Good Movies thanks to Casting

[August_West]

Do some reading on Frank Mundus, the man on whom the Quint character was based

I went shark fishing with him off Montauk in the 80's.

 

[SubbaBub]

I have mixed feelings about that one. I thought he was great in the role and as the character. My problems with him are strictly the stage performances. Not believable at all on stage as a guitar hero. With Cameron Crow, Nancy Wilson and Peter Frampton coaching the actors through that I expected more, but Crudup was the least believable on stage of the bunch. The movements and guitar positioning were all wrong.

I'm a big Crudup fan. Guitar playing aside, I thought he carried the movie. Also terrific as Dr. Manhattan.

I also thought Hudson was horrible in it. Overacted the entire movie. Hard to get why everyone was into her.

Lots or other great performances in it as well. PSH was great, as were Fairuza Balk, Fugit, McDormand, Deschanel, and the entire Stillwater band. Even Jimmy Fallon didn't suck.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I disagree. I can't see anyone else playing Nicholson's role in The Shining; although his courtroom scene in A Few Good Men is legendary, I think Cruise was terrific (and I'm not a huge Cruise fan), and Kiefer Sutherland was excellent and essential, too. Hell, Dawson and Markinson were great.

I agree, and that's simply a really good play/movie script. Nicholson vaulted the thing into legendary status with the lunch & courtroom scenes, but otherwise still very good. Demi Moore was the only casting misstep, she was more pretty than smart and the latter is what she was supposed to do in the movie.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I'm a big Crudup fan. Guitar playing aside, I thought he carried the movie. Also terrific as Dr. Manhattan.

I also thought Hudson was horrible in it. Overacted the entire movie. Hard to get why everyone was into her.

Lots or other great performances in it as well. PSH was great, as were Fairuza Balk, Fugit, McDormand, Deschanel, and the entire Stillwater band. Even Jimmy Fallon didn't suck.

The key to the Penny Lane role was that she was obviously acting, overhyping everything that wasn't necessarily real to keep the party going + she was very pretty (you have to get that... why do you think she was on the damn poster?!) & innocent looking so we all bought it (lynchpin is we could all feel the William Miller aspirational crush). Every single movie role since proves BOTH that she's not a good actress and it was perfect casting

 

[Dogdeacon]

I went shark fishing with him off Montauk in the 80's.

Wow! More please. Did he call your wife and tell her you were bringing home stripers for dinner?

 

[storrsroars]

I went shark fishing with him off Montauk in the 80's.

You're turning into Forest Gump right before our eyes.

 

[August_West]

Wow! More please. Did he call your wife and tell her you were bringing home stripers for dinner?

I was in my late teens. It was my father, brothers and I and a couple of my dads friends.. On his charter boat. Pretty uneventful day. Went Mako fishing, didnt get a sniff of a Mako all day. Hooked a couple blue dogs. He was colorful, but at that point seemed burned out on people expecting him to be quint.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I was in my late teens. It was my father, brothers and I and a couple of my dads friends.. On his charter boat. Pretty uneventful day. Went Mako fishing, didnt get a sniff of a Mako all day. Hooked a couple blue dogs. He was colorful, but at that point seemed burned out on people expecting him to be quint.

I believe that he's the guy who landed the largest Great White ever caught on a rod and reel, off of Montauk.

 

[Husky25]

I have mixed feelings about that one. I thought he was great in the role and as the character. My problems with him are strictly the stage performances. Not believable at all on stage as a guitar hero. With Cameron Crowe, Nancy Wilson and Peter Frampton coaching the actors through that I expected more, but Crudup was the least believable on stage of the bunch. The movements and guitar positioning were all wrong.

Anyone can shine next to Jason Lee. Eric Roberts is the UConn Women's Basketball Team of bad acting and Jason Lee might be distant, but he is #2 in the coaches poll.

Beautiful Girls was a standup double, but there is no way it could have been better (and probably much worse) without Timothy Hutton, Noah Emmerich, Natalie Portman, Matt Dillon, and especially Michael Rappaport ("Alcoholic high school buddy s-hi-t for brains") Though it was obvious that most of the actors were older than the 28-ish age frame for which they were cast (10th year high school reunion) and Rosie O'Donnell acted like my mother, who was approaching 50 at the time. Her role could have been filled by a Janeane Garofalo type, but that would have further type-cast her in her Truth About Cats and Dogs and Bye, Bye Love roles. It also would have necessitated a change to the Andera character. I don't normally have a high opinion of Uma Thurman in the looks department, who was also in Truth About Cats and Dogs, but she pulls off the working-class 9 nicely and Annabeth Gish is every bit the "good solid seven and a half" as Willie describes her. The personalities written for these two characters make the actresses more attractive than their looks alone.

 

[Husky25]

I agree, and that's simply a really good play/movie script. Nicholson vaulted the thing into legendary status with the lunch & courtroom scenes, but otherwise still very good. Demi Moore was the only casting misstep, she was more pretty than smart and the latter is what she was supposed to do in the movie.

The Real Villain of “A Few Good Men”

 

[CL82]

Uncle Buck. John Candy is hysterically funny in that movie.

 

[Waquoit]

I disagree. I can't see anyone else playing Nicholson's role in The Shining; although his courtroom scene in A Few Good Men is legendary, I think Cruise was terrific (and I'm not a huge Cruise fan), and Kiefer Sutherland was excellent and essential, too. Hell, Dawson and Markinson were great.

I though most of A Few Good Men wasn't all that good, boring even. But Nicholson in the court room saved the entire film.

 

[Excalibur]

I believe that he's the guy who landed the largest Great White ever caught on a rod and reel, off of Montauk.

I was 9 years old at the time, and remember going to Montauk Marine Basin to see them unload the shark from the boat. I found a news report from that day on YouTube, and there I was in the front row. Holy I was an ugly kid . . .

 

[Husky25]

I though most of A Few Good Men wasn't all that good, boring even. But Nicholson in the court room saved the entire film.

Downhill from here.


I thought Kevin Pollack was fantastic in A Few Good Men and his role is still probably a little underappreciated. He is a lawyer in the military and does his job because he made a commitment, but not necessarily because he likes it (defense vs. prosecution). Nothing exemplifies this more than the exchange with Galloway after she nearly tanked the trial the 1st time.

"Lt. Weinberg: They beat up on a weakling; that's all they did. The rest is just smokefilled coffee-house crap. They tortured and tormented a weaker kid. They didn't like him. So, they killed him. And why? Because he couldn't run very fast."

10 jelly beans says this is the general attitude most "moral" defense attorneys have about their clients.

I also love Pollack's dry sense of humor.

 

[August_West]

I was 9 years old at the time, and remember going to Montauk Marine Basin to see them unload the shark from the boat. I found a news report that day on YouTube, and there I was in the front row. Holy I was an ugly kid . . .

POST!!!!

 

[Excalibur]

Downhill from here.




I also love Pollack's dry sense of humor.

"This is Sam Weinberg."

Weinberg: "I have no responsibilities here whatsoever"

 

[SubbaBub]

The key to the Penny Lane role was that she was obviously acting, overhyping everything that wasn't necessarily real to keep the party going + she was very pretty (you have to get that... why do you think she was on the damn poster?!) & innocent looking so we all bought it (lynchpin is we could all feel the William Miller aspirational crush). Every single movie role since proves BOTH that she's not a good actress and it was perfect casting

I guess I missed that. Even if she is meant to represent the daft ingenue, no way someome that naive lands the rock star. She gets passed around by the road crew. (No the poker game doesn't make up for it.)

Still didn't like her performance.

 

[August_West]

I guess I missed that. Even if she is meant to represent the daft ingenue, no way someome that naive lands the rock star. She gets passed around by the road crew. (No the poker game doesn't make up for it.)

That was one of the most realistic parts of the movie.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Anyone can shine next to Jason Lee. Eric Roberts is the UConn Women's Basketball Team of bad acting and Jason Lee might be distant, but he is #2 in the coaches poll.

Beautiful Girls was a standup double, but there is no way it could have been better (and probably much worse) without Timothy Hutton, Noah Emmerich, Natalie Portman, Matt Dillon, and especially Michael Rappaport ("Alcoholic high school buddy s-hi-t for brains") Though it was obvious that most of the actors were older than the 28-ish age frame for which they were cast (10th year high school reunion) and Rosie O'Donnell acted like my mother, who was approaching 50 at the time. Her role could have been filled by a Janeane Garofalo type, but that would have further type-cast her in her Truth About Cats and Dogs and Bye, Bye Love roles. It also would have necessitated a change to the Andera character. I don't normally have a high opinion of Uma Thurman in the looks department, who was also in Truth About Cats and Dogs, but she pulls off the working-class 9 nicely and Annabeth Gish is every bit the "good solid seven and a half" as Willie describes her. The personalities written for these two characters make the actresses more attractive than their looks alone.

I like Jason Lee for what he is, so I will disagree with your characterization of him.

Beautiful Girls is better than a stand up double, and that movie could have spiraled badly in the hands of lesser actors. The scenes with Timothy Hutton and Natalie Portman in particular could have ended up very weird without those two. It was one of those movies where you just have to believe the actors are who they say they are, because the ages are all over the place. Once you do that, the movie is really, really good. The only one I didn't like in the movie was Mira Sorvino. She was a little too beautiful and glamorous looking for the character, and she is a mediocre actress.

 

[Husky25]

Beautiful Girls is better than a stand up double, and that movie could have spiraled badly in the hands of lesser actors. ... The only one I didn't like in the movie was Mira Sorvino. She was a little too beautiful and glamorous looking for the character...

I don't think it got much love, Academy-wise. Then again, the Academy (was)is tainted and the movie didn't really find a niche. It was a romantic comedy, but focused on the guys. Chick flicks normally utilize shallow male characters to reinforce a prevailing attitude and advance the female lead(s). I used the "stand-up double" metaphor because it could range from, ball-coming-into-the-cutoff-man on the low end, to runner-could-have-gone-for-third-but-not-worth-the-risk."

Regarding the Bold: Lauren Holly. I loved late-90s Lauren Holly.

 

[Dogdeacon]

That's another good casting of otherwise bad actor; Eric Roberts in the Pope of Greenwich Village. He is obviously a beyond dumb, annoying, bound for trouble idiot that you'd only tolerate if he was related. Mickey Rourke's character is charismatic, seemingly smart and wonderful ONLY in comparison to Robert's trainwreck. "CHAAAHHLIE they took my Tumm, CHAAALLIEEEEE "

 

[storrsroars]

Had to double check the thread to see it was mentioned, but surprisingly no: Heath Ledger's Joker.

Dark Knight would've grossed hundreds of millions anyway, but I doubt it would've been a "good/great" movie w/o Ledger. He totally smoked Nicholson's cartoonish performance of same in the earlier non-Nolan version. And who had any idea Ledger was capable of that (although it possibly helped lead to his demise). It would've been easy to cast a more well-known actor in the role. However, in the entire superhero genre, I can't think of a better performance by any significant villain.

 

[CL82]

I disagree. I can't see anyone else playing Nicholson's role in The Shining; although his courtroom scene in A Few Good Men is legendary, I think Cruise was terrific (and I'm not a huge Cruise fan), and Kiefer Sutherland was excellent and essential, too. Hell, Dawson and Markinson were great.

I believe the guy who played Dawson was just a member of the crew. It was an amazing performance.

 

[Husky25]

I believe the guy who played Dawson was just a member of the crew. It was an amazing performance.

But he killed it in Little Big League.

 

[August_West]

That's another good casting of otherwise bad actor; Eric Roberts in the Pope of Greenwich Village. He is obviously a beyond dumb, annoying, bound for trouble idiot that you'd only tolerate if he was related. Mickey Rourke's character is charismatic, seemingly smart and wonderful ONLY in comparison to Robert's trainwreck. "CHAAAHHLIE they took my Tumm, CHAAALLIEEEEE "

Great call and GREAT movie. Eric fanstastic in that.

"Chaloootz"