Actors/Directors/Writers etc. you like but the majority doesn't?

[jmt225]

Simple question, are there any actors, directors, writers, etc. who people don't like or are just simply unpopular that you're a huge fan of? If so, who are they and why are you a fan of that person?

I'll have to start mine off with James Van Der Beek. He is by far one my all time favorite actors, but if you look at his IMBD... not a whole lot of people like him, lol. And the worst part... since Dawson's Creek was canceled, he hasn't gotten any decent work. I mean, nothing but shitty indy films and a Lifetime movie. That's it. And it's a shame because the man has LOADS of talent. I absolutely loved Dawson's Creek. It's one of my favorite shows of all time, without a doubt. And then you have his performance in The Rules of Attraction, which, and I hate to sound repetitive, but it's one of my favorite performances in a film, ever, if not the favorite period. He was absolutely fantastic in that movie. And lastly he was the star in Varsity Blues, by far my favorite movie during my teen years and I still love it today.

Peter Berg is one of my favorite up and coming directors. But I don't think the guy gets the love he deserves. Seriously... The Rundown has some of the best action sequences ever put to film. It's awe inspiring. Very Bad Things was a tremendous film in my opinion and one of my favorite comedies of all time. And he's also the mind behind Friday Night Lights, both the film and television show, and both are terrific. And not to mention... but he's a solid actor as well. This dude is definitely going places, but he doesn't get hardly any recognition for whatever reason.

I'll probably reply with some more names later, but until then... who are some of your favorite people in the movie industry who are disliked or simply doesn't get the praise they deserve?

 

[X]

Interesting topic as always jmt. I completely agree with you on both James Van Der Beek and Peter Berg. I too just love Very Bad Things, and it might just be the greatest black comedy ever made. Amazing cast, dark and twisted, yet hilarious. The ending is perfect too, just an amazing flick that was unfortunately marketed as a straight-up comedy and not the dark movie it really was. Plus, it has Christian Slater with a chainsaw. Do I need to elaborate any further?

Plus you know I too share a deep love for the Rules of Attraction and Van Der Beek's performance. When he first strolls into the party with that bottle of Jack Daniels and that look on his face, he had be bought right there and than. He IS Sean Bateman. That film is just a masterpiece.

Two guys I'd like to bring up are the Wilson brothers, Owen & Luke. Owen specifically gets a ton of shit from everyone because he's in so many fratboy/"stupid" comedies. Anyone who's ever seen the film Bottle Rocket knows he's a great actor. One thing I really want to mention is the fact that Wilson is an extremely underrated writer. Most people don't even realize that Wilson helped pen the majority of the movies Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and The Royal Tenenbaums, all of which are amazing films from start to finish.

I also wanted to mention his brother Luke, and specifically his performance in The Royal Tenenbaums, which is flat-out amazing. From watching his roles on That 70s Show and in Old School you'd think he couldn't act his way out of a paper sack, but you'd be wrong. He shows remarkable depth in Tenenbaums, and his suicide attempt is one of my very favorite scenes from a film ever.

Those two get way too much shit. Yeah they do alot of junk, but you cannot question their talent.

I'm sure I'll think of some more later.

 

[supersayian]

Actor that is under rated to me is Sean Austin this guy has had really good films throughout his career and seems to get no respect for his work. The Goonies was huge back when i was young it was a great kids movie. then he Had Rudy while i think it could very well be the best sports movie ever. or how about Lord Of The Rings he was tremendously great there as Sam the Hobbit. or Recently The Final Season another sports movie not given a lot of credit he plays in more real character roles and this was one of his best again i would rank it up there with Rudy.

i will think of Director or women actor soon to be continued.

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

Dennis Quad as an actor people just see him as the guy who basically had a couple of hits in the 90's, watch Horsemen and youll see something amazing about him, he can act and when he does pick up the pace and choose his roles carefully the guy is suprisingly awesome, Horsemen at the moment is one of my fave thrillers and it didnt even hit the screens here in the UK.

 

[jmt225]

Two guys I'd like to bring up are the Wilson brothers, Owen & Luke.

Great choices.

I was one of those blind haters of those two until I got to know the epicness of Wes Anderson and his films. But before then? I couldn't stand either one of them, especially Owen Wilson. Owen nearly ruined Wedding Crashers for me, to be honest. And even though I love him today, I still feel that was a terrible miscast (shit.. I've always thought JVDB would've fit that role perfectly, lol).

But my opinion on Owen actually changed when I saw The Minus Man. He was wonderful in that. And not too soon after, I saw Bottle Rocket, and then went on to watch all of Wes Anderson's films (outside of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) and everything you said X was spot on. I'd just like to add though that Owen was great in Marley & Me, The Focker films, and Zoolander as well. And Luke's best work is without a doubt his Wes Anderson films, but he was also very good in Idiocracy and Vacancy.

Both are truly fantastic actors.

Actor that is under rated to me is Sean Austin this guy has had really good films throughout his career and seems to get no respect for his work. The Goonies was huge back when i was young it was a great kids movie. then he Had Rudy while i think it could very well be the best sports movie ever. or how about Lord Of The Rings he was tremendously great there as Sam the Hobbit. or Recently The Final Season another sports movie not given a lot of credit he plays in more real character roles and this was one of his best again i would rank it up there with Rudy.

GREAT choice, supersayian. I just said the other day in the Bar Room how it disappointed me that Astin was going to be remembered more for playing a hobbit than anything else, when if you look at his body of work... that's a true shame. Rudy, Toy Soldies, Goonies, White Water Summer, etc. were all great movies and he was great in them. And then you actually mentioned Final Season, props to you for seeing that. He showed his range in that film. I thought he was going to go for the sympathy role when I first saw and read about it, but he was a tough, hard nose son of a bitch in that movie and it was believable.

 

[jokeboy624]

I'd have to say mine is less a specific actor and more of a genre of actors trying something different. I've really enjoyed the slapstick comedic actor trying there hand at more serious roles. Robin Williams and Adam Sandler have been most successful at this in my opinion with Jim Carrey being less successful. Williams obviously was given great amounts of credit for his role in Good Will Hunting, but I felt he was overlooked in One Hour Photo and Insomnia. Also as I remember it, Sandler caught quite a bit of flack for Reign Over Me which I thought was a great film.

This transitions always seem to fail because of the actors prior success in the comedy genre. People expect them to make them laugh, not to think or to cry, which is sad because they are capable of both. Look at Tom Hanks, he started his career with Bosom Buddies.

 

[X]

I'd have to say mine is less a specific actor and more of a genre of actors trying something different. I've really enjoyed the slapstick comedic actor trying there hand at more serious roles. Robin Williams and Adam Sandler have been most successful at this in my opinion with Jim Carrey being less successful. Williams obviously was given great amounts of credit for his role in Good Will Hunting, but I felt he was overlooked in One Hour Photo and Insomnia. Also as I remember it, Sandler caught quite a bit of flack for Reign Over Me which I thought was a great film.

Let me say right now that I agree with you 100% man. I was actually going to bring up every one of those actors, but chose not to. Adam Sandler was amazing in Punch-Drunk Love as well as Reign Over Me like you said. Jim Carrey was brilliant in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Man on the Moon, and The Truman Show, and Williams was stunning in Awakenings, Good Will Hunting, and Dead Poet's Society, Insomnia among others.

All great actors that are very underrated in the eyes of the critical community.

 

[SK]

For director/writer I'd have to go for Noel Clarke. Clarke appeared in and wrote the screenplay for Kidulthood and wrote, directed and starred in the sequel, Adulthood. Now what you have to understand about Clarke, is that he was from a poor background, he was just a kid with a dream, he didn't go to expensive drama schools, but studied media at university. A lot of people immediately dismiss Clarke's films as simple, exaggerating violence and melodrama. But what people don't realise is that within his films/scripts, Clarke gives great character depth, showing that all characters have a good and bad side. He allows the audience to have verstehen even for villains, which in recent times is a great thing because it seems as though villains/bad people nowadays have to be fully evil and the heroes/good people have to be pure. Clarke, for me also does show a good interpretation of modern city street life, something which these middle class critics seem to believe they have a good perception of, but really all they know is what the news tells them.

I'll come back to actors when I can think more clearly.

 

[Razor]

Robin Williams.

Dead Poets Society was a great showing from Williams. I watched that film in 7th grade Pre-AP English, and I wanted nothing more than to have a teacher half as inspiring as Williams was in that performance. I STILL pine for a teacher half as inspiring as him. To be honest, that film had a lot of great performances. Robert Sean Leonard (The main protagonist of the film, and Dr. Wilson in House) was good, and Kurtwood Smith (Leonard's father in Dead Poets, and Red of That 70's Show) was just as fitting.

Patch Adams, Insomnia, and 24-Hour Photo were good acts by Williams as well. I guess they just judge Adams by his Mrs. Doubtfire days. (Though he wasn't completely shittastic in that film.)