Monday, November 5, 2012

Sam Rockwell Appreciation

By s. Monday, November 5, 2012
Sam Rockwell
(November 5, 1968 in Daly City, California, USA)

I feel a little strange all the time, a little bit off-center. I never feel that people are as nutty as me.

Today is 44th birthday of the immensely talented and charismatic Sam Rockwell, the actor who I've been rooting for ever since I saw him in The Green Mile, yet somehow he still didn't get his big break. It's shocking to me that the actor of such talent and dedication was never nominated for any major awards, especially since I actually had a hard time choosing only 10 great performances from him. He shines in every single movie he is in, frequently even though his part isn't big he is one of the most memorable aspects of the films he appears in - as with the case of Charlie's Angels and Frost/Nixon. Rockwell always delivers magnificent work, both with heavy dramas such as Moon and Snow Angels and in comedic performances as the one in Iron Man 2, Galaxy Quest, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and aforementioned Charlie's Angels and Frost/Nixon. I'm eagerly anticipating Seven Psychopaths and I hope he will finally get the recognition he deserves.

10 favorite movies:
Frost/Nixon
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Green Mile
Moon
Matchstick Men
Iron Man 2
Galaxy Quest
Conviction
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind 
Choke



10 favorite performances:
Snow Angels
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Moon
Conviction
Choke
Frost/Nixon
Confessions of A Dangerous Mind
Galaxy Quest
Matchstick Men
The Green Mile

5 fun facts: 
  • Often works some sort of dance into his roles
  • Filmed his scenes for Jarhead (2005) in one day. His scenes were later deleted.
  • Boyfriend of Leslie Bibb.
  • To memorize lines, he says he dictates them into a tape recorder in a monotone, so he won't get used to any inflection before he's had a chance to consider which speech pattern would be appropriate for the character.
  • Told Carson Daly in a talk-show appearance that he dropped out of G.I. Jane (1997) because he didn't want to get cold filming the night time SCUBA scenes.
 
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36 comments:

  1. I love this guy. I have only seen half of Moon, but he was excellent in it.
    However the role I always think of first for him is in Charlie's Angels :P He's so awesome in that.

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    1. You should finish Moon, the ending was one of the best parts!
      He was so great, definetly stole the spotlight from everyone!

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  2. The dude's awesome. I was so convinced that he would get an Oscar nod for Moon. Also, he's one of the best things about Seven Psychopaths for sure.

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    1. I really can't wait for SP, I heard amazing things about his performance there.

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  3. Matchstick Men!!! Omg, I love that movie.. I think it is Cage's best one and I still remember how I got my first ever movie poster and it was.. drum roll - Matchstick Men!

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    1. That is such a great movie. Cage was awesome in it, so were Lohman and Rockwell - amazing cast!

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  4. Man, he has a good way of remembering lines. Maybe I should apply that to the mounds of lines I have to learn for Drama.

    I adore Sam Rockwell. He is consistently great in everything he's in. I think I first saw him in Moon, so basically, I was shown the full breadth of his talent there. He hasn't disappointed me since.

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    1. He is terrific, literally every single movie he is in is worth seeing because of his acting. Well, except for The Sitter :)

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  5. I love Sam Rockwell. I'm glad he's finally getting more attention. He was robbed of an Oscar nom for Moon though. He was fabulous in that.

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    1. He really was, same with Conviction. I don't understand how he doesn't even have a Golden Globe nomination yet.

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  6. Sam Rockwell is the man. Hard to believe he's 44. This reminds me that I really, really need to see Moon. Not sure what's taken me so long to get to that!

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    1. Yeah, he seems so much younger! Moon is really awesome, especially his performance.

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  7. Sam Rockwell is awesome. My favorite performance of his so far is in Moon. I first saw him in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles where he had a chance to stand out.

    Other favorites of Rockwell include Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Seven Psychopaths, Snow Angels, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Box of Moonlight, Matchstick Men, Choke, and Galaxy Quest.

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    1. I really need to see Box of Moonlight, never seen this one and I saw many people mention how awesome Rockwell was in it.

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  8. Lovely post, Sati! Love that main pic with the kitty. I really like him in his brief role Iron Man, though for serious roles, I thought he was excellent in the little-seen Conviction.

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    1. Thank you! Conviction was pretty good film and he was really wonderful in it, I saw it twice just for his work.

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  9. I think it's federally mandated that you must love this guy. He is completely under-appreciated and I'm psyched you created this post.

    As for my favorite role? Moon is a great movie and he was epic in it, but the one that always cracks me up is his turn as Guy in Galaxy Quest.

    I'm not? Then what's my last name?

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    1. It absolutely is. He is one of the most amazing actors working today.

      Oh God, Galaxy Quest is such a funny movie. He was hilarious in it - so was Alan Rickman.

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  10. Yes!! I love that final scene with him in Galaxy Quest! Just remembering it makes me laugh.

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    1. He was hilarious in it, I really need to rewatch it soon.

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  11. Yes! I love some. My favorite performance is in Assassination of Jesse James.

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    1. LOVE his work there. People always talk about Affleck, but for me Rockwell was the best one in the movie.

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  12. At first I couldn't place Sam Rockwell. ("Where do I know him from? Oh, yes! He was that dude in Choke.") :-) I'm adding Moon to my list.

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    1. I think you'll like it, definetly one of the better sci fi movies of the last years!

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  13. Yay! I love him in everything I've seen him in. Interesting seeing Snow Angels and Jesse James at the top of your favorite performances list. Moon is my clear favorite, but Charlie's Angels would probably be much higher on my list than it should be. ;)

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    1. Yeah Charlie's Angels is such a ridiculous movie, but he is so awesome in it!

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  14. LOVE Rockwell. Dude brings it to every role, no matter the material. The monotone dictation of his lines is really interesting. I liked that bit of trivia a lot. My favorite Rockwell performance is still Matchstick Men... love him in that.

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    1. Glad to read you love him in MM, such a terrific movie. Great work by Nic Cage too!

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    2. "Did you see her open the door?! It was... bitchin!"

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    3. :D

      I really need to see the movie again but it always makes me miss Alison Lohman :(

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  15. GAH! I cant believe you havent seen Seven Psychopaths yet!! Youre gonna love it!! :D

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    1. Yeah, I'm seeing it in 3 weeks - hate the fact that I need to wait this long.

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  16. I watched Seven Psychopaths yesterday and thought he was great, while I recognized him I didn't even know his name!

    I think I've only seen him in Moon which was great, need to see some of the others for sure!

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    1. I heard he is amazing in this one, I really can't wait to see it!

      You won't be disappointed with any of his films - he always delivers amazing work. Matchstick Men and The Asssassination of Jesse James are especially fantastic.

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  17. One of my favourite actors, still can't believe he was snubbed for Moon.

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    1. Glad you like him! Yeah, Moon was such an amazing work for him, they usually ignore sci-fi in Oscar season :(

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