Five Overrated Actors

A while ago, I wrote about five films I wished I hadn't seen. It was a fun post for me, because I love ranting about movies. Well, since this is actors' month, I figured I should write about five overrated actors. If you're wondering how I decide if an actor is overrated, this particular list only contains Academy Award winners...Academy Award winners that I don't think should even be acting. It's important to note that of the four actors we've covered so far, only one of them has won an Oscar and another one has never even been nominated. I already have another actor slated for this week and he, too, has yet to win a much deserved Oscar. Therefore, I think this rant is necessary because I simply do not understand the workings of the Academy. So, without further ado, five overrated actors:

1. Julia Roberts
Seriously? I don't understand her or why she's famous. Yes, she was fine in Pretty Woman and everything, but other than that, I feel like she's cardboard...famous cardboard. And she's completely annoying. Please, stop seeing her movies so she'll stop being cast...

2. Robert De Niro
This year he was given one of those special awards at the Golden Globes. Naturally, they showed a montage of what was supposed to be his greatest roles. I was bored and underwhelmed. Not only that, but when they showed a clip from This Boy's Life, he was out-acted by Leonardo DiCaprio. I was never very bitter about De Niro until I saw The Godfather: Part II and realized he was supposed to be a young Marlon Brando...let this be a lesson to you.

3. John Wayne
I take back what I said about Roberts being cardboard...I forgot about John Wayne for second and Roberts is nowhere near his amount of cardboard. Why was he famous? Was it just because he looked good? It can't be, because he won an Oscar...I mean, I hate Westerns, but I hate them less when people actually ACT in them. Quite a concept, right?

4. Gwenyth Paltrow
I have yet to see her do anything where I've believed she is the character she's playing and didn't feel as though she was being pretentious. I don't understand what the big deal is with her as well.

5. Nicholas Cage
Of course, of course. He's TERRIBLE. He's utterly annoying and I want to punch him in the face all the time. The only good thing he did was introduce Johnny Depp to acting (an actor that will be discussed later this week).

Manic Monday Movie: Double Feature!!!

Ocean's Eleven
For those of you who are into heist movies (or just not into romantic fairytales, which our next movie will cover), Ocean's Eleven is the film for you. Now, to be fair, I have not seen the original, but this falls under the category of good remake that a discussed in a previous post.

Ocean's Eleven follows Danny Ocean (George Clooney) as he is released from prison. He decides that he wants to rob three casinos all run by the same man, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). To do this, he puts together a team of ten other people (including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and Casey Affleck) all of which are given specific jobs and a portion of the bank (provided they escape). Also, Julia Roberts is in it, but frankly she is the weakest link and the most pointless part of the film. She only gives you background as to why Benedict is the target. Basically, I don't like her character.

Despite Roberts, the film is fun. No, I don't think it should have won any Academy Awards, but every so often it is important to have fun with life. Plus, Topher Grace plays himself in the very beginning. It is probably my favorite performance by Grace. Be sure to watch and enjoy as he believes he won poker.

Penelope
I first saw Penelope because Christina Ricci was in it. I figured that it would be terrible, but I do like Ricci, so I may as well check it out. However, I was pleasantly surprised as I was taken into a modern day fairytale and a story of how important it is to love oneself.

This is the story of Penelope (Ricci), a girl who was born with the face of a pig due to a curse on her family. The curse can only be broken when she is accepted as she is by one of her own (a blue blood, since she is from a rich family). This means keeping her locked in the house until she could marry. And so, when she turns 18, her mother begins a quest to find the man who will marry her. However, she continues to fail, and years later they are still searching. After one man runs and tells the public about her pig face, he is not believed and everyone thinks he is crazy. To clear his name, he teams up with a journalist to find the truth. Therefore, they need to find a blue blood who needs money. Enter Max Campion (James MacAvoy), the boy of Penelope's dreams. Yet problems arise and different events cause her to leave her home and enter the world for the first time.

Penelope is more of a girl's movie, which is why there is Ocean's Eleven available as well. Hopefully, you can bring some enjoyment to your day with one (or both) of these films. Happy Monday!