According to People magazine, Johnny Depp tops their list of the sexiest men alive 2009.  According to Milla, People magazine have it wrong! 

Now I’m not going to pretend to know what you all think, but my top 3 are:

• My fiancé, of course!
• Robert Pattinson (I don’t believe in vampires but if they do exist, let’s hope they’re as hot as Robert…)
• Matt Damon (Hello, have you seen the Bourne triology!?)

Grande elenco e roteiro agitado são os pontos fortes do filme de Scorsese

Por Paulo do Valle

“Um bom filme começa pelo seu elenco”. Se Levarmos em conta essa frase, Os Infiltrados pode ser considerado um excelente filme só pelo seu time de atores: Jack Nicholson, Leo DiCaprio, Matt Damon e a frieza de Mark Wahlberg fazem desse filme uma sangrenta obra de arte do Século XXI. Tudo isso somado à genialidade do diretor Martin Scorsese, o ex- injustiçado do Oscar, que graças a essa obra teve sua redenção e levou a estatueta de melhor filme para sua estante.

Frank Costello (Nicholson), é um típico mafioso dos tempos atuais. Irlandês vivendo em Boston (USA), Costello praticamente comanda o crime organizado da cidade. Com isso se torna inimigo número um da policia estadual. É ai que começa o jogo de gato e rato.

Querendo estar sempre um passo à frente da lei, o mafioso infiltra seu pupilo Colin Sullivan (Damon) dentro da policia. Por ter um ótimo desempenho e ser acima de qualquer suspeita, o rapaz sobe rápido de cargo e logo se encontra dentro da unidade de investigações especiais, que é justamente onde se encontra o caso de Frank Costello. Mas o que eles não contavam é que existe o outro lado da moeda (aí sim, fomos surpreendidos novamente), é quando entra o desacreditado Billy Costigan (DiCaprio), sem muito destaque na polícia e uma família com o nome sujo na praça, o rapaz é submetido a ser o infiltrado do lado policial no mundo do crime. Para que isso ocorra de uma forma perfeita, Costigan é dado como expulso da polícia e preso. O segredo é mantido a sete chaves  pelos policiais Digman (Wahlberg) e seu superior Capitão Queenan (Martin Sheen), que são os líderes da operação para prender Costello. Não demora muito para que o rapaz consiga entrar no mundo do crime. Graças ao seu primo, um traficante pequeno, Costigan é introduzido ao submundo e rapidamente chega a Costello (em uma sequência  que dói até em quem está assistindo, o mafioso, tenta pela dor física, descobrir se  Costigan é um infiltrado da polícia). Assim, ambos os lados percebem a existência de informantes agindo por ali. Com isso, o filme torna-se eletrizante, chegando muitas vezes beirar o imprevisível.

A vida dos dois rapazes é cheia de coincidências  e cruzamentos. Uma delas (inútil aos olhos do filme) , Sullivan e Costigan são apaixonados pela mesma mulher, a psicóloga da policia Madolyn (Vera Farmiga). O chifre no caso fica por conta do personagem de Damon. Em uma sequência  de tirar o fôlego, Billy consegue descobrir onde Costello vai encontrar-se com o seu informante. Chegando ao local (pasmem, um cinema pornô), Costigan  consegue encontrar os dois, mas não consegue ver a cara do outro infiltrado que, ao perceber que está sendo seguido, foge dando sequência a uma ótima cena do filme. Até o seu final o filme reserva boas emoções e surpresas para quem o assiste.

Com um desfecho surpreendente, é um ótimo exemplo do ditado ‘’ Jogar merda no ventilador’’. Scorsese apostou principalmente na força de seus protagonistas. Em mais uma atuação típica de Nicholson, beirando o sinistro e o cômico (assim como em Batman e O Iluminado) . E principalmente em DiCaprio, seu queridinho. Vale ressaltar também a excelente atuação de Mark Wahlberg, que mesmo não sendo um dos protagonistas, da vida à um corrosivo policial de mal com a vida.

Inspirado em Conflitos Internos, um filme policial de Hong Kong. Os Infiltrados pode ser considerado um clássico gangster do Séc XXI que deu a Scorsese (mesmo em meio a protestos a favor de A Pequena Miss Sunshine), um lugar ao sol entre os diretores que já levaram o tão cobiçado Oscar. Além de melhor diretor, levou para casa também como melhor filme, melhor montagem e melhor roteiro adaptado.

Com uma trilha sonora tão violenta quanto o filme ( De Stones passando por Beach boys até chegar na pesada gaita de foles do Dropkick Murphys) Os Infiltrados marca seu nome no cinema gângster mundial.

Os Infiltrados ( The Departed): 2006, USA. Direção: Martin Scorsese. Elenco: Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga. Roteiro: Siu Fai Mak e Felix Chong. Duração: 149 min.

Notas:

Paulo do Valle [7.5]

Média parcial: [7.5]

It is hard to believe that this colorful and globetrotting tale of conspiracy, embezzlement, covert surveillance, and due process all spins on a humble amino acid known as lysine. Based closely on real-life events, this story has its origins in the Midwestern head offices of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), an enormous but little known agribusiness conglomerate. Told from the perspective of Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon), a brilliant biochemist and divisional vice president, the drama initially concentrates on a possible act of industrial sabotage by an international competitor of ADM. However, when the FBI are called in to investigate, Whitacre voluntarily reveals details of an even greater act of white-collar crime and ends up spending the next two and a half years covertly helping the Bureau to build its case against his fellow conspirators.

“So far, so what?” you might think and you would have a point. For director Steven Soderbergh does play up the mind-numbing aspects of corporate working life – be it the rigor mortis of monthly accounts meetings, the banality of business travel, the unavoidable conversations with dullards, or the hamster-wheel obsession with promotion and bonuses. However, there is something rather unusual taking place at the same time – be it Marvin Hamlisch’s incongruously jaunty score, the various incidents of histrionic dialogue or behaviour, or the surprisingly brisk pace at which events unfold.

Above all, though, there is the curious figure of Mark Whitacre. Right from the outset, there is the puzzling question of whether he is a genius or a madman. On the surface, he seems like a highly successful executive with a wife, a family, a large home, and a garage filled with sports cars. Yet he willingly breaks ranks on the scandal that his company is involved in and gleefully dives into the role of being an undercover operative. Equally, there are no definitive answers to be found in Whitacre’s frequent voiceovers on subjects as diverse as how polar bears know that their noses are black, the pronunciation of his favourite German word (kugelschreiber, in case you were wondering), and the plot of Michael Crichton’s Rising Sun.

In playing the role, Damon treads a careful line between being eccentric and a buffoon with some success. Unfortunately, his role suffers, as does the overall film, from an even more hectic, increasingly unglued, and seemingly repetitive final third. Equally, the failure to develop ancillary characters such as Witacre’s wife (Melanie Lynskey) and the two FBI officers (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale) leads to some frustratingly unanswerable questions being asked at this stage. At the same time, Soderbergh does deserve credit for developing such a curious tone for a fact-based film about corporate greed – a mixture of aloof observation and offbeat humour. Admittedly, it does not quite come off as an idea, but it still sounds far better than The Men Who Stare at Goats!

VERDICT:
7/10 Cahs Pahked in Hahvahd Yahd

I’m well aware of the heat I might be catching for this one, but this was not the best movie of ‘06. Letters From Iwo Jima got robbed.

The Departed is about two moles: one’s a Boston cop who finds himself deep undercover as the right-hand man to a kingpin in the Irish mob, the other’s a member of the said Irish mob who finds himself deep undercover in the upper-ranks of the Boston police force. One is trying to take down the mob from the inside out, the other is trying to protect the mob from the outside in, and both are trying to get each other killed so they can do their damn job.

Pretty crazy stuff.

It’s all based pretty closely off a Chinese movie called Infernal Affairs that came out in ‘02, only this time there’s cell phones and text messaging instead of lame-ass morse code – Neat! But if you haven’t seen it, give it a whirl. The plot is better in a lot of ways even if the script isn’t as strong in others.

Anyway, let’s start with the good then move our way down.

If there’s one Oscar this movie did deserve – and one painfully patient individual who deserved it even more – it was for directing. It might not be his best movie (I smell a weekly poll…) but if there’s anyone out there who knows how to make crime thrillers look good to both movie geeks and Joe the plumber, it’s Martin Scorsese. There’s a lot going on in this movie and Scorsese does one hell of a job of keeping his audience’s attention from start to finish all the while infusing it with his signature style that you can’t take your eyes off of. This is one of those movies that’s good to go back and watch a second time around just to pick up on the directorial flair and subtleties that helped win this guy the Oscar. It had been a while since he’d done something I liked, but come on, it’s Martin Scorsese. Dude’s a legend.

And does anyone remember those scenes where there’d be this long shot of Matt Damon or Leo and the whole screen would zoom in black until it just looked like you were seeing them through a peephole? Still trying to figure out the meaning behind that, but hey, still dug it.

Unfortunately, everything else kinda has a double-edged sword it.

The acting here is pretty damn good for the most part, but there were still some performances that I’m not too big on. You know what, Jack Nicholson was one mean bastard as Irish mob boss Frank Costello. It’s too bad he had to make that damn rat face and start ad-libbing all over the place (you know what scene I’m talking about), because if it weren’t for that, he would have gotten a lot more praise. All the same, it’s no skin off his back. Jack Nicholson’s the man, what else is there to say?

Matt Damon’s actually pretty solid as Costello’s mole; well, he’s been pretty solid ever since he took on Jason Bourne. So way to go, Matt. But I’m sorry, folks, Leo still isn’t doing it for me. Yeah, he’s all serious and shit now, but he could afford to tone it down a bit. I already went off on about this in my Revolutionary Road review, so I’m gonna try not to dwell on this. It’s not that he’s a bad actor by any means, I just think he’s getting a lot more credit than he’s due right now. Yes, he’s come a long way since Jack, but the guy is still overacting like a mofo and he can’t pull off a Boston accent for his life. I couldn’t believe it when I heard him talking like that again in the Shutter Island trailer (which actually looks pretty good). I don’t know, maybe it’s me.

And am I just crazy or is there anyone else out there who thinks that the two best performances here were from Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin? Not only did these guys have the best lines but they were arguably the coolest characters in the movie, too. These were the two actors I found myself talking about every time this movie came up in conversation, and while Marky Mark didn’t deserve the Oscar either, I’m glad he got a nod at least.

Martin Sheen’s also good, but Martin Sheen’s always good.

The other pro and con here is the script. For the most part, the script kicks ass. It’s a really impressive adaptation with lots of great, sharp dialogue, it keeps the suspense up for the entire duration, and it’s jam-packed with very well-written characters. There’s really not much you can knock it for…except for one thing: the last 15 minutes of the movie.

Honestly, what the fuck was that about?

Up until the point where the shit hits the fan at 100 mph, I was really digging this movie. Man, I about laughed out loud in the theater by the time the final scene was over. Without giving it away (at least I hope I’m not), I just couldn’t believe that all the time this movie spent building up these characters and their circumstances was essentially just tossed to the wind in one fell swoop. Just a bad way to end a movie, dare I say it was a cop-out.

But flaws aside, The Departed is still a good movie. It does a lot of things right, it’s a wild story, it’s a great return to form for Scorsese, and since the guy’s got one swell taste in music, there’s a fantastic soundtrack here to boot (even if everyone is sick and tired of that “…AND I LOST MY LEG!” song by the Dropkick Murphys). Might not have been my #1 pick for ‘06, might not have even been in my top five, but I can see why I might be in the minority here.

And the discussion board is now open…

El director JJ Abrams mencionó que está muy interesado en llamar a Matt Damon para formar parte de la secuela de Star Trek, algo que ya se había rumoreado anteriormente. Sin embargo, se conjeturaba que el actor entraría a substituir a Chris Pine como el Capitán Kirk, lo cual fue ya desmentido. De acuerdo al director, está interesado en que él interprete al padre de Kirk, pero sin dar más detalles. La cinta estará lanzándose para el 2011, aunque todavía no hay ninguna fecha confirmada al respecto.

“I am the master of my fate…I am the  captain of my soul”

Coming out December 11

Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, and a South African accent who needs more? This is going to be epic, definitely going to wait to see it with the dad and brother.

Simply put I feel a MASTERPIECE approaching.

]]> http://sparcegarments.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/green-zone-trailer/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:45:00 +0000 sparcegarments http://sparcegarments.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/green-zone-trailer/

Matt Damon is back to being a badass in his latest movie Green Zone.  If you are  a fan of Jason Bourne, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.  Look for it to hit theaters 2010.  Enjoy

via Swipelife

Invictus is based the true story of South American President Nelson Mandela (Freeman) who uses Rugby player Francois Pienaar (Damon) to help win the 19995 world cup to end racial tensin in the country.  Movie out December 11th

Official Trailer

Jason Bourneシリーズの主演＆監督コンビが組んだ新作「Green Zone」が観たいぞ。ボーンとのキャラの棲み分けができているかちょっと不安ｗｗ　ボーンの続編もこのコンビらしいので期待してますよ！

Calentando motores para los Oscars.

The movie “Invictus” is about to come out in the U.S. (December 11th) and I’m really excited to watch this movie (although I’m not sure if I will be able to watch it in El Salvador). The movie is based on the true story of how Nelson Mandela used the universal language of sport (rugby) to unite a racially and economically divided country (South Africa) in the 1990s.

Directed by Clint Eastwood, my favorite two actors, Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as the captain of the Springboks, play in this movie.

After spending 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela was finally released in 1991 and was elected as President of South Africa in 1994. With this election, infamous apartheid officially came to an end. Nevertheless, the country remained separated racially and economically. Mandela decided to use the 1995 Rugby World Cup event to unite the country together.

Check out the trailer below. It looks pretty awesome. I really hope it will be played in El Salvador…

The movie is actually based on the book titled “Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation.” The book looks very interesting too.

“His people needed a leader. He gave them a champion.”

Oh really!?, en serio no se quien este a cargo de hacer los conteos en la revista People, porque año con año eligen a los candidatos menos pensados, por ejemplo Matt Damon ocupo el lugar de honor y este se lo dieron a Jhonny Deep… claro el tipo es un gran actor y muchas mujeres estan tras de el, pero no entiendo porque esa mania de buscar al mas sexy solo en estados unidos, digo en el resto del mundo no hay mas hombres que se lo merezcan, la cereza en el pastel es esa fotografia espantosa de la portada, fue lo mejor que pudieron hacer??!! EPIC FAIL!

click  para agrandar

The film tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar, to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Clint Eastwood
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Anthony Peckham
Producer: Lori McCreary, Robert Lorenz, Mace Neufeld
Studio: Warner Bros.

MOVIE TRAILER :

I can’t wait for “Invictus” to hit the theatres in Singapore! When when? So, what’s this awesome movie about? Let me capture the synopsis for you:

The true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar, to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

As I watched the trailer for this movie, Nelson Mandela’s words echoed in my head over and over again. “I am the master of my fate… I am the captain of my soul.” “How do we inspire ourselves to greatness where nothing less will do… How do we inspire those around us?”

Sometimes, I question if I’m a freak because while many of my friends around me are either getting married or dating, somehow, I don’t have that interest at all. I don’t yearn for it even.

All I want is to be great… Not in the sense of being a CEO or a figure of authority – not at all. Somehow, power and authority never tantalized me. For that very same reason, I’m not afraid of people in power and positions of authority.

But, I want to be great in the sense that I want to inspire and to make a difference.

Once, at a Planetshakers conference, we were all asked, “What would you want written on your tombstone when you die?” Because that is precisely what you should be fighting for. I remember scribbling down on my paper… “She inspired and she loved”.

That’s probably why this movie, “Invictus” strikes a chord.

I admire the way Nelson Mandela never backed down when told that what he was doing was either insane or not in line. If all we want to do with our lives is to follow convention or to do what’s safe, how will we ever “inspire ourselves to greatness where nothing less will do” and “how will we inspire those around us”.

By the way, “Invictus” is Latin for “unconquered”. Don’t believe me? Go Google it!

Also, I love the scene where Nelson’s wife was telling him that he was making a political calculation but Nelson replied, “No… it’s a human calculation”. At the end of the day, we’re all human. CEO, manager or janiter… we’re all human, with feelings, thoughts, opinions, and the capacity to love and be loved.

“I am the master of my fate… I am the captain of my soul.” So what would you want written on your tombstone? Because that’s precisely what you should be fighting for. Everything else is a distraction.

The Movie Overdose attempts to contain the apocalypse with a review of Roland Emmerich’s 2012. We chat about how we would change Eddie Murphy for the better, what kind of sequel we want for Star Trek and whether we are glad to see Sean Connery coming back, if only in voice form. Tom slightly dampens the praise given to An Education and Sam revels in the madness of Running Scared and the flawed ambition of Dogma. The conclusion involves a discussion of actors that, no matter what, we always look forward to seeing on screen.

Download The Movie Overdose Episode 42

Email us, follow us on Twitter and subscribe through iTunes on the links on the left side of the page.

Lupe Fiasco & Michael Ealy

NYC Premiere Of ‘The People Speak’ backstage at Jazz at Lincoln Center on November 19, 2009

The film brings together images, music and narration with re-creations of American moments of resistance. There’s the Declaration of Independence; speeches by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.; songs by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Public Enemy; and a call to action by Cindy Sheehan among many others.

Unbelievable

Compelling

posted by: chemalopez

♣ El indomable Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting, (1997)

Discursos inolvidables

Si hace algunos años,  en algún momento de tu guión – un punto de giro, quizá, un story beat de importancia – dispusieses de un discurso hecho para marcar un antes y un después en la historia,  te hubiese recomendado la voz y presencia de Robin Williams. Al Pacino mediante.

El joven e ilusionado profesor del Club de los poetas muertos es ahora un hombre maduro, encerrado en sí mismo bajo el peso de una profunda crisis existencial. El bohemio (y sí, también altruista) profesor y psiquiatra conocerá a Will, con quien desarrolla una relación de tira y afloja dialéctico y emocional que es la verdadera riqueza de la película (los secundarios, cumplen; el final, previsible; la historia de amor, obligada y raquitica subtrama).

Quizá, lo realmente interesante aquí, es la metaevolución (no busquen la palabra, que no existe) de Williams, de aquel club de poetas pasados a mejor vida, a través del tiempo, desdoblado en dos personajes “diferentes” – que no son más que el desarrollo del mismo – en una línea cronológica natural hasta volver a guiar al más brillante de sus alumnos y, ahora sí, salvarse a sí mismo.

El Indomable Will hunting es la notable ópera prima como guionistas de Matt Damon y Ben Affleck (el último quizá debió replantearse la interpretación). Llevada a la pantalla bajo la dirección de Gus Van Sant, que pisa terreno “comercial” para repetir más adelante con un producto del mismo estilo: chico superdotado de barrio marginal y conoce a quien será su mentor-salvador (Finding Forrester, 2000).

Debajo, una de mis escenas preferidas. El brillante monólogo del profesor Williams ante un atónito Damon, cuyas palabras considero que forman (además de una verdad como una catedral) un momento memorable en la  historia del cine reciente.

Essa maravilhosa capa da GQ, que escolhe Clint Eastwood não apenas como um dos homens do ano, mas também como o BADASS do ano, nos lembra que em breve The Clint estará de volta às telas. Depois do sensacional Gran Torino, ele conta a história de Nelson Mandela e do jogador branco de rugby que virou herói na África do Sul. O trailer do filme é meio bizarro, tem aquela coisa assustadora de “inspiring story” e, o que é mais assustador ainda, Matt Damon no papel do jogador. Mas se alguém pode transformar histórias banais em filmes fodas, esse é alguém é o Clint.

Eis a justificativa que ele dá sobre a importância de fazer Invictus, que estreia no Brasil em 20 de janeiro: “The world needs this kind of story nowadays. It’s just…everybody’s so screwed up. It seems like our country’s in a kind of morbid mood, because of the recession or whatever. We’re becoming juvenile as a nation. The guys who won World War II and that whole generation have disappeared, and now we have a bunch of teenage twits.”

We’re becoming juvenile as a nation, que frase boa, não? Na GQ ele também diz que medita duas vezes ao dia (Lynch e Clint, talvez eu deva começar), evita comer gordura saturada, malha 30 minutos ao dia e que hoje gosta da monogamia. “Eu nunca achei que ia chegar lá, mas cheguei e é bacana”, conta ele. Mais sobre a revista aqui e o trailer abaixo:

Oscar-winning actress and Grammy Award winning songbird Jennifer Hudson has been announced to portray former South Africa first lady Winnie Mandela in the upcoming Darrell J. Roodt-directed project, Winnie Mandela: A Life.

FYI: Winnie Mandela was also wife of former South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela. Production (starting May 30, 2010) will be done in key South African locations – Johannesburg, Capt Town, Transkei and Robben Island. Jennifer has since spoke about her coveted role.

“I was compelled and moved when I read the script,” Hudson said. “Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I’m honored to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told.” VARIETY

Congrats to Mis Hudson for snagging such a prestigious role! I’m curious to see how JHud would pull off portraying Winnie who tirelessly support her husband’s fight against apartheid and his subsequent release from jail at Robben Island for over 27 years.

Fellow Oscar winner Morgan Freeman has been announced to portray Nelson Mandela in the Clint Eastwood-directed film, Invictus. The Daily Mail has release photos of Freeman as Mandela (and judging from the photos he definitely looks the part!) Freeman already proved he has the acting chops thanks to his vast film career choices. That’s Matt Damon as South African rugby captain Francois Pienaar.

South Africa has become a hot commodity in Hollywood as Oprah Winfrey opened her all female school – Leadership Academy Foundation, HBO release The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, and now it has become the location of 2 Winnie Mandela biopics. South Africa’s getting its due shine!

As previously reported Oscar-nominated actress Sophie Okonedo can be seen next as Winnie Mandela in the BBC drama, Mrs. Mandela.

WOULD YOU GO SEE THESE TWO MANDELA FILMS???

photos: getty//dailymail//google archives

Matt Damon could be taking on the role of Jason Bourne again if the script is good enough.

The actor will meet with the director of the film Paul Greengrass to discuss a possible fourth instalment of the spy series and he has confirmed that he will revive the role if the plot is right. 

He said: “We both love the character but if we do another we want to get it right. The only thing worse than not making another would be to make a bad one, so we have to proceed carefully.”

Showbiz is excited as the Bourne films are just so good

Movie guru Gavin Burke from Phantom 105.2’s Cinerama show is back. This time he has his sights set on ten actors who gave audiences great performances – just not the performances they were expecting. 

By Gavin Burke from Cinerama at Phantom 105.2, Dublin’s Indie Rock

JOIN CINERAMA ON FACEBOOK:

Next week Zac Efron ditches the basketballs, the dancing and the singing (well, kind of) to play an actor struggling with his first role in Orson Welles’ adaptation of Caesar. He plays the ‘Me’ in Richard Linklater’s Me and Orson Welles and although the film works better when it’s ‘Orson Welles’ than when it’s ‘Me’, the boy Efron does okay.

The following is when actors do better than just ‘okay’ when subverting their screen personas…

10. Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo

Where Jimmy loses the plot. Completely. Stewart was America’s everyman – a war hero and an Oscar winner – and then he turns up as an acrophobic cop struggling to get over the death of his loved one, Kim Novak. He then spots another Kim Novak and sets about changing her into the original Kim Novak. ‘You’re safe with me.’ Not any more, Jimmy.

9. Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity

‘I always thought that Matt Damon was like a Streisand, but he’s rockin’ the s**t in this one.’ Paul Rudd was never more on the money than this line in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Damon was slowly coming good with Good Will Hunting and The Talented Mr Ripley but no one guessed he could pull off an action hero. This movie, and this performance, even made dinosaur Bond rethink his approach.

8. James Dean in Giant

He invented the teenager in East of Eden and honed it in Rebel Without A Cause, but in only his third movie he threw it all out the window with this mature turn. His Jett Rink is a lonely, disgruntled oilman, frustrated that rich boy Rock Hudson has landed Elizabeth Taylor. He never gets over it. And he doesn’t live to see it.

7. Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind

Russell Crowe is ‘all man’ in every movie. If he’s not jumping on your head in Romper Stomper, he’s threatening to send you to San Quentin on a kiddie-rapper beef in LA Confidential. Here, Crowe turns into himself and even looks weak as a paranoid maths professor. ‘I’m only here tonight because of you. You are the only reason I am… you are all my reasons.’

6. John Travolta in Pulp Fiction

We have to remember that before this Travolta was either in a bubble, on the dancefloor, in a T-Bird, in crap sequels (Staying Alive, anyone?) or in family movies about talking babies. Here he gives a great turn as a stoned hitman determined not to bed Marcellus Wallace’s wife. ‘Aw, man – I just shot Marvin in the face.’

5. Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction

Ferrell stems his I-don’t-need-a-script-because-the-first-thing-I-think-of-is-always-genius, booming, larger than life antics of Anchorman, Talladega Nights and Old School for the quiet and reserved IRS man too shy to ask Maggie Gyllenhaal out on a date. He may also die. It all depends on Emma Thompson. ‘This may sound like gibberish to you, but I think I’m in a tragedy.’

4. John Cusack in The Grifters

Cusack made his name in wacky ’80s chase-the-girls movies like Better Off Dead, The Sure Thing, Hot Pursuit, One Crazy Summer and the sublime Say Anything, but in Jim Thompson’s The Grifters he plays a conman who may or may not enjoy a bit of how’s-your-father with his mother (Anjelica Huston). The Cusack we knew never came back: ‘Maybe I like it where I am.’

3. Pierce Brosnan in The Matador

Pierce was always a bit suave even before he donned 007’s tux, but no sooner had he quit that contract did he attempt to burn down everything James Bond is by playing the mentally unhinged and lonely hitman in The Matador. He even tries to hide his face behind a ridiculous moustache. ‘I wouldn’t do that for all the teenage t**t in Thailand.’

2. Robert De Niro in Midnight Run

De Niro flirted with black comedy before in The King Of Comedy and played the love interest in the soppy Falling In Love – not roles we associated with the method actor – but it’s Midnight Run that shows what a talent for comic timing the man has. And his determination not to put a cigarette out. ‘So here come two words for you: Shut the f*** up.”

1. Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love

Sandler’s angry comic persona was given a makeover for Paul Thomas Anderson’s slow-burning drama. Sandler plays Barry Egan, a shy businessman who is so emasculated by his sisters he can’t even allow himself to fancy Emily Watson. Then he straps on a pair and decides he’s not taking it anymore. ‘I have a love in my life that makes me stronger than anything you can imagine.’

Honourable mentions: Robin Williams – Dead Poets Society, Owen Wilson – Behind Enemy Lines, Bette Davis – Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?, Jim Carrey – The Truman Show.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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