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The bad actors thread

post #1 of 160
9/18/08 at 10:35pm
Thread Starter 
As much as we like to see some faces on the big screen, let's face it, some of the guys in movies we've paid to see many times over are pretty awful. I thought I'd create a thread to single out some of the worst offenders, especially amongst "thesps" that some Chewers have even gone on record liking.

I'll start: David Morse.

I get that the guy does the whole one-dimensional monosyllabic WASP type, all repressed anger and such, but he never really makes an impression beyond that. I don't find his voice to be appealing, he doesn't have any interesting physicality, and there's not a single performance of his that seems real. I was especially turned off by him in "Disturbia", where his smirk-y villain role makes the question of Shia's honesty a complete moot point- yeah, of course this guy's a killer! Look at that jerky, off-center smile! I've never liked this guy in anything, but he always fades into the background, and therefore doesn't get the dislike I think he deserves.




Also, jesus, some of the worst hairdos in movie history.
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post #2 of 160
9/18/08 at 10:38pm
John Adams says you're wrong.
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post #3 of 160
9/18/08 at 10:41pm
I'm not gonna go to bat for Morse, but I like him. I think it's a problem with most A and B listers is that they play the same character over and over again. The truly BAD actors are the ones that don't only lack conviction, but lack any presense. I'd say that if it weren't for her prettiness I'd find Jessica Alba entirely invisible on screen. She can sometimes pull of physical comedy, but her dramatic acting is so phoney and dull.
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post #4 of 160
9/18/08 at 10:50pm
Dancer In The Dark also says different.
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post #5 of 160
9/18/08 at 11:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KABONG View Post
Also, jesus, some of the worst hairdos in movie history.
I liked him enough against type in THE GREEN MILE (Brutal), but his 12 MONKEYS ginger Seagal hair-don't was legendary.



My addition to the thread... MICHAEL RAPAPORT. I can't say I haven't enjoyed his presence in a few things, but I can't get over his retarded marble-mouthed dude delivery. When he plays against type (anyone with a shred of intelligence), he sticks out like a sore thumb. I want to see that SPECIAL flick of his though, where he believes he has super powers.
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post #6 of 160
9/18/08 at 11:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justin Clark View Post
Dancer In The Dark also says different.
Seconded. He was a scumbag that you could actually feel sympathy for.
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post #7 of 160
9/19/08 at 12:23am
This thread should be re-named the "Keanu Reeves appreciation thread."
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post #8 of 160
9/19/08 at 12:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diva View Post
John Adams says you're wrong.
Agreed, Morse is not a bad actor. Now had you said Cuba Gooding Jr. You'd be onto something.
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post #9 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:14am
You are way off about Morse. He's great.
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post #10 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:33am
Fucking Morse is a king.
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post #11 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:37am
I like Morse, but I do think he is often badly (or lazily) cast. That is, he's a nice-enough-looking white dude who happens to be good at playing evil, but after doing that same thing ten times it loses its power and surprise.
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post #12 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:40am
I would like to bring up Randy Quaid and Thandie Newton.
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post #13 of 160
9/19/08 at 9:12am
I'm still trying to figure out why I should give a single julienne sliced shit about Eva Mendes.
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post #14 of 160
9/19/08 at 9:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jakespeare View Post
I would like to bring up Randy Quaid and Thandie Newton.
Why?


Challenge anyone to watch TIMELINE, and not walk away believing Paul Walker the worst actor alive. RUNNING SCARED doesn't suck despite him.
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post #15 of 160
9/19/08 at 9:50am
I thought Morse was all right as an actor until his run on House. Part of that comes because I hated that story arc but also part of it was because he was so bland in the role.

The geek-loved actor that I don't understand the love for is Luis Guzman. Everything I've seen him in he's been flat and boring.
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post #16 of 160
9/19/08 at 10:33am
Ryan Phillipe.

Everything I've ever seen him in, he comes off like he's in his first week of a bad acting class.
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post #17 of 160
9/19/08 at 10:46am
Hayden Christiansen. He singlehandedly made JUMPER the most neausating movie I saw this year.
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post #18 of 160
9/19/08 at 11:41am
I haven't ever found Martin Lawrence remotely funny. He's the main reason I don't swoon over the Bad Boys movies as much as others.
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post #19 of 160
9/19/08 at 11:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Elvis View Post
Challenge anyone to watch TIMELINE, and not walk away believing Paul Walker the worst actor alive. RUNNING SCARED doesn't suck despite him.
Challenge anyone to watch TIMELINE (in a vaccuum), and not walk away believing Richard Donner the worst director alive. That movie does no one any favors.
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post #20 of 160
9/19/08 at 11:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by boots013 View Post
Ryan Phillipe.
This is the correct answer. Thank you, boots.
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post #21 of 160
9/19/08 at 11:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sackley View Post
This is the correct answer. Thank you, boots.
I actually liked him in both Breach and in Way of the Gun.

I'll propose Josh Hartnett. Talk about range!
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post #22 of 160
9/19/08 at 11:54am
I highly recommend watching Pacific Heights, in which Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith have a contest to see who can be the blandest, most annoying yuppie twit. I was rooting for Michael Keaton to ruin their lives. Although, in a strange way, Modine and Griffith are such blank slates that you totally buy them as a couple.
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post #23 of 160
9/19/08 at 11:57am
Josh Hartnett. Squinting is not acting.

Halle Berry. Very pretty, very bland.
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post #24 of 160
9/19/08 at 12:00pm
You know who's a bad actor?

BRUCE CAMPBELL.

Look, I love the Evil Dead films as much as the next guy, but Campbell's got one setting: ham. He's a fun presence with some comic timing but that's it.
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post #25 of 160
9/19/08 at 12:27pm


YOU. SUCK.
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post #26 of 160
9/19/08 at 12:41pm
Hartnett -- check. Just fucking boring.
Berry -- check. Outraged woman of color!
Alba -- check. About as much charisma as a table lamp.

Hey, Megan Fox! But let's face it, she doesn't really pretend she's an actress.
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post #27 of 160
9/19/08 at 12:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aquafresh View Post
You know who's a bad actor?

BRUCE CAMPBELL.

Look, I love the Evil Dead films as much as the next guy, but Campbell's got one setting: ham. He's a fun presence with some comic timing but that's it.
I thought he was terrific as the tortured demon dad on the X-FILES. The guy is usually typecast. And I'll take his HAM over someone else's BLAND any day.
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post #28 of 160
9/19/08 at 12:52pm
Is bland & boring the same thing as bad?
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post #29 of 160
9/19/08 at 12:53pm
Thread Starter 
Agreed with an above poster- until I arrived at the CHUD boards, I always considered Paul Walker the worst actor in humanity. Some weird respect for him around these parts.
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post #30 of 160
9/19/08 at 12:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DARKMITE8 View Post
I thought he was terrific as the tortured demon dad on the X-FILES. The guy is usually typecast. And I'll take his HAM over someone else's BLAND any day.
I thought the guy was pretty damn brilliant in Bubba Ho Tep.
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post #31 of 160
9/19/08 at 12:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KABONG View Post
Agreed with an above poster- until I arrived at the CHUD boards, I always considered Paul Walker the worst actor in humanity. Some weird respect for him around these parts.
It's the post-modern cycle, or something like that. Everything old is new, and everything (and everyone) bad is good.
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post #32 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:01pm
I agree with Hartnett and I still stand by my views on Boreanaz oh and Tara Reid.
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post #33 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:04pm
Leonardo DiCaprio pre-Aviator.
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post #34 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:07pm
What?! He was one of the greatest adolescent/ teenage actors ever--rivaling River Phoenix.

Have you seen THIS BOY'S LIFE or GILBERT GRAPE? Or BASKETBALL DIARIES?
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post #35 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:09pm
His acting always seemed wooden. He had the same inflections and bland delivery in every role. I think he's a good actor now - I thought him in The Departed was absolutely great - but I just didn't like him before.
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post #36 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:56pm
The 21st Century Robert DeNiro.
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post #37 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:57pm
One guy I'm still undecided on: Vincent Kartheiser
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post #38 of 160
9/19/08 at 1:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Admiral Shark View Post
The 21st Century Robert DeNiro.
And Al Pacino. For the most part, I did like him in Insomnia.
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post #39 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
Boreanaz
What have you seen him in?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Quarant View Post
One guy I'm still undecided on: Vincent Kartheiser
Yeah. He's been annoying in a bad way, and now he's annoying in a great way. Maybe he's improved, or maybe Pete Campbell will turn out to be his only good character.
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post #40 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by James Kimbell View Post
What have you seen him in?
Well I did see Crow 4 (Waits for booing to die down) and obviously that was a pile of shit no matter who was in that. But I never cared for him in Bones and frankly just don't find him interesting.
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post #41 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
Well I did see Crow 4...
Boreanaz, Furlong, Reid... that movie's like a black hole of bad acting.
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post #42 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:09pm
I just think Boreanaz was so fucking good on Angel. Half the time he was the shadowy badass of the night, and half the time he let himself look completely silly. And each side never cheapened the other. Of course, that's partly in the writing, but still.
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post #43 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justin Clark View Post
I'm still trying to figure out why I should give a single julienne sliced shit about Eva Mendes.
Alba and Fox: agreed.

Mendes: WTF?!?!?!?!?!

I mean, LOOK at her for gods sake!!!


I'd like to suggest the following:

Wimer Valderama & Ashton Kutcher, Sharon Stone, Jason Statham and Ben Affleck (director, not so much). Also, I'd like to add two actors who used to be fly, but who have become fly II:

Steve Martin (a tragedy) and Nicholas Cage. It's a damn shame...
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post #44 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:22pm
I saw David Morse in a play once. Fucker can act.

As I get older, I find myself becoming a lot more forgiving of actors. I even like what Keanu Reeves brings to the table sometimes. A lot of the real shit actors out there seem to have limited career trajectories anyway, Andie MacDowell being a great example.

But yes, Alba is dreadful. She makes Megan Fox look quite accomplished. And despite liking him in some films, I would add that Ben Stiller is not a good actor at all.
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post #45 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:24pm
Jason Statham isn't a bad actor, he just only has one setting: being awesome. And he does it fucking amazingly.
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post #46 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:34pm
I'll second cutting Phillipe some slack based on how fucking great Breach was. But then, I think maybe ten people saw it, so it gets overlooked.

One more for the Morse love pile: The Crossing Guard. Terrific performance in that.

Also, 21st Century Pacino has given us Insomnia, Merchent of Venice (fuck you, he's GREAT in it), and Angels in America. He's been in plenty of crap, yeah, but he's still taking on the odd project where you can still see him giving a shit. DeNiro, well, that's a bit more rare these days. He's got Stardust in the pro territory and that's about it this decade.
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post #47 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arjen Rudd View Post
A lot of the real shit actors out there seem to have limited career trajectories anyway, Andie MacDowell being a great example.
I'll go to bat for Andie for one reason: Groundhog Day. She works well playing off Bill Murray.
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post #48 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KABONG View Post
Agreed with an above poster- until I arrived at the CHUD boards, I always considered Paul Walker the worst actor in humanity. Some weird respect for him around these parts.
Seconded. I nearly lost my mind in a thread about him, where I was ripping him to shreds while most everyone was praising him. I thought I was in the twilight zone.
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post #49 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ratty View Post
I'll go to bat for Andie for one reason: Groundhog Day. She works well playing off Bill Murray.
See, for me, she single-handedly fucks that movie up. Well, keeps it from being great anyway. Despite being oddly shaped, covered in massive acne scars, and apparently being a monsterous prick, Bill Murray is always able to generate excellent chemistry with the ladies. Sigourney Weaver, Scarlett Johnasson, Geena Davis, even Karen Allen. Andie gets no free pass for that.
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post #50 of 160
9/19/08 at 2:54pm
Yeah, what happened to Nicolas Cage? My dad thought he was bad even as far back as Moonstruck and I enver knew why. Now i wonder if he sucked all along.

and did Michael Madsen always suck? did he just seem so cool in Reservoir Dogs and athe stuff after that we had the wool pulled over our eyes. When i saw him in Sin City, i can say that may have been the absoulte worst acting ever. It was bad even for a drunk readin cue cards...
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