10 Hated Movie Performances That Were Secretly Genius

consensus is a Fickle thing and that's no less true when it comes to the movies films that were once panned are reappraised as masterpieces all the time something that also extends to individual acting performances now this isn't to say that there's an objective scale for critique or that anyone's wrong for agreeing with consensus but rather that old habits die hard and in some respects even with emergent reappraisals over 10 taking those old criticisms some performances still feel vastly underappreciated or at the very least nowhere near as offensive as was once made out so prepare to have your eyebrows raised I'm Yan this is walk culture and here are 10 hated movie performances that were secretly genius number 10 Tom Cruz as Jack Reacher Jack Reacher one of the biggest casting conations of the 2010s Tom Cruz's turn as Jack re reer has largely been forgotten since 2012 partially due to Reacher fans getting a more quote unquote accurate rendition with the Amazon Prime series and also because Cruz had bigger hits in the mission impossible sequels that came out a few years later still the 2012 reacha movie less so its sequel which was instructively titled never go back because you don't want to rewatch it after having seen it the first time is worthy of Merit apart from marking the first collaboration between Cruz and director Christopher mcari who went on to H Mission Impossibles Rogue Nation Fallout and dead reckoning it stands out today as a vintage throwback to action thrillers from the 70s and 80s it's something lacks much of the grit and punch of its spiritual forebears but the end result is still commendable with Cruz anchoring a Sleek stylish film that shares many of the qualities that would make the mcari mission imposses Landmark entries in that franchise it sadly lacks much of the grit and punch of its spiritual forbears but the end result is still commendable with Cruz anchoring a Sleek stylish film that shares many of the qualities that would make the mcari Mion imposses Landmark entries in that franchise number nine Clint Eastwood as partner Paint Your Wagon as funny as The Simpsons Paint Your Wagon moment is and it is hilarious I love that bit so much it's also probably done Everlasting damage to Joshua Logan's 1969 Western musical of the same name which co-starred Lee Marvin Clint Eastward and Jean seberg as an unlikely polycule riding the highs and lows of a Boom Town in the late 19th century United States Post Simpsons Paint Your Wagon is best known as the movie where Clint Eastwood sings which is a far departure from the gruff masculine archetype he projected in the dollar Trilogy and the Dirty Harry series for that reason it's it's largely seen as a jarring aberration in the actor and director's filmography when in actual fact Eastwood had been singing in screen rols for several years before Paint Your Wagon was made releasing in 1963 the album raw hides glint Eastwood sings Cowboy favorites and even aside from the fact that there's a precedent for Eastwood indulging his music taste he's also a noted jazz fan his performance in Paint Your Wagon is really good he's a great singer a charismatic screen presence which obviously goes without saying and plays off wonderfully with Marvin and seberg as their love triangle develops the film itself met a lukewarm response in 1969 releasing when musicals were falling out of favor but it's still a heartfelt boisterous production whose shortcomings are overcome by the performances of its leads it mainly belongs to Marvin whose growley rendition of wandering star is one for the ages but Eastwood remains impressive with the film said just as neatly in his back catalog as something like Sudden Impact or Joe kid number eight Casper vanine Starship Troopers although widely beloved today Paul the hovind's 1997 sci-fi satire Starship Troopers has the honor of being the most whoosh worthy film in movie history an explicit commentary on Fascism and jingoism inspired by the Nazi propaganda films of a Hoven saw while growing up in the occupied Netherlands critic instead took the film to be an endorsement of those values a sort of pro-military indulgence whose first aim was to Thrill instead of lampoon watch Starship Troopers today and it's baffling to think how any of it could have gone over the heads of critics even more so when you bear in mind that for hovind's biggest hit RoboCop was widely heralded as a gripping takedown of ranis greed and the militarization of the police from its propaganda broadcast to its SS inspired military uni forms Starship Troopers couldn't possibly be more clear about its Intentions exemplified by the casting of Casper vanine as lead protagonist Johnny Rico Van's performance along with those of his fellow castmates was singled out for criticism as being all looks and no depth but this was essentially ruven's intent the blonde chiseled vanine was cast as his facial features reflected many of the attributes considered ideal in Nazi propaganda while his story followed a similar structure to those wartime films Rico joins the mobile infantry as a lowly grunt but Rises through the ranks via a mix of bravery and those above him dying quote unquote valiantly in battle he's a caricature for the audience to imprint upon and in a Twisted way aspire to be that the young casts are all beautiful and devoted soldiers fighting disgusting dirty bugs is exactly the point and while that's not really a secret today it's bewildering that it felt like that in 97 number seven Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker Bram Stoker's Dracula you'd probably be hard pressed to find fans of keano ru's performance in Bram stalker's Dracula even among the film's Die Hard lovers so Infamous is his portrayal of Jonathan Harker a young English lawyer who is ens snared in the aonomus counts Transylvanian castle and while it's fair to say that he is not one of the stronger parts of Francis Ford copers in en chanting adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel he is also not among its worst not by a long shot at the very least Reeves's presence makes the film more entertaining the ACT delivering a sort of California ised English accent alongside the likes of Anthony Hopkins and Gary Oldman which has over the years proven endlessly quotable but there's more to Reeves's portrayal than just those iconic line reads even though I know where the bastard sleeps rattles around in my head on the daily Harker explores Dracula's castle in a state of mild Amusement until he's prayed upon by the Count's Brides which takes place as an ethereal seduction by virtue of his screen presence alone Reeves embodies Harker's helplessness in this scene perfectly along with his subsequent Devotion to save Mina from his one-time captor later in the film once again his turn may not be a highlight of the film certainly not when compared to the performances Hopkins Oldman and s Frost give us van Hing Dracula and Lucy respectively but it remains faithful to the novel and whether intentionally or otherwise embodies its most essential themes number six Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo Rambo 3 despite Oscar wins and nominations to his name Sylvester Stallone remains a perennially underestimated Talent as an actor and filmmaker his rise were that of his most iconic creation Rocky Balboa and like Rocky he continues to be popular with an asteris while there are Undisputed Classics in his filmography such as the original Rocky and spin-off Creed like his former screen rival Arnold schwarzeneger much of his back catalog has been dismissed as cornball 80s machismo none more so than the two sequels to First Blood which released in 1985 and 1988 respectively while iconic entries in action Cinema Rambo First Blood Part 2 and Rambo 3 are easily dismissed as political relics that contradict the themes of David morell's First Blood novel from 1972 as well as the original film directed by Ted kotf that very much is the case as the Rambo sequels abandoned anti-war tenants to relitigate the Vietnam War and then kick soas and Afghanistan but that shouldn't obliterate their technical qualities nor Stone's magnetic screen presence and Charisma in First Blood Stallone perfectly captured the exhaustion and fear of Rambo as he's hunted to the forest of the Pacific Northwest tapping into feelings of resentment and abandonment many Vietnam veterans grappled with upon their return to the US the sequels had a different kind of catharsis in mind however and Stallone different onscreen objectives the80s were in full swing America was back and it was time for muscles not words to do the talking and in those Rambo sequels Stallone's muscles scream more than they do talk and it's a valid form of expression like Swartz zega and largely egged on by his rivalry with the Austrian heavyweight Stallone developed his own onscreen language through biceps and explosives typified in the later Rocky films and in the Further Adventures of One John Rambo the prevailing criticism with both these franchises is that they got away from the essence of what made them hit to begin with Rambo 3 in particular is often hailed as an embarrassing Monument to ad success it was the most expensive movie ever made at the time of its release but it's also a spectacular achievement in action film making Stallone commands the screen from the off asserting his dominance in his biggest loudest film to date like dude JS a helicopter with a tank and cauterizes a womb with gunpowder in a cave it is so cool and yeah the noise paper's over some of the perhaps unintentional attempts at exploring how rambos manipulated to take up arms again but Stallone still retains that trademark mix of angst and sorrow in a way only he can number five alen aronri is Han Solo solo a Star Wars Story 6 years on and it's still incredibly weird how Disney took all the wrong lessons from the failure of solo a Star Wars story rather than acknowledge the possibility that Star Wars fans were less interested in the MC unification of the franchise and were fatigued by the prospect of by annual releases Disney seemed to take the solo movies box off his shortcomings as meaning that roles shouldn't be recast this decision has resulted in spooky CGI Recreations of characters showing up in shows of the Mandalorian when really it should have led to lucasfilm making more considered choices When selecting Which films to Greenlight and how much of it we actually need and to be clear solo a Star Wars story should not exist but it is absolutely the best movie that could have been made under the circumstances that it faced which ranged from a change in directors to the pressure of making an interconnected series of spin-offs Ron Howard's film certainly stumbles in places but when it hits its stride it's a Charming atmospheric space Weston that does a great job of unpacking what made Han Solo who he was when he walked into the Moss eely Cana all those years ago despite the odds solo ended up being a way better film than some of its parts and Aon reich's performance was fundamental to that a message that Disney fatally misunderstood for far too long number four Al Kilmer Batman Forever in their 2006 album The Great burrito extortion case pop punk band balling for soup feature a track called Val Kilmer in which lead singer Jarett reck whacks his lyrical about the comedic chops of the actor in movies like Real Genius and top secret before concluding that he quote sucked as Batman Kilmer's performance is of course generally less well spoken of when compared to that of Michael Katon he benefited from Tim Burton's Gothic Direction and is by far the best liveaction Cape Crusader according to Yours Truly but it's certainly not among the weakest to have featured in a DC adaptation while Kilmer himself has spoken of his regret about taking on the role in the first place equating the idea of Batman to an action figure and that the actor portraying him doesn't really matter his performance as Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever oozes unrealized potential a Joel schack's film masking its nuances in a cacophony of neon lights and zebra print villain costumes as well as some pivotal scenes that were left on The Cutting Room floor schumaker's film famously was influenced by the controversy surrounding Batman Returns which was darker than the already intense Batman 89 and Drew complaints from concerned parents as a results schumacker was brought on board to make a lighter film once Burton had Departed the planned third movie but it wasn't entirely devoid of Darkness or depth the initial Vision that Schumaker had for his Batman film involved unpacking the psychology of Bruce Wayne pairing him with a psychologist love interest in Nicole Kidman's Chase Meridian and even filming a scene where Bruce would confront his ego now manifested as a giant mechanical bat ultimately only parts of this vision would wind up on the screen when faraba premiered in 1995 impacting both the Thematic content of the film and Kilmer's performance which on the surface seemed to lack the quirky interiority of Keaton's incarnation despite the challenges that came with making a more kid-friendly Cape Crusader movie though Kilmer still manages to convey a bubbling Darkness Brewing beneath the cow his Bruce Wayne is typically dashing but also vulnerable the high points of this performance coming before the Ridler and two faces assault on Wayne Manor Kilmer's frustrations with the character are totally valid but equally so is shoe marker's interpretation at the end of the day there are flaws of Plenty and there are probably depths to kilm PO trail that have been lost post production but what we're left with is still another compelling rendition of The Dark Knight number three George Len be as James Bond on Her Majesty's Secret Service George Len be will perhaps forever be fated to be the butd of a joke the Australian model turned actor had the unenviable task of following sha connory in the role of James Bond for 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service making him only the second person to play the character in the brockly produced franchise at that point Len be lasted for just that one picture with connory being enticed back to the role in Diamond are forever before making way for Roger Moore with Live and Let Die Len be's Bond Legacy is thus easy to characterize as a blip a brief unremarkable Excursion where the real Bond was unavailable before normal programming resumed while this impression is likely to persist for a long time coming we are in the fortun position today where Peter R Hunt's Soul Bond film has been reappraised as one of the series best if not it's Technical High Point even so despite on her majesty Secret Service seeing plenty of praise for its iconic theme fenetic editing and action sequences a common refrain is that it would have been better with connory we'll never know if that would have been the case but connory was growing disinterested in bond by the time that you only lived twice released in 1967 and it was reflected in his performance on heraty secret service is a multifaceted swinging 60s Beast that oscillates violently between kooky hyinks and genuine Pathos and grit this would have been a tough task for any bond to navigate but Las be accomplishes it remarkably well asserting himself as a believable action presence while at the same time embracing the seductive tongue and cheek and romantic parts of the character all of this culminates in an emotional Crescendo where Tracy newly married to 007 died in Bon's arms it's perhaps the most heartbreaking moment in the character's six decade screen history and Len be famously directed to the point of exhaustion by hunt for the scene matches its rhythm with a plum number two Arnold swarzenegger as Jack Slater Last Action Hero 1993's Last Action Hero marked a shift in arold Schwarzenegger's career and not for the better coming at the peak of the actor's popularity in the wake of hits like Predator Twins and ter at to Judgment Day Last Action Hero was meant to be arie's Victory lab a loud and proud celebration and parody of the kind of action films he ushered in helmed by Jean Ro mro John mcin unfortunately it didn't resonate the critics finding the film to be tonally dissident schaly and an Indulgence too far for who was then one of the biggest stars on the planet Schwarzenegger would bounce back briefly with True Lies the following year but Last Action Hero marked the beginning of a downward TR friend in his career an unjust consequence given that the film is secretly one of his best critics railed against Last Action Hero because of its seeming tonal contradictions but the beauty of mcan's film which saw script contributions from Shane black and William Goldman among others is that it's multiple things at once as a naked gunes parody it would have been redundant but as an all swinging all dancing send up and send off to 80s action Cinema it stands out as a truly unique offering with schwarzeneger again displaying his comedic chops along with a maturity that enables him to interrogate his own screen presence and Legacy and number one Elizabeth Berkeley as noi Malone show Girls after years Spen unfairly dismissed as one of the worst films of all time Paul the Hoven show Girls tends to provoke one of two reactions these days the first maintaining continuity with contemporary assessments is that the film Remains the low point of the hovind's Hollywood career a over budgeted erotic Thriller with tacky performances and unintentionally comedic sex scenes that attempted to break Elizabeth Berkeley's girl Nextdoor image poked Saved by the Bell the other skews more towards the lines of ironic enjoyment that show Girls is a camp Masterpiece precisely because it's so exaggerated almost like it's the room's flashy 90s sibling it's a film about artifice and the performance of the American dream situated in the nation's artificial paradig of Las Vegas and SED around a young woman desperate to be a part of that image its exaggerated features are by Design with vovin taking one big look at chiz and inviting us to GK at how ridiculous and dishonest he really thinks it all is all of this is exemplified by the character of DOI Malone Berkeley Faithfully conveys V hovan's Vision with a performance of pure chaos and energy as Nomi an aspiring dancer who envelops herself in the city of sin and Endeavors to make fantasy reality developing a sexually charged rivalry with Gina gerson's Crystal Connor as she gyrates her way to the top and into the weirdly fringed face of KL mclarin it's a performance of Boundless Energy with Berkeley not only impressing in Show Girls as many dance sequences but also in its long lampooned moments of dialogue a lot of which is meant to feel camp and funny Nomi is impulsive excitable and determined all qualities that Berkeley conveys and in a way that feels appropriately reflective of a hovind's allout directing style it's a totally original performance and one that deserves to be appraised without an ironic asterisk

Channel: WhatCulture

Views: 50,531

Keywords:

Id: vYgrsYo9WBA

Length: 20min 12sec (1212 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 17 2024