Finest acting performances?- Page 2

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/21/13 at 9:53pm

Kitty Winn in "Exorcist II: The Heretic".

"I chose evil."

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/21/13 at 9:58pm

Kevin Kline - The Ice Storm
Joan Allen - The Ice Storm
Sigourney Weaver - The Ice Storm
Joan Allen - The Upside of Anger
Sigourney Weaver - Prayers For Bobby
Joan Allen - The Contender
Kathleen Turner - Peggy Sue Got Married
Brad Pitt - A River Runs Through It
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple
Danny Glover - The Color Purple
Whoopi Goldberg - Jumpin' Jack Flash
Jodie Foster - Nell
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Leonardo DiCaprio - What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Dustin Hoffman - Tootsie

[SNAFU]

Posted: 12/21/13 at 10:17pm

Tim Kincaid...... El Paso Wrecking Corp.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/21/13 at 10:19pm

The bunkhouse scene?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/21/13 at 10:28pm

Well then definitely Tom Chase in "Open House".

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 12/21/13 at 11:55pm

Anne Bancroft in THE MIRACLE WORKER, then there's everyone else
Julie Andrews in THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Olivia de Havilland in THE SNAKE PIT
Rosalind Russell in AUNTIE MAME
Vivian Leigh in GONE WITH THE WIND

Jimmy Stewart in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, then there's everyone else
Anthony Perkins in PSYCHO
John Travolta in BLOW OUT
Richard Burton in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF
Martin Stephens in VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED

[dented146]

Posted: 12/22/13 at 2:30am

Some of my favorites:

Jack Lemon in The Days of Wine and Roses

Sidney Poitier in Lilies of the Field

Amy Adams in Junebug

Alan Arkin in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Paul Newman in The Hustler

Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 12/22/13 at 9:43am

Kitty Winn in "Exorcist II: The Heretic".

OMG! How could I have forgotten Kitty!!!! That scene where she's in the cab going to the house in Georgetown...

[Younger Brother]

Posted: 7/19/14 at 6:20am

I'm going to second Imelda Staunton in Vera Drake. I saw it when it originally came out, but when I saw it last night I fell in love with it in a whole new way. She truly is incredible.

Now, it may seem odd at first read but I thought Toni Collette was incredible in Muriel's Wedding. Hilariously awkward and funny but the scene where she's lying on the floor in the dress shop gets me everytime.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 7/19/14 at 12:25pm

I'm going to add the shamefully underrated Dirk Bogarde for his work in Joseph Losey's masterpiece, The Servant. You never can figure out what is his next move.

Others:
Also Emily Watson in Breaking The Waves
Aleksei Kravchenko in Come and See
Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront
Robert Mitchum in The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Marion Cotillard and Joaquin Phoenix in The Immigrant
John Wayne in Red River and The Searchers
Amy Adams in Junebug
Thelma Ritter in Pickup on South Street
Julianne Moroe in SAFE

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/19/14 at 3:12pm

"I'm going to second Imelda Staunton in Vera Drake."

I just think that scene when the police arrive is brilliant acting on her part. The director was so smart to leave the camera on her face for so long. There is so much non-verbal communication going on.

And I think Toni Collette is great as well. If you haven't watched Clockwatchers, it's worth a look. It's not the greatest movie out there, but she is really good in it despite Parker Posey doing her best to steal the movie. And I think that's what's so great about Toni. Parker can steal the movie but Toni holds her own.

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 7/19/14 at 3:22pm

I LOVE everyone's lists!

I don't think I can add to it though. All the films/Actors already mentioned are so fantastic!

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 7/19/14 at 8:13pm

Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

[VeraCharles3]

Posted: 7/20/14 at 8:56am

Thanks Younger Brother for the thread.

I am with Gothampc in this - it is certain scenes that I remember and stick with me. Here are just a few.

Melvil Poupaud - Time to Leave - the ending. He says nothing but everything is going on in his eyes. Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.

Meryl Streep - Marvin's Room - now I am not a huge fan of Meryl Streep but the scene in the bathroom as she fixes Diane Keaton's character's wig gets me everytime. I think she is great in this film.

Julianne Moore - The Hours - again a bathroom scene where she tells her husband she will be out shortly. Her performance throughout is great.

Audrey Tautou - Amelie - just wonderful throughout.

Lots and lots more that I can think of but will stop here.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/20/14 at 9:39am

Winona Ryder in Little Women. That entire cast, honestly. Susan Sarandon is great as Marmee. But Ryder is exceptional as Jo.

[Younger Brother]

Posted: 7/21/14 at 4:53pm

Ah, how could I forget Marion Cotillard in "La Vie En Rose" ??. Everytime I see the film she blows me away. It's truly a performance for the ages.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/21/14 at 5:43pm

Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
Julianne Moore - Short Cuts, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, The Hours and Far From heaven
Shirley MacLaine - The Trouble With Harry, Irma La Douce and Terms of Endearment
Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple
Christian Bale - Empire of the Sun
Toni Collette - Muriel's Wedding
Noomi Rapace - Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (entire trilogy)
Franke Potente - Run, Lola, Run
Leonardo DiCaprio - What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
Emma Thompson - Sense and Sensibility
Ellen Burstyn - Requiem for a Dream
Brenda Blethyn - Secrets and Lies
Dianne Wiest - Hannah and Her Sisters, Parenthood and Bullets Over Broadway
Daniel Day Lewis - My Left Foot
Jamie Lee Curis - A Fish Called Wanda and True Lies
William Hurt - The Accidental Tourist
Glenn Close - Dangerous Liaisons
Sissy Spacek - Crimes of the Heart
F. Murray Abraham - Amadeus
Ben Kingsley - Gandhi
Howard E. Rollins - Ragtime
Al Pacino - The Godfather & The Godfather II
Omar Sharif - Doctor Zhivago
Peter O'Toole - Lawrence of Arabia
Doris Day - Love Me or Leave Me and The Man Who Knew Too Much
Gloria Swanson - Sunset Boulevard
Bette Davis - All About Eve
Jean Hagen - Singin' in the Rain
Laurence Olivier - Rebecca and Wuthering Heights
Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart and Cary Grant - The Philadelphia Story
Olivia Hussy - Romeo and Juliet

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/21/14 at 9:40pm

Emma Thompson in the bedroom scene in Love Actually

Sissy Spacek was In the Bedroom, not Thompson.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 7/22/14 at 9:33am

This just covers movies...

Leads—
James Stewart in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE/VERTIGO etc.
Anton Walbrook in THE RED SHOES
Marlon Brando in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
John Barrymore in TWENTIETH CENTURY
Toshiro Mifune in assorted Kurosawa films
Robert De Niro in RAGING BULL
Daniel Day Lewis in THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Johnny Depp in SWEENEY TODD
Mel Blanc for his work in assorted Warner Bros. animated cartoons.
Marcel Dalio in THE RULES OF THE GAME

Supporting—
John Cazale in DOG DAY AFTERNOON, etc.
Claude Rains in NOTORIOUS, CASABLANCA, etc.
Bert Lahr in THE WIZARD OF OZ
Heath Ledger in THE DARK KNIGHT
Thomas Mitchell in STAGECOACH
Walter Connolly in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, TWENTIETH CENTURY, etc.
Minoru Chiaki in RASHOMON, SEVEN SAMURAI, etc.
Robert De Niro in GODFATHER PART II
Joe Pesci in GOODFELLAS
Karl Malden in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Women

Leads—
Bette Davis in ALL ABOUT EVE, etc.
Margarita Terekhova in THE MIRROR
Michelle Pfeiffer in BATMAN RETURNS
Ingrid Bergman in NOTORIOUS, etc.
Carole Lombard in MY MAN GODFREY
Giuletta Masina in NIGHTS OF CABIRIA
Christine Lahti in HOUSEKEEPING
Vivien Leigh in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Marie Dressler in DINNER AT EIGHT
Louise Brooks in PANDORA'S BOX

Supporting—
Margaret Hamilton in THE WIZARD OF OZ
Gwen Welles in NASHVILLE
Madeline Kahn in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, WHAT’S UP DOC? etc.
Sandra Milo in 8 1/2
Nicole Kidman in EYES WIDE SHUT
Mieko Harada in RAN
Kim Hunter in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Dianne Wiest in HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, etc.
Mary Steenburgen in MELVIN AND HOWARD
Beulah Bondi in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 7/22/14 at 10:15am

Everyone has great lists, and I love the addition of comedic performances. Russell in Auntie Mame deserves to be on any "best" list.

I'd add to Toni Collette's list, what I think is her best performance with just a two scenes..."The Hours".

Roscoe, thanks for remembering Harada.