I wish the studios cranking out one superhero movie after another would keep their mitts off of great actors.
Before the huge success of Batman, Michael Keaton was a terrific comic actor. Night Shift remains one of my favorite movies and one of only maybe 2 1/2 Ron Howard movies I can stomach. Since Batman? A couple of cameos as Ray Nicolette in Jackie Brown and Out of Sight and not much else.
For Jack Nicholson, his turn as The Joker (as entertaining as it was) in the same film cemented the actor as a caricature of himself a million miles away from the greatness on display in Five Easy Pieces and Chinatown. He’s done good work since, but at almost all times his persona outshines his performances.
I’m a little less worried about Christian Bale in the rebooted Batman movies for some reason, but Terminator Salvation is certainly cause for concern.
Granted, Iron Man probably rescued Robert Downey, Jr. in a way and he surely made that movie more interesting than it had any right to be, but I fear the edgy, interesting Downey of yore will never be seen again. Instead it’ll be Due Date, and Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes as far as the eye can see.
Most recently, the terrific Andrew Garfield signed on for a Sam Raimi-less Spider-Man reboot cynically mounted only a few years after the last horrible entry in the franchise. Most Americans haven’t even seen the kid who was so great in Boy A, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and The Red Riding Trilogy, and now I fear he’ll be ruined too.
Now comes word that Marvel is looking at Mark Ruffalo for The Hulk in the upcoming Avengers movie. Both Eric Bana and Edward Norton played the part unscathed, but that’s partly because both films were met by relative indifference. Will Ruffalo be so lucky? I hope so.
Superhero movies are an acceptable fact of life. Though I’m sick of them, some of them are even entertaining. The thing is, I don’t think they’re made or broken by the guy (or gal) inside the costume and I think the money and fame those roles bring is more of a detriment to fine acting careers than a benefit.
Filed under: Opinion
Very interesting analysis. You forgot that Daredevil doomed Ben Affleck on his sure road to Oscar as well…
Also, although I couldn’t stomach watching Antichrist, I still have a bad taste in my mouth from Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, especially that Mighty Morphin Power Ranger-esque rooftop scene.
Luckily Dafoe is a challenge seeking actor who seems to be apple to shift easily between paychecks and honest acting gigs.
Maybe Ruffalo and Garfield will turn out the same.
Raimi’s biggest mistake on “Spider-Man” (or at least one of them– he made a lot) might very well have been putting a mask on Willem Dafoe in the first place. Why bother? Just give him a subtle make-up job, and he’s already more of a Green Goblin than anything your prop department could cook up. Awful movie, when you get right down to it.
I think it’s too bad that Norton’s been ditched for the Hulk. To me, he was pretty damn good in the part, and he’s got something neither Bana or Ruffalo really have– a sleight build. You need a sense of contrast between puny Banner the big green guy.
But I’m not really concerned. The “Avengers” movie is being helmed by Joss Whedon, so it’s already bound to be insufferable to my tastes. Maybe if I wind up dating an obsessive “Buffy” fangirl sometime in the future, but otherwise, I’m done with the Marvel movies.
I have to wonder whose fault this is, really? The actor and their agents for seeking higher-paycheck/bigger celebrity roles like these or the casting agents and producers who seem hell-bent on pigeon-holing actors in certain roles and genres of films once stardom is achieved? I suppose audiences don’t help much either when they’ll happily pony up the cash to see (insert name here) in anything they do after starring in (insert mega-blockbuster here).
Case in point: Does anyone really expect Johnny Depp to do anything very interesting now that his name alone can make a movie an extra couple hundred million, regardless of quality? Certainly Nicholas Cage has circled the periphery of his early career a couple times in the last 10 years (Adaptation, Matchstick Men, Bad Lieutenant Redux) but who can really fault him when what audiences actually respond to are schlocky pictures like National Treasure, Ghost Rider, and G-Force?
I should mention that I know there’s some deliberate irony in my Johnny Depp comment, since Public Enemies tanked hard (I liked it quite a bit actually), but that gets back to my point about Nicholas Cage.
Does anyone really expect Johnny Depp to do anything very interesting now that his name alone can make a movie an extra couple hundreed million, regardless of quality?
If Alice in Wonderland is anything to go by that would be a big no. Of course that didn’t stop it from making money in the billions (both on Depp’s name and Burton’s). He’ll keep doing Burton’s movies, which have become less and less interesting over time, and they will make money. As for Public Enemies I didn’t see it but if I remember correctly it didn’t tank that hard, and the reviews were mixed.
I’d really love to see RDJ do something more challenging and interesting again soon. Like you’ve pointed out, Craig, he’s sticking with movies that are more “blockbuster” and mainstream, and less artistic or edgy. More importantly it’s material that is not apt to push him to dig deeper. Maybe it’s a matter of feeling like he needs to establish himself solidly as a box office draw, or maybe he’s doing anything and everything to keep busy; or a combination. I will of course see him in anything and as far as I’m concerned he does raise the level of the most mediocre material by his presence alone; but yeah, I’d like to see him change it up again.
Ultimately the blame rests with the actors, but it’s hard to fault them the temptation to take the money and notoriety. It’s not like Nicholson was looking to make a name for himself, but you take my point.
The Green Goblin mask was the only thing I didn’t like about the first Spider-Man (yes that even includes the much-maligned Kirsten Dunst) and I quite liked the second. The third was terrible in every way.
I have high hopes for Depp in Rum Punch, but we’ll just have to see about that.
I always enjoy Cage so much even in terrible movies that it’s hard for me to fault him. Still, I miss him from the Raising Arizona through Moonstruck and Leaving Las Vegas days.
Yeah, I agree about Cage. He’s never been a favorite and sometimes he actually gets on my nerves, but he was excellent in movies like Raising Arizona, Moonstruck and of course Leaving Las Vegas. I also really liked him in a much smaller movie from way back when – Racing with the Moon – which he starred in with Sean Penn. Both of them were very young and they both showed so much potential.
I hated the first “Spider-Man”. Tobey was an awful, bland choice for Peter Parker; Koepp’s script lacked the wit and wisecracks that made Stan Lee’s creation such a breath of fresh air in comics (it didn’t help that the only time Spidey cracks a joke in the film basically amounts to gay-bashing); Dunst herself didn’t bother me as much as the way they rewrote the Mary Jane character into a fickle slut (in the comics, she’s a manipulative cold-hearted bitch who, somewhat paradoxically, genuinely cares for the web-slinger); it didn’t make much sense to tell the Green Goblin story without the Gwen Stacey plot, which was the only thing that made the GG interesting at all; they packed on so much awful melodrama (choose who dies– your love or the little children!) and so much self-righteous patriotic bullshit (Spidey posing in front of Old Glory, playing nice with “The Real Heroes” of NYPD and firemen) I wonder at times if Raimi wouldn’t have rather directed a Captain America movie.
I didn’t like a thing about that movie. The sequel was okay, though, but that’s mostly because I like Doctor Octopus.
If there’s a fine character/supporting/indie actor in Hollywood who deserves a big fat paycheck movie at this point, it’s definitely Mark Ruffalo. Although I’m sure he didn’t get a bag of shells for Shutter Island.
I’m just now pondering a review of Iron Man 2 and I’m considering the silliness of Favreau and Downey, Jr.’s joint vision actually meriting some respect: it’s about time there was one cinematic superhero who’s not woefully embarrassed and beset by crippling angst by his superpowers and capabilities. Still, it was a hollow, pointless and truly boring movie, but there’s something there, at least. I do increasingly miss the Downey, Jr. of Chaplin and even Zodiac, however.
I’m not sure Nic Cage cynically circles money-movies. He seems to BELIEVE in even his looniest most ridiculous projects. And he makes a real movie, or gives a real performance, just often enough to keep me with him.
Alexander, that’s how I felt about the first one: enjoyed the sense of fun and lack of Dark Knightian angst, but for 2, the thrill is gone. The only signs of life were Mickey Rourke and he wasn’t in it enough.
Also, yeah, what Chuck said. He’s enjoyable because he’s always fully committed to even the stupidest role or movie. That doesn’t make his choices any better, but he’s not off my list of interesting actors despite all of the Bruckheimer shit he’s made over the years.
Hell for five minutes I was actually sort of curious about Sorcerer’s Apprentice. (I got over it).
I’d grant you that during the 90′s and early 00′s, Cage seemed to generally engage every project, no matter how silly it was. But I’ve seen some of his more recent paycheck pictures on cable and it doesn’t feel as though his commitment is there anymore. And who can blame him when his attempts to do actual acting are ignored by audiences who’d rather see National Treasure 5?
Ugh…now Jennifer Lawrence is being cast in the next X-Men movie.
http://heatvision.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/07/winters-bone-star-cast-as-mystique-in-xmen-first-class.html
Stop the madness!!!!
Not surprising, although she’s going to be one mutant in a large group of them. It’s not like she’s starring in the film. Ellen Page’s career certainly wasn’t impacted much by being in X-men 3.
“And who can blame him when his attempts to do actual acting are ignored by audiences who’d rather see National Treasure 5?”
The total indifference to THE WEATHER MAN irritated me, it is one of Cage’s best performances and no one gave the slightest hint of a damn. The movie itself is also mostly strong, and builds to an unusually honest conclusion in our “Everyone is the same, everyone is great” get/rich/horseshit culture: know your role and your limits. Not everyone is an artist. Cage’s pain in that picture is raw, funny and heartbreaking. WEATHER MAN would make a great double with ADAPTATION or, thematically, with THE INCREDIBLES.