Best... and worst of Britain and Ireland

[thedude]

Who are they then? The top notch Brits showing the rest of the world how its done, and who are the worst?

For me, Paddy Considine, Michael Sheen, Stephen Graham, Eddie Marsan, Johnny Harris are IMO the best British acting today, I know I will have missed a few.

Directors. Shane Meadows of course springs to mind, David Yates, Armando Iannucci (Scottish if you believe!) and Ive drawn a blank and cant think of any more!

Worst. Im not sure apart from the obvious few, Jonathon Rhys Meyers, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Danny Dyer, are all crap.

Directors, well apart from his one success I think Joe Wright will spend the rest of his career milking Atonement, The Soloist was so bad I didnt even put up a review saying how bad it was, but maybe thats just me.

What do you guys think?

[jaykays hat]

Actors - Gary Oldman & Tim Roth.
A few years ago I would have included Ray Winstone but he gets on my nerves a bit now.

Actresses - Emily Blunt, Helen Mirren, Dame Judy.

As for directors, Ridley & Tony Scott, Chris Nolan, Neil Marshall.

[Porkchopexpress]

Hmm good thread, I used to be a blind devotee of all things British Cinema, but hopefully am a bit more critically objective these days. These are people I tend to make a point of having a look at their stuff regardless of critical reception.

BEST

Actors : Paul Bettany, Brian Cox, Pete Postlethwaite (make more films please!) Paddy Considine, Simon Pegg, Tom Hardy and Christian Bale.

Actressess : I've warmed considerably to Rachel Weisz of late having found her grating in some earlier stuff. Kathy Burke and I'm in love with Jamie Winstone, she has a first prize chin, alluring eyes and a talent which only seems to be getting better.

Directors : Edgar Wright, Neil Marshall, Matthew Vaughan and Paul WS Anderson (Sue me! ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!) and the legendary Shane Meadows.

WORST:

Actors : Jude Law, a great turn in Gattaca aside, I just find him very one dimensional. Ewan Macgregor every time he's required to speak in an American accent a little part of me dies inside. Rhys Ifans and Danny Dyer who plays Danny Dyer in every film he's ever done.

Actressess : Imogen Poots, Kelly Brook, Helena Bonham Carter. Kate Beckinsale and Minnie Driver.

Directors : Guy Ritchie (Too much slow motion), Tony Scott (Too much WTF I'm having a seizure!) and Michael Winterbottom (Just don't rate him.)

[Jonesy]

Assuming that we're just referring to the living here...

Best: Shane Meadows, Paul Bettany, Derek Jacobi, Ian Mckellan, Mike Leigh, Nicolas Roeg, Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Alan Parker

Worst: Guy Ritchie (will someone please stop funding his crap?), Jamie Winstone (the biggest chav in cinema - ugly and talentless), Danny Dyer (not worth the shit on my shoe).

Incidently, dude, you may want to change the name of your thread if you want to include people like Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Don't want to upset those from Southern Ireland now, do we.

[robinho67]

Originally Posted by thedude

Worst. Im not sure apart from the obvious few, Jonathon Rhys Meyers, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Danny Dyer, are all crap.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is Irish not British, his name is really O'Keefe....still agree with that point though, he is terrible.

[Kiba.]

Originally Posted by robinho67

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is Irish not British, his name is really O'Keefe....still agree with that point though, he is terrible.

I think he knows that Rhys Meyers is Irish but the title of the thread needed clarifying.
EDIT: The title of the thread has been changed to include Irish actors alongside the British.

Now that we've included Irish, I'll give a shout to Cillian Murphy - a fine actor, often overlooked.

[Jonesy]

Originally Posted by robinho67

Jonathan Rhys Meyers...name is really O'Keefe...

Disturbing that you know so much about someone so forgettable.

[robinho67]

Originally Posted by Jonesy

Disturbing that you know so much about someone so forgettable.

Sticks in the mind when he could be called Johnny O'Keefe...not quite the same ring to it.

Quick look on imdb and realised he was in a good amount of films where I cant remember who he played at all....definitely forgettable.

For Irish actors I would suggest Colin Farrell can be equal amounts of good (In Bruges, Tigerland) and bad (Alexander).

Ken Loach for one of the best British directors.

[Scruffy]

Colin Firth

[thedude]

Prompted by the oddness of saying Colin Firth is reason to be ashamed of being British, which Brits working in Hollywood/US film market are doing us proud? I say Hollywood/US as there are many doing it here, but thats not in the context I'm trying to get to.

So, the ones that spring to mind for me are;

Colin Firth.

Paul Bettany (despite Priest and Legion).

Idris Elba, not so much for Thor, there he was functional, but for his superb Stringer Bell in The Wire, I'm sure he will be equally as brilliant in a film in the future.

Micheal Fassbender, he was great in Hunger, even if the subject wasnt to my "political" taste, I can see great things from him in the future.

Those are the ones I can think of, I hope ive missed loads to be honest.

Agree/disagree?