PubTalkForum's Greatest Actor! - ROUND ONE: Jack Nicholson (1) vs. Cate Blanchett (8)

[Everlong]

PubTalkForum's Greatest Actor Tournament!
ROUND ONE: Jack Nicholson (1) vs. Cate Blanchett (8)



A legend in Hollywood both on and off the screen, Jack Nicholson has put an indelible mark in film for the many memorable roles he’s played over the course of five decades.

FAMOUS ROLES
* = Earned Academy Award for Best Actor/Actress
~ = Earned Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor/Actress
^ = Earned Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor/Actress
# = Earned Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor/Actress

#George Hanson in EASY RIDER
~Robert Dupea in FIVE EASY PIECES
*Randall Patrick McMurphy in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
Jack Torrance in THE SHINING
^Garrett Breedlove in TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
The Joker in BATMAN
#Col. Nathan Jessup in A FEW GOOD MEN
*Melvin Udall in AS GOOD AS IT GETS
Frank Costello in THE DEPARTED

Nicholson was also nominated for his work in THE LAST DETAIL, CHINATOWN, REDS, PRIZZI’S HONOR, IRONWEED and ABOUT SCHMIDT.

IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000197/?ref_=nv_sr_1





Cate Blanchett is arguably Hollywood’s most versatile actress with a career including big-time blockbusters and small arthouse flicks. Today, she is considered one of the business’s most respected workers.

FAMOUS ROLES
* = Earned Academy Award for Best Actor/Actress
~ = Earned Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor/Actress
^ = Earned Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor/Actress
# = Earned Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor/Actress

Meredith Logue in THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY
Galadriel in THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY
Jane Winslett-Richardson in THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
^Katharine Hepburn in THE AVIATOR
#Jude in I’M NOT THERE
~Queen Elizabeth I in ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE
Daisy in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
*Jasmine in BLUE JASMINE

Blanchett was also nominated for her work in ELIZABETH and NOTES ON A SCANDAL.

IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000949/?ref_=nv_sr_1



VOTE NOW!

[DanielsonTHAGOAT]

I want to go into detail about Jack Nicholson's brilliance but I'll save that when he actually faces stiff competition. No disrespect to Cate Blanchett.

[Everlong]

I had already mentioned in an earlier thread that I'd be voting for Cate Blanchett in this round. This is for two reasons:

1) As I mentioned in that thread, I believe Jack Nicholson is one of the most overrated actors in the history of film (though I won't say that his status as a legend is not deserved)

and

2) I do believe that Cate Blanchett is the better actor, so this isn't about me hating on Nicholson or anything.

The crux of the issue here for me is versatility. Despite Cate Blanchett not having anywhere near Nicholson's catalogue of roles yet (she's only in her early-mid 40s), she's already portrayed a much broader spectrum of characters and done so extremely believably. The way she disappears into her roles is reminiscent of a female Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman or Marlon Brando. Both of her turns as the stately Elizabeth I, her role as the ethereal Galadriel, the well-to-do southern belle as Daisy in Benjamin Button, Bob freaking Dylan in I'm Not There, the iconic Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator, a Russian villainess in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and her most recent Oscar-winning work in Blue Jasmine... she has an impeccable range and never delivers a shoddy performance. In my opinion, she's the best working actress in film today.

Jack Nicholson has had a lot of iconic roles in a lot of amazing movies. I love One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining is an absolute classic, and there are some people who will always consider him to be the true Joker over Heath Ledger. But the biggest issue I have with considering Nicholson one of the few greatest of all time is that unlike a lot of the people I'd place above him, he never really seems to immerse himself fully into his character. There's always an element of "Jack" that stands out. There are so many comedians/actors/etc out there who do fantastic Jack Nicholson impersonations, and he's a man who's become larger than life in a way that it actually seeps into and occasionally overshadows his performances.

Don't mistake this for me saying Nicholson is a bad actor -- he's not. In fact, I think he's quite good, and I've highly enjoyed a lot of his movies. But I certainly wouldn't place him in my top 20 of all time, which is what I'd be doing by moving him past this round and past, in my opinion, a superior actor in Cate Blanchett.

[VaderBomb]

The Passenger by Michelangelo Antonioni is the best film starring Jack Nicholson who will be the clear winner of this bout.

[SortaCreative]

I actually think Cate is a better actor than Jack. I think earlier in his career, when Jack was in his prime he was fantastic, but these days he's just Jack Nicholson. I feel like there's a lot less acting involved in Jack Nicholson's career these days. There's no doubt that he's good. There's no doubt that he's memorable.

It's difficult because if they were both in their prime then Jack Nicholson would have probably got my vote. Cate hasn't had the time to really produce enough "i'm Cate Blanchett, lol" rolls. Like Tim said, he's enjoyable but he's still very much Jack Nicholson in most of his films.

I have to vote for the Lady of Light.

[Viazon]

Cate Blanchett is a great actress and has impressed me in the few films I have seen her in. I gotta go for Jack in this round though. My mind just keeps going back to The Shining, which is my favourite Nicholson performance. Not everyone's cup of tea that movie, but I love it and I think he is brilliant in it.

[Kirbi]

Cate Blanchett is a fantastic actress - I think it's a little unfortunate that she's up against Nicholson in the first round; but I do think that Nicholson is a better actor, so he gets my vote here.

Favourite performance by Cate Blanchett - Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator.

Favourite performance by Jack Nicholson - As Good as it Gets.

[Hanley!]

Nicholson is probably the guy in this tournament that I'll vote for no matter who he's put up against, so he definitely got my vote here. No offense to Cate Blanchett, I just think he's quite possibly the best actor in this entire bracket. I can elaborate more on why in a later round.

Favourite performance by him is probably One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but there's a bunch of others.

[Kyle]

Gotta go with Cate here. I love Jack, but every time I have seen Cate she has been amazing - truly a world class actress.

[Matteo]

Much like Tim, I've never been too overly-fond on Nicholson, but he's still given us a small handful of extraordinary performances on the whole. Blanchett is one of the best actresses working in America today, but still has a lot to give. I may have to side with Jack here, purely based on prolificity and also the talented filmmakers he has worked with over the course of his career, including Polanski and Kubrick who demand so much from their performers.

[PorkChop]

This was actually a close one for me, but I went with Nicholson. Like I said in the Pacino vs Hathaway round, I'm a big fan of Blanchett and it's quite unfortunate that she's drawn against a legend of the business in the first round.

Nicholson's Joker is my favourite performance of his. I'm not a big fan of The Shining or some of Nicholson's other films - just not to my taste. His talent though is obvious.