Easy Come Easy Gaughin

Diane Keaton

I am an unapologetic Woody Allen fan, and I loved Diane Keaton since I first saw her in Annie Hall when I was a high school junior, and started tracking back through her earlier stuff, which got screened fairly frequent at the student theater at Vanderbilt University, so saw Love and Death soon after Annie Hall, and I have followed her pretty closely ever since then. She went off on some pretty strange tangents, including the sex addict of Looking for Mr Goodbar, and the strange espionage of The Little Drummer Girl.

Woo boy, has she done some stinkers, but her best ten are among the very best among all current movie actors. I still think her best stuff is as Woody’s muse. If only she had been 30 years younger, they might still be together.

Ten best roles: 10) Crimes of the Heart 9) The Godfather Part III 8) Play It Again Sam 7) Manhattan Murder Mystery 6) The Godfather Part II 5) Sleeper 4) Reds 3) Love and Death 2) Manhattan 1) Annie Hall

Percentile rating: 98.79

Peak period: 1972 – 1977

Neighborhood: George Clooney, Albert Finney, Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, William Hurt

Ben Kingsley

I understand he is sick of Gandhi, and it’s easy to imagine, because he rarely takes such solemn roles anymore. He’s been great since the early 70’s, and now that he’s into his 60’s, he’s as free-wheeling with his role choices as any major star currently working. Great as a depressed hit man opposite Tea Leoni in You Kill Me, even better as a psychiatrist swapping counselling services for weed with a troubled teenage drug dealer in The Wackness, completely over the top as one of the baddies in Lucky Number Slevin, even if his films aren’t always great, he usually is.

Ten best roles: 10) Pascali’s Island 9) Oliver Twist 8) You Kill Me 7) The Whackness 6) Betrayal 5) Turtle Diary 4) Sexy Beast 3) Anne Frank 2) Schindler’s List 1) Gandhi

Percentile rating: 98.30

Peak Period: despite the Oscar in the 80’s, I am going with 2000 – 2008

Neighborhood: Michael Caine, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas, Isabelle Huppert, Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman

She may be our Audrey Hepburn, if not our Katherine Hepburn. She’s got a pretty amazing list of accomplishments, and probably a good 10-15 years ahead of her.

Ten best roles: 10) The Interpreter 9) Margot at the Wedding 8) The Golden Compass 7) Dead Calm 6) Eyes Wide Shut 5) To Die For 4) The Portrait of a Lady 3) The Others 2) Australia 1) Moulin Rouge

Percentile rating: 98.12

Peak Period: 2001 – 2007

Neighborhood: Daniel Auteuil, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, Mia Farrow, Jane Fonda, Isabelle Huppert

Kevin Kline

Something about him comes off like a 40’s or 50’s star, in the mold of Cary Grant. He’s very versatile, playing a wide range of character types from dead serious drama to the most cartoonish broad comedy (see, for example, A Fish Called Wanda.) Seems destined for an Academy lifetime achievement award if he can get another great role or two to shine the light his way. Married to Phoebe Cates, the lucky bastard.

Ten best roles

10) De-Lovely 9) A Fish Called Wanda 8) Silverado 7) In and Out 6) Sophie’s Choice 5) The Big Chill 4) Cry Freedom 3) Grand Canyon 2) Dave 1) The Ice Storm

Percentile rating

97.51

Peak Period

1982-1988

Neighborhood

Alan Bates, Emmanuelle Beart, Maggie Cheung, Judy Davis, Dennis Hopper, Tommy Lee Jones

Catherine Keener

She’s got a beautiful smile, but she can turn scary on a dime, as in Being John Malkovich. I believe the reaction that such rage would produce in the typical person could be described as “withering”.

To my mind, she’s the model of what actresses should be, projecting a strong intelligence while playing characters of complex emotional make-up. Her work to date seems to automatically qualify her for the best of such roles. Other actresses must envy her. Her and Meryl Streep, who can automatically get any role she wants even if she’s not right for it. Can’t you imagine that somebody like Cameron Diaz or Sandra Bullock wishes they could take a whack at something as rich as Living in Oblivion?

Ten best roles

10) Your Friends and Neighbors 9) The Interpreter 8) The Ballad of Jack and Rose 7) Friends with Money 6) The 40-Year-Old Virgin 5) Living in Oblivion 4) Walking and Talking 3) Lovely and Amazing 2) Being John Malkovich 1) Capote

Percentile rating

95.75

Peak Period

Dear Lord, her 2004 – 2006 would be the envy of most any working actor (Ballad, Interpreter, 40, Capote, Friends)

Neighbors

Antonio Banders, Sandrine Bonnaire, Gabriel Byrne, James Caan, Willem Dafoe, Morgan Freeman

Val Kilmer

Every man who has “let himself go” should adopt Kilmer as his favorite actor. Like Michael Keaton, he was Batman. He’s hilarious in early comedies Real Genius and the great Elvis Presley-spy movie mashup Top Secret. He’s legendarily moody, with his on set antics sometimes compared to those of Marlon Brando.May have let his desire to be thought of as an eccentric genius sideline his momentum to some extent.

Ten best roles

10) The Doors 9) Spartan 8) Tombstone 7) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 6) Heat 5) Top Secret 4) Kill Me Again 3) The Salton Sea 2) Real Genius 1) Thunderheart

Percentile rating

95.39

Peak period

1989 – 1995

Neighborhood

Julie Andrews, Lauren Bacall, Helena Bonham Carter, James Caan, Keith Carradine, James Garner

Michael Keaton

Has any other actor ever made the simple quick head-cock such a signature move? That thing where he seems to put his face lower than the face of the person he’s speaking to, and beaming up at them? I can think of three roles off the top of my head where he uses that as a motion of endearment. He’s starting to look a little like Clint Eastwood. Maybe he will have a career makeover as a variation on the man with no name.

Of course he was Batman under Tim Burton’s re-imagining. He was a likable wise-cracker in films like Night Shift and Mr Mom, he was convincingly serious in Clean and Sober. Of course his dark tweak of the sort of Robin Williams-ish manic mayhem of Beetlejuice may have actually given birth to emo, so we can all agree to hate him for that. I hope he works his way back into prominence in older adult roles.

Ten best roles

10) Touch and Go 9) The Paper 8) The Dream Team 7) Johnny Dangerously 6) Night Shift 5) A Shot at Glory 4) Clean and Sober 3) Batman Returns 2) Much Ado About Nothing 1) Batman

Percentile rating

94.78

Peak Period

1984 – 1989

Neighborhood

Anne Bancroft, Michel Bouquet, Cameron Diaz, Kirsten Dunst, Colin Firth, Ed Harris

Kris Kristofferson

Kristofferson is probably best known as a song-writer and singer, but he’s had an awfully impressive film career as well, making his a sort of a shadow Renaissance man. He does one thing (grizzled) exceptionally well, and has stuck to roles appropriate to that quality. If you haven’t seen it, Trouble in Mind is worth your time, a sci-fi noir featuring Divine, as a man, in a prominent role.

Ten best roles

10) Heaven’s Gate 9) Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid 8) Perfect Murder Perfect Town 7) Semi-Tough 6) Songwriter 5) Blade II 4) Blume in Love 3) Trouble in Mind 2) A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries 1) Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

Percentile rating

93.08

Peak Period

1973 – 1981

Neighborhood

Tadanobu Asano, Toni Collette, Chris Cooper, Michael Gambon, Ben Gazzara, Philip Seymour Hoffman