I have tried to watch The Social Network 3 times and dozed off every time.

Re: Acting performances that surprised you
 

Hustle is Lawrence's best in my opinion, but I really like her in Playbook too.

Re: Acting performances that surprised you
 

Cohen as Time in Alice 2.

https://media.giphy.com/media/RNqwYi1jAAc7u/giphy.gif

Funny, in that photo he reminds me of the poor bloke the Sultan uses as a speaking clock in Münchhausen :).

Maybe the point is that her X-Men role should have been more serious and challenging? It's not as though the potential isn't there. Michael Fassbender's had some really good stuff to play, but I think his best work was in First Class.

I feel like her style downplays the drama a bit. I mean, I watched the trailer for Passengers and got no sense of peril from her at all.

Naomi Watts - Mulholland Drive
https://cynicritics.files.wordpress....nd-570x303.jpg
Damn, the girl can act!!!

Still haven't seen Mulholland Drive, but no argument that Naomi Watts is awesome.

Yeah, and then there's the acting ;).

Re: Acting performances that surprised you
 

Re: Acting performances that surprised you
 

Haven't seen either but I'm hearing Janelle Monáe is really good in both Hidden Figures and Moonlight.

I'll probably check out the latter before the former.

Brad Pitt in Kalifornia. I have never seen him do another role like this, such a horrible character and such a gritty and dark film.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zA1P99LdQI...lifornia2.jpeg

Jim Carrey - Man on the Moon/Eternal Sunshine. Jim Carrey has always been a comedy actor to me but these films prove he is a phenomenal serious actor as well. Find a video of Andy Kaufman, then watch Jim Carrey playing Andy Kaufman in Man On The Moon and you can barely tell which is which.
http://cdn0.dailydot.com/uploaded/im...16/manmoon.gif

Leonardo DiCaprio - Man In The Iron Mask.
Impressive to play 2 different characters in the same movie, who look identical (and infact keep swapping outfits!) and convincingly portray them so differently. I fully hate that douchebag king.
http://cdn-wpmsa.defymedia.com/wp-co...-iron-mask.jpg

Re: Acting performances that surprised you
 

Pitt's got a neat record with eccentric or heightened characters. Fight Club, obviously, or the quietly menacing and depressive Jesse James. He goes off the rails in 12 Monkeys. Inglourious Basrerds, too.

The best performance in American Hustle came from Amy Adams

I've never even heard of this movie.

Re: Acting performances that surprised you
 

Most recently, Kidman in The Paperboy.

https://media.giphy.com/media/flJ54kK9Dt7wY/giphy.gif

I consider it a 1a 1b situation

Re: Acting performances that surprised you
 

Jared Leto in Suicide Squad.

i was surprised by how bad his performance came out.

This just might be the best performance of an actor playing another actor EVER...Jim Carrey's performance in this movie is postively spooky and how he didn't get an Oscar nomination is beyond me.

Wow, this shot alone makes me want to see this movie, which I've never even heard of...it might have a shot at replacing To Die For as my favorite Kidman performance.

The Paperboy isn't half bad. The cast alone I feel is worth checking it out. It was the first time I realized Efron could actually act.