Michelle Williams is the finest actor (male or female) of her generation. | The Boneyard

Michelle Williams is the finest actor (male or female) of her generation.

Palatine

Palatine

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Not even close. She dragged Casey Affleck to an AA with a one note performance. She is in Katherine Hepburn territory. She makes Streep look like a lightweight. In 50 years she will be consider the best of a time.
 
Palatine said:
Not even close. She dragged Casey Affleck to an AA with a one note performance. She is in Katherine Hepburn territory. She makes Streep look like a lightweight. In 50 years she will be consider the best of a time.
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Agree. She was outstanding in “All the Money in the World”.

I read that they reshot the movie with Christopher Plummer so that Kevin Spacey’s baggage wouldn’t detract from her award chances.
 
If you said American Actress, then we might be able to have an argument, but of all actors and actresses, there's a number better imo.

Not sure how you are defining "her generation", but thinking quickly of people around her age: Tom Hardy, Leo, Christian Bale , and Chiwetel Ejiofor all come to mind.
 
This is a tough statement to make. Entertainment is so much more fragmented than it was 25 years ago. 25 years ago, each studio would put out a handful of oscar bait movies every year, and the same actors and actresses were cast in all of them. With dozens of independent distributors plus cable outlets that are producing high quality films and television, the industry is very different. Ironically, Harvey Weinstein really changed Hollywood for the better, not just through Miramax, but through all the copycat companies. There is a lot more opportunity now than there was before.

Claire Danes is killing it on Homeland. Nicole Kidman's scenes with Alexander Skarsgard in Big Little Lies were amazing. Her character has gotten a little nutty in the last season or two, but Maisie Williams crushed it in seasons 2 through 4 of Game of Thrones. Emmy Rossum has done a great job with a very tough role on Shameless.

Amanda Seyfried and Anne Hathaway are both excellent. Natalie Portman is all over the place, but when she is good, she is very good. She does face plant on occasion.

I like Michelle Williams, and I think that the cast carried Brokeback Mountain. That movie could have gone very badly with a weaker cast. I don't know if I would say that she is categorically the best actress.

I do think Laura Dern sucks. She doesn't just chew the scenery, she devours it, and there is almost never a scene with her in it where I don't wish she would stop mugging for the camera. She is just scalitoing terrible, and I don't get why anyone thinks she is talented.
 
intlzncster said:
If you said American Actress, then we might be able to have an argument, but of all actors and actresses, there's a number better imo.

Not sure how you are defining "her generation", but thinking quickly of people around her age: Tom Hardy, Leo, Christian Bale , and Chiwetel Ejiofor all come to mind.
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One the male side, Daniel Day Lewis is far better than any the males you mentioned.

On the female side Cate Blancett and, perhaps, Emily Blunt, have great acting chops and would be in the first tier with Michelle. But neither of them has the range, depth or is as natural as Williams.

As I said, this will play out over decades. But I think we are seeing something special here. She already has four Oscar nominations and could have more. I expect her career will outdistance them all.

She deserved to win just based on these three minutes alone.

 
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Palatine said:
One the male side, Daniel Day Lewis is far better than any the males you mentioned.

On the female side Cate Blancett and, perhaps, Emily Blunt, have great acting chops and would be in the first tier with Michelle. But neither of them has the range, depth or is as natural as Williams.

As I said, this will play out over decades. But I think we are seeing something special here. She already has four Oscar nominations and could have more. I expect her career will outdistance them all.

She deserved to win just based on these three minutes alone.

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I was just picking guys with a similar age (proxy for similar generation). There's a number of guys older who are better than most of the guys I mentioned.

DDL is one of the best I've ever seen. He's 23 years older than MW though.
 
intlzncster said:
I was just picking guys with a similar age (proxy for similar generation). There's a number of guys older who are better than most of the guys I mentioned.

DDL is one of the best I've ever seen. He's 23 years older than MW though.
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Fair point.
 
Palatine said:
One the male side, Daniel Day Lewis is far better than any the males you mentioned.

On the female side Cate Blancett and, perhaps, Emily Blunt, have great acting chops and would be in the first tier with Michelle. But neither of them has the range, depth or is as natural as Williams.

As I said, this will play out over decades. But I think we are seeing something special here. She already has four Oscar nominations and could have more. I expect her career will outdistance them all.

She deserved to win just based on these three minutes alone.

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Manchester By The Sea sucked. What boring tripe that was. Williams was pretty good. Haven't seen enough of her films to hold an opinion, but I think comparing actors is challenging.
 
Just saw her this weekend in I Feel Pretty. Very different part for her.
 
8893 said:
I disagree. I thought it was a very good movie.
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Many do. It's polarizing. I've talked to people who loved it and several who feel as I did.
 
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8893 said:
I disagree. I thought it was a very good movie.
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I echo Hawk on this one. Horrid. That stilted dialog style was the worst. The whole time skipping bit was completely unnecessary as well. Did not care for it one bit
 
CardiacAndre7 said:
I’m with you guys, Manchester by the Sea and Fences were were my favorite of that year.
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With you on MBTS; Fences didn’t do it for me.

But I’m also finding a similar dynamic with Lady Bird, which I loved but many I know did not.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
I do think Laura Dern sucks. She doesn't just chew the scenery, she devours it, and there is almost never a scene with her in it where I don't wish she would stop mugging for the camera. She is just scalitoing terrible, and I don't get why anyone thinks she is talented.
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Laura Dern or Helen Hunt.

Who's worse?

Both cringeworthy.
 
I had no idea Michelle Williams was held in such high esteem. Admittedly, I haven't been to movie theater much in past decade. I forgot she was in Manchester. Similarly I don't think much of her early work (Brokeback, Station Agent) at least is that memorable. What has she headlined that is/was outstanding? Will check it out assuming available at home ;)
 
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nelsonmuntz said:
The entire cast of Brokeback Mountain was awesome.
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Eh, they were fine, but it was mostly a movie about stoicism in the face of deep social & personal conflict. Then they killed Jake Gyllenhal (best in movie imo) character b/c he had a little personality. I'm all for the art of silence and saying a lot with a little or even a look, but just thought it was a good movie not an awesome one. Back on topic, Michelle Williams did a good job of being sincerely in love and hoping for a change, quietly accepting and then implied understanding of what Ledger's character still wouldn't allow himself to feel or show. That's all very good and hard to do, but again to me a little bit assumed by audience & silence and/or just too subdued to be excellent.
 
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