Who, among the current crop of young actors is going to replace:

  Your Lawrence Oliviers?  Your Christopher Plummers?  Your Richard Burtons?  Your Peter Ustinovs?  Your John Gielguds?

  Will there be any more Gene Hackmans?  Peter O'Tooles?  Alec Guiness'?  William Holdens?  Rex Harrisons?  Gregory Pecks?  Walter Pidgeons?  Roddy McDowalls?

  There are many I left out, but you get the picture...

  I'm not talking about the usual assortment of cardboard cut-outs like Vin Diesel, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, I'm talking about intense, engaging Shakespearean caliber acting...

  A few who may come kinda close:

                Anne Hathaway - Becoming Jane...
                Heath Ledger
                James McAvoy - I don't know why he didn't get an Ocscar nomination for The Last King of Scotland...

  Can you think of others..?

I think Adrien Brody has that potential, although you don't hear much about him now ever since he won the Oscar for "The Pianist". He just has that certain something, even in cheestastic movies like "Summer of Sam" and "The Affair of the Necklace" (I liked this movie :D). I know he's in "The Darjeeling Limited", which should be interesting, even though I don't like Owen Wilson.

I think Kiera Knightley will be a mix between Vivien Leigh and Greer Garson. She chooses similar roles.

Kate Winslet is already standing out as a very admirable actress. She's choosing roles that Katherine Hepburn or Barbara Stanwyck would go for.

I think Amanda Bynes could be the next Michelle Pfeiffer or someone similar.  She started out as a child actress, and now her star is on the rise.  I didn't see the 2007 remake of 'Hairspray', but apparently her performance got excellent reviews

   Who, among the current crop of young actors is going to replace:

   Your Lawrence Oliviers?  Your Christopher Plummers?  Your Richard Burtons?  Your Peter Ustinovs?  Your John Gielguds?

   Will there be any more Gene Hackmans?  Peter O'Tooles?  Alec Guiness'?  William Holdens?  Rex Harrisons?  Gregory Pecks?  Walter Pidgeons?  Roddy McDowalls?

   There are many I left out, but you get the picture...

   I'm not talking about the usual assortment of cardboard cut-outs like Vin Diesel, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, I'm talking about intense, engaging Shakespearean caliber acting...

   A few who may come kinda close:

                Anne Hathaway - Becoming Jane...
                Heath Ledger
                James McAvoy - I don't know why he didn't get an Ocscar nomination for The Last King of Scotland...

   Can you think of others..?
At the last count, Christopher Plummer is still alive and is still acting.

At the last count, Christopher Plummer is still alive and is still acting.


  So's Gene Hackman, but that's beside the point...

  Sadly the era of Heston & Eastwood will soon be over and greats like Richard Harris & Oliver Reid are passing away all the time.  Let us hope that those promising young actors can grow to replace the greats of yesteryear...


I think Kiera Knightley will be a mix between Vivien Leigh and Greer Garson. She chooses similar roles.

Kate Winslet is already standing out as a very admirable actress. She's choosing roles that Katherine Hepburn or Barbara Stanwyck would go for.


  I agree Kate Winslet is a talented actress.  Keira Knightley, however I'm not familliar with...

I think Adrien Brody has that potential, although you don't hear much about him now ever since he won the Oscar for "The Pianist". He just has that certain something, even in cheestastic movies like "Summer of Sam" and "The Affair of the Necklace" (I liked this movie :D). I know he's in "The Darjeeling Limited", which should be interesting, even though I don't like Owen Wilson.


  Adrian Brody's acting skill is unquestionable but has he got the x-factor to lead..?

  Whos a good lead under forty..? 

  Ed Norton?  Powerful actor, not leading man material (no mojo), IMO...
  Ewan McGregor?  Fine actor but, again, not quite the alpha-male..
  Orlando Bloom?  Would pronounce "charisma" beautifully but possesses almost none...
  Will Smith is the genuine article.  Anyone agree?  I have him in the junior category (he's only 2 years short of 40) among those with anything approaching the charisma and gravitas the old pros had...
  Christian Bale?  Almost certainly will join Smith as the pre-eminent leading men under 40...

Call me a pessimest but none of the actors of today can compare to the actors mentioned (although Will Smith is a great performer) Denzel Washigton is the modern day Sidney Poitier, I do like Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep (can u tell I just recently saw The Devil Wears Prada) I rarely even go to the movies anymore. But most of today's actors/actreses popularity is based on looks.  Not talent.  Back in the day people took on acting, singing etc  because it was their passion, their love. Who has the comedic timing of Jackie Gleason? no one today. Now people act, sing etc. for the money and because they shot a video on you tube.

Call me a pessimest but none of the actors of today can compare to the actors mentioned (although Will Smith is a great performer) Denzel Washigton is the modern day Sidney Poitier, I do like Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep (can u tell I just recently saw The Devil Wears Prada) I rarely even go to the movies anymore. But most of today's actors/actreses popularity is based on looks.  Not talent.  Back in the day people took on acting, singing etc  because it was their passion, their love. Who has the comedic timing of Jackie Gleason? no one today. Now people act, sing etc. for the money and because they shot a video on you tube.
"

   

   That would make two of us, pessimistic, that is.   Good post...

   I fear that cinema is becoming a dying art.  Now, more than ever, I'm turning to independent, foreign and classic films...

   I'm tempted to blame this decline on the generation gap thing, but you're right.  Classic cinema gives the impression of being "hand crafted using quality materials".  Most garden variety cinema, today, feels sterile, plastic and "manufactured"...

      groove ;) on...

Not to mention everything is a "remake" of an actually good movie, song etc. I can't to one day hear the announcement: 2009 will be a remake of 1983.

Not to mention everything is a "remake" of an actually good movie, song etc. I can't to one day hear the announcement: 2009 will be a remake of 1983.


  Ka-ching!  Ka-ching!

  You do have to blame the moviegoing public, though.  We'll give 'em what they ask for and, if it puts buts in seats, we'll make twenty more just like it...

  I have no problem if the remake actually builds upon or improves the original in any way, but that's more the exception than the rule.  Look at "The Bounty" (1984) awhile back, I know, but you see what I mean.  Let's see what happens with the remake of "Dambusters" (1955) next year.  A great remake can be done but, for some reason, it just isn't...

  Look at how many movies have been made about the life of Christ, for instance.  Personally, I love 'em!  Watch "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988) the most thought provoking and challenging films I've seen.  Of course it worked because Jesus has some of the best mental real estate around...

Call me a pessimest but none of the actors of today can compare to the actors mentioned (although Will Smith is a great performer) Denzel Washigton is the modern day Sidney Poitier, I do like Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep (can u tell I just recently saw The Devil Wears Prada) I rarely even go to the movies anymore. But most of today's actors/actreses popularity is based on looks.  Not talent.  Back in the day people took on acting, singing etc  because it was their passion, their love. Who has the comedic timing of Jackie Gleason? no one today. Now people act, sing etc. for the money and because they shot a video on you tube.


I think Jack Black could be on par with Jackie Gleason... now hear me out...

Jackie Gleason was good but his comedy was all in his expressions.  and in the Hummina hummina hummina.... I don't think Gleason would have been considered nearly as funny tho without Art Carney... most of the best skits involve both of them...

First you address the ball...."Hello Ball!"

Sure Nacho Libre probably sucked but School of Rock wasn't bad.

I'm not nostalgic at all, so I can't really say that I kept up with the actors of yesteryear.

If anything, the market is so huge now that it's rather difficult for one actor to take up so much of the limelight these days, but I think that's a good thing.  There is a wider variety of movies coming out these days, and many action films seem to be aiming at a smarter audience (like the Bourne series and the new Batman one).

Simply put, if you prefer movies that make you think, now is a good time to check out services like Netflix.

Unlike the music industry nowadays, we seem to be in a movie golden age.  Actors certainly make up a large part of a movie, but film is really the art form of the director.  Christopher Nolan and Paul Greengrass are two of the best directors that have ever lived, IMHO.

I think Jack Black could be on par with Jackie Gleason... now hear me out...

Jackie Gleason was good but his comedy was all in his expressions.  and in the Hummina hummina hummina.... I don't think Gleason would have been considered nearly as funny tho without Art Carney... most of the best skits involve both of them...

First you address the ball...."Hello Ball!"

Sure Nacho Libre probably sucked but School of Rock wasn't bad.






I was actually thinking of Jack Black....he's a pretty funny guy! ;D

Not to mention everything is a "remake" of an actually good movie, song etc. I can't to one day hear the announcement: 2009 will be a remake of 1983.


Today's movies suck. I haven't paid to see one in years.

It is frustrating that there are very few actors today who can really just be in consistantly good films. 50+ years ago, most films required singing, dancing, and a lot of other coordination, but today a lot of that has changed. People just aren't as imaginative as they use to be. I keep seeing TV trailers for "Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium" and at first it looks really cool, then the graphics just start looking over the top. Then, it drives me nuts because they're using the same freaky music they used in "Pee Wee's Big Adventure." I am sure little kids will have no idea where that music originally came from, and it's probably from a far better movie.

   All of this, or course, is subjective...

   I never addressed the question of what makes a great actor, director, writer great and what makes for a gratifying cinema experience.  Stuff for another thread...

   If we put Olivier, Plummer and O'Toole, for instance (pick any three you like...), in an empty room with no windows and tell them to act, I bet we'd still get first rate theatre...

  Or Liz Taylor and Rich Burton.  Boy oh, boy...

   Who, among the current crop of young actors is going to replace:

   Your Lawrence Oliviers?  Your Christopher Plummers?  Your Richard Burtons?  Your Peter Ustinovs?  Your John Gielguds?

   Will there be any more Gene Hackmans?  Peter O'Tooles?  Alec Guiness'?  William Holdens?  Rex Harrisons?  Gregory Pecks?  Walter Pidgeons?  Roddy McDowalls?

   There are many I left out, but you get the picture...

   I'm not talking about the usual assortment of cardboard cut-outs like Vin Diesel, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, I'm talking about intense, engaging Shakespearean caliber acting...

   A few who may come kinda close:

                Anne Hathaway - Becoming Jane...
                Heath Ledger
                James McAvoy - I don't know why he didn't get an Ocscar nomination for The Last King of Scotland...

   Can you think of others..?............i personally dont think that we today have any actors of that caliber that you mention.........anthony hopkins being on the list as well

Jack Black is pretty funny.

Actors of today I like are:

Ed Norton
Don Cheadle
Daniel Craig
Denzel Washington 
Robert Carlyle
Jason Statham
Anne Hathaway
Ryan Reynolds
Cate Blanchett
Naomi Watts
Rachael MacAdams
Vince Vaughn
Hugo Weaving
Ian McKellen
Scarlett Johansson
Matt Damon
Natalie Portman
Kate Winslet

Jack Black is pretty funny.

Actors of today I like are:

Ed Norton
Don Cheadle
Daniel Craig
Denzel Washington 
Robert Carlyle
Jason Statham
Anne Hathaway
Ryan Reynolds
Cate Blanchett
Naomi Watts
Rachael MacAdams
Vince Vaughn
Hugo Weaving
Ian McKellen
Scarlett Johansson
Matt Damon
Natalie Portman
Kate Winslet


good list....

I love Natalie Portman but I don't always like the roles she chooses to play

Thanks.

Natalie Portman is an awesome actress
and I will agree that Will Smith can pretty much play anything, he's just a natural.

Maybe they should bring back the days of the man in the rubber Godzilla suit and actually challenge actors  lol

What I've seen of Casey Affleck, he's a good actor.  I like Matt Damon and Ewan McGreggor, and as he's starting to age, I like Lian Neeson.
Mark Wahlberg has improved in the projects he takes over the past few years.

Dakota Fanning was a really good child actress, but haven't seen her in much lately.  Also AnnaSophia Robb has potential.

Liam Neeson is really good, and Mark Wahlberg is getting there.

I saw Natalie Portman in one of her very early movies over the weekend: "Beautiful Girls" with Timothy Hutton who is an 80s hottie to me. 

Well, Davester ... I stumbled across this topic ... by taking a rare trip to the front page ... and ... it came up as a higlighted topic.

So, my '5 cents' worth (adjusted for inflation ? )  :P ... follows !  ;D


I have to say, I'm a bit of an old fogie in the sense that I've much affection for 'classic Hollywood' .. and thought those 'classic' actors were brilliant.

However ... I have to find fault with you here ....


  Who, among the current crop of young actors is going to replace:

  Your Lawrence Oliviers?  Your Christopher Plummers?  Your Richard Burtons?  Your Peter Ustinovs?  Your John Gielguds?  Will there be any more Gene Hackmans?  Peter O'Tooles?  Alec Guiness'?  William Holdens?  Rex Harrisons?  Gregory Pecks?  Walter Pidgeons?  Roddy McDowalls?



Yes ... the problem I have here ... I only know of ONE Lawrence Olivier/ Gregory Peck (etc;)  as opposed to 'Your Lawrence Olivier(s) .. Gregory Peck(s) ... :P :D


Alright ... 'poetic licence' aside ... some of the classic actors/ actresses  I admired / enjoyed ....

Burt Lancaster; Spencer Tracy; Clark Gable; Jimmy Stewart; Ronald Coleman; Edward G. Robinson; Monty Woolley ('The Man who came to dinner');Bette Davis; / William Powell (The Great Ziegfeld/ My Man Godfrey);Kirk Douglas (especially 'Lust for Life'); Henry Fonda (12 Angry Men .... not to mention .. the brilliant cast ....);Robert Donat; Greer Garson



I have some idea where 'classic Hollywood' might end / 'New Hollywood begin'. I'd say Paul Newman is around that transitional time ... a kind of 'missing link' between the REALLY old days .... and the more modern actor ... but only in the sense of his youth / when he was a star, as opposed to his acting style. Maybe a 'new KID on the block then (?).

People I'd categorise in this block might include: Charles Bronson; Clint Eastwood; Arnold Schwarzenegger; Sylvester Stallone; Whoopi Goldberg; Anthony Hopkins; John Hurt (The 'Elephant Man'); Gene Hackman; Robert de Niro; JACK NICHOLSON; Sidney Poitier; Harrisson Ford; Dustin Hoffman; Robert Redford. 

Of the current crop of stars, there are many MANY I don't know /never recognise from theirphotos ... even though I know the names .... but actors / actresses I enjoy these days include ... DENZEL WASHINGTON  (caps ... 'cause I really rate him !) ....; Sandra Bullock; Tom Cruise (reluctantly); Nicholas Cage; Bruce Willis

I expect there are a heap of stars I'm missing out ... who aren't coming to my current inebriated state .... but ... these are certainly a good start (well, I think so ...).

Anyhow, I'd say your average 'classic actor' had more depth to their character / was less reliant on special effects / constant car chases / explosions etc; to carry the day ...  :-X :-\\

Arnold Schwarzenegger


Schwarzenegger really?  did he need to be mentioned at all in this thread? Especially amongst names like
Charles Bronson; Clint Eastwood;  Sylvester Stallone; Whoopi Goldberg; Anthony Hopkins; John Hurt (The 'Elephant Man'); Gene Hackman; Robert de Niro; JACK NICHOLSON; Sidney Poitier; Harrisson Ford; Dustin Hoffman; Robert Redford.

The only reason I left Stallone in is because he did some actual acting in Rocky... what has Schwarzenegger ever acted in?  He's the same caricature in every film...just more stiff in some than others...

Now don't get me wrong... there are some Schwarzenegger films that I enjoy but none of them for his "acting"

Schwarzenegger really?  did he need to be mentioned at all in this thread? Especially amongst names like
The only reason I left Stallone in is because he did some actual acting in Rocky... what has Schwarzenegger ever acted in?  He's the same caricature in every film...just more stiff in some than others...

Now don't get me wrong... there are some Schwarzenegger films that I enjoy but none of them for his "acting"



Well, I have to agree with you in terms of his 'acting' abilities .... that he doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as those others .... but in fairness ... I did say ..

Alright ... 'poetic licence' aside ... some of the classic actors/ actresses  I admired / enjoyed ....


So, I've enjoyed his first two 'Terminator' movies, 'Predator' and so on ... to the extent that I've watched them too many times to bare watching them again. Maybe when I've got 'Al's' - heimer .... then hearing 'I'll be back'  might become refreshingly novel ?  ???  :-\\

^ hey i'm a huge Terminator fan (1 & 2) just once more for the record I don't keep going back to these films because of Auhnuld's acting... Linda Hamilton's acting? ABSOLUTELY!

Well, Davester ... I stumbled across this topic ... by taking a rare trip to the front page ... and ... it came up as a higlighted topic.

So, my '5 cents' worth (adjusted for inflation ? )   :P ... follows !  ;D


I have to say, I'm a bit of an old fogie in the sense that I've much affection for 'classic Hollywood' .. and thought those 'classic' actors were brilliant.

However ... I have to find fault with you here ....

Yes ... the problem I have here ... I only know of ONE Lawrence Olivier/ Gregory Peck (etc;)   as opposed to 'Your Lawrence Olivier(s) .. Gregory Peck(s) ... :P :D


Alright ... 'poetic licence' aside ... some of the classic actors/ actresses  I admired / enjoyed ....

Burt Lancaster; Spencer Tracy; Clark Gable; Jimmy Stewart; Ronald Coleman; Edward G. Robinson; Monty Woolley ('The Man who came to dinner');Bette Davis; / William Powell (The Great Ziegfeld/ My Man Godfrey);Kirk Douglas (especially 'Lust for Life'); Henry Fonda (12 Angry Men .... not to mention .. the brilliant cast ....);Robert Donat; Greer Garson



I have some idea where 'classic Hollywood' might end / 'New Hollywood begin'. I'd say Paul Newman is around that transitional time ... a kind of 'missing link' between the REALLY old days .... and the more modern actor ... but only in the sense of his youth / when he was a star, as opposed to his acting style. Maybe a 'new KID on the block then (?).

People I'd categorise in this block might include: Charles Bronson; Clint Eastwood; Arnold Schwarzenegger; Sylvester Stallone; Whoopi Goldberg; Anthony Hopkins; John Hurt (The 'Elephant Man'); Gene Hackman; Robert de Niro; JACK NICHOLSON; Sidney Poitier; Harrisson Ford; Dustin Hoffman; Robert Redford. 

Of the current crop of stars, there are many MANY I don't know /never recognise from theirphotos ... even though I know the names .... but actors / actresses I enjoy these days include ... DENZEL WASHINGTON  (caps ... 'cause I really rate him !) ....; Sandra Bullock; Tom Cruise (reluctantly); Nicholas Cage; Bruce Willis

I expect there are a heap of stars I'm missing out ... who aren't coming to my current inebriated state .... but ... these are certainly a good start (well, I think so ...).

Anyhow, I'd say your average 'classic actor' had more depth to their character / was less reliant on special effects / constant car chases / explosions etc; to carry the day ...   :-X :-\\


  Thank you for replying.  I never check the front page... :)

  I agree with you about many of the golden age actors listed are in a class by themselves and NO ONE will ever have the same cultural significance... 

  Much of the mainstream product put out by Hollywood today are sequels, re-makes and films based on TV shows, toys, rides, &etc is because films cost so much, now.  Studios try to minimize the risk by making films based on already established characters and plots - they have a built in audience.  Expensive two hour product endorsements with crappy plots and stiff acting...

  Yes, there has always been fluff and nonsense, but people must see that everything has been dumbed-down, all the way down to Stupidtown - is this not a completely obvious cultural shift?  Is Davester now talking to ghosts who drift through this world, unaware, consuming shiny snacks, brains atrophying in a hazy daze of instant gratification and noise..?

  I have to hit the sack.  More tomorrow... :)

If Beowulf is any indication, everything will be CGI in the future and all actors will do are the voices.

Ant

I've always thought Robert Downey Jr. was a very fine actor.  I think he has potential to fill a Jimmy Stewart shoes.