TS: Meryl Streep vs Julianne Moore

Moore Moore Moore

Both have irritating tics, but Moore gave a marvelous performance in Gloria Bell last spring sure to be ignored at the end of the year, and she never starred in The Iron Lady. Gimme Moore!

cant wont choose

^

I have always been under-impressed by Streep. Sure, she has craft. I can see that much, but her performances generally leave me unmoved and untouched. The endless love lavished upon her by her peers in the form of Oscars puzzles me - not that it really matters.

both good criers

fave early Streep perf is A Cry in the Dark

like lots of Moore, esp w/ Todd Haynes, but my GOD was she terrible in A Single Man

I will never see The Hours with the two of them

Curious poll. Does onscreen nudity count for anything? JM is pretty fearless in that regard. Still, Deerhunter. But then, Boogie Nights. Maybe a slight role but JM was excellent in Don Jon. Maps To The Stars, too. Moore all the way.

Come on, JM no contest.

with a rebel yell

Short Cuts and The Big Lebowski is difficult to beat, but I admit I don't know enough of Streep's early stuff to know if any of her comic roles are specifically ragging on early work.

streep easily and moore is great

agreed

Does onscreen nudity count for anything?

i’ll say this for streep: she’s fucking phenomenal in mamma mia

Streep was phenomenal in her 10-min role in that Tommy Lee Jones western a few years back

the homesman right ? that movie is goood

streep easily and moore is great

Moore by a country mile

Topsy Turvy clinches it for Moore

is Julianne Moore in topsy turvy?

It is Streep's character in the Mary Poppins reboot

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

JM is quite often terrible, imo, but sometimes genuinely great. She's bad in Gloria Bell. I have no idea what she thought she was doing in that movie but I think it's as much a direction problem as a performance one. On the other hand it's quite a particular version of bad/not good that makes me wonder about her - wonder what, I'm not sure. She's definitely less reliable than MS.

Both have irritating tics, but Moore gave a marvelous performance in Gloria Bell

i'm surprised at this!

...because I often disagree with Alf but I think he likes actors a lot in particular ways that not many critics do.

I don't think I've ever seen Julianne Moore bad. Streep? Oh my god...

she never starred in The Iron Lady

OTM. Plus I can't stick Streep.

can't remember the last time I saw Meryl Streep in a movie and wasn't constantly thinking, "Oh look, that's Meryl Streep being a really good actor"

somehow every character she plays gets buried under "Meryl Streep"

xxxp and, to be frank, not many directors do. I talked about this on another thread but I think so many directors now don't care about directing acting, they care about directing the mood and if the mood is right and the actor fits the mood then that's enough for them but it's not enough for me.

PS it's the 23rd of December and I am drunk.

(xps) Actually she is quite good in Mamma Mia!

..because I often disagree with Alf but I think he likes actors a lot in particular ways that not many critics do.

― Good taste, bit Victorian but who isn't? (jed_)

ha! can you explain? (not putting you on the stand)

I'm not sure actually. I think most critics decide what actors they like whereas you actually deploy specific judgements on performances outside of whether you like them and you're almost completely objective regardless of how much you like Jake G or JM, for example. Most critics don't care about acting at all! They'll mention it as an aside at most. I find it very weird. Maybe you are also tapped into a specifically weird (or queer!) appreciation of what can make a particular performance good. To be honest I also think that Eric H. enjoys actors in a similar way.

Still drunk.

I didn't expect an answer, and you gave me one, jed.

I want Jake as a seat cushion, though.

Moore is great and all but does she have a Death Becomes Her in her filmography? No? OK, it's Streep.

To be honest I also think that Eric H. enjoys actors in a similar way.

I accept that as a compliment.

"[it worth noting that] JM gives a good performance in this [not very good] film" or whatever. It's so banal. This is a beef of mine by the way, that critics don't care about performance enough.

I accept that as a compliment.

it was meant as one.

Eric, you're a Gibson girl.

Most of my enjoyment of the film Doubt can be condensed into the 20 seconds where Philip SH asks Meryl whether she'd invited him into the office to talk about the school or talk about something more specific and she taps the paper and says very coldly "this" - I know a lot of people don't like that performance but it's amazing the way she says "this" and taps the page.

but JM also gives an uncanny performance in the scene in Safe where she's asked to speak about her experience in the retreat (it's her birthday ) and gets confused and trips over her words and ends up saying nothing at all very much at some length but it's very very moving.

I've seen that breakdown many, many times in bureaucratic circumstances

I have too but never on film.

and it's never moving :)

voting Streep mostly b/c of her bloodcurdling scream in "Big Little Lies" but there are lots of other reasons

Moore is fucking awful in A Single Man.

Awaiting Meryl's Aunt March; I prefer her in support (ie that socko 10 minutes in the Tommy Lee Jones western).

Streep for comedic roles against type, Moore for making me cry alongside her. For me, its Moore as she works with more interesting directors, Streep's always doing some "worthy" but soon-forgettable Oscar bait.

And can someone get her a kleenex?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4uv0eD5Ufg

Awaiting Meryl's Aunt March; I prefer her in support (ie that socko 10 minutes in the Tommy Lee Jones western).

― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius),

She gives several tart line readings.

who u callin a tart

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

state of that

right?

not necessarily

The lurker vote strikes again.

I hoped to watch more of both before the polls closed but all I ticked off was Vanya on 42nd St, which was good but not the greatest showcase for Moore.