Black Sheep

I recently saw a film called Black Sheep. The film came out about four years ago in New Zealand. It takes place on a small farm where a few genetic experiments have turned the local sheep into bloodthirsty killers.

I am sure that hearing a description of this film simply sounds ridiculous, but I actually thought that it was pretty good. The acting and story-line was not great, but it is certainly a zombie cult-classic in the making. The film itself was really well-done. All of the action and special effects were done by WETA (the team behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy).

I would definitely recommend this film. It is definitely a must-see!

Dream Cast Thursday! Aladdin

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is Aladdin. Most people are familiar with the Disney adaptation. This was certainly my first exposure to the tale. I looked at the Disney adaptation when making my casting decisions. I also looked at the film, Arabian Nights. This miniseries was an adaptation of One Thousand and One Nights. Aladdin was a middle-eastern folk-tale that was added later to the book by Antoine Galland.The original tale takes place in a small Chinese city. When making my casting decisions, I wanted to stay true to the original while keeping with the fun of the Disney adaptation.

The first character that I recast was Aladdin. He has been played by Scott Weinger and Jason Scott Lee. For my adaptation, I cast Takeshi Kaneshiro.

The second character that I recast was the Jasmine/Princess Zobeide character. She has been played by Linda Larkin and Vanessa Mae. For my adaptation, I cast Ziyi Zhang.

The third character that I recast was the Genie. He has been played by Robin Williams and John Leguizamo. For my adaptation, I cast Rupert Friend.

The last character that I recast was the Jafar/Mustappa character. He has been played by Jonathan Freeman and Hugh Quarshie. For my adaptation, I cast Eamonn Walker.

So what do you all think? What adaptations have you seen? Have you read the original folk-tale? Who would be in your adaptation?

Volver

I recently saw Volver by Pedro Almodovar and really enjoyed it. This film came out about six years ago. Translated, the title means "to return." I do not want to say too much about the plot of the story, because I do not want to give anything away. The film focuses on a woman named Raimunda, her sister Sole, and her young daughter Paula. Shortly after the sisters' great-aunt dies, Sole is visited by the ghost of her long dead mother. As Sole tries to hide the ghost of her mother, Raimunda is busy hiding a secret of her own.

I have come to expect great things from the combination of Pedro Almodovar and Penelope Cruz. In this instance, I was not disappointed. Penelope Cruz was amazing as Raimunda. She was beautiful and gave an extremely real and emotional performance.

I would definitely recommend this film. It is definitely a must-see!

Chloe

I recently saw a film called Chloe. It was written by Erin Cressida Wilson and directed by Atom Egoyan. The film was adapted from another film called Nathalie that came out in 2003 and was written by Anne Fontaine.

The film begins with a doctor. She suspects that her husband is cheating on her. She hires an escort to tempt her husband in the hopes that she might find out the truth once and for all. It proves to be a more difficult task than she originally anticipated. She is soon pulled into a downward spiral that eventually puts her entire family in danger.

This film was a lot more interesting than I was led to believe from the trailer. The three main character were much more three-dimensional than I expected. I found myself "rooting" for all of them. The husband and wife were excellently portrayed by Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore. The escort was played by an extremely dynamic Amanda Seyfried.

I would definitely recommend this film. It is definitely a must-see!

The Runaways

I recently saw a film that came out earlier this year called The Runaways. I was actually really excited to see this film. It was pretty entertaining to watch, but overall not that great. The soundtrack was was amazing (as would be expected), and a few of the actors gave really good performances, but for the most part, the film was awkward and uneventful. If I had to make a clear judgment, I would say that the film is worth seeing, but probably not more than once. It is definitely not a must-see.

That said, there were several really good performances. I would feel remiss, if I did not at least mention a couple of them. Kirsten Stewart played a young Joan Jett. Stewart is sort of a hit or miss actress. When it works, it really does, and when it doesn't, it really doesn't. I am happy to say that this time, it really worked. She has never been very good at playing very versatile characters. Luckily, this role seemed to be made for her.  The only other really stand-out performance came from Michael Shannon. I have not seen very much of his work, but every time I see him in a role, I find myself surprised by how talented he is. In this case, he played Kim Fowley. This was a really over-the-top character. Shannon was really able to make the character work and be believable in a way that I do not think many could. He is definitely one to watch.

Dream Cast Thursday! Anna Karenina

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is Anna Karenina. It was originally a book by Leo Tolstoy that was first published between 1873 and 1877. I have never read the original novel, but for my remake, I looked at the four film adaptations that were released in 1935, 1948, 1997 and 2000.

The first character that I recast was Anna Karenina. She has been played by Greta Garbo, Vivien Leigh, Sophie Marceau, and Helen McCrory. For my adaptation, I cast Hayley Atwell.

The second character that I recast was Count Vronsky. He has been played by Fredric March, Kieron Moore, Sean Bean, and Kevin McKidd. For my adaptation, I cast Ewan McGregor.

The third character that I recast was Alexei Karenin. He has been played by Basil Rathbone, Ralph Richardson, James Fox, and Stephen Dillane. For my adaptation, I cast Rufus Sewell.

The fourth character that I recast was played by Alfred Molina and Douglas Henshall. For my adaptation, I recast Paul Bettany.

The last character that I recast was Kitty Scherbatsky. She has been played by Maureen O'Sullivan, Sally Ann Howes, Mia Kirshner, and Paloma Baeza. For my adaptation, I cast Natalie Portman.

So what do you all think? What adaptations have you seen? Have you read the original novel? Who would be in your recast?

Lawn Dogs

I recently saw a movie called Lawn Dogs. The film originally came out in 1997 and was written by Naomi Wallace and directed by  John Duigan. The film focuses on a relationship between a ten year old girl with wealthy parents and a young man that mows lawns for a living. The relationship is innocent, but immediately faces trouble from outside forces.

This film was really simple and really beautiful. I really enjoyed it a lot. More than anything, I enjoyed seeing the magnificently subtle performances from Sam Rockwell and Mischa Barton. This is definitely a must-see film! I would definitely recommend it.

Dream Cast Thursday!

Hello All! The following is a list of upcoming Dream Cast Thursdays, so make sure to get your dream casts ready. If there is anything that you would like me to cast in the future, leave it as a comment...

Anna Karenina
Aladdin
X-Men
Meet Me in St. Louis
The Misfits
Lady Chatterley's Lover
The Great Gatsby
Gaslight
The Breakfast Club

I cannot wait to see all of your casts and remake suggestions!

Dream Cast Thursday! Bringing Up Baby

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is Bringing Up Baby. The original film came out in 1938 and was written by Dudley Nichols and Hagar Wilde and directed by Howard Hawks.

The film focuses on a serious paleontologist named Dr. David Huxley and an eccentric heiress named Susan Vance. They were originally played by Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. For my adaptation, I cast Matthew Bomer and Thandie Newton.

So what do you all think? Have you seen the original? Who would be in your remake?

The Definition of Love

by Andrew Marvell

My Love is of a birth as rare
As 'tis, for object, strange and high;
It was begotten by Despair,
Upon Impossibility.

Magnanimous Despair alone
Could show me so divine a thing,
Where feeble hope could ne'er have flown,
But vainly flapped its tinsel wing.

And yet I quickly might arrive
Where my extended soul is fixed;
But Fate does iron wedges drive,
And always crowds itself betwixt.

For Fate with jealous eye does see
Two perfect loves, nor lets them close;
Their union would her ruin be,
And her tyrannic power depose.

And therefore her decrees of steel
Us as the distant poles have placed,
(Though Love's whole world on us doth wheel),
Not by themselves to be embraced,

Unless the giddy heaven fall,
And earth some new convulsion tear.
And, us to join, the world should all
Be cramp'd into a plainsphere.

As lines, so love's oblique, may well
Themselves in every angle greet:
But ours, so truly parallel,
Though infinite, can never meet.

Therefore the love which us doth bind,
But Fate so enviously debars,
Is the conjunction of the mind,
And opposition of the stars.