Film, TV, Netflix, HBO, Etc. Thread

I know this is an unpopular opinion but I’ve always thought Matt Damon sucks as an actor despite being a Good Will Hunting fan.

Watch Ripley on Netflix and you’ll see Andrew Scott crush this role while Matt Damon ruined it (despite Jude Law’s epic performance), at which time I realized how limited he is.
He essentially plays different versions of Matt Damon in every movie. Now, compare him to someone like Gary Oldman, for example….

1715011368486.jpeg

1715011392245.jpeg

1715011414293.jpeg

Absolutely bodied all three of those roles. That’s not even including his performance as Churchill or Dracula. Whenever I watch something with him in it, my brain isn’t telling me, “that’s Gary Oldman playing dress-up.” My brain does that with whatever Matt Damon is in (aside from, maybe, Euro Trip).
 
He essentially plays different versions of Matt Damon in every movie. Now, compare him to someone like Gary Oldman, for example….

View attachment 5523

View attachment 5524

View attachment 5525

Absolutely bodied all three of those roles. That’s not even including his performance as Churchill or Dracula. Whenever I watch something with him in it, my brain isn’t telling me, “that’s Gary Oldman playing dress-up.” My brain does that with whatever Matt Damon is in (aside from, maybe, Euro Trip).
Definitely agree, Oldman just absorbs those characters. Some of it may have to do with the pretty boy faces with Damon and DiCaprio. The small noses and gentler facial features may have to do with their limitations and signature facial expressions.
 
Definitely agree, Oldman just absorbs those characters. Some of it may have to do with the pretty boy faces with Damon and DiCaprio. The small noses and gentler facial features may have to do with their limitations and signature facial expressions.
I don’t know if it’s so much that as it is that they have limited ranges as actors. Damon can’t carry DiCaprio’s jock, and DiCaprio can’t carry Gary Oldman’s. Jake Gyllenhaal is a good looking dude, and his range as an actor has seriously improved over the years. Southpaw, Nightcrawlers, Prisoners (his best performance, IMO), and End of Watch showcase that.

Just to clarify - DiCaprio is a good actor. He’s just not what everyone makes him out to be - one of the GOATs.
 
I don’t know if it’s so much that as it is that they have limited ranges as actors. Damon can’t carry DiCaprio’s jock, and DiCaprio can’t carry Gary Oldman’s. Jake Gyllenhaal is a good looking dude, and his range as an actor has seriously improved over the years. Southpaw, Nightcrawlers, Prisoners (his best performance, IMO), and End of Watch showcase that.

Just to clarify - DiCaprio is a good actor. He’s just not what everyone makes him out to be - one of the GOATs.


Most actors just play a version of their own projected persona. And there's a reason for it. The public doesn't want to see John Wayne or Clint Eastwood curled up in a ball and crying like a bitch. It's the rare actor who is truly playing different roles and getting high billing.
 
Most actors just play a version of their own projected persona. And there's a reason for it. The public doesn't want to see John Wayne or Clint Eastwood curled up in a ball and crying like a bitch. It's the rare actor who is truly playing different roles and getting high billing.
There’s a place in cinema for the Wayne’s, Eastwoods, and (more currently) Keanu Reeves’ of the world. There’s also a place for someone like Daniel Day-Lewis, who could pull off the same roles the former three do, become a terrifying gangland leader in the Tammany Hall era, a sociopathic oil tycoon, or a white man living among Mohicans.
 
There’s a place in cinema for the Wayne’s, Eastwoods, and (more currently) Keanu Reeves’ of the world. There’s also a place for someone like Daniel Day-Lewis, who could pull off the same roles the former three do, become a terrifying gangland leader in the Tammany Hall era, a sociopathic oil tycoon, or a white man living among Mohicans.


Absolutely. The acting world needs both to function well.
 
Ripley is a masterpiece
 
I’ll give it a watch this weekend. Netflix seems to be having a comeback when it comes to quality programming.
As I understand it was a Showtime project they got switched to Netflix.

It isn’t going to blow people away if they’re expecting a different story from the film, although it’s more comprehensive. I just love the mood, music, cinematography and performances. It intentionally moves pretty slow.
 
Back
Top