The Cruise Factor
Ruther Glen, VA
Yesterday morning, I had a twenty minute discussion with myself concerning, of all people, Tom Cruise. Thus is the status of my sanity. I came to the preliminary conclusion that he, like Clint Eastwood before him, is his generation's John Wayne. Say what you will about him, but Duke knew his limitations as an actor. He knew what worked for him and what his fans wanted to see and he rarely strayed from that while starring in over 170 films, predominantly westerns and war movies. Clint Eastwood followed much the same path as an actor. It is as a director that he really began to flex his artistic muscle. In other words, they were smart. They knew good material when they saw it, most of the time, and I have rarely seen a film that either man was associated with that I didn't enjoy. Even Wayne's "singing cowboy" flicks from the early thirties have a kind of charm.
I feel much the same way about Cruise. I've seen most of his films and while I've never been terribly impressed with his acting, again, I've never seen him in anything I didn't like. Even the schlocky stuff like Top Gun and Mission Impossible have their moments. He, or someone close to him, is an excellent judge of material. Especially lately. I know some people had mixed feelings about them, but I thought Minority Report, The Last Samurai, and Collateral were three of the best films I had seen in a while. It begs the question, how much better could they been with an actor having more versatility and dramatic range.
Like the elder statesmen I mentioned above, Cruise seems to have a knack for knowing what suits him best. But still and all, he's not as good at it as they were. I still find myself becoming distracted by TOM CRUISE. He gets in the way and it's hard to differentiate him from the character he is trying to portray. This was also true of Eastwood and Wayne. The difference being, it didn't matter with them. They WERE the people you saw onscreen. Especially Wayne. Everything I've heard, read and intuited about him is that it never really mattered what the character's name was, they were all incarnations of the same character who was, in a very real sense, the embodiment of Marion Michael Morrison, AKA John Wayne. He lived hard, drank hard, played hard, worked hard and was an intense, loyal friend to those he was close to. On a side note, I find it ironic that John Wayne, the ultimate pop culture icon of masculine bravura was born less than two miles from another, quite antithetical pop-culture icon. The Covered Bridges of Madison County, Iowa. Yes, those Bridges of Madison County.
I've always felt John Wayne was underrated as an actor. He was very much stuck in his ways concerning his idea of what people wanted to see him do. But when pushed by a competent director, most notably, John Ford, he could be quite fascinating as an actor. If you have never seen The Searchers, I highly recommend that you do. You will see as fine a performance as was ever put on film. It was one of, if not, the earliest films to take a long, hard look at a truly bigoted man. Ethan Edwards truly hates "The Comanche" and would stop at nothing to see them wiped off the face of the earth. He should have won an Oscar for it, but Hollywood didn't then, and still doesn't, really, consider Westerns to be "Serious Films". Hogwash. The Quiet Man and McClintock are two more of my favorites. You get to see a comic side of Wayne. Very funny.
Eastwood has always been a more private man. This, perhaps, has made it easier for us to identify him so readily with the characters he has portrayed. And vice versa. I have no doubt in my mind that Eastwood would be perfectly willing to haul a out .44 magnum and blow some scumbag away, if it came to that. Maybe not with quite such a sense of glee. I also find Eastwood to be underrated as an actor.
Which brings us back to Cruise. He seems to have figured out the formula, but maybe just a bit bass-ackwards. He picks great scripts, but not always ones where he is highly suited for the role. I HATED him in Jerry Maguire, yet I liked the movie. He just wasn't believable, to me at least. Wayne and Eastwood had their share of clunkers. Ever seen The Conqueror, where Wayne takes a turn at Genghis Khan? Wayne himself shuddered at the mention of that atrocity. He once remarked that the moral of the film was "not to make an ass of yourself trying to play parts you're not suited for." And perhaps Eastwood should have quit while he was ahead after making Every Which Way But Loose and let Philo Beddoe well enough alone.I just can't imagine Tommy being self-effacing enough to admit something he did wasn't quite up to par. I think time has borne out my assertion that Wayne and Eastwood were a bit underrated as actors. Will time be so generous for Cruise? Perhaps. Even if he is a stark raving lunatic. You do realize Katie isn't really pregnant???? ;-)
Well, as my good friend Tuttle reminded us a few posts back, "opinions are like assholes. Everyone's got one." Here's mine. Take it or leave it.
Curiosity of the Day
Rain. Lots and lots of fucking rain.
"I would like to be remembered, well...the Mexicans have a phrase, 'Feo fuerte y formal'. Which means; he was ugly, strong and had dignity."
"Westerns are closer to art than anything else in the motion picture business" -- John Wayne
Any Questions? Any Comments? Be Quiet As You Go.
Yesterday morning, I had a twenty minute discussion with myself concerning, of all people, Tom Cruise. Thus is the status of my sanity. I came to the preliminary conclusion that he, like Clint Eastwood before him, is his generation's John Wayne. Say what you will about him, but Duke knew his limitations as an actor. He knew what worked for him and what his fans wanted to see and he rarely strayed from that while starring in over 170 films, predominantly westerns and war movies. Clint Eastwood followed much the same path as an actor. It is as a director that he really began to flex his artistic muscle. In other words, they were smart. They knew good material when they saw it, most of the time, and I have rarely seen a film that either man was associated with that I didn't enjoy. Even Wayne's "singing cowboy" flicks from the early thirties have a kind of charm.
I feel much the same way about Cruise. I've seen most of his films and while I've never been terribly impressed with his acting, again, I've never seen him in anything I didn't like. Even the schlocky stuff like Top Gun and Mission Impossible have their moments. He, or someone close to him, is an excellent judge of material. Especially lately. I know some people had mixed feelings about them, but I thought Minority Report, The Last Samurai, and Collateral were three of the best films I had seen in a while. It begs the question, how much better could they been with an actor having more versatility and dramatic range.
Like the elder statesmen I mentioned above, Cruise seems to have a knack for knowing what suits him best. But still and all, he's not as good at it as they were. I still find myself becoming distracted by TOM CRUISE. He gets in the way and it's hard to differentiate him from the character he is trying to portray. This was also true of Eastwood and Wayne. The difference being, it didn't matter with them. They WERE the people you saw onscreen. Especially Wayne. Everything I've heard, read and intuited about him is that it never really mattered what the character's name was, they were all incarnations of the same character who was, in a very real sense, the embodiment of Marion Michael Morrison, AKA John Wayne. He lived hard, drank hard, played hard, worked hard and was an intense, loyal friend to those he was close to. On a side note, I find it ironic that John Wayne, the ultimate pop culture icon of masculine bravura was born less than two miles from another, quite antithetical pop-culture icon. The Covered Bridges of Madison County, Iowa. Yes, those Bridges of Madison County.
I've always felt John Wayne was underrated as an actor. He was very much stuck in his ways concerning his idea of what people wanted to see him do. But when pushed by a competent director, most notably, John Ford, he could be quite fascinating as an actor. If you have never seen The Searchers, I highly recommend that you do. You will see as fine a performance as was ever put on film. It was one of, if not, the earliest films to take a long, hard look at a truly bigoted man. Ethan Edwards truly hates "The Comanche" and would stop at nothing to see them wiped off the face of the earth. He should have won an Oscar for it, but Hollywood didn't then, and still doesn't, really, consider Westerns to be "Serious Films". Hogwash. The Quiet Man and McClintock are two more of my favorites. You get to see a comic side of Wayne. Very funny.
Eastwood has always been a more private man. This, perhaps, has made it easier for us to identify him so readily with the characters he has portrayed. And vice versa. I have no doubt in my mind that Eastwood would be perfectly willing to haul a out .44 magnum and blow some scumbag away, if it came to that. Maybe not with quite such a sense of glee. I also find Eastwood to be underrated as an actor.
Which brings us back to Cruise. He seems to have figured out the formula, but maybe just a bit bass-ackwards. He picks great scripts, but not always ones where he is highly suited for the role. I HATED him in Jerry Maguire, yet I liked the movie. He just wasn't believable, to me at least. Wayne and Eastwood had their share of clunkers. Ever seen The Conqueror, where Wayne takes a turn at Genghis Khan? Wayne himself shuddered at the mention of that atrocity. He once remarked that the moral of the film was "not to make an ass of yourself trying to play parts you're not suited for." And perhaps Eastwood should have quit while he was ahead after making Every Which Way But Loose and let Philo Beddoe well enough alone.I just can't imagine Tommy being self-effacing enough to admit something he did wasn't quite up to par. I think time has borne out my assertion that Wayne and Eastwood were a bit underrated as actors. Will time be so generous for Cruise? Perhaps. Even if he is a stark raving lunatic. You do realize Katie isn't really pregnant???? ;-)
Well, as my good friend Tuttle reminded us a few posts back, "opinions are like assholes. Everyone's got one." Here's mine. Take it or leave it.
Curiosity of the Day
Rain. Lots and lots of fucking rain.
"I would like to be remembered, well...the Mexicans have a phrase, 'Feo fuerte y formal'. Which means; he was ugly, strong and had dignity."
"Westerns are closer to art than anything else in the motion picture business" -- John Wayne
Any Questions? Any Comments? Be Quiet As You Go.
posted by twistedyoda | 4/08/2006 07:47:00 PM
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