Monday, August 23, 2010

The Dirty Dozen Revisited

Prompted by Powered Toast Man at Just the Cheese, I am now rounding out my Movie Dirty Dozen. Powdered posted his favorite actors, actresses, and directors, so I’ve some catching up to do! I decided to keep it simple and just list the person and a couple of his/her movies I enjoyed.

Feel free to let me know some of YOUR favorites!!

Favorite Directors:

Christopher Nolan - Inception, Memento, Dark Knight
Guillermo del Toro - Blade II, Hellboy
James Cameron - Terminator II, Aliens, Avatar, The Abyss
Steven Spielberg - Jurassic Park, Raiders, Jaws
Michael Mann - Manhunter, Heat, The Last of the Mohicans
Peter Jackson - Lord of the Rings, Dead Alive, King Kong
J.J. Abrams - Mission Impossible III, Star Trek
Steven Soderbergh - Ocean’s Eleven - Thirteen, Erin Brockovich
Tim Burton - Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride
Ridley Scott - Legend, Blade Runner, Gladiator
John Woo - The Killers, Face/Off, Mission Impossible II
John Carpenter - The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, (any movie prior to They Live!)

Favorite Actors:

Edward Norton - The Illusionist, Primal Fear
Clint Eastwood - Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven
Robert Downey Jr. - Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes
Robert De Niro - Heat, Taxi Driver, Midnight Run
Kurt Russell - Big Trouble in Little China, The Thing, Tombstone
Guy Pierce - Memento, LA Confidential
Bill Murray - Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters
Johnny Depp - Sleepy Hollow, Pirate of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Predator, Terminator movies, Conan, True Lies
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Quick and the Dead, Inception, Titanic
Bruce Willis - Die Hard, Sixth Sense
Kevin Spacey - The Usual Suspects, The Ref

Favorite Actresses:

Kate Beckinsale - Underworld I and II
Michelle Pfeiffer - Ladyhawke, Batman Returns
Rachel Weisz - The Mummy, About a Boy, The Constant Gardner
Kate Winslet - Titanic, Finding Neverland
Carrie-Anne Moss - Matrix movies, Memento
Robin Wright - The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump
Jamie Lee Curtis - A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies, Trading Places
Sigourney Weaver - Aliens, Ghostbusters, Galaxy Quest, Avatar
Andie MacDowell - Groundhog Day, Hudson Hawk
Rene Russo - Thomas Crown Affair, Major League
Mia Sara - Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Legend
Jessica Biel - The Illusionist, Blade Trinity

Sound off! Who are some of your favorites?

56 comments:

CA Heaven said...

Oh shit, I'm not even able to give the names of 12 directors, but I can give you a couple of favorites.

Directors:
o Jim Jarmusch
o Pedro Almodovar

Actors:
o Roberto Benigni
o Tom Waits

Actresses:
o Béatrice Dalle
o Kate Winslet
o Marianne Sägebrecht

Alex, looks like we agree on Kate Winslet >:)

Cold As Heaven

Natasha said...

Kate Beckinsale? I would never have guessed ;-)

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Great list. Many of your directors are my favs too.

To Kate Winslet I would add The Holiday.

Sandra Bullock is probably my favorite actress: Hope Floats, Two Weeks Notice, The Proposal

Or is Diane Keaton my favorite? Sometings Gotta Give, The first Wives Club, Father of the Bride I and II.

Just to mention a few.

I have favorite actors too, but can't think of any. Need more coffee.

Ted Cross said...

Too much, so I'll stick with movies:

Blade Runner
Hardware
Alien
Aliens
A Fish Called Wanda
Better Off Dead
LOTR
The Full Monty
Watch It
Platoon
Something About Mary
La Femme Nikita
Loads of others...

Will Burke said...

Face/Off was freakin' brilliant! Especially the finale shoot-out -- Epic!

DEZMOND said...

You already know I'd agree with you on Rachel Weisz and Kate Winslet :)

My favourite actors and actresses: Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet, Toni Collette, Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, Catherine Zeta Jones, Karl Urban, Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Chris Evans, Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy, Hugh Dancy, Hugh Jackman...

Directors: Shekhar Kapur, Tarsem Singh, Stephen Sommers, Buzz Luhrman ....

DEZMOND said...

oh, and I forgot to mention Patrick Wilson and it's a mortal sin not mentioning him.

Ella said...

I totally agree with most of your Fav actor list. I'd have to add Sean Penn-he has a raw edge to his work. He isn't a pretty boy, but he really adds grit, to whatever he does.

Females: Great list, let's see I'd included, Gwyneth Paltrow-She can act and has an endearing quality.

Directors: Martin Scorsese

I pretty much agree with all your choices... Love De Niro and Eastward. I love Bruce Willis' smug arrogance with a twinkle of humor added. Guy Pierce and Jim
Caviezel, in "Count of Monte Cristo", both brought it!

Great lists!!!

Unknown said...

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Steven Spielberg
Patricia Rozema
Roger Michell

Favorite Actors:
JJ Feild
Ciarán Hinds
Robert Downey Jr
Sean Connery
Humphrey Bogart
Edward Norton

Favorite Actresses:
Lauren Bacall
Andie MacDowell
Keeley Hawes
Gweneth Paltrow

Liza said...

It's fun to read all these lists. As I sit here pondering favorites...it's clear I need to see more movies. Favorites, oh gosh. Can't even think! Maybe this is Monday morning syndrome.

Hannah said...

I'd have to say Christopher Nolan is one of my favorites. Love the Prestige and Following. And I indulged in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight this weekend. Love love love him.

I also love David Lynch. He hurts my brain sometimes but I love movies that make me think.

vic caswell said...

this is a fun list!!
SOMEONE loves Big Trouble in Little China!
so do I!
morgan freeman's got to be one of my fave actors not listed... i don't know- maybe i'll make a list- it sounds like fun! :)

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Alex I am going to be very boring, why Yvonne you ask? well as I don't go to the cinema I don't know any of today;s Directors, Actresses or Actors. I see films on TV but the credit's go up so quickly you miss them if you blink.

I did enjoy reading all you wrote about todays fime people, I suppose I could have cheated and copied yours.

Have a nice day.
Yvonne.

Lydia Kang said...

I love your list. So much that I am not going to amend it, because I have the same taste.
Cool.

Southpaw said...

Great list. I've been sitting here thinking of who I would add and I just don't know.

Anonymous said...

I knew who your favorite actress was before scrolling down. I'd have a lot of the same people if I made the list.

Stephen Tremp

Carol Kilgore said...

My faves from your GREAT lists:

Steven Spielberg - Raiders, Jaws
Michael Mann - The Last of the Mohicans

Edward Norton - The Illusionist
Robert Downey Jr. - Iron Man
Johnny Depp - Pirate of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Arnold Schwarzenegger - True Lies
Bruce Willis - Die Hard, Sixth Sense

Jamie Lee Curtis - A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies, Trading Places
Rene Russo - Thomas Crown Affair, Major League
Jessica Biel - The Illusionist

Matthew MacNish said...

Well you already named most of the best, well done by the way, but I'll just add these directors:

Francis Ford Coppola
Martin Scorsese
Stanley Kubrick
Akira Kurosawa

Great post Alex!

Sangu Mandanna said...

Wow, we have so many favourites in common! Particular highlights on your list that I LOVE are Tim Burton, Rachel Weisz, Kate Winslet and Johnny Depp. Other favourites? Helena Bonham Carter's a great actress, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tennant are great actors... ah, I could go on...

Jay Watson said...

Pretty good lists Alex. You've got me thinking I should do my own top ten with these categories too.
Love your inclusions of both Ed Norton (Primal Fear; stunning role) and Nolan's MEMENTO (one of my favorite movies). And that Kate (Beckinsale)... :)

Hart Johnson said...

I'm so bad at having a CLUE who anybody is. I get sucked into the movie too much and lose that there are real people behind them. I think I agree though, with about 90% of your director list. On actors I have to split between eye candy and acting. The sure fire ones are Ewan McGregor, Sean Bean, Nicholas Cage (though I like him better campy than trying to be serious--he was FABULOUS is Kick Ass), Jason Isaacs, Heath Ledger... Actresses I would go with Kate Winslet, Gwenyth Paltrow, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman.

But see... there are a bunch more I like, I just don't know their NAMES. I don't pay that much attention.

LTM said...

Hey, stud. (snort!) OK, sorry. I'm not good w/that stuff, but I need some male input on my bloggie blog, and your name keeps popping up. Would you mind dropping by?

Oh, and directors? Yes, Chris Nolan, but no Cohen Bros?; Actor: Phillip Seymor Hoffman (RDJ also good and Jack Black); Actress: seriously? you don't have Meryl Streep on your list?

Now, c'mon~

The Invisible Seductress said...

WOW... your list covered all the greats!!!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Cold, Kate rocks! And I've never understood why people considered her fat.

Journaling, Bullock is a good choice.

Ted, Better Off Dead is a classic!

Will, it was an excellent movie. I need to go back and watch it again.

Dezz, Jackman almost made my list until I remembered Kevin Spacey.

Ellie, I completely forgot about The Count of Monte Cristo!

Clarissa, nice to see you have Andie MacDowell on your list. She was great in Groundhog Day, too.

Liza, it will hit you later!

Palin, Lynch comes up with some weird stuff!

Aspiring, make a list! And Big Trouble was just a lot of cheesy fun.

Lydia, you are cool!

Stephen, yeah, it's not a big suprise.

Carol, I watched Thomas Crown Affair just yesterday!

Good ones, Matthew.

Rogue, you of all people definitely need a list. And Memento is just sheer brilliance.

Hart, you have a new mission in life now...

LTM, Hoffman has done some great roles in his time.

Jemi Fraser said...

I'm terrible at knowing the directors of movies, but I like a lot of the movies you listed, so I guess the directors impressed me too! :) Espcially Jackson & Abrams.

Glad to see Johnny Depp made the list & Jamie Lee Curtis is always great! Along with your dear Kate too :)

Mason Canyon said...

Great list. Looks like you've got the good ones covered.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Helen Ginger said...

This weekend, I went with a couple of girl friends to see Out of Africa. So I would have to say Robert Redford. Dang, he's good looking.

Jessica Bell said...

Jim Jarmusch, Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchet :o)

CA Heaven said...

Jepp, Kate rocks, and she's not fat. It's all the others who are too skinny >:)

Cold As Heaven

Old Kitty said...

I'm too embarassed to add mine as my all time choices are all dead and buried and no more! LOL!

eg. Ingrid Bergman, Yasujiro Uzo, Bogart...

I feel old, I'm going now! LOL!

take care
x

BStearns said...

Many of those are great choices. I gotta say that my favourite Norton films are Fight Club and American History X. But you got a lot of good choices there. I may have to think of mine.

Budd said...

director-kevin Smith(mallrats), Kurt Wimmer(equilibrium)
Actors-Jason Lee, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman
actress-Scarlett Johanson, Natalie Portman, and the little girl from let the right one in.

Sylvia Dickey Smith said...

A couple of my favorite movies are The Princess Bride, Second Hand Lions, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, Chicago, and most anything Robert Duvall stars in! He and Denzel Washington. Sylvia Dickey Smith

A War of Her Own

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jemi, of course my Kate is present!

Helen, I can't comment on that, but glad you think so.

Kitty, I'm sorry!

Budd, Oldman is great. I thought he was so over the top great in The Fifth Element.

M.J. Nicholls said...

Excellent list! Don't forget Del Toro also directed the amazing astonishing and wonderful Pan's Labyrinth!

Raquel Byrnes said...

I LOVE John Woo! All those slow motion birds flying...great stuff.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

From your list, the perfect combination would be Johnny Depp, Robin Wright with James Cameron ;)

Charles Gramlich said...

There's no way I could even name 12 directors. Actors probably, and maybe actresses.

Favorite actors.
Eastwood, Kurt Russell,

Actresses, Kate Beckinsale indeed. And the terminator lady.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

MJ, and he directed The Devil's Backbone!

Raquel, that is true Woo style.

Charles, Kate indeed!

RaShelle Workman said...

Hi Alex -
I'm doing fav musicals

Gerard Butler
Phantom Of the Opera

Ewan McGregor
Moulin Rougue

Rosario Dawson
Rent

Meryl Streep
Mamma Mia!

Jane Kennedy Sutton said...

I’m not a big movie buff, but I would have to say Sixth Sense is one of my all-time favorites because it totally caught me off guard, although when I looked back all the red herrings were all in place.

N. R. Williams said...

I am one of those people who rarely remembers the names of actors or directors. But the names I do remember you've already mentioned.
Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Nicole Kidman...I have two more. Meg Ryan, I love her and Jeff Daniels. He is as brilliant as Johnny Depp, blending into his characters so you don't even know it's him.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

Cheeseboy said...

Dude: I am right with you on almost every one. Bill Murray, Depp and Edward Norton are my absolute favorites. Burton too. Seriously, our lists would almost be identical.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

RaShelle, didn't know Butler did a musical.

Jane, those red herring jump out during a second viewing, don't they?

Nancy, Daniels can indeed blend.

Cheeseboy, then consider your list done and you have excellent taste!

RaShelle Workman said...

Alex - Yes, Gerard Butler played The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera - 2004
Emmy Rossum was Christine
and Patrick Wilson played Raoul.
It's eye candy and ear candy for me, but then I LOVE The Phantom of the Opera and they ALL did an excellent job singing. ;-)

Kelly Polark said...

Excellent lists!
I concur with many on your lists including of course Steven Spielberg, definitely Edward Norton and Johnny Depp and love Rene Russo and Michele Pfieffer!

Bossy Betty said...

Great lists. I gotta get out more....

Anonymous said...

Martin Scorsese is hands down my favorite director. He's who I consider to be the best working director in the world, and his muse Leonardo Dicaprio my favorite actor. I also really love Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett.

I could go on but I won't. :3

Arlee Bird said...

Great lists. I can go along with any of those. My directors list will post on Wednesday. I'm not doing the actors and actresses though cause I don't keep track of who most of them are and what they've done.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Natasha said...

There is an Award which you may or may not want to display waiting for you on my blog. It was given in all sincerity.

Talli Roland said...

I'm a big fan of Guillermo del Toro. But Alex, I have to say, I just don't get Kate Beckinsale! :) Must I be male to understand?

Karen Lange said...

Hmm, will have to give this some thought. Off the top of my head - I like The Hunt for Red October, The Princess Bride, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Escape, You Can't Take it with You, Little Shop Around the Corner, Charade...One of these days I'll make a complete list.
Have a good week,
Karen

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Betty, remember your goal to be a crazy cat lady! They don't get out much.

Rayna, I appreciate the award! I will announce it soon.

Talli, it would probably help. The black, skin-tight outfits she wears in the Underworld helps, too.

Karen, please do!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Good selections!
I'd definitely pick Hugh Jackman. Probably Christian Bale, too.
And John Carpenter used to be a good director! Don't know what happened after Prince of Darkness.

Powdered Toast Man said...

we pretty much had the same directors and actors but we veered off on actresses even though I liked the ones you picked.

It's about time you did this.

Hold my hand: a social worker's blog said...

I agree with a lot that has already been posted here. I jut want to add that my favorite movie ever is "Cinema Paradiso" :-)

Doris