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Kevin Costner

gunslingerdick

gunslingerdick

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Feb 16, 2006
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What do you think of him? For me, I don’t think he’s a very good actor. But for some strange reason, I can’t turn away from any of the movies he’s in. I mean, I usually like the movie in spite of his performance (Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, The Untouchables, Rumor Has It) or I think the movie is garbage but for some reason, I can’t look away (Tin Cup, Waterworld, The Bodyguard, Swing Vote). I guess Dances With Wolves was a good movie and I think he might have won an award for his performance. But most of the time, I find myself thinking, “how in the hell has this guy had a 40 year career in acting?”

So, first, please share your thoughts on Kevin Costner and then maybe offer up another actor or actress that you can’t believe has made it in the biz as long as they have.
 
gunslingerdick said:
What do you think of him? For me, I don’t think he’s a very good actor. But for some strange reason, I can’t turn away from any of the movies he’s in. I mean, I usually like the movie in spite of his performance (Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, The Untouchables, Rumor Has It) or I think the movie is garbage but for some reason, I can’t look away (Tin Cup, Waterworld, The Bodyguard, Swing Vote). I guess Dances With Wolves was a good movie and I think he might have won an award for his performance. But most of the time, I find myself thinking, “how in the hell has this guy had a 40 year career in acting?”

So, first, please share your thoughts on Kevin Costner and then maybe offer up another actor or actress that you can’t believe has made it in the biz as long as they have.
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He didn't win for his acting in Dances (lost to Jeremy Irons), but he won best director and best picture (over Scorsese for Goodfellas).

I don't mind Costner, I think he's fine. He's not the most talented actor out there, but I don't hate him. He's just kind of average in my book, he's made some pretty solid movies, some really bad movies, and a lot of forgettable movies. Bull Durham and Untouchables are definitely his two best for me. He shouldn't have been anywhere near a Robin Hood movie though.
 
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gunslingerdick said:
So, first, please share your thoughts on Kevin Costner
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I would say he's about average. Nothing special. His career reminds me a little of Cage's career. Not in terms of talent, but the fact that his movies vary significantly in how good they are. They both have been in some of the best movies and they both have a significant catalogue of movies that you don't want to watch, but watch anyway.


gunslingerdick said:
offer up another actor or actress that you can’t believe has made it in the biz as long as they have.
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Keanu Reeves, Ben Affleck and Megan Fox immediately come to mind.
 
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tarheel0910 said:
I would say he's about average. Nothing special. His career reminds me a little of Cage's career. Not in terms of talent, but the fact that his movies vary significantly in how good they are. They both have been in some of the best movies and they both have a significant catalogue of movies that you don't want to watch, but watch anyway.



Keanu Reeves, Ben Affleck and Megan Fox immediately come to mind.
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Keanu is good when he’s given the right project though. John Wick is amazing. If you put him in the right thing, he’s great
 
heelz2345 said:
Keanu is good when he’s given the right project though. John Wick is amazing. If you put him in the right thing, he’s great
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Yeah, we are going to have to disagree on this one. He was ok in the Matrix. That's only because he was playing himself, an aloof robot.
 
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tarheel0910 said:
Yeah, we are going to have to disagree on this one. He was ok in the Matrix. That's only because he was playing himself, an aloof robot.
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Have you seen John Wick? If you haven’t, watch it, you’ll come around a little on Keanu. John Wick (and Chapter 2) is an awesome movie

I’m not saying the guy is one of the best actors ever, he doesn’t have great range and there are a number of movies he has been in that he had absolutely zero business being in. But if you put him in the right role (John Wick, Matrix 1, Point Break, Speed, Bill & Ted) he will get the job done.
 
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heelz2345 said:
Have you seen John Wick? If you haven’t, watch it, you’ll come around a little on Keanu. John Wick (and Chapter 2) is an awesome movie

I’m not saying the guy is one of the best actors ever, he doesn’t have great range and there are a number of movies he has been in that he had absolutely zero business being in. But if you put him in the right role (John Wick, Matrix 1, Point Break, Speed, Bill & Ted) he will get the job done.
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I've seen it. It was ok. I felt like that had more to do with the script, direction and cinematography instead of him. Based on his earlier work, I'm just surprised that he's hung around as long as he has. You usually don't go from bad actor to being the lead of a franchise movie unless you have another talent. Kind of like Affleck. If it wasn't for his early writing, he would probably be an also ran actor.
 
tarheel0910 said:
I've seen it. It was ok. I felt like that had more to do with the script, direction and cinematography instead of him. Based on his earlier work, I'm just surprised that he's hung around as long as he has. You usually don't go from bad actor to being the lead of a franchise movie unless you have another talent. Kind of like Affleck. If it wasn't for his early writing, he would probably be an also ran actor.
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I mean, the script, direction, and cinematography are all dope in that movie (I would also add editing and fight choreography), but I think it's a role that suits him. Again, I'm not saying the guy is the best or anything, but in a movie that suits him, he can be pretty good. He's been in a ton of stinkers though (and has stunk in some otherwise good movies that he was miscast in), no denying that.
 
gunslingerdick said:
What do you think of him? For me, I don’t think he’s a very good actor. But for some strange reason, I can’t turn away from any of the movies he’s in. I mean, I usually like the movie in spite of his performance (Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, The Untouchables, Rumor Has It) or I think the movie is garbage but for some reason, I can’t look away (Tin Cup, Waterworld, The Bodyguard, Swing Vote). I guess Dances With Wolves was a good movie and I think he might have won an award for his performance. But most of the time, I find myself thinking, “how in the hell has this guy had a 40 year career in acting?”

So, first, please share your thoughts on Kevin Costner and then maybe offer up another actor or actress that you can’t believe has made it in the biz as long as they have.
Click to expand...
It's called a man crush, no big deal...
 
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grillheel said:
Rumor Has It is garbage. Tin Cup, though far from great, is a very watchable, enjoyable movie.
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No movie staring Jenifer Aniston can be garbage. It’s against the laws of physics. Plus, I love Shirley McClain and the guy who plays Aniston’s dad.

OTOH, Renee Russo just doesn’t do it for me in any way shape or form. Throw in the fact that Sonny Crocket steals the movie and you know it’s pretty bad. I didn’t even like Cheech Marin in that movie and it takes a lot for me to not like Cheech. Plus, the absurdity of the storyline is over the top. Costner’s faux persona as the over the top swashbuckler doesn’t resonate. But it’s about golf so I’ll watch it.
 
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BigChill.jpg


Big-Chill-1983-00-04-46.jpg
 
I loved Field of Dreams so much so , I want to go see the film location in Iowa. Tin Cup , I loved it too, particularly the young lady Russo , I believe. Then he did a film with Robert Duvall , called Open Range I think , I loved it too. Turns out I am a Kevin Costner fan.
Someone who surprises me with a long career ? Maybe not a long list of credits but the Porker Oprah WInfrey !
 
Echoing most on here... Costner is an ok actor. I do like some of his movies: Bull Durham, F.O.D., Tin Cup, Dances with Wolves.

An Overrated actor to me is Tom Cruise. He seems to mostly play the same smart-ass character in every movie. However I did think his small role in Tropic Thunder was hilarious.
 
gunslingerdick said:
No movie staring Jenifer Aniston can be garbage. It’s against the laws of physics. Plus, I love Shirley McClain and the guy who plays Aniston’s dad.

OTOH, Renee Russo just doesn’t do it for me in any way shape or form. Throw in the fact that Sonny Crocket steals the movie and you know it’s pretty bad. I didn’t even like Cheech Marin in that movie and it takes a lot for me to not like Cheech. Plus, the absurdity of the storyline is over the top. Costner’s faux persona as the over the top swashbuckler doesn’t resonate. But it’s about golf so I’ll watch it.
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Well, I like Jennifer Aniston, too, but I have to say a number of the movies that she is in are garbage, and even if she had been filmed buck naked in them, it wouldn’t be enough to save them (though that might have helped).
I think Renee Russo is pretty hot in this movie and others too, but I’m just an old dude so what do I know?
Don Johnson does a good job playing the bad guy in this movie, but, once again IMO, he does not “steal” it in any way. If anybody “steals” it, I would say it is Cheech, but I would give Gary McCord credit for stealing a couple of scenes too. I think the scenes with Nantz and Venturi in the broadcast booth and Chirkinian in the control booth are pretty good too.
And, yeah, the storyline is way over the top, but the ending is much better than it would have been if this driving range pro had just come out of nowhere and won. I won’t quibble about how absurd it is that 3 woods hit over 200 yards would somehow roll backwards off of greens though. Once again, I don’t think it’s a great movie, but, IMO, it’s pretty decent.
 
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TarHeelMark said:
Echoing most on here... Costner is an ok actor. I do like some of his movies: Bull Durham, F.O.D., Tin Cup, Dances with Wolves.

An Overrated actor to me is Tom Cruise. He seems to mostly play the same smart-ass character in every movie. However I did think his small role in Tropic Thunder was hilarious.
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Disagree on Tom Cruise. Not saying he's award-winning caliber in all his movies, but movies like Valkyrie show he can still act in various ranges.

I do accept though that he may be like Keanu in the discussion above where a lot of Cruise's movies are badass, regardless of his performance in them.
 
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TarHeelNation11 said:
Field of Dreams is a much cheaper -- but just as effective -- alternative to Ambien.
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It's already been established that you don't know anything about movies. No need to remind us.

TarHeelMark said:
An Overrated actor to me is Tom Cruise. He seems to mostly play the same smart-ass character in every movie. However I did think his small role in Tropic Thunder was hilarious.
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I think his problem is that he's kind of backed himself into a corner with the action movies and can't escape it. Same thing happened to Stallone and Willis among others. As far as Tropic Thunder goes, he was easily the best part.
 
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Not a fan of Kevin Costner. He's not the most gifted actor and off the screen he's always struck me as a prick.

Bull Durham and Dances With Wolves were good but JFK is pure fiction (blame that on Oliver Stone) and The Untouchables is one of the most if not THE most overrated films ever to come out of Hollywood (blame that on Costner and Brian De Palma).
And did you ever see The Bodyguard with Costner and Whitney Houston? Me neither.

I agree with TarHeelMark about Tom Cruise. Average actor and a real flake off camera. But my vote for an actor who has little range or charisma yet is inexplicably still making movies is Jeff Bridges.
 
Damn, you guys are going after a bunch of people that I like lol.

Tom Cruise is a guy who I think is totally nuts off camera, but on camera, the guy knows how to make an entertaining movie. He had good movies in the 80's (Top Gun, Risky Business, Rain Man), good movies in the 90's (A Few Good Men, Mission: Impossible, Jerry Maguire), good movies in the 00's (Minority Report, Collateral, Tropic Thunder), and good movies in the 10's (Edge of Tomorrow, American Made). I didn't include the sequels to MI, but those are all pretty damn solid too. He plays similar characters in most of his movies, but he makes an entertaining flick. I wouldn't agree he's "easily" the best thing in Tropic Thunder because I really love that movie and RDJ's performance in particular is my favorite part, but Cruise is one of the reasons I love it.

I don't know I have to really give voice to my love of Jeff Bridges considering I have a Luke Maye version of his most famous character as my avatar, but I think he's pretty great. Iron Man, True Grit, and Hell or High Water are among some of my favorites in the past decade and his contributions to those movies are one of the reasons why. I wouldn't say he has the greatest overall filmography, but his hits are hits for sure.
 
Costner is OK as an actor, but has enough of “it” to make a name for himself as an actor in some of the best movies around. Not because of him, but not necessarily in spite of him either.

Frankly, aside from Bull Durham, IMHO, his best movies were westerns. I loved Dance With wolves, but the directors cut (Costner directed it, BTW) is what you need to watch to get the full story. I thought the script was good, acting was good but the cinematography was great, so I have to credit Costner for that.

Open Range was a great movie, but his role wasn’t what made the movie, Robert Duvall’s was. Supporting actors were great too.

Bull Durham was really good, but not great in terms of acting. Field of Dreams had great acting and a great story, but Costner, IMHO, wasn’t particularly great.

Same with The Untouchables. He was surrounded by great actors and great writing but his performance was kinda dry to me

I saw The Bodyguard and liked it, but it wasn’t great. Never saw Waterworld, thankfully.

As for others, I put a lot of actors in the same category as Costner. Ben Affleck, Sylvester Stallone, Julia Stiles, Glenn Close and some others. Not great actors, not bad, but average actors who could be elevated depending on the movie.
 
His "acting" is pretty much the same in every movie. At least from those I have seen.

I mean, look at Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. He's the only one in the film without an accent to the times and locations. That was really odd. But, I like that film overall.

The accent he tried in JFK was awkward and didn't really reflect Jim Garrison's actual cadence and accent.

Bull Durham, The Untouchables, Dances With Wolves, JFK, Field of Dreams are ones that are fresh in my mind. They are all great films and I can easily watch them all over and over. Field of Dreams is a superb film.

I liked Draft Day, too. One of his best roles, and my favorite Costner film after Field of Dreams, was in Fandango.
 
heelz2345 said:
Damn, you guys are going after a bunch of people that I like lol.

Tom Cruise is a guy who I think is totally nuts off camera, but on camera, the guy knows how to make an entertaining movie. He had good movies in the 80's (Top Gun, Risky Business, Rain Man), good movies in the 90's (A Few Good Men, Mission: Impossible, Jerry Maguire), good movies in the 00's (Minority Report, Collateral, Tropic Thunder), and good movies in the 10's (Edge of Tomorrow, American Made). I didn't include the sequels to MI, but those are all pretty damn solid too. He plays similar characters in most of his movies, but he makes an entertaining flick. I wouldn't agree he's "easily" the best thing in Tropic Thunder because I really love that movie and RDJ's performance in particular is my favorite part, but Cruise is one of the reasons I love it.

I don't know I have to really give voice to my love of Jeff Bridges considering I have a Luke Maye version of his most famous character as my avatar, but I think he's pretty great. Iron Man, True Grit, and Hell or High Water are among some of my favorites in the past decade and his contributions to those movies are one of the reasons why. I wouldn't say he has the greatest overall filmography, but his hits are hits for sure.
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Jeff Bridges is in my Top 5 all-time actors. Johnny Depp is in the Top 5 as well. Jim Carrey is another. Pacino and De Niro round it out. They can all do every emotion and do it convincingly. My wild cards are Bill Murray and Robin Williams.

Tom Cruise doesn't do comedy all that well. I never find him funny at all. But, he is a great actor.
 
heelz2345 said:
Damn, you guys are going after a bunch of people that I like lol.

Tom Cruise is a guy who I think is totally nuts off camera, but on camera, the guy knows how to make an entertaining movie. He had good movies in the 80's (Top Gun, Risky Business, Rain Man), good movies in the 90's (A Few Good Men, Mission: Impossible, Jerry Maguire), good movies in the 00's (Minority Report, Collateral, Tropic Thunder), and good movies in the 10's (Edge of Tomorrow, American Made). I didn't include the sequels to MI, but those are all pretty damn solid too. He plays similar characters in most of his movies, but he makes an entertaining flick. I wouldn't agree he's "easily" the best thing in Tropic Thunder because I really love that movie and RDJ's performance in particular is my favorite part, but Cruise is one of the reasons I love it.

I don't know I have to really give voice to my love of Jeff Bridges considering I have a Luke Maye version of his most famous character as my avatar, but I think he's pretty great. Iron Man, True Grit, and Hell or High Water are among some of my favorites in the past decade and his contributions to those movies are one of the reasons why. I wouldn't say he has the greatest overall filmography, but his hits are hits for sure.
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Pretty sure @Heels Noir is trolling with the Bridges statement.
 
Costner's "Wyatt Earp" movie sucked. Dennis Quaid was a good Doc Holliday, however.
 
Jeff Bridges is amazing. Stop that insanity.

Tom Cruise is a supreme douchebag. But I watch his shit too. Pretty much all of it. He’s done some fantastic movies. In relation to their acting talent, I don’t know, maybe I see Cruise as better than Costner. He’s certainly achieved a much higher level of stardom.
 
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tarheel0910 said:
Pretty sure @Heels Noir is trolling with the Bridges statement.
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Nope. I think if Jeff Bridges were any more vanilla he would be downright folksy as a leading man. That's just based on my personal taste.

If I am looking for an argument it is with my comment regarding The Untouchables. I still cannot figure out why so many people enjoy watching that campy tripe by one of Hollywood's most overrated directors. Of course I can be especially critical of films that try to legitimately depict American history and fall flat on their face like both The Untouchables and JFK do.
 
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heelz2345 said:
Collateral
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Thank you. This was the movie I was searching for besides Valkyrie. Also (random, I know) was watching WGN earlier and saw a promo for them showing Collateral soon.

That is a great movie and I feel like it gets zero talk, ever. But Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx are both awesome in it. Really solid flick. If it was on a streaming service, I'd make it my movie in that Year of Movies thing that I've been ignoring.
 
TarHeelMark said:
The Dude Abides!

It doesn’t matter if everything else that he did sucked, that one character alone puts Bridges on a higher level as an actor than Costner or Cruise.
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Starman was good, too. And, that film actually has a cameo of UNC's 1982 National Championship celebration.

But, The Big Lebowski is an icon of epic proportions.
 
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Heels Noir said:
Nope. I think if Jeff Bridges were any more vanilla he would be downright folksy as a leading man. That's just based on my personal taste.

If I am looking for an argument it is with my comment regarding The Untouchables. I still cannot figure out why so many people enjoy watching that campy tripe by one of Hollywood's most overrated directors. Of course I can be especially critical of films that try to legitimately depict American history and fall flat on their face like both The Untouchables and JFK do.
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Expecting cinematic films to be a depiction of precise historical accuracy is pretty foolish. I think I was 20 when The Untouchables came out and I assumed the whole story was a complete fiction. It was an awesome film and it never gets old to me. Plenty of quotable lines, too.

Especially when Frank Nitti buys it...

OuiSvs.gif
 
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Jeff Bridges is hilarious in the men who stare at goats too
 
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