BAcall on Cruise

[Lynn7]

From Drudge report:
LAUREN BACALL: 'VULGAR' TOM CRUISE IS NOT A GREAT ACTOR
Sun Jul 31 2005 11:06:05 ET

New York -- Lauren Bacall tells TIME Tom Cruise is not a great actor. "When you talk about a great actor, you're not talking about Tom Cruise," Bacall says.

"His whole behavior is so shocking. It's inappropriate and vulgar and absolutely unacceptable to use your private life to sell anything commercially, but I think it's kind of a sickness."

[Terminal]

Using private life to promote something commercially shocks her? Has she been alive in the general public for the last fourty years? That's ALL people do these days. Wow

Either way, I agree Cruise is a prick.

[Shockwave]

I agree about Cruise being a prick, but i dont see how that effects his acting ability in any way.

..that being said, he is abit overrated. More of a celeb then an actor. Theres plenty out there who can match him or surpass him in talent but sometimes i get the feeling that not many think so.:o

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by Lauren Bacall
"His whole behavior is so shocking. It's inappropriate and vulgar and absolutely unacceptable to use your private life to sell anything commercially, but I think it's kind of a sickness."

...Which kind of begs the question how she handled her relationship with Humprey Bogart in the media. They were in a relationship for 13 years, including 12 years of marriage. Bogey of course was 25 years older than Bacall, and She started dating him when she was 19. Bogey was 45, and he had divorced twice before, and had his third divorce in 1945, before he was able to marry Bacall. And after meeting with Bogey, Bacall did four movies in a row with him, including her debut movie.

Now I'm sure that she never mentioned her relationship with Bogey in any interviews. :) After all, if she did, that would make her more or less of a hypocrite.

[The Heart Collector]

News about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have been lacking lately.










Could it have anything to do with their movies having already ran their course?

[Shockwave]

The wedding and break-up that follows 6 weeks later is going to be hilarious to watch.

Im sure well have more wacky antics on Tom Cruise before long. The man can only stay quite for so long before leting the world know how great he is and how dumb everyone else is because they.....are glib.;)

[edonline]

Originally posted by Lynn7
... "When you talk about a great actor, you're not talking about Tom Cruise," Bacall says.

This statement I agree with 100%. Looking back at some of his movies, Cruise's acting ability is nowhere near most other actors. It seems like he's playing the same role almost in every film, you never get a feel of the character -- you just see Tom Cruise on the screen. I think the only role where he stretched himself was Born on the Fourth of July and that was because he was playing a real person.

Somewhat in keeping with the topic, I caught the last half hour or so of Rain Main on cable over the weekend and I thought to myself "Why is this movie considered so good?" I'll admit that I saw it in the theater when it originally came out and liked it, but looking back, I can't see what all the fuss was about. Dustin Hoffman played the loveable mentally-challenged adult that is so beloved by Hollywood while Cruise played a role that could have either come from and/or transferred to any other movie.

[Buck Turgidson]

First Kidman, now Cruise.

My respect for this woman grows daily :D

[Terminal]

Originally posted by edonline
This statement I agree with 100%.

I dont like Tom Cruise, never did. Sure he has mild acting abilities, but he's not exactly versatile in his characters. He's always been one of the most overrated actors in Hollywood to me.

[Lynn7]

I have been very critical of Tom Cruise and think he has been way too overexposed but I have to say that I cringed a little when I read this.IT's always hard when a classic film star disses you publically. I remember when Katherine hepburn died, in her book she had made some derogatory remark about some modern actress and I really felt bad for her. One the other hand, Cruise criticized Shields so maybe there's a little payback here.

[donna542004]

Originally posted by Lynn7
I have been very critical of Tom Cruise and think he has been way too overexposed but I have to say that I cringed a little when I read this.IT's always hard when a classic film star disses you publically. I remember when Katherine hepburn died, in her book she had made some derogatory remark about some modern actress and I really felt bad for her. One the other hand, Cruise criticized Shields so maybe there's a little payback here.

I remember not to long ago she was cooing over Clive Owen. She said she would love to work with him. And I remember she said something about Kidman.
I think she is a classy lady and has been around a long time. She has a right to say what ever she likes about the new H-Town stars. Then again she might be getting a little batty in her old age. Either way I still like her.
Donna A.

[Nutcracker]

Originally posted by donna542004
I remember not to long ago she was cooing over Clive Owen. She said she would love to work with him. And I remember she said something about Kidman.
I think she is a classy lady and has been around a long time. She has a right to say what ever she likes about the new H-Town stars. Then again she might be getting a little batty in her old age. Either way I still like her.
Donna A.

Bacall said that Kidman was "too young to be a legend", when an inteviewer asked her "How was it working with a legend like Nicole Kidman?". Bacall wasn't being offensive. Just honest. How dumb can an interviewer be, to ask a genuine 80 year old film legend like Bacall, how it is to work with a 36 year old "legend" (Kidman). Even Kidman admitted that she couldn't yet be called a legend,. The press blew the whole think out of context, in hopes of creating a catfight between Kidman and Bacall.

By all accounts, Kidman and Bacall are quite close friends (they've worked on two movies together). And in her recent autobiography, Bacall went out of her way to praise Kidman and say what a great actress she thought Kidman was, and how close they've become.

I wouldn't be surprised if Bacall's anti-Cruise outburst was happpend because she feels rather maternal towards Kidman, and thinks the whole Cruise/Katie Holmes three-ring circus might have hurt Kidman's feelings or something.

[BorderEevilIII]

What is Ms. Bacall all in a tit about?!?!?
She paints like Tom is Jerry Lee Lewis.... :rolleyes: I am not defending Mr. Cruise either for his religion aspects but as long as who he is w/ is of legal age and what he does behind closed doors is HIS BIZNESS... Like Tukka has touched on she needs to hush up.. ;)

[Shockwave]

Cruise doesnt mind slamming other stars because they are incorrect in that they beleive in things he doesnt, and has openly mocked some about the career choices they made (sorry they cant be perfect) so i say fuck him.

[ilovemovies]

Cruise was an ass for his comment on Brooke Shields but Becall what Becall said about Cruise's behavior makes her no better.

[Hannibal21]

Originally posted by Buck Turgidson
First Kidman, now Cruise.

My respect for this woman grows daily :D

I agree wholeheartedly.

And I also agree with what Bacall said about Kidman and Cruise. I love Nicole Kidman, she's one of my favorite actresses, but in no way has she reached "legend" status yet. I also agree that Tom isn't such a great actor, he simply has some great movies under his belt but overall he's merely along the lines of "decent" and "mediocre" IMO, and rarely impresses me with his performances (with the exception of his roles such films as Magnolia & War of the Worlds).

[Lynn7]

I think Cruise is a great actor in certain roles. He is mostly in roles that do him justice and he certainly gets all the good movies. I remember seeing him in the movie Taps when he was starting out and he was excellent in the non-hero role. He will never be on the same level as Sean Penn cause he tends to overact.

[Scorpio24]

I tend to agree. I think cruise can be a fantastic actor when he wants to be.

I don't give 2 fucks what Bacall has got to say. Her relationship was talked about a hell of alot in her days with Bogart. And she lapped it up. So she can go and speak to some other hypocrites who got nothing better to do than bitch about things. Like Tukka has said her 1st movie and her 3 connsecetive others were made with Bogard. So maybe she should only talk about legends as actors who fucked their way to parts.

Also if Tom Cruise was still with Nicole Kidman and was very much against the Church of Sciencetology. How many people would still be calling him a shit actor. Not nearly as many as there are now I would wager.

[eljefe15]

Fuck Tom Cruise and everybody that looks like Tom Cruise! A great actor he is not. He is the same fucking character in every fucking movie. He always plays the hot shot pretty boy jock that gets the girl in the end and then shoots down the plane. Tom Cruise is to acting as Micheal Bay is to directing. Always the same shit.

Alrato!

[Scorpio24]

Mmmmm......



.......Magnolia, Collateral, 4th of July.


All the same charcters there huh?


There is also a strange things that happen to actors who play opposite Cruise. Alot of them get Oscar nominations. And all of them give a better performance than was expected from them.

[Shockwave]

There is also a strange things that happen to actors who play opposite Cruise. Alot of them get Oscar nominations. And all of them give a better performance than was expected from them.

...alot of them give better performances then Cruise does. (not that hes bad. Collateral rocked my world and The Last Samuri was a great performance as well...but all too often he seems to just play..Tom Cruise.)

[eljefe15]

Originally posted by Scorpio24
Mmmmm......

.......Magnolia, Collateral, 4th of July.

All the same charcters there huh?

There is also a strange things that happen to actors who play opposite Cruise. Alot of them get Oscar nominations. And all of them give a better performance than was expected from them.

He always plays the bad ass, is my point. He's always the hot shot fighter pilot, or the hot shot contract killer or the hot shot pool shark, or the hot shot bartender, or the hot shot car salesman, or the hot shot race car driver, or the hot shot lawyer (2), or the hot shot vampire, or the hot shot secret agent, or the hot shot sports agent, or the hot shot soldier turns samurai warrior, or the most pussy gettingest bastard in the land who happens to be a hot shot motivational speaker for dweebs. In case you didn't get that, he's always the "hot shot."

Also, he's a big star. So, he gets the privilage of working with really great directors on really great projects with really great casts. Somebody's going to get nominated for something. Take Collateral for example. The screenplay was great, the direction was really great and Jamie Foxx's performance was amazing. Tom Cruise was...well...nothing special. I mean, he was pretty good. He was believable atleast. But what did he do in that movie that was special, Or that warranted a nomination. Everyone was saying, "oh, Tom Cruise really took a risk with this project. He's playing the villain." What risk? He was a hot shot, like he is in every other movie.

Oh and by the way, The Last Samurai was really Dances With Wolves but with Japanese people and Samurai swords. Same shit. :D

Alrato!

[Scorpio24]

Yea.......


.....I'm sorry. Don't know what films you watched.

I wouldn't call his charcter in The Last Samurai a hot shot. In fact he was a bum. I wouldn't call his charchter in Magnolia a hot shot. In fact he was racked with hate and hurt trying to escape his reality. In bith films he was supurb. Best things in both. And that's saying alot concerning a great film like Magnolia. Oh and I wouldn't call his latest character in WOTW a hot shot either. But hey he was probably a hot shot with the microwave or something huh?;)

The reason he gets to work with great directors and the reason he's such a star is because he's a great fucking actor and he makes alot of people alot of money. Every director who works with him says he's 1st in and last out. Even Billy Wilder said he'd never seen a harder working more talented actor. But what does he know right?

I'm not a huge fan of Cruise has a person. But that would never cloud my opinion of him as an actor. I done a little search and it's interesting to see how many schomes loved him 3 years ago before he started going all a little wierd on us but now have nothing good to say about him..;)

[Shockwave]

I thought Collateral was one of his best performances EVER.

Its one of the only movies hes ever done where i didnt feel like i was watching Cruise up on the screen, but the character instead.

[Scorpio24]

Originally posted by Shockwave
I thought Collateral was one of his best performances EVER.

Its one of the only movies hes ever done where i didnt feel like i was watching Cruise up on the screen, but the character instead.


I'd most defintley agree with that. The reason I didn't mention it cause I figured i'd have the hot shot killer argument. I don't agree that it was a risk for him to take the film. I do agree that he gave a great performance in it though. In fact I thought he was better than both Foxx and Jada who were both on top form.

[Buck Turgidson]

Originally posted by eljefe15
He always plays the bad ass, is my point. He's always the hot shot fighter pilot, or the hot shot contract killer or the hot shot pool shark, or the hot shot bartender, or the hot shot car salesman, or the hot shot race car driver, or the hot shot lawyer (2), or the hot shot vampire, or the hot shot secret agent, or the hot shot sports agent, or the hot shot soldier turns samurai warrior, or the most pussy gettingest bastard in the land who happens to be a hot shot motivational speaker for dweebs. In case you didn't get that, he's always the "hot shot."

So true. And it's been true since he came on the scene, 20 looooong years ago.

Also, he's a big star. So, he gets the privilage of working with really great directors on really great projects with really great casts. Somebody's going to get nominated for something.

Not just that, but he actively works to polish his resume and make it look like he's some sort of major talent.

Before anyone brings it up, I admit that most people want to do the best possible work with the best possible people. But many of them will develop a relationship with a particular director or another actor and work that for good results. Cruise does something far more calculated and artificial. There's an "All About Eve" quality to his career.

It's been remarked upon that he's got a phenominal list of directors and actors he's worked with. I sincelerly believe that, for the most part, this is no accident. Granted, some early stuff fell into his lap, like working for Coppola. (In any case, I'm sorry, but "Pony Boy's fluffer #3" isn't the same as "Tom Hagen", no matter what kind of shine you try to put on it.)

However, his recent career (especially the last 15-18 years, starting, I think, with Rain Man), has been a deliberate and painstaking effort to work with all the best directors and actors he can, almost as if he had a checklist, for no reason other than to make himself look as if he belonged in this company.

After a time, shit like this gains a momentum of it's own and no one has the balls to step back and say "Man...this fucker can't act any more than he ever could, and I DON'T CARE what the critical and industry consensus on him he. He just plain sucks." Anyone who did that now would either be buried (if they weren't on his "level") or dismissed as some old kook. (See above.)