Future of Movie Stars: Who Will Shine? Who Will Fade Away?

[2727]

Going back a while, I was convinced that Dennis Christopher was going to have an amazing, A list career after seeing him in Breaking Away.

Dennis Quaid? I wasn't impressed.

This is why I'm a money-losing stock investor.

[Silver Raven]

3 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Reminds me of Melissa Joan Hart. She did good work in the animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. I was never really a fan but her voice work was good there.

And now she's making ridiculous Christian fodder movies.

[methodwriter85]

On 7/30/2017 at 11:44 AM, Scarlett45 said:

@methodwriter85 I agree I never thought Julia Roberts was particularly beautiful. She had a pleasant enough face, was tall and thin (for wearing clothes) but was very much just a "pleasant looking regular woman" to me. 

 

@aradia22 You're right, most of the top Caucasian actresses don't have "sexpot curves"(I think those curves are more "acceptable in Hollywood" among actresses of color). The "thin model" look is still in, but maybe more athletic than in the 1990s. I think Jennifer Lawerence has a better body, but her actual personality is not "sex pot" in the way Margot Robbie's is. In her 40s I could see Margot being a Mrs Robinson character. 

You know how people say a woman can be very attractive but have no sex appeal? I have had this said to me (which kind of hurt my feelings), but what I think keeps Jennifer Lawrence from that "sex pot" genre is that she still has a baby face. She still looks innocent enough while Margot does not. 

I don't think Jennifer Lawrence can pull off this very NSFW scene from Wolf of Wall street the way Margot did. Her "sexy scenes" from American Hustle were fine, but Margot just exudes a sensuality in this. (And I'm not even oriented towards females, but damn that scene with her and Leo was sexy. And funny.) It's not just about looks when it comes to being a sexpot. I remember reading a quote from Ellen Barkin about how she was never conventionally beautiful, but she learned how to act like she was.

I think the thing is, J. Law does have the bod to be a bombshell. But her "Aww shucks I like to fart and I'm just one of the guys!" personality prevents her from giving off the bombshell vibe that Margot Robbie does.

Going back to Alicia, she did unfortunately come of age in the decade (the mid-90's to the mid-2000's) where it seems like actresses were just expected whittle themselves down to nothing. See: Reese Witherspoon, Teri Hatcher, the Friends girls, Rachel Bilson, Lindsay Lohan, Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Connelly, etc etc. We still see some of that (Emma Stone) but it seems like more actresses are saying no to that, like Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Schumer, Chloe Grace Moretz, Abigail Breslin, etc etc. Jennifer Lopez does annoy me but it's nice she didn't force herself down to a size 0 like so many others did during that time period.

Anyway, Ansel Elgort's Baby Driver has a good chance at hitting the 100 million mark. It's the kind of moderately budgeted movie that guys in that age bracket used to build their names on. It'll be interesting to see what he does with this- he is hampered by the fact that he's still pretty young-looking despite being so tall. The guy literally still has peach fuzz.

Lily James is apparently set to play Young Meryl Streep in the Mama Mia 2...I'm of mixed feelings about that. This strikes me as the kind of project that can go very wrong. On the other hand, it exposes her to work with some pretty big names of the business like Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth, so that should be good.

Still kind of surprised that Dominic Cooper never took off as a star. He works steady but I really thought he had the charisma to be a star. Not the best singer but damn he was sex on a stick in Mama Mia.

And Amanda Seyfried never took off either, even though she tried really hard. She honestly seems better in supporting parts than the lead.

Edited August 1, 2017 by methodwriter85

[HunterHunted]

On 7/30/2017 at 11:49 AM, DisneyBoy said:

I'm curious to see what happens with Sam Witwer. He did bits on ER and other things after leaving Julliard and had what I thought was a breakout performance on Smallville as Doomsday's human form, David Bloome. But now, last I saw he was Mr Hyde on Once Upon A Time...and that show's hardly on the upswing...will he make it into movies? Or is he now typecast as the handsome/crazy character?

I love Sam Witwer, but I feel like his opportunities for a big starring role are never going to materialize. The funny/sad thing is that he was good enough in his 1 minute of The Walking Dead that AMC considered a prequel, shelved it, and reconsidered it, but not starring him. His career is increasingly reminding me of Gideon Emery, Sebastian Roche, and Lance Reddick. He'll do 5 or 6 episodes of an established show, a handful of one offs, and a metric ton of voice over jobs every year. I also think he was typecast when he did the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed games. They liked his voice over work enough to model the character after him. The game sold fairly well, but the character modeled after him, Starkiller, was all over the commercials and promo materials for the game. The character was hugely popular with gamers and Star Wars fans, but was excluded from the current Star Wars canon.

Edited August 6, 2017 by HunterHunted

[Dejana]

23 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I don't think Jennifer Lawrence can pull off this very NSFW scene from Wolf of Wall street the way Margot did. Her "sexy scenes" from American Hustle were fine, but Margot just exudes a sensuality in this. (And I'm not even oriented towards females, but damn that scene with her and Leo was sexy. And funny.) It's not just about looks when it comes to being a sexpot. I remember reading a quote from Ellen Barkin about how she was never conventionally beautiful, but she learned how to act like she was.

I think the thing is, J. Law does have the bod to be a bombshell. But her "Aww shucks I like to fart and I'm just one of the guys!" personality prevents her from giving off the bombshell vibe that Margot Robbie does.

Going back to Alicia, she did unfortunately come of age in the decade (the mid-90's to the mid-2000's) where it seems like actresses were just expected whittle themselves down to nothing. See: Reese Witherspoon, Teri Hatcher, the Friends girls, Rachel Bilson, Lindsay Lohan, Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Connelly, etc etc. We still see some of that (Emma Stone) but it seems like more actresses are saying no to that, like Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Schumer, Chloe Grace Moretz, Abigail Breslin, etc etc. Jennifer Lopez does annoy me but it's nice she didn't force herself down to a size 0 like so many others did during that time period.

Anyway, Ansel Elgort's Baby Driver has a good chance at hitting the 100 million mark. It's the kind of moderately budgeted movie that guys in that age bracket used to build their names on. It'll be interesting to see what he does with this- he is hampered by the fact that he's still pretty young-looking despite being so tall. The guy literally still has peach fuzz.

Lily James is apparently set to play Young Meryl Streep in the Mama Mia 2...I'm of mixed feelings about that. This strikes me as the kind of project that can go very wrong. On the other hand, it exposes her to work with some pretty big names of the business like Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth, so that should be good.

Still kind of surprised that Dominic Cooper never took off as a star. He works steady but I really thought he had the charisma to be a star. Not the best singer but damn he was sex on a stick in Mama Mia.

And Amanda Seyfried never took off either, even though she tried really hard. She honestly seems better in supporting parts than the lead.

I don't know if it's that Jennifer is too goofy to seem sexy but that Margot is on another level--I mean, Harvey Levin is gay, when the guys on TMZ are losing their minds about some "sexy" woman he couldn't care less, but mention Margot Robbie and he perks up and starts going on about how unbelievable she is. /disclaimer before someone chimes in that she's hideous, of course there's no such thing as a universally attractive person/ Looking at Margot's upcoming slate, she's looking to branch out and not just rely on her looks.

Jennifer has a thriller coming out next year, Red Sparrow. She plays a ballerina turned Russian spy trained (by Charlotte Rampling!) to seduce targets. It won't be an awards player and it's a book but not that big, so it will be a test of her star power. mother! could make Black Swan money or be too weird for people.

 

I guess Mamie and Grace Gummer are too old to play the young Meryl now, and Louisa seems to be more of a model. Or the studio pointed to Ricki and the Flash and told Meryl, "Never again!" 

Edited August 2, 2017 by Dejana

[methodwriter85]

33 minutes ago, Dejana said:

I don't know if it's that Jennifer is too goofy to seem sexy but that Margot is on another level--I mean, Harvey Levin is gay, when the guys on TMZ are losing their minds about some "sexy" woman he couldn't care less, but mention Margot Robbie and he perks up and starts going on about how unbelievable she is. /disclaimer before someone chimes in that she's hideous, of course there's no such thing as a universally attractive person/ Looking at Margot's upcoming slate, she's looking to branch out and not just rely on her looks.

I guess Mamie and Grace Gunmer are too old to play the young Meryl now, and Louisa seems to be more of a model. Or the studio pointed to Ricki and the Flash and told Meryl, "Never again!" 

 

I am a gay man and even I think Margot is just sexy as hell.

I think Hollywood finally decided to stop trying to make Mamie happen. And yeah, she's not passing for 21 anytime soon.

Mama Mia 2 just seems like an idea that could go very, very wrong but I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised. I liked My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 way more than I expected to.

I do hope Mamie's ex-husband Benjamin Walker can find a successful movie role. I like him. I always did like the quirky-looking tall guys.

Edited August 2, 2017 by methodwriter85

[aradia22]

I haven't seen American Hustle or the recent X Men movies but the vibe I get from J. Law is that she doesn't need the male attention or to be thought of as sexually attractive. Now, the whole "cool girl" act is another way of achieving the same ends but let's not get into that for now. To me, Margot comes across as more openly flaunting her sex appeal, in large part due to the kinds of roles she's taking. It's hard to put into language that isn't loaded. I feel like Catherine Zeta Jones did a good job of being subject to the male gaze but not totally objectified. J. Law seems a little cool and distant so even when she's objectified she's not really selling that? (I know this part is very unclear.) Speaking of X Men, I'd say Margot Robbie is somewhere in the Rebecca Romijn area of the spectrum. 

[DisneyBoy]

Quote

And now she's making ridiculous Christian fodder movies.

Really? Hun. Out of necessity or is she really religious?

Quote

Amanda Seyfried never took off either, even though she tried really hard.

Well at least she's still in the game. I can name three of her movies so that's something - Mamma Mia, Les Mis and that Red Riding Hood thriller she did. With those huge eyes of hers I suspect she'll be hanging on and getting cast for a few more years at least. I wouldn't be surprised to see her on television at some point.

And for all the talk of Jennifer Lawrence being this huge star I really just don't see it. I know she had a lot of success in the studios are confident in her abilities, but when I see her on-screen I don't get excited. Granted, she has something, but it's not like I would miss her if she retired tomorrow. After seeing her as Mystique, I actually would rather not see her in films. I don't know why people keep going gaga over her in that role.

Quote

I also think he was typecast when he did the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed games.

It's very possible. I know he has very high hopes for his career (and probably thinks very highly of himself as well) so it's kind of interesting to see where things are at right now. He could turn a corner in the next few years and get the right role and become someone who's viable in the Hollywood landscape. I certainly think he has more going for him than say Henry Cavill, who has managed to find a couple of good roles in spite of being a moderately okay actor. I think the problem with Witwer is that he has too distinctive a face. I feel like we've already seen him make all of his best facial expressions. The one thing that could possibly help his career at this point is a really funny role in a comedy where we could see a totally different side of him. But comparing the two I would definitely say Witwer has more range.

[Silver Raven]

17 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

Really? Hun. Out of necessity or is she really religious?

Her Wikipedia article says "Hart and her family are Christians. In an interview, she stated that they attend church every Sunday and pray every night and before every meal."

[DisneyBoy]

I wonder how much being a teenage starlet influenced that. Lord knows she must have been sexualized by the studio folk to some degree or expected to be "hot". Or maybe she was always religious...

Edited August 2, 2017 by DisneyBoy

[Athena]

40 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

I wonder how much being a teenage starlet influenced that. Lord knows she must have been sexualized by the studio folk to some degree or expected to be "hot". Or maybe she was always religious...

MJH has always been conservative. She was on ABC which is Disney which is the studio many starlets have rebelled against image wise. Her mother and her also ran a tight ship on "Sabrina the Teenage Witch". They had total control of things by the end of it.

[kiddo82]

7 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Well at least she's still in the game. I can name three of her movies so that's something - Mamma Mia, Les Mis and that Red Riding Hood thriller she did. With those huge eyes of hers I suspect she'll be hanging on and getting cast for a few more years at least. I wouldn't be surprised to see her on television at some point.

Re:  Amanda Seyfried.  I really liked her in that movie Gone.  It's not a particularly great movie, and I understand why it didn't take off, but at the same time it's not a bad way to spend 90 minutes and I found her pretty engaging in it.  Plus, she was pretty fucking hilarious as Karen Smith.  She seems to work fairly regularly and per IMDb has a bunch of projects yet to be released.  I can see her still getting roles as part of an ensemble but maybe not quite making it back to leading lady status.  

Edited August 3, 2017 by kiddo82

[methodwriter85]

Yeah, Seyfried seems like she's more comfortable in the supporting parts.

[UYI]

On 8/2/2017 at 3:55 PM, Athena said:

MJH has always been conservative. She was on ABC which is Disney which is the studio many starlets have rebelled against image wise. Her mother and her also ran a tight ship on "Sabrina the Teenage Witch". They had total control of things by the end of it.

What's weird though is that she's a Republican, but she actually is pro-marriage equality and pro-gun control (and she may be pro-choice, too). So in way, she's like a Rockefeller Republican, which largely don't seem to exist anymore, certainly not in public office (and given that she is originally from Long Island, she's actually from the right region of the country to be an RR--the Northeast). And she disliked Trump enough to actually get a paid position on Gary Johnson's presidential campaign in Connecticut (where she and her family live now). But I'm venturing into dangerous territory here, so I'll leave it at that. :)

But yeah, she starred in the movie God's Not Dead 2. 

In a way, Alicia Silverstone seems to have moved past whatever career disappointment she may have had earlier on to being perfectly fine with being one of the most high-profile celebrity vegans*/PETA supporters in Hollywood, which of course could have worked against her even after her weight loss. (OTOH, it certainly never hurt Pamela Anderson**, but with Pam--rightly or wrongly--being most associated with Playboy and Baywatch, it probably was nowhere near the same risk. And Pam seems fine with her career, and poking fun at her image with things like VIP, which I heard was very funny.) FWIW, though, Alicia has been quoted as saying that she wouldn't wish fame on anyone, so maybe she's happier overall with lower profile roles, as long as she can continue raising her son and her activism.

*Alicia, I think, has largely credited becoming a vegan with her weight loss. 

**I can't remember--is Pam a vegetarian or a vegan? 

As for Jen and Margot--I think Jen has a cute face, but let's just say that while what Sharon Tate's sister said about wanting MR for the role of Sharon in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Manson movie over JL was kind of rude and tacky, I don't think she was wrong, either, IMO. 

Edited August 5, 2017 by UYI

[Cobalt Stargazer]

5 hours ago, UYI said:

As for Jen and Margot--I think Jen has a cute face, but let's just say that while what Sharon Tate's sister said about wanting MR for the role of Sharon in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Manson movie over JL was kind of rude and tacky, I don't think she was wrong, either, IMO. 

I Googled, and I kind of enjoy that Tate's sister couched an insult in 'I don't have anything against her'. She might as well have said 'bless her heart, but...'

[DisneyBoy]

Alicia earned my eternal respect on the day that Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck got into their big on-air fight on The View. Alicia was the next guest out after vthe commercial break following the spat and she walked straight past Elizabeth to give her her hello's to the rest of the group. Elizabeth kind of shrugged and smiled and sat there with this look of disapproval on her face and then eagerly threw in a question when she had the chance, almost as if to say "Yeah!!! I'm here!!! Don't you see me?"

I find that entire fight fascinating for a variety of reasons and I'm not trying to say Rosie was 100% in the right, but I loved that Alicia was completely over Elisabeth Hasselbeck to the point that she was willing to go out onto the stage of her show and snub her in front of a live television audience.

To get back on topic, Alicia also did some theater in the last few years. She was in a Broadway play called The Performers about a couple who go to the Las Vegas porn Awards and meet a bunch of porn actors.

[methodwriter85]

Matthew McConaughey's Post-Oscar Slump

It's funny- both he and Ben Affleck were probably the best comeback stories of this decade. Both won Oscars in recent years (Argo got Best Picture, Matthew got Best Actor for Dallas Buyer's Club), and now things are kind of uncertain for both of them as we're now in the late part of the 2010's. Although I think Ben Affleck's personal life is spilling into his work, while Matthew just hit a string of bad luck. Ben really, really needs Justice League to work out. I think he's out of the DCEU if that gets critically panned like B.v.S.

They both had slow, deliberate climbs back so hopefully they can do it again.

Also, the news of Anna Faris and Chris Pratt breaking up...yeah, I figured Chris suddenly turning into a super-star when they were both B-list tv/movie actors has to put a strain on a relationship.

Edited August 8, 2017 by methodwriter85

[JBC344]

With Matthew, he has always been a good actor, he just really need guidance in picking good movies.  Dallas Buyer's Club, True Detective, and Lincoln Lawyer were all good movies with really fine performances.  Interstellar was ok at best, but everything else he has done lately is just as mediocre as what he was doing before the Oscar.  He seems to do ok when he does the "smaller" projects like Dallas or Mud, but unless they get award attention nobody even sees these movies.

Maybe he needs to change management or a new agency.

I like Ben Affleck as an actor but he is one for me that really only makes an impression in the "right" role.  Movies like The Town, or say The Accountant and even Batman he does really well.  I have a feeling his involvement with "The Batman" will fall apart any moment, or if he does star in the solo movie it will be a one and done.  I do think Affleck really shines as a Director but find that he has been overhyped after the Oscar win.

[alihart41]

Matthew will be fine. He's in a low period right now, but he's been doing a varied array of projects; a lot of them have just turned out meh or were barely blips on the radar. He got some good notices for Gold last year, but no one paid attention to that movie. Hey, maybe he'll come back to TV to get that Emmy he never won for True Detective.

I prefer Ben as a director than as an actor (Casey is by far the best actor in the family), but Live By Night was a total vanity project. Now that he's no longer directing The Batman, the next thing he's slated to direct and star in is the Witness for the Prosecution remake, though there doesn't seem to have been any update since it first broke last August. His card is thin otherwise outside of the DCEU stuff and the Accountant sequel, and he recently dropped out of Triple Frontier to spend time with his family/new girlfriend. I agree his stint as Batman feels precarious, no matter the happy line he fed everyone at Comic-Con. I don't think he's terrible as Batman, but the films he's been in have done him no favors, and Justice League sounds like a hot mess. I'll be curious to see what his next non-Batman, non-sequel film is. Related: Jennifer Garner is going back to her Alias roots with Peppermint.

I was not surprised at all by Anna and Chris' split. There have long been rumors of other factors besides his busy schedule, and her being locked down for like nine months out of the year on Mom makes it even tougher. Meanwhile, Chris is tripling down on IPs/franchises.

[Silver Raven]

Matthew M's next movie sounds really bad:  The Beach Bum. The plot description says "A rebellious stoner named Moondog lives life by his own rules.".  He plays Moondog.

[Browncoat]

4 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Matthew M's next movie sounds really bad:  The Beach Bum. The plot description says "A rebellious stoner named Moondog lives life by his own rules.".  He plays Moondog.

Is there a girl named Gidget?

[memememe76]

The fact that The Accountant was successful enough to warrant a sequel has to be due to Ben's box office appeal. It is not a comic book movie, it is not a type of movie that could have starred anyone and still make money.

I like Ben as a director too. I would prefer a lighter movie, like a romcom. Maybe a musical. Show some range.

[Pink ranger]

Going back to Dane Dehaan.

http://deadline.com/2017/07/dane-dehaan-billy-the-kid-vincent-donofrio-valerian-the-kid-suretone-pictures-1202131369/

He is going to play Billy the Kid. That sounds   Ideal for him.  

[Ohwell]

I'm wondering if Idris Elba's popularity has peaked.  He's got a new movie coming out with Kate Winslet, it's in some snowy mountains, ala The Revenant and already it's getting panned, at least on the morning show I'm watching right now.  Didn't his last movie kind of tank?  

[methodwriter85]

Bill Skarsgard is either off to a hot breakthrough in his career, or he's going to be typecast for the rest of his life like Robert Englund. It does help that he's in makeup and he's drop-dead gorgeous under it.

[feverfew]

And speaking of IT, some of those kids were marvellous! I thought Jaeden Lieberher was one to watch after Midnight Special, and he really cements it here. Sophia Lillis (Beverly) and Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben) was quite perfect too.

[Hybridcookie]

4 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Bill Skarsgard is either off to a hot breakthrough in his career, or he's going to be typecast for the rest of his life like Robert Englund. It does help that he's in makeup and he's drop-dead gorgeous under it.

Yes! While I didn't always like his character, I thought he was good on Hemlock Grove.

[kiddo82]

9 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I'm wondering if Idris Elba's popularity has peaked.  He's got a new movie coming out with Kate Winslet, it's in some snowy mountains, ala The Revenant and already it's getting panned, at least on the morning show I'm watching right now.  Didn't his last movie kind of tank?  

I wouldn't say his popularity has peaked.  He's still a good actor and hella handsome and charming but I just think we're in a time now where no one's popularity can offset a movie that isn't very good.  With rotten tomatoes and all the information available on the Internet there are no secrets anymore.  There was a time when people might have seen the trailers for the Dark Tower and thought, "Cool!  Idris Elba as a supernatural cowboy guy from another dimension.  Count me in." but with aggregate movie ratings and word of mouth people are being more choosey.  (Plus, it seems like there's a "pile on" mentality with theses kind of sites which is a pet peeve of mine but none the less another discussion for another time.). But maaaaybe outside of Leo there is no star anymore who guarantees you butts in the seats.  The days of knowing that a Tom Cruise or Will Smith tent pole will cash in are long gone.

[Ohwell]

16 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

I wouldn't say his popularity has peaked.  He's still a good actor and hella handsome and charming but I just think we're in a time now where no one's popularity can offset a movie that isn't very good.

Oh I agree, he's still a good actor and he's still got the looks, but I hope he can find a really good movie soon.  It was just disheartening to see the panel chuckling about the movie with Kate Winslet.  Now maybe the movie will be surprisingly good, but I kind of doubt it, partly because Kate Winslet isn't exactly lighting up the screen anymore and the movie focuses on just the two of them.  

[kiddo82]

Completely unrelated but I find myself kinda fascinated by and almost giddy about this mini Michelle Pfeiffer career renaissance (Mother, Murder on the Orient Express, Ant-Man and the Wasp, plus the Bernie Madoff TV movie).  I'm a little too young to have watched her during her 80-early 90's heyday (although Dangerous Minds was probably the first R rated movie my little grade school friends and I rented without our parents.  Shhhhh.  Don't tell them.). But maybe that's why.  Of course, I've seen a lot of her movies either after the fact or the ones that came out in the late 90s-early 2000s when I was more age appropriate, but, even when I was little and wouldn't have known the Fabulous Baker Boys from the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker, I still knew enough to know that she was the movie star and the name and the beauty.  And I think the name still carries a bit of mystique, at least to me.  And it's not as if she hasn't worked over the last decade or so but I'm glad she's getting better profile work than that crumby New Year's Eve movie or Dark Shadows remake.

Edited September 12, 2017 by kiddo82

[aradia22]

Quote

the next thing he's slated to direct and star in is the Witness for the Prosecution remake, though there doesn't seem to have been any update since it first broke last August. 

Wait... back up a second. I really like the original movie. Well, I like Marlene Dietrich. How could Affleck star? Who would he play? All the options I can think of are... terrible. And also... why? I get it, valuable IP but it's one of those old movies that still works and specifically works as an old movie. It's different from doing a period piece of Murder on the Orient Express or And Then There Were None. We have so many courtroom dramas now. I don't see the appeal. 

[ShadowHunter]

6 hours ago, Hybridcookie said:

Yes! While I didn't always like his character, I thought he was good on Hemlock Grove.

He was the only reason I sat through Hemlock Grove.

[vb68]

2 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

 I'm a little too young to have watched her during her 80-early 90's heyday

I wasn't. I knew she was a star ever since I saw Cool Rider.    That's  the only part of Grease 2 I can remember other than thinking she totally wiped Maxwell Caulfield off the screen.

[DollEyes]

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Oh I agree, he's still a good actor and he's still got the looks, but I hope he can find a really good movie soon.  It was just disheartening to see the panel chuckling about the movie with Kate Winslet.  Now maybe the movie will be surprisingly good, but I kind of doubt it, partly because Kate Winslet isn't exactly lighting up the screen anymore and the movie focuses on just the two of them.  

I've heard great things about Molly's Game, the fact-based film costarring Jessica Chastain & written by Aaron Sorkin about a woman who ran high-stakes poker games plus he's getting Marvel money from Thor: Ragnarok, so I think Elba's gonna be just fine. 

[Irlandesa]

15 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I'm wondering if Idris Elba's popularity has peaked.  He's got a new movie coming out with Kate Winslet, it's in some snowy mountains, ala The Revenant and already it's getting panned, at least on the morning show I'm watching right now.  Didn't his last movie kind of tank?  

The movie doesn't come out until October so even if it sucks, it's way to soon to bury it as a complete failure. We don't know yet whether or not it will be successful in theaters and that will be a better determination of his star power.  Did the panel actually see the film? 

But @kiddo82 is right about a few actors being able to open films.  I still think there are actors who can do it worldwide but not as much in the US.  And when I looked at BoxOfficeMojo, I was actually kind of surprised how many of his movies made over 100 million, although I'm not sure how many he was the star of.  I don't foresee Film Star Idris as ever eclipsing TV Star Idris in that if I'm ever having to describe him at the end of Hollywood Game Night or in Celebrity Name Game, I'm going to go with Luther (which he's going back to) or Stringer Bell. He's probably going to do the British thing and mix both mediums.

Edited September 12, 2017 by Irlandesa

[JBC344]

22 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

Completely unrelated but I find myself kinda fascinated by and almost giddy about this mini Michelle Pfeiffer career renaissance (Mother, Murder on the Orient Express, Ant-Man and the Wasp, plus the Bernie Madoff TV movie).  I'm a little too young to have watched her during her 80-early 90's heyday (although Dangerous Minds was probably the first R rated movie my little grade school friends and I rented without our parents.  Shhhhh.  Don't tell them.). But maybe that's why.  Of course, I've seen a lot of her movies either after the fact or the ones that came out in the late 90s-early 2000s when I was more age appropriate, but, even when I was little and wouldn't have known the Fabulous Baker Boys from the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker, I still knew enough to know that she was the movie star and the name and the beauty.  And I think the name still carries a bit of mystique, at least to me.  And it's not as if she hasn't worked over the last decade or so but I'm glad she's getting better profile work than that crumby New Year's Eve movie or Dark Shadows remake.

As a long time Michelle Pfeiffer fan I'm thrilled to see her back working on a regular basis.  My understanding is that her kids are older if not young adults now and it seems like both her and David (Big Little Lies) have been getting back into work mode the last couple of years.  Hope it continues for the both of them.

[Athena]

Yes, Pfeiffer didn't act much in the 2000s because of her children. They are both in college now and she said a few years ago that she intends to go back to acting full time. She seems really passionate about her work and she thinks her best role has yet to come. 

As someone who has always enjoyed Pfeiffer's roles, I'm excited as well. Not only is she beautiful, but her screen presence is unique. She has gotten better with age. 

[JustaPerson]

Now that Ryan Gosling has come out of the woodwork again to promote a movie, I think he makes interesting choices in roles. I mean his last film was La la Land and his next film is the Blade Runner sequel which are about as different as can be. 

ETA: I kid but I admire how he and Eva Mendes are so private. I saw a picture of them together taken after RG hosted SNL and it might the first picture of them together I've ever seen. And they were holding hands, even! 

Edited October 2, 2017 by JustaPerson

[methodwriter85]

I think of him and Jake Gyllenhaal as having pretty similar careers and character types they play. Although Ryan on average seems to be more willing to play in the mainstream.

[aradia22]

Quote

I think of him and Jake Gyllenhaal as having pretty similar careers and character types they play. Although Ryan on average seems to be more willing to play in the mainstream.

I mean Gyllenhaal did "Life" and "Southpaw." I think he does stuff that could be mainstream or commercial but it just doesn't end up being popular. And this may be wrong but I think Ryan makes less money at the box office so he needs some mainstream stuff to boost his numbers and thus bargaining power. And this is my bias but after La La Land, I think of Jake as being the more talented one with his forays into actual theater/musical theater. He's smart to cultivate a fanbase in that community. They can be very loyal.

[Athena]

I think Ryan Gosling does quite well at the box office or at least enough for executives to put him in bigger roles. I also suspect that he is professional and not as difficult as some people so he is able to keep being cast. He is more willing to do bigger films and crucially, Gosling has been doing more comedic work so he has some range from art house to some action to comedy. Gyllenhaal has definitely edged towards more theatre which is a great fit for him. I do agree he has the better voice. Acting wise, it's harder to split the difference because I think Gosling is funnier in some ways or more willing to go that route any way. 

[raezen]

The talk about Jake Gyllenhaal is making me think of his costar Tatiana Maslany, and why the hell she doesn't have a bunch of stuff listed on IMDB for after Stronger. 

[aradia22]

Box office mojo is offline right now. But there's a woman on youtube who breaks down the box office and she's known to bring up the fact that Ryan Gosling movies consistently open around 10 million.

Also personal randomness... I think Gyllenhaal is attractive but I've never gotten the Gosling memes. He's attractive compared to normal people but not that handsome for a movie star. 

[bkathi]

On ‎9‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 9:11 PM, aradia22 said:

Wait... back up a second. I really like the original movie. Well, I like Marlene Dietrich. How could Affleck star? Who would he play? All the options I can think of are... terrible. And also... why? I get it, valuable IP but it's one of those old movies that still works and specifically works as an old movie. It's different from doing a period piece of Murder on the Orient Express or And Then There Were None. We have so many courtroom dramas now. I don't see the appeal. 

He would be great in the Tyrone Power role - the husband accused of murder.  Perfect role for Affleck.

[memememe76]

I wished Stronger and Battle of the Sexes did better. We need movies in that middle range to make money. It can't just be overblown franchises and teeny tiny Oscar movies. Gosling has a bit more charisma, but Gyllenhaal has a bit more of a chameleon to him. Ideally, they should be in a movie together as a couple. 

[absnow54]

Also personal randomness... I think Gyllenhaal is attractive but I've never gotten the Gosling memes. He's attractive compared to normal people but not that handsome for a movie star.

I wonder if Ryan Gosling would have only been a character actor if it weren't for The Notebook. I think he's got a unique look that doesn't necessarily shout "leading man", but he's got a ton of charisma and generates chemistry like crazy with his costars.

[aradia22]

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=ryangosling.htm&sort=gross&order=DESC&p=.htm

There we go. It's working again. Aside from La La Land, The Notebook, Crazy Stupid Love, and The Big Short, his movies don't do that great by today's standards. And the last two aren't really his movies because at best he's part of an ensemble.

[Athena]

I  don't feel that measuring actors especially consistently working ones like Gosling and Gyllenhaal by their box office numbers works as well anymore. Aside from perhaps Tom Cruise and a couple of others, acting alone does not open movies anymore. Ensembles are the norm for big opening weekends.

Box Office mojo averages for opening are for wide releases and that's only 9 out of 30 movies Gosling has been in. I don't think it makes him any more or less bankable. 

[methodwriter85]

On 10/4/2017 at 11:52 PM, memememe76 said:

I wished Stronger and Battle of the Sexes did better. We need movies in that middle range to make money. It can't just be overblown franchises and teeny tiny Oscar movies. Gosling has a bit more charisma, but Gyllenhaal has a bit more of a chameleon to him. Ideally, they should be in a movie together as a couple. 

You know, I've always thought they'd have decent chemistry if they ever did a gay relationship movie, but Jake hasn't played gay since Brokeback Mountain and Ryan has never played a gay character. Although there was definite subtext with his character and Michael Pitt's character in Murder by Numbers.

Anyway...

I saw Junebug before I saw Wedding Crashers circa 2005-2006, and I genuinely thought they were the same person for like years. Super-disappointed they don't actually share any scenes in Nocturnal Animals, although it makes sense why they don't.

The whole time I watched Sunshine Cleaners, in which Amy Adams and Emily Blunt play sisters that start a business where they clean up crime scenes, I kept thinking about how much I wanted Isla Fisher instead of Blunt. Although Blunt did make a plausible sister to Amy, too.

Edited October 8, 2017 by methodwriter85

[Ohwell]

Yeah the joke about Amy Adams and Isla Fisher being the same person has been going on for several years.