10. Catherine Keener
Where you're most likely to have seen her last.
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Where she returned to her form.
Capote
Why you should care:
Catherine Keener is beautiful, talented and not under the age of 30. Most women in this area play the hip mom until the day they fade away ancient at 50 or start playing the hip grandmother who shows her bra at Thanksgiving yet gives enlightening love advice to the young startlets who can't choose between their sweet high school friend who's down to earth or their slick money loving fiancee who hates kittens. Catherine Keener is doing a wonderful job of maintaining work in demanding roles that don't pigeon-hole her as "the character who's not 24 or at least looks 24".
9. Katey Sagal
Where you're most likely to have seen her.
Peg of Married With Children
Where she returned to form.
Leela of Futurama and Gemma Teller Morrow of Sons of Anarchy
Why you should care:
As television has its way of doing, Katey Sagal was poised to go down in history as the dumbass wife of a man whose catchphrase involved the flushing of a toilet. I'm not a huge fan of the motorcycle soap opera, but if Sagal proves anything in her role it's that she can play more than a leopard-print stereotype. And if Sons of Anarchy isn't enough proof, watch a few episodes of Futurama and you'll find her voice can do more than hit a falsetto at the end of "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!" And while we're on the subject...
8. Ed O'Neill
Where you're most likely to have seen him last.
Al Bundy of Married With Children
Where he returned to form.
Modern Family
Why you should care:
Sure, Modern Family is another fast-paced clever family sitcom that was birthed in the death of Arrested Development. AND Ed O'Neill is playing the patriarch again but his take on the role is a far cry from toilet-flushing Al. He's funny, heart-felt and has strong comedic timing.
7. Nicolas Cage
Where you're most likely to have seen him last.
National Treasure
Where he returned to form.
Kick-ass
Why you should care:
Don't let his litany of action fluff fool you, Nicolas Cage is an incredible actor. He's just an incredible actor with a sense of humor. Numerous interviews have high-lighted that the star of such films as Raising Arizona, Wild at Heart and Moonstruck knows exactly what roles he's taking. Nonetheless, I haven't seen him take a strong albeit bizarre role in years save for Kick-Ass where he plays the vengeful yet loving father of Hit-Girl. There's nothing like hearing the crazy Big Daddy voice (that Cage came up with) as he excitedly suggests a butterfly knife for his little girl's birthday.
6. Christina Ricci
Where you're most likely to have seen her last.
Either the Addam's Family as a child or Sleepy Hollow all grown up.
Where she returned to form.
Black Snake Moan
Why you should care:
First she was caught in the "grab whatever work will have you" former child star era following Wednesday Addams and her work on Now and Later. Then she was in the "grab whatever independent work that might bubble into something huge" era of 200 Cigarettes and Prozac Nation. Then she slid into the in between of working with Cursed and Bless the Child. But it wasn't until I saw her in Black Snake Moan that I remembered "that's right! She was great in Pumpkin and wasn't she in Monster?"
5. Mo'Nique
Where you're most likely to have seen her last.
The Parkers and Soul Plane
Where she returned to form.
Precious
Why you should care.
There aren't many well-known black women in the media and even less black women who aren't anglicized to white perfection. Mo'nique is a talented actress but no one may have ever realized her range if it weren't for her oscar winning performance in Precious. In one film she went from the large and in charge black woman stereotype to playing a complicated abusive mother on welfare. In one role she made you hate her very existence while understanding how a woman can become such a nightmare with what has happened in her life.
4. Mickey Rourke
Where you're most likely to have seen him last (and probably didn't realize it).
Angel Heart and Sin City
Where he returned to form.
The Wrestler
Why you should care:
Mickey Rourke has had one roller coaster a career. If you go far enough in his filmography, you'll see someone who looks nothing like the Mickey Rourke we know now. He was a Hollywood heartthrob poised to be a professional pretty boy... until he went back to boxing, busted up his face, had some botched plastic surgery and returned to the screen looking like he'd just come back from a tour of duty overseas. He's a brilliant actor, but it was his turn in The Wrestler that really showcased what this man can do.
3. Don Cheadle
Where you're most likely to have seen him last.
Ocean's 11
Where he returned to form.
Hotel Rwanda
Why you should care:
Because Don Cheadle is just great. He's taken on a plethora of roles, but he's still most likely to be recognized as the fast-talking bomb expert from Ocean's 11 or the military side-kick from Iron Man 2. In other words, he's best known for his side roles. But his main roles are incredibly well-executed and can wrench the heart. Besides his film work, he has served as the U.N. Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador and he supports work in Darfur. Have real life experience will act better.
2. Selma Hayek
Where you're most likely to have seen her last.
Dogma or Wild Wild West
Where she returned to form.
Frida
Why you should care:
Quite often I have had the conversation where the whole table is trying to remember if it was Penelope Cruz or Selma Hayek in that movie. Usually it turns out it was Penelope Cruz but that's not to say Selma Hayek doesn't have the chops to take on a demanding role. She just falls into that same area that all minority actors do... not white. She's sexy and latina so... she's a nurse... with attitude. She's a stripper... with attitude. She's a secret agent... with ATTITUDE. In Frida, she drops out of her stereotype and into the story of surrealist painter Frida Kahlo who led a life of struggle and self-realization. It's a tale usually left to white, male, artists and Selma's portrayal should not be ignored.
1. John Cusack
Where you're most likely to have seen him last.
2012
Where he returned to form.
Hot Tub Time Machine
Why you should care:
John Cusack came into public knowledge and is most well-known for his slew of 80's romantic comedies from Say Anything to The Sure Thing into 90's action fluff from Con Air to Grosse Point Blank and back into 00's romantic comedies from Serendipity to America's Sweethearts. Lately, he's been taking a turn at combining the two with 2012 and Must Love Dogs but never finding the same success he had in his younger years playing jaded male characters trying to understand love. I'll admit, Hot Tub Time Machine is silly from it's title all the way to it's premise. But John Cusack playing a character who has continually fucked up relationships dating back to his days in high-school rocketing back in time to discover that the problem isn't that he let the right person go, but that he's been such a perpetual ass that he missed the chance entirely is a stroke of awesome.
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