Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Robert Downey Jr. Appreciation

Just two days ago I was celebrating Michael Fassbender's birthday here on my blog, but today is the day I've celebrated for quite some time now - Robert Downey Jr's birthday. I have a tradition of watching his movies on that day. A year ago I chose "Chaplin", today I think I'll enjoy "Sherlock Holmes" again. His story is one of those that inspire - hopelessly addicted to drugs and alcohol, time spent in jail and many thinking he will never recover, yet now he is one of the biggest stars in the world, he appears to kick off his bad habits for good and two months ago his second son was born. He managed to achieve the impossible - not only did he overcome his addictions but his Oscar nomination for "Tropic Thunder" remains to this day, at least for me, most delightfully surprising nomination in Academy Awards history. Why do I love him? Not only is he a great actor who does wonderfully both in drama and comedies but also he has amazing sense of humour - whether it is a talk show or awards ceremony when he appears you know it will be hilarious. For me this guy is a synonym for charisma. He says something and others follow. Even if it means staring at a cat.

5 best movies:
Wonder Boys
Natural Born Killers
Chaplin
5 favorite performances:
Natural Born Killers
Wonder Boys
Chaplin
Tropic Thunder
5 best quotes:
Advice for Charlie Sheen: "Don't get arrested"
About his criminal record: "I heard you can get it expunged, but I've been pretty busy"
"Worrying is like praying for something bad to happen"
"The lesson is that you can still make mistakes and be forgiven."
"I`ve always felt like such an outsider in this industry. Because I`m so insane I guess."
5 best quotes by his characters:
"I was tired, I was pissed, I was wetter than Drew Barrymore in a grunge club" - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
"I hated the bitch" - Chaplin
"My name is Wayne Gale! I am a respected journalist!" - Natural Born Killers
"Madam, I need you to remain calm. And trust me, I'm a professional. Beneath this pillow, lies the key to my release." - Sherlock Holmes
"What? Fuck You!" - Due Date
5 favorite moments:
The pillow scene in Sherlock Holmes
All the arguments with "Hollywood" in Due Date
"Every Breath you Take" in Ally McBeal
Crashing the car in Wonder Boys
"I'm the dude playing a dude disguised as another dude" scene in Tropic Thunder
5 favorite pictures:
Reviews:

29 comments:

  1. asrap virtuosoApril 4, 2012 at 4:02 AM

    "This guy is a synonym for charisma" <-- so very true. I straight but I think I have a guy crush on him... haha...

    I hear he improvise a lot in films, so those quotes in films might actually be his.

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    1. s.April 4, 2012 at 2:35 PM

      That's very possible his sense of humour is often identical to the characters' he plays.

      Delete
  2. thevoid99April 4, 2012 at 4:02 AM

    Tropic Thunder is still my favorite Downey performance. The fact he plays a method actor who takes himself so seriously, he's willing to darken his skin to be an African-American is just hilarious. He had some of the best one-liners in that film.

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    1. s.April 5, 2012 at 4:42 PM

      He was amazing in this movie, truly a highlight of the film.

      Delete
  3. RuthApril 4, 2012 at 4:17 AM

    I love these appreciation posts that you do! Sherlock Holmes is such fun!!

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    1. s.April 4, 2012 at 2:38 PM

      Thanks! it is fun, such an entertaining movie. Too bad the sequel wasn't like that :(

      Delete
  4. M. HufstaderApril 4, 2012 at 4:25 AM

    I'm loving these appreciation posts! Robert Downey Jr. deserves it as much as Fassbender does. I can't help but love me some RDJ. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang has to be one of my favorites just because I've watched it so many times, but props for mentioning Tropic Thunder. That could've been either very bad or very good, and he pulled it off.

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    1. s.April 5, 2012 at 4:43 PM

      Thanks I'm glad you like them! KKBB is a great film and TT was indeed a risky performance but he completely nailed it.

      Delete
  5. NikhatApril 4, 2012 at 8:31 AM

    Ironman? He owns that role, come on!

    I love RDJesus. His own personality is so brilliant and cocky and funny that his films become a different experience all together. Happy Birthday to him :)

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    1. s.April 4, 2012 at 2:47 PM

      I like Iron Man fils a lot, but as for his performance as fun as it is, he is basically just being himself :)

      Delete
  6. ilovethatfilmApril 4, 2012 at 11:22 AM

    Very pleased that RDJ got his life back on track. It would be terribly sad to lose him to an overdose or something! It's all about Kiss Kiss Bang Bang for me. That set the tone for the rest of his career so far! Also love Iron Man, he's made a comic book character really fun and a pleasure to watch! Still need to see Wonder Boys!

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    1. s.April 5, 2012 at 4:44 PM

      Oh Wonder Boys is a wonderful film, with so many great performances. Downey is hilarious in this one.

      Delete
  7. 3guys1movie.comApril 5, 2012 at 2:03 AM

    Sati, I was reading some blog yesterday and they mentioned that they had recently watched Less Than Zero. I think RDJ's performance in that can be credited for keeping me off hard drugs. :-)

    nice post.

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    1. s.April 5, 2012 at 4:45 PM

      Oh yes it's a horryifing movie, especially since Downey was facing the very same things in his own life.

      Delete
  8. Dave EnkoskyApril 5, 2012 at 3:38 AM

    I also think his performance in Zodiac is quite astounding. I'd rank it among his best.

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    1. s.April 5, 2012 at 4:46 PM

      It's a great performance byut I didn't think there was enough of him and Ruffalo in the mvoie, its a shame they made Gyllenhaal into a main star.

      Delete
  9. Susanne GogaApril 5, 2012 at 1:01 PM

    Sati, thanks for the nice birthday post :-). I still have to see "Tropic Thunder", loved the other films.

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    1. s.April 5, 2012 at 4:47 PM

      You're gonna love TT, it's a hilarious film.

      Delete
    2. Susanne GogaApril 6, 2012 at 9:03 PM

      I've already got the DVD on my shelf. Looking forward to watching the film. I also like Robert's performance in The Singing Detective. Gruesome make-up.

      Delete
    3. s.April 7, 2012 at 1:59 AM

      Oh, he was wonderful in this film. It was nice of Gibson to give him a chance.

      Delete
    4. Susanne GogaApril 7, 2012 at 11:26 PM

      Yes, that's true. I loved the scene in which he remembered his mother's death. Truly great acting.

      Delete
  10. Chip LaryApril 5, 2012 at 9:47 PM

    My favorite movies of his would be Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man. I have yet to see Chaplin. I remember seeing him all the way back in the 80s as the weird best friend in Back to School.

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    1. s.April 7, 2012 at 2:00 AM

      Chaplin is great, both funny and touching and his performance is really remarkable.

      Delete
  11. AmyApril 22, 2012 at 4:23 PM

    I love RDJ, can't believe he's late 40s though! Still, he's still very hot. I saw Fur not so long ago and loved it, I need to check out Wonder Boys and Chaplin though

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    1. s.April 22, 2012 at 8:55 PM

      Both of these are really great movies and wonderful performances from him. I can't get over how young he looks, years of addiction and he still looks as if he was 10 years younger than he really is.

      Delete
  12. Alex WithrowApril 4, 2013 at 3:25 PM

    Love Robert Downey Jr. I honestly can't believe that this dude is 48 and looks as good as he does. Really shows you that ANYONE can turn their life around.

    Natural Born Killers has gotta be my favorite RDJ performance. For the accent alone. Jesus.

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    1. s.April 4, 2013 at 6:21 PM

      He was so hilarious in NBK, him, Jones and Sizemore are so amusing in their roles.

      Definitely, he is such an inspiration!

      Delete
  13. Maurice MitchellApril 4, 2013 at 7:03 PM

    This is a great tribute, but Chaplin is still awesome.

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