Best Jack Nicholson performance:

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Since they only give 10 slots in these polls, I had to pick just 10 out of the (at least) 50 films he has been in. If your favorite is not listed, please reply with your favorite.

[swag]

1. As I was just saying to my close personal married friend Dolo Amber,

Five Easy Pieces.

[Robeson]

2. Other: "Carnal Knowledge"...

...kind of set the tone for his later characters.

[swag]

3. "Ballbusters on Parade." Great slide show.

And you got to see Ann Margret's.

[Robeson]

4. Wasn't that fun?...

...:D

[swag]

6. Ichiban!

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7. Ann-Margaret's balls?

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11. Good one - I almost included "Carnal Knowlege" in the poll,

but swapped it out at the last minute for "The Last Detail" for 2 reasons, one being that he received an Oscar nomination for "The Last Detail" and not for "Carnal Knowlege," and also because "The Last Detail" receive a 7.5 rating on imDb and "Carnal Knowlege" received a 6.8. But since nobody has voted for "The Last Detail" so far, and you replied with "Carnal," I guess that was a mistake.

[everythingsxen]

5. I gotta go with "Anger Management" (NT)

[johnnie]

8. I'm gonna go w/ The Shining

He has done a lot of great work, but that one stands out for me.

[saltpoint]

9. I've liked him in just about all the roles, but went with FIVE EASY PIECES

because the film overall packs such a wallop.

Karen Black's best role ever, and that ending is just a masterwork of spiritual desolation.

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12. Personally I think it was the performance of his career.

[saltpoint]

13. You betcha.

:thumbsup: :hi:

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14. I can't picture anyone else playing that role. For his other roles,

it's not too hard to pick out another actor who could have played the role just as well. But for "Five Easy Pieces," I can't think of anyone else who could have done it.

[saltpoint]

17. Agreed. Absolutely. It was formed from the ether just for Jack.

And Karen Black just blows me away as "Rayette." My god, the characterization in that film... and especially what that name tells ya about her family, about her, and what it finally means for her to be abandoned in that fuel station at the end.

Among many, I love the scene where Nicholson is in the back of the flatbed truck at the keyboard, playing Chopin in the haze of traffic smog. Unbelievable.

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19. I've never seen Karen Black in anything else, but

I believe it that this was her best performance. And it seems to be about the only thing that Susan Anspach was in. Even the smaller parts in the movie are all interesting, well-cast and well-played.

[saltpoint]

20. Karen Black's high school counselor told her she should abandon her

notions of becoming a film actress.

And in truth, she hasn't exactly caught on, and isn't in Meryl Streep's talent range.

But I stand up for Karen Black because of "Rayette." Just a tremendous performance.

I think she was in Robert Altman's NASHVILLE also (not sure...) as a sort of blond bombshell country-and-western star who walks onto the stage of the Grand Ol' Opry just after the "Loretta Lynn" character suffers a collapse. Altman films it so that her character is somehow not exactly the same as her character's breasts. Without a syllable of dialogue, Altman gets the message through about as forcefully as it can possibly be made.

You've got me thinking I need to rent FIVE EASY PIECES again and enjoy it one more time.

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22. Sadly though, I found the sound quality of the DVD to be pretty poor.

I don't remember the sound quality of the movie in a theater as having any problems, but when I rented the DVD a couple of months ago, the sound seemed pretty "old" and lo-fi to me, compared to other movies playing through my stereo. I think there is a Criterion DVD of it though, which might have better sound.

[saltpoint]

24. I may go for the high-quality improved DVD, then, if for no other

reason than to hear Tammy Wynette singing "Stand by Your Man," even as Nicholson's character begins to contemplate leaving Rayette.

What a film!

[Broken_Hero]

10. Cuckoo's Nest for me...:)

But he was funny as hell in Anger Management...:hi:

[mitchum]

15. "The King of Marvin Gardens"

[GalleryGod]

16. Billy "Bad Ass" Buddusky !

I saw it at the Theatre 1812(Philly) on a college date night, and the audience gave it a Standing Ovation !:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:




BTW- lead, in "The Last Detail":smoke:

[maveric]

23. "Everybody's old enough for a beer!"

By far my favorite Nicholson performance.
Young Randy Quaid did great in that flick too.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

18. Wolf was an interesting mid- to late- career role.

I liked the way his tired character "recharged."

There was also a very cool early role-- The Traveler or The Passenger or something like that. May have been an Antonioni film.

[Zomby Woof]

26. The Passenger

Fantastic film. I rented it on VHS back in the late 80's, then it disappeared. Was finally issued on DVD fully restored and cleaned up just this year.

A must see for Nicholson fans or fans of any good films.

[CBGLuthier]

21. To have a career like that

There isn't a crappy movie on that list and some of them are amongst the best ever made.

Had to go for Five Easy Pieces myself. He created a complete character the way few have that we will never forget.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

25. Little Shop of Horrors

[Zomby Woof]

27. Cuckoo's Nest

Followed closely by 'The King of Marvin Gardens', and 'Five Easy Pieces'.

Best comedic role: 'Prizzi's Honor'.

[Neshanic]

28. Can't decide. "Good as It Gets", "Shining"