Mike Spartz
10-02-2005, 09:32 PM
Choose any actor or actress and list five films that you would include in his/her Greatest Hits Collection.
I'll start.
http://www.hollywood-hero.us/Mel%20Gibson2.jpg
Mel Gibson's Greatest Hits
The Man without a Face (1993) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0107501/)
PREMISE: The story of a relationship between a teacher and his troubled pupil. Justin McLeod is a former teacher who lives as a recluse on the edge of town. His face is disfigured from an automobile accident and fire ten years before in which a boy was incinerated and for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. He is also suspected of being a pedophile. He is befriended by Chuck, causing the town's suspicion and hostility to be ignited. McLeod inculcates in his protege a love of justice and freedom from prejudice which sustains him beyond the end of the film.
VERDICT: One of Gibson's greatest on screen preformances, he protrays Mcleod as a reclusive man who is tortured by his tragic past. He makes no illusions that Mcleod is a hero in disguise or a suitabe father figure for the films other central character Chuck, played by 13 year old Nick Stahl. Instead he shows us that sometimes tragic events can allow two people to come together and form a real, lasting friendship. I think there's truth in that philosophy.
Braveheart (1995) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0112573/)
PREMISE: William Wallace is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks, who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself. When he was a young boy, William Wallace's father and brother, along with many others, lost their lives trying to free Scotland. Once he loses another of his loved ones, William Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free once and for all, along with the assistance of Robert the Bruce.
VERDICT: The film that won Mel a oscar for best actor and best director, Braveheart is simply an adventure rollercoaster from start to finish. It's Gibson that his most ambitious, playing Wallace as a fearless, charming folk-lore hero. Though historically inaccurate, the film more than makes up for it's shortcomings with beautiful scottish backdrops and bloody, merciless battle sequences.
Conspiracy Theory (1997) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0118883/)
PREMISE: Jerry Fletcher is a man in love with a woman he observes from afar. She works for the government. Fletcher is an outspoken critic of that government. He has conspiracy theories for everything, from aliens to political assassinations. But soon, one of his theories finds itself to be accurate. But which one? Some dangerous people want him dead and the only person he trusts is that woman he loves but does not know.
VERDICT: A personal favorite, Conspiracy Theroy sees Gibson shed his tough guy image to play a meek, and mentally disturbed taxi driver with a knack for strange theroies about the government. Though the plot leaves many gaping holes and questions to be answered, and even though we were treated to a unnessesary romantic subplot with Julia Roberts, I still felt the film deserved credit solely for Gibson's preformance. The world of Fletcher was carefully crafted by the director and Mel's performance brilliantly captured the charm, wit, and insecurity of a man with the emotional understanding of a child.
Payback (1999) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0120784/)
PREMISE: What was supposed to be a routine robbery turns into a double cross when Porter's wife and his best friend shoot him and leave him for dead. But things take a turn for the bizarre when Porter recuperates seeking revenge for the money he was swiped out of. Only to learn that the money is now in the hands of a crime organization. He's determined to get the money back and his many encounters include his less than likeable ex-partner, a sniveling crook, two corrupt cops, a brutal dominatrix, and one very lethal crime boss.
VERDICT: What would you do for 70,000 dollars? Porter knew and so did we. I don't usually pay much attention to mainstream revenge films because so many of them are filled with one dimensional characters and boring repetitve plotlines. Payback was different. Watching it was like walking back into a hard boiled detective novel where the streets were lined with dirty, rotten crooks, and the brothels had dames that could light your heart on fire, and the heros were meaner than a kennel full of raving pitbulls. That was the world Porter lived in and those were the kinds of people he dealt with. Needless to say, Mel was perfect for the role. His Porter breathed attitude and it you didn't give him what he wanted, he'd kill ya no questions asked. Sometimes I wonder why Porter didn't end up a character in Frank Millers Sin City.
What Women Want (2000) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0207201/)
PREMISE: Nick Marshall, Playboy and Hot Shot in advertising, thinks he's God's gift to women. After a little accident, he discovers that he is suddenly able to hear what women really think. First, Nick is pretty disappointed when he discovers that his beloved macho behaviour does not exactly contribute to being desired. Then, his upcoming dream position in the company is being given to a new team member: Darcy, not only a woman, but a man-eating one, also is a very talented ad expert. So, Nick decides to sabotage his new boss by reading her thoughts and selling her ideas as his own. Unfortunately, love gets in his way.
VERDICT: Little Nicky had it all, the girls, the parties, the good life of a rich salesman. But then one day fate gave him an unusual gift: the power to hear womens thoughts. Now Nick can hear what every woman in the world is thinking, and let me assure you, he's in for a nasty surprise. What Women Want is a harlious look into high class society and it attempts to answer one of mans most important questions: how do women think? Wheither or not the film succeeded in this task is debatable, but what I do know is that without Gibson this film would've been a real stinker. The role needed an actor who could fill it's rather charismatic shoes and Mel did just that. He brought all the charm, wit, and savy to the screen and engrossed it into the character. The result was one of his most memorable performances in film in recent years.
I'll start.
http://www.hollywood-hero.us/Mel%20Gibson2.jpg
Mel Gibson's Greatest Hits
The Man without a Face (1993) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0107501/)
PREMISE: The story of a relationship between a teacher and his troubled pupil. Justin McLeod is a former teacher who lives as a recluse on the edge of town. His face is disfigured from an automobile accident and fire ten years before in which a boy was incinerated and for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. He is also suspected of being a pedophile. He is befriended by Chuck, causing the town's suspicion and hostility to be ignited. McLeod inculcates in his protege a love of justice and freedom from prejudice which sustains him beyond the end of the film.
VERDICT: One of Gibson's greatest on screen preformances, he protrays Mcleod as a reclusive man who is tortured by his tragic past. He makes no illusions that Mcleod is a hero in disguise or a suitabe father figure for the films other central character Chuck, played by 13 year old Nick Stahl. Instead he shows us that sometimes tragic events can allow two people to come together and form a real, lasting friendship. I think there's truth in that philosophy.
Braveheart (1995) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0112573/)
PREMISE: William Wallace is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks, who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself. When he was a young boy, William Wallace's father and brother, along with many others, lost their lives trying to free Scotland. Once he loses another of his loved ones, William Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free once and for all, along with the assistance of Robert the Bruce.
VERDICT: The film that won Mel a oscar for best actor and best director, Braveheart is simply an adventure rollercoaster from start to finish. It's Gibson that his most ambitious, playing Wallace as a fearless, charming folk-lore hero. Though historically inaccurate, the film more than makes up for it's shortcomings with beautiful scottish backdrops and bloody, merciless battle sequences.
Conspiracy Theory (1997) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0118883/)
PREMISE: Jerry Fletcher is a man in love with a woman he observes from afar. She works for the government. Fletcher is an outspoken critic of that government. He has conspiracy theories for everything, from aliens to political assassinations. But soon, one of his theories finds itself to be accurate. But which one? Some dangerous people want him dead and the only person he trusts is that woman he loves but does not know.
VERDICT: A personal favorite, Conspiracy Theroy sees Gibson shed his tough guy image to play a meek, and mentally disturbed taxi driver with a knack for strange theroies about the government. Though the plot leaves many gaping holes and questions to be answered, and even though we were treated to a unnessesary romantic subplot with Julia Roberts, I still felt the film deserved credit solely for Gibson's preformance. The world of Fletcher was carefully crafted by the director and Mel's performance brilliantly captured the charm, wit, and insecurity of a man with the emotional understanding of a child.
Payback (1999) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0120784/)
PREMISE: What was supposed to be a routine robbery turns into a double cross when Porter's wife and his best friend shoot him and leave him for dead. But things take a turn for the bizarre when Porter recuperates seeking revenge for the money he was swiped out of. Only to learn that the money is now in the hands of a crime organization. He's determined to get the money back and his many encounters include his less than likeable ex-partner, a sniveling crook, two corrupt cops, a brutal dominatrix, and one very lethal crime boss.
VERDICT: What would you do for 70,000 dollars? Porter knew and so did we. I don't usually pay much attention to mainstream revenge films because so many of them are filled with one dimensional characters and boring repetitve plotlines. Payback was different. Watching it was like walking back into a hard boiled detective novel where the streets were lined with dirty, rotten crooks, and the brothels had dames that could light your heart on fire, and the heros were meaner than a kennel full of raving pitbulls. That was the world Porter lived in and those were the kinds of people he dealt with. Needless to say, Mel was perfect for the role. His Porter breathed attitude and it you didn't give him what he wanted, he'd kill ya no questions asked. Sometimes I wonder why Porter didn't end up a character in Frank Millers Sin City.
What Women Want (2000) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0207201/)
PREMISE: Nick Marshall, Playboy and Hot Shot in advertising, thinks he's God's gift to women. After a little accident, he discovers that he is suddenly able to hear what women really think. First, Nick is pretty disappointed when he discovers that his beloved macho behaviour does not exactly contribute to being desired. Then, his upcoming dream position in the company is being given to a new team member: Darcy, not only a woman, but a man-eating one, also is a very talented ad expert. So, Nick decides to sabotage his new boss by reading her thoughts and selling her ideas as his own. Unfortunately, love gets in his way.
VERDICT: Little Nicky had it all, the girls, the parties, the good life of a rich salesman. But then one day fate gave him an unusual gift: the power to hear womens thoughts. Now Nick can hear what every woman in the world is thinking, and let me assure you, he's in for a nasty surprise. What Women Want is a harlious look into high class society and it attempts to answer one of mans most important questions: how do women think? Wheither or not the film succeeded in this task is debatable, but what I do know is that without Gibson this film would've been a real stinker. The role needed an actor who could fill it's rather charismatic shoes and Mel did just that. He brought all the charm, wit, and savy to the screen and engrossed it into the character. The result was one of his most memorable performances in film in recent years.