>>>>One example of this is Tom Cruise, whom I can't stand for that (and his Bosnian counterpart, Toma Kuruzović, for the same reason). Except in Minority Report, where the director managed to make him do some work.
>>>>
>>>>May it also be noted that the role of Himself was played successfully by many dilettantes, in various movies (it's actually a different role each time, why do they keep giving it the same name - maybe it's another Alan Smithee of a kind?).
>>>
>>>Tom Cruise was different in Magnolia.
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>>I actually saw Minority report because I didn't know it was him, and didn't even recognize him over the first fifteen minutes (kudos to the director, again) :).
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>>Which means I didn't see Magnolia.
>
>Have you seen any of the other movies based on books by Philip K. Dick? (Now there was a guy who could have used a name transplant). "Blade Runner" was based on "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" "Total Recall" starring the Governator was based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale." "Minority Report" was based on "The Minority Report." There were other, less noted movie remakes. He had a cinematic vision.

I saw them all and read most of the books. Magnolia flew below my radar, probably because it was launched at the time we just arrived in the US and had lots of other things to care of. Actually, the only two movies we saw that year were "Sixth sense" and the latest Star Wars.