Wow! I hope I found an actor that everyone has some knowledge of. He's been cranking out excellent work for 35 years (yeah, I know he started out in '58 in "Cry Baby Killer"!) True, I think his genius is most obviously expressed from 1969 ("Easy Rider") through 1975 ("Cuckoo's Nest") via "Five Easy Pieces", "Carnal Knowledge", "The Last Detail" and "Chinatown"; but he's still done exemplary work later with "As Good as it Gets", "About Schmidt" and "Something's Gotta Give." Anyone have some favorite Jack stories or performances? Lakers games count too.

For me his ultimate cream is "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" but his acting has been consistently amazing throughout his career. Real gem of the world of cinema and will be sorely missed when hes gone (which will hopefully be a long time from now).

I loved him in "Cuckoo's Nest" and "Terms of Endearment", but in my mind, Nicholson's true tour de force was "The Shining." The looks that he gives as he slowly goes insane are incredibly creepy, and I can't imagine anybody else being to pull that role off.

My only real criticism of "The Shining" was that Nicholson's character seemed like a lunatic throughout the whole movie. I would have liked to see a Leonard Lawrence (what of Arabia?!?) like transition in him.

Thank God for Nicholson!

Lets not forget The Joker in Batman guys!
And his against-type performance in About Schmidt in which he shows that he can calm down when he wants to!

My favourite film of his is...obviously...The Shining:
Heeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!

I have not seen the Shining but I am dying to now. I was in this Hotel the other day and all the people I was with said the hotel looked exactly like the Shining and everyone was creeped out. I really liked big Jack in batman.

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Originally posted by frankthetank:
I have not seen the Shining but I am dying to now. I was in this Hotel the other day and all the people I was with said the hotel looked exactly like the Shining and everyone was creeped out. I really liked big Jack in batman.

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That's funny that you say that. I saw the Shining when I was in like 4th grade (approx 1980). Shortly thereafter, my family took a trip to England, and we stayed at the Grosvenor Hotel in London. The hallways looked EXACTLY like the "Overlook" hotel in the Shining. My sister and I literally RAN from the "lifts" to our room so as not to dwell on the similarities. I was ready to see the twin girls on tricycles or oceans of blood at any moment.

What hotel were you in? And by all means, see the movie!!

You guys think THAT's bad!!!

I once went to a hotel in the south of France, in the middle of nowhere and it was a mixture of The Overlook and the Bates Motel!

Plus: there was a weird crazy woman living there and the surroundings looked exactly like in Texas Chainsaw Massacre...

Also, there was a parked car that reminded me of Christine!!!!!!

ssssssssspoookkky!

Mister E, I think it's time to take your medicine.

There are so many of his films that I haven't seen, which is sad. Of the ones I have seen, Chinatown would have to be my favorite. Performance wise, I very much enjoyed Batman and The Crossing Guard. He was good in As Good as It Gets, but not sure he deserved the Oscar. I am still waiting for Jack to really break out of the "Jack Nicholson" performance.

i believe Jack Nicholson is one of the greatest actors who ever lived. He has played so many different roles. I actually liked him in the shining. I understand some people think he was just crazy through out the entire film but he was so great playing that character and comparing his attitude in that to other films, he was great. I love how he gets so into the character and is so enthusiastic.

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Nicholson is easily in my top 5 list of favorite actors, and I loved his performance in every movie of his I've seen. He even brings good things to not to great movies such as Anger Management where I thought he did a great job. I thought he was excellent in About Schmidt, As Good as it Gets and Chinatown but my favorite movie of his is definately The Shining. And Jack's performance in that movie has deeply scarred my perception of this great actor. Now, every movie I see Mr. Nicholson in, I see the picture of Jack Torrence standing outside the door he just smashed a hole through, saying "Heeere's Johnny."

I'm not a huge Nicholson fan, but I recognize his huge talent. Actually, he's been in two of my all-time favorite films (Chinatown and Carnal Knowledge), and in one that I think is one of the scariest films ever made (The Shining). I think the reason why I like these three films so much is due to Nicholson's performance in each. No one mentions "Carnal Knowledge" very much, or at least so far, on this board. But I think he was great in it.

Does anyone know why Brittish people hate Jack so much?

I don't think they hate him, I just think they're a bit bored with the whole "Crazy-smirking-Jack" performances he does...I, on the other hand, am not.

Jack was also BRILLIANT in Five Easy Pieces, did anyone else think so?

What about him as president dale in mars attacks?

Martian leader.

I would like to add that Nicholson was absolutely brilliant in The Departed. He was not my favorite character in this movie, but he completely claimed his character for me. I think what is great about him is that he never disappoints.

My top fave Jack Nicholson movies:


5. Hoffa - As anyone who's seen any footage of the real Jimmy Hoffa knows, in this movie, Jack IS Hoffa. Most of the time, when I see a Jack Nicholson role, I usually see him playing it with the characteristics that he's known for ( even his Joker, which, while it worked, was still an over the top version of what I'm used to seeing). For me it was cool to see him play someone who was an actual person & therefore, he had to play it in a manner made me forget that I was watching Jack Nicholson. IMO, an underrated performance by him.

4. A Few Good Men - Jack in a role that plays perfectly to his strengths. A mean ol' sunuvabitch with a focused confidence, a black heart & a wry look that you know he wears wether he's describing a blowjob from a female officer or warding off bullets from Cuban snipers in defense of this great country and, more importantly, of his military career. And Nicholson does this to such a successful degree, that even though he's doesn't really have all that much screentime in this film, the face of Col. Jessup in the witness chair is usually the 1st. image that comes up when this movie is mentioned. And as always, the mark of a great performance is to be able to deliver a line that ends up becoming a part of the culture. And if you don't agree with that, there's only one reason why:
"YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!"

3. The Shining - First of all, I'm always partial to Stanley Kubrick. IMO, he tends to make movies that are an inch away from being abstract beyond understanding, but keeps the flow of the film reeled in just enough to make seem like it makes sense on some kind of creative level. Add in the grounding of a Stephen King story & a role taylor made for Jack Nicholson, & you have one of my top favorite horror movies. And with very little slashing, to boot. The horror stems more from Jack's delivery & facial expressions as his character gradually slips into the madness of the haunted hotel's dark intentions.
"Here's Johnny!" wouldn't be a very scary line if it weren't for Jack's maniacal mug peering thru the door's cracked orifice, freshly smashed thru by the axe-wielding writer with "redrum" on his mind.

2. As Good As It Gets - I've never really been into romance flicks all that much. The few that I do enjoy usually tend to have a sort of a sharp or jagged edge to 'em. And this one definitely does thru Jack's portrayal of a writer with "redrum" on his mind. At least, he does with the little dog during the opening sequence. Nicholson eases thru the role of a crusty curmudgeon with psychological problems ( Is it just me or does it seem that the majority of Jack's most memorable roles always have something seriously askew upstairs? Or am I just being crazy?), & he does so with an insanely smoothness of an actor who can do this blindfolded. And the fact that, at the same time, he still manages to allow himself to deliver lines that would make the ladies go "awwww...", therefore, substantially increasing the chances of me "gettin' some" with my date, & you can see why this beats The Shining as my number two spot.

1. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - I recently watched this movie again, & for me, this is about as good as it gets ( ...sorry). Randall McMurphy is a mischievious criminal who ends up becoming a leader of rebellion & eventually, a friend to Billy & the rest the Cuckoo's Nest. Jack's performance is not of a man overly or angelically transformed, but as someone who's ability to care is gradually bought up to the surface by the only type of people who could cause such a subtle & internal catalyst: a group of guys who are crazier than he is.

These five are very closely followed by Chinatown, The Two Jakes, Terms Of Endearment, About Schmidt, 5 Easy Pieces, Batman & Prizzi's f*ckin' Honor.