2005 IFP Independent Spirit Awards Winners

Best Feature
Sideways (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producer: Michael London

Best Director
Alexander Payne
Sideways (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Screenplay
Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor
Sideways (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best First Feature
Garden State (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Director: Zach Braff
Producers: Pamela Abdy, Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted, Richard Klubeck

Best First Screenplay
Joshua Marston
Maria Full of Grace (HBO Films/Fine Line Features)

John Cassavetes Award
(For the Best Feature made for under $500,000)
Mean Creek (Paramount Classics)
Writer/Director: Jacob Aaron Estes
Producers: Susan Johnson, Rick Rosenthal, Hagai Shaham

Best Debut Performance
(Actors making their first appearance in a feature film)
Rodrigo de la Serna
The Motorcycle Diaries (Focus Features)

Best Supporting Female
Virginia Madsen
Sideways (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Supporting Male
Thomas Haden Church
Sideways (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Female Lead
Catalina Sandino Moreno
Maria Full of Grace (HBO Films/Fine Line Features)

Best Male Lead
Paul Giamatti
Sideways (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Cinematography
Eric Gautier
The Motorcycle Diaries (Focus Features)

Best Foreign Film
The Sea Inside (Fine Line Features)
Director: Alejandro Amenábar

Best Documentary
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (IFC Films)
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky

Presenters included: Tom Arnold, Maria Bello, Gael Garcia Bernal, Selma Blair, Cate Blanchett, Kate Bosworth, Jesse Bradford, Benjamin Bratt, Don Cheadle, Patricia Clarkson, Marc Forster, Jodie Foster, Philip Seymour Hoffman, David Alan Grier, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Regina King, Val Kilmer, Laura Linney, Olivier Martinez, Michael McKean, Bridget Moynahan, Dennis Quaid, Aidan Quinn, Christine Ricci, Liev Schrieber, Marisa Tomei, Michelle Trachtenberg, Robin Williams, Elijah Wood and Robin Wright Penn.

Professor Van Helsing: "There is evil in the world. There are dark, awful things. Occasionally, we get a glimpse of them. But there are dark corners; horrors almost impossible to imagine... even in our worst nightmares."


Peter Cushing (with kitty) in Dracula A.D. 1972 (72)

arise and walk

According to Glenn Erickson (DVD Savant) genre writer/interviewer Tom Weaver has reportedly posted on the net that Criterion may be prepping an uncut version of CORRIDORS OF BLOOD, the Borris Karloff/Christopher Lee horror movie about experimental anaesthesia that's notorious for having several seconds of surgical shock removed. Erickson said, "The movie isn't bad at all (Lee plays a colorful creep named Resurrection Joe) and would be a big surprise to see out under the Criterion banner. Hope it isn't just a rumor!" In fact, Corridors of Blood (58) may be better known as one of the "best" bad films of all-time.

Karloff is a doctor, in search of a viable anesthetic, who accidentally becomes addicted to drugs, then turns grave robber to support his habit. Lee plays one of the grave robbers. This would not be the first time that Criterion has put out a straight "genre" or cult film (Fiend Without a Face, Carnival of Souls) but it would mark the first time that they put out a purposefully obscure and minor star teaming of Lee (then just an up-and-comer) and Karloff (a veteren has-been by this time). Hey, I'm not complaining - but where the hell's the Criterion Dracula A.D. 1972 (72)!?

setting the record straight

I had the unfortunate displeasure recently of sitting-in on a discussion of film led by some notable and supposed film critics (who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent). I managed to at least get two (which is nice considering I only opened my mouth twice the entire time) over on these elitists (one of which was a minor point that even I am willing to forgive and not worth mentioning here) but the other was just too upsetting to let go. It appears that these so-called "experts" did not know that the George Stevens' masterpiece, Gunga Din (Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Joan Fontaine and Sam Jaffe) was released in the magic year of 1939 - along with a staggering number of important and cinematic milestones. While they were rattling off the obvious, Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, I threw in my personal favorite of that unforgettable year: Gunga Din - only to be met with some blank stares and a comment from another person in attendance: "No, I think that was a little earlier than '39" to which I replied: "No, I think you're a moron."


Actually, because I am not an elitist (which I could have very well morphed into at that point - like Dan Hulk and destroyed everything in a five mile radius) I just smiled and reiterated how much I loved the film. As anyone who knows me knows - I believe in the redemptive and healing power of film - and there are those among us who would just assume use their knowledge ("so-called" or otherwise) of the subject to make themselves seem superior over someone else. This is the worst kind of snobbery there is and it's one thing I simply wont tolerate. If you're going to act smarter than someone else - at least do your goddamn homework first. Amateurs. So, to make a long story short (too late) for the benefit of everyone else, I have decided to take a few moments out of my busy life and hectic schedule to do a quick post on just a few of the marvelous films of that one amazing and historic year. You'll kindly take note of the first one listed:

The Greatest Year in Film 1939

Gunga Din
The Rules of the Game
Gone with the Wind
The Wizard of Oz
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Destry Rides Again
Stagecoach
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Ninotchka
Only Angels Have Wings
The Roaring Twenties
Of Mice and Men
The Women
Wuthering Heights
Daybreak
The Four Feathers
Love Affair
Beau Geste
Dark Victory
Flying Deuces
Golden Boy
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Intermezzo
Jesse James
Juarez
Humoresque
Young Mr. Lincoln
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
Babes in Arms
Drums Along the Mohawk
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
The Rains Came
Gulliver's Travels
The Man in the Iron Mask
Way Down South
Confessions of a Nazi Spy
Dodge City
Each Dawn I Die
The Great Man Votes
Hollywood Cavalcade
The Old Maid
They Made Me a Criminal
Union Pacific
Wings of the Navy
The Stars Look Down

Oh, and by the way, did I mention Gunga Din came out in '39 as well?



Sgt. Archibald Cutter (Cary Grant): "How can we get a nice little war going?"

And like I have said a million times before: Keep seeing everything you are compelled to see - and never take any critic's "opinion" seriously. Make up your own mind. Do your homework. Be prepared. Use your instincts. But don't be mean. There's enough pain and evil in the world already without having to get upset over a movie. You may not agree with someone else, but it's your duty as a Human Being to respect their opinion. There will always be good films as well as bad ones (as there have been since the whole thing started) - just like there will always be good "critics" as well as bad ones. And just remember this plain and simple truth, before you decide to open your mouth: opinions are like assholes - everybodies got one...

Whatever you do - don't click this link!

of course you will...

DeLaurentiis/Luhrmann Alexander

Is everybody in this town crazy?

Jessica Biel

or
Kim Basinger

who would you rather see as Wonder Woman?

These are the 2 actresses being considered for the new WW film being produced by Joel Silver for Warner Bros. The script is in talks to be developed by "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon. If you ask me: if it looks like a shit sandwich, it smells like a shit sandwich, and it tastes like a shit sandwich...

Anyway, it doesn't really matter, there's still only one Wonder Woman for me:

where's the rest of this picture?

Well, it looks like Warner has dropped the ball on the new Exorcist - The Beginning DVD. A few months ago, the producers of the film (the same people who replaced original director Paul Schrader with hackmeister Renny Harlin - see my post under archives) were quoted as saying how they were intending to release both versions of the film (Schrader and Harlin's) in the same package. It would have probably been the only redeeming factor of owning the film. Now it looks as if all we're going to get is Harlin's sloppy seconds. To be quite blunt (read this Warner) No Schrader - No Dice. There's no way in hell I'm going to buy a Renny Harlin film on DVD on purpose. Maybe if I was drunk and let loose in the DVD section at Walmart with a twenty dollar bill in my hand - that would be a different story, but being of sound mind and body - I can tell you that I am mortally wounded about this release. This is a huge disappointment - and if it weren't for the fact that the studio is also releasing no less than 5* of their major classic titles on DVD this coming Tuesday (March 1st) I would say kiss my ass, but considering their current status, I will say: slurp my butt.

We've been hoodwinked!

* Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby/The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition/Dinner at Eight/Libeled Lady/ Stage Door/To Be or Not to Be)

Nominees for 2005 Independent Spirit Awards

these are my picks (for who I think should win and not necessarily for who I think will win):

Best Feature
Sideways

Best First Feature
Garden State (Director Zach Braff)

Best Director
Walter Salles, The Motorcycle Diaries

Best Screenplay
Mario Van Peebles & Dennis Haggerty, Baadasssss!

Best Female Lead
Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace

Best Male Lead
Paul Giamatti, Sideways

Best Supporting Female
Virginia Madsen, Sideways

Best Supporting Male
Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
or
Peter Sarsgaard, Kinsey


The Spirit Awards is one of my favorite annual film events. This is usually the place where the "little" films get recognized - although by the looks of the nominees this year (and a growing trend for the past few years) there are just as many Oscar-contenders up for the awards than true "independents". Lately it has become the place where some of the truly "Oscar-worthy" films and performers who don't win, pick up their consolation prize. Still, this is usually the only place you see an actor like Peter Sarsgaard get nominated for anything - and for that, I am eternally grateful. The Independent Spirit Awards will air this Saturday (2/26/05) the day before that other bloated and political fashion show - I mean, awards ceremony...

true independent spotlight:

Cavedweller (04) directed by Lisa Cholodenko, written by Anne Meredith based on the novel by Dorothy Allison, starring: Kyra Sedgwick, Aidan Quinn, Kevin Bacon, Regan Arnold and Vanessa Zima

the plot (from imdb): "A traumatic event sends a musician (Sedgwick) back to her hometown in an effort to reunite with the daughters she abandoned. To do so, she must confront her abusive ex-husband (Quinn), from whom she fled years ago." From a commentor: "In flashbacks we see Delia's life go through her mind. We learn about her abusive husband, Clint. Also, we witness her betrayal to him and how she leaves her two young daughters for a musician, Randall." This movie is based upon a novel of the same title by Dorothy Allison, who also wrote the novel that inspired the 1996 Showtime movie Bastard Out of Carolina. Cavedweller is now available on video and DVD in region 1.

watch the trailer here

she just said, "Fuckabees"

An amazing thing happens by the end of watching David O. Russell's I Heart Huckabees: you are bombarded by so many ideas of coincidence, fate, greed, envy, hope, destruction, desperation, poetry, supermodels, firefighters, existential detectives, the Universe, forgiveness and acceptance that you are ultimately changed in some way after experiencing it; or at the very least: you are immensely satisfied by this extremely warm and entertaining comedy. O. Russell's two biggest films prior to this were Flirting with Disaster and Three Kings. Many familiar faces from these noteworthy films turn up in Huckabees - most notably: Lily Tomlin and Mark Wahlberg. They each give tremendous performances and almost carry the entire film. But the true star of the film is without a doubt, Dustin Hoffman. He breathes life into an extraordinary character and gives a flawless performance in what could have simply been a jokey affair. He is truly a pro, and he makes this old craft look easier than what it truly is. Even Jude Law and Naomi Watts didn't turn my stomach as usual (I brought along a barf bag just in case). Law was very expert in his handling of a multi-faceted "pretty-boy" (big stretch there) and Watts reminded me a little of Judy Holliday (Born Yesterday, 50) without the glass-shattering voice. Wahlberg (as the sensitive but forceful Tommy Corn) gave a tour-de-force performance and (for once) truly earned his Hollywood keep. Now, if he could only do about 5 or 6 more like this - he may just win an Oscar someday.

Only Schwartzman, who dominates almost every scene in the film, manages to irritate a little (on purpose, perhaps?) but I find he grows on you as he did in the similarly-styled Rushmore (98). I'm not going to talk about the plot of Huckabees (it's completely ridiculous, as it's intended to be) or any of the remarkable scenes in the film (although an early scene with a plain white sheet is worth mentioning as well as an unforgetable dinner-table scene - that seems to be O. Russell's speciality after a similar set-up in Flirting with Disaster and Wahlberg's bike-ride to a house-fire in full firefighter uniform) but I will say that if this film does not blow your mind - it's okay. Mind-blowing or not mind-blowing, in the world of these characters: it's all the same. (you'll get that after you see it) It's a little pretentious, but for the most part, it's an easy-going affair and as good a film (if not better) than another recent modern-day fantasy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Huckabees reminded me a little of the Alain Resnais film, Mon oncle d'Amérique (80). Both films are truly remarkable in their originality and attempt to dissect the human psyche - but Huckabees is a special film, and worth every moment of your precious time. Finally, a movie with a message worth receiving. And what's the message you might ask? Well, I suppose that depends on the individual. It's a daring, bold, experimental and remarkably self-assured piece of film-making. If you 'receive' it - you may just be a better person afterward. How about that for originality?

Tommy Corn: "Honestly, I have no idea what you were saying. All I'm interested in is petroleum."

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Top 30 Greatest Film Actresses of All-Time
and their notable performances

1. Katharine Hepburn
my favorite Hepburn performance: The Lion in Winter, Long Day's Journey Into Night

Morning Glory (33), Little Women (33), Alice Adams (35), Sylvia Scarlett (35), Stage Door (37), Bringing Up Baby (38), The Philadelphia Story (40), Woman of the Year (42), Keeper of the Flame (42), The Sea of Grass (47), State of the Union (48), The African Queen (51), Pat and Mike (52), Summertime (55), The Rainmaker (56), Desk Set (57), Suddenly, Last Summer (59), Long Day's Journey Into Night (62), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (67), The Lion in Winter (68), The Trojan Women (71), The Glass Menagerie (73, TV), Rooster Cogburn (75), On Golden Pond (81)...

2. Anna Magnani
my favorite Magnani performance: The Rose Tattoo

Roma, città aperta (45), The Golden Coach (53), The Rose Tattoo (55), The Fugitive Kind (59), Mamma Roma (62)...

3. Meryl Streep
my favorite Streep performance: Defending Your Life

Holocaust (78, TV), The Deer Hunter (78), The Seduction of Joe Tynan (79), Kramer vs. Kramer (79), The French Lieutenant's Woman (81), Sophie's Choice (82), Silkwood (83), Plenty (85), Out of Africa (85), Heartburn (86), Ironweed (87), A Cry in the Dark (88), Postcards from the Edge (90), Defending Your Life (91), Death Becomes Her (92), The Bridges of Madison County (95), Marvin's Room (96), One True Thing (98), Adaptation. (02), The Hours (02), Angels in America (03, TV), The Manchurian Candidate (04)...

4. Bette Davis
my favorite Davis performance: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Dangerous (35), The Petrified Forest (36), Jezebel (38), Dark Victory (39), Juarez (39), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (39), The Letter (40), The Little Foxes (41), The Man Who Came to Dinner (42), Now, Voyager (42), Watch on the Rhine (43), The Corn Is Green (45), All About Eve (50), Pocketful of Miracles (61), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (62), Dead Ringer (64), Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (64), The Anniversary (68), The Whales of August (87)...

5. Ingrid Bergman
my favorite Bergman performance: Casablanca

Intermezzo (36/39), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (41), Casablanca (42), For Whom the Bell Tolls (43), Gaslight (44), Spellbound (45), The Bells of St. Mary's (45), Notorious (46), Joan of Arc (48), Anastasia (56), Goodbye Again (61), Cactus Flower (69), Murder on the Orient Express (74), Autumn Sonata (78)...

6. Vanessa Redgrave
my favorite Redgrave performance: Camelot, The Bostonians, The Gathering Storm

Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (66), A Man for All Seasons (66), Blowup (66), Camelot (67), The Charge of the Light Brigade (68), Isadora (68), Oh! What a Lovely War (69), The Trojan Women (71), Mary, Queen of Scots (71), Murder on the Orient Express (74), The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (76), Julia (77), Agatha (79), The Bostonians (84), Wetherby (85), Prick Up Your Ears (87), The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (91), Howards End (92), Mission: Impossible (96), Wilde (97), Mrs. Dalloway (97), Déjà Vu (97), Deep Impact (98), Cradle Will Rock (99), Girl, Interrupted (99), If These Walls Could Talk 2 (00, TV), The Pledge (01), The Gathering Storm (02, TV)...

7. Olivia de Havilland
my favorite de Havilland performance: The Snake Pit

A Midsummer Night's Dream (35), Captain Blood (35), Anthony Adverse (36), The Charge of the Light Brigade (36), The Adventures of Robin Hood (38), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (39), Gone with the Wind (39), The Strawberry Blonde (41), They Died with Their Boots On (41), The Snake Pit (48), The Heiress (49), My Cousin Rachel (52), Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (64)...

8. Judy Garland
my favorite Garland performance: The Clock, Meet Me in St. Louis

Love Finds Andy Hardy (38), The Wizard of Oz (39), For Me and My Gal (42), Meet Me in St. Louis (44), The Clock (45), The Harvey Girls (46), Easter Parade (48), In the Good Old Summertime (49), Summer Stock (50), A Star Is Born (54), Judgment at Nuremberg (61), A Child Is Waiting (63), I Could Go on Singing (63)...

9. Deborah Kerr
my favorite Kerr performance: The Innocents

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (43), Black Narcissus (47), King Solomon's Mines (50), Quo Vadis (51), The Prisoner of Zenda (52), Julius Caesar (53), From Here to Eternity (53), The End of the Affair (55), The King and I (56), Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (57), An Affair to Remember (57), Bonjour tristesse (58), Separate Tables (58), The Sundowners (60), The Innocents (61), The Night of the Iguana (64), Casino Royale (67), The Gypsy Moths (69)...

10. Audrey Hepburn
my favorite Hepburn performance: Wait Until Dark, Robin and Marian

The Lavender Hill Mob (51), Roman Holiday (53), Sabrina (54), War and Peace (56), Funny Face (57), Love in the Afternoon (57), The Nun's Story (59), The Unforgiven (60), Breakfast at Tiffany's (61), The Children's Hour (61), Charade (63), Paris - When It Sizzles (64), My Fair Lady (64), How to Steal a Million (66), Two for the Road (67), Wait Until Dark (67), Robin and Marian (76), Always (89)...

11. Joan Crawford
my favorite Crawford performance: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Mildred Pierce

The Unknown (27), Grand Hotel (32), The Women (39), Mildred Pierce (45), Humoresque (46), Sudden Fear (52), Johnny Guitar (54), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (62), Strait-Jacket (64)...

12. Liv Ullmann
my favorite Ullmann performance: Persona

Persona (66), Hour of the Wolf (68), Shame (68), The Passion of Anna (69), The Emigrants (71), Cries and Whispers (72), Scenes from a Marriage (73), Zandy's Bride (74), Autumn Sonata (78), Dangerous Moves (84)...

13. Isabelle Huppert
my favorite Huppert performance: The Piano Teacher

César et Rosalie (72), Les Valseuses/Going Places (74), The Judge and the Assassin (76), Loulou (80), Coup de torchon (81), La Truite (82), Entre Nous (83), Story of Women (88), Madame Bovary (91), Amateur (94), La Séparation (94), La Cérémonie (95), Rien ne va plus (97), The Piano Teacher (01), 8 Women (02), The Time of the Wolf (03), I Heart Huckabees (04)...

14. Elizabeth Taylor
my favorite Taylor performance: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

National Velvet (44), Little Women (49), Father of the Bride (50), Father's Little Dividend (51), A Place in the Sun (51), Ivanhoe (52), Giant (56), Raintree County (57), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (58), Suddenly, Last Summer (59), Butterfield 8 (60), Cleopatra (63), The V.I.P.s (63), The Sandpiper (65), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (66), The Taming of the Shrew (67), Reflections in a Golden Eye (67), Winter Kills (79)...

15. Julie Andrews
my favorite Andrews performance: Mary Poppins

Cinderella (57, TV), Mary Poppins (64), The Americanization of Emily (64), The Sound of Music (65), Torn Curtain (66), Hawaii (66), Thoroughly Modern Millie (67), Star! (68), Darling Lili (70), 10 (79), S.O.B. (81), Victor/Victoria (82)...

16. Patricia Neal
my favorite Neal performance: Hud

The Fountainhead (49), The Day the Earth Stood Still (51), A Face in the Crowd (57), Breakfast at Tiffany's (61), Hud (63), In Harm's Way (65), The Subject Was Roses (68), An Unremarkable Life (89), Cookie's Fortune (99)...

17. Maggie Smith
my favorite Smith performance: Murder by Death

The V.I.P.s (63), Othello (65), Hot Millions (68), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (69), Oh! What a Lovely War (69), Travels with My Aunt (72), Murder by Death (76), California Suite (78), Quartet (81), Clash of the Titans (81), A Private Function (84), A Room with a View (85), Hook (91), Sister Act (92), The Secret Garden (93), Richard III (95), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (01), Gosford Park (01), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (02), My House in Umbria (03, TV), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (04)...

18. Giulietta Masina
my favorite Masina performance: Nights of Cabiria

Variety Lights (50), The White Sheik (52), La Strada (54), Nights of Cabiria (57), Juliet of the Spirits (65), The Madwoman of Chaillot (69), Ginger and Fred (86)...

19. Glenda Jackson
my favorite Jackson performance: Women in Love

Marat/Sade (67), Women in Love (69), The Music Lovers (70), Sunday Bloody Sunday (71), Mary, Queen of Scots (71), Elizabeth R (71, TV), A Touch of Class (73), The Maids (74), The Romantic Englishwoman (75), Hopscotch (80), The Patricia Neal Story (81, TV), HEALTH (82), Beyond Therapy (87), Salome's Last Dance (88), A Murder of Quality (91, TV)...

20. Sophia Loren
my favorite Loren performance: Two Women, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Boy on a Dolphin (57), The Pride and the Passion (57), Desire Under the Elms (58), The Key (58), The Black Orchid (58), Houseboat (58), Two Women (60), The Millionairess (60), El Cid (61), Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (63), The Fall of the Roman Empire (64), Marriage Italian-Style (64), Judith (66), Arabesque (66), Lady Liberty (71), Prêt-à-Porter (94), Grumpier Old Men (95), Between Strangers (02)...

21. Barbara Stanwyck
my favorite Stanwyck performance: Double Indemnity

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (33), The Plough and the Stars (36), Stella Dallas (37), Golden Boy (39), The Lady Eve (41), Meet John Doe (41), Ball of Fire (41), Double Indemnity (44), The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (46), The Two Mrs. Carrolls (47), Sorry, Wrong Number (48), Cattle Queen of Montana (54), The Thorn Birds (83, TV)...

22. Jennifer Jones
my favorite Jones performance: Duel in the Sun

The Song of Bernadette (43), Since You Went Away (44), Duel in the Sun (46), Portrait of Jennie (48), We Were Strangers (49), Carrie (52), Ruby Gentry (52), Terminal Station/Indiscretion of an American Wife (53), Beat the Devil (53), Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (55), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (56), A Farewell to Arms (57), Tender Is the Night (62), The Towering Inferno (74)...

23. Joan Fontaine
my favorite Fontaine performance: Rebecca

Gunga Din (39), The Women (39), Rebecca (40), Suspicion (41), This Above All (42), Jane Eyre (44), Born to Be Bad (50), September Affair (50), Ivanhoe (52), Tender Is the Night (62), The Witches (66)...

24. Jane Fonda
my favorite Fonda performance: Barbarella, Klute, Coming Home

Cat Ballou (65), The Chase (66), Barefoot in the Park (67), Histoires extraordinaires/Spirits of the Dead (68), Barbarella (68), They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (69), Klute (71), Steelyard Blues (73), Fun with Dick and Jane (77), Julia (77), Coming Home (78), Comes a Horseman (78), California Suite (78), The China Syndrome (79), The Electric Horseman (79), Nine to Five (80), On Golden Pond (81), Agnes of God (85), The Morning After (86), Old Gringo (89), Stanley & Iris (90)...

25. Shelley Winters
my favorite Winters performance: The Night of the Hunter, The Diary of Anne Frank, Cleopatra Jones

A Double Life (47), Red River (48), Winchester '73 (50), A Place in the Sun (51), The Night of the Hunter (55), The Big Knife (55), I Died a Thousand Times (55), The Diary of Anne Frank (59), Odds Against Tomorrow (59), Lolita (62), The Greatest Story Ever Told (65), A Patch of Blue (65), Harper (66), Alfie (66), The Scalphunters (68), Wild in the Streets (68), Bloody Mama (70), Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (71), The Poseidon Adventure (72), Cleopatra Jones (73), The Tenant (76), Next Stop, Greenwich Village (76), Pete's Dragon (77), Elvis (79, TV), S.O.B. (81), The Delta Force (86), An Unremarkable Life (89), Heavy (95), The Portrait of a Lady (96)...

26. Shirley MacLaine
my favorite MacLaine performance: Sweet Charity

The Trouble with Harry (55), Around the World in Eighty Days (56), The Matchmaker (58), Some Came Running (58), The Apartment (60), Ocean's Eleven (60), The Children's Hour (61), Two for the Seesaw (62), Irma la Douce (63), What a Way to Go! (64), Sweet Charity (69), Two Mules for Sister Sara (70), The Turning Point (77), Being There (79), Terms of Endearment (83), Madame Sousatzka (88), Steel Magnolias (89), Postcards from the Edge (90), Used People (92), Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (93), Guarding Tess (94)...

27. Madeline Kahn
my favorite Kahn performance: Clue

What's Up, Doc? (72), Paper Moon (73), Blazing Saddles (74), Young Frankenstein (74), High Anxiety (77), The Cheap Detective (78), The Muppet Movie (79), History of the World: Part I (81), City Heat (84), Clue (85), Betsy's Wedding (90), Mixed Nuts (94), Nixon (95), A Bug's Life (98, voice), Judy Berlin (99)...

28. Gloria Grahame
my favorite Grahame performance: The Big Heat

Blonde Fever (44), It's a Wonderful Life (46), Crossfire (47), In a Lonely Place (50), The Greatest Show on Earth (52), Macao (52), Sudden Fear (52), The Bad and the Beautiful (52), The Big Heat (53), Oklahoma! (55), Odds Against Tomorrow (59), Rich Man, Poor Man (76, TV), Melvin and Howard (80)...

29. Judy Davis
my favorite Davis performance: Impromptu

My Brilliant Career (79), Heatwave (82), A Passage to India (84), High Tide (87), Impromptu (91), Barton Fink (91), Naked Lunch (91), Husbands and Wives (92), The Ref (94), Children of the Revolution (96), Deconstructing Harry (97), Celebrity (98), Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (01, TV)...

30. Cate Blanchett
my favorite Blanchett performance: Elizabeth

Oscar and Lucinda (97), Elizabeth (98), An Ideal Husband (99), Pushing Tin (99), The Talented Mr. Ripley (99), The Gift (00), Bandits (01), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (01), Charlotte Gray (01), The Shipping News (01), Heaven (02), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (02), Veronica Guerin (03), Coffee and Cigarettes (03), The Missing (03), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (03), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (04), The Aviator (04)...

special mention

Maria Falconetti


The Passion of Joan of Arc (28)
one exceptional feature film performance

the edge


Journalist Hunter S. Thompson is dead. He wrote the screenplay for the film, Where the Buffalo Roam (80) directed by Art Linson and starring Bill Murray as "Dr. Hunter S. Thompson", in addition to Terry Gilliam's, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (98) starring Johnny Depp in an uncanny portrayal of Thompson as his own autobiographical character "Raoul Duke" from the ground-breaking novel of the same name. Thompson's, The Rum Diaries (05) is in production right now with Depp and his "Fear and Loathing" co-star, Benicio Del Toro. Aside from making a few brief appearances as "himself" on televsion and in film, Thompson also wrote a pilot episode for the TV series, Nash Bridges; the script that He and neighbor Don Johnson wrote and pitched to NBC (originally called "Bridges") was much darker than the series ended up, and wasn't particularly suitable for prime time. In it, Nash was a drug addict who was dating the daughter of a wanted San Francisco mafia figure. The character of "Duke" in Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury comic strip was based on Thompson. He wounded his assistant Deborah Fuller accidentally with a shotgun while trying to scare a bear from his property in Aspen, Colorado (August 2000) and was cleared of criminal charges of trying to wound her. He was also charged for possession of child pornography and sexually assulting former pornography star Gail Palmer. An eleven hour search of his home in Woody Creek, Colorado, turned up insufficient evidence to prosecute him on either of the charges, and the DA dropped the case.

He was married for nearly 18 years to Sandra Dawn Thompson, during which time he wrote what were considered his two greatest books: "Hells Angels" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." During the marraige, Sandy's habit of partaking on drug and alcohol binges with her husband led to several miscarraiges. Only one of her pregnancies produced a healthy child, now grown Juan Thompson. Eventually, the drugs put Hunter into a long-term depressed state. Fights broke out between the two, and Sandy took several beatings, sometimes fighting back and injuring Hunter. When she told him she wanted a divorce, Hunter went ballistic, destroying some of her possesions and burning the manuscripts she had been writing. Sandy called the sheriff (a family friend) that sent a deputy up to her house to escort her into town. The deputy, naive to the situation, sheepishly asked Sandy if Thompson possesed any firearms, to which she truthfully replied: "Yes, 22 of them, and every one is loaded." The two eventually made ammends and Hunter seemed to leave his depressed state. They remained good friends until his death of a self-inflicted gun-shot wound at his home in Colorado. Of all the strange and bizarre qualities that Thompson possessed, perhaps the most disturbing and weird story is that he once sold a Cadillac El Dorado to singer/song-writer Lyle Lovett. The world is a sick place. And it has just lost one of it's greatest artists.

"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours."

"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."

Hunter S. Thompson
(July 18, 1937 - February 20, 2005)

Top 30 Greatest Film Actors of All-Time
and their notable performances

1. Laurence Olivier
my favorite Olivier performance: Marathon Man

Wuthering Heights (39), Rebecca (40), That Hamilton Woman (41), Hamlet (48), Carrie (52), Richard III (55), The Entertainer (60), Spartacus (60), Othello (65), Sleuth (72), Marathon Man (76), The Boys from Brazil (78), Clash of the Titans (81), King Lear (84, TV)...

2. Marlon Brando
my favorite Brando performance: Last Tango in Paris

The Men (50), A Streetcar Named Desire (51), Viva Zapata! (52), Julius Caesar (53), The Wild One (53), On the Waterfront (54), Sayonara (57), One-Eyed Jacks (61), Queimada/Burn! (69), The Godfather (72), Last Tango in Paris (72), The Missouri Breaks (76), Superman (78), Apocalypse Now (79), A Dry White Season (89), The Freshman (90)...

3. Robert De Niro
my favorite De Niro performance: Midnight Run

Bang the Drum Slowly (73), Mean Streets (73), The Godfather: Part II (74), Taxi Driver (76), The Deer Hunter (78), Raging Bull (80), The King of Comedy (83), Once Upon a Time in America (84), Brazil (85), The Untouchables (87), Angel Heart (1987), Midnight Run (88), Goodfellas (90), Awakenings (90), Cape Fear (91), This Boy's Life (93), Casino (95), Heat (95), Ronin (98)...

4. Robert Duvall
my favorite Duvall performance: Lonesome Dove, The Apostle

To Kill a Mockingbird (62), MASH (70), THX 1138 (71), The Godfather (72), Tomorrow (72), The Godfather: Part II (74), Network (76), Apocalypse Now (79), The Great Santini (79), Tender Mercies (83), The Natural (84), Colors (88), Lonesome Dove (89, TV), Days of Thunder (90), Geronimo: An American Legend (93), Sling Blade (96), The Apostle (97), A Civil Action (98), Assassination Tango (02), Open Range (03)...

5. Jack Nicholson
my favorite Nicholson performance: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Easy Rider (69), Five Easy Pieces (70), Carnal Knowledge (71), The King of Marvin Gardens (72), The Last Detail (73), Chinatown (74), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (75), The Missouri Breaks (76), Goin' South (78), The Shining (80), The Border (82), Terms of Endearment (83), Prizzi's Honor (85), The Witches of Eastwick (87), Ironweed (87), Batman (89), A Few Good Men (92), Hoffa (92), The Crossing Guard (95), As Good as It Gets (97), The Pledge (01), About Schmidt (02)...

6. Al Pacino
my favorite Pacino performance: Dog Day Afternoon, The Insider

The Panic in Needle Park (71), The Godfather (72), Scarecrow (73), Serpico (73), The Godfather: Part II (74), Dog Day Afternoon (75), Author! Author! (82), Scarface (83), Sea of Love (89), Dick Tracy (90), Frankie and Johnny (91), Glengarry Glen Ross (92), Scent of a Woman (92), Carlito's Way (93), Heat (95), Donnie Brasco (97), The Insider (99), Angels in America (03, TV)...

7. Alec Guinness
my favorite Guinness performance: Murder by Death

Great Expectations (46), Oliver Twist (48), Kind Hearts and Coronets (49), The Lavender Hill Mob (51), The Man in the White Suit (51), The Ladykillers (55), The Bridge on the River Kwai (57), The Horse's Mouth (58), Tunes of Glory (60), Lawrence of Arabia (62), Doctor Zhivago (65), Scrooge (70), Murder by Death (76), Star Wars (77), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (79, TV), Smiley's People (82, TV), A Passage to India (84), Little Dorrit (88)...

8. Anthony Hopkins
my favorite Hopkins performance: The Elephant Man

The Lion in Winter (68), QB VII (74, TV), All Creatures Great and Small (74), The Elephant Man (80), The Bounty (84), The Good Father (85), The Silence of the Lambs (91), Howards End (92), The Remains of the Day (93), Shadowlands (93), Nixon (95), Surviving Picasso (96), Amistad (97), Titus (99)...

9. Gene Hackman
my favorite Hackman performance: The French Connection, Young Frankenstein, The Royal Tenenbaums

Bonnie and Clyde (67), The Gypsy Moths (69), I Never Sang for My Father (70), The French Connection (71), Prime Cut (72), The Poseidon Adventure (72), Scarecrow (73), The Conversation (74), Young Frankenstein (74), French Connection II (75), Night Moves (75), Bite the Bullet (75), Superman (78), Superman II (80), Reds (81), Under Fire (83), Twice in a Lifetime (85), Power (86), Hoosiers (86), No Way Out (87), Mississippi Burning (88), Narrow Margin (90), Unforgiven (92), The Firm (93), Wyatt Earp (94), Crimson Tide (95), Get Shorty (95), The Birdcage (96), Heist (01), The Royal Tenenbaums (01)...

10. Dustin Hoffman
my favorite Hoffman performance: Tootsie, Ishtar

The Graduate (67), Midnight Cowboy (69), Little Big Man (70), Straw Dogs (71), Papillon (73), Lenny (74), All the President's Men (76), Marathon Man (76), Straight Time (78), Kramer vs. Kramer (79), Tootsie (82), Death of a Salesman (85, TV), Ishtar (87), Rain Man (88), Billy Bathgate (91), Hero (92), Wag the Dog (97), Moonlight Mile (02), Finding Neverland (04), I Heart Huckabees (04)...

11. Tom Hanks
my favorite Hanks performance: The 'burbs

Splash (84), The Money Pit (86), Big (88), Punchline (88), The 'burbs (89), Joe Versus the Volcano (90), A League of Their Own (92), Philadelphia (93), Forrest Gump (94), Apollo 13 (95), Toy Story (95, voice), That Thing You Do! (96), Saving Private Ryan (98), Toy Story 2 (99, voice), The Green Mile (99), Cast Away (00), Road to Perdition (02), Catch Me If You Can (02), The Terminal (04)...

12. Michael Caine
my favorite Caine performance: The Man Who Would Be King, Mona Lisa

Zulu (64), The Ipcress File (65), Alfie (66), The Wrong Box (66), The Italian Job (69), Get Carter (71), Sleuth (72), The Man Who Would Be King (75), California Suite (78), Dressed to Kill (80), The Hand (81), Deathtrap (82), Educating Rita (83), Hannah and Her Sisters (86), Mona Lisa (86), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (88), A Shock to the System (90), Noises Off... (92), Blood and Wine (96), Little Voice (98), The Cider House Rules (99), Quills (00), Last Orders (01), The Quiet American (02), The Statement (03)...

13. Paul Newman
my favorite Newman performance: The Verdict, The Color of Money

Somebody Up There Likes Me (56), The Long, Hot Summer (58), The Left Handed Gun (58), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (58), The Hustler (61), Sweet Bird of Youth (62), Hud (63), Harper (66), Hombre (67), Cool Hand Luke (67), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (69), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (72), The Sting (73), The Drowning Pool (75), Slap Shot (77), Fort Apache the Bronx (81), Absence of Malice (81), The Verdict (82), The Color of Money (86), Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (90), The Hudsucker Proxy (94), Nobody's Fool (94), Road to Perdition (02)...

14. Peter O'Toole
my favorite O'Toole performance: The Lion in Winter, My Favorite Year

Lawrence of Arabia (62), Becket (64), Lord Jim (65), What's New, Pussycat (65), How to Steal a Million (66), The Night of the Generals (67), The Lion in Winter (68), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (69), The Ruling Class (72), Man of La Mancha (72), Caligula (79), The Stunt Man (80), My Favorite Year (82), The Last Emperor (87), Bright Young Things (03)...

15. Sidney Poitier
my favorite Poitier performance: The Defiant Ones, Sneakers

No Way Out (50), Cry, the Beloved Country (51), Blackboard Jungle (55), The Defiant Ones (58), A Raisin in the Sun (61), Pressure Point (62), Lilies of the Field (63), A Patch of Blue (65), The Slender Thread (65), To Sir, with Love (67), In the Heat of the Night (67), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (67), For Love of Ivy (68), Uptown Saturday Night (74), The Wilby Conspiracy (75), Shoot to Kill (88), Little Nikita (88), Sneakers (92)...

16. Steve McQueen
my favorite McQueen performance: see all below

The Blob (58), The Magnificent Seven (60), Hell Is for Heroes (62), The Great Escape (63), Love with the Proper Stranger (63), Baby the Rain Must Fall (65), The Cincinnati Kid (65), The Sand Pebbles (66), The Thomas Crown Affair (68), Bullitt (68), The Getaway (72), Papillon (73), The Towering Inferno (74), Tom Horn (80)...

17. Sean Connery
my favorite Connery performance: The Offence, Robin and Marian, The Untouchables, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October

Dr. No (62), From Russia with Love (63), Marnie (64), Goldfinger (64), The Hill (65), Thunderball (65), A Fine Madness (66), You Only Live Twice (67), The Molly Maguires (70), Diamonds Are Forever (71), The Offence (73), Zardoz (74), The Wind and the Lion (75), The Man Who Would Be King (75), Robin and Marian (76), The Great Train Robbery (79), Outland (81), Time Bandits (81), Never Say Never Again (83), Highlander (86), The Name of the Rose (86), The Untouchables (87), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (89), The Hunt for Red October (90), The Russia House (90), The Rock (96)...

18. Montgomery Clift
my favorite Clift performance: Red River

The Search (48), Red River (48), A Place in the Sun (51), I Confess (53), From Here to Eternity (53), The Young Lions (58), Suddenly, Last Summer (59), The Misfits (61), Judgment at Nuremberg (61), Freud (62)...

19. Henry Fonda
my favorite Fonda performance: Once Upon a Time in the West

You Only Live Once (37), Jezebel (38), Jesse James (39), Young Mr. Lincoln (39), The Grapes of Wrath (40), The Return of Frank James (40), The Lady Eve (41), The Ox-Bow Incident (43), My Darling Clementine (46), Fort Apache (48), Mister Roberts (55), The Wrong Man (56), 12 Angry Men (57), The Tin Star (57), Warlock (59), Advise and Consent (62), Fail-Safe (64), Battle of the Bulge (65), Madigan (68), Yours, Mine and Ours (68), The Boston Strangler (68), Once Upon a Time in the West (68), My Name Is Nobody (73), On Golden Pond (81)...

20. Jack Lemmon
my favorite Lemmon performance: Save the Tiger

Mister Roberts (55), Some Like It Hot (59), The Apartment (60), Days of Wine and Roses (62), Irma la Douce (63), How to Murder Your Wife (65), The Fortune Cookie (66), The Odd Couple (68), The Out-of-Towners (70), Avanti! (72), Save the Tiger (73), The Front Page (74), The China Syndrome (79), Missing (82), JFK (91), Glengarry Glen Ross (92), Short Cuts (93), Grumpy Old Men (93), Grumpier Old Men (95), Hamlet (96), 12 Angry Men (97, TV)...

21. Spencer Tracy
my favorite Tracy performance: Bad Day at Black Rock

Up the River (30), Fury (36), San Francisco (36), Libeled Lady (36), Captains Courageous (37), Test Pilot (38), Boys Town (38), Stanley and Livingstone (39), Northwest Passage (40), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (41), Woman of the Year (42), Tortilla Flat (42), A Guy Named Joe (43), The Seventh Cross (44), Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (44), Adam's Rib (49), Malaya (49), Father of the Bride (50), Broken Lance (54), Bad Day at Black Rock (55), The Old Man and the Sea (58), The Last Hurrah (58), Inherit the Wind (60), It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (63), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (67)...

22. Burt Lancaster
my favorite Lancaster performance: Birdman of Alcatraz, The Train

The Killers (46), Brute Force (47), Sorry, Wrong Number (48), Criss Cross (49), The Crimson Pirate (52), Come Back, Little Sheba (52), From Here to Eternity (53), Apache (54), Vera Cruz (54), The Rose Tattoo (55), Trapeze (56), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (57), Sweet Smell of Success (57), Run Silent Run Deep (58), Separate Tables (58), The Devil's Disciple (59), Elmer Gantry (60), Judgment at Nuremberg (61), Birdman of Alcatraz (62), A Child Is Waiting (63), The Leopard (63), Seven Days in May (64), The Train (64), The Professionals (66), The Scalphunters (68), The Swimmer (68), The Gypsy Moths (69), Ulzana's Raid (72), 1900 (76), Zulu Dawn (79), Atlantic City (80), Local Hero (83), Tough Guys (86), Rocket Gibraltar (88), Field of Dreams (89)...

23. Anthony Quinn
my favorite Quinn performance: La Strada

They Died with Their Boots On (41), The Black Swan (42), The Ox-Bow Incident (43), Guadalcanal Diary (43), Viva Zapata! (52), La Strada (54), Lust for Life (56), Warlock (59), Last Train from Gun Hill (59), The Guns of Navarone (61), Barabbas (62), Requiem for a Heavyweight (62), Lawrence of Arabia (62), Zorba the Greek (64), Across 110th Street (72), Jesus of Nazareth (77, TV), Revenge (90), The Old Man and the Sea (90, TV), Jungle Fever (91), Gotti (96, TV)...

24. Lon Chaney
my favorite Chaney performance: The Unknown

The Wicked Darling (19), The Penalty (20), Oliver Twist (22), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (23), He Who Gets Slapped (24), The Unholy Three (25), The Phantom of the Opera (25), The Road to Mandalay (26), Tell It to the Marines (26), The Unknown (27), London After Midnight (27), Laugh, Clown, Laugh (28), West of Zanzibar (28)...

25. Toshirô Mifune
my favorite Mifune performance: The Seven Samurai, Sanjuro

Drunken Angel (48), Stray Dog (49), Rashomon (50), The Life of Oharu (52), The Seven Samurai (54), Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (54), Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (55), I Live in Fear/Record of a Living Being (55), Samurai III: Duel on Ganryu Island (56), Throne of Blood (57), The Lower Depths (57), Yojimbo (61), Sanjuro (62), Chushingura/The Loyal 47 Ronin (62), High and Low (63), Samurai Assassin (65), Red Beard (65), The Sword of Doom (66), Samurai Rebellion (67), Hell in the Pacific (68), Samurai Banners (69), Akage (69), Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (70), The Ambush: Incident at Blood Pass (70), 1941 (79), Shogun (80, TV), The Challenge (82)...

26. Peter Cushing
my favorite Cushing performance: Horror of Dracula, Tales from the Crypt

1984 (54, TV), The End of the Affair (55), The Curse of Frankenstein (57), The Abominable Snowman (57), Dracula/Horror of Dracula (58), The Revenge of Frankenstein (58), The Hound of the Baskervilles (59), The Mummy (59), The Flesh and the Fiends (59), The Brides of Dracula (60), The Evil of Frankenstein (64), The Gorgon (64), Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (65), She (65), Dr. Who and the Daleks (65), Island of Terror (66), Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (66), Frankenstein Created Woman (67), Torture Garden (67), Night of the Big Heat (67), The Blood Beast Terror (68), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (69), Scream and Scream Again (69), The Vampire Lovers (70), The House That Dripped Blood (70), Twins of Evil (71), I, Monster (71), Tales from the Crypt (72), Asylum (72), Dracula A.D. 1972 (72), The Creeping Flesh (73), And Now the Screaming Starts! (73), Horror Express (73), The Satanic Rites of Dracula (74), Madhouse (74), The Beast Must Die (74), Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (74), The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (74), The Ghoul (75), At the Earth's Core (76), Star Wars (77), Shock Waves (77), A Tale of Two Cities (80, TV), House of the Long Shadows (83), Top Secret! (84), The Masks of Death (84, TV), Biggles (86)...

27. Clint Eastwood
my favorite Eastwood performance: Unforgiven

A Fistful of Dollars (64), For a Few Dollars More (65), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (66), Coogan's Bluff (68), Two Mules for Sister Sara (70), The Beguiled (71), Play Misty for Me (71), Dirty Harry (71), High Plains Drifter (73), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (74), The Outlaw Josey Wales (76), The Gauntlet (77), Escape from Alcatraz (79), Bronco Billy (80), Honkytonk Man (82), Sudden Impact (83), Tightrope (84), Pale Rider (85), Heartbreak Ridge (86), White Hunter Black Heart (90), Unforgiven (92), In the Line of Fire (93), A Perfect World (93), The Bridges of Madison County (95), True Crime (99), Space Cowboys (00), Million Dollar Baby (04)...

28. Sean Penn
my favorite Penn performance: Mystic River, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Carlito's Way

Taps (81), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (82), Bad Boys (83), Racing with the Moon (84), The Falcon and the Snowman (85), At Close Range (86), Colors (88), Casualties of War (89), State of Grace (90), Carlito's Way (93), Dead Man Walking (95), She's So Lovely (97), Hurlyburly (98), The Thin Red Line (98), Sweet and Lowdown (99), I Am Sam (01), Mystic River (03), 21 Grams (03), The Assassination of Richard Nixon (04)...

29. Gary Oldman
my favorite Oldman performance: Chattahoochee

Sid and Nancy (86), Prick Up Your Ears (87), Track 29 (88), Criminal Law (88), Chattahoochee (89), Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (90), State of Grace (90), JFK (91), Bram Stoker's Dracula (92), True Romance (93), Romeo Is Bleeding (93), Léon/The Professional (94), Immortal Beloved (94), Murder in the First (95), Basquiat (96), The Fifth Element (97), The Contender (00), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)...

30. Johnny Depp
my favorite Depp performance: Ed Wood

Edward Scissorhands (90), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (93), Ed Wood (94), Dead Man (95), Donnie Brasco (97), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (98), The Ninth Gate (99), Sleepy Hollow (99), Before Night Falls (00), Blow (01), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (03), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (03), Finding Neverland (04)...