Well, sure, he doesn't have a ton of range, but he's a movie star. He doesn't need to have range, nor do we particularly require it of him. Pretty much every movie star in the history of cinema plays some variation on themselves in every role -- people like George Clooney, Will Smith, or Tom Cruise (or going further back, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, or John Wayne) rarely mix it up too much, because they are movie stars and their established persona is part of what makes them so bankable. That doesn't make them bad actors, it just makes them a specific type of actor.

If you get around to watching it, lemme know what'cha think. You may get a kick out of Jullianne Moore's role.

Sam Rockwell is the shit! Anyone that plays Zaphod Beeblebrox is cool in my book. Though my favorite role of his has gotta be Chuck Barris in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind -- Love that movie sooo much. Which brings to mind a genius writer (Charlie Kaufman) and an actor/director who is both over and underrated: George Clooney. I love half of his work (inevitably the underrated stuff) and the other half I could do without.

Diane Keaton, Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks, etc. etc. Don't do it for me either. Though Cage Occasionally gets it right. (Or maybe it's the writers.) Mel, Mel, Mel -- what scares me about him is that his true personality may be Martin Riggs, but with a touch of the religious zealot. Definitely not a good combination. I would be careful not to harm his dog.

Favorite actors... Oh my, where to begin. So many decades of cinema to recall! To avoid a carbon copy of your list -- all noteworthy thesbians -- I'll fill in some of the missing pieces: The Marx Brothers (I love them all equally), Hepburn's flame, Spencer Tracy, the other Hepburn, Audrey (mostly because of those eyes), Cary Grant, Humprey Bogart (Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon are films that I can watch from any point and be satisfied completely for every second the films goes by), Lauren Bacall (Ze Big Sleep; dear lordy, more top ten material), Clark Gable, Gary Oldman (You said it, but he's too good and far too underappreciated to not mention), Helena Bonham Carter (another one I CANNOT avoid mentioning -- a dark favorite of mine: Morgan le Fay, Elizabeth Frankenstein, Ophelia, Anne Boleyn -- dear GOD, she's a even a freakin' death eater. She has to be a reader.), Elliot Gould (More noir favorites), Michael Gambon (brilliant), Alan Rickman, Edward Norton, Tim Roth, Brad Pitt, lil' Dakota Fanning, Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, and Dennis Hopper -- I think that's the cast of Blue Velvet, another potential top ten movie with top ten actors lol. Maybe we should make lists of the people we DON'T like... on second thought... (Sorry, this got long.)

Yes! Mothersbaugh, of course. Wes Anderson's pocket composer and devolution advocate. Don't forget Sigur Ros, either. That's the part of the movie where yer supposed to cry. I heart those Icelanders. A Bowie fan too. David Bowie is my best friend's father.

Make up a top 5 real quick. (No pressure.)

In reply to this comment by thepinky:
You're right. I have about 15 or so that are floating around in my favorites list. My top movies are not neccesarily the best ones I've seen. Like you said, they are the ones that I have an emotional connection to.

Wes Anderson is awesome but I haven't seen all of his films yet. My favorite so far is also The Life Aquatic. I love those covers. The Mark Mothersbaugh numbers are awesome, too. The scene where Steve introduces his boat and crew, accompanied by Mothersbaugh's "Let Me Tell You About My Boat" is one of my favorite scenes. I also really liked The Royal Tenenbaums.

Oh, underappreciated and overrated actors. It is relatively easy for me to rattle off some of my favorite actors. Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, and Ingrid Bergman are definitely in the top 5. Other actors I love off of the top of my head: Gary Oldman, Anjelica Huston, Gregory Peck, Katharine Hepburn, Bruce Willis (most people love him for the wrong reasons), Bill Murray, Charlie Chaplin, Helena Bonham Carter (I love how much her older stuff contrasts with her more recent roles. She's great.), John Goodman (I have always had a thing for this guy. He is a pleasure to watch.), James Stewart, Topol (I've only seen him in Fiddler but it is one of my favorite performances EVAR), Henry Fonda, Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Oliver Reed. This list was about 5 times as long before I cut it down. You're welcome.

I'm sure you're the same way that I am with actors. Sometimes I love them because they are truly great actors and sometimes I love them because they are good actors and you just enjoy watching them for whatever reason. I admit that one of the reasons that I love Newman, Brando, and Bergman is because they are all incredibly sexy. They also happen to be exceptional actors. Who are your favorites?

Severely overrated: Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton (used to be okay, now I can't stand her), Nicolas Cage (liked him in Matchstick Men...which reminds me that I love Sam Rockwell), Keira Knightly, and there is something about Mel Gibson's acting that seems...is it insincere? Affected? All I know is that something is off with him and I'm not a fan.

I'll rent The Big Lebowski one of these days.

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In reply to this comment by thepinky
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You probably already know your top movies, you just haven't declared so boldly what they are. Like I said though, most of my tops are in contention, I just happen to have an emotional connection to two films which may always reign supreme.

If there's anyone to be jealous of it's Wes Anderson and his siblings. Must be awesome to make films with your family and best friends. Loved and own every one of their movies. I think Life Aquatic is my favorite... yeah, definitely Steve Zissou. I mean, you can't go wrong: a movie starring Bill Murray, filled with brilliant sets and costumes, and a soundtrack comprised of David Bowie cover songs by Seu Jorge? Is it wrong that I'm salivating right now? I also really enjoyed Darjeeling Unlimited, despite it's lack of closure. I was hoping Murray would tie in at some point.

As far as people and their movie tastes... You didn't feel the gripping suspense of Armageddon?! Didn't it make you weep when -- I honestly, cannot remember a thing about that piece of trash, except Liv Tyler. (Typical.) I have a friend who once told me The Marine was his favorite film of all time. It was really obnoxious because he was interrupting my first viewing of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover; kept complaining that he needed an explosive hook.

Now, Big Lebowski... is one of those movies you either love or hate. I've only known people who are one or the other. Probably due to over 200 f-bombs. If you can get over that, you'll realize it's a brilliant homage to Philip Marlowe and old screwball comedy. (And the soundtrack is amazing.)

(I completely agree about Goodman. Thank god for the Cohen Brothers. At least they recognize talent and put him in most of their films.)

In reply to this comment by thepinky:
I've seen North by Northwest and It Happened One Night and loved both of them, but I've never seen The Big Lebowski. I love John Goodman (underappreciated, in my opinion) and I really love Jeff Bridges, and I don't know why I haven't seen it. I watch lots and lots of movies and I think that I have above-average taste, although that is easy when the average person loves Armageddon and similar crap. You seem to have good taste. I'm sort of jealous that you have your top movies all figured out like that. I have a very vague idea of which movies are my favorites.

I love Hitchcock, too. And good old sweety-pie Frank Capra won my heart many, many years ago. Do you like Wes Anderson movies?

In reply to this comment by poolcleaner:
The Big Lebowski. I'm a bigger Cohen Brothers fan than I am Kubrick -- though, I am an even bigger Hitchcock fan, despite Hitchcock taking fourth with North By Northwest. (My third pick being Capra's It Happened One Night, starring Clark Gable.)

In reply to this comment by thepinky:
What is your first favorite?

I've seen North by Northwest and It Happened One Night and loved both of them, but I've never seen The Big Lebowski. I love John Goodman (underappreciated, in my opinion) and I really love Jeff Bridges, and I don't know why I haven't seen it. I watch lots and lots of movies and I think that I have above-average taste, although that is easy when the average person loves Armageddon and similar crap. You seem to have good taste. I'm sort of jealous that you have your top movies all figured out like that. I have a very vague idea of which movies are my favorites.

I love Hitchcock, too. And good old sweety-pie Frank Capra won my heart many, many years ago. Do you like Wes Anderson movies?

In reply to this comment by poolcleaner:
The Big Lebowski. I'm a bigger Cohen Brothers fan than I am Kubrick -- though, I am an even bigger Hitchcock fan, despite Hitchcock taking fourth with North By Northwest. (My third pick being Capra's It Happened One Night, starring Clark Gable.)

In reply to this comment by thepinky:
What is your first favorite?

In reply to this comment by poolcleaner:
Thanks, Pinky. I'm going to assume your avatar is you, yes? I grew up watching the Pink Panther movies, and Dr. Strangelove is my second favorite movie of all time -- I couldn't see either of my top 2 movies ever being usurped by another. Agreed, Sellers portrayal of Jacques Clouseau is brilliant to this day. Classic bumbling man in over his head who wins the day. Sometimes painful to watch, but always funny. lol

In reply to this comment by thepinky:
I love your avatar. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is one of my favorite movies and Peter Sellers is one of my favorite actors. Have you seen the Pink Panther movies? Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau is fantastic. Anyway, cool avatar.

The Big Lebowski. I'm a bigger Cohen Brothers fan than I am Kubrick -- though, I am an even bigger Hitchcock fan, despite Hitchcock taking fourth with North By Northwest. (My third pick being Capra's It Happened One Night, starring Clark Gable.)

In reply to this comment by thepinky:
What is your first favorite?

In reply to this comment by poolcleaner:
Thanks, Pinky. I'm going to assume your avatar is you, yes? I grew up watching the Pink Panther movies, and Dr. Strangelove is my second favorite movie of all time -- I couldn't see either of my top 2 movies ever being usurped by another. Agreed, Sellers portrayal of Jacques Clouseau is brilliant to this day. Classic bumbling man in over his head who wins the day. Sometimes painful to watch, but always funny. lol

In reply to this comment by thepinky:
I love your avatar. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is one of my favorite movies and Peter Sellers is one of my favorite actors. Have you seen the Pink Panther movies? Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau is fantastic. Anyway, cool avatar.

Didnt this win the oscar in '43 for best documentary? I think Billy Wyler made it.... I'm quite derunk so this need s fact checking. Always thought these were the coolest airplanes for some reason, must have taken huge guts to go do that.

Clark Gable apparently voluntered to go do that after his special lady died in a plane crash, he said someting like "I hope they send me where its roughest" so he voluntereed for bombers. He was something of a hero to the aircrews, considering that as "king of hollywood" he could have spent the war having his helmet polished by young starlets and selling warbonds...

I should stop reading books about the 8th air force cough -nerd-

who are these people? burt lancaster? clark gable? johnny carson? (/end sarcasm)

Clark Gable refusing to be intimidated. Be it hysterical women or spitting advertising execs, he never loses his cool.

I sooo had a crush on Jimmy Stewart in the 90's, Clark Gable too, now there was a man for ya.