The Official SHH! Movie Awards: Badass of the year

[Silvermoth]

1. Magneto

2. Hanna

3. Sigourney Weaver as "The Big Guy"

 

[craigdbfan]

Driver - Drive

Erik/Magneto - X-Men: First Class

Tommy Conlon - Warrior

Cpt. Colter Stevens - Source Code

 

[The Morningstar]

Ya know, I don't care for him offscreen, but I've recently developed a newfound appreciation for Tom Cruise's career. He is probably the purest example of a classic "Movie Star" we have. Depp, Pitt and DiCaprio are the much more contemporary model - they try to be "actors' actors" (Depp mostly succeeds, Pitt and DiCaprio have more mixed results) and shed their movie star images at every turn. Cruise, on the other hand, embraces his. He's aware that he's no chameleon - he knows how audiences see him and want to see him, and plays to that. He never phones it in, and he has a specific presence, persona, intensity and charisma that always delivers and elevates his movies above whatever they would have been without him. And when he does break his usual mold, he does so with a sense of humor...never too seriously, so the audience can go, "haha, I can't believe that's Tom Cruise!" (ala Tropic Thunder and Rock of Ages) with him in on the joke, rather than being the punchline (ala when Costner tried to be British or Travolta in most of his villainous roles).

To me, the difference between "actors" and "movie stars" is that movie stars don't necessarily try to disappear in their roles - they know the audience comes to see them, and the persona they've come to expect from them, and they are all about giving the audience what they want. These days, we mostly have actors. Which isn't a bad thing, don't get me wrong, but Hollywood used to be heavily populated by both. A good movie star is really hard to find these days, and Tom Cruise is a pretty damn great movie star, imo.

While I do agree with you, I do think Cruise has put in some great acting performances throughout his career too. Born of the Fourth of July, Magnolia, Interview with the Vampire, Last Samurai, Jerry McGuire, Rain Man.

I think the guy is great, like you say, he knows how to have fun and take the piss out of himself too. I loved his cameo in Austin Powers and he was the funniest thing in Tropic Thunder.

 

[CelticPredator]

Oh yeah. I laughed so ****ing hard at the opening and ending of Goldmember.

 

[Blue Sugar]

I hate when people judge actors by their persons. Sure I don't care for Tom Cruise the person that much either, seems like a nutcase. But what does it have to do with his acting?

As an actor he has turned in a lot of performances that has wowed me. He is amazing in Magnolia.

 

[henry_9305]

Driver - Drive

Luke Hobbs - Fast Five

Mick Haller - The Lincoln Lawyer

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Kisses the girl then literally kicks in some dudes face. Gosling hands down, first, second and third.

So true. What a great film Drive is.t:

 

[Bim]

Driver - Drive (Ryan Goslin)
Tommy Conlon - Warrior (Tom Hardy)
Thor - Thor (Chris Hemsworth)

Havent seen MI:GP yet , so while Cruise looks badass i cant nominate him.

There's so many badasses this year though, i had to leave out a few!

 

[A Necessary Evil]

Harry Potter
Magneto
Jerry Dandridge

 

[flickchick85]

While I do agree with you, I do think Cruise has put in some great acting performances throughout his career too. Born of the Fourth of July, Magnolia, Interview with the Vampire, Last Samurai, Jerry McGuire, Rain Man.

See, in half of those (Jerry McGuire, Last Samurai, Rain Man), I felt he was still playing to his movie star persona, what people expect to see from him - the confident, sometimes cocky, jaded guy who still has a lot to learn. I agree they're good acting performances and never meant to suggest otherwise. He just doesn't take on a completely different persona from what audiences are used to seeing from him like the Daniel Day-Lewises and Gary Oldmans of the world. Magnolia and Fourth of July are the only two in which he really branched out beyond his comfort zone and succeeded, imo. I didn't care for him in Interview with a Vampire. But then, I didn't care for most of the performances in that film other than Kirsten Dunst.

Point being, he's no chameleon, which is ok - neither was Humphrey Bogart, after all. But they're both still awesome at what they do (or in Bogie's case, did), and that particular talent they have/had is something of a rarity present day Hollywood.

 

[CelticPredator]

Les Grossman would disagree with you.

 

[flickchick85]

Les Grossman would disagree with you.

Again in my original post, I mentioned he does branch out for the sake of comedy. To brilliant effect. t:

 

[Secret Fawful]

Magneto - Michael Fassbender

Lisbeth Salander - Rooney Mara

Driver - Ryan Gosling

 

[humbdrumb]

Les Grossman would disagree with you.

Also,

 

[The Morningstar]

Oh **** how could i forgot Vincent?

 

[Asteroid-Man]

Lisbeth Salander - GWDT
Magneto - XMFC
Voldemort - DHP2

 

[Sawyer]

Also,

Not really the same as Grossman.

 

[Icelander]

Ryan Gosling - Driver
Rooney Mara - Lisbeth
Saoirse Ronan - Hanna

 

[flickchick85]

Also,

He's still "Tom Cruise" in Collateral, just "Tom Cruise as a Bad Guy." But again, that's not a bad thing at all. I loved him in that movie.

 

[terry78]

Yeah I have to give that surfer dude Matt some credit for Lincoln Lawyer. That was a very underrated movie this year. Like it just came and went, but it was insanely well done.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

A lot of the spring movies were surprisingly good.

 

[bullets]

He's still "Tom Cruise" in Collateral, just "Tom Cruise as a Bad Guy." But again, that's not a bad thing at all. I loved him in that movie.

I remember a guy yelled "Yeah Tom" when he put two rounds in one of the guys who tried to take the briefcase. I think Cruise is a great actor but he does that arrogant person more often than not. Also he has that trademark run.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Nominations are over! A poll will be up later

 

[humbdrumb]

He's still "Tom Cruise" in Collateral, just "Tom Cruise as a Bad Guy."

I think that's more your pre-conceived notions of Cruise more-so than his actual performance, then. I myself do not see Tom Cruise when I watch Collateral. He completely disappears into Vincent, imo.

 

[flickchick85]

I think that's more your pre-conceived notions of Cruise more-so than his actual performance, then. I myself do not see Tom Cruise when I watch Collateral. He completely disappears into Vincent, imo.

Well needless to say, I disagree - See bullet's post above - plenty of people saw Vincent as "Tom Cruise as a Bad Guy" (hell, some people probably only know Collateral as "That Movie With Bad Guy!Tom Cruise"). He was just playing a more ruthless, deadly version of his usual charismatic, intense, cocky persona that audiences love.

Besides, I have plenty of preconceived notions about actors who DO regularly disappear into roles. Tom Cruise just isn't one of those guys, imo. He's a good actor, no doubt, but he's a great Movie Star. That's his real talent, imo, and I think it's a rarer one these days than simply great acting.