Nathaniel R. at Film Experience finished off his Top 100 Actors of the Aughts last evening, with Jude Law coming out on top.
Look here for the whole shebang.
Thinking about who would go where on my own list, I start to have a bit of a moral crisis (which seem to be really in vogue with me as of late) - how could I not put Jake, my Jake, at the top? There's a bunch of discussion about how much "attractiveness" goes into one's favor for an actor going on in the comments at FE, and I must say that while, obviously, I have a... bit of a fixation... on Jake, I would have a problem, at this juncture, saying with a straight face he's the absolute best actor working today, even in my own skewed opinion. I think he could get there, and I would weigh his performance in Jarhead with much more esteem than most... and, let's face it, the boy would easily slip into my top 5. But #1?
But then I can't really decide who I do think is the best actor working today. Christian Bale is top 5 material for American Psycho alone, though I thought - putting the dramatic weight loss schtick aside (which, granted, even while watching the film is pretty much impossible to do) - he gave a haunting performance in The Machinist... he was also a terrific Batman, and gave a touching, though small, bit in The New World.
I'd probably have Clive Owen up there, too, for Closer (he was robbed) and Gosford Park (in which I forgot any of the other 50 or so other characters existed whenever he was onscreen).
My affections for the "Bill Murray schtick" that Bill Murray has perfected haven't waned even after watching him do it in three straight movies, and noticing that his Polonious in the Ethan Hawke version of Hamlet was in 2000, that pushes his Aughts-ranking even higher for me.
Ralph Feinnes is also a Top 5 candidate - I can't imagine anyone else now as Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter (cannot wait for that final showdown!), and his work in The Constant Gardener and Spider (a film I was disappointed by, except for his performace) was really spectacular.
But where would I place them? And who else would be up there? And what problems do I have with Jude Law being so high up there? Well, the first two questions can be answered by "I am lazy and constantly-conflicted so I don't have the patience to do a list like Nathaniel has managed, so we'll never know."
But the third question, what have I got against Jude? Well, there's Alfie, a film which I wanted to scratch my eyes out while watching and promptly send them in an envelope to Mr. Law, addressed "You Fucker." There's Cold Mountain, in which no one registered a single fleeting moment of interest for me except Zellweger (though that interest was bemused-horror). Same with Sky Captain - what was Law doing, except for boring me silly? I will give him Huckabees, though, an immensely misunderstood and brilliant gem of a film, in which Law is spectacularly funny (and Naomi Watts even more so). Also, I loved Gigolo Joe. He was a fine, brief Errol Flynn. He'd probably make top ten for these and for his work in Road to Perdition. He seems to get a pass because he has made a lot of films since 2000, hit and miss, but almost always interesting for one reason or another.
Johnny Depp might make top ten, too, though I'm far less enamored with Capt. Jack Sparrow then most (that's not saying I didn't like it, it's just... overkill, people, serious overkill on the Capt. Jack-love), and I downright hated his Willy Wonka. Loved him in Before Night Falls, though.
Yadda yadda yadda. This post was only supposed to point you in the direction of Nathaniel's wonderful job, and here I am braying on like I have even formed any concrete opinions of my own. It's easy to nitpick, hard to accomplish. Nathaniel's accomplished. I stop now.
///
Look here for the whole shebang.
Thinking about who would go where on my own list, I start to have a bit of a moral crisis (which seem to be really in vogue with me as of late) - how could I not put Jake, my Jake, at the top? There's a bunch of discussion about how much "attractiveness" goes into one's favor for an actor going on in the comments at FE, and I must say that while, obviously, I have a... bit of a fixation... on Jake, I would have a problem, at this juncture, saying with a straight face he's the absolute best actor working today, even in my own skewed opinion. I think he could get there, and I would weigh his performance in Jarhead with much more esteem than most... and, let's face it, the boy would easily slip into my top 5. But #1?
But then I can't really decide who I do think is the best actor working today. Christian Bale is top 5 material for American Psycho alone, though I thought - putting the dramatic weight loss schtick aside (which, granted, even while watching the film is pretty much impossible to do) - he gave a haunting performance in The Machinist... he was also a terrific Batman, and gave a touching, though small, bit in The New World.
I'd probably have Clive Owen up there, too, for Closer (he was robbed) and Gosford Park (in which I forgot any of the other 50 or so other characters existed whenever he was onscreen).
My affections for the "Bill Murray schtick" that Bill Murray has perfected haven't waned even after watching him do it in three straight movies, and noticing that his Polonious in the Ethan Hawke version of Hamlet was in 2000, that pushes his Aughts-ranking even higher for me.
Ralph Feinnes is also a Top 5 candidate - I can't imagine anyone else now as Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter (cannot wait for that final showdown!), and his work in The Constant Gardener and Spider (a film I was disappointed by, except for his performace) was really spectacular.
But where would I place them? And who else would be up there? And what problems do I have with Jude Law being so high up there? Well, the first two questions can be answered by "I am lazy and constantly-conflicted so I don't have the patience to do a list like Nathaniel has managed, so we'll never know."
But the third question, what have I got against Jude? Well, there's Alfie, a film which I wanted to scratch my eyes out while watching and promptly send them in an envelope to Mr. Law, addressed "You Fucker." There's Cold Mountain, in which no one registered a single fleeting moment of interest for me except Zellweger (though that interest was bemused-horror). Same with Sky Captain - what was Law doing, except for boring me silly? I will give him Huckabees, though, an immensely misunderstood and brilliant gem of a film, in which Law is spectacularly funny (and Naomi Watts even more so). Also, I loved Gigolo Joe. He was a fine, brief Errol Flynn. He'd probably make top ten for these and for his work in Road to Perdition. He seems to get a pass because he has made a lot of films since 2000, hit and miss, but almost always interesting for one reason or another.
Johnny Depp might make top ten, too, though I'm far less enamored with Capt. Jack Sparrow then most (that's not saying I didn't like it, it's just... overkill, people, serious overkill on the Capt. Jack-love), and I downright hated his Willy Wonka. Loved him in Before Night Falls, though.
Yadda yadda yadda. This post was only supposed to point you in the direction of Nathaniel's wonderful job, and here I am braying on like I have even formed any concrete opinions of my own. It's easy to nitpick, hard to accomplish. Nathaniel's accomplished. I stop now.
///
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