I would love to see more movies with great story lines. I don't care who stars in them. "Star Wars" had Harrison Ford as the only Known in the film. "Alien" Sigorney Weaver. On the other hand, "Schindlers List" had Liam Neeson Ralph Fiennes, and "The Reader" Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, "Seven" Morgan Freeman Brad Pitt Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey. Do great movies need super-stars?
I'm confused on the examples. Were all those movies supposed to be great or only the second group? There are probably many great movies that go straight to dvd or don't even get that far just because there was no $$ to promote them or pay for proven acting talent. Film festivals have probably done a good job of changing that situation by providing an avenue of promotion for independent films. I think a lot of people will gauge the quality of the movie by the cast. If they don't see a name they know, or someone they have enjoyed watching in another movie, they won't take a chance, figuring it is a "B" movie.
They are all great movies, imo. There are plenty of people that don't think Star Wars is a great movie (and never saw it!), and there are people that don't think Schindlers List is a great movie. C'est la vie. I loved "Amadeus" (in my top five of all time) and other than F. Murray Abraham which I hardly knew, there was no one of any repute.
Julia Roberts, can't stand her. Won't see any film she's in ...lately. Then I'll see everything Denzel is in simply because he's in it and Robert Downey Jr, Deniro not so much lately since he's become a variety star. Pacino has the rep of overacting, I agee. Heat was a great film but his character, even if THAT was what he was shooting for, was hard to watch. Matt Damon picks some great stories to lead in. The Good Shepard was great so were the Bourne films. Does Morgan Freeman have to be in every movie? Like Giamatti too. There are alot of lesser known names who are more interesting then the bigs. Casey Affleck has personna. etc. Willis, overdone. Steven Segal ...just kidding. Cruise ...yea, I don't know why but ...yea. Crowe, since Beautiful Mind I'm a fan. Man there are alot of actors.
Merryl Streep wasn't "Merryl Streep" before she did Sophies Choice. It was that movie that made her a star.
I didn't have a problem with "Heat" but I seem to remember that "Scent of a Woman" really drove me crazy. Regarding "Heat" I have often wondered how it would play if the two stars had reversed characters, considering that it contained two "master thespians", Pacino and De Niro. How would the new version, with De Niro as the cop and Pacino as the criminal mastermind, compare to the original. I would love to see both version side by side and compare how each actor handles the roles.
That would be cool. It was one of the best of its genre films I think. That scene where Pacino and DeNiro are sitting at the table, "Here we are, a couple of regular guys" was epic. The part where Pacino finishes with, "...brother, I won't hesitate to put you down" then DeNiro responds with ...after dramatic pause, flashes of facial profile and that priceless DeNiro grimace "...there's a flip side to that coin" one of my all time favorite lines.