Close Casting Calls in Hollywood

Sean Connery as Gandalf. That almost happened.

Movies and television shows are produced for a variety of reasons- entertainment, political statement, educational to name a few- but all of them have one thing in common. They utilize a set of moving pictures and sounds to tell a story. And as end users, that is what we are treated to for a couple of hours. However, there is so much more to it than that. Thousands of personnel and countless man hours of writing, producing, filming, and editing that come together to make a film or show what it is. Out of this comes one of the most important roles in the movie and TV production process: choosing the right persons to portray the story correctly and effectively.

Usually, the top brass does an effective job of choosing the talent for the movie or TV show. On the other hand, whether due to the actor’s timetable, career considerations, or the creative insights by the director, they swing and miss on one actor and are forced to settle on their second choice. An article on CNN.com earlier today highlights 10 well-known movies in which one of these factors led to a well-known actor/actress rejecting the role and another, perhaps less famous, person stepping in to the roles we all are familiar with. And the rest, they say is history.

Check out the list of near-misses and “What were they thinking?” moments here. Some turned out for the best, but some might have changed things for the better if they had worked out.

 

 

10 Movies That Have Changed Hollywood Since 1990

A couple of days ago, I came across an article on Entertainment Weekly’s website listing the 10 movies they feel have changed Hollywood in some capacity since 1990. I clicked through the slideshow and read the justifications given for each one. While there were a few that made sense, others I wasn’t so sure about. This got me thinking about the movies I have seen over the last 20 years that I believe has altered filmmaking. And since I consider myself an amateur movie nerd buff, I decided to compile my own list. [Full disclosure: I was motivated to do this today because the NFL games this afternoon were pretty boring.]

So without further ado, here is my list of the 10 movies that have changed Hollywood since 1990 (in no particular order):

Braveheart (1995)
Past results have clearly displayed that a historic epic film, if done correctly, can perform well both at the box office and at award ceremonies (ie Lawrence of Arabia, Ben-Hur, Spartacus). After a dry spell in the genre, Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning film reinvigorated it with his film about the battle to free Scotland from English hands. An abundance of historical epics have been produced since, some of which share the “Best Picture Oscar” adjective (Titanic, Gladiator).

 

The Matrix (1999)
Every so often, a movie comes along that presents an innovative method (ie the lighting of a scene; the camera angle during a dialogue exchange). The Wachowski brothers brought Bullet Time. By creating a special set of cameras, they were able to zoom around Keanu Reeves’ character in a 360 degree arc, alternating between high and low angles, to give you a perspective of him dodging bullets in slow motion unlike anything before it. The technology was also used to slow down and dramatize key fight scenes in the film and its two sequels and has been copied in several subsequent films.

Chicago (2002)
Some of the movies considered the best of all time are musicals (The Sound of Music, West Side Story, etc.), but there had been a steady drop-off of these films made in the last couple of decades of the 20th century. However, only two years into the next century, Rob Marshall & Co. recharged this genre of film with the movie version of the Broadway classic. The star-studded cast energized audiences and earned the Best Picture Oscar. Following in its footsteps, other studios brought other musicals to the big screen with mixed results (ie Moulin Rouge, Rent, Hairspray, Phantom of the Opera).

Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
Can you adapt one of the greatest book series of all time into some of the greatest movies of all time? Peter Jackson proved that yes, you can with his three Lord of the Rings installments. The movies collectively grossed nearly $3 billion at the box office, were all nominated for Best Picture Oscars (the third, The Fellowship of the Ring, won), and regenerated book sales of the JRR Tolkien classics. Other book series have shared similar success on the revenue generating side in recent years (such as the Harry Potter, Twilight, and Narnia series films) and it will be curious to see if Jackson can bring the magic again when the film version of the LOTR prequel The Hobbit comes to theaters next year.

 

Crash (2004)
There have been a number of critically-acclaimed independent films produced over time. Some have even achieved a best picture nod for Oscar. But this Paul Haggis-helmed film changed everything. It gained a lot of traction leading into Oscar voting season and ended up taking away 3 Oscars, including Best Picture. After this “David over Goliath” win, another independent has duplicated the feat (Slumdog Millionaire) and another nearly did (Little Miss Sunshine) and two will likely be in the running for this year’s awards (Black Swan and The King’s Speech).

 

Toy Story (1995)
Animated films have long been part of Hollywood film history, but they have always come from millions of hand-drawn pictures combined together to form a film. Taking advantage of the latest technology, a little company named Pixar manufactured the first computer-animated movie ever. The rest, as they say, is history. With the exception of a few movies that have reverted to the traditional hand-drawn animation, the CGI version has become the norm and have been cash cows for Pixar and its fellow competitors.

 

Dumb & Dumber (1994)
If you go to your area Redbox dispenser or movie rental store, a number of offerings can be found in what I term the “stupid-funny” category. That is, movies that are kind of stupid (and sometimes unrealistic), yet are so hilarious that you watch them and become endeared to them. Hollywood discovered this formula in the early 1990’s with the Jim Carrey/Jeff Daniels movie following two guys’ cross-country adventure to return a briefcase to a beautiful woman Carrey’s character had just met. Ever since, a number of actors have made a nice living starring in movies similar to this (see Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell).

 

X-Men (2000)
The comic book industry has been successful for several decades and it only makes sense then that someone would try to translate that success into a movie. However, they would usually stick to the major characters (Superman, Batman are examples). At the turn of the century, Marvel Comics released a movie based on the X-Men comics. It was a box office smash and the comic book movie industry has exploded ever since. Both Marvel and DC Comics have brought their heroes to life and for the most part have been laughing to the bank.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
What happens when you combine two stars with incredible chemistry (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan); a simple, yet brilliant storyline (written and directed by Nora Ephron); and a few unforgettable lines? You get a movie that became the gold standard of the romantic comedy genre against which all subsequent entries in this category are judged. Many have tried, a few have come close (notably Notting Hill and You’ve Got Mail, which also stars Hanks and Ryan and is helmed by Ephron), but none have taken the crown away from this classic.

Forrest Gump- (1994)
A movie can feature incredible actors; a fantastic storyline; and beautiful scenery. But sometimes an X-factor will be the final cog that pushes a movie from good to great. In the case of Robert Zemeckis’ film, it was the use of computer-generated images. Zemeckis and his crew searched through thousands of hours of actual film footage and then brilliantly inserted Tom Hanks’ character into them as if he were actually there conversing with JFK, Lyndon B. Johnson, and John Lennon. This use of technology was one of the elements leading to the film earning the Best Picture Oscar, Zemeckis the Best Director Oscar, and Hanks the Best Actor Oscar and inspiring thousands of movies afterwards to employ CGI effects in their movies.

Perhaps you will look at my list and agree, or you may have the similar reaction to my blog that I did to the EW.com story. And admittedly, my knowledge of movies is lacking in a few areas. But I think that you would agree that these movies have had an impact on how Hollywood conducts movies today and going into the future.