Sin City, and casting the Endless
Just got back from seeing Sin City with Padma. I have to admit, it was a bit too much for me. I was fine for the first third or so, but then here were those cut-off heads... I'm really bad with heads. Not very fond of dismemberment either - sure, spare parts I like fine, and missing parts are okay by me, but there's something about detached parts that makes me go "eugh!" Body parts belong on bodies, not beside them, y'know? (And I have to admit, even missing parts are kind of "eugh"-y when the people missing them just keeps up a creepy nearly-smiling stare.)
It was a very pretty film, though, definitely icon-worthy almost from beginning to end. (If only the blood hadn't looked like bird droppings...) It had some great casting too. I particularly loved Gail. I thought to myself, "Wait, why Gail? Why not Miho, she's the one who kills everyone?" But I came to the conclusion that Miho never says anything or develops much of a personality, which Gail does.
Altogether, I liked the Old Town sequence best, because it was the only part where the girls got to fight back - in the rest of the film, the "Every woman looks good in black plastic" level was a bit too high for comfort. (Just be brave, girl, and hope that one of the cool guys rescue you!) I kind of wish it could have ended on that note, especially since Clive Owen was the coolest of the cool guys, but no, they had to step down and have Jessica Alba be rescued and "brave" by not screaming... Oh well. I did love the way all the storylines tied together in the end, though.
When Bruce Willis talked about the cops coming, I went, "Oh no! Not the cops that killed Lucille!" Because that would have been uncomfortably ironic. But I guess it wasn't that kind of story. All things considered, it was pretty straight-forward when it came to telling bad guys from... well, other guys.
***
Speaking of comic book movies, I have finished mentally casting the Endless for a live-action movie. It took me long enough, especially with Death and Delirium, but the list now looks as follows:
Dream - Sean Penn
He's got the gaunt, long-nosed look and the talents to pull off someone really creepy and still sympathetic. (Morpheus should be a piece of cake after Dead Man Walking.) All you have to do is pale him up, fix the hair, and replace his eyes with black wells.
Destiny - Jeremy Irons
If he were younger, I would have cast him for Dream. As it is, I think he'd make a lovely Destiny, refined yet intense - and he'd look great in a cowl.
Despair - Kathy Bates
Kathy's way prettier than Despair will ever be, of course, but she can also be greyish and cold better than almost anyone else. She's also one of the people who can be in anything and make me happy to watch. Titanic would have been a total waste without her.
Desire - Hilary Swank
Desire was tricky, since it's hard to know whether to cast a man or woman - either way, the audience gets expectations that are hard to counter. I chose Hilary because she's well-known for playing a guy, she's very hot when she tries to be, and she's also very talented.
Desctruction - Sean Bean
This was really easy. I've thought of Destruction as Sean Bean ever since I first saw him in the comics. Sure, Sean's a bit shorter, but the hair and the facial structure is the same.
Delirium - Jane Horrocks
Jane's overage for the part (this was my most difficult choice), but she's excellent at a kind of sweet craziness that'd fit really well for Delirium. Nobody else I've seen play crazy has done it in quite that sense.
Death - Jewel Staite
I had all sorts of people in mind for Death, but once I thought of Jewel Staite I knew I was done. Apart from being my favourite on Firefly, her guest appearance on Dead Like Me proved that she really knows how to play a chipper goth. Death quoting Mary Poppins would be perfectly natural if Jewel played the part.
It was a very pretty film, though, definitely icon-worthy almost from beginning to end. (If only the blood hadn't looked like bird droppings...) It had some great casting too. I particularly loved Gail. I thought to myself, "Wait, why Gail? Why not Miho, she's the one who kills everyone?" But I came to the conclusion that Miho never says anything or develops much of a personality, which Gail does.
Altogether, I liked the Old Town sequence best, because it was the only part where the girls got to fight back - in the rest of the film, the "Every woman looks good in black plastic" level was a bit too high for comfort. (Just be brave, girl, and hope that one of the cool guys rescue you!) I kind of wish it could have ended on that note, especially since Clive Owen was the coolest of the cool guys, but no, they had to step down and have Jessica Alba be rescued and "brave" by not screaming... Oh well. I did love the way all the storylines tied together in the end, though.
When Bruce Willis talked about the cops coming, I went, "Oh no! Not the cops that killed Lucille!" Because that would have been uncomfortably ironic. But I guess it wasn't that kind of story. All things considered, it was pretty straight-forward when it came to telling bad guys from... well, other guys.
***
Speaking of comic book movies, I have finished mentally casting the Endless for a live-action movie. It took me long enough, especially with Death and Delirium, but the list now looks as follows:
Dream - Sean Penn
He's got the gaunt, long-nosed look and the talents to pull off someone really creepy and still sympathetic. (Morpheus should be a piece of cake after Dead Man Walking.) All you have to do is pale him up, fix the hair, and replace his eyes with black wells.
Destiny - Jeremy Irons
If he were younger, I would have cast him for Dream. As it is, I think he'd make a lovely Destiny, refined yet intense - and he'd look great in a cowl.
Despair - Kathy Bates
Kathy's way prettier than Despair will ever be, of course, but she can also be greyish and cold better than almost anyone else. She's also one of the people who can be in anything and make me happy to watch. Titanic would have been a total waste without her.
Desire - Hilary Swank
Desire was tricky, since it's hard to know whether to cast a man or woman - either way, the audience gets expectations that are hard to counter. I chose Hilary because she's well-known for playing a guy, she's very hot when she tries to be, and she's also very talented.
Desctruction - Sean Bean
This was really easy. I've thought of Destruction as Sean Bean ever since I first saw him in the comics. Sure, Sean's a bit shorter, but the hair and the facial structure is the same.
Delirium - Jane Horrocks
Jane's overage for the part (this was my most difficult choice), but she's excellent at a kind of sweet craziness that'd fit really well for Delirium. Nobody else I've seen play crazy has done it in quite that sense.
Death - Jewel Staite
I had all sorts of people in mind for Death, but once I thought of Jewel Staite I knew I was done. Apart from being my favourite on Firefly, her guest appearance on Dead Like Me proved that she really knows how to play a chipper goth. Death quoting Mary Poppins would be perfectly natural if Jewel played the part.