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Added by Nosoki on 20 Dec 2009 09:50
16001 Views 15 Comments
100
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We All Have Our Moment

Sort by: Showing 33 items
Rating: List Type:
Average listal rating (71 ratings) 5.8 IMDB Rating 0
In: Clean, Shaven as Peter Winter.



Peter Greene is often remembered as the villain in The Mask or one of the bad guys from Under Siege 2. Needless to say, people don't think much of him. That's why his performance as a deeply disturbed schizophrenic in Lodge Kerrigan's haunting film is even more powerful and one of the biggest surprises I've ever seen.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (27 ratings) 6.2 IMDB Rating 0
In: Butterfly as Flavia.



I've always considered Josie Ho to be just a woman who is cast in action movies as the sexy and tough lady. Butterfly is a movie that some people might start watching just to see hot women licking each other since it tells the story of two lesbians. The movie does good on that part too, but it's Josie Ho's performance that makes it a real masterpiece with something to think about. Her portrayal of a married woman who falls in love with a young girl is touching and unoforgettable. The movie also builds her character so that she is not the only victim and shows how her husband suffers from her decisions too.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (337 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 0
In: Turkish Delight as Eric Vonk.



Okay, it's a bit questionable to add Rutger Hauer to the list since he has also given A-grade performances in Blade Runner, Katie Tippel and Soldier of Orange. The reason I added him is that he is nowadays considered as a brute in B-movies and that is wrong, because Paul Verhoeven's Turkish Delight is the greatest moment of his career. The portrayal of a sex-hungry sculptor who learns the hardships of life through trial and error is magnificent. The movie stays with you for a long time and that's mainly because of Hauer and Monique van de Ven's performances and Verhoeven's provocative way of film making.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (797 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 0
In: Tombstone as Wyatt Earp.



Russell is mainly known for his role as Snake Plissken or something as badass as that, but he is actually quite a good actor too. He has gotten some critical acclaim but not a lot of people go to see him because of his talents. His performance in Tombstone as a man who has driven his wife to narcotics, who is completely interested in another woman, and who doesn't want to uphold the law at any cost before it's all about revenge, gives you a reason to think otherwise.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (699 ratings) 6.8 IMDB Rating 0
In: Tombstone as Doc Holliday.



Val Kilmer is usually seen as the king of mediocre and boring performances, but his portrayal of a terminally ill alcoholic is great in George P. Cosmatos's modern western Tombstone.
Nosoki's rating:
In: The Shield as Antwon Mitchell.



I have always loathed Anthony Anderson because he is never anything else than the funny fat guy. That is why his OK performance as gang leader Antwon Mitchell in The Shield TV series gives him a place on the list. He actually fits the series.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (1658 ratings) 6.8 IMDB Rating 0
In: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as Ned Plimpton.



Nobody expects Owen Wilson to give a stunning performance, but he has reportedly done so with director Wes Anderson. I've witnessed him as the simple-minded man, who believes that Steve Zissou is his father and is ready to do anything to get to know him.
In: The New World as Captain Smith.



Colin Farrell always looks that he hasn't got the slightest idea what's going on, but somehow director Terrence Malick squeezes a great performance out of him in the visually breathtaking Pocahontas story The New World.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (598 ratings) 6.7 IMDB Rating 0
In: Days of Heaven as Bill.



Director Terrence Malick seems to be a superman. With two names on the list he shows that he can bring out the best in the worst. The star of romantic comedies, Richard Gere, has never given, and never will give, as solid a performance as in Days of Heaven.
Nosoki's rating:
In: Requiem for a Dream as Tyrone C. Love.



When you think of Marlon Wayans, the first thing that comes to mind is a comedy where every joke is about pot. That's why his performance as a drug addict who isn't having a good time is a major surprise.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (26 ratings) 6.8 IMDB Rating 0
In: Infernal Affairs as Hon Sam.



Eric Tsang is an actor who has been so annoying in almost everything I've seen him in, that I've started to even like the guy. However, he has performed well in Infernal Affairs series as the criminal leader Hon Sam so he's not all rage and suffering ...in a good way.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (31 ratings) 6.1 IMDB Rating 0
In: Infernal Affairs II as Officer Lau Kin Ming.



Edison Chen is mainly known as a teen idol, a cute boy and the person whose sex scandal ruined the careers of many Hong Kong actresses. It is not easy to portray the young version of Andy Lau's character in the sequel/prequel of Infernal Affairs, but Chen survived the role with good outcome and proved that even he can act on occasion.
Average listal rating (780 ratings) 8.3 IMDB Rating 0
In: The Girlfriend Experience as Chelsea/Christine Brown.



Normally people watch Sasha Grey's movies because they want to see as much stuff crammed inside a woman as possible. That's why Steven Soderbergh's film The Girlfriend Experience raised a lot of discussion before it was even released. I admit that Grey is more of a marketing vehicle for the movie than the revolution of American cinema, but she still gives a decent performance (especially when compared to other porn stars' funny big-breasted babe roles in comedies etc.) in the movie that people want to see because there is a porn star in the leading role of a serious film.
Average listal rating (128 ratings) 6.4 IMDB Rating 0
In: Oz as Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier.



Everyone thinks that Luke Perry is just a teen idol and Dylan McKay
from Beverly Hills 90210, but he has actually given a reasonably good performance as Reverend Cloutier in the harsh prison TV series Oz.
Average listal rating (1684 ratings) 6.7 IMDB Rating 0
In: Punch-Drunk Love as Barry Egan.



As a fanatic Adam Sandler hater I was really blown off my seat when I saw Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love. In this one, the comedy is derived from situations where Sandler acts as he normally acts, but now it doesn't work at all and sometimes gets him in trouble. Sometimes the same things and usual Sandler maneuvers are quite sad and depressing.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (1540 ratings) 6.4 IMDB Rating 0
In: Good Will Hunting as Chuckie Sullivan.



I could have added Matt Damon to this list because Good Will Hunting is his show, but as he has done some other OK performances, I'm going to jump to the mega surprise: Ben Affleck, who starred in the movie and even co-wrote it! Never has he given such a tolerable performance and the writing part shows that there actually goes something through his mind.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (3102 ratings) 8 IMDB Rating 0
In: Forrest Gump as Forrest Gump.



Quite an obvious selection for the list, even though a lot of people consider Hanks a good actor. In this one, Hanks proves that he can act a retard.
Nosoki's rating:
In: Rocky as Rocky Balboa.



This list wouldn't be complete without Sylvester Stallone as Rocky since it's perhaps THE role that comes to mind when thinking of the list's purpose and criteria.
Nosoki's rating:
In: Reservoir Dogs as Mr. Blonde.



Michael Madsen has done good performances in Quentin Tarantino's movies, but the fact still is that he is a B-movie actor - and a horrible one at that. Many people know him only from Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill vol. 2, but those who have watched his other action films, hate him with almost no exception.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (1884 ratings) 6.8 IMDB Rating 0
In: The Royal Tenenbaums as Chas Tenenbaum.



It is said that Ben Stiller's role in The Royal Tenenbaums is nothing you'd expect to see from him. No childish genital humor in here, but ironic and cruel things that are funny only in a very weird and questionable way.
Nosoki's rating:
Average listal rating (602 ratings) 6.5 IMDB Rating 0
In: The Royal Tenenbaums as Richie Tenenbaum.



Owen Wilson's unfunny brother Luke Wilson also performs a major surprise in The Royal Tenenbaums as the ex tennis star who has hopelessly fallen in love with his stepsister.
In: Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes as John Clayton/Tarzan.



When the movie was released, critics said that Christopher Lambert is very convincing as the king of the apes. Of course it is just a matter of question if he really tried to act in the movie or if he just is very natural as a wildman, but if it works for the movie, I'll have to add Lambert here.
Nosoki's rating:
In: Glory as Col. Robert Gould Shaw.



Matthew Broderick isn't much of an actor. He has been in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and some people may like him because of that, but otherwise he has mainly played forgettable characters in forgettable movies. Luckily, he gives a damn solid performance in Edward Zwick's movie Glory.
In: The Ring Finger as Iris.



Olga Kurylenko doesn't have to do great performances, for she gets well-paying roles because of her looks. However, it is a relief to know that she can also give those great performances, as she does in her first movie role in The Ring Finger as a woman who is lured into the world of weird and disturbing erotic obsession.
In: Hopeaa rajan takaa as Toivo Paukku.



The king of unfunny Finnish comedy, Spede Pasanen, proves that he can perform well in more serious roles under the direction of a real film director. Hopeaa rajan takaa is a boyish adventure movie about three men who go over the Russian border after the war to reclaim silverware that their families have buried there before the war.
Nosoki's rating:
In: Das Boot as Capt.-Lt. Henrich Lehmann-Willenbrock.



Jürgen Prochnow is normally considered the foreign bad guy, usually with an insultingly racist accent, in Hollywood action movies. However, those who have seen Wolfgang Petersen's claustrophobic 5-hour classic Das Boot, will always remember him as the captain.
Nosoki's rating:
In: Deadwood as Seth Bullock.



For some reason Timothy Olyphant has been horrible in movies like Die Hard 4 and Hitman. His normal choices for roles are in mindless films, so I don't consider him to be a good actor at all. Then again, he is like the perfect choice as the main character in HBO's western TV series Deadwood. It's like he is a completely different person when acting on the TV side.
Nosoki's rating:
In: Anatomy of Hell as The Man.



I haven't seen the movie yet, but Rocco Siffredi's performance in Catherine Breillat's Anatomy of Hell has been said to be the best thing in the movie. At least it should be interesting to see Rocco in something else than porn.
Average listal rating (72 ratings) 7.2 IMDB Rating 0
In: One Nite in Mongkok as Lai-fu.



Daniel Wu is one of those pretty boys with absolutely no acting talent whatsoever. That's why I'm surprised that some critics have praised his performance as Lai-fu in Tung-Shing Yee's triad drama One Nite in Mongkok.
Nosoki's rating:
In: My Own Private Idaho as Mike Waters.



Critics worldwide have praised River Phoenix's performance in Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho, so he earns his place here as he is mostly noted as the chick magnet who died too young, even though a lot of people liked him in Stand by Me.
In: JCVD as J.C.V.D.



No-one has ever expected a great performance from Jean-Claude Van Damme, but his role as the aging action star has been praised here and there. It seems that the ironic way to look at Van Damme's own life makes him give a solid performance if nothing else.
Nosoki's rating:
In: Pitch Black as Richard B. Riddick.



Okay, now the requirements are really low, because I don't think that Diesel is great in Pitch Black. The reason I added him to the list is one scene at the end of the movie where the creatures capture the the lady from his arms, because the words he says after that really got me thinking that perhaps there was something really deep behind his stare or something. Or perhaps I was drunk at the time. Consider this an honorary position on the list.
In: Juno as Vanessa Loring.



Jennifer Garner gets her spot on the list because she doesn't annoy you or ...like gallop or eat hay or whatever horses normally do.
Nosoki's rating:

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A list of actors who have been bashed by critics and viewers or who aren't even considered capable of a solid performance, and the films where they have done an unexpectedly good performance.

This list tells that even these people have their great moment, be it a superb performance or even one that doesn't annoy you to the point that you'll put out the TV in the case of an utterly annoying and hateable actor.

The listed are action stars whom people only expect to be tough guys, comedians who have made their careers with genital humor, porn stars, teen idols, etc.

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