Jim Brennan
VHS Member Old Skool
I thought Witness was his best performance, or maybe blade Runner, but he'll always be Han Solo to me.
Crap Actors
- Thread starter KOVAROVA
- Start date
Rick Meyer
Veteran
Thing is, I just dont think Harrison Ford is the type of actor who CAN play anything but himself. There are two types of actors; those that can use the script to put themselves in outrageous situations and act their way out of it AND there are Shapeshifters.
Shapeshifters are rare. They are not better, per say, but they can transform themselves as far as their talent and essence of who they are will let them. Gary Oldman, Daniel Day Lewis, Merryl Streep...these actors are shapeshifters. They can take on a completely differernt personae and we absolutely buy it.
Dustin Hoffman TRIES to shapeshift, but for me, there are still too many Dustin Hoffman-ish traits in ALL of his characters. Which is okay. I like Dustin Hoffman. But, when Dustin Hoffman is best is when he plays Dustin Hoffman, as in KRAMER VS. KRAMER, or as Michael Dorsey in TOOTSIE.
So, I've come to except what to me is a truth about acting/actors; some are personalities who can act and some can BE someone else entirely.
For example, Michael J Fox is a personality. Does that make him any less of an actor? To me, no. Watch him in a sitcom. His timing and delivery is about as good as it gets. He was VERY enjoyable to watch in the BACK 2 THE FUTURE movies. And, I just flat out love his gifts. Even if he is always just Michael J. Fox.
Of course, thats just my opinion...
Rick
Shapeshifters are rare. They are not better, per say, but they can transform themselves as far as their talent and essence of who they are will let them. Gary Oldman, Daniel Day Lewis, Merryl Streep...these actors are shapeshifters. They can take on a completely differernt personae and we absolutely buy it.
Dustin Hoffman TRIES to shapeshift, but for me, there are still too many Dustin Hoffman-ish traits in ALL of his characters. Which is okay. I like Dustin Hoffman. But, when Dustin Hoffman is best is when he plays Dustin Hoffman, as in KRAMER VS. KRAMER, or as Michael Dorsey in TOOTSIE.
So, I've come to except what to me is a truth about acting/actors; some are personalities who can act and some can BE someone else entirely.
For example, Michael J Fox is a personality. Does that make him any less of an actor? To me, no. Watch him in a sitcom. His timing and delivery is about as good as it gets. He was VERY enjoyable to watch in the BACK 2 THE FUTURE movies. And, I just flat out love his gifts. Even if he is always just Michael J. Fox.
Of course, thats just my opinion...
Rick
Luis Caffesse
Admin
I will say that at least Harrison Ford doesn't seem to have any pretentions about his ability. He seems to know what kind of actor he is.
I saw an interview with him once (I think it was 60 minutes) where he was asked if he subscribed to any specific school of thought on acting. He responded with,
"I've always thought of myself as part of the 'Let's Pretend' school of acting."
Reminds me of Stephen King calling himself the "Big Mac" of literature.
:thumbsup:
I saw an interview with him once (I think it was 60 minutes) where he was asked if he subscribed to any specific school of thought on acting. He responded with,
"I've always thought of myself as part of the 'Let's Pretend' school of acting."
Reminds me of Stephen King calling himself the "Big Mac" of literature.
:thumbsup:
Luis Caffesse said:
he just always gets crap roles... i wanna see him in a good role, just to see what he can really do. i only give him the benefit of th doubt, because i liked him in "walk in the clouds".... i know the movie was cheese but i still liked it. it had a certain charm...
Jim Brennan
VHS Member Old Skool
rlm7189 said:
I think that's a good analysis. OF course, there's nothing wrong with trying to expand as an actor. An EXTREME example being Stallone in Oscar. They often fail because of either their skills, or the expectations of their audience. We, as a whole, are pretty unforgiving of people trying to break away from our expectations.
Rick Meyer
Veteran
Jim Brennan said:
Yes, I agree. But, I think audiences CAN forgive an actor exploring new territories if that actor is attempting to do something that is appropriate for his/her personality. Take Julia Roberts...again, many have mixed feelings on her. Me, I love her. She plays a very charming Julia Roberts in everything. When she did MARY REILLY it was not only a deviation for her, but moreover, it wasn't RIGHT for her. It didn't fit.
Robin Williams is a comedic genius. At first, it was impressive and curious to see him shift gears and tackle more dramatic roles. But lo and behold, he wound up being RIGHT for them. It IS him. It fits.
So, I guess a lot has to do with an actor understanding who they are and what they project to the audience. That is the difference of an actor making great choices (aka Tom Hanks) and an actor making very bad ones (i.e. Wesley Snipes).
Again these are just my opinions.
And thank you xl70e3. Sometimes it feels like I am just thinking out loud.
Rick
Blaine
Mr. Hollywood
The problem is you can say that about SO MANY well established actors. Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson and even Gene Hackman is getting to that point. I like everyone of these actors (well, maybe not Hoffman that much), but they have gotten bigger than their roles.disjecta said:
I'll add Kevin Spacey to that list. And Michael Caine, Willem Dafoe, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox...rlm7189 said:
I am almost never disappointed by a Harrison Ford movie (Six Days Seven Nights and Hollywood Homicide come to mind). He has been called the modern day Cary Grant and I think that's quite accurate. Some of his best work: Blade Runner, Witness, Presumed Innocent, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Patriot Games, Regarding Henry...
