You knew this guy would be good if you saw Swing Kids from 1993 |
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Hey there Matchflickers.
I recently made the big move from Canada to Korea. There has been a major hassle with my housing and the long and short of it is I had no permanent residence by the time my article was to be written, and no real place where I could crunch it out. The only access I had to a computer was at school for about 10 minutes at a time while one of the other ten teachers waited in the barrens.
I asked a good friend - Dane Coolidge - to do a piece for you all this week. He lacks my over the top sarcasm, or down your throat opinionation, but he has put his finger on naming four of Hollywoods more underrated actors, or at the very least four who have worked hard and long to get the recognition they are now getting.
Underrated Actors
Man, they ask me to write about Hollywood¡¯s most underrated actors! Of course there is a huge list and we all have our choices. However, I will venture my list, the way I see it, the way I know it.
Christian Bale: Finally 
While Children of Men was great, his finest role was the 2004 film Closer |
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getting his due. You all know him as the modern day Batman, but he was kicking big screen ass long before that role. Want to see some of his earlier work that will blow you away? Rent Captain Corelli¡¯s Mandolin, the movie which he stole the screen and everything else from Nic Cage. Want more proof? Watch one of his first roles as an underground dancer during the Nazi regime in Swing Kids. This awesome actor from Wales will always impress you, no matter the time, no matter the role¡¦
Clive Owen: You movie junkies may know Clive as the guy who lost out on being the latest James Bond. However, I assure you that Owen is much much more than that and deserves to be on my list. He entered Hollywood lists as the Professor in The Bourne Identity. However, this British actor has impressed long before that. He did ten prominent films before he hit Hollywood gold. But since planting his claws in California he has blown us all away in such films as: Beyond Borders, Inside Man, Closer, and 
A tortured father in October Sky, an eventual bisexual in American Beauty |
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Children of Men. In fact, Hollywood icons Brad Pitt and George Clooney said in interviews that Clive Owen and Children of Men was their favorite actor/movie of 2006. By the way, Owen said after his Bond audition that he wasn¡¯t interested in playing the famed spy.
Chris Cooper: Well, what can you say about an actor that has paid his dues in Hollywood for decades and finally has gotten his due? Cooper has been doing movies since 1987, but we all didn¡¯t even know it. He was seen with Robert DeNiro and Leonardo Dicaprio in This Boy¡¯s Life in 1993, which should have been a sign for all of us that he was a solid actor. However, I don¡¯t think Chris became an everyday Hollywood name til his role in An American Beauty, where he almost stole the show from Oscar Winner Kevin Spacey. Funny how Hollywood and The Oscar¡¯s work eh??
Steve Bucsemi: How could you have a Hollywood underrated actor¡¯s list and not have Stevie B. on it?! This actor has been around decades, and is well known in 
I guess Armageddon was a blockbuster, but all well |
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movie buff circles. However, he is not an A-list actor and has never won an Oscar. Luckily, I respect this actor the most for not wanting to win Oscars and not wanting to be an A-list actor. He is quite happy (and famous) for not wanted to do Blockbuster movies, and I respect him more for it. He has been in so many famous movies, I couldn¡¯t list them all in a day. However, some of the highlight roles are: Reservoir Dogs, Fargo, and most of Adam Sandler¡¯s movies.
Anyways, I could go on and on about each of these actors and many more that should be on the list. But, that would be boring and wouldn¡¯t spark any comments! I am confident that we all have our own list, but my list would get most movie guru¡¯s approval. That makes me happy.
Please read Jeff Winston's next article where he will tackle some of Hollywoods most underrated actresses. That is, if he has solved his housing issues by then.
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| Mouthing Off |
Every other Thursday
Mouthing Off is the no bull, tell it like it is column on various issues in the Hollywood arena. You want PC, then keep on moving, you won't get it here.
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| Jeff Winston |
I am a part time writer and full time teacher. I am currently stationed in the middle of nowhere, northern Alberta, Canada. I love movies, and I love to vent, I am happy to have an outlet to incorporate both here on Matchflick.
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| Contact |
If you have a comment, question, or suggestion, you can send a message to Jeff Winston by clicking here.
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