Cemetery Junction

Prior to seeing Cemetery Junction, I was a little conflicted. I was really excited about seeing the film when I first heard about it, but after seeing the trailer was less so. I really did not want to get all hyped up about seeing the film only to be disappointed. That said, I LOVED it!

The film is a sort of coming-of-age tale about a boy named Freddie. More than anything, he does not wish to turn into his father. He gets a job as an insurance salesman, and as his life changes, it becomes harder and harder to hold onto his old one. His friend Bruce wants desperately to leave Cemetery Junction, but spends every day working in the factory and every night drinking and getting into fights. Snork, the final member of the trio, desperately wants a girlfriend, but doesn't really know how to talk to women.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are geniuses. They were able to create a film that was both heart-warming and crude and was both bittersweet and hilarious. Though this work of genius would be nothing without the right casting to pull it off. Ricky Gervais was hilarious as Mr. Taylor (Freddie's obnoxious and borderline racist father). Christian Cooke, Tom Hughes, and Jack Doolan played off of each other perfectly as Freddie, Bruce and Snork. Finally, Ralph Fiennes and Matthew Goode were the perfect stiff-upper-lip pair as Freddie's boss and co-worker.

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

Clash of the Titans

I just saw the Clash of the Titans and actually really liked it. I have been pretty hyped up about the remake ever since I hear that they were doing one (see the post that I wrote when I originally heard about the remake). I was always a huge fan of the original ever since I was little and was very pleases to see that they remained pretty true to it. Most of the major plot changes that were made were made for the better. The original film came out in 1981. Both films follow Perseus. He is the mortal son of Zeus and must embark on a quest in order to defeat the Kraken and to save Argos and Andromeda.

The main issue that I had with the remake was the lack of coverage of the other gods. A few gods and goddesses are briefly shown on Olympus, but Zeus and Hades are the only ones that get any real screen time. The original showed a lot more interaction between the gods and goddesses. That said, the characters that were shown were very interesting. This is a pretty simple story. Without the interesting characters, it would just be an action movie. No characters were shown very in-depth, but there was just enough to keep the audience involved and caring about what was happening. This was definitely not Liam Neeson or Ralph Fiennes best performances. Sam Worthington and Alexa Davalos were okay. I was really impressed with Gemma Arterton, Jason Flemyng, Mads Mikkelsen, Liam Cunningham, Hans Matheson, and Nicholas Hoult.

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

Dream Cast Thursday! Rebecca

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is Rebecca. I read the novel (by Daphne du Maurier) in high school and LOVED it! The novel originally came out in 1938. For my recast, I looked at the 1940 adaptation and the 1997 adaptation.

The first character that I recast was the second Mrs. de Winter. She has been played by Joan Fontaine and Emilia Fox. For my adaptation, I cast Ruth Wilson.

The second character that I recast was Maxim de Winter. He has been played by Laurence Olivier and Charles Dance. For my adaptation, I cast Ralph Fiennes.

The third character that I recast was Mrs. Danvers. She has been played by Judith Anderson and Diana Rigg. For my adaptation, I cast Catherine Deneuve.

The last character that I recast was Jack Favell. He has been played by George Sanders and Jonathan Cake. For my adaptation, I cast Adam Rayner.

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

Dream Cast Thursday! Wuthering Heights

Today's Dream Cast Thursday is Wuthering Heights. It was originally published by Emily Bronte in 1847 under the pseudonym of Ellis Bell. Since it's original publication, there have been many film adaptations. I have focused only on the earliest adaptation of Wuthering Heights and the three other adaptations that I have seen. One version of Wuthering Heights (1939) was directed by William Wyler. Another version of Wuthering Heights (1992) was directed by Peter Kosminsky. A third adaptation of Wutehring Heights (2003) was directed by Suri Krishnamma. The last adaptation of Wuthering Heights (2009) that I will be looking at was directed by Coky Giedroyc.

The characters of Cathy and Heathcliff are the two most important characters in the films. Cathy has been played by Merle Oberon (1939), Juliette Binoche (1992), Erika Christensen (2003 - in this updated version, she is known as Cate), and Charlotte Riley (2009). In my recast I would cast Ruth Wilson. She is a young and relatively unknown actress. I have loved her since I saw her in the most recent adaptation of Jane Eyre with Toby Stephens.

Heathcliff has been played by Laurence Olivier (1029), Ralph Fiennes (1992), Mike Vogel (2003 - in this updated version, he is known as Heath), and Tom Hardy (2009). In my remake, I would cast Dominic Cooper.

In the past, Edgar has been played by David Niven (1039), Simon Shepherd (1992), Christopher Masterson (2003 -In this updated version, he is known as Edward), and Andrew Lincoln (2009). In my remake, I recast Matthew Goode.

In the past, Isabella has been played by Geraldine Fitzgerald (1939), Sophie Ward (1992), Katherine Heigl (2003- in this updated version she is known as Isabel), and Rosalind Halstead (2009). In my remake, I cast Romola Garai.

In past adaptations, Hindley has been played by Hugh Williams (1939), Jeremy Northam (1992), Johnny Whitworth (2003- in this updated version, he is known as Hendrix), and Burn Gorman (2009). In my remake, I recast Sean Biggerstaff.

So what do you all think? Who would you recast in your adaptation? Have you seen any really good adaptations that have not been mentioned?

Clash of the Titans?!?!?!?!

It has recently been announced that there will be a Clash of the Titans remake. I do not expect everyone to share my intense enthusiasm. Very few people share that love that I have for the original. I thought that I would do a quick breakdown of some of the changes...

1981- Harry Hamlin 2010-Sam Worthington PERSEUS

1981-Judi Bowker 2010-Alexa Davalos ANDROMEDA

1981- Laurence Olivier 2010-Liam Neeson ZEUS

New characters not found in the original:
Gemma Arterton LO, Hans Matheson IXAS,

Ralph Fiennes HADES, Jason Flemyng ACRISIUS, and Nicholas Hoult (rumor).




So Exciting!!!