Good Movies thanks to Casting

[Bliss]

Nicholson made this one IMO.

 

[8893]

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.

Yeah, totally disagree here; but that is likely due in large part to the fact that I am a trial lawyer and I really love so many parts leading up to that scene because they resonate with me. And I generally hate most legal movies and legal shows because they are so unrealistic. Not that AFGM is a model of accuracy--not by a long shot--but the essence of a lot of it is very similar to a lot of the peaks and valleys over the life of a case. None moreso than the scene where Cruise is holding the bat while walking past his closet when he gets the epiphany about Santiago's clothes not being packed. That's probably my favorite scene in the movie.

 

[huskyrob1]

Three that come to mind that had great casting.

1) Laura....Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb.
2) The Right Stuff...Ed Harris, Sam Shepherd, Jeff Goldblum, Dennis Quaid, Barbara Hershey, Donald Moffat as LBJ was classic.
3) Body Heat...William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Ted Danson, Mickey Rourke, Richard Crenna.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

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.

Lauren Holly was perfect for that role, but her character was another one where you just had to look past some of the plot holes around age. Her daughter was almost too old for someone going to their 10 year reunion. The writers could have avoided this problem by simply making it a 15 year reunion. Actually, the whole movie would have made more sense if they had simply changed a few lines of dialogue to make it a 15 year reunion.

Edit: I wonder if the movie was written for a 15 year reunion, but the plotline between Portman and Hutton became super creepy if he is 33 instead of 28, so they made it a 10 year.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Three that come to mind that had great casting.

1) Laura....Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb.
2) The Right Stuff...Ed Harris, Sam Shepherd, Jeff Goldblum, Dennis Quaid, Barbara Hershey, Donald Moffat as LBJ was classic.
3) Body Heat...William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Ted Danson, Mickey Rourke, Richard Crenna.

Body Heat does not hold up IMO, I loved Kathleen Turner in Peggy Sue (great casting of her & Cage!), but I found the allegedly steaming sultry scenes in that movie way forced/overacted/slow and not at all sexy. Neither Turner nor Hurt were as seductive as they were trying to make them IMO.
Ed Harris in Right Stuff IS John Glenn - the lung capacity Ping-Pong balls scene is my favorite.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Just thought of another one here. Whether you like the movies or not, Johnie Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow is almost entirely responsible for the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

 

[storrsroars]

Just thought of another one here. Whether you like the movies or not, Johnie Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow is almost entirely responsible for the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

I admit to never actually finishing any of them, but I'm thinking if Russell Brand took over the role on any of the sequels, the franchise might not miss a beat.

Now, as far as who could play Captain Teague (Sparrow's father), there was truly only one option...

 

[HuskyHawk]

I admit to never actually finishing any of them, but I'm thinking if Russell Brand took over the role on any of the sequels, the franchise might not miss a beat.

Now, as far as who could play Captain Teague (Sparrow's father), there was truly only one option...

Well since Depp was channeling that guy when he decided how to play the role, he caused that to be the case.

 

[ZooCougar]

Dr. Strange

 

[HuskyHawk]

Dr. Strange

It was a good one. Dr. House goes through Batman Begins training and becomes a superhero of sorts.

Benedict Cumberbatch has reliably become one of my favorite actors, as much as that surprises me.
Sherlock, The Imitation Game, Star Trek into Darkness, even a decent Billy Bulger in Black Mass.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

It was a good one. Dr. House goes through Batman Begins training and becomes a superhero of sorts.

Benedict Cumberbatch has reliably become one of my favorite actors, as much as that surprises me.
Sherlock, The Imitation Game, Star Trek into Darkness, even a decent Billy Bulger in Black Mass.

I think cumberbatch is all over the place. Liked him in Imitation Game. He was OK in Star Trek but he was filling the biggest shoes in Science fiction history after Darth Vader. I liked Black Mass, but it is hard to fake a Boston accent, and he couldn't do it.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think cumberbatch is all over the place. Liked him in Imitation Game. He was OK in Star Trek but he was filling the biggest shoes in Science fiction history after Darth Vader. I liked Black Mass, but it is hard to fake a Boston accent, and he couldn't do it.

Yeah, he didn’t nail the accent. But he got Billy’s mannerisms down. He’s great in Sherlock and was a perfect Dr. Strange.

 

[Waquoit]

And I generally hate most legal movies and legal shows because they are so unrealistic.

@8893, How does The Verdict hold up from your perspective?

 

[8893]

@8893, How does The Verdict hold up from your perspective?

Good question. I liked it when it came out but I don't think I've seen it since. I will try to check it out again. Thanks for the reminder; I remember thinking it was a very good movie, but I hadn't been to law school yet, much less practiced, so I didn't have that perspective.

 

[SubbaBub]

@8893, How does The Verdict hold up from your perspective?

Reminds me that I recently watched 12 angry men in TV.

Great cast that included more than a few boneyard archetpes.

 

[storrsroars]

It's quite possible another actor could've pulled off the protagonist in The Matador, but that it was Pierce Brosnan playing against type made that movie much more enjoyable than maybe it deserved to be. Brosnan is spectacular as the vulgar, drunken mess of a hitman. Not a huge fan of Greg Kinnear, but he had his moments as well, especially in the final third of the film.

 

[Waquoit]

It's quite possible another actor could've pulled off the protagonist in The Matador, but that it was Pierce Brosnan playing against type made that movie much more enjoyable than maybe it deserved to be. Brosnan is spectacular as the vulgar, drunken mess of a hitman. Not a huge fan of Greg Kinnear, but he had his moments as well, especially in the final third of the film.

That was a good one and probably belongs in the Good Movies No One Seems to Know thread.