Nightcrawler.

There are very few actors, and I mean very few, both male and female, who's films you almost automatically know will be either great, or at the very least-- good. I'd say less than ten, and if you think about how many actors there are(let's just limit it to America for now), that's genuinely no small feat.

It's almost a service to the public, if you think about it. Many a night, I'll want to watch a movie. Whether I'm going through a hardship and want some pleasant distraction, or I'm just in the mood to see some shit blow up, it isn't easy finding a film that will make me feel like two hours weren't wasted. Trust me, I've searched and watched and very rarely do I feel like it was a good idea.

But certain actors you almost know it will be good. Brad Pitt? Nope, he's had a lot of horseshit films. Julia Roberts? Wrong again. Although some actors may be heralded or lauded by the public and their peers as great actors, that doesn't put them in the eschelon of these guaranteed game winners.

Nicholas Cage? Haha, yeah right. Marlon Brando? Have you seen The Freshman?

That's why this small and very rare group is such a unique breed. There should almost be a special category for them in the local Blockbuster Video, if there were any more local Blockbuster Videos. They may not be considered the greatest actors of their generation... or any generation, and they may not be the biggest box-office moneymakers, but it's a very special thing to know that when you want to watch a good film and feel like your time wasn't wasted, there are a few go-to stars you can always count on.

This is my appreciation for them.

Jake Gyllenhall.

I start him on my list because I just finished watching Nightcrawler and Source Code, and I knew before I even started them they would be good. At least, good. I also start with him because I remember another night, many years ago, I was in the mood for a serious film, maybe even a suspenseful one, and I came across Zodiac. Both times I was thoroughly entertained. Zodiac actually chilled the fuck out of me.

Al Pacino.

Putting Donnie Brasco aside, Pacino probably has the largest library of works and the highest good-to-great ration. The Godfather, The Godfather II, Insomnia, Serpico, And Justice for All... the list goes on for generations.

Tom Cruise.

Say what you will about him as a weirdo or as a person you think you can judge, but Tom Cruise's films are almost always good or great. He doesn't sign on to do shit movies, and you can't help but respect that about him. They may not all be Academy Award winners, but you also have to give him credit for just looking to entertain the public. Oblivion wasn't great, but it was still pretty damn good. And hell, the guy can do Academy Award caliber films too, just look at A Few Good Men. Really good fucking movie. Okay, so we won't go into early work like Cocktail(which I don't really know cuz I haven't seen it), but I do remember Top Gun being pretty awesome when I was a teenager.

Winona Ryder.

Cast her in more movies, you fucking idiots! Sure she's aged, but she doesn't do shit movies! Beetlejuice, Heathers, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Black Swan, Mermaids, Singles, Reality Bites-- all good or great, depending on what you're in the mood to watch/experience.

You really can't take these stars for granted, when you think of how many stars there are and how pretty damn near all of them don't fall into this category. Sean Connery. Sylverster Stallone. Cameron Diaz. Seth Rogan. Tobey Maguire. Jeff Goldblum. George Clooney. Robert Downey Jr. Jason Staham. Pick any fucking letter of the alphabet and you can name 10 stars who aren't a 90%'er when it comes to film quality, and if you think some of them are-- you don't know their complete volume of work. Look them up sometime. I dare you.

Dustin Hoffman probably belongs on the list too, but I wasn't a big fan of the Focker films.

Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks, too.

Oh yeah and Matt Damon, but not Ben Affleck. Not by far.

Aubrey Plaza was great in Safety Not Guaranteed, by the way. Let's keep it going, Aubrey. A quality gem of an indie flick.