Top Actress Polls: Current

[What Exit?]

This was not easy to narrow down a list. I used my knowledge of movies and several Internet sources. The lines between Old Hollywood, Post Studio and Current are not sharp but I managed to get 25 actors or less for each list. In the end I will take the top 8 for each category for a second thread to determine the top10. I am sure I left some off and I included some I would never vote for, but I think this is a fair list. Please have fun with it and promote your choices and why or argue with others.
So vote for your top 10 and the top 8 will move on.

(There will also be one wildcard to give us a full 25 for the final round)

[Myrnalene]

I'm glad we can vote for up to 10! I am terrible at picking my "top favorite" of anything but especially when it relates to film.

Several excellent actresses are not on the list here: Emily Watson, Laura Linney, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, and Ellen Burstyn come to mind immediately. On the other hand, Christina Ricci is good but not great, Drew Barrymore is no kind of actor at all IMO, and Wynona Ryder is just awful.

My picks are for Cate, Emma, Frances, Glenn, Jodie, Julianne, Kate, Meryl, Sigourney and Susan. Tough choices, though.

ETA: the fantastic Ellen Burstyn is included in the "Post Studio" poll.

[OtakuLoki]

Good to see all the Jodie love.

[What Exit?]

I'm glad we can vote for up to 10! I am terrible at picking my "top favorite" of anything but especially when it relates to film.

Several excellent actresses are not on the list here: Emily Watson, Laura Linney, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, and Ellen Burstyn come to mind immediately. On the other hand, Christina Ricci is good but not great, Drew Barrymore is no kind of actor at all IMO, and Wynona Ryder is just awful.

ETA: the fantastic Ellen Burstyn is included in the "Post Studio" poll.

I had the most problems with this list. Actresses were heavy towards current. Filling out the Post Studio was tough. The sources I pulled from were light on foreign actresses and I really should have included Maggie and Helen at least. Watson and Linney are good choices, but not slam dunks and I tried to include actresses I dislike like Meryl, Nicole & Swank. I was surprised by how often Drew and Wynona popped up on others lists and decided to keep them.

I never actually thought about Linney. Angela, Ellen, Goldie, Jane, Glenda were all late moves to Post Studio to relieve the pressure on current and to increase the numbers in Post Studio.

Ruth Gordon and Master Astor were last minute additions to the other two lists. They never showed up on any of my resources. Oddly same with Catherine Deneuve which really surprised me. Julie Andrews was missing from many too.

You'll probably see others I forgot in other lists. I should have had you review these first.

Good to see all the Jodie love.

I thought the same thing, a very pleasant surprise. She is probably my favorite of the modern actresses. I think she is great and one of the best child actors too.

[hatesfreedom]

Rachel Weisz makes me want to be a better man. Or a worse one.

[Myglaren]

I thought the same thing, a very pleasant surprise. She is probably my favorite of the modern actresses. I think she is great and one of the best child actors too.

I was impressed by Nathalie Portman as Mathilda in Leon. Haven't seen much of her since though.
Same with Dakota Fanning.

[What Exit?]

I was impressed by Nathalie Portman as Mathilda in Leon. Haven't seen much of her since though.
Same with Dakota Fanning.

Well Natalie Portman was great in that and look for her in the small movie Garden State. She was excellent and really cute all grown up. I actually have not liked the other 3.5 movies I have seen her in, but not because of her. She is fine, the movies stunk.

I forgot, I liked her in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium too. Not a great movie, but she was as excellent as Dustin Hoffman was creepy and doing a poor Willy Wonka imitation.

I do not like Dakota Fanning, she is an annoying actress to me. She over-acts and over-emotes.

[Myglaren]

Well Natalie Portman was great in that and look for her in the small movie Garden State. She was excellent and really cute all grown up. I actually have not liked the other 3.5 movies I have seen her in, but not because of her. She is fine, the movies stunk.

I forgot, I liked her in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium too. Not a great movie, but she was as excellent as Dustin Hoffman was creepy and doing a poor Willy Wonka imitation.

I do not like Dakota Fanning, she is an annoying actress to me. She over-acts and over-emotes.

I have only seen her in "Charlotte's Web" and thought that she made a very good job of it. Nothing at all since that.

[What Exit?]

I have only seen her in "Charlotte's Web" and thought that she made a very good job of it. Nothing at all since that.

I have not seen that one oddly. I will catch it eventually.

She was annoying and cloying in Coraline, terrible in War of the Worlds and chewed all the scenary in Uptown Girls. So she is 0 for 3 in the movies I have seen her in.

Meanwhile Abigail Breslin is a really good and natural child actress. She was good in Little Miss Sunshine playing off Alan Arkin and great in Nim's Island playing off Jodie Foster. Hopefully she will keep it up.

[Zuul]

I absolutely agree about Abigail Breslin. What little I've seen of her so far (the two movies you mentioned, plus Kit Kittredge: An American Girl [I have a five year old niece who likes movies, okay?]) has been really impressive.

[Orual]

Abigail Breslin also rocked the hizzy in Zombieland. Dakota Fanning makes me all stabby.

[What Exit?]

I absolutely agree about Abigail Breslin. What little I've seen of her so far (the two movies you mentioned, plus Kit Kittredge: An American Girl [I have a five year old niece who likes movies, okay?]) has been really impressive.

What age group was Kit Kittredge: An American Girl for? Do you think a 12 year old would enjoy it? She liked Nancy Drew. (The movie, not the book.)

I really should go see Zombieland it looks like fun and Pep really gave it a great review.

[Zuul]

What age group was Kit Kittredge: An American Girl for? Do you think a 12 year old would enjoy it? She liked Nancy Drew. (The movie, not the book.)

I really should go see Zombieland it looks like fun and Pep really gave it a great review.

I think a 12 year old could enjoy it, definitely. It's not really babyish or anything. It's set in in the Great Depression and while it's G-rated and certainly captures a more innocent time, there's a lot of substance to it. Kit wants to be a reporter and there are some crimes worth reporting in the film (robbery, mostly). There're some hints of politics, some social consciousness, and it's a bit weightier than your typical tween movie. It's exactly the kind of movie I'd want my kids watching if I had some, since it leads to thinking about history in a very concrete way.

[jali]

I thought Dakota Fanning was good in The Secret Life of Bees.

[OneCentStamp]

Winona Ryder, still pitchin' a no-hitter.

[artifex]

Winona Ryder, still pitchin' a no-hitter

Probably because her trademark seems to be that wide-eyed deer-in-the-headlights look, and let's face it, that's got to be limiting.

I might just be bitter because I wanted to, but could not, pull off her haircut in the 90s, but seriously, she hasn't got a lot of dramatic range.

[What Exit?]

Probably because her trademark seems to be that wide-eyed deer-in-the-headlights look, and let's face it, that's got to be limiting.

If we did teen actresses, she might get some votes, but her adult career has not been great. I probably should have left her off, but she was in a lot of other lists and I was trying to be objective. I would have left Annette Benning & Nicole Kidman off if I was not trying to be objective and they did pick up a vote each. So I tried not to let my own judgment cloud the 25. I also hate Meryl Streep the way Myrnalene hates Tom Hanks. I still included her.

[What Exit?]

I hope we can get a few more votes on comments. The poll is nearly closed.

[beebs]

Anyone who didn't vote for Kathy Bates makes me stabby.