Actors which your opinions have changed of

[Offcell]

So which actors that you original thought were good have turned to bad or vice versa in the last 5 years or so based on some of their newer films.

For me it is Bill Murray and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

Bill Murray went from a average actor who i didnt really like to one of my favorite actors in the past few years. the reason for this is the movies, Lost in Translation, Life Aquatic and Broken Flowers. It seems like he has changed his acting style, he plays such a laid back type of character with almost unnoticeable sarcasm and i really like his new style. If youve seen Broken Flowers it is very evident in that movie, it almost seems like he is tired.

Joseph Gordon Levitt was in Third Rock From The Sun, which i hated. So i characterized him with shit comedy but his new movies have been fantastic and he is currently my favorite actor. such movies are Manic, Mysterious Skin and Brick. He has such a wide range of acting its incredible, in Mysterious skin he played such an emotionally high role that had alot of tough emotional energy that he had to convey, then he moved onto Brick which is the complete opposite. Brick is packed with dialogue and he showed off his ability to act very intelligently with great dialogue.

[atreyu_2020]

I don't know but as far as where their career has gone, Al Pacino.

Patch rarely put out a bad film back in the day, maybe he'd have a stinker every now and then but then followed up with some good, strong films. Now I pretty much hate everything he's in. Insomnia was about the only good one out his recents.

[Godzilla14]

Tom Cruise was alright but then he turned into a lunatic with the whole scientology(sp) thing.

[thermopyle]

Jim Carrey. He was funny on ILC and in the Ace Ventura movies. Now he is a douche.

[DeSimone-J]

I used to like Michael J. Fox when he was in the Back To the Future trilogy, but that twitching has gotten annoying. :ohnoes:

[Lividum]

Vin Diesel. Before I heard about Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick, I thought he was a regular, shit actor. XxX and that racing shit, Fast something, seemed like the biggest loads ever (and probably were, right?). But goddamn, Pitch Black and Chronicles were pretty fucking nice. He may not be the greatest actor fit for a grand stage, but he carried both very well. I just kind of don't think about his shitty roles. He's good in films that actually matter.

Hannibal the Conqueror should be interesting. I hope it does well, and he stays a long ways away from crap roles in the future.

Adam Sandler, at least for me, went from a somewhat mediocre comedy actor, to a relatively significant actor. He used to be annoying, now he's good (for the most part).

[Watusa]

Bruce Willis has impressed me in the last 5-7 years, with Sin City especially.

[r3v3r3nd]

I think you guys are hitting a lot of the ones that I like:

I thought Bill Murray has always had a good unique style.
Al Pacino has been in some all-time classic flicks
Tom Cruise is a douche but has been in some flicks with good directors.
Jim Carrey... 50-50, sometimes great, sometimes a waste of time.
Vin Diesel... I hear ya on the Black and Riddick... bad-ass
Adam Sandler: Never the best but ALWAYS entertaining
Bruce Willis: always cool.

I'd like to throw in: producers/directors/actors:
Trey Parker and Matt Stone ....they rock.

Series Actor: James Gandolfini (sp?) has done a fantastic job on Sopranos

[Mount_Happy]

Bill Murray is one of the most talented actors out there. In a lot of his films he doesnt even read the script for a scene, he ad-libs it all, like the commercial his character does in Kingpin; all completely ad-libbed.

As for me:

Jim Carrey - used to be a comedic legend, but now his roles arent as entertaining.
Adam Sandler - same as Jim Carrey
Adrien Brody - thought he was a douchebag, and he still might be, but i got a shitload of respect for him as an actor after watching "The Jacket".

[Kazimierz]

Bill Murray went from a average actor who i didnt really like to one of my favorite actors in the past few years. the reason for this is the movies, Lost in Translation, Life Aquatic and Broken Flowers. It seems like he has changed his acting style, he plays such a laid back type of character with almost unnoticeable sarcasm and i really like his new style. If youve seen Broken Flowers it is very evident in that movie, it almost seems like he is tired.

When i saw the title of this thread, that's pretty much exactly what i was going to say.

[Offcell]

Jim Carrey. He was funny on ILC and in the Ace Ventura movies. Now he is a douche.

Jim Carrey has changed as an actor in the same way that i have changed as a viewer. In his old movies he did alot of physical comedy and at the time i was around 8-12 years old and i found that stuff funny but now i dont so much anymore. His newer stuff like Eternal Sunshine are more in my area of film liking, so he has kind of grown with me.

[Mysterio]

I still love Ace Venture movies and find them so funny. While Jim Carreys new movies where he trys to do somthing other than comedy just dosent work for him.

As for me I was thinking Harrison Ford. He was great in the Indiana Jones movies, Star wars, and even Blade Runner, but oither than that hes gone downhill. Movies like What lies beneth, Firewall, K-19 Windowmaker etc.

Also Christopher Walken, he was in some great movies like The Deer Hunter, Batman Returns, Antz. Just to sum up where he went he was in Gigli, and Kangaroo Jack.

[atreyu_2020]

I still love Ace Venture movies and find them so funny. While Jim Carreys new movies where he trys to do somthing other than comedy just dosent work for him..

You obviously havent seen The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine, or even some of Man on the Moon.

Also, he was good in The Number 23, just that the movie sucked.

[Junkman]

Man on the Moon was fucking epic. It's either they channeled the spirit of Andy Kauffman through Jim Carrey, or he's a fucking talented actor.

[Offcell]

good point with man on the moon, another movie that i loved him was
The Cable Guy. I think that is in his top 5 if not top 10 best films.

[Just Spurplin]

Dont think anyone has said it...

Leonardo DiCaprio. From Titanic and Romeo + Juliet (because a plus sign is so much cooler then AND) to kick ass movies like The Departed, Catch Me If You Can, Blood Diamond. Shit... the man's last non-good, non-kick ass movie was in fucking 1998 ('99 if The Beach sucked, I never saw it but heard some good things from it). And I have so much fucking respect for him for talking that two year hiatus. He was getting type cast as a pretty boy, there wasnt a single guy in the country that didnt think he was a faggot, and no one would look at him as a serious actor. In those two years he took off, he could have been making MILLIONS doing a bunch of shit teen heart throb movies. Instead, for two years, he didnt make a single picture, so everyone forgot about him, and he could come back with a clean slate and be looked at as an actor and not a pretty boy.

Kevin Smith. I love him. Always have. But recently, over the past few months, I have really started to realize the guy is a fucking bad director. Like really, quite fucking bad. Amazing writer. Great, great, great writer. But his directing is so fucking lame. Like Clerks it can be forgiven because of the money he had (even though Rodriguez did much more for much much less), but its still like that in his newer movies. Also, being in the pack with Rodriguez and Tarantino, you cant help but look at his music choices. Tarantino picks great fucking songs, and Rodriguez makes some really cool fucking scores. But Smith, he picks some of the most obvious songs out there. Like Tarantino picks songs you have either never heard of, or havent thought of in some 30 years. But Smith, he just isnt that creative. Like he used Rain drops Keep Fallin on my Head in Clerks 2, which was just used in Spiderman 2 a couple years earlier (and Smith being a comic book fan he HAD to know that). And that song while Dante is looking for Becky and its got all those slowed down, sort of emotional shots of everyone. I dont even remember what song it was, but I remember thinking "Really? Thats the best song you could come up with?" I still love his movies, but as a director and song chooser guy, he really aint that good.

[Face Plant]

Nicolas Cage, his last good movie was 'Bringing Out the Dead' in 1999. I'll throw him a bone for 'Adaptation' 2002 but that movie was way over rated. He seems to be in it for the money now.

[esruC]

Christian Bale: I liked him in Batman Begins and The Prestige, but after he produced and starred in Harsh Times, I dunno. It was just really bad.

Leo DiCaprio: I just thought he was some pretty-boy, but after watching Gangs Of New York, Blood Diamond, and The Departed, I think he's a very good actor.

EDIT: Amen, Spurplin.

[atreyu_2020]

Nicolas Cage, his last good movie was 'Bringing Out the Dead' in 1999. I'll throw him a bone for 'Adaptation' 2002 but that movie was way over rated. He seems to be in it for the money now.

What would make you say that? :confused: Just remember hating on Nickie Cage won't bring back your GODDAMN HONEY.

And on Leo, he's still not that good of an actor, but I will admit he was great in Blood Diamond.....boy was Blood Diamond robbed for a Best Picture nod, shit it was better than The Departed.

[a7x1337]

i'd have to go with the Rock. i used to just be 'lol rock,' but Gridiron Gang proved to me that he's actually a capable actor. i like him

[Slid3r]

i'd have to go with the Rock. i used to just be 'lol rock,' but Gridiron Gang proved to me that he's actually a capable actor. i like him

I was hoping no one would mention him. He really got me in The Rundown, he showed that he can be both a badass/funny guy in the same movie. You wouldn't have known for his cheesy acting in wrestling. Walking Tall was a good movie too, and from the looks of he previews, he seems pretty decent. Not bad for a wrestling to action conversion. I thought he was just a joke in wrestling.

Tom Cruise is a gimme for becoming a complete lunatic.

[FuNkYFreSH]

They are all fake!

[Crazed Ronin]

Tom Cruise turned from a decent actor into a crazy. Hopefully he and Katie Holmes will be swallowed by the earth and never heard from again.

[TheBigLebowski]

Christian Bale: I liked him in Batman Begins and The Prestige, but after he produced and starred in Harsh Times, I dunno. It was just really bad.


Not even a year apart between the last two you listed. He was awesome in Harsh Times imo. He was consistent in his acting and I think the entire movie was well done...then again he's my favorite actor so I might be seeing things through rose colored glasses.

[Jim Colyer]

I did not care for Mel Gibson when he was doing the Mad Max junk. Later, I came to like him. It was his Hamlet in 1990 that won me over.

[Bidwell]

Also Christopher Walken, he was in some great movies like The Deer Hunter, Batman Returns, Antz. Just to sum up where he went he was in Gigli, and Kangaroo Jack.
Walken's said in interviews that he never turns down a role unless he's too busy with other projects. He's still an awesome actor; don't hold crappy scripts against him.

[roberts]

Nicolas Cage, his last good movie was 'Bringing Out the Dead' in 1999. I'll throw him a bone for 'Adaptation' 2002 but that movie was way over rated. He seems to be in it for the money now.

I really liked the Weather Man. Have you seen that one yet?

[Sketcher]

i'd have to go with the Rock. i used to just be 'lol rock,' but Gridiron Gang proved to me that he's actually a capable actor. i like him

Same here. When he first started in the movie business, I thought he was going to be a shit actor but he's actually a pretty good actor.

[Just Spurplin]

I really liked the Weather Man. Have you seen that one yet?

Yes, and while your question was not directed at me, I hated it. I was so fucking excited for it. It got slammed by critics, but I figured that its a dark comedy, and dark comedys are very often slammed by critics. So I still bought the DVD, very hopeful.

I laughed like two times. Maybe. That part where he was supposed to get his Dad a paper, but then accidentally spent all his money while trying to get change for a dollar, that was funny. And then, the exact same thing happens again. Still, it was funny.

Just about everything else was boring. Just dull and humorless. The previews made it seem like it would be very weird and offbeat with that whole "People dont throw things at me now that I carry a bow and arrow," part. But that line was basically the only mention of him carrying around the bow.

And then the dramatics part of it. It just all felt wrong. Much darker and more disturbing subject matter has been done before, so it wasnt what was being shown. Its just the way it was shown I guess. I cant really explain exactly why, but it all felt.... wrong.

[xvar888]

I don't know, in my opinion Samuel L. Jackson is currently just fucking around and the current work he's been in like the Afro Samurai cartoon and the piece of shit Snakes on A Plane are examples of this. I don't know what to make of Black Snake Moan though :rolleyes: .

Yeah Tom Cruise is a nut now :ahhh:

[Bubb Rubb]

Whatever Tom Cruise does in his personal life is up to him, but he's still a great actor. He was great in Magnolia and Vanilla Sky. The Mission Impossible Trilogy was very entertaining. A lot of actors have different religious views but none of this can affect their acting abilities. Travolta's a scientologist and no one is talking about how crazy his beliefs are.

[the_saint]

Whatever Tom Cruise does in his personal life is up to him, but he's still a great actor. He was great in Magnolia and Vanilla Sky. The Mission Impossible Trilogy was very entertaining. A lot of actors have different religious views but none of this can affect their acting abilities. Travolta's a scientologist and no one is talking about how crazy his beliefs are.

Are you kidding? John Travolta and that whole 'Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000' movie is based on Scientology bullshit, which he produced and set out to get made

and Nic cage has done some poor films but Lord of War which he did recently is defiantly worth watching

[Buddha Bukakke!]

Dont think anyone has said it...

Leonardo DiCaprio. From Titanic and Romeo + Juliet (because a plus sign is so much cooler then AND) to kick ass movies like The Departed, Catch Me If You Can, Blood Diamond. Shit... the man's last non-good, non-kick ass movie was in fucking 1998 ('99 if The Beach sucked, I never saw it but heard some good things from it). And I have so much fucking respect for him for talking that two year hiatus. He was getting type cast as a pretty boy, there wasnt a single guy in the country that didnt think he was a faggot, and no one would look at him as a serious actor. In those two years he took off, he could have been making MILLIONS doing a bunch of shit teen heart throb movies. Instead, for two years, he didnt make a single picture, so everyone forgot about him, and he could come back with a clean slate and be looked at as an actor and not a pretty boy.

I couldn't agree more, back during the titanic days I used to hate DiCaprio because I thought he was just overrated. But I realized after seeing it last year that he actually did a really good job. Even as far back as "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" he was awesome. He's transformed into a more mature actor with deeper character development in his roles and he pulls it off perfectly. He did a great job in the departed.

[milarc]

Eddie Murphy.

I always enjoyed his movies but thought of him as a real fucking prick: a big asshole rich dude who likes to flaunt it and acts like he's the greatest guy in the world, way too good to talk to the likes of you, but after seeing his interview before the oscars where that chick asked him all about himself and stuff i finally got to see that he's actually a really quiet guy who likes to stay out of the spotlight and is sort of shy and stuff. That made me actually like the guy now. Right on.

So yeah.

[Just Spurplin]

Eddie Murphy.

I always enjoyed his movies but thought of him as a real fucking prick: a big asshole rich dude who likes to flaunt it and acts like he's the greatest guy in the world, way too good to talk to the likes of you, but after seeing his interview before the oscars where that chick asked him all about himself and stuff i finally got to see that he's actually a really quiet guy who likes to stay out of the spotlight and is sort of shy and stuff. That made me actually like the guy now. Right on.

So yeah.

Guess you didnt hear that he walked out after he lost the Oscar to Alan Arkin. Perhaps your initial thoughts of him being a prick were correct. And apparently he isnt nearly as cool or wild as he is in his movies. Cuba Gooding Jr. was talking about him (i think on Conan, maybe Leno), and he said the guy just doesnt nothing off camera. Like he crazy loud doing all these weird things when filming, then once the cameras stop he just shuts down. Hardly says anything, mostly speaks in low, quiet, one word responses. Cuba said he tried talking to him and just got "Uh huh....................... yeah............. so ugh.........."

[milarc]

really? Interesting...

No, i never heard about that. But after watching that pre-oscar interview he does seem like a very quiet guy, but i'm not sure if that's like an egotistical prick thing, or just a sort of shy, naturally quiet sort of thing. Hard to say.

[TheBigLebowski]

Are you kidding? John Travolta and that whole 'Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000' movie is based on Scientology bullshit, which he produced and set out to get made


Battlefield Earth was written by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of The Church of Scientology, but that doesn't have fuck all to do with $cientology. He was a prolific science fiction writer before he even wrote Dianetics ($cientology).

[2y4life]

Jim Carrey. I used to think he was a useless actor and could only do comedy and nothing else. As an actor, if all you can do is comedy, then you're really not that great of an actor. A great comedy actor but not a great actor. That was until I saw the Truman Show and Man on the Moon. Those two movies were great and I considered those his best movies as an actor all the way until early last year when I saw Eternal Sunshine on a Spotless Mind. That movie blew me away and Jim Carrey suddenly became a much better actor in my mind. His screen presence and ability peaked in that movie for me. Since then, I've seen Jim Carrey in a different light.