biggzy
Elephant hunter
Posts: 87
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Post by biggzy on Apr 20, 2008 17:11:21 GMT 9.5
We all know that miranda is a wonderful combo of talnt and beauty, but wd like to elicit opinions on others you deem worthy.Again, I'll start with a few selections. IN no way is this considered exhaustive, just a few names that come to mind. Feel free to agree/disagree or completely trash it. You'll not hurt my feelings.
1- meryl streep. This is easy. Perhaps the most consistently excellent actress of recent times. Great performances too many to mention, but for some reason A CRY IN THE DARK and OUT OF AFRICA stick out.
2- Vanessa redgrave. Mercurial and often uneven. but still possessing enormous talent. JULIA, A MONTH BY THE LAKE, and MRS. DALLOWAY are but a few. Uniquely considered likewise one of our greatest stage performers. The truth is that when this lady is really "on" there is none better.
3- Shirley Maclaine. Has displayed a huge talent over a very long career. From CAN-CAN, IRMA LA DOUCE, thru STEEL MAGNOLIAS,TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and THE EVENING STAR [where she is hilarious butting heads with Patsy] she has one of the greatest CV's in film history. Also known as a great singer/dancer on stage , as well as honorary Kid Sister of the rat pack.
4- Catherine Deneuve. I know many think of her as merely one of the greatest beauties of the 20th century[ u are right], the model for Le Marianne [after bardot], etc. but she is truly a first rate actress. For we who cut our teeth on REPULSION, BELLE DE JOUR, and THE APRIL FOOLS, she became indelible. Likewise, THE HUNGER [cult classic], INDOCHINE, and more recently 8 WOMEN[where she more than holds her own vs. abevy of france's best known actresses] are good examples. After nearly 5 decades, she is firmly established as one of thr great icons of French cinema, and IMHO, deservedly so. Great beauty and talent remain a formidible combo.
5- Glenn Close. Perhaps miranda should have taken the role in FATAL ATTRACTION after all. It certainly helped this girls career.She showed she can compete at doing 'crazy', but that isn't where it ends. THE BIG CHILL, JAGGED EDGE, and her wonderfully campy cruell de ville in 101 DALMATIONS also come to mind. Lately been doing US tv, where she continues to get award noms.
6- Monica Bellucci- OKAY! OKAY! I realize she is not in the same league with the aforementioned ladies, but this is, afterall MY list, and as long as i can draw a breath, this girl [ for reasons that should be abundantly evident] will forever be included.
okay people, there u are. Fell free to have a go.
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Post by Kathleen on Apr 21, 2008 7:33:03 GMT 9.5
Well, I would agree that Meryl is certainly on any list of great actresses. I personally don't really like Redgrave as a person, but I cannot say she is a bad actress. I haven't seen much of Maclaine or Bellucci, so I can't judge them. Deneuve and Close aren't bad either.
You forgot to include Cate Blanchett, my favorite actress. I think most people here love Mirren too. Kate Winslet is very good too. Some people dislike her because of Titanic, but she is a good actress.
I can't think of any more right now.
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Post by Lady van Tassel on Apr 21, 2008 17:37:32 GMT 9.5
Helena Bonham Carter...? ;D Hehe.
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biggzy
Elephant hunter
Posts: 87
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Post by biggzy on Apr 26, 2008 10:18:12 GMT 9.5
mary- I confess I purposely omitted cate blanchett to s
ee how long it would take for someone to add. It took exactly one response[yours]. Of all the younger acting crowd[UNDER 40] she ha s,Ithink, the highest ceiling. Terrific as Elizabeth, but also loved her in a littile US film called THE GIFT. Still cant believe how w ell she nailed the voice and mannerisms of Katherine Hepburn in the AVIATOR.
Mary- Not sure why u chuckle. If people dont think HBC is talented can only suggest THE WINGS OF THE DOVE, and AROOM WITH A VIEW> Absolutely brilliant in both, IMHO. Thanks for both of ur contributions.
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Post by Kathleen on Apr 26, 2008 13:42:57 GMT 9.5
I liked the Gift too. There is something that I always wonder about it though. You know the scene where Keanu comes to take Hilary Swank home, the paint can tips over, he drags her through the paint, and Cate slips and falls on her butt? I wonder if that was scripted. She slips and immediately gets back up. It looks real, and I think it's dangerous to have an actress slip and fall on her butt on purpose. I think it was real lol.
I liked how at the Oscars (I think it was at the Oscars) they had that little part where they were mentioning how she plays everything. They had that picture of a dog in a movie with an arrow pointing at it that said "Cate".
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Post by toddwharton on Apr 26, 2008 17:24:44 GMT 9.5
I am thinking of some actresses who died or retired and that I admire(d) very much. In the 1970's and1980's Glenda Jackson was my favorite actress. She played the great Elizabeth on TV, for which she won awards. Also, she appeared in three films with the late Peter Finch and two comedies each with Walter Mathau and George Segal. Many American men, in particular, admired Glenda Jackson and saw in her a strong woman of authority. Glenda was amused at this. She won two academy awards and continued acting until she suffered what she said was "stage fright." After retiring from acting she has been elected and re-elected to Parliament with the Labour party and has been an independent voice in Westminister Hall. Some thought she might become Prime Minister after Tony Blair, but Glenda never has attempted to become a Labour party leader. I saw her twice on the stage - once in London and once in Washington. I still think that Glenda Jackson is one of the best and I will always remember her as a strong and talented actress whom I admired.
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biggzy
Elephant hunter
Posts: 87
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Post by biggzy on Apr 27, 2008 12:03:11 GMT 9.5
Kathleen- I do know the scene u describe in THE GIFT. Am quite sure it is scripted. It is just that Cate is so talented that she can do "slips on her butt and gets right back up" far better than most others.
Todd- Absolutely correct on glenda jackson. Did u by chance see MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, a sort of sequel to ELIZABETH, in which she plays opposite Vanessa Redgrave? This was truly the golden age of BBC period dramas. Also loved her in WOMEN IN LOVE, a very difficult role, I thought. Remember reading aout her struggle with stage fright well advanced into her career. Very strange, but these things do happen ,i suppose. In some ways she reminds me of her contemporary, the divine Julie Christie. Brilliant in DARLING, DR. ZHIVAGO, and SHAMPOO, amongst others, she is known for having turned down more roles that subsequently garnered Oscar noms/wins for her replacements than possibly any other actress. Then does a film like AWAY FROM HER, and comes right back to the forefront. Also, I was struck by how beautiful, in her late 60s, she remains. Truly in a class with "La Deneuve". Am willing to bet that Ms. jackson- should she so decide- could likewise comeback and "rediscover" her talent in short order.
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Post by schaffner15 on May 6, 2008 8:19:45 GMT 9.5
I've got another favorite actress: Kristen Scott Thomas. No one else has mentioned her on this site (please correct me if I'm wrong) and Kristen needs to be acknowledged. I first noticed her on the miniseries Body and Soul where she plays a nun in a convent, who due to a family emergency, and several trips to the outside world, decides to leave her convent life. But she does this after much agonizing and trouble with both her natural family and her sister nuns. Also, Kristen Scott Thomas has appeared in The Horse Whisperer with Robert Redford and Sam Neil, an action political thriller with Harrison Ford. Lately, Kristen has co-starred with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johanson (sp) in The Other Bolyn (sp) Girl as their mother. Kristen Scott Thomas has also been in comedies, but has not been much noted for comedies as yet.
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Post by goddessqueen on May 6, 2008 8:44:24 GMT 9.5
Bette Midler
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Post by schaffner15 on May 6, 2008 9:16:00 GMT 9.5
Bette Midler ? Really !!!! She is funny and she can sing, but a favorite ? I did like Bette in Outrageous Fortune with Shelly Long. There was a good action-adventure-comedy. Bette used four-letter words in Outrageous, which was fun. While on the subject of favorite actresses, how about Uma Thurman ? I have not yet seen her Kill Bill movies, but I probably will. (Kill Bill is not the story of the marriage of Bill and Hillary Clinton.)
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Post by callygirl on May 6, 2008 9:33:05 GMT 9.5
I think I've mentioned this before but I would recommend anything with Janet McTeer in it. She is a really great actress with a wide range of roles - I think she is very under rated, I have seen a lot of her work and have really enjoyed it. Also - in any interviews or articles she comes across really well - very down to earth and funny, the kind of person you would go down the pub and have a pint with! Also - another great British actress - Julie Walters. Again she has such great versatility, making you cry and laugh in equal measures. Her comedic talent is unrivalled and I have loved watching her films and tv progs with Victoria Wood. She is a complete standout in everything she does and comes across as a really down to earth, genuine person.
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Post by schaffner15 on May 6, 2008 17:58:33 GMT 9.5
Educating Rita is THE Julie Walters movie. I can't think of any others. That movie, with Michael Caine, is one of his favorites. The movie had heart, wit, humor, and an ending that was hopeful but not "happily ever after" which, I feel was very life-like. Michael Caine described Educating Rita this way: "It's about two losers who become winners." Amen
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Post by Rita, Oh Yes! on May 7, 2008 0:57:16 GMT 9.5
Educating Rita is wonderful. If you want to see more Julie, though, I would also recommend 'Calendar Girls', which is an absolute must-see - it also has Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie, Annete Crosby and a whole bunch of brilliant British actresses - and 'Driving Lessons', in which Julie plays a cantankerous old woman who hires Rupert Grint to tend her house and garden, then drive her all over the place, and teaches him a few things about life in the process.
Julie is wonderful.
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Post by goddessqueen on May 7, 2008 5:09:28 GMT 9.5
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Post by callygirl on May 7, 2008 5:47:54 GMT 9.5
Driving Lessons is such a brilliant film - the characterization is terrific and the story unfolds in a compelling way. It's the kind of film that gives you a huge belly laugh but also has a serious dramatic undercurrent that makes you think.
My favourite Julie roles are her comedies - I love her character Mrs O in Acorn antiques - check out the musical clips on youtube
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