Join me in a study of the careers of the greatest actors of our time and of times past from the perspective of an up-and-coming actor looking to gain insight on the craft.
Actor, movie lover, racquetball player, metal head, board game nerd, St. Louis native and sports team fan(Cards, Rams, Blues), bookworm, and overall cool dude.
Jeff Bridges goes and makes me watch a Barbara Streisand movie. In it he plays a nebbish, goofy, awkward college professor, Gregory Larkin. A character unlike any he has played before. Except for maybe Starman. This was kind of like Starman after he has been integrated into society and became a teacher. Gregory Larkin is deathly afraid of physical attraction after being spurned by his super-model ex. Therefor, he falls for Rose, played by... you guessed it, Barbara Streisand. But what happens when Rose wants to be loved for more than just her inner beauty?
This was an interesting performance from Mr. Bridges. He convincingly plays the nerdy anti-ladies-man. He embraces his inner geek.
Jeff Bridges plays his character so tough and strong as the captain of a school sailing ship that it hits that much harder when his vulnerabilities finally show through. Great performance. I think this is the shortest that JB's hair has ever been.
1958 - Sea Hunt: The Lost Ones(TV episode) - Jeff Bridges' first credited role...Davy Crane.
1958 - Sea Hunt: The Birthday Present (TV episode) - Jeff Bridges is so versatile that he can play a different character on the same show in the same season...when he's 9.
1965 - The Loner: The Ordeal of Bud Windom (TV episode) - Jeff Bridges showing some chops at a young age in this old Western TV show.
1969 - Silent Night, Lonely Night(TV movie) - VHS is $238. Who wants to buy it for me?
1970 - The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go - This was pretty weird. I was a little drunk when viewing and had a hard time following. Maybe I'll have to watch it again sometime.
1970 - Halls of Anger - Saw a few clips of this. It looks interesting. I need to find it.
1971 - In Search of America(TV movie) - 3/5 stars.
1971 - The Last Picture Show - Some great performances from some young stars-to-be.
1972 - Fat City - A nice, old-school boxing movie. Jeff Bridges holds his own opposite Stacy Keach.
1972 - Bad Company - Jeff Bridges plays a young man trying to survive during the Civil War, by avoiding the war. Or does he?
1973 - Lolly-Madonna XXX - Can't find this anywhere.
1973 - The Last American Hero - Jeff Bridges, Gary Busey and car racing.
1973 - The Iceman Cometh - Really long. People really used to sit through 4 hour plays? And that's not counting the intermissions. Wow. Very interesting from an acting perspective. Some fine performances here.
1974 - Thunderbolt and Lightfoot - Jeff Bridges and Clint Eastwood team up to get some loot. Then JB dresses in drag...and looks damn good.
1975 - Rancho Deluxe - The best scene involving Pong I've ever seen! Oh, and there was some rustling.
1975 - Hearts of the West - Entertaining, but not very memorable. I had a few drinks before viewing, so that could have had something to do with that.
1976 - Stay Hungry - The best movie about bodybuilding...ever. You can't grow without the burn!
1976 - King Kong - I really liked this. The special effects were pretty good for the time. Jeff Bridge's beard was freaking awesome!
1978 - Somebody Killed Her Husband - DVD is $195. Christmas present anyone?
1979 - Heroes of Rock and Roll(TV documentary) - JB lends his voice to this nice doc about the history of Rock and Roll.
1979 - Winter Kills - This one was pretty awesome, strange and funny. Great cast! Need to watch again, there was so much going on. And there seems to be a bit of mystery behind the making of the movie.
1980 - The American Success Company - Can't find this one. Emailed the director and he never got back to me. :-(
1980 - Heaven's Gate - This movie is supposed to be one of the, if not the biggest failures in movie history and pretty much ruined Michael Cimino's career. And, yeah, it wasn't very good. I can't say it was entirely bad. There were some really fine performances and cinematography. But some of the scenes just went on and on and on. I think an hour of the movie was people dancing in circles while the camera spun around them. Some shots had so much dust blowing around I don't know how Vilmos even know what he was shooting. And then there's the rumor of animal cruelty on set and the on camera rooster fight, which is a no-no in my book.
1981 - Cutter's Way - Really good movie.
1981 - The Girls in Their Summer Dresses and Other Stories by Irwin Shaw (TV movie) - The first two of these shorts were pretty good, the last one...not so much.
1982 - TRON - An entertaining action/sci-fi flick. I thought that the special effects were pretty good for the time. And the soundtrack was bumpin'. Can't believe it took me this long to see it.
1982 - The Last Unicorn - I thought that this was going to be like My Little Ponies or something but it actually ended up being pretty good. Lots of boobs, granted they're on some crazy bird-thing and a tree. And that butterfly was stoned off his ass. An awesome 80s-rock soundtrack to boot!
1982 - Kiss Me Goodbye- A little cheesy at times, but good.
1983 - Faerie Tale Theatre: Rapunzel(TV episode) - It was fun to watch JB play in this one.
1983 - Saturday Night Live: Beau and Jeff Bridges/Randy Newman (TV episode) - Jeff Bridges gives Beau Bridges an oiled up full-body message. Awkward.
1984 - Against All Odds - I liked this one alright, just seemed to loose track a little.
1984 - Starman - JB's first nom for Leading Role, and well deserving. His first role as an alien.
1985 - Jagged Edge - A good little thriller. JB keeps you guessing.
1986 - 8 Million Ways to Die - A bit messy, but fun stuff.
1986 - The Morning After - Good thriller. Got a little cheesy romancey at times.
1987 - Nadine - A fun little caper. Runnin' from the cops, runnin' from the bad guys.
1988 - Tucker: The Man and His Dream - What happens when the government can't help but intervene and sides with the big dogs with the money against the underdog and tries to regulate the underdog out of business. I thought everything about this movie was top-notch. Didn't realize that it was based on a true story until the end.
1989 - See You in the Morning - Okay.
1989 - Cold Feet - JB had a nice little cameo as a bartender, I think as a favor to his wife who produced this. Pretty good movie though.
1989 - The Fabulous Baker Boys - Great movie. Jeff Bridges is really hitting his stride.
1990 - Texasville - A nice quirky sequel to Last Picture Show.
1991 - The Fisher King - Really liked it, but think I will like it more. Didn't realize I had DVRed it on a channel with commercials and censoring.
1992 - American Heart - My favorite Jeff Bridges performance up to this point. Very raw and real.
1993 - The Vanishing - Jeff Bridges is a creepster in this one. I liked it all but the cheesy ending. The most interesting JB character yet.
1993 - Fearless - Great performance from JB.
1994 -Blown Away - This was overshadowed by Speed, which came out a month earlier. But I think I may like this better.
1995 - Wild Bill - Quite possibly my new favorite Western. Ya aughta know better that ta touch another man's hat.
1985 - Arena: From an Immigrant's Notebook (TV episode) - Nowhere to be found.
1986 - Lost Empires (1986 TV mini-series) - Colin Firth broods as drama unfolds behind the scenes of a British theater troop in the early 1900s. Not too bad, a little boring at times. One of Sir Laurence Olivier's last performances.
1987 - Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Pat Hobby Teamed with Genius (TV movie) - Went to the Paley Center to watch this one. Colin's first American produced production. Christopher Lloyd! Pretty good.
1987 - A Month in the Country - Colin Firth grows a cool mustache and shows a bit more range. He plays a stutterer 23 years before Kings Speech. Foreshadowing?
1987 - Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Secret Garden (TV episode) - Had a tiny little cameo at the end of this.
1988 - Tumbledown (TV movie) - A tour de force by Colin Firth in an alright movie.
1988 - Apartment Zero - I liked this one. Colin Firth really starts to show his chops. I was watching, thinking that there was something David Lynchian about this movie, then Mr. Firth's character brings up Blue Velvet! Crazy!
1989 - Valmont - One of the best period pieces that I have seen. Colin Firth seduces everything in sight until playa gets played.
1990 - Wings of Fame - Well, this one was unexpected. Had no idea what it was going to be about and was pleasantly surprised. Totally could have been directed by David Lynch. Weird, bizarre, and awesome. Can't believe it is only available on VHS in the US.
1991 - Femme Fatale - Colin Firth and Billy Zane. Oh yeah! Not as bad as they say.
1991 - The Play on One: Out of the Blue (TV episode) - I think I found a bad clip from this somewhere online.
1992 - Mad at the Moon - Colin Firth's delivery of his one and only line, "You need a shave?", was brilliant!
1992 - Hostages (TV movie) - VHS is $30. I have yet to fork that out.
1993 - The Advocate - So, in the 15th century, animals were put on trial just the same as people. Watch this movie if you don't believe me. Colin Firth's hair rocks.
1994 - Playmaker - Couldn't find this, but it looks like a VHS is available for $14. I'll have to get it soon.
1994 - Ruth Rendell Mysteries: Master of the Moor - This was an interesting little mystery. Great performance by Colin.
1994 - Performance: The Deep Blue Sea (TV episode) - I can't find any info on this.
1995 - Circle of Friends - Circle of friends? Circle of back-stabbers! A little too chick flicky for me. Colin Firth's mustache almost saves it. Maybe if it was a fu manchu.
1995 - Pride and Prejudice - Colin Firth was great as Mr. Darcy, but this story was not for me.
1995 - Performance: The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd (TV episode) - A nice lesson in drunk-acting from Mr. Firth.
1996 - Nostromo (TV mini-series) - A bit too drawn out and melodramatic for my liking.
1996 - The English Patient - I liked it better after a second viewing. Bumped it up a star.
1997 - Fever Pitch - Pretty good movie about man's love of sports and woman's finally coming to terms with it.
1997 - A Thousand Acres - Not bad, a bit depressing. Colin Firth does an American accent for the first time and it was pretty darn good.
1998 - Shakespeare in Love - I see why it tore up the Oscars in 99. Great cast... among other things.
1999 - My Life So Far - A sweet, coming of age story in which young Fraser learns all about slanking.
1999 - The Secret Laughter of Women - I guess the laughter really was a secret, and I wasn't let in on it. Did not like.
1999 - Blackadder Back & Forth (short) - Colin Firth in a funny cameo as William Shakespeare.
1999 - The Turn of the Screw (TV movie) - After reading some other reviews, it seems I'm not the only one who thought this didn't make much sense.
2000 - Relative Values - Not great, but entertaining. Colin Firth made me giggle.
2000 - Donovan Quick (TV movie) - Found after some searching online. It was pretty good.
2001 - Bridget Jones's Diary - "It's Raining Men" during the big fight scene? Really?
2001 - Conspiracy (TV movie) - Great performances, cinematography, and set design. A little slow. It was frightening how non-judgmental the actors played these evil people.
2001 - Fourplay - This one was aight.
2002 - The Importance of Being Earnest - Some good ol' fashion Oscar Wilde fun!
2003 - Hope Springs - I'm surprised by the negative reviews of this. I rather enjoyed it. Nice and quirky, just how I like it.
2003 - What a Girl Wants - Well, at least Colin Firth had some fun in this one, dancing around in his leather pants.
2003 - Girl with a Pearl Earring - This bored the bejezus out of me. The cinematography and costumes were nice, though. Colin Firth was interesting.
2003 - Love Actually - I'm bumping my rating up. I think I'm getting more sensitive with age.
2004 - Trauma - Nice to see Colin Firth do something a bit different. This has it moments, but it's no David Lynch film.
2004 - Saturday Night Live: Colin Firth/Norah Jones (TV episode) - Colin Firth is actually pretty darn funny!
2004 - Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - Eh.
2005 - Where the Truth Lies - Sex, Drugs, and a comedy duo! Really liked this.
2005 - Nanny McPhee - This one was fun.
2006 - Born Equal (TV movie) - Not too bad. Strong performance from Mr. Firth.
2007 - Celebration (TV movie) - This was a nice filmed play. Harold Pinter is pretty crazy. Need to read some of his stuff.
2007 - The Last Legion - Not good.
2007 - When Did You Last See Your Father? - Great movie. I think Colin Firth found a new depth to his acting in this one.
2007 - Then She Found Me - Okay. Firth didn't have much to work with.
2007 - St. Trinian's - Not too bad. Not what I was expecting.
2008 - The Accidental Husband - Sucked.
2008 - Mamma Mia! - Not for me. Colin Firth said, "That may be the reason I did it. I have no shame. I am such a drag queen, it's one of my primary driving forces in life. You cannot dangle a spandex suit and mascara in front of me and not expect me to go weak at the knees."
2008 - A Summer in Genoa - This one was interesting.
2008 - Easy Virtue - Can't remember much about this. Gave it 3 out of 5 stars.
2009 - Dorian Gray - A little slow.
2009 - A Single Man - An amazing performance from Colin Firth.
2009 - A Christmas Carol - Colin Firth had a rather small part in this.
2009 - St Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold - I think I watched then when I was too tired.
2010 - The King's Speech - His performance was deserving on the Oscar he received.
2010 - Steve (short) - This is doing the festivals right now. Not sure when I'll get to see it. (Saw it!)
2010 - Main Street - How in the world did they manage to make a film with a 2 time Oscar winning writer, an Oscar winning actress, an Oscar nominated actress, and a future Oscar winning actor so bad?
In theaters November 18th, 2011: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
I am an actor. As an actor, I'm always looking to learn new things to improve my craft. Observation is a great way to learn, and who better to observe than the greatest of the great. To give myself some sort of structure, I am using Acadamy Award winners for "Best Leading Actor" as my list of actors to use. (Not to snub the many great female actors out there, I just feel that, as a male myself, obseving the male actors would be more relevant to my acting.) I am starting with the actor's earliest performance that I can find and working my way chronologically through their career. Through their ups and downs, good movies and bad, looking for why it is that they were continually hired and ultimately won the highest accolade of acting, The Oscar.
I don't know how insightful my postings will be. But I hope they will at least be entertaining.
I welcome you along on this quest of knowledge. Now let's watch some movies and learn something!
Before being convinced to start this blog by a couple of my peers, I had already worked my way through the career of Colin Firth and a little over halfway through the career of Jeff Bridges. So I think my first few posts will be a recap leading up to where I am in JB's career.
