Mitch's Best/Worst Roles Column

[British_Pharaoh]

I was surprised you didnt include Russell Crowes performance in a beautiful mind on your actors and their best/worst roles list

also i thought it was a no brainer for merly streeps role in Kramer vs Kramer

and how come you didnt do one for Dustin hoffman?

but otherwise SPOT ON!

[swerb]

Mitch, great stuff.

My thoughts ...

Penn, DeNiro - hard to argue with your choices. All epic roles.

Spacey, I'd put his role in Pay It Forward, The Ref, or David Gale ahead of The Negotiator, but thats a nitpick ... as you hit Gold & Silver.

Nicholson, at first I wondered about his role as The Joker in Batman, but in hindsight ... that is a very good movie, and thats an epic role. I may have put his spot in About Schmidt or A Few Good Men ahead of it.

Pacino, Hanks, Hopkins - bingo. Denzel also, and man those are three great roles.

Samuel L, I loved his effort in Jackie Brown, just loved that character. I would have has that Silver behind his effort in Pulp Fiction, but his role in Changing Lanes (underrated flick, Ben Affleck playing his real life character) is underrated and a great catch at Bronze.

DiCaprio, didn't see the Gold and Silver yet, but I would have included Titanic. Also Marvins Room, along with Catch me If You Can. Again, disclaimer, I have yet to see the Departed or Blood Diamond. DiCaprio is a great actor.

Depp, I would have included Edward Scissorhands. I didn't like that film as much as most, but that was a great role. Kinda like Pirates. Great role average film.

Cusack, I agree on High Fidelity. I woulda had The Grifters in there somewhere.

Norton, another great actor. Great catches for his phenomenal roles in American History X and Primal Fear, both very good films. I woulda had Rounders in there. But I haven't seen 25th Hour, and am a gambling junkie.

Pitt, you nailed em. Seven, Fight Club, Snatch. Three GREAT roles. All good films as well.

Crowe, I woulda went ... Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man.

Good, good stuff Mitch. Will opine on the actresses soon.

[furls]

Mitch, that was a kick ass list, and I agree with you on every single point, without exception. This is going to sound sort of gay but you and me could watch flicks together as we share a lot of opinions. Your columns actually do affect whether or not I view a movie frequently.

[pup]

This is going to sound sort of gay

not that there is anything wrong with that....

[Guest]

First response...and please keep the comments coming. The stuff I put down was totally subjective. There are no wrong answers on this.

Hoffman...tough, tough choice. If I had a #16, he would have been there.

Gold: Tootsie.
Silver: Midnight Cowboy.
Bronze: Kramer vs. Kramer
WTF?: Dick Tracy.

That's just off the top of my head without the benefit of IMDB.

"Beautiful Mind". Good movie...but if you've read my stuff, I don't like it when they change actual history around and pass it off as the truth. "Rome" is a cross between fiction and reality, and it advertises itself as such..."A Beautiful Mind" didn't (Like "Cinderella Man"). It may be nitpicking...but that's a big thing for me.

But as I said, there are absolutely no right or wrong answers on this.

Except for me screwing up, and putting Kate Winslet's WTF as "Stay"...a cut-n-paste screw up from Naomi Watts....Kate did not do a bad role at all until "All the King's Men".

[yogi]

Mitch, real good stuff, hard to argue but a few questions......

I'd have listed Star Wars in there for Natalie Portman, that role was big for her career and star appeal.

DiNero can't have listing of only 3, its not right, too many. I would've had to list the young Vito Corleone in there though.

Makes me think of a Bruno Kirby List....... Godfather II, City Slickers, When Harry met Sally.

What? Now we need a Billy Crystal & Meg Ryan list!

But seriously, this waould be real fun for the all time greats.

Bogart, Stewart, Fonda, Cagney, Hepburn, Tracey, Wayne, Mitchum, March, Grant.......

DiNero, Hoffman, Nicholson, Pacino, Streep and Jack could hang with that crowd.

Maybe we can discuss on Draft Party Eve?

[swerb]

Actresses ....

Naomi, her role in Mulholland Dr is one of the best roles EVER by an actress IMO, was very glad to see it get gold. She was very good in 21 Grams and the Ring as well, also in the Assassination of Richard Nixon.

Kate Winslet - Alot of good roles to choose from. I would went Heavenly Creatures, Titanic, Finding Neverland. She was good in the Life Of David Gale as Well. I know Eternal Sunshine was highly regarded, but I didn't caree for it. She was good in it though.

Zellweger, Portman, Swank, Kidman - I agree with all of your choices there.

Halle Berry, Monsters Ball is a no brainer Gold. I would have had The Rich Mans Wife and Losing Isiaah Silver & Gold.

Holly Hunter and Charlize Theron, I agree. Both of their Gold roles were epic.

Scarlett, Im so whipped on her, I actually liked The Island. I would have put that Bronze. Her roles in Lost In Translation and Match Point were superb.

Meryl Streep, man .... Kramer vs Kramer and The Deer Hunter would be my no brainer top two, both of which you omitted.

Bening, hard to argue. Again, three great roles. I also liked her in A Love Affair. I've always really liked Annette Bening. Sneaky hot and a great actress.

Reese Witherspoon, you missed Freeway, a great movie and role. Would have that Gold, Walk The Line silver, and Fear (whoch you omitted) Bronze.

Jodie Foster and Julia Roberts, any disagreements would be nitpicking.

[YBD]

I think this is the same list you posted wlsewhere and the only thing I have to comment on is Tom Hanks in Castaway. While I have a sentimental attachment to that movie, I'd have to say that his performance in The Green Mile was better. It may even be his Silver medal, but not having seen Philadelphia, I can't say.

I also noticed that Morgan Freeman isn't in that list. I think that's a shame. Another sentimental favorite of mine since he's a "local" guy. Seven, Along came a Spider, Shawshank Redemption, as Gold, Silver & Bronze. Dunno about the stinker category, but there's probably one in there somewhere.

My two cents. Which won't even get me any unpopped kernels of corn (AKA Old Maids)!

[consigliere]

Good call on Morgan Freeman. It seems like that dude is in every movie. Always loved him as Joe Clark in Lean On Me. He was pretty good in Million Dollar Baby and Glory too. I am coming up empty on a bomb he was in....

[YBD]

And I didn't even mention Driving Miss Daisy. That was an excellent characterization and probably one that he had to think real hard about doing considering he's from rural Mississippi. However, not good enough to bump out any of the others that I awarded him medals for. You're right with "Lean on Me", maybe Honorable Mentions for DMD & that one. I had forgotten about Million Dollar Baby until you mentioned it.

I don't think his role in Glory was central enough to the plot or big enough. I also can't stand Matthew Broderick. But it does bring to mind something that I can't forget about Freeman... his voice characterizations in Ken Burns' The Civil War. I know Freeman did Fredrick Douglass but he also did a few others in that series.

I think Freeman's narration ability and presentation places him right into the all star category with the likes of James Earl Jones, Alexander Scourby, Jason Robards and John Facenda.

[swerb]

Morgan Freeman is great. He was also good in Unforgiven.

However, to me, Freeman has been typecast as an actor to a certain degree. Either as the veteran detective or wise old companion to the hero main character of the movie.

Has Freeman ever played a truly villanous character? His role in "Lucky Number Slevin" was semi-bad guy, but it was not one of my favorite roles from him.

Dude just cranks out films though. A quick look at his IMDB page shows NINE movies either soon to be released, in production, or in post production. And he's gonna be 70 in June.

[Guest]

Swerb is so right about Reese Witherspoon in Freeway.

[swerb]

Swerb is so right about Reese Witherspoon in Freeway.

That was your reccomendation brotha. Forgot to thank you for that one. Hidden gem ...

[sandlot33]

how about when she got finger banged by marky mark on the roller coaster in Fear...classic