Most interesting actor to watch onscreen

This got to be Nic Cage


Really, no matter how crabby the movie is, it's always interesting to watch Nic

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"Beliefs don't change facts. Facts, if you're rational, should change your beliefs" Ricky Gervais

Michael Shannon's performance in Take Shelter is breathtaking. One of the finest actors around.

I saw a great video on Anthony Hopkins' work on Westworld that made me see his method I a different light.

Guy's a real pro. He goes through quite a range of emotions with a lot of subtlety. And, sure, he can be pretty hammy, but when he's into a scene, a character, you remember why he won that Oscar.

It's pretty cool.

That is very involving and well put together. A few months ago I saw Paul McGann talking about Hopkins and also Helen Mirren, saying that they are able to 'edit' their own scenes. They will bookend their performances with gestures, tones of voice, but always something "that makes it impossible for the editor not to get the scissors in". When I thought about it I could remember a specific moment where Hopkins does exactly that, in Titus:

I enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, watching Denzel Washington in The Equalizer. I loved all the quirks he brought to the table and he certainly shows McCall's character and the complexities of him, through his facial expressions.

Angelina Jolie

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Why? Just curious, i think she is fine but not a favourite.

Mine is a really typical choice: Daniel Day Lewis. I've said here many times that while i have favourite actors and actresses i don't watch films for them like i do directors. I'm much more interested in watching a film directed by Eastwood (or whoever) that i think sounds/looks bad because he has made favourites of mine in the past than i am in watching a film that stars Deniro (or whoever) even though he has been in many favourites of mine.

Day Lewis is the exception for me since he seems to mull over and work on his performance for years, picks and chooses his directors carefully, etc. I'm not saying this somehow makes him better than other actors or whatever, there's a good few actors/actresses i prefer to him working today that don't go through the same methods. It does make him pretty much the only actor i care about seeing regardless of how i think the film looks because of the amount of effort he has put into his role.

Also his next role - PTA: Untitled film about the 50s fashion industry

I think her facial expression and mannerisms are great,which may sound odd,but i can see that she feels what shes trying to potray.
in terms of emotional scenes,shes by far my favourite actress.
I think she get overlook very often because shes a tabloid darling and therefor not taken all that serious in some crowds,which i think is unfair.

I have to second this one...he seems to be very popular to bash on this site these days, but despite some questionable choices of films he does, the guy is never boring onscreen.

Brando in Sayonara was pretty GD compelling

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Under-the-radar Movie Awesomeness.
http://earlsmoviepicks.blogspot.com/

Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep and Morgan Freeman

Big second to Michael Shannon...every move he made in Revloutionary Road made me squirm and I loved him in Man of Steel too. I also thought he made a terrific Elvis in Elvis and Nixon.

I bet nobody can guess my answer...

Philip Hoffman Seymour maybe?...probably not!

Peter Sarsgaad
Paul Giamatti
Daniel Day-Lewis

He's hard to pin down. He's been in many films, pretty much every genre and has at least one movie in each where he's great. But also has some where he's really awful, for example the ever popular Wicker Man. Then you see his performance in something like Adaptation and you realize he actually does have the acting chops. It's weird. But I agree, he has this presence about him that tends to keep us entertained.

John Wayne

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Yeah, but doesn't Jack basically play Jack all the time? I mean no one can play Jack like Jack and no one is more watchable playing himself, but Jack isn't high on my versatility list.

He wouldn't be the only one. Robert Redford is another actor who's made a career out of playing himself. Clooney as well and they're both people I always enjoy watching.

Interestingly, there are some actors who have a tendency to play themselves but also shine in more "out there" roles. Brad Pitt, for example, excels at playing odd characters like the ones in Fight Club, 12 Monkeys and Jesse James, going to extremes in his performances.