tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post3211188370351861523..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: The two faces of Jack FoleyAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-56643166391670571422009-07-13T21:38:36.708-04:002009-07-13T21:38:36.708-04:00It's a biopic rather than a literary adaptatio...It's a biopic rather than a literary adaptation, but the makers of <i>The Whole Wide World</i> got it absolutely perfect when they cast Vincent D'Onofrio as <i>Conan</i> author Robert E. Howard, given D'Onofrio's imposing physical presence and history of playing dark, disturbed characters.<br /><br />Now, given that Conan was an idealized alter ego of Howard himself, it'd almost be interesting to speculate D'Onofrio playing the role in the upcoming <i>Conan the Barbarian</i> remake. Better that than some marble-mouthed bodybuilder, after all.Peter Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04374559124495979229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-60920312878899666802009-07-13T11:45:52.255-04:002009-07-13T11:45:52.255-04:00Kevin Costner: worst possible Robin Hood
Tom Crui...Kevin Costner: worst possible Robin Hood<br /><br />Tom Cruise: fusking ruined Lestat.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09434167956231852416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-10970977215956052532009-07-13T11:06:49.147-04:002009-07-13T11:06:49.147-04:00Under disastrous casting, Nick Nolte and Barbera S...Under disastrous casting, Nick Nolte and Barbera Streisand both in The Prince of Tides. She's pretty horrible and not at all who I would cast and Nick Nolte is atrocious as Tom. It feels like someone went who's stereotypically New York and who's stereotypically a Red Neck. Okay, now let's put them together in a movie based on a best seller. Also, Barbera Streisand so clearly increased the size of the therapists role turning the movie into more of a romance than a look at how three siblings survive (or don't) a traumatic and abusive childhood.Your Receptionisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08922108595780774280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-2332647768980686932009-07-09T13:55:36.207-04:002009-07-09T13:55:36.207-04:00Norm/Rinaldo, etc., RE Westlake:
I've thought...Norm/Rinaldo, etc., RE Westlake:<br /><br />I've thought John Cusack would make a fine Dortmunder, now that he's a bit older and not quite so babyfaced.<br /> <br />As for Parker... (let's not forget the ultimate miscast there - Mel Gibson!) Of all the actors who have played him, Lee Marvin was probably closest, but still a far cry from accurate to the prose:<br /><br />"His hands, swinging curve-fingered at his sides, looked like they were molded out of brown clay by a sculptor who thought big and liked veins. His hair was brown and dry and dead, blowing around his head like a poor toupee about to fly loose. His face was a chipped chunk of concrete, with eyes of flawed onyx. His mouth was a quick stroke, bloodless."<br /> <br />Although actually, come to think of it, I'm kind of glad there isn't anyone who fits that bill.J Camphttp://www.jasoncamp.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-66136012807709433852009-07-08T15:31:45.463-04:002009-07-08T15:31:45.463-04:00@Anthony Foglia, I don't think Hammond is in t...@Anthony Foglia, I don't think Hammond is in the book, only the movie, but in the movie universe that's not a continuity error. I also got a kick out of the Roland Tembo character, who seemed like the screenwriter's way of atoning for their wasting of Muldoon in the first movie when he was such a drunken badass in the bookHatfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184680741873873714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3372706181355030262009-07-07T23:40:42.115-04:002009-07-07T23:40:42.115-04:00I thought of "Bonfire" right off, like m...I thought of "Bonfire" right off, like many of you. When the novel came out, my college friends and I had a lot of fun coming up with ideal casting, notably William Hurt as Sherman and either Sting or David Bowie as Peter Fallow. The movie was such a travesty. Sherman had to be 39, so he could be on the panicked precipice of middle age, and so he could be horrified that his year-older wife was 40. Hanks was 33, I believe, which led to the further miscasting of Kim Cattrall, and it was all downhill from there. I haven't read "The Devil's Candy" yet, but I'd like to.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02736562363252156479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-21158190113988620532009-07-07T23:30:38.599-04:002009-07-07T23:30:38.599-04:00Hatfield said...
I'm gonna get spoilery here ...Hatfield said... <br /><i>I'm gonna get spoilery here for anyone who hasn't read Jurassic Park or seen the movie, but it's a classic example of the author being influenced by an actor's performance: in Jurassic Park, the book, Ian Malcolm never recovers from his T-Rex attack, dying toward the very end of the novel. But then the movie came out, and Jeff Goldblum was so great in the role that Michael Crichton, knowing that Malcolm had lived in the film and that there would be a sequel, resurrected him for The Lost World, and explained away his reincarnation by having Malcolm say, "Reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated." That one has always driven me nuts.</i><br /><br />Crichton also brought back Attenborough's character who met a similar fate to Malcolm. <i>The Lost World</i> was definitely a sequel to the movie, not the book.<br /><br />Alan Sepinwall said...<br /><i>Kevin Smith tried to make "Fletch Won" a few years back, first with Jason Lee (whom the studio wouldn't approve, pre-"Earl"), then with Ryan Reynolds, but it eventually didn't come together.</i><br /><br />Wasn't Zach Braff also cast as Fletch in "Fletch Won" a few years back. I think Kevin Smith had to be off it by then.afogliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02820361829972093800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-63286490546201469512009-07-07T23:29:55.553-04:002009-07-07T23:29:55.553-04:00Not to argue with Alan, too much, but I was just w...Not to argue with Alan, too much, but I was just watching Out of Sight again, and listening to Soderbergh's and Scott Frank's commentary track, and at one point, Soderbergh mentioned that Clooney was already attached to the movie when he took over from Barry Sonnenfeld. <br /><br />As for miscasting, how about Ryan O'Neal in Barry Lyndon or Michelle Pfeiffer in The Russia House.John Royalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10048224306187183671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-19430191099382799032009-07-07T23:00:30.681-04:002009-07-07T23:00:30.681-04:00Oh ghod.
You said "Jack Ryan".
I was o...Oh ghod.<br /><br />You said "Jack Ryan".<br /><br />I was on the Usenet group when the movies were coming out, and we all, pretty uniformly, thought that Baldwin nailed it, and that Indy was *way* too much of a cowboy... but would have been a decent John Clark, had he not already been wasted. <br /><br />DaFoe was Right Out.<br /><br />Amusingly enough, Clancy proved he followed the newsgroup, by *having two characters play the Casting Game* during a meeting, in a later book.<br /><br />Clark and that Post reporter whose character name eludes me for the moment. The Bob Woodward clone.<br /><br />Shame Clancy's given up.Baylinkhttp://baylink.pitas.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-6226104663806086372009-07-07T22:11:27.418-04:002009-07-07T22:11:27.418-04:00Oh my goodness--Kay Scarpetta? That seems absolut...Oh my goodness--Kay Scarpetta? That seems absolutely ridiculous. I always imagined Scarpetta like her author...tough and flinty.<br /><br />Speaking of female protagonists...why haven't they made a Stephanie Plum movie by Janet Evanovich? She'd be a terrific heroine, even in a tv series.<br /><br />I agree on Showtime's Dexter and Deb--MCH is underlooked come awards time, and yes, Deb is completely irritating, but she sells the annoying little sister thing that the books were missing a little bit. I now completely buy Jennifer Carpenter in that role.erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16186483042206438665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-20539234185773638292009-07-07T21:33:43.739-04:002009-07-07T21:33:43.739-04:00Angelina Jolie as Dr Kay Scarpetta = WRONG Totally...Angelina Jolie as Dr Kay Scarpetta = WRONG Totally WRONG !!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-20902213735019318562009-07-07T18:20:08.920-04:002009-07-07T18:20:08.920-04:00Someone upthread mentioned the Hitchhiker movie......Someone upthread mentioned the Hitchhiker movie....Mos Def as Ford Prefect was a pretty inspired casting choice that worked quite well. <br /><br />Among the many problems with the film adaptation of Catch-22 was the casting of Jon Voight as Milo (I pictured somewhat way more mild-mannered, almost unnoticable) and Alan Arkin as Yossarian. Arkin is usually good in anything, but he just didn't quite fit.<br /><br />For more modern books, Michael C. Hall has totally nailed Dexter to a T. And while some don't like Jennifer Carpenter as Deb, she's an interesting change from the book version of Deb (who, while comparatively foul-mouthed, is also a stunning blonde).Question Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00267485396018087075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-57560377759527282002009-07-07T10:49:33.559-04:002009-07-07T10:49:33.559-04:00@Eldritch: One of my favorite spy series was the M...@Eldritch: <i>One of my favorite spy series was the Matt Helm books by Donald Hamilton</i><br /><br />Mine too. Hamilton's politics were not mine, but damn he wrote well. The obvious wrongness of Dean Martin aside, there was also a short-lived TV series in 1975 starring Tony Franciosa -- and again nothing was taken from the books but the character name, so there's no point wondering what he might have been able to do with the actual character. Someone should try filming one of the actual books some day.Rinaldonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-54034676806466677682009-07-07T09:57:59.166-04:002009-07-07T09:57:59.166-04:00Forest Gump is definitely the biggest difference I...Forest Gump is definitely the biggest difference I have ever seen. I the novel (which is not very good at all by the way) Forest is a redneck and a racist- not at all sweet as he is in the movie. <br /><br />In fact there is such a difference between the book and the movie I'm surprised they just didn't change the name to keep from paying the writer.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06336003200003462670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-331277985573845542009-07-07T03:03:40.904-04:002009-07-07T03:03:40.904-04:00Hagrid was written with Robbie Coltrane in mind
W...<i>Hagrid was written with Robbie Coltrane in mind</i><br /><br />Which is weird because he was the last person I had in mind for the role i always saw Hagris as Brian Blessed<br /><br /><i>The Princess Bride was abridged by William Goldman in 1973 from the classic text of S Morgenstern.</i><br /><br />S Morgenstern isn't real<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_Bride<br /><br />If we can go to comics I think Heath Ledger's Joker has to be mentioned.<br /><br />Not only did the guy have to deal with the grumblings of fans, but he also had a very memorable version of the character as played by Jack Nicholson to deal with..Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08965717916375558077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-26146786199645896812009-07-07T01:47:33.330-04:002009-07-07T01:47:33.330-04:00I haven't read the book, but thought the movie...I haven't read the book, but thought the movie Gone Baby Gone was fantastic, and Casey Affleck owned it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-76310616675130148802009-07-07T00:31:34.749-04:002009-07-07T00:31:34.749-04:00A big one that stands out for me was the casting o...A big one that stands out for me was the casting of <b>Michael Keaton</b> as <b>Batman</b>. I remember how a lot of fans howled when he was cast, crying out that he was too slight of build and too goofy, but he was wonderful.<br /><br />Similarly, I was quite taken aback when Joe Mantegna was cast as Spenser, and whilst Robert Urich's performances are still my favorites, Mantegna did okay, certainly better than I expected.<br /><br />And also, I second the recommendation of Julia Salamon's "The Devil's Candy." It's a fascinating analysis of the Bonfire of the Vanities disaster.Kensingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09745826428431759073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-20477953809506914692009-07-07T00:10:40.843-04:002009-07-07T00:10:40.843-04:00Since someone else mentioned Kevin Costner's t...Since someone else mentioned Kevin Costner's terrible performance as Robin Hood, I've always thought it was bizaare that the one actor who was perfect for Robin Hood was Cary Elwes, who could only get the role in a spoof.<br /><br />It's unfortunate, because he would've been so perfect as Robin Hood in a straightforward film. I mean, look at him in Princess Bride. He was channeling Errol Flynn in that all the way.Larry McGillicuddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03907320963547114422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-64414659644734538392009-07-06T23:51:59.942-04:002009-07-06T23:51:59.942-04:00One other point about "Road Dogs," which...One other point about "Road Dogs," which Elmore Leonard said he wrote because he thought Clooney would like to do another movie as the Jack Foley character: It's okay, but nowhere near as good as "Out of Sight," either the book or the movie. "Out of Sight" had a perfectly structured plot, the characters' motivations were all clear (if changeable), and the romance was offbeat but believable. I can't say any of that for "Road Dogs." Maybe Clooney will star in a film version (just as John Travolta starred in "Be Cool," the lesser sequel to "Get Shorty"). But it'll need a screenwriter who's great at adaptation to make his character likeable and the film worth seeing.BigTednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-40931317220310083152009-07-06T23:08:21.856-04:002009-07-06T23:08:21.856-04:00"Kevin Smith tried to make "Fletch Won&q..."Kevin Smith tried to make "Fletch Won" a few years back, first with Jason Lee (whom the studio wouldn't approve, pre-"Earl"), then with Ryan Reynolds, but it eventually didn't come together."<br /><br />Ugh... to the thought of "Fletch Won" ever being made into a movie and Ryan Reynolds even consider for the role.<br /><br />With the first 4 books of the series being great... I will never understand why anyone would have even looked twice at Fletch Won. It was a terrible book. I am not convinced that McDonald even wrote it. <br /><br />If Kevin Smith was trying to cast either of those actors into the role he obviously never read the original book. <br /><br />Smith must have just watch the Chevy Chase movie one too many times and tried to cast another actor who mugs for the camera.Farm Girl Pink...https://www.blogger.com/profile/04993969965743940290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33877090902570575712009-07-06T21:54:08.905-04:002009-07-06T21:54:08.905-04:00I recall the text of The DaVinci Code saying speci...I recall the text of <i>The DaVinci Code</i> saying specifically that Langdon looked like Harrison Ford. I thought it was a pretty blatant attempt to cast the movie that the book was so obviously a backdoor screenplay for (but I hated the book, so I was probably biased).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-80957901474453670942009-07-06T21:26:38.550-04:002009-07-06T21:26:38.550-04:00Another unexpected casting of Denzel Washington wa...Another unexpected casting of Denzel Washington was as Lincoln Rhyme in The Bone Collector. I've read most of the books in the series and have trouble not picturing him in that role even when the text makes it clear that the character is white.Rob Rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17446903261816405382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-24183462416964664422009-07-06T20:32:22.065-04:002009-07-06T20:32:22.065-04:00Count me as one who thought Chevy Chase's bumb...Count me as one who thought Chevy Chase's bumbling portrayal of Fletch ruined the movie. <br /><br />As for Snape and/or Rickman being "hot," I have just finished a book of essays titled "Mapping the World of Harry Potter." I was stunned to learn that Snape is a very hot character in erotic fanfiction. Apparently, he's widely considered to be a very flexible, versatile sexual athlete of considerable endurance. According to the essay, if you can imagine it, someone has written fanfic describing Snape doing it. Apparently, he loves to discipline Hermione quite a bit, because she's so naughty. <br /><br />One of my favorite spy series was the Matt Helm books by Donald Hamilton. He was a very tough American spy. Then Dean Martin did a series of movies based on the novels, in which, he turned Helm into a singing, boozy, rat pack, horn dog. I was very disappointed.Eldritchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02247921343535184791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-13502332712903493742009-07-06T20:29:39.877-04:002009-07-06T20:29:39.877-04:00As a Spenser fan, I don't think Mantegna was a...As a Spenser fan, I don't think Mantegna was a bad choice, but I don't picture him as Spenser. Just to confuse things, though, I do think of Marcia Gay Harden as Susan, but (even though I've never actually seen him in the TV show) Avery Brooks as Hawk.<br /><br />(I mean, seriously, A&E? Ernie Hudson? Great guy, but not Hawk.)Devin McCullennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-60001667850906056022009-07-06T19:42:59.971-04:002009-07-06T19:42:59.971-04:00@Lynn: There have been as many Parker movies as Do...@Lynn: There have been as many Parker movies as Dortmunder ones, and the casting has been just as wrong: there is, as you mentioned, <i>Point Blank</i> with Lee Marvin (remade as <i>Payback</i> with Mel Gibson), <i>The Split</i> with Jim Brown, <i>The Outfit</i> with Robert Duvall, <i>Slayground</i> with Peter Coyote, and apparently Godard's unauthorized <i>Made in USA</i> with Jean-Pierre LĂ©aud. I'll admit I haven't seen all of these, but none of them sounds like Parker to me. (Again, I'm not sure which currently active actor does.)<br /><br />I found Edward Petherbridge to be my idea of Lord Peter Wimsey -- a great relief after the wrongness of Ian Carmichael.Rinaldonoreply@blogger.com