Top 10 Actors Who NEVER Make Bad Movies
#10: Kate Winslet
Top 10 Kate Winslet Performances
Some actors have to spend the early part of their career in bad movies before getting their big break. Not Kate Winslet though. The English actress made her film debut in Peter Jackson’s 1994 film “Heavenly Creatures,” a film that made many best-of-the-year lists and earned a screenplay nomination at the Oscars. Winslet followed that up with 1995’s “Sense and Sensibility” and, for the subsequent three decades, she would continue to appear in quality films. Admittedly, the “Divergent” franchise isn’t her best, but remember that she got out before the third film and it’s 11% score on Rotten Tomatoes! From the masterpiece that is “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” to the underappreciated “Contagion”, Winslet never disappoints.
#9: Tom Hanks
Top 10 Actors Who Made The Most Movies in A Single Year
Putting aside the mega-flop that was “The Bonfire of the Vanities” and the mediocrity of the financially successful Robert Langdon series, Tom Hanks has had a very impressive career thus far. Films like “Forrest Gump” and “Saving Private Ryan” are obvious mentions, but some of his earlier endeavors like “The Money Pit” are better than you might remember. Also, “Road to Perdition” is a brilliant film that doesn't get talked about enough. We can’t forget his voiceover work either – calling all Pixar fans! Hanks also gets a few extra points for the underappreciated “That Thing You Do!” which he wrote and directed as well.
#8: Joaquin Phoenix
Best Joker: Heath Ledger vs. Joaquin Phoenix
If we can all just agree that Joaquin Phoenix’s film career didn’t really start until the wonderful dark satire “To Die For” in 1995, then we can ignore films like 1987’s “Russkies”. Is everyone with us? Plus, if we blame “8mm” on director Joel Schumacher, then we can really talk about how awesome Joaquin Phoenix’s undertakings have been. “Gladiator” won the Academy Award for Best Picture and “Joker” earned him a Best Actor win. It might surprise a few to know that Phoenix’s two highest rated films on Rotten Tomatoes are “Her” and “C'mon C'mon” - both of which stand at 94% fresh!
#7: Jessica Chastain
Top 10 Best Jessica Chastain Performances
We don’t know if Jessica Chastain gets any “Help” picking her roles but, regardless, we applaud the results. Well, most of them. “The Huntsman: Winter's War” was a visually impressive disappointment. And, with an egregious 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, 2009’s “Stolen” is one she’d probably like to forget about. For the most part, however, Chastain has impressed with great performances in solid movies. The variety of films is worth mentioning, too, from “Molly's Game” to “The Martian”. She isn’t afraid to take chances either, as seen in the Pacino-directed “Salomé”. An film that combines non-fiction and documentary, this is an experimental piece of art that, speaking of Rotten Tomatoes, currently sits at 100% fresh.
#6: Christian Bale
Top 20 Greatest Christian Bale Performances
Christian Bale’s temper tantrum on the set of “Terminator Salvation” wasn’t great for his image, but at least when people think of the movie, they’re more likely to think of Bale’s outburst than how mediocre the film was. Barring that, Bale’s track record is quite remarkable otherwise. There are the ones everyone points to, like the “Batman” movies and “American Psycho”. But Bale has also starred in a number of high quality works that don’t get talked about enough, such as “The Prestige” and 2002’s underappreciated sci-fi, “Equilibrium”. When you see Bale’s name on a poster you know you’re going to see one of the best actors working today and it’s likely to be a worthwhile watch as well.
#5: Cate Blanchett
Top 10 Most Impressive Cate Blanchett Accents
Cate Blanchett has 48 movies reviewed on Rotten Tomatoes and not a single one of them has a score lower than “The Monuments Men” at 31%. This is a film that, while not necessarily much to write home about, wasn’t strictly terrible either. Moving on from her very few misses, Blanchette has 10 films that scored 90% and higher, including the “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy as well as the second and third “How to Train Your Dragon” installments. Let’s not forget that the actress was also in “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and earned her first-ever Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in “Elizabeth”.
#4: Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio Movies: Ranked from WORST to BEST
No, we’re not going to try and convince you that “Critters 3” is a good movie. But, it was Leonardo DiCaprio’s debut and we all start somewhere. Two movies later, in 1993, “This Boy's Life” is generally considered to be what kickstarted one of the greatest-of-all-time film careers in recent memory. It certainly hasn’t hurt that DiCaprio has worked with some of the best directors around. From Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” to Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can”. Sam Raimi directed DiCaprio in the surprisingly good “The Quick and the Dead” and of course, there are the many quality films he made with the legendary Martin Scorsese. Don’t worry, we’re not forgetting James Cameron’s “Titanic” either. Our heart continues to go on for the Oscar winner’s projects.
#3: Meryl Streep
Top 10 Meryl Streep Performances
“Sophie’s Choice” – how about “MsMojo’s Choice” trying to pick Meryl Streep’s greatest movie? In all sincerity, though, “Sophie’s Choice” is definitely up there, along with “Kramer vs. Kramer”, “Manhattan”, “Adaptation” and “A Cry in the Dark”. Plus, who would’ve guessed that “Mamma Mia!” would be such a success? Or that the movie adaptation of “The Bridges of Madison County” would be as good as it was? Obviously Streep did, because she agreed to be in both of them. She also starred in the movie “Doubt” but, when Meryl Streep is in a film, there’s very little doubt that it’s going to be a good one.
#2: Daniel Day-Lewis
Top 10 Daniel Day-Lewis Performances
While widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time, we would argue that Daniel Day-Lewis has made some of the best role choices of all time as well. Day-Lewis’s first credited role was in the 1982 Best Picture winner “Gandhi”. On the flip side, the last film he appeared in before announcing his retirement was yet another Best Picture-nominated work: “Phantom Thread”. Bookended by two Award-worthy films, his career saw plenty of other high-points. His work with director Jim Sheridan stands out with “My Left Foot”, “In the Name of the Father” and “The Boxer”. As do the two films he made with P.T. Anderson: the aforementioned “Phantom Thread” and the 2007 masterpiece, “There Will Be Blood”. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Emily Blunt From “The Devil Wears Prada” to “A Quiet Place”, Blunt Rarely Misses Jack Nicholson When It Comes to Quality Acting & Quality Films, Nicholson Is “As Good as It Gets” Morgan Freeman With Freeman You Know You’re Getting a Great Movie & an Even Better Voice Anthony Hopkins Sit Back & Enjoy an Profound Hopkins Movie with Some Fava Beans & a Nice Chianti John Cazale He Was Only in 5 Features Before He Passed Away, but Each Was Nominated for Best Picture
#1: Denzel Washington
Top 10 Times Denzel Washington Went Beast Mode
Denzel Washington has a presence on screen like few others. Not only does this make him one of the greatest actors of his generation, but it also brings a certain degree of gravitas to his performances. He manages to make rather mediocre films like “John Q.” and “The Bone Collector” watchable - something they probably wouldn’t have been in anyone else’s hands. While he has been able to save some not-so great movies, he’s also made plenty of enthralling ones. “Glory” is an important and powerful Civil War drama. “Devil in a Blue Dress” is top-notch film noir. Tony Scott’s “Man on Fire” is a sorely underappreciated action film. Washington has also proven himself a double-threat, directing and starring in 2016’s “Fences”.
