Celebrate Michael Caine On This Thread

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I [heart] Caine - he was my favorite movie star as a kid, because he was British, and kind of a Bond-ish rogue type so often but without being over-the-top. He's still one of my favorites.

Favorite Caine movie/performance - The Man Who Would Be King.

Favorite underrated movie/performance - Noises Off (which is coming out on DVD soon)

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 19:27 (twenty-two years ago)

The Man Who Would Be King and the Harry Palmer movies are the traditional favorites, but I really like his performances in the two ensemble WWII movies: A Bridge Too Far and The Battle Of Britain.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 21:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I think his role in "Hannah and Her Sisters" is dreadfully underrated. MC's the man.

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 22:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I honestly love everything he does. He even made that Jaws movie (sort of) worth sitting through. Has the man EVER done wrong?

― Anthony (Anthony F), Thursday, 10 June 2004 00:14 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't like him much. Smug, self-righteous, self-regarding tory with a teeny weeny talent who's made a hell of a lot more terrible films (Swarm, Return to Poseidon) than good ones.
But this may be because of his saintly status in British popular culture. Lad Mags celebrate him (he is, after all, the star of some Brit-lad film 'Classics" - Alfie, Zulu, Italian Job, Ipcress File) and his recent decision to actually choose his work based on scripts rather than paypackets has given him a classier finish than in the days of Blue Ice and Jaws 4. Its just that he always comes across as such a prick - on chat-shows, in print interviews, in his autobiography....
As an actor, his range is limited, to say the least. He can play a tough guy (as long as he's a Brit) or a romantic lead. He struggles in villain parts - he is plain pantomime in Quills, and cannot adopt any accent convincingly (Cider House Rules).
Plus I always thought he piggy-backed to stardom on Sean Connery. The Harry Palmer series was successful because of its deliberate contrasts with Bond, and Caine offered a less masculine, less interesting, less dangerous, more obvious vision of British manhood in the 60s than Connery. Probably his best film is "The Man Who Would Be King" with Connery.....

― David N (David N.), Thursday, 10 June 2004 00:39 (twenty-two years ago)

David OTM. He lived off his early reputation for a loooong time.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 10 June 2004 12:44 (twenty-two years ago)

What's funny is how watch Caine is more recent films is embarrassing whilst Terence Stamp can show up in The Phantom Menace and that Ashton Kutcher movie and not lose any points with me.

― Gear! (Gear!), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Thats cos Caine tries far too hard whereas Stamp is just, well, cool.

― David N (David N.), Thursday, 10 June 2004 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Has the man EVER done wrong?

Oh hell yeah... The Swarm, The Hand, The Island

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 15 June 2004 08:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Not so much 'has he ever been in bad films', but 'has he ever been bad in a bad film'?

I'm not sure I agree totally with David. I saw him interviewed on Parkinson a couple of years ago and thought that he was really interesting, all that stuff about his brother he never knew he had, and his Mum continuing in her cleaning job even after he was a millionaire, and I just thought that his stories were quite entertaining.

I'm also not sure he can't play the villain. I was afraid of him in Mona Lisa, for one. He was horrible. I don't think his contrast with Sean Connery makes him second rate at all. But then I'm biased, because I can't abide Sean Connery. I'd go and see a Michael Caine film over a Sean Connery film any day, especially now.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Monday, 21 June 2004 07:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Not so much 'has he ever been in bad films', but 'has he ever been bad in a bad film'?

Again, he's pretty horrid in the three I mentioned.

I'd go and see a Michael Caine film over a Sean Connery film any day, especially now.

What WAS the last great Connery film? Hunt For Red October?

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:29 (twenty-one years ago)

>What WAS the last great Connery film? Hunt For Red October?

finding forrester! HILARIOUS

― a spectator bird (a spectator bird), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 21:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I heart Surrender and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels probably more than I should admit. Bullseye! was total shite, although I was too young at the time I first saw it to realize that (plus it had a comedic scene capped by two dogs humping on the back of a moving truck, which at the time seemed a lot more hilarious than it really was).

On the other hand, I thought that his "take any role if the price is right" stance, without any bullshit excuses was great. Where else can you get such interview gems as (paraphrased):

Interviewer: You've been in a lot of less than well-faring films lately.
Caine: Well, an actor's first job is to act. Whatever keeps me working...
Interviewer: What about disasters like Jaws 4?
Caine: I've actually never seen it. I hear it's a horrible film. But look, it bought me this house!

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I've always liked that about Michael Caine. He does not care what you think of him. Or at least I used to like it when he didn't care. Lately he's come over all Dame Michael of Caine and tends to believe his own hype, or appear to. A bit like Anthony Hopkins.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Thursday, 24 June 2004 22:06 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

How can his Hannah role be "underrated" when he won an Oscar?

When he's good, he's great. And he's correct in thinking The Quiet American is the best he's done. His turn as a showbiz bottom-feeder in Little Voice is a hoot too.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

eight years pass...

http://golemuniverse.blogspot.com/2009/05/michael-caine-its-over.html

― What About The Half That's Never Been POLLed (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 14 April 2013 13:49 (thirteen years ago)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mD5JlMiRsOA/ShgkwI__9hI/AAAAAAAACaw/7TUf51ygUkQ/s1600/Michael-Caine.jpg

― What About The Half That's Never Been POLLed (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 14 April 2013 13:50 (thirteen years ago)

Aye, that's the chap.

― Andrew Farrell, Sunday, 14 April 2013 20:49 (thirteen years ago)

Have you guys seen The Trip?

― What About The Half That's Never Been POLLed (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 14 April 2013 20:54 (thirteen years ago)

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