Chasing the ghosts of forgotten legends

Andrew Roberts3 said:I was just sitting here thinking about Val Kilmer. Man, what a ride his career has been. He was absolutely killer in stuff like "Top Gun," and let’s be honest, his turn as Jim Morrison in "The Doors" was legendary—he really captured that rock icon vibe. Then you’ve got "True Romance," which wasn't even his biggest role, but still great, plus he crushed it in "Tombstone" and that intense masterpiece "Heat." But then... things started to shift. He drifted into more B-movie territory and indie projects. Don't get me wrong, there were some gems in there where he actually delivered solid performances, like in "The Salton Sea," "Felon," or "Wonderland." But seriously, hitting rock bottom? That was definitely when he lent his voice to K.I.T.T. in that "Knight Rider" remake. Talk about a letdown! Still, looking at his recent schedule, the guy is working like crazy lately. It looks like we might see him pop up in ten different projects over the next couple of years, so who knows... maybe one of those will finally land him back on the A-list.

He’s been stuck in heavy B-movie territory lately...but honestly, his performance in "Felon" was top-tier. Mad respect for that one.🙏🙏

A ton of actors have fallen straight to the B-list, but there’s one guy I’m not mourning at all...

That idiot Costner, right after the MASSIVE TOTAL DISASTER that was Waterworld, just went and crashed even harder with The Postman.

😵 😵 😵

Richard Wilson4 said:A ton of actors have fallen straight to the B-list, but there’s one guy I’m not mourning at all...

That idiot Costner, right after the MASSIVE TOTAL DISASTER that was Waterworld, just went and crashed even harder with The Postman.

😵 😵 😵

I wouldn't say he's actually fallen to the B-list though... not really. He hasn't been everywhere lately, but when he does work, he's doing major studio productions with heavy hitters... like Open Range (2003), Rumor Has It... (2005), The Guardian (2006), Mr. Brooks (2007)—which crushed it with both fans and critics—and Swing Vote (2008)

Richard Wilson4 said:A ton of actors have fallen straight to the B-list, but there’s one guy I’m not mourning at all...

That idiot Costner, right after the MASSIVE TOTAL DISASTER that was Waterworld, just went and crashed even harder with The Postman.

😵 😵 😵

I wouldn't exactly call Waterworld a failure, though. It picked up some awards and had Oscar nods... As for Costner, if you ask me, he was at his absolute best in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Bodyguard, and The Untouchables (which is my favorite 😁 )

gentlebadger88 said:I wouldn't exactly call Waterworld a failure, though. It picked up some awards and had Oscar nods... As for Costner, if you ask me, he was at his absolute best in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Bodyguard, and The Untouchables (which is my favorite 😁 )

Well, someone is overlooking classics like A Perfect World (1993), Fandango (1985), JFK (1991), No Way Out (1987), and Thirteen Days (2000). I’ve been catching up on his recent work lately. He certainly isn't forgotten; he just makes solid, reliable movies. While they might not always reach that top-tier prestige level anymore, he's definitely still relevant.

A Dance with Wolves!?
Such an incredible—well, almost—four-hour epic...

That guy popped up in that Delta Airlines commercial—he’s been all over CNN lately.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vAJox4Puaw

That lovely little tragedy with the heartbreaking ending, written by none other than M. Stowe... ha... honestly, it just goes to show how much some women overreact at the movies. They make such a huge deal out of everything.

God, give me a break... it’s like all those Baldwin brothers are cut from the exact same cloth. Now you have the oldest one flailing around and filming absolute nonsense.

What about the other bunch of disasters, like Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Kiefer Sutherland? 🙏

Is it just me, or is Kurt Russell basically synonymous with Tango & Cash?
I mean, sure, he played Snake Plissken and Tequila too, along with a handful of other roles, but my brain just refuses to process him any other way.

John Taylor19 said:Is it just me, or is Kurt Russell basically synonymous with Tango & Cash?
I mean, sure, he played Snake Plissken and Tequila too, along with a handful of other roles, but my brain just refuses to process him any other way.

Don't forget *The Thing* (1982, directed by John Carpenter)—in my book, that's his absolute peak. Then there's *Big Trouble in Little China* (1986, also Carpenter); I remember being totally floored by it as a kid, and honestly, I revisited it a few years back and it still holds up beautifully.
As far as his more recent stuff goes, check out *Grindhouse: Death Proof* (2007, Quentin Tarantino). It’s shot in that gritty seventies style—maybe a bit too slow-burn for my specific tastes—but it's certainly worth the watch.

John Taylor19 said:God, give me a break... it’s like all those Baldwin brothers are cut from the exact same cloth. Now you have the oldest one flailing around and filming absolute nonsense.

What about the other bunch of disasters, like Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Kiefer Sutherland? 🙏

Look, give me a break. Alec Baldwin is literally starring in "30 Rock," which is easily one of the funniest, highest-quality sitcoms on TV right now. And Kiefer Sutherland? He’s having a massive career resurgence thanks to "24," so he’s definitely not some washed-up nobody...

As for Kurt, I honestly think he just faded out of existence overnight... that’s all there is to it. And then you have Alec, who seems to be fighting tooth and nail against retirement, but the truth is his brothers—all three of them—were absolute icons for a brief window of maybe three or four years before they just vanished from the cultural radar entirely...
Nobody seems to be mentioning the other duo, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. Feldman actually went out and filmed what felt like a cheap knockoff sequel to *The Lost Boys*... honestly, if you ask me, the guy looks more artificial than a piece of plastic with an expired shelf life.

So, looking back at guys like Corey Feldman and Corey Haim... there was definitely a window where they were both massive icons—props to Feldman for pulling off two huge hits in a row—but the other guy? Kiefer Sutherland has actually been around the block forever. You’ve seen him in *Young Guns*, *Flatliners*, or *A Time To Kill*... he’s always been working. It’s just that *24* is really what turned him into a household name and made his career super lucrative—think along the lines of *Mirrors*, *Phone Booth*, or even that *Monsters vs. Aliens* flick. He didn't exactly pull a disappearing act like a child star such as Haley Joel Osment did...

Kurt basically stepped away from acting after crushing it in Death Proof. He’s got some stuff lined up for 2010, but honestly, looking at his resume, there's zero reason to feel bad. He’s got hits like The Thing, Escape from New York & Escape from LA, Big Trouble in Little China, Tango & Cash, Backdraft, Tombstone, Stargate, and Breakdown under his belt... pretty solid run if you ask me.

Sly actually tried to get him on the Expendables cast... but unfortunately, he turned him down.

Well, if we’re playing by those rules, then Dolph Lundgren never actually retired either. The guy is constantly on some set somewhere—and sure, half of it isn't even worth watching, but hey, he's working... I was really talking about that specific "A-list" presence, that omnipresent aura where their names just echo in everyone's head the second you mention the genre.
When you brought up action, I assumed you had Schwarzenegger and Stallone etched into your brain, or maybe Jim Carrey for comedy... but things aren't quite like that anymore. Honestly, we wouldn't even be having this debate if things hadn't shifted.

Take those two idiots, Haim and Feldman, for example. They were basically the teen idols of America; nothing could move without them. It was all popcorn, hamburgers, chocolate, and milkshakes, man... and then, suddenly, it's like they were abducted by Mulder’s aliens or something. Just vanished. Like they ran some sort of experiment on them and tossed them back down to see how they'd react—one burned up on reentry and the other made a pretty messy landing.

John Taylor19 said:Well, if we’re playing by those rules, then Dolph Lundgren never actually retired either. The guy is constantly on some set somewhere—and sure, half of it isn't even worth watching, but hey, he's working... I was really talking about that specific "A-list" presence, that omnipresent aura where their names just echo in everyone's head the second you mention the genre.
When you brought up action, I assumed you had Schwarzenegger and Stallone etched into your brain, or maybe Jim Carrey for comedy... but things aren't quite like that anymore. Honestly, we wouldn't even be having this debate if things hadn't shifted.

Take those two idiots, Haim and Feldman, for example. They were basically the teen idols of America; nothing could move without them. It was all popcorn, hamburgers, chocolate, and milkshakes, man... and then, suddenly, it's like they were abducted by Mulder’s aliens or something. Just vanished. Like they ran some sort of experiment on them and tossed them back down to see how they'd react—one burned up on reentry and the other made a pretty messy landing.

But looking now... there's definitely something to talk about here. To be fair, he's actually improved a ton lately. It’s still not peak cinema—we're still talking about B-tier action for a specific crowd—but there's a clear upward trend... especially since he started directing his own stuff. I see action fans reviewing him, and they're actually pretty happy. Now that he's back in the spotlight with The Expendables, people act like he was always their favorite hero... nothing but praise.

Look, don't drag guys like Dolph or Dudikof into this discussion, because let’s be real—they were never top-tier A-list talent...

It's pretty simple: if you had their posters tacked up on your bedroom wall when you were just some 14-year-old kid, it just means they were B-list actors... 😂😂😂

Malcolm McDowell—man, he used to crush it in some seriously legendary movies back in the day, but lately? He’s mostly just showing up in those straight-to-streaming B-movies.

Richard Wilson4 said:Look, don't drag guys like Dolph or Dudikof into this discussion, because let’s be real—they were never top-tier A-list talent...

It's pretty simple: if you had their posters tacked up on your bedroom wall when you were just some 14-year-old kid, it just means they were B-list actors... 😂😂😂

True enough but they definitely had their moments in the spotlight, I'll give them that.

Take Michael Paré, for instance—he was all over those old TV dramas and movies back in the day.