You talk about an under-discussed actor on these boards, Jeff Bridges is one of them. Surprising considering his longevity and roles in two "iconic" sci-fi films: Tron and Starman. I've been a fan of Jeff Bridges for years and even I take his brilliance for granted! Seven Oscar nominations and diverse roles worthy of any actor's filmography.
What is your favorite Jeff Bridges performance and movie? They don't have to be the same film.
I first noticed him and his acting skills in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. He wasn't afraid to play a creepy villain like he did in The Vanishing and Jagged Edge. He was great in Starman. I also liked him in The Last Picture Show, Arlington Road, Blown Away, White Squall, and various other movies.
Oh, maaaan....this is gonna be my "Jack Nicholson is BACK!!!" thread, isn't it? Thor, man, I know what you're going through, man!
LOL!!!!!
I think what's really needed is some better imaginations when it comes to starting threads. This one is yet another "let's make a list" thread.
But whatever. I'm just too tired right now to list all the Jeff Bridges movies I like, there's too many of them.
He used to be good. Nowadays he always sounds like he's talking around a mouthful of marbles!
He's still good. I thought he was great in last year's HELL OR HIGH WATER. I expect an Oscar nomination.
However, I do worry about him physically. He does seem to have developed a speech impediment. Too many drugs and some brain damage or the beginning of a disease? I hope not.
I first noticed him and his acting skills in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. He wasn't afraid to play a creepy villain like he did in The Vanishing and Jagged Edge. He was great in Starman. I also liked him in The Last Picture Show, Arlington Road, Blown Away, White Squall, and various other movies.
I appreciate him, Jim.
I suppose you're correct as to Mr. Bridges' aesthetic qualities, Joan. Best I post this before one of FSM's resident "beefcake specialists" chimes in first:
A couple of my favorites of his roles are maybe more obscure - Nick Kegan in Winter Kills (I'm a big Richard Condon fan and adore this nutty thriller), and Jack in The Fisher King with Robin Williams.
He's such a good and natural film actor that he is indeed more easily taken for granted. For example, when I finally caught up with The Big Lebowski, I was kind of astonished at the nuance of his performance as The Dude. And he is my absolute favorite superhero villain as Obadiah Stane in the first Iron Man. I completely accept that character as a person, more so than any other I've seen in the Marvel films (which I enjoy, so not a criticism).
Looking over his filmography, I think I first began re-evaluating him in Tucker - he really owned that movie which I always found both entertaining and a difficult sell.
A couple of my favorites of his roles are maybe more obscure - Nick Kegan in Winter Kills (I'm a big Richard Condon fan and adore this nutty thriller), and Jack in The Fisher King with Robin Williams.
He's such a good and natural film actor that he is indeed more easily taken for granted. For example, when I finally caught up with The Big Lebowski, I was kind of astonished at the nuance of his performance as The Dude. And he is my absolute favorite superhero villain as Obadiah Stane in the first Iron Man. I completely accept that character as a person, more so than any other I've seen in the Marvel films (which I enjoy, so not a criticism).
Looking over his filmography, I think I first began re-evaluating him in Tucker - he really owned that movie which I always found both entertaining and a difficult sell.
Well stated, Old Sport. I agree with you on Stane, who was as close to a Lex Luthor clone as Marvel ever dared attempt. If you read the Denny O'Neil-penned issues of the comic from that extended, yet under appreciated run, you'll find that Bridges "got" the character.
When "The Big Lebowski" was released, all the "hipster" types I knew at the time urged me to see the film. I'm glad I did, as it's vulgarly funny and Bridges once again "lost" himself in a character, as he effortlessly does.
BTW, did anyone else who came of age in the 1980s think how cool his "Flynn" character was for having lthat "tricked out" apartment above that cool-for-its-time video game arcade?
....I agree with you on Stane, who was as close to a Lex Luthor clone as Marvel ever dared attempt. If you read the Denny O'Neil-penned issues of the comic from that extended, yet under appreciated run, you'll find that Bridges "got" the character.
Yep, agreed - Stane seems like an ideal Denny O'Neil creation, and a more appropriate Lex Luthor-like foil for Iron Man than I ever felt the original was for Supes.
BTW, did anyone else who came of age in the 1980s think how cool his "Flynn" character was for having that "tricked out" apartment above that cool-for-its-time video game arcade?
Bang on. I fantasized about having that pad endlessly. I'm 55 now and I still do occasionally pine for it.
Bridges is dead cool in anything he does. Even The Missus thinks he's cool--her pick is "The Fisher King".
I don't know if it's still there, but Bridges's own website lets you download a Lightcycle game that is amazingly close to what was in the movie. I urge all you Tron-geeks to try it--it's one of my favorite time wasters.
BTW, did anyone else who came of age in the 1980s think how cool his "Flynn" character was for having that "tricked out" apartment above that cool-for-its-time video game arcade?
Bang on. I fantasized about having that pad endlessly. I'm 55 now and I still do occasionally pine for it.
Bridges is dead cool in anything he does. Even The Missus thinks he's cool--her pick is "The Fisher King".
I don't know if it's still there, but Bridges's own website lets you download a Lightcycle game that is amazingly close to what was in the movie. I urge all you Tron-geeks to try it--it's one of my favorite time wasters.
Dude! 55?!? You post MUCH younger!
Yes, that Tron pad is pretty damned cool. It's like it's an extension of the Bridges Persona or something!
When Bridges won his Oscar, I was probably one of many who said "About damned time!" I hadn't done that since James Cobiurn won an Oscar...
You all have inadvertently spurred an off-topic memory. Besides buying the soundtrack on cassette (cause I was a Wendy Carlos fan), my first encounter with Tron was the phenomenal "Discs of Tron" arcade video cabinet at a local arcade. My wife and I loved playing that game years before we ever saw the movie (which I caught up with when I was managing a video store in the late 80's).
Don't we all? And yes he was a good looking dude in his youth. (This is coming from a straight guy) He also had a fun energetic persona about him which made him likeable. Well, until he got old and fat.
I think what's really needed is some better imaginations when it comes to starting threads. This one is yet another "let's make a list" thread.
But whatever. I'm just too tired right now to list all the Jeff Bridges movies I like, there's too many of them.
I tend to agree with this view. I find Jeff Bridges a remarkable talent. For me, I find FEARLESS his most enthralling work.
He used to be good. Nowadays he always sounds like he's talking around a mouthful of marbles!
He's still good.
So true!
However, I do worry about him physically. He does seem to have developed a speech impediment. Too many drugs and some brain damage or the beginning of a disease? I hope not.
We all pay for our youthful indiscretions (and our genetics!).
Put me down for Joust, Gulaga, Dragon's Den, Space Panic, StarCastle and a few others that don't come to mind right now. (And any other games that used vector graphics were particularly cool.)
Man, I couldn't begin to calculate how much cash I blew on them.
You and me Octoberman - we 55-year-old video arcade enthusiasts unite under the banner of Jeff Bridges!
I just found this video of some classic Tron gameplay.
I'd forgotten how much of the actual score it used - sweet!
(I'm so sorry I never encountered Dragon's Den - I would have played that over and over even though I don't think I would have got five minutes into the game. - wait, turns out I'm thinking of Dragon's Lair, the Don Bluth game. But maybe Den too, I don't recall either. Now Marble Madness, THAT I recall! And speaking of vector graphics - Tempest! I LOVED Tempest!)
You all have inadvertently spurred an off-topic memory. Besides buying the soundtrack on cassette (cause I was a Wendy Carlos fan), my first encounter with Tron was the phenomenal "Discs of Tron" arcade video cabinet at a local arcade. My wife and I loved playing that game years before we ever saw the movie (which I caught up with when I was managing a video store in the late 80's).
(By the way, we kind of stank at the games, but between this one, Joust, Galaga, Sinistar and Elevator Action - good times, sigh!)
Speakng of video games (of which I almost never do), I loved the Tron arcade video game as a kid! There used to be a damned line in front of it! Was it a $0.50 game? I don't think so.
Jeff Bridges came from acting "royalty." His pappy, the legendary-to-me Lloyd Bridges, was a most welcome presence in everything the guy ever did. Jeff, despite growing up in that Hollywood atmosphere, managed to become a tremendous screen presence himself. He was not a casualty of having grown up in that dysfunctional environment. I have always taken note of his performances. He seemed to take on a new mantle with "The Big Lebowski", as if subsequent generations became aware of the man's great talent. He's as far away from being a movie star as anyone who grew up the son of one ever became, and has become his "own man." He's the very definition of that despised-by-me term, "underrated."
