Favorite Performances
 

My little discussion with Greg regarding Ellen Burstyn got me wondering about what performances from actors others found to be exceptional out of all the movies they've seen. What are yours?

Mine:

Ellen Burstyn in Requiem For A Dream
Sally Kirkland in Anna
Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen
Spencer Tracy in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
Ruby Dee in A Raisin In the Sun
Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt
Jessica Lange in Frances
Paul Giamatti in Sideways
Griffin Dunne in After Hours
Faye Dunaway in Network
Nicole Kidman in Dogville
Jake Weber in Wendigo
Bette Davis in The Little Foxes
Julianne Moore in Safe
Jack Lemmon in Short Cuts
Shelley Duvall in 3 Women

And many more...

Cher in Mask
Lorraine Bracco in Goodfellas
Tom Hanks in Big
Julianne Moore in Boogie Nights
Katherine Hepburn in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? and Little Women
Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs
Laura Linney in Kinsey (just saw this - loved her in it!)
Will Farrell in Old School :cool:
Debra Winger in Urban Cowboy
Shirley McClaine in Terms of Endearment

A few more:

Bjork in Dancer In the Dark
Isabelle Huppert in The School of Flesh
Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast
Sigourney Weaver in Death and the Maiden
Donald Sutherland in Don't Look Now

That movie is such a guilty pleasure, but I think that scene between her and Nicholson in her bedroom is just brilliantly done. Love it! I also thought she was divine in The Apartment.

Bette Davis - All About Eve
Parker Posey - Party Girl
Isabelle Adjani - L'ete Murtrier (One deadly summer) this one is big. BIG!
Faye Dunaway - Network ;)
Bette Davis - The Letter (since you already mentioned Little Foxes....that one almost turns me on! :laugh: )
Bette Davis - Jezebel (be still my heart)
Julianne Moore - Far From Heaven. Oh, who am I kidding? Julianne Moore in Everything! Boogie Nights is a fave.)
Bette Davis - Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte
Bette Davis - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Parker Posey - House of Yes
Isabelle Adjani - Queen Margot
Anne Baxter - All About Eve (A very underrated performance!)
Jodi Foster - The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
Joan Allen - The Ice Storm
Kathy Bates - most stuff. anything.
Jack Nicholson - Anything
Kevin Kline - Anything
Oops - Jack Lemmon - always, but Some Like It Hot. but really, always.
Oop - George Sanders, All About Eve.
I know it only appears I've seen five movies, but that's actually not true... :p

Sir Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs
Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven
Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver
Jodie Foster in The Accused

I know I'm forgetting alot, but my brain is stuttering.

Jeff Bridges - The Big Lebowski
John Goodman - The Big Lebowski

:cool:

I was going to say that, but it seemed cliche (plus I think Little Foxes is even better). :laugh: If you love All About Eve, you should definitely check out Anna with Sally Kirkland, then. It's got a similar plot, but it's a true story (based on Elzbieta Czyzewska and Joanna Pacula) and she is just...indescribable in it. Your jaw will be on the floor as you watch her.

All great choices. :laugh: Kline in Dave is perfection.

awww. You are so sweet about my dorky choices! I know, I've been meaning to rent Anna, but it's just not in the ol' budget. I haven't rented a movie for like, two months!
I think Kevin Kline is always perfect. My favorite? That's right...it was hard to pick, but...SOAPDISH!!!! :laugh:
p.s. All About Eve is very obvious, but deserving none the less.

I agree with all of these as well, Even though they are not all my faves. Isn't it great there are so many awesome performances!!!!
Anthony Hopkins, though - he almost made it. mmmmm.
I love you for putting Farrell in for Old School! :xoxo: Score!

Here's some info on it for when you get around to it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092569/

I think I might have to watch it this weekend. :D Sally Kirkland was robbed of that Oscar, dammit. If she had only won it, she would have been a huge star.

I LOVE Sally Field and Kevin Kline in Soapdish! :laugh: That movie KILLS ME!

"You can't kiss her! She's your DAUGHTER!"

Just wait for Romy to see this thread, she'll list every performance of his. And she'll hopefully list Midler since I actually left her off by accident. :eek:

Wait, Wait, Wait - Did you just vote for Griffin Dunne??? :lol:
Okay, I'm adding Linda Fiorentino - THE LAST SEDUCTION
to my list. Should'a been on there in the first place. :cool: if that's not a performance, i don't know what is....

:lol: :lol:
I've already read that Anna thing.
Soapdish is greatness. Even Hatcher is great. I could watch it again and again. And have. I wish I could rent it right now. :lol:
Kevin is so good at being cheesy/self absorbed. But, he's good at being any way!!!!