was MILES ahead of his time in the causes he supported (the environment, black civil rights, justice for native Americans) and was willing to risk opprobrium to promote these issues. This is irrelevant to his acting ability, of course, but I thought it should be mentioned.

He was also fond of the butter in Last Tango in Paris.

murpho999 · 06-07-2020 11:51pm

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

I’m sorry, murpho999, am I not allowed to hold the opinion that Leo DiCaprio is not amongst the best actors? Why do I need to convince you of anything? Get over yourself.

Of course you're entitled to an opinion but if you state something that goes against popular opinion that you should expect to be challenged and then maybe you would explain your opinion with relevant examples and/or more points to back up your opinion.

Instead you just give a vague response with no specifics as to what films you have seen him in and then resort to insulting me.

lickalot · 06-07-2020 11:55pm

1) Christopher Waltz,
2) Leo
3) Denzel
4) Brad Pitt
5) Tom Hanks

And in that order.

JohnnyFlash · 06-07-2020 11:59pm

ThewhiteJesus wrote: »

He’s the best over actor of all time

That would be Al Pacino. The hammiest rated actor of his generation.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 07-07-2020 12:00am

murpho999 wrote: »

Of course you're entitled to an opinion but if you state something that goes against popular opinion that you should expect to be challenged and then maybe you would explain your opinion with relevant examples and/or more points to back up your opinion.

Instead you just give a vague response with no specifics as to what films you have seen him in and then resort to insulting me.

You misrepresented what I wrote and acted personally offended. Which is just odd.

Off the top of my head, roles where I wasn’t all that keen on his performance:

Revolutionary Road
The Revenant (hated the film, hated his performance - his gurniest to date. Don’t care that he won an Oscar for it)
The Great Gatsby

Didn’t love him in Django Unchained either.

That’s not even all of them, that’s just what springs to mind. Is that okay?

byronbay2 · 07-07-2020 12:02am

I Am Nobody wrote: »

He was also fond of the butter in Last Tango in Paris.

Yeah, not for eating though!

Tilikum17 · 07-07-2020 12:22am

buried wrote: »

I dunno or know about any of that, but it could have been the case the man was more than likely affected by the level of fame, due to the level of groundbreaking artist achievement he had already achieved, that maybe he thought he could start to have a level of control over the work that was maybe trying to groundbreak anything else he was involved in. Fame comes at a price, even the most gifted can and will go crazy with it, because it is a total recent and modern mindset that not many in human evolution have had to deal with. I don't know anything about him going nuts, although in fairness, all acting is people going "a bit nuts" anyways.

I think you’re overthinking it. It was about money.

buried · 07-07-2020 12:26am

Tilikum17 wrote: »

I think you’re overthinking it. It was about money.

How do you mean? What was about money?

con747 · 07-07-2020 12:28am

byronbay2 wrote: »

Ha Ha. No trolling!

Problem with an opinion have you:rolleyes:

joe40 · 07-07-2020 12:28am

This is it wrote: »

Denzel Washington. Huge fan, a fantastic actor in my opinion with some amazing movies:

The Manchurian Candidate
The Pelican Briefan on Fire
Remember the Titans - never get sick of this one
The Hurricane
American Gangster
Training Day
Philadelphia
Courage Under Fire
Crimson Tide - Gene Hackman fantastic in this too
Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Plenty of others but he's a stand out for me.

Denzel had great charisma alright. He could really lift a movie, very watchable.

murpho999 · 07-07-2020 12:30am

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

You misrepresented what I wrote and acted personally offended. Which is just odd.

Off the top of my head, roles where I wasn’t all that keen on his performance:

Revolutionary Road
The Revenant (hated the film, hated his performance - his gurniest to date. Don’t care that he won an Oscar for it)
The Great Gatsby

Didn’t love him in Django Unchained either.

That’s not even all of them, that’s just what springs to mind. Is that okay?

Misrepresented how? You said "many" and I said "a couple" which is just a figure of speech. I don't see how I acted offended that seems to be something you're doing more.

Anyhow thanks for providing a few details but no real aspect as to what you don't like about his performances apart from him "gurning".

It just seems like you don't like him no matter what he does because to say that his performance in The Revenant was poor and it was a poor film just simply not stand up when you look at the critical acclaim and accolades both his performance and the film received and I'm not just talking about The Oscars.

I like the variety of roles he has had and how he has developed. He could easily have chosen to accept less challenging roles after achieving heart throb status after Titanic but instead he became selective, has made very few poor films in my opinion and tackled a wide variety of roles that avoid him being typecast and I find him very believable.

Tilikum17 · 07-07-2020 12:32am

buried wrote: »

How do you mean? What was about money?

He wanted a lot of money for the 2nd superman movie or he didn’t get paid enough for the first, so they told him to piss off for the 2nd movie. They used the wife (Susana York) to do most of his lines in the superman 2.

Pretty sure it was all about money.

poisonated · 07-07-2020 12:35am

bodhrandude wrote: »

Quite an underrated actor but a superb one is Paul Giamatti, loved the recent one he done called Private Life.

He was great in big fat liar! I think Kevin spacey is a good actor. I don’t think he is a particularly good person though.

buried · 07-07-2020 12:36am

Tilikum17 wrote: »

He wanted a lot of money for the 2nd superman movie or he didn’t get paid enough for the first, so they told him to piss off for the 2nd movie. They used the wife (Susana York) to do his lines in the superman 2.

Pretty sure it was all about money.

He had plenty of money already though, he was one of the most famous actors on the planet at the time, he didn't need any more. His name was in the lead before Reeve's in the film titles. He had clout but his art and work in the past enabled it, it wasn't merely about greasy money. Brando was never about money, if he was then he just would have carried on acting like the actors who were around when he began his career. His only crime was his determination to try to push things forward, because it was literally known by everyone in the industry that is what he literally had done and was famous for.

Mysterypunter · 07-07-2020 12:40am

touts wrote: »

Samuel L Jackson.

Amy Adams

Tom Hanks

Emily Blunt

Gary Oldman

Generally if any of those are in the cast then it has a significantly better than average chance of being a good film.

8 pages in, and this is the only mention of who I would have as a clear favourite, Samuel L Jackson.

Tilikum17 · 07-07-2020 12:41am

buried wrote: »

He had plenty of money already though, he was one of the most famous actors on the planet at the time, he didn't need any more. His name was in the lead before Reeve's in the film titles. He had clout but his art and work in the past enabled it, it wasn't merely about greasy money. Brando was never about money, if he was then he just would have carried on acting like the actors who were around when he began his career. His only crime was his determination to try to push things forward, because it was literally known by everyone in the industry that is what he literally had done and was famous for.

Ahh yeah, ok.

“Most importantly, producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind announced that Marlon Brando's completed scenes for Superman II would be excised from the movie in order for them to avoid having to pay the actor the reported 11.75% of gross U.S. box-office takings he was now demanding for his performance in the sequel”

buried · 07-07-2020 12:49am

Tilikum17 wrote: »

Ahh yeah, ok.

“Most importantly, producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind announced that Marlon Brando's completed scenes for Superman II would be excised from the movie in order for them to avoid having to pay the actor the reported 11.75% of gross U.S. box-office takings he was now demanding for his performance in the sequel”

Well, as he was the lead character in the first one in order for it to be a success maybe he thought he was due it, I don't know what he was thinking but it doesn't remove his legacy, a legacy that gave creedence to a comic book character film when at the time comic book characters didn't translate to film at all.

Jakey Rolling · 07-07-2020 12:55am

Tom Hanks - I find him believable in any of the varied roles he has taken on, from the schmaltzy (You've got Mail), hard hitting (Philadelphia, Captain Philips) and the quirky (Forest Gump)

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 07-07-2020 12:58am

murpho999 wrote: »

Misrepresented how? You said "many" and I said "a couple" which is just a figure of speech. I don't see how I acted offended that seems to be something you're doing more.

Anyhow thanks for providing a few details but no real aspect as to what you don't like about his performances apart from him "gurning".

It just seems like you don't like him no matter what he does because to say that his performance in The Revenant was poor and it was a poor film just simply not stand up when you look at the critical acclaim and accolades both his performance and the film received and I'm not just talking about The Oscars.

I like the variety of roles he has had and how he has developed. He could easily have chosen to accept less challenging roles after achieving heart throb status after Titanic but instead he became selective, has made very few poor films in my opinion and tackled a wide variety of roles that avoid him being typecast and I find him very believable.

I said I think he is very good, I just don’t think he is great. You don’t seem to have read any of my posts about him very carefully. What’s up with that?

The Revenant was brutal. And not universally acclaimed either. There were tepid critic reviews and a few bad ones. And who gives a crap about the Oscars? The absolute dreck it has garlanded over the years.

PonchoMcHoncho · 07-07-2020 12:59am

DiCaprio for just consistent top notch performances in mostly amazing movies for over 20 years.

I Am Nobody · 07-07-2020 1:01am

Jakey Rolling wrote: »

Tom Hanks - I find him believable in any of the varied roles he has taken on, from the schmaltzy (You've got Mail), hard hitting (Philadelphia, Captain Philips) and the quirky (Forest Gump)

Saving Private Ryan he was brilliant in.Hell I still love the Money Pit and Splash.

CinderKone · 07-07-2020 1:03am

Ian McKellen

Arghus · 07-07-2020 1:13am

I don't know what "the modern era" means. Seriously, OP, narrow it down.

Best actor since the talkies?

In the last twenty years?

Gene Hackman would be up there for possibly my favourite of all time. Not necessarily the best, just my favourite. Fantastic in just about everything I've seen him in. Manages to kind of be himself and fully inhabit the character as well. Never felt like he was repeating himself. And he could convey menace and threat usually by suggestion.

Robert Shaw was fantastic. Quint was immense, but his baddy from The Taking of Pelham 123 - one of the best films of all time - is the one that sticks in my mind: such a cold and clinical professional. I also love Walter Matthau in that movie, seriously great in the few straight dramatic roles he played.

Daniel Day Lewis of course. If someone was to say he's the best ever I'd find it hard to disagree. Incredible range. Can go up to 11 or dial it right down to zero. Seems to "be" the character moreso than any other actor I can think of. I really hope he makes another movie.

Philip Seymour Hoffman of course, though I think his gift was in intensity and conviction - there is a certain PSH quality to all of the characters he portrayed: I feel they all think the same things about themselves when they turn off the light at night, no matter who they were.

Brando in his pomp.

DeNiro in his pomp. After Heat he stopped giving a fck.

It's not a popular opinion these days, but Kevin Spacey really was a fine actor. Pity that he was such a weirdo.

A modern day actor who is seriously underrated is Stephen Graham. He's known now and is getting bigger roles, but he's been stellar in pretty much everything for about twenty years. Amazing range, can play all sorts of characters. His work in the TV series of This is England was something else - from ultra threatening skinhead to eventual broken remorseful man.

A personal left-field choice for a madly underrated actor is a guy called Peter Ferdinando. I saw him play a serial killer in Tony, a low-budget British film from a few years ago. In that film he was an emaciated twig of a man, emotionless and repressed. A few years later I watched him play a corrupt cop in another movie called Hayena. I couldn't believe it was the same actor. In the second movie he was overweight, explosive and emotionally all over the place. It felt like I wasn't just watching two different performances, more like I was watching two entirely different human beings. Such a complete transformation. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to do much work and I've only seen him in bit parts elsewhere, which is a shame because he's clearly unbelievable. I've only seen Day Lewis or Brando completely dissapear into a role like that.

murpho999 · 07-07-2020 1:26am

Mysterypunter wrote: »

8 pages in, and this is the only mention of who I would have as a clear favourite, Samuel L Jackson.

8 pages? I'm only on 4. You need to click on profile, control panel, edit options, thread display options and change to 40 posts per page. Much better.

byronbay2 · 07-07-2020 1:32am

buried wrote: »

Well, as he was the lead character in the first one in order for it to be a success maybe he thought he was due it, I don't know what he was thinking but it doesn't remove his legacy, a legacy that gave creedence to a comic book character film when at the time comic book characters didn't translate to film at all.

Ah Jaysus, don't put that on Brando! If there was one person that could be blamed for how awful cinema is now, I would absolutely love to hate them! Batman, Spiderman, Avengers, Wolverine, Thor, Fantastic 4 etc, etc. Was there a movie called Batman V Superman ffs?? Cinema is at an absolute nadir now, aimed at teenage boys, of which I am not one!

r93kaey5p2izun · 07-07-2020 1:45am

So hard to pick one. Most of those mentioned here are brilliant. There isn't just one I think, and I think if I had to choose it would probably be one from an older era.

But the one I consistently enjoy the most is Tom Hanks. Very versatile and always believable. Such an amazing catalogue of great performances.

Probably not on any lists, but I also love Mark Ruffalo in everything that doesn't involve superheroes . And Reese Witherspoon. Some top performances.

I will say though, that I have never enjoyed a single Day Lewis film. I just don't get it.

I Am Nobody · 07-07-2020 1:50am

No love for Sandra Bullock I see.Shameful!

JP Liz V1 · 07-07-2020 1:51am

Be right back wrote: »

Joaquin Phoenix.

+ 1

r93kaey5p2izun · 07-07-2020 1:59am

It's funny though that the single performance that has moved me the most is by an actor I don't otherwise see as particularly noteworthy, albeit I think he's a good actor. That's Adrien Brody in The Pianist. No other film has ever had such a deep impact on me. The performance is outstanding. And though he disgusts me as a person, the director has done a magnificent job.

Arghus · 07-07-2020 1:59am

Nathalia Damp Repairman wrote: »

So hard to pick one. Most of those mentioned here are brilliant. There isn't just one I think, and I think if I had to choose it would probably be one from an older era.

But the one I consistently enjoy the most is Tom Hanks. Very versatile and always believable. Such an amazing catalogue of great performances.

Probably not on any lists, but I also love Mark Ruffalo in everything that doesn't involve superheroes . And Reese Witherspoon. Some top performances.

I will say though, that I have never enjoyed a single Day Lewis film. I just don't get it.

I can understand that, to an extent, there aren't many films that he's appeared in that would qualify as easy entertainment. Personally, I think he's great in just about everything. If I was to recommend any of his films for pure entertainment I'd say Last of The Mochians or maybe even Lincoln.

r93kaey5p2izun · 07-07-2020 2:03am

Arghus wrote: »

I can understand that, to an extent, there aren't many films that he's appeared in that would qualify as easy entertainment. Personally, I think he's great in just about everything. If I was to recommend any of his films for pure entertainment I'd say Last of The Mochians or maybe even Lincoln.

I rate many films that are not "easy entertainment". I don't think that's the issue for me. I did not like either of the above films.

Eduard Khil · 07-07-2020 2:09am

James McAvoy definitely done some great performances. He's in an underappreciated Irish gem called Inside I'm Dancing plays a guy confined to an electric wheelchair it was a very good film.

r93kaey5p2izun · 07-07-2020 2:09am

Based on a very short but impeccable career, I think John Cazale deserves a mention too. His performance in The Deer Hunter was excellent, though that could be said of all the actors I think. An incredibly strong cast.

Eduard Khil · 07-07-2020 2:16am

Nathalia Damp Repairman wrote: »

Based on a very short but impeccable career, I think John Cazale deserves a mention too. His performance in The Deer Hunter was excellent, though that could be said of all the actors I think. An incredibly strong cast.

Fredo aside (Absolute best role of his short career

) he was excellent in the deer hunter and Dog Day Afternoon so sad he died so young.

JP Liz V1 · 07-07-2020 2:51am

Eduard Khil wrote: »

James McAvoy definitely done some great performances. He's in an underappreciated Irish gem called Inside I'm Dancing plays a guy confined to an electric wheelchair it was a very good film.

Very good in Split

Mister Vain · 07-07-2020 7:45am

Daniel Day Lewis is so good his wife said she has been in bed with many different men during their marriage.

Keyzer · 07-07-2020 9:46am

Define modern era...

Anthony Hopkins or Daniel Day Lewis, stewards enquiry needed. Two phenomenal talents.

Hoop66 · 07-07-2020 9:50am

For me it has to be Jared Harris - he was superb as Valery Legasov in Chernobyl. He was also brilliant in "the Terror" a supernatural thriller set around an expedition to Antartica in the late 19th C, and in "Fringe".

Keyzer · 07-07-2020 9:54am

Hoop66 wrote: »

For me it has to be Jared Harris - he was superb as Valery Legasov in Chernobyl. He was also brilliant in "the Terror" a supernatural thriller set around an expedition to Antartica in the late 19th C, and in "Fringe".

A decent actor but hardly worthy of such a lofty title.

Hoop66 · 07-07-2020 10:02am

Keyzer wrote: »

A decent actor but hardly worthy of such a lofty title.

OK. He's my favourite actor of the modern era.

biko · 07-07-2020 10:48am

Morgan Freeman
Has done comedy and drama, excellent at both.

JupiterKid · 07-07-2020 10:52am

Sean Penn, Tom Hanks, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman and Edward Norton would be my selections.

Penn and Moore in particular are simply brilliant in every role I have seen them in.

Relikk · 07-07-2020 10:56am

Joaquin Phoenix, Paul Dano and Gary Oldman.

Ficheall · 07-07-2020 11:27am

Christina Hendricks.

jiltloop · 07-07-2020 11:32am

Arghus wrote: »

I don't know what "the modern era" means. Seriously, OP, narrow it down.

Best actor since the talkies?

In the last twenty years?

Gene Hackman would be up there for possibly my favourite of all time. Not necessarily the best, just my favourite. Fantastic in just about everything I've seen him in. Manages to kind of be himself and fully inhabit the character as well. Never felt like he was repeating himself. And he could convey menace and threat usually by suggestion.

Robert Shaw was fantastic. Quint was immense, but his baddy from The Taking of Pelham 123 - one of the best films of all time - is the one that sticks in my mind: such a cold and clinical professional. I also love Walter Matthau in that movie, seriously great in the few straight dramatic roles he played.

Daniel Day Lewis of course. If someone was to say he's the best ever I'd find it hard to disagree. Incredible range. Can go up to 11 or dial it right down to zero. Seems to "be" the character moreso than any other actor I can think of. I really hope he makes another movie.

Philip Seymour Hoffman of course, though I think his gift was in intensity and conviction - there is a certain PSH quality to all of the characters he portrayed: I feel they all think the same things about themselves when they turn off the light at night, no matter who they were.

Brando in his pomp.

DeNiro in his pomp. After Heat he stopped giving a fck.

It's not a popular opinion these days, but Kevin Spacey really was a fine actor. Pity that he was such a weirdo.

A modern day actor who is seriously underrated is Stephen Graham. He's known now and is getting bigger roles, but he's been stellar in pretty much everything for about twenty years. Amazing range, can play all sorts of characters. His work in the TV series of This is England was something else - from ultra threatening skinhead to eventual broken remorseful man.

A personal left-field choice for a madly underrated actor is a guy called Peter Ferdinando. I saw him play a serial killer in Tony, a low-budget British film from a few years ago. In that film he was an emaciated twig of a man, emotionless and repressed. A few years later I watched him play a corrupt cop in another movie called Hayena. I couldn't believe it was the same actor. In the second movie he was overweight, explosive and emotionally all over the place. It felt like I wasn't just watching two different performances, more like I was watching two entirely different human beings. Such a complete transformation. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to do much work and I've only seen him in bit parts elsewhere, which is a shame because he's clearly unbelievable. I've only seen Day Lewis or Brando completely dissapear into a role like that.

Couldn't agree more on Stephen Graham, he was also fantastic in The Virtues, he can really pull out gut wrenching performances.

Ficheall · 07-07-2020 11:34am

And since for some reason people seem to be taking it very seriously, I think Di Caprio comes across as a complete sap, and wish he died sooner in all of his movies. I was really rooting for the bear and the iceberg.

kingtiger · 07-07-2020 11:40am

Has to be Leo from Fair City

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Feisar · 07-07-2020 12:11pm

Arghus wrote: »

Daniel Day Lewis of course. If someone was to say he's the best ever I'd find it hard to disagree. Incredible range. Can go up to 11 or dial it right down to zero. Seems to "be" the character moreso than any other actor I can think of. I really hope he makes another movie.

A personal left-field choice for a madly underrated actor is a guy called Peter Ferdinando. I saw him play a serial killer in Tony, a low-budget British film from a few years ago. In that film he was an emaciated twig of a man, emotionless and repressed. A few years later I watched him play a corrupt cop in another movie called Hayena. I couldn't believe it was the same actor. In the second movie he was overweight, explosive and emotionally all over the place. It felt like I wasn't just watching two different performances, more like I was watching two entirely different human beings. Such a complete transformation. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to do much work and I've only seen him in bit parts elsewhere, which is a shame because he's clearly unbelievable. I've only seen Day Lewis or Brando completely dissapear into a role like that.

That's why Daniel Day Lewis is number one for me. I see the character, not an actor playing a part.

Best Actor of the modern era?

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