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Epic Reine

Keanu Reeves appreciation

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You know, for a guy who can't act for shit, he has appeared is some of the most iconic movies of our generation. He knows his weaknesses and knows how to choose the right films.

 

The Good:

 

Speed

The Matrix trilogy

Point Break

Constantine

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure & Bogus Journey

The Devil's Advocate

A Scanner Darkly

 

The Bad:

 

The Lake House

Feeling Minnesota

Chain Reaction

Hardball

 

The Ugly:

 

Sweet November

The Watcher

Johnny Mnemonic

 

Notice how some of his best films are ridiculous action movies that just require him to just stand there and look pretty. The guy knows his limitations and I can respect that. Has he made some stinkers? Absolutley but I give him credit for taking chances and exploring different genres.

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Chalk up another vote for the awesomeness that is The Replacements. I can watch that movie hundreds of times and it never gets old.

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I'm indifferent to The Replacements. I don't think it's bad but I wouldn't really call it good either. More like "entertaining".

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Chalk up another vote for the awesomeness that is The Replacements. I can watch that movie hundreds of times and it never gets old.

...And TBS ensures that you WILL watch it hundreds of times...

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The Matrix trilogy should not be logged into any one category. The first one still holds up - Reloaded was goofy at best and downright stupid at worst but still somewhat watchable. Revolutions is one of the biggest train wrecks of a film I've ever seen.

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The Good:

 

Speed

The Matrix trilogy

Point Break

Constantine

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure & Bogus Journey

The Devil's Advocate

A Scanner Darkly

 

FAIL

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I'm sure I'm the only one but I always thought Keanu should do more comedy. He's good at playing dumbass/spacey types for intentional laughs as well as unintentional. Weirdly enough My favorite Keanu performance was in the semi-obscure indie Thumbsucker

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I wouldn't say no to a third Bill & Ted, even though Keanu and Alex Winters are in to their 40s at this point...it just wouldn't be the same without George Carlin.

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Reeves in Freaked is a sight to watch, just because his acting style as Ortiz the Dogboy is completely unlike anything else he's done before or since. Given that he's friends with Alex Winter, who directed and starred, I suppose that's why he went all out, but still interesting to watch.

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The Good:

 

Speed

The Matrix trilogy

Point Break

Constantine

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure & Bogus Journey

The Devil's Advocate

A Scanner Darkly

 

FAIL

I was surprised by actually liking Constantine, being that I'm a fan of both Moore and Ennis's runs in the original comics. It was sort of the exact opposite of Watchmen; while the movie was ragingly unfaithful to the details of the Hellblazer comics and Constantine's character, it still got the original spirit of the book surprisingly well. (Until the ending anyway, when Constantine decides he's gonna stop smoking and enjoy life, bull-sheeyit.) Once I accepted that Reeves wasn't even trying to really emulate the original blonde British self-described "nasty piece of work", I thought the new character he was playing actually wasn't too bad.

 

For me, the FAIL would be A Scanner Darkly. Oh good lord that movie annoyed the piss out of me, not a single sympathetic or likable character in the whole film.

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Part of me wonders if maybe the biggest problem with Keanu is life has punched him in the face so much that he has nothing left emotionally. I mean seriously, your girlfriend gives birth to your stillborn daughter. Four months after you break up, she is thrown through her windshield in a car accident and dies instantly. Add in your sister, who he has stated is his best friend, has cancer and hasn't been doing well for a few years now. I'm shocked the guy has the ability to MOVE, let alone show an emotion.

 

And he was pretty awesome in THE GIFT but he was downright horrible in Much Ado about Nothing. But clearly his greatest roles are Ortiz in FREAKED and Lord Buddha in Little Buddha. Seriously, if you do not break out laughing hearing his Indian accent when he says "WHAT IS THIS SONG?" then I don't know if you CAN laugh.

 

Not to mention, nothing wrong with the horribly depressing ending to HARDBALL.

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I don't know how to rate Bram Stoker's Dracula. I enjoy most of the actual movie but Keanu is so horribly, shockingly miscast as Harker that it almost ruins the film. "It's the man himself! He's grown young!" Or how about "I was impotent with fear!"

 

Reeves is one of my mom's favorites for whatever reason. She loves Speed and also The Replacements, bought her both for Christmas a few years ago. She doesn't like any of the Matrix movies though.

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The Matrix trilogy should not be logged into any one category. The first one still holds up - Reloaded was goofy at best and downright stupid at worst but still somewhat watchable. Revolutions is one of the biggest train wrecks of a film I've ever seen.

Seconded.

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I know Keanu's not the greatest actor, but he's also insanely watchable. He's not technically a good actor, but he's got that surfer dude charisma that carries him through.

 

I heard a funny story that when he was performing Hamlet during his theatre phase he had to use the word "Excellent" and it shows up A LOT in the text, so he was saying 'my excellent friend' 'Excellent' this and that, and the audience where completely pissing themselves laughing.

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Hey, don't forget The River's Edge, though Crispin Glover helps carry that film more.

I LOVE that movie, though you're right about Glover carrying it. Dumb, pretty teenage Keanu acting like a dumb, pretty teenager is quite poignant, really!

 

I liked Constantine quite a bit.

 

And he's hilarious in Much Ado About Nothing!

 

I've heard a couple actors day that Keanu is pretty much dumb as a bag of hammers, and is also just about the nicest guy in the world. I feel that comes through in most of his movies. He's can't emote, or hell sometimes read lines, but he's instantly likeable. He's like an adorable puppy.

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These days Keanu seems like he's just totally unwilling to do anything besides standard leading man parts (aside from the rare occasions when he does a favor for someone showing up in their indy movie). I could actually see him succeeding in some other parts. Like, imagine him taking a shot at the Brad Pitt part in Burn After Reading. See what I mean? If he was willing to poke fun at himself and not be so damn serious all the time, it might improve some people's opinions of him.

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