We have 24 movie stars

Took the words right out of my mouth. EXACTLY what i was going to post.

 

As far as women are concerned, I think Jolie and Bullock are the only locks.

Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon are close/debatable, but neither is on the same level that they were a few years ago.

 

The first time I saw the trailer for Cowboys and Aliens a couple months ago, I thought it was a joke and would be terrible.

The new trailer I saw a couple weeks ago actually looked pretty cool.

 

Don't sell Carell short. His name carries box office right now. JT, too.

 

As much as I love Winslet, she can't open a movie on her own. She's a brilliant actress, but she has never proven she can open a movie on her own. Same thing with Portman.

I'm not a big fan of Carell's movies, but when he can take a movie as bad as "Date Night" and make $100 mil with it, it tells you how big of a star he is.

 

Hell, Dinner with Schmucks did pretty well at the Box Office and that was some dreadful shit.

 

I'll watch anything with Colin Firth in it.

 

Aniston? Her movies make bank and she is one of those TV stars-turned-movie star. She's been in some good movies too (mostly comedies).

 

Aniston and Vaughn are two of a kind, or I should say one of a kind.

Same character every movie. People like their comfort food and, I guess, their comfort actors.

 

To me a "movie star" brings with it certain expectations of what kind of movie it is going to be. Depp is never "Johnny Depp" in a movie. He's an actor. Same with Bale, Crowe, Bridges.
Ben Affleck? Really? Gylenhaal is good but he's not there. James and Galifinakis are sidekicks, Timberlake hasn't carried a successful movie yet, I don't even think Wahlberg gets first pick on scripts, still relying on hand-me-downs from DiCaprio, Damon and Cruise. Surprised Vince Vaughn wasn't on the list - you pretty much know what you're getting with him.
Its funny, I was thinking about Tom Hanks after watching him on The Daily Show - his latest movie doesn't look that great - but gosh darn it, he's been selling the hell out of it and he seems like such a nice guy, I'm sure it will get people in the theaters. THAT is a movie star.
Reese Witherspoon became a movie star with Legally Blonde. When you can take a middling script (see Sandler, Adam) and make a hit movie out of it, you are a movie star. Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock are also in the club. People go see their movies because THEY are in in them, no matter the story or genre.

 

I don't think Aniston has ever opened a film.

She's been an OK second-fiddle in Marley and Me, Bruce Almighty and Along Came Polly (all of which I thought were midiocre to bad, but they made $$$).

 

I think Bruce Willis still belongs on this list, but maybe that's just me...