Overrated Actors

I disagree. I love Samuel L. Jackson and I think his popularity has less to do with talent (though he has plenty of that) and more to do with the fact that he just oozes "cool." He's a bad ass MoFo.

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I agree that it's more to do with his cool than his talent (of which he has plenty) but he still makes a crap load of rubbish films and has done for the last 10 years.

I love Samuel as an actor.. but I have to agree he has been doing some trashy stuff.

I find Ben Kingsley a bit annoying.. Even though he did do a beyond awesome job in Sexy Beast... But I just cant stand the guy.

& He was practically a robot in Prince of Persia..

One guy who I think is a bit overrated is Ben Affleck. He seems to act the same way for each role he gets.

L. Jackson's a good actor when he wants to be, but yeah...Shaft, Snakes On A Plane, Freedomland, Stars Wars 1 -3, Jumper, 1408, XXX 2..yeah, you get the point. His last two decent performances in the past 10 years were in Unbreakable and Black Snake Moan. I haven't seen Lakeview Terrace yet but I doubt i'll be too impressed.

Also Juno, I would have to disagree with the Ben Affleck mention. He is rarely praised for any of his performances and rightly so. I would say he is painfully average. But he has shown a little bit of promise as a director though.

And I think I said it earlier in this thread but I have no problem saying it again - Sean Penn.

Can't agree with Penn. The man's never failed to impress me.

Penn is very underrated IMO..

Ben Affleck is a good actor, but similar to Samuel he has bad choice in signing films.. & he is also a good writer/director..
The reason you might find him similar in all movies is mainly he is cast that way.

He was too damn good as George Reeves in Hollywoodland.. he usually ends up keeping the same look, that's why he might seem to appear as the same guy.. But in Hollywoodland, he was a whole different person.

I like both the Affleck Bros.

Not saying he's bad or anything, but I do think he gets waaay too much love. It's almost worrying some fellow actors say 'Sean Penn is the don dadda and the most intense and gifted actor ever'. I don't think there is anything particularly special about his performances. He acts well and that's it. He doesn't have a strong presence imo and I never get a feel for his intensity. I actually thought Kevin Bacon did a better job than he did in Mystic River.

You could be right I suppose, he does end up looking the same and doing very similar roles in the films he chooses, so that probably plays a part. That said, he is a professional actor and I would imagine somebody with a lot of talent would be able to be a bit more distinctive and believable in their roles, even if the script doesn't really call for it. Look at what Benecio Del Toro did with his role for The Usual Suspects. Originally a nothing part and just there to give the film a more ensemble look but he ended up taking that part, giving the character some ****ed up accent, making him far more funny and engaging than he would have been. Prior to that I think Benicio had been doing similar roles.

Casey Affleck is much more daring than Ben and has shown more versatility.

Probably coz Ben mostly got cast in Romantic/comedy films.. There are some real great actors in comedy films that don't end up being taken seriously.

Jack Black is one example, the guy is an Entertainer!!.. he never fails to amuse me.. Many might hate him.. But I think he is a damn good actor.

Jason Lee is also another actor who should be getting more roles in movies as a lead. But then again he can seen doing well on the small screen, so no issues. But still I'd like to see him more in movies with some deserving roles (unlike the Chipmunks one).

Casey is definitely talented, but unlike Ben he hasn't been typecast. So I guess his image is still intact.

Ben Affleck showed he has some skills though in State of Play. A lot of people bash him, but I think he had a strong showing here. Either way, Affleck has also shown he's a damn good director.

Obviously, I think Sean Penn is great too. How could you not like his performance in Mystic River? The performances all around were great, but Penn's shined the brightest in my opinion.

Affleck does get too much flack. I think he's figured out that he's actually not a great leading man, but a very good supporting guy, a good writer and, as raul says, a very good director.

Affleck kind of reminds me of Alec Baldwin in that way, in that they both just look so much like leading men. It's easy to imagine people pushing those kinds of roles for them because, on the surface, they both seem born for it. Both handsome, strong jawlines, etc., but for whatever reason they just had trouble leading films that were both critically and commercially praised. But both have shifted to more secondary roles, and excelled in them.

Both Affleck and Penn are decent directors. I really admire that in actors.

I have to agree - Gone baby Gone was definitely a solid directing effort.

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Whilst that's true, I don't think that the directors of the roles you're thinking of, would've allowed Affleck to do anything like that. We're talking leading man roles in generic RomCom's. There's not really any wriggle room in those and certainly not the kind that would allow perverting the character that much.

You guys are probably. I have been thinking about his supporting turns in Good Will Hunting and The Boiler Room and have heard he did well in State Of Play, but as far as leading man roles go I stick by what I say in that he is just isn't any good. I did like the Baldwin comparison though, Yoda. I think it's true Baldwin's cameo in Glengarry Glenn Ross is probably the most memorable part of that film and Affleck's role in The Boiler Room mirrors that one somewhat in that he somehow ends up being the scene stealer even though the film itself was more disappointing than I would have liked.

Fair enough mate and a lot of people would agree with you but I really didn't think Penn did anything special in that film. It certainly didn't warrant an oscar imo. I just don't believe him as much as I think I could believe another actor in the same or similar role. He has never really helped me care, dislike or sympathise with his characters, and that's a really bad sign imo. If he didn't have 2 oscars in the same decade it wouldn't be so bad, but the fact that he has two leads me to believe that Penn is not underrated at all, but the opposite.

Keira Knightly, probably.

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You cannot have it both ways. A dancer who relies upon the doubtful comforts of human love can never be a great dancer. Never. (The Red Shoes, 1948)

jason statham.. cant stand him

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why?