Jennifer Lawrence really was incredible in Silver Linings Playbook, I don't understand people's fury over her winning the Oscar; it was one of the more deserved in recent memory. Also, relatively recent performances that stand out are Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained, Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line, Helen Mirren in The Queen, and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator, Old school, I don't think anyone will ever top Bette Davis for Margo Channing in All About Eve as far as women. For the men, Peter Finch in Network is the gold standard. All that being said, has Streep ever given just an average performance? She's ridiculous.
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Mh... I'm thinking about Cate Blanchett, she's always amazing, and also a lot of other people... I can start with these:
Anthony Hopkins - Hannibal Lecter - The Silence of Lambs
Jodie Foster - Clarice Starling - The Silence of Lambs
Katy Bathes - Annie Wilkes - Misery
Jack Nicholson - Jack Torrance - The Shining
Heath Ledger - The Joker - The Dark Knight
Peter Lorre - Hans Beckert - M
Christian Bale - Patrick Bateman - American Psycho
Edward Norton - Derek Viynard - American History X
Ok, I can see that I love the psychopathic characters...
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I was thinking about Tim Curry too, but I was undecided...Maybe between The Rocky Horror Picture Show or IT. I don't like him so much in more recent movies, but probably it depends so much of the quality of the character/movie...
Also Steve Buscemi is so good.
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I only listed Mark Hamill before, so I'll have to add in one more here. Christopher Lee has to be my favorite villain actor of all time. As an added bonus, he was a badass before he even became an actor. He definitely rocks the Saruman role in all of the LotR films.
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So, Im taking your assessment to mean what actors actually "made" a part they played? In other words, no one else could have ever done justice to that part???
Ok, I will prolly get crucified for this, but as much as Heath Ledger was good, he was NO "Joker"!!!
I do not think he made a good Joker at all.
And on that note.....here are my picks for some "perfect parts" I can remember:
Julie Andrews - Victor/Victoria
Michael Keaton - Batman
Jack Nicholson - Joker
Danny DeVito - Penguin
Christopher Reeve - Superman
Harrison Ford - Indiana Jones
Sigourney Weaver - Ellen Ripley
Tom Hulce - Amadeus
Tim Allen - Santa Claus
Charleton Heston - Planet of the Apes/The Ten Commandments/Ben Hur
Roddy McDowell - anything he's ever done
Doris Day - anything she's ever done
Barbra Streisand - Yentl
Christina Ricci - Wednesday Addams
Anjelica Houston - Morticia Addams and The Witch
Sissy Spacek - Loretta Lynn
Angela Basset - Tina Turner
Jody Foster - The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane
Edward Norton - American History X
Tim Curry - Dr. Frankenfurter and plenty of his other stuff too
(Im with Bowyn on my feelings for Tim....)
and
Vincent Price as The Abominable Dr. Phibes
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