Next year’s Wolverine movie will be awesome, with an actual actor (and a very good, intense one) playing Sabretooth: Liev Schreiber. Tyler Mane was awful (as was that feral, grunting portrayal of the character), but I can’t stand the Undertaker and don’t think he would have been any different or better.
I liked most of the X-Men casting aside from Halle Berry as Storm. That was a role Angela Bassett was born to play. James Marsden was boring and bland as Cyclops, but that was kind of the point.
I had heard he was slated to play Sabretooth, It’ll be interesting to see how he pulls it off. Certainly a better physical match facially, and his acting is great.
Point Break was a good enough thriller to survive even Keanu Reeves’ performance, but had someone with an edge played his part, it could have had a cult-like following.
Same for Dumb & Dumber and Jeff (I’m not funny nor will I ever be) Daniels. That one, despite appreciable success, could have been an all-timer.
Recently, I’d say Charlie Bartlett. That lead, whoever he was, was all wrong. And it pissed me off! He ought to have been a bit more smooth, charming, and in greater denial of his inner pain. But instead, he was just kind of a loser. And I blame the casting.
I don’t think that his being cast as the lead was ALL that destroyed it, but certainly having Arnold cast as “Conan” doomed that movie to be at best mediocre.
I can remember being so excited to hear that they were going to make a Conan movie. And to hear that a relatively big name like John Milius was involved in the writing, and that he was going to stay true to the Howard stories, was like a dream come true.
Then to hear that Arnold was cast to play the lead. He was a relative unknown at the time, but had had enough exposure to be recognizeable. And to know that he would be a lame Conan.
Which led to the actual viewing of the finished product on the big screen. I remember thinking/hoping/praying that “maybe, just maybe” for the first 5 minutes (the William Smith as father scenes). But the rest is history.
You should see the film Broken Glass. Hayden Christensen can act! It’s eerie.
-FrL-
I think that is nostalgia speaking. Ford just oozed charisma, but Fisher’s and Hammil’s acting were nothing special - and that’s being generous. However, I didn’t notice that until I was an adult; as a kid, those movies could do no wrong. Well, no wrong other than ewoks.
Oh, yeh! Winona Ryder, I’ve heard, originally was considered for the part of Mary Corleone, but somehow it went to Coppola’s daughter.
Well, at least she’s a real Italian. :rolleyes:
Winona had health problems, and they couldn’t delay shooting.
To be fair to Sofia, she was literally a last-minute replacement for the ill Winona.
The worst performance in Godfather III had to be from Eli “Look at Me, I’m Acting Italian” Wallach.
The 2004 Phantom of the Opera. Actually, only one part was miscast, but it was a doozy. The Phantom is supposed to be a grotesque figure with amazing musical talents. Casting Gerard Butler, a handsome actor with sub-average vocal skills (putting it very charitably) did not work at all. There was no chemistry between him and the outrageously gorgeous Emmy Rossum. Patrick Wilson was a bit stiff as Raoul but that Phantom casting just didn’t work.
Because, Og knows, there’s no such thing as a “meek and mild-mannered” linebacker. :rolleyes:
One of the worst casting decisions I’ve ever seen was Meg Ryan as Pamela Morrison in The Doors.
Ditto Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York.
Whenever these threads arise I always trot out “William Hurt” as Duke Leto Atreides in the Dune mini-series. Still makes me sick.
However, Julia was not perfect in Michael Collins. Her Irish accent was ludicrous. Beyond the accent, she didn’t seem aware of how she’d landed on the film set.
She didn’t ruin the whole movie. Just the scenes that included her.
Duh. That’s what I meant. I thought I said GF 3, and the role I meant was the Godfather’s daughter Mary, the role originally intended for Wynona Rider. Coppola’s daughter was dreadful. Any high school girl could have done at least as well.
Gotta agree here. I loved the movie, except for Gerard Butler, whose vocal skills are underwhelming . (I also have to complain about his makeup, which isn’t at all horrible. If Erik is hiding away from the world down in the Cellars of the Opera, he must be a Very Sensitive Monster. What were they exhibiting him as in those flasback scenes? The Boy With The Bad Sunburn?)
I know that much of the story revolves around Christine, not Erik, but he’s supposed to be the story’s real center. Just like Dracula, who also doesn’t get much screen time. This usurpation of the center of the film from the title character was the worst case since Bo Derek made Tarzan, the Ape Man.
My alternate choice for Anakin Skywalker? Mike Vogel. Would have been a dead ringer for Mark Hamill.
Sofia may have been bad, but she wasn’t a professional, so at least she has an excuse. But that film has a myriad of bad performances (Shire, Eli Wallach, George Hamilton, Bridget Fonda–even Diane Keaton and Joe Mantegna don’t do themselves any favors) from people who act as a career choice. Ugh.
I came in here to say this. Denise Richards is pron material, pure and simple. She single handedly ruined TWINE and made me want to just punch her.
