George Clooney is... # 10 in the Actors of the Aughts Countdown.
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Oscar '05 Supporting Actor everything about the category
Oscar '05 Director everything about the category
Oscar Symposium conversation with special guests.
Top Ten of 2005 Good Night, and Good Luck.
Intolerable Cruelty Review
tags: George Clooney, movies, lists
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13 comments:
Well I guess I understand Clooney being a FORCE this decade in terms of stardom and behind-the-scenes power, but it's just weird that you'd never made special note of any individual performances whatsoever and didn't think him special at all in his oscar-winning role, and never gave him so much as an honorable mention for acting this decade, as I recall... and now here is at #10. I guess the fact that acting is not his primary focus makes me fuzzy here.
Hey Nathaniel,
Do you think you could give us a little more insights into your "mathamatical" ranking system. I'm really curious to see how you weigh certain things against others when compiling this engrossng list. Thanks
it's fuzzy math and probably too personal to explain. but it involves tracking all the actors and actresses i'm fond of in a spreadsheet (about 500 actors and actresses in total). They get points for each year (so quantity obviously factors in) and the points are about my level of affection for them which stems from the harder to quantify things like the quality of the performances, how much the character resonates, etc... and then you sort and then further go...
'no, that's not right. this person goes higher/lower etc...'
some people like Clooney do well because I nearly always like them a lot even if I never insanely love any particular moment (my favorite of his performances would be the comedic ones in O Brother and Intolerable Cruelty)
but all in all this is meant to be a fun halfway mark open to discussion argument agreement/disagreement etc... it's not a perfect system ;) usually there are about 5 people in clusters whose numerical placement is kinda random. #12-9 are kinda interchangeable (etc...) in the actress list it's the same thing. Ask me a month later and the exact ranking would be a little different.
work. in. progress.
I think Clooney's work in Ocean's Eleven is one of the definitive movie-star perf's of the decade so far, and as you articulate so nicely here, he's stretched in plenty of other directions and had a whole catalogue of successes...so it's hard for me to see any argument for Clooney not being in the top bracket. Good choice! (Though I'll admit I didn't think you personally would put him this high.)
I'm glad Clooney got this high - he deserves it. Me and friend were discussing this list last night (she doesn't go here, but she reads my own blog) and we were discussing LOVE of actors and actresses and even though, like Nat, I never seem to truly think Clooney is masterful I do love him because he's willing to do things that a lot of male actors won't. He's does different kinds of movies (period musical comedy, black and white drama, science-fiction romance, screwball comedy) and he legitimately comes off as a likable cad.
Also, I noticed this:
"I say first because, with his talented hands in so many movie pots, I don't think it will be his last."
compare this to #7 on the actress countdown, Cate Blanchett
"This last role won Cate her first Oscar. Oh yes, I mean to imply that she will win another. You see if she's the next Meryl Streep she's just warming up"
And now they have The Good German together...
So, we've reached Nathaniel's top ten. Here's a new (and somewhat wishful) prediction:
9. Ewan McGregor
8. Daniel Craig
7. Clive Owen
6. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai
5. Peter Sarsgaard
4. Christian Bale
3. Johnny Depp
2. Gael Garcia Bernal
1. Jude Law
It's a tough call, admittedly. See, when you get actors as prolific as Law and McGregor, they deserve their points for their great turns, but do they LOSE points for the miscast, misapplied stuff?
Personally, I'm rooting for Bale and Bernal who I haven't seen put a foot wrong in the Aughts. Ditto Gyllenhaal, but I need to give that one up don't I...? (Time is a great healer, so I'm told!)
However, I LOVE that Clooney placed this high, and share your ongoing appreciation-in-lieu-of-a-masterwork.
Rob
My guesses:
9. Christian Bale
8. Clive Owen
7. Daniel Craig
6. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai
5. Johnny Depp
4. Gael Garcia Bernal
3. Jude Law
2. Peter Sarsgaard
1. Ewan McGregor
Although I think 1-4 could be rearranged (much like the actress countdown).
I'm sure Jude Law will be #1.
I have a feeling either Craig or Owen will be next, though watch me be wrong.
I'm sticking with my predix from last week:
10. George Clooney (yes!)
9. Daniel Craig
8. Clive Owen
7. Christian Bale
6. Ewan McGregor
5. Peter Sarsgaard
4. Tony Leung
3. Johnny Depp
2. Gael Garcia Bernal or Jude Law - I can't decide yet!
My guesses:
9. Craig
8. Bale
7. McGregor
6. Owen
5. Leung
4. Sarsgaard
3. Depp
2. Law
1. Bernal
Wow, DL - We posted these at virtually the same time, and the lists are really similar. Now if Nathaniel pulls some major switcheroo, we can argue that we know him better than he knows himself.
9. Craig
8. Leung
7. Owen
6. Depp
5. Bale
4. Sarsgaard
3. McGregor
2. Bernal
1. Law
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