Jeff Stockton here with this season's edition of Casting Grades. In this segment I will dissect the casting of several films from the season - namely adaptations featuring characters that exist in other formats (or reality). Here we go....
MOON KNIGHT
Comic to Film Post : http://hmsfilms.blogspot.com/2024/02/comic-to-film-moon-knight.html
Leonardo DiCaprio as Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley/Moon Knight
Appearance: B+
Performance: A-
Thoughts: DiCaprio was one of the last A-Listers without a superhero franchise. He is able to play the mental fragility of the character better than a lot of other leading men, even if his action chops are still in-progress.
Overall Casting Grade: A-
Rooney Mara as Dr. Allison Emmet/Ammut
Appearance: B
Performance: A
Thoughts: Another example of Moon Knight snatching up other big talents without superhero franchises. She does well with the duplicity of the character here, giving a performance that helps elevate the story.
Overall Casting Grade: A-
Babs Olusanmokun as Raoul Bushman/Ra
Appearance: B+
Performance: B+
Thoughts: Olusanmokun made for a memorable villain and his violence pushed the MPAA boundaries for sure.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Charlie Murphy as Marlene Alraune
Appearance: B-
Performance: B+
Thoughts: She doesn't look a ton like her comic source, but she makes for a decent love interest for Moon Knight even if she doesn't get a ton to do on her own.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Marc-Andre Grondin as Jean-Paul "Frenchie" Duchamp
Appearance: B+
Performance: B
Thoughts: Grondin is great even if his role is a little limited by the plot.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Colm Meaney as Dr. Peter Alraune
Appearance: B
Performance: B+
Thoughts: A small part that is quickly upgraded by the casting of someone like Meaney who gives instant credibility to his roles.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Michael Raymond-James as Randall Spector
Appearance: B
Performance: B
Thoughts: I believed him as DiCaprio's brother and fellow mercenary even if it was a quick role.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Joan Allen as Debra Spector
Appearance: B
Performance: B
Thoughts: Joan Allen isn't given a ton to do, which is a crime. She does what she can though.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Christian Camargo as Jason Macendale
Appearance: B
Performance: B+
Thoughts: This character ended up being more interesting than I expected. Camargo's performance matched the writing well, making me very uneasy about the character's intentions.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Amir El Masry as Khonshu (Voice)
Appearance: N/A
Performance: B
Thoughts: Voice-only roles are hard to judge, but on the surface Amir El Masry seems like a solid fit.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Overall Film Casting Grade: A-
THE TOMB OF DRACULA
Comic to Film Post : http://hmsfilms.blogspot.com/2024/02/comic-to-film-tomb-of-dracula.html
Jeremy Allen White as Frank Drake
Appearance: B
Performance: B
Thoughts: Not a perfect fit for the role, but he plays the down-on-his-luck part of the role nicely.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Antony Starr as Vlad Dracula
Appearance: B+
Performance: B+
Thoughts: One of the better Marvel villains in recent memory, Starr chews the scenery appropriately.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Joseph Quinn as Clifton Graves
Appearance: B
Performance: B+
Thoughts: Quinn is weasely when he needs to be and charming when he needs to be.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Maika Monroe as Jeanie Ovington
Appearance: B+
Performance: B+
Thoughts: I liked Maika Monroe a lot in this one. She can do a lot of things as an actress and is frequently under-utilized in other films.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Naveen Andrews as Taj Nital
Appearance: B
Performance: B-
Thoughts: Andrews felt like a decent choice - maybe a bit old at this point. He can be intense though, which the role of Taj requires.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Eve Hewson as Edith Harker
Appearance: B+
Performance: B-
Thoughts: This role seems like one that is setting up future films, but I do like Hewson in the role.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Gabriel Byrne as Quincy Harker
Appearance: B
Performance: B
Thoughts: Like the role of Edith, this one feels small in this film. Byrne is a great actor though who should be bigger than he is.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Vanessa Redgrave as Rachel Van Helsing
Appearance: B-
Performance: B
Thoughts: Redgrave acts well as an older version of the character from Ncik Fury and His Howling Commandos.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Tim Curry as Varnae (VOICE)
Appearance: N/A
Performance: A-
Thoughts: I loved having Curry in this small voice role. He may not be able to act on-screen any more after his stroke, but his voice still works to strong affect.
Overall Casting Grade: A-
Overall Film Casting Grade: B
STARMAN
Comic to Film Post : http://hmsfilms.blogspot.com/2024/03/comic-to-film-starman.html
Joe Keery as Jack Knight / Starman III
Appearance: B+
Performance: A
Thoughts: Joe Keery feels perfect for Jack Knight - the original hipster superhero. I hope there are further entries.
Overall Casting Grade: A
Richard Gere as Ted Knight
Appearance: B+
Performance: B+
Thoughts: This was a role that I was surprised by the writing of. Gere pulled it off well though and feels like Keery's dad.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Ashton Kutcher as David Knight / Starman II
Appearance: B+
Performance: B
Thoughts: A smaller role than I expected, but Kutcher does feel like part of the Gere/Keery family. I just wish there was more on the bone for Kutcher to work with.
Overall Casting Grade: B
John Lithgow as Kyle Nimbus / The Mist
Appearance: B+
Performance: B+
Thoughts: Lithgow is great in everything and his role as the Mist is now different.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Ella Purnell as Nash Nimbus
Appearance: B-
Performance: C+
Thoughts: This was a tough role to cast. If it is too close to the comics, it may not work. I'm not sure it worked 100% in the final product, but it was decent.
Overall Casting Grade: C+
Theo James as Kyle Nimbus Jr.
Appearance: B
Performance: B-
Thoughts: Kyle Jr. is a tough role. He doesn't really have his own goals, more the goals of his father. I think James did what he could with the role, but the villains were all kind of underwritten in this one.
Overall Casting Grade: B-
Halston Sage as Sadie Falk
Appearance: B+
Performance: C+
Thoughts: Maybe this is one of those roles that is supposed to get bigger in future films, but I don't think that Sage brought much to the role that wasn't there on paper.
Overall Casting Grade: B-
Rob Brydon as Richard Swift / The Shade
Appearance: B-
Performance: B+
Thoughts: I liked Rob Brydon's dry humor in a supporting role like the Shade. It felt different than the comics version and a bit more unique with Brydon's flair.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Tania Raymonde as Charity
Appearance: B-
Performance: B-
Thoughts: A tiny role, but her one scene was a fairly memorable one.
Overall Casting Grade: B-
Overall Film Casting Grade: B
BECOMING CAROLE LOMBARD
Fact to Film Post : http://hmsfilms.blogspot.com/2024/04/fact-to-film-becoming-carole-lombard.html
Lili Reinhart as Carole Lombard
Appearance: A-
Performance: B+
Thoughts: Lili Reinhart was able to do a lot of the same stuff that Lombard was able to bring to her own roles back in the day.
Overall Casting Grade: A-
Luke Evans as Clark Gable
Appearance: A-
Performance: B+
Thoughts: Luke Evans oozes the old Hollywood smarmy charm that playing Gable required. I think his part was under-written though and is more of an accessory than a real character.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Andrew Scott as William Powell
Appearance: B-
Performance: B-
Thoughts: Andrew Scott really just did not feel like Powell to me. He wasn't bad, but I wasn't feeling it. Part of it may have been the writing, but some was Scott's fault as well.
Overall Casting Grade: B-
Catherine Keener as Elizabeth Peters
Appearance: B
Performance: B
Thoughts: Keener was decent as Lombard's overbearing mother, although I can't help but feel like the character didn't bring a whole lot to the story.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Jason Sudeikis as Mack Sennett
Appearance: B-
Performance: B
Thoughts: This character was great at the beginning, but really disappears, unfortunately.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Rupert Friend as Walter Wanger
Appearance: C+
Performance: C
Thoughts: I wasn't impressed with the writing of the character or the casting of the role.
Overall Casting Grade: C
Simon Helberg as Otto Winkler
Appearance: C+
Performance: C-
Thoughts: The cast of The Big Bang Theory apparently isn't done milking Hollywood with their lack of creative talent. Helberg's Winkler adds little nothing to the film outside of looking vaguely like Winkler.
Overall Casting Grade: C-
Millie Brady as Myrna Loy
Appearance: B+
Performance: C
Thoughts: The role is nothing but a minor cameo. Brady looks the part, but was not necessary to the story at all.
Overall Casting Grade: C+
Overall Film Casting Grade: B-
STARKWEATHER
Fact to Film Post : http://hmsfilms.blogspot.com/2024/04/fact-to-film-starkweather.html
Jacob Elordi as Charles Starkweather
Appearance: B
Performance: A
Thoughts: Elordi is more handsome than the real Starkweather, but he channels the anger appropriately.
Overall Casting Grade: A-
Sadie Sink as Caril Ann Fugate
Appearance: B+
Performance: A
Thoughts: Sink might finally win her first GRA Best Actress trophy for this one. She looks the part well enough, but is also able to play several other layers that the role requires.
Overall Casting Grade: A-
Paul Sparks as Guy Starkweather
Appearance: B+
Performance: B+
Thoughts: Not a huge part, but Sparks looks and plays the part well enough.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Martha Plimpton as Helen Starkweather
Appearance: B+
Performance: B
Thoughts: She has less to do than Sparks as her husband, but she definitely looks the part well enough.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Will Patton as Marion Bartlett
Appearance: B-
Performance: B
Thoughts: Will Patton was an interesting choice in a role like this. I, for one, am enjoying the little bit of resurgence he is currently having in LRF thanks to this and the Atlantis films.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Molly Ringwald as Velda Bartlett
Appearance: B
Performance: B
Thoughts: Speaking of comebacks, Ringwald is in the midst of one as well between this and her role in Amityville.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Chris Zylka as Robert Colvert
Appearance: B+
Performance: B-
Thoughts: Zylka just has one scene to leave a mark. He's mostly successful.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Stanley Simons as Bobby Jensen
Appearance: B-
Performance: B
Thoughts: Like a lot of roles in Starkweather other than the starring couple, Simons does not get much screen time.
Overall Casting Grade: B-
Hannah Kepple as Carol King
Appearance: B
Performance: B
Thoughts: Kepple's Carol is a bit tougher of a role than Simons' Bobby. I thought she did well as she slowly increases her LRF profile.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Lochlyn Munro as Sheriff Karnopp
Appearance: B-
Performance: B
Thoughts: Not a ton to base the performance off. I thought he was funny distributing guns throughout town.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Patrick Warburton as Governor Victor E. Anderson
Appearance: B+
Performance: B
Thoughts: Another piece of inspired casting from Lon Charles. Warburton makes the role a bit more interesting than it is on the page.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Henry Czerny as Judge Harry Spencer
Appearance: B-
Performance: C+
Thoughts: Not much required here.
Overall Casting Grade: C+
Overall Film Casting Grade: B+
SPIDER-MAN: REQUIEM
Comic to Film Post : http://hmsfilms.blogspot.com/2024/05/comic-to-film-spider-man-requiem.html
Lucas Hedges as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Appearance: B+
Performance: A-
Thoughts: Lucas Hedges has slowly made the role of Peter Parker his own, standing as tall as other actors in the role.
Overall Casting Grade: A-
Elle Fanning as Gwen Stacy
Appearance: A+
Performance: A
Thoughts: Fanning continued to be close to perfect as Gwen in this one. I just wish there was more of her.
Overall Casting Grade: A
Matthew McConaughey as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin
Appearance: B+
Performance: A
Thoughts: McConaughey got to go full villain in his third appearance as Osborn.
Overall Casting Grade: A-
Ansel Elgort as Harry Osborn
Appearance: B+
Performance: B
Thoughts: Elgort was left in a tough place in this one, mostly bed-ridden. I thought Elgort did some interesting things, but not enough to stand out in a big film.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Sissy Spacek as Aunt May Parker
Appearance: A-
Performance: B+
Thoughts: We see less of Aunt May this time, but Spacek has easily become the quintessential film Aunt May.
Overall Casting Grade: A-
Javier Bardem as Dr. Otto Octavius
Appearance: B+
Performance: B+
Thoughts: Bardem made an impact with his supporting role here. Hopefully we get more of this in the future in some way.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Kiefer Sutherland as Captain George Stacy
Appearance: B+
Performance: B+
Thoughts: I liked that Sutherland's role was expanded a bit in this one.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Zoey Deutch as Mary Jane Watson
Appearance: A-
Performance: B
Thoughts: I have enjoyed the slow-build approach the filmmakers have given the character of Mary Jane. Deutch certainly looks the part and I look forward to seeing where she takes the role.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Ron Perlman as J. Jonah Jameson
Appearance: B+
Performance: B+
Thoughts: Perlman's Jameson gets some of his best bits yet in the role opposite Silverman's Brant in this one.
Overall Casting Grade: B+
Sarah Silverman as Betty Brant
Appearance: B+
Performance: B
Thoughts: She is funny and sassy in a small role here. Silverman elevates it off the page a bit with her trademark humor.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Alan Ruck as Spencer Smythe
Appearance: B
Performance: B
Thoughts: Ruck got less to play with than any other actor in the project, but I think he held his own well enough.
Overall Casting Grade: B
Overall Film Casting Grade: A-
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