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?

Incendiary

I recently saw Incendiary. It took me a little while to actually get into the film (it was one of those situations when the film is really good, but is a completely different type of film from what you expected after watching the trailer), but by the end, I was really enjoying it.

The film was made a few years ago. The film follows a young wife and mother. One the day when her husband and son are killed in a terrorist attack, she is in the arms of another man. She is consumed by grief and guilt. She begins spiraling downward. Meanwhile, two men fight for her affection.

The story itself was a lot slower than I expected, but the performances definitely made up for it. Ewan McGregor was his usual self. I was really impressed with Michelle Williams and especially Matthew Macfadyen. I had seen several of Macfadyen's performances, but this one really blew me away.














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

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Last night I saw the Men Who Stare at Goats with my roommate, Sarah. I absolutely loved it! I was a little worried at first. I have been eagerly anticipating this film since I first saw the trailer a few months ago. More recently trailers have been frequenting television. I was worried that all the hype would ruin the actual viewing. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE! I don't want to hype up the film too much, and give people ridiculous expectations. That said, it was probably the funniest film that I have see all year.

The concept for the film was hilarious, but there is not doubt in my mind that the ensemble cast is a large part behind the success of the film. George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, and Jeff Bridges were all brilliant. The film was wonderfully directed by Grant Heslov. The flashbacks (which make up quite a large part of the film) are integrated seamlessly. The film was also really well written. The dialogue was absolutely hilarious. Peter Straughan wrote the screenplay based on the novel by Jon Ronson.