andicus

Bingo! (Truman Show)

Will have to re-watch Eternal Sunshine. I really don't remember it, at all.

I'd also add Kristen Wiig. I didn't care for her on SNL, but have found her much better in film, particularly Bridesmaids.

GoldenJCJ

Toby Dramit

Mel Gibson in Jew Can't Do This To Me a.k.a. The Sugar Tits Pullover (2006).

tanman

For me it was the one two three combination of Good Will Hunting, What Dreams May Come and Patch Adams that really did it for me. I know that he had done dramatic roles before this but I either hadn't watched them yet or didn't appreciate them. And these three movies came out within about a year of each other and it was a time I was watching movies all the time. Had a lot of free time and movie tickets were cheap.

tanman

If you did this on purpose then bravo!

andicus

I'll only take half credit. I did know that the film involved memory, but didn't realize the interpretation of the statement until GoldenJCJ pointed it out.

Why So Blu?

Channing Tatum. He always came off as a douche when he first hit the scene, but I think he gained general acceptance by guys when he had that cameo in This is the End.

I mean, he had to climb upward. He did GI JOE and then the first 21 Jump Street film, but once he did that cameo in This is the End, he was golden. Nice guy, too.

tanman

I'll give you a hearty brah then.

Vipper II

Jake Gyllenhaal - Zodiac - never liked him much before that, though I never knew why.

ntnon

I had no real feelings one way or the other for Jude Law until A.I. and the relentless lack of an ending. After watching it in full, I somehow transferred much of my dislike for the film onto him and his weird character and decided I must dislike him personally (probably didn't help much that there were real-world Nanny issues, too). His presence in films has irked me since..

..and it's largely unfair. I rewatched the Kubrick-Spielberg film recently, and the themes and plot was much more resonant and interesting this time, while Law's character wasn't nearly as awful. Maybe the film has damned AND redeemed him for me.

milo bloom

Speaking of Spielberg/Kubick's AI, that's one that kinda dinged my admiration for Spielberg a bit because the ending was so unclear. I've even heard from others that they thought the critters at the very end were

GoldenJCJ

^ I seem to remember thinking that myself. Which is completely stupid and makes zero sense in the context of the movie.



It’s been awhile since I’ve seen that movie. I really should re-visit it to see if I have a different opinion after all these years.

GoldenJCJ

Took me awhile longer. I always thought Gyllenhaal was a decent actor but it wasn’t until Prisoners that I realized he was a “Movie Star”.

FWIW, I’ve tried to watch Zodiac twice and just can’t get into it. I don’t understand the love for it.

Jason Bovberg

I can't stand Melissa McCarthy's schtick, but I thought she was great in "St. Vincent."

HeIsTheZissou

That's what happened with me. It made no sense, but that's what it looked like.

Why So Blu?

That's a Fincher top-3 film.

IBJoel

I'll go with DiCaprio in Shutter Island. He was just too "pretty boy" for me and I couldn't shake my memories of "Leo Fever" in the late 90s, so he was just the kid from Growing Pains/Titanic to me, even after Gangs of New York and Body of Lies.

Giantrobo

Yeah, I loved him in that beautiful but very mentally fucked up film,"What Dreams May Come".

Giantrobo

I love her schtick! And I agree she was great in her role in "St. Vincent" That film mention reminds me to another "Comedy Legend" turned Dramatic actor, Bill Murray. Let's just say I feel the exact same way about Bill Murray as I do Robin Williams. I prefer them "toned down". Bill Murray is annoying to me, especially when he's doing "Bill Murray" in roles and in interviews. Just ugh!! But I LOOOVED him in his tone down comedy role in "The Royal Tenenbaums". I think Wes Anderson brings out the best in Bill.

John Galt

Since Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler have already been mentioned, I’ll go with Ashton Kutcher in Butterfly Effect. Not that it’s a performance you’d expect to win any awards, but it was worlds apart from the sitcom, MTV, and stoner comedy guy he’d been up to that point.

GoldenJCJ

So I’m told.

Of course I’d also rank A Curious Case of Benjamin Button as one of Fincher’s Top 3. So I might not be one to ask.

I’m a huge Fincher fan, BTW.

devilshalo

Speaking of Fincher...

Se7en. I hated Alien³ and Fincher's imagery. I understood he came from the music video world. But then he made Se7en, The Game and Fight Club.

tanman

I think I only watched it once in the theater. I remember it being emotionally draining. I can only imagine it would be even harder to watch now as an older sadder adult and with Robin being gone and now knowing the demons he had to wrestle with.