Roger Ebert coined the Harry Dean Stanton Law which stated that no completely bad movie was ever made that featured Harry Dean Stanton in some role, no matter how small. I was prepared to agree with him until I had the extreme displeasure to watch all that I could stomach (about a half hour) of Up Periscope.
So I’m moving on. My new Harry Dean Stanton is now Morgan Freeman, who I can’t recall ever being in a bad movie. I’m a bit loathe to check the filmography at the IMDb for fear of ruining my fantasies, but until I come across a bad movie that he’s been in, I’ll have to let this stand.
So … the philosophical question for the week is, who is your Harry Dean Stanton?
“Jennifer Love Hewitt has never been in a good movie, making her the Anti-Stanton.”
Or so I believed, until I saw Can’t Hardly Wait, a movie I actually enjoyed.
But anyway, back to the OP. I’ve not seen all of his movies, but the presence of Cary Grant in a film guarantees a good performance which makes the film worthwhile. I’d say the same for Minnie Driver, due to my raging 29-year-old hormones.
I so wanted to say Rupert Everett. He’s been in quite a few of my favorite movies. It was while I was watching “The Next Best Thing” that I came to the conclusion that he really ought to be in every movie.
Unfortunately, I just checked the IMDB and saw that he appeared in both “Dunston Checks In” and “Inspector Gadget”. While I haven’t seen either of them, I have a bad feeling that even Rupert Everett couldn’t help them.
OTOH, I see that he will be playing Algernon in a 2002 version of “The Importance of Being Earnest”, so I’m happy.
I would agree with this, since I feel that Love-Hewitt is the personification of Satan on earth, however, hasn’t she been in only, like, 3 movies?
She is still my anti-Stanton, since I will never see any movie that chooses to cast her in any role, no matter how small.
Most will disagree with me, but there is no movie that Bruce Willis has been in that I would consider bad. I even liked Bonfire of the Vanities and Hudson Hawk.
Another anti-Stanton: Daniel Baldwin. Or any of the non-Alec Baldwins.
I liked Can’t Hardly Wait, too.
And, HelloKitty, you’ll be pleased to know that JLH is playing the Devil in The Devil and Daniel Webster. Co-starring (or directed by, I can’t remember) Alec Baldwin.
Excepting *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas * I would say that my Harry Dean Stanton is Johhny Depp. He sure has come a long way from 21 Jump Street.
[aside]
I have a book called Baked Potatos: A pot smokers guide to film and video (I only bought it based on its review of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory). The book has its own little rating system and special icons. One of the icons is for Harry Dean Stanton. [/aside]
Likewise. He’s one of the very few actors whose presence in a movie can, by itself, persuade me to see the thing - I remember watching The Negotiator and thinking “Wow, this is pretty good.” The energy between the actors and the strength of the acting itself completely concealed the standard-issue script and plot until the second viewing. After that, I just figured anything with Spacey in it was bound to be at least somewhat worth seeing.
My favorite was Gene Hackman, especially after, during a broadcast of “Marooned,” on MST3K, they kept saying, “Oh, Gene Hackman, he good in everything.”
He wasn’t in this one. Nor were Gregory Peck, James Farentino (or Franciscus), David Jannsen, Mariette Hartley, Lee Grant nor everyone else in this turkey. God is it bad!
How could I forget Franklin Pangborn? I’d add Eugene Pallette to that list. That bass frog voice of his is hysterical enough on its own. Charles Coburn was another classy actor who was good in everything in which I’ve seen him.
Mine is Anthony Hopkins, who I’ve only ever seen in one bad movie: the execrable Mission Impossible 2. I have never figured out why he was in that movie. And I don’t mean, “Why is such a good actor in such a bad movie,” I mean, why did his character even exsist? This was Mission Impossible: why is Tom Cruise getting briefed in person? What about the exploding tape machines? Grr.
