Kevin Spacey, I wouldn't say the quality of his acting has suffered but considering the films that made him a household name, American Beauty, Seven and L.A confidential. He hasn't made anything particularly noteworthy since.
I was thinking the other day Russell Crowe seems to phone them in nowadays. Maybe he was never a great actor to begin with, but I remember him being much more full of energy and life. I love that SF film he did with Denzel.
Hmm. He did tail off a bit in the late noughties.
Some of the films he did with Ridley Scott weren't the best of choices (Body of Lies, A Good Year, Robin Hood, zzzz...), but taking roles in Man of Steel and Les Miserables show him willing to expand into other areas and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing him as Noah.
Problem with people these days think Pacino is going to get the best scripts in the industry at the age of 60+, there's always people like Leo and Bale who are far above Pacino in the queue.
Meryl Streep is an exception, her beauty is also one of the reason she keeps on getting them roles.
Pacino and DeNiro have had their wonder years and every now and then they'll get a decent film in there, although Pacino has always been more of a theatre person too.
Totally agree about Pacino, he has turned in some truly horrible performances in the last 10-15 years.
De Niro I personally think has been a lot better, Meet the Parents trilogy is lightweight but he's really good in them IMO. He was great in Silver Lining Playback and I enjoyed his performance in Everybodys Fine which admittedly was not an epic film but quite enjoyable in its own way.
I think for me it would be Johnny Depp, I ued to love his collaborations with Tim Burton, but I now find them lazy and self indulgent, he has turned into a parody of himself.
I say that as a former fan of his work. (Benny & Joon, Ed Wood, Edwards Scissorshands, Sleeping Hollow etc were all great IMO)
You only have to watch Pacino in "Dog Day Afternoon" to realise how much he has deteriorated in recent years:(
I do still rate De Niro though.
Probably an unpopular opinion but I actually did think Nicholas Cage was quality in his much younger days "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Peggy Sue Got Married" I absolutely love him in.
Kevin Costner I think has had a downturn............as has Johnny Depp.
And while I absolutely LOVE Ray Liotta, I havent seen him reach the heights of Goodfellas in anything recent.
Disagree about De Niro,film wise he isn't making classics anymore but he always gives a good performance & in some cases fantastic (Being flynn & Everybody's fine)
Pacino wise his film roles ain't great but his TV performances are outstanding at times
It's possible there aren't enough compelling or box office marketable roles for some older actors. I dunno. It does seem as if there's more emphasis on sequels, reboots, comic book films. Older actors like Pacino, De Niro etc may struggle to find great roles.
Kevin Spacey, I wouldn't say the quality of his acting has suffered but considering the films that made him a household name, American Beauty, Seven and L.A confidential. He hasn't made anything particularly noteworthy since.
He still does some very good theatre work, though. And then there's House of Cards. He's certainly not on the downturn by a long shot.
For me, I would cast another vote for Johnny Depp. I loved him in Edward Scissor Hands and Sleepy Hollow.
But now I find him boring or he's acting quirky and then I find him annoying
Mel Gibson is another one that I would not want to see any more and my impression is that I don't think I'm alone in thinking that.
I noticed someone mentioned Eddy Murphy. He really was the cool guy in the 80s. Alas, times change! But he still seems to do ok with comedies though.
As for De Niro and Pacino, they are still doing ok really. Especially for their ages where suitable scripts are going to be less numerous.
And I only wish Kevin Spacey could star in a film up to the standard of American Beauty again. But good films like that are rare. So I bet he wishes he could do that too
It's possible there aren't enough compelling or box office marketable roles for some older actors. I dunno. It does seem as if there's more emphasis on sequels, reboots, comic book films. Older actors like Pacino, De Niro etc may struggle to find great roles.
I think black actors may face the same problems. You've got white males mainly writing scripts for white male leads.
Eddie Murphy. The guy was gold in the 80's, but it's been downhill since Pluto Nash. Bargain basement scripts have not helped. Shame, Dreamgirls showed what a waste of talent.
I agree. He was surprisingly good in Dreamgirls. I suspect he isn't given a chance to do more serious roles. I don't think he even believes in himself enough to pull it off either.
Another:
Ed Harris. He's starting to be typecast. His characters lately are the serious, intense, morally bankrupt and/or quietly psychotic type.
John Travolta he is like a Yo-Yo, after QT resurrected his career in the 90s he was in a few good films but then along came battlefield earth and he's been in another terminal decline ever since.
John Travolta he is like a Yo-Yo, after QT resurrected his career in the 90s he was in a few good films but then along came battlefield earth and he's been in another terminal decline ever since.
Problem with Travolta is hes a sub par actor who has limited range, once thats used up, he's used up.
By contrast Tom Cruise revived his career with Mission Impossible. I remember some time back a film pundit saying Cruise can no longer compete in the box office with the likes of Adam Sandler and Vin Diesel so he's going to have to target mid budget movies or something like that. Looks who's the boss now!!
By contrast Tom Cruise revived his career with Mission Impossible. I remember some time back a film pundit saying Cruise can no longer compete in the box office with the likes of Adam Sandler and Vin Diesel so he's going to have to target mid budget movies or something like that. Looks who's the boss now!!
I didn't think his career needed reviving prior to MI (Interview With the Vampire, The Firm, A Few Good Men...)
His follow up to MI, Jerry Maguire, was far better received.
After that he made a few films that received mixed reception; Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, MI2 and Vanilla Sky. Out of that lot you could say MI2 was the better received film, but following it up with Vanilla Sky didn't help. I think Minority Report is what got his A list status back on track.
I did wonder which MI, I didn't think it was MI:GP cause all he's been in since (so far) is Rock of Ages, Jack Reacher and Oblivioun which haven't really been a return to the big time (imo).
Considering how young he was in the 80s you have to wonder what happened to Eddie Murphy in the 90s - he should have owned that decade, pre-Will Smith.
He hasn't really capitalised since M:I GP put him back on top. Perhaps bad choice of projects is to blame, though I wouldn't write him off just yet.
For me, the latest Mission Impossible is easily the best. Despite his narcissism I've always found Cruise very watchable. Not for stellar acting talents but because he has a knack of being in entertaining films. Valkyrie was the kind of departure from his usual formula that he makes from time to time that keeps him interesting.
By the way, I've noticed that his usual fare always seem to contain at least one scene of him working out or partaking in extreme sports. It doesn't take a Freud to work out why.
Comments
Such a shame as he is such a talented actor.
Vampire's Kiss. Just ordered it from Amazon.
Some of the films he did with Ridley Scott weren't the best of choices (Body of Lies, A Good Year, Robin Hood, zzzz...), but taking roles in Man of Steel and Les Miserables show him willing to expand into other areas and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing him as Noah.
Meryl Streep is an exception, her beauty is also one of the reason she keeps on getting them roles.
Pacino and DeNiro have had their wonder years and every now and then they'll get a decent film in there, although Pacino has always been more of a theatre person too.
De Niro I personally think has been a lot better, Meet the Parents trilogy is lightweight but he's really good in them IMO. He was great in Silver Lining Playback and I enjoyed his performance in Everybodys Fine which admittedly was not an epic film but quite enjoyable in its own way.
I think for me it would be Johnny Depp, I ued to love his collaborations with Tim Burton, but I now find them lazy and self indulgent, he has turned into a parody of himself.
I say that as a former fan of his work. (Benny & Joon, Ed Wood, Edwards Scissorshands, Sleeping Hollow etc were all great IMO)
I do still rate De Niro though.
Probably an unpopular opinion but I actually did think Nicholas Cage was quality in his much younger days "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Peggy Sue Got Married" I absolutely love him in.
Kevin Costner I think has had a downturn............as has Johnny Depp.
And while I absolutely LOVE Ray Liotta, I havent seen him reach the heights of Goodfellas in anything recent.
Pacino wise his film roles ain't great but his TV performances are outstanding at times
He still does some very good theatre work, though. And then there's House of Cards. He's certainly not on the downturn by a long shot.
But now I find him boring or he's acting quirky and then I find him annoying
Mel Gibson is another one that I would not want to see any more and my impression is that I don't think I'm alone in thinking that.
I noticed someone mentioned Eddy Murphy. He really was the cool guy in the 80s. Alas, times change! But he still seems to do ok with comedies though.
As for De Niro and Pacino, they are still doing ok really. Especially for their ages where suitable scripts are going to be less numerous.
And I only wish Kevin Spacey could star in a film up to the standard of American Beauty again. But good films like that are rare. So I bet he wishes he could do that too
I agree. He was surprisingly good in Dreamgirls. I suspect he isn't given a chance to do more serious roles. I don't think he even believes in himself enough to pull it off either.
Another:
Ed Harris. He's starting to be typecast. His characters lately are the serious, intense, morally bankrupt and/or quietly psychotic type.
Problem with Travolta is hes a sub par actor who has limited range, once thats used up, he's used up.
I didn't think his career needed reviving prior to MI (Interview With the Vampire, The Firm, A Few Good Men...)
His follow up to MI, Jerry Maguire, was far better received.
After that he made a few films that received mixed reception; Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, MI2 and Vanilla Sky. Out of that lot you could say MI2 was the better received film, but following it up with Vanilla Sky didn't help. I think Minority Report is what got his A list status back on track.
He hasn't really capitalised since M:I GP put him back on top. Perhaps bad choice of projects is to blame, though I wouldn't write him off just yet.
For me, the latest Mission Impossible is easily the best. Despite his narcissism I've always found Cruise very watchable. Not for stellar acting talents but because he has a knack of being in entertaining films. Valkyrie was the kind of departure from his usual formula that he makes from time to time that keeps him interesting.
By the way, I've noticed that his usual fare always seem to contain at least one scene of him working out or partaking in extreme sports. It doesn't take a Freud to work out why.
When was there ever an uphill for her?
Absolutely.
Please stop making films. Please.