ED NORTON... UTTER COOLNESS!

[TheNuke]

The Man... Edward Norton is the best contemprary actor. In fact I tell people in my opinion he's God amoung contemporary actors. He's a fantastic actor, he is profoundly cool. If you don't know who he is go see these movies as soon as possible, Primal Fear, American History X, Rounders, Keepinf the Faith(which he directed), and Fight Club. If you happen to have a life see one of these Primal Fear, American History X, or my faviorte Fight Club. This man should be talked about in 20 years like we talk about Jimmy Stewart or Tom Hanks. This man made a being a Preist look really cool.

[PackBacker]

Good advice from TheNuke. I've been impressed with Norton's performance in every film except "Rounders." I think I owe it a second chance considering how solid (or simply extraordinary) he has been in other flicks. The man is destined to be a star.

I still think his best work to date was "American History X" even though "Fight Club" is one of my favorite all time films.

[HomerSimpson]

Ed Norton is a great actor... one of the best right now. I can name at least 2 movies for wich he should have won an Academy Award. But as messed-up as the Academy Awards are lately, I don't think he'll be winning one soon. Same goes for Jim Carrey.

[Matias]

PackBacker´s right. His best performance was in American History X. In a way, he had to be two different characters in the movie. The Derek before jail, and the Derek after. The movie is really touching, and whitout Ed it probably would suck.
In Fight Club there were many different things that made it fantastic, and ofcourse Edward being one of them. But in American History X he´s talent really comes handy.

[Kaku]

All u guys r SO right
couldnt agree more
jim and ed especially r shunned by the high class snobbery
they deserve SO much more respec'.

[TheNuke]

Ed is AWESOME! WE ALL KNOW THIS! LETS SPREAD THE WORD! HE WILL CHANGE SHOWBIZ FOREVER! HE'S THE NEXT DENIRO!

[Sidney_Prescott7]

God damnit I have to agree with Nuke on this one. Edward Norton is a great actor and he was hella funny in Keeping The Faith. He should keep it up and be in more funny movies.


Stephanie

[Sidney_Prescott7]

God damnit I have to agree with Nuke on this one. Edward Norton is a great actor and he was hella funny in Keeping The Faith. He should keep it up and be in more funny movies.


Stephanie

[QUENTIN]

I definetly agree on Ed Norton he is a great actor and is the next DeNiro. But I was wondering something Sidney I've noticed this about 10 or 15 times why is it very often when you post something there will be 2 of the same or slightly different posts right after one another?

[Kaku]

I think Ed is more of a Jimmy Stewart than a Bobby

[Sidney_Prescott7]

Its because my computer is slow and sometimes I either have to write the post over or sometimes I have to press submit topic again and it comes up twice. I dunno why my computer is like that but thats what happends. If that happens again just ignore it.

[Sidney_Prescott7]

Its because my computer is slow and sometimes I either have to write the post over or sometimes I have to press submit topic again and it comes up twice. I dunno why my computer is like that but thats what happends. If that happens again just ignore it.

[TheNuke]

Kaku in my original post I almosy said I thought he was the next Jimmy Stuart but lots of people think that of Tom Hanks.

[bob]

ed norton was awesome in fight club.

[Jeff123]

Ed Norton is a dork. Fight Club was cool because of Brad Pitt...he rocks. The upcoming great actor in my opinion is the overlooked Mark Wahlberg who was great in Fear and Boggie Nights and Three Kings. He is talented , attractive, cool, emotional, sympathetic, and he is always the stand out in his movies. Ed Norton is a dork.

[TheNuke]

JEFF123 you are correct in the under apperciation for the contemporary actor Marky Mark...BUT YOU MUST BE OFF YOUR ROCKER NOT TO RECOGNIZE THAT ED NORTON IS MARK TIMES !! AND WHOEVER SAID THAT BRAD PITT MADE FIGHT CLUB GOOD! WATCH THE MOVIE AGAIN!

[DarkLight]

I'd have to agree with both Norton and Wahlberg being underrated. I've enjoyed most of their movies and I especially enjoyed Wahlberg's performance in The Big Hit. That film was so underrated, I recommend any action fan to see it. Lou Diamond Phillips is also awesome in it!

Irony is one of the things that makes me laugh. Sidney_Prescott7, loved your last post here!

DL

[Paleface]

Waaay way back on the board, Matias said:
"[Norton's] best performance was in American History X. In a way, he had to be two different characters in the movie. The Derek before jail, and the Derek after."

No argument, both the movie and the actor kick ass.

What about the transition period between the two characters as well though? I think you'd have to be one hell of an actor to make some of the prison laundry scenes believable. A vocal neo-nazi skinhead, having to work with a black guy, gradually overcoming his own hate and ignorance. Not saying anything at times and, through body language, showing the viewer the physical signs of the cognitive dissonance (look it up) he must be experiencing.

I am a big fan of movies about racial tension, especially when it results in a character becoming a more determined, stronger person (not always in the right direction though, eg Malik in Higher Learning).


-Paleface

(Yeah, I'm the new guy. I've only been lurking for a day or two, but I can put my opinion forward with the best of em, and I love movies. I haven't seen enough, but I think all true movie fans would say that of themselves.)
/ubb/smile.gif

[Crynot]

Mark Walhberg is a horrible actor!!! He plays the same person in every movie. He is completely one sided. The only reason people like him is because he's fortunate to land roles in good movies.

[yvonne]

i have to admit...in primal fear, i didnt see it comming..... i was half awake but by the end...holy shit i was surprised.....a good friend of mine went bungee jumping with him once.....she said he is soooo cool!!! Ed ROCKS! yvonne

[Mankato]

Some people say that Sam Jackson is the man because he's in the Shaft flick. Well, I have to disagree with them, because anyone who knows anything about movies knows who's the man.

WHO'S THE MAN?

ED NORTON IS THE MAN!

ANY QUESTIONS?

[TheNuke]

There are a couple of men in shoiwbiz, I think Sam Jackson and Ed Norton are "MEN".

[Matias]

Paleface, you´re damn right. So, he had to be three characters.Even better. The scenes where Derek discovers that black people are just like white are really touching. But then a few minutes later he discovers how cruel white people can be to eachother.....Ed really is the man!

[darkblue]

yvonne-----your friend went bungee jumping with Edward Norton????!! when?? How does your friend know him??? He is my favorite actor ever.

[Tyler Durden4]

Eddy is my fav actor

[fooknasty]

Mark Walhberg is a horrible actor!!! He plays the same person in every movie. He is completely one sided. The only reason people like him is because he's fortunate to land roles in good movies.

Come on now. Marky Mark isn't nearly as bad as you say he is.

Actually, I think he has come on really strong with his last couple of performances and is really coming into his own as an actor.

[dreamcurls]

heck yeah!
loves me some Ed Norton. bad accent aside, my fav role of his is from The Illusionist.

[Badbird]

6-1-2000...

What the heck? No wonder I didn't recognize anyone. I was like, "What's going on? Who are all these new people?"

[CyclicNightmare]

Come on now. Marky Mark isn't nearly as bad as you say he is.

Actually, I think he has come on really strong with his last couple of performances and is really coming into his own as an actor.
Well a lot has happened in 7 and a half years.

[paul calf]

i was a massive norton fan loved primal fear,american history x and fight club but the stuff he has made since has been rotten in parts,red dragon,death to smoochy,the italien job,the score all substandard parts in substandard films,and coming soon edward norton is the hulk 2 why edward why,i really hope he gets back to his best but think actors like ryan gosling,christian bale,and young up and comers ben foster and casey affleck will be getting the roles he once would have been ideal for.

[Superplasmatron]

I think hes a poor mans Christian bale, hes great in the 25th hour only cause hes such a cock in it.

[paul calf]

I think hes a poor mans Christian bale, hes great in the 25th hour only cause hes such a cock in it.

yeah its going that way but in his early days he did shows lots of promise he just has'nt seen it through.

[KingofKings2525]

Poor mans Christian Bale? Please... Bale doesn't hold a candle to Norton.

Anyways, I agree... he is a phenominal actor and is definitely my favorite but lets not kid ourselves, Keeping the Faith was garbage.

[Rawlin67]

i was a massive norton fan loved primal fear,american history x and fight club but the stuff he has made since has been rotten in parts,red dragon,death to smoochy,the italien job,the score all substandard parts in substandard films,and coming soon edward norton is the hulk 2 why edward why,i really hope he gets back to his best but think actors like ryan gosling,christian bale,and young up and comers ben foster and casey affleck will be getting the roles he once would have been ideal for.

so you havent seen the illusionist or the painted veil? or down in the valley? in the past two years hes given three of his best performances of his career, i find it hard to say hes been rotten lately. Hes been back to his best for awhile now. the stuff you brought up was 2001-03, lets stick with the present here if were going to talk about his current state.

[Superplasmatron]

so you havent seen the illusionist or the painted veil? or down in the valley? in the past two years hes given three of his best performances of his career, i find it hard to say hes been rotten lately. Hes been back to his best for awhile now. the stuff you brought up was 2001-03, lets stick with the present here if were going to talk about his current state.

jesus three fucking shitty films!

[fooknasty]

Poor mans Christian Bale? Please... Bale doesn't hold a candle to Norton.

Bale owns Norton.

'Nough said.

[KingofKings2525]

Bale owns Norton.

'Nough said.

Bale = 1 good movie, 1 great performance

Norton = 5 great movies, 5 great performances

"'Nough said"

[fooknasty]

Bale = 1 good movie, 1 great performance

Norton = 5 great movies, 5 great performances

"'Nough said"

Haha

Ok, which 5?

I am not saying that I don't really like Norton because I do and American History X is amazing.

But I am with the minority of folks who think that Brad Pitt made Fight Club and not Edward Norton (and in no way am I saying he is bad in that movie, just out performed by a better actor)

Norton is a great character actor, like Christian Bale. But to say that Bale doesn't hold a candle to him is crazy.

They are both great actors, but Bale wins hands down and appears to be only perfecting his acting (Rescue Dawn, I'm Not There, 3:10 to Yuma).

Where Norton really hasn't shown me much since 25th Hour (even though I will admit I did like The Illusionist)

[Monotreme]

Haha

Ok, which 5?

I can answer that: Primal Fear, American History X, Fight Club, 25th Hour, The Illusionist. And I'll even throw in The Painted Veil as a bonus.

As for Bale... I can't say he's had only 1 good role in his career but rather several. But I must admit that I don't think I've ever seen a more futile discussion. The two actors are SO incredibly different both in the work they choose to do and the methods they use to act; their styles and film choices are just so entirely different that I really don't see how a comparison could possibly be made. Both actors are extremely talented, although I have to give the upper hand to Norton who manages on his own to find depth in his characters, as opposed to Bale who usually needs very specific direction to find what he needs. Luckily for Bale he almost always works with talented directors who know just what they need from him - but just look at his performances in, for example, Equilibrium, Reign of Fire, Harsh Times, Shaft... bad directors lead to over-the-top, unrestrained performances. And it is the restraint that gets the best out of him.

Both are great actors, I naturally must add. But just look at how Norton manages to transcend the direction in American History X, The Illusionist or The Painted Viel and find his characters' depth on his own. Now THAT'S the sign of a true great actor.

[The Heart Collector]

Norton's a good actor but ever since Fight Club his career hasn't been terribly interesting.


I mean, pre-Fight Club all his roles were great and all of them were very different, some of them sooo different from each other.


Then after Fight Club he's just done more low-key stuff that hasn't been as "whoaaa".

He's still a good actor obviously but I wouldn't see a movie just because Edward Norton is in it.

[fooknasty]

I can answer that: Primal Fear, American History X, Fight Club, 25th Hour, The Illusionist. And I'll even throw in The Painted Veil as a bonus.

As for Bale... I can't say he's had only 1 good role in his career but rather several. But I must admit that I don't think I've ever seen a more futile discussion. The two actors are SO incredibly different both in the work they choose to do and the methods they use to act; their styles and film choices are just so entirely different that I really don't see how a comparison could possibly be made. Both actors are extremely talented, although I have to give the upper hand to Norton who manages on his own to find depth in his characters, as opposed to Bale who usually needs very specific direction to find what he needs. Luckily for Bale he almost always works with talented directors who know just what they need from him - but just look at his performances in, for example, Equilibrium, Reign of Fire, Harsh Times, Shaft... bad directors lead to over-the-top, unrestrained performances. And it is the restraint that gets the best out of him.

I guess this is where we can agree to disagree. With the expcetion of American History X and possibly Primal Fear, those other performances were a bit of a stretch. 25th Hour and Fight Club, while he had solid performaces, he was shadowed by the great performances of a WONDERFUL supporting cast and also by having great direction to follow.

Also, to say that Christian Bale needs great directors to have a great performance seems a bit out of context as well.

American Psycho and The Machinist were both amazing performances and were both directed by relatively new directors. (And if I am not mistaken, I believe that American Psycho was Mary Harron's first movie and Brad Anderson had really not done a whole lot to have him considered as a motivational director)

Whether you like the movies or not, Equilibrium, Reign of Fire, Laurel Canyon, and even Shaft were all much better movies because of the intensity that Christian Bale brought to each one of those characters.

But, IMO, I would blindnly pay $10 to see anything Christian Bale was in because you know you are going to get an intensely powerful performance. Whereas I can't say the same for Edward Norton. (atleast not yet)

[Rawlin67]

They are both great actors, but Bale wins hands down and appears to be only perfecting his acting (Rescue Dawn, I'm Not There, 3:10 to Yuma).





Christian Bale didn't do jack shit in I'm Not There. He gave a decent performance. Nothing great, nothing even close to outstanding. It was average at best. im a big fan of the Bale, but for him to get praise for a role he did so little in is absurd to me. Just about everyone in that entire cast gave a better performance, even Whishaw.

[Superplasmatron]

Norton's a good actor but ever since Fight Club his career hasn't been terribly interesting.


I mean, pre-Fight Club all his roles were great and all of them were very different, some of them sooo different from each other.


Then after Fight Club he's just done more low-key stuff that hasn't been as "whoaaa".

He's still a good actor obviously but I wouldn't see a movie just because Edward Norton is in it.

hes a very Hamey actor, hes the same in every movie and he looks like a weasel, people on here love him solely due to there love of fight club.

[KingofKings2525]

hes a very Hamey actor, hes the same in every movie and he looks like a weasel, people on here love him solely due to there love of fight club.


Well if you're going to say we all like him for that then it is obvious that people on here only like Bale because he lost a lot of weight for a movie.

Bale is stale and monotone.

[Superplasmatron]

Well if you're going to say we all like him for that then it is obvious that people on here only like Bale because he lost a lot of weight for a movie.

Bale is stale and monotone.

actually the machnist is fucking crap, as are quite a few of his movies, I like him as an actor not cause I like one movie he was in and assume hes great in anything.

[Badbird]

They are both over rated. Given the right material they can put on a good show, and both have made their fair share of crap as well as great ones. I'd say Bale is a better actor, but I'm not like Rah-Rah about it.

[the_sneaker]

Primal Fear - He was incredible! What a great way to really make a bang at the start of your career. He had only done one movie before that.

Rounders - I don't know why people didn't think he did a good job in this movie. I think it's because of how much of a pathetic character he was. Worm really was just a leech and Norton did a great job playing him.

American History X - Nothing needs to be said. How he did not win an Oscar is still beyond me.

Fight Club - While Brad Pitt carried the film with his charisma and maddening good looks, it was Norton who brought it full circle with his excellently delievereid voice overs and his savage sarcasm.

Red Dragon - While the movie itself was nothing too great (albeit 100 times better than Hannibal) Norton once again brought a depth to the film and played perfectly on screen with Hopkins.

The only movie I have ever really though Norton was terrible in was, of course, The Italian Job, though I thought it was mainly due to his lack in interest in the movie. If I remember correctly (and if I am wrong, please let me know) Norton had some sort of contractual obligation with Paramount, pretty much forcing him to do that shit movie.

I think he is an excellent actor; Heart Collector is somewhat right though. After Fight Club, the roles he did became somewhat stale. However, things seemed to have perked up since the release of The Illusionist.

[The MC]

I have to say edward norton is highly underrated for his work in Rounders as Worm. He is a slimy two faced piece of shit and norton just makes you feel the filth

[the_sneaker]

I have to say edward norton is highly underrated for his work in Rounders as Worm. He is a slimy two faced piece of shit and norton just makes you feel the filth

Exactly. I think he was kinda overshadowed by Matt Damon, seeing as how Damon was still riding the success of Good Will Hunting. Definitely one of his most underrated performances.

[DarthWade]

First thing off the bat, he wants to be called "Edward" Norton now. I don't blame him, probably because he got a shitload of Honeymooner jokes growing up...:rolleyes:

The only thing that worries me about him is that he's supposedly notorious for screwing around with scripts once he's on a movie.

I like him a lot, I think he's a kick ass actor myself and I look forward to seeing him in Hulk (along with Tim Roth, another amazing actor).

[the_sneaker]

The only thing that worries me about him is that he's supposedly notorious for screwing around with scripts once he's on a movie.

Heard that, too. In fact, I heard a rumor that Tony Kaye wanted his name taken off the credits as director for American History X because Norton demanded so much control over it all. Not sure if that is true or not. Anyone else heard that?