Easy Rider, Blue Velvet, Easy Rider… and a bazillion other things so many of us remember him in, it’s only fitting to give notice of Dennis Hopper in passing today.
1936-2010Thanks for many crazy years, Dennis.
Why did I like him? Because he did things however the hell he wanted to do them. He did not subscribe to the ridiculous notion that everybody has to like you.
If you find that last statement pretty straightforward and without a million layers and nuances in it, you don’t even remotely get what I’m saying here and you probably won’t either. Sorry.
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Yeah, Hopper will be missed. The characters he played and the scenes thereof are some of my favorite, and there are many unforgettable moments for me.
One such scene was from “Blue Velvet” was Hopper’s character gleefully proclaiming “Pabst Blue Ribbon”.
Of course the scene from “Easy Rider” with Dennis giving the redneck the middle finger.
Dennis’s character living with a blow-up doll for a girlfriend, from “River’s Edge”.
He played a great villain in the movie “Speed”.
Now, I know the movie “Waterworld” is not highly regarded at all, even by rabid action movie buffs, but I liked it, and again, it was because of Dennis Hopper’s role. I could take or leave Kevin Costner’s role from the movie, but I loved every minute Dennis was on-screen.
Forgetting Dennis Hopper for a minute, it is kinda sad that all the greats are leaving us. I look at the current crop of Tinseltown stars and starlets, and I think they are nought but pale imitations of yesteryear. Show me one man in Hollywood today who can hold a candle to the Duke, or to Clark Gable, or to any of the old greats. For sheer comedic talent, there’s not a single one who can match wits with Jackie Gleason or Jonathan Winters. Before you say Robin Williams, I count him as part of an older crowd. For women, show me anyone who can compete with Elizabeth Taylor, or Ann Margret, or Maureen O’ Hara, or Bette Davis, you name it. It’s a mark, or perhaps curse, of modern actresses, that so many of them are easily interchangeable with each other, and are quite forgettable. They all but disappear from the scene when the next hot actress steps up. No one could replace Bette Davis. Almost any actress today could fill Angelina Jolies roles, and you probably wouldn’t notice much difference.
Ah, well, c’est la vie.
Thus endeth the rant.
*Note: These are in my opinion…*
Ann Margaret in “The Villain”. Ooooh la la.
Don’t imagine a great number of folks have seen that one but it had another great-great in it.
Anyone know who? (without going to imdb, rotten tomaters, or the interwebnetthingy) I KNOW McGoo knows the answer to that one!
Robin Williams is a good mention. I’ve always been fascinated at how a number of guys could get their start in comedy and then turn out to be so talented in drama (and whatever else they chose). I’m referring to Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, and Steve Martin. Alll three have played parts that completely captivated me. Good Will Hunting – Robin Williams as the psychiatrist. Tom Hanks in Saving Pvt. Ryan and Forrest Gump. Steve Martin is a bit more of a stretch but Roxanne, LA Story, and The Spanish Prisoner come to mind.
I was elated when I heard Steve Martin was going to do the Pink Panther flicks because I thought they’d pay homage to one of the best of the best ever, Peter Sellers. I thought “If anyone can do it, it’ll be Steve Martin”. Sadly, Martin not only bombed those two but nuked them and would have made Sellers cry. I do include Martin because I’ve heard him interviewed and find him to be *extremely* intelligent. Amazing mind.
Peter Sellers for his amazing performance in “Being There”.
DeNiro and Pacino – another two who are a breed apart. John Malkovitch is in this class.
Kevin Spacey. Natalie Portman and Jean Reno (The Professional). Glenn Close. John Noble. Jodie Foster. Jamie Lee Curtis (world-class hooters). Samuel L. Jackson for his delivery at the end of “Pulp Fiction”.
Let’s not forget some of the “old timers” who made what I believe is one of the greatest of all time movies – The Lion in Winter. Peter O’Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton… the whole damn cast, actually.
The style of acting that was prevalent in the 40′s, 50′s and 60′s has never set well with me – the overemphatic emotionalism which peaked with William Shatner’s hamming in Star Trek. So totally unnatural that I can’t get immersed in those movies.
Will Smith! Amazingly talented.
I think it is funny you mentioned Jolie. She does what few women could ever do, which is make a believable kick-ass character – Milla Jovovich is good at kick-ass, too – acting, not so much, but I love Milla anyway. Sorry… Jolie’s part in “The Good Shepherd” was not given the credit it deserved.
Curtal – we need to work up a list of some of the greatest movies ever based on our own viewing experiences, not someone else’s top 100 list that always seems to have the same titles just because they are “a classic”. Does that make sense? What think you?
Jimmy Stewart. Ingrid Bergman. Clint Eastwood. Bette Davis. Gene Hackman. Sidney Poitier
I’ll miss Dennis Hopper…he was classy in the most abrasive way. And hawt to the end.
I think of Natalie Portman as a 2-dimensional actress, as well as Jolie. Jolie does the kick-ass thing very well, but when she goes outside of it, her acting comes out wooden. Girl, Interrupted is the exception, but she was a bit of a kick-ass in it, so that tends to explain it.
All the male actors you mentioned are not exactly spring chickens, either
Will Smith has talent, but within a scope of his ethnicity, IMO. And you are right: Steve Martin is brilliant, and a wonderful satirist. Too bad he’s such a liberal.
As for The Villain….KIRK DOUGLAS
Re: the whole cast of Lion in Winter being superb. Without peer.
Others are close, “Lawrence of Arabia,”–much larger cast, but fantastic, Claude Raines, Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinesss, Omar, and of course O’Toole.
Perhaps on a par, maybe better–”The Maltese Falcon.” I can’t think of any cast of actors in Hollywood today that could match that ensemble.
Lemur,
compiling a list of the top 100 movies ever made based on our own viewing sounds great.
And I do agree with many of the choices you selected above as good actors and actresses. I just feel too many of the younger ones of today were chosen for a particular look, rather than actual acting talent.
Now, here’s some of my contributions for what I feel should be in a top 100 list.
A Shock To The System, starring Michael Caine
Die Hard
The Edge
White Squall
Arlington Road
Scarface, starring Al Pacino
The Sandlot
The Karate Kid
The Perfect Storm (not a big George Clooney fan, but this was a great movie)
The Green Mile
Shawshank Redemption
Stand By Me
Lean On Me
The Untouchables
Blade Runner
Dark City
The Matrix (but only the first one)
Serenity
The Fifth Element
The Maltese Falcon
Spiderman (in my opinion, the best big screen adaptation of a comic book)
Jurassic Park (just the first one)
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
300
Heartbreak Ridge
Cool Hand Luke
True Grit
Rocky
Big Country
The Magnificent Seven
Tombstone
The Thing, John Carpenter version
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
The In-Laws, with Peter Falk and Alan Arkin, one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen
Midnight Run
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Gardens Of Stone
Rollerball (the original)
Ragtime
Glory
Well, that’s a few….I’m sure I could come up with more, but those are some I regard as the greatest movies ever made, and I consistently go back to watch all of them.
Yeah, I liked him, he didn’t take himself too seriously and he was good in everything I’ve seen him in. He became the part.
Most of today’s actors don’t become the part, they play themselves playing the part. There are very few actors who can get away with that, IMO (John Wayne for instance).
Johnnie Depp and Leo DiCaprio (who I think are twits) are very darn good actors, and maybe a couple others.
The style of acting that was prevalent in the 40′s, 50′s and 60′s has never set well with me
You and the guys who did Airplane.
I just had this conversation with a guy I work with, he’s in his mid- to late- 20s.
He didn’t realize part of why that movie is so funny is because they had some of the greatest actors of the previous 40 years saying basically the same lines in basically the same manner all while showing exactly how funny it really is.
“He thinks he’s LLoyd Bridges” (as the nurse points to LLoyd Bridges) is one of my favorite lines of all times.
Airplane II is when Shatner finally realized he was a comedian and had been for most of his career.
He did not subscribe to the ridiculous notion that everybody has to like you.
Yes, that’s very nuancy.
I actually am happy when certain people dislike me.
I’ve come to believe that we are less known by who we choose for our friends than by who we choose for our enemies. Choosing enemies is not a path of least resistance and it requires adherence to some code or ethics – how far you are willing to go to be true to yourself is much more evident.
Anyone can be a toady or suck up to someone else. Not everyone can make a stand.