In Support of Amy Adams

I've heard a lot of confusion since the casting of Amy Adams as Lois Lane. At first I was a bit shocked, too, but I've come to decide that this is actually a brilliant move. Amy Adams seems like an odd fit, to many, for Zack Snyder's Superman: Man of Steel, because she's generally seen as sweet, bubbly, and cute. Her early claims to fame being Junebug (where she's a naive, young, pregnant wife) and Enchanted, certainly explain where this perception comes from.

I'm here to let you know that Amy Adams can be tough like Lois and to explain why her cute nature may actually help the character.

Now, Henry Cavill (drool) as Kal El is perhaps the best casting I could have hoped for. I was rooting for him in the 2006 Singer Superman Returns, when he was too young for the role. Thank God he didn't get it then, as that movie turned out to be a major disappointment. 

When you cast a character who is solely a love interest, chemistry is one of the most important factors. I'm sure that part of this decision was making sure that whoever was cast as Lois has chemistry with Cavill.

My next point of reference is The Fighter. If you've seen it, you'll know what I mean. If you haven't seen it, it's streaming on Netflix. Stop waiting and go watch it! Amy Adams plays Charlene, a tough Lowell girl, a bartender, a college dropout, and someone not afraid to speak up. Not only does she beat the snot out of one of Mickey Ward's sisters in a hair-pulling, punch-throwing brawl. She shoots whiskey and she talks back with sharp wit.

Alice: I've heard a lot about you.
Charlene: Really? I've heard a lot about you too.
Alice: What's that supposed to mean?
Charlene: Same thing you meant.

The World has seen Amy Adams be tough. It was believable. She was nominated for an Oscar for it! (Best Supporting Actress).

My final argument is that she shouldn't look and sound tough. Why? Johnny Depp was so much better in the first Pirates movie than the second because Jack was written as a hero and played as a freak. In Pirates 2 he was written as a freak, played as a freak and it was just too much. If Lois is written as a sexy, tough cookie who takes crap from no one, cast as a sharp-featured woman and cast with a cold, sharp voice, her character will be 100% bitch.

Amy Adams will be able to take tough, sarcastic, often snappy lines and deliver them with a sweet face and voice so that she's delightful and fun. It's called playing opposites. Face it, Lois Lane is the toughest superhero love interest to make likable.  She's not very warm, she's not a nurturer, and it would be a betrayal of her character to make her show more than subtle hints of vulnerability over the course of the film. Amy Adams is a talented actress who can play that vulnerability so that the script doesn't have to hit us over the head with it. Her presence will soften her hard edges naturally.

Lois will still be a strong, formidable woman, but Amy Adams will make us understand why Clark loves her, too.

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10 Worst Cast Characters in Harry Potter Films

When you're casting an already loved world, you have to be careful to be faithful so as not to anger fans. This list was harder to make than I thought it would be. The casting directors actually did a really great job with most of this series. 50% of this list is stretching to make a 10 to counterpoint my Best Cast list. I LOVE some of these actors, even if I think they don't match the book. I think most of my gripes are with the Prisoner of Azkaban. None of these castings were bad from a talent standpoint. This is really about embodying the character that Rowling created in a physical sense.

Very few of these castings make detrimental changes to the story itself. Really, for the majority of this list, it's all about the look. This list is far more superficial than I thought it would be and it only really matters for a handful of characters. I actually had to strain my brain to think of 12. I guess my real beef with the movies are the plot omissions and the random action sequences added in that take away time from things that shouldn't have been cut. Fiona Weir (casting) did a pretty good job.

10 Worst Cast Characters in Harry Potter Films

10 & 9. Oliver and James Phelps as the Weasley Twins
Do not get me wrong: the Phelps twins give a great performance. I just find it annoying that the movie castings made half of fandom forget that the Weasley twins are not tall and lanky in the books. Rowling specifically states that Bill, Percy, and Ron are tall and thin and that Charlie, Fred, and George are short and stocky. I guess it's easy to forget that when you have a couple of tall, weedy brunettes playing them for eight movies.

At least hair dye can fix the brunette problem. I just find it hard to believe, as awesome as these guys are (I followed them on Twitter for a while and they seemed really genuine and funny) that they couldn't find talented twins who weren't so dang lanky.

8. Sir Michael Gambon as Dumbledore
There were a lot of people pushing for Sir Peter O'Toole to replace Sir Richard Harris after his death. I guess you have to be knighted to play Dumbledore? What bothers me about Michael Gambon's performances is that he immediately took the whimsy out of it.

Also, I don't think Gambon cares about the role. I mean at all. When asked if he'd read the books, Gambon said  there was “No point in reading the books because you’re playing with [screenwriter] Steve Kloves’words.” When he first signed on for the role he was quoted telling an interviewer 

"I just play him as myself, I don’t ease myself into any role really. I stick a beard on and play me. Every part I play is just a variant of my own personality. No real character actor, of course, just me."

While I can't find the quote for you, I remember reading a couple years back that Gambon thought Dumbledore was a what-you-see-is-what-you-get character. He obviously has no respect for what he is playing and it shows in his performance. Dumbledore is wise, temperate, compassionate, quirky, and yet powerful. If you read the books you know that he also carries a lot of guilt over his friend Grindewald and that he burdens himself with Voldemort as well. If you watch Gambon you get that he's old, smart, and yells an awful lot. I think that a good  Dumbledore would save yelling for 1 (and only one) moment over the span of the whole series.

Michael Gambon is a great actor. I liked him in Layer Cake. I just don't think he gives a damn about Harry Potter. He's collecting a paycheck and it shows. Seeing how I adore Harry Potter, how I've made a lot of great friends through the common interest, and how many of my pre-college achievements were made because of my involvement in the Library because of Potter... it does make me pretty mad that he can be so disrespectful of the material that so many millions love.

7. Stanislav Ianevski as Viktor Krum
Viktor Krum is supposed to be tall, awkward on his feet, with a hawk-like appearance. He is supposed to have a big, hook nose. I feel like the casting director read that he's Bulgarian and that girls are jealous of Hermione for dating him and then just threw away the rest of it.

Ianevski is broad-shouldered and very conventionally good-looking. He's no Viktor Krum.

6.  Robbie Jarvis as Young James Potter
James and Harry are supposed to be nearly identical, except for the eyes. With so little face time in the film, why couldn't they go on a D-Rad look-alike hunt? The guy would barely have to be able to act and they could coach the accent for the one, weirdly edited line he had anyway. Why did they just cast a skinny kid with obviously brown hair when they could have easily found a closer likeness?

5. Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeour
I really do adore Bill Nighy. He's amazing. But he's no Scrimgeour. Scrimgeour is supposed to look like a lion and Bill Nighy most certainly does not. Were Sean Connery and Sir Christopher Lee not available?

4. Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback
This one is really bad. A werewolf who is at least a generation older than Remus, and they cast an actor who is the same age but looking younger for his age? Why did they cast a wrestler? They should have a creepy, skinny, crazy-looking older man. I understand that werewolves and wizards may age slower, but then why does Remus look fifty?!?

3. Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy
This is one of those castings that I think changes the character. Narcissa is supposed to be blonde, blonde, blonde, and very delicate and sharp-featured. She's supposed to be young and beautiful, suggesting that she was a prissy, rich, young bride. Instead they cast the woman they wanted to use as Bellatrix. WRONG! And they didn't even make her totally blonde!

Rumors circulated that Naomi Watts got the role. She would have been perfect! Narcissa is supposed to be the sister who looks the least like her siblings. She's the little Black family princess. Why did they cast Helen McRory? Why are all of the adults in this series at least 10 years too old?

2. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
I'm going to settle this once and for all. Harry's parents were 21 when they died. It says so in The Deathly Hallows and they could have asked JK Rowling if they were curious. That means that in Deathly Hallows, Remus, Snape, and Peter should have been 37. David Thewlis is 48.

Remus was supposed to have sandy hair (that slightly obscured the fact that he was going prematurely grey) and be in his mid thirties for this series. They cast a man in his (then) mid-forties with dark hair. Now he just looks like he's going seriously grey.

*bang head on desk* They messed up the whole generation. I guess my problem really extends far beyond Remus here.

1. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black
I love Gary Oldman. He's a great actor. Now that this disclaimer is out of the way... WHAT? WHAT! WHY? Sirius is supposed to be the good-looking bad boy. A tall, good-looking bad boy. Gary Oldman is 5'9" (below average height for a caucasian male) with a weak chin and is 5 years older than even David Thewlis.

MissVarlou on DeviantArt

Ok, so prison aged him. Did prison shrink him?

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10 Best Cast Characters in the Harry Potter Movies

Another casting countdown. Over the years I've griped and cheered about casting in the adaptation of my favourite book series. Now, as it is coming to an end and we've met all the cast there is to see, I finally put my thoughts on paper... well... on paper if any of you decide to print this post.

The 10 Best Cast Characters in the Harry Potter Movies

(And don't tell me I forgot Alan Rickman. As fabulous as he is, he's wayyyy too old for the role)

10. Sir Richard Harris as Dumbledore

It's really sad that the knighted actor only got to complete 2 films (and he had a double for the second in many places) because he was the perfect Dumbledore. Harris had a sort of whimsy in his Dumbledore-- fitting of a man who likes ten pin bowling and wears purple robes-- and a respect for the character.

He was pressured into accepting the role by his granddaughter, and I'm glad for it. Richard Harris lost his life in 2002 to Hodgkin's Disease at the age of 72.

9. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy

When they first cast Isaacs, I had a "whaaaat?" moment, because I forgot about things like hair dye. Once I saw him in the costume, I was sold. Isaacs has the sharp nose and the cold blue eyes, but most importantly, he has a silky, sophisticated, menace about everything he does. Isaacs is one of those actors who will always be remembered for his villians.

8. Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort

It seems like an odd choice to cast a man with a larger-than-normal nose as the one character in the book who doesn't have a nose, but CG can do wondrous things these days. Ralph Fiennes was a brilliant choice for the big bad Voldemort because he is a smart, dedicated actor who knows not to take a role in a "children's movie" lightly.

I clearly remember a post Order of the Phoenix interview where Fiennes discussed the particular madness of a man as evil as Voldemort. It would be easy to just play evil, menacing, snarly man. It would be boring. Ralph Fiennes is a great Voldemort for the same reason that Heath Ledger was a brilliant joker. He broke up his script and found strikingly different levels. He snapped between calm and calculating, maniacal and gleeful, and screaming rage like a true psychopath.

Nearly anyone could shave their head and don the makeup to look like Voldemort. His snake nose and bald head are pretty iconic. Fiennes knew that to act like Voldemort, he couldn't just tale the role lightly. He had to embrace it.

7. Julie Walters as Mrs. Weasley

Julie Walters has crinkled brown eyes that show genuine warmth with every smile. She screams motherly affection. And she's a real ginger!

Of course, Molly Weasley is the mother of six rowdy boys, and Julie Walters has the right presence to believably keep six boys and Ginny Weasley in line. When she snaps to scolding, we all turn our heads to check for our mothers. When she fawns over Harry, we all can almost imagine the smell of that dinner in the oven.

Presence. Sincerity. Warmth. Julie Walters is a perfect Molly Weasley.

6. Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody

Brendan Gleeson kind of reminds me of one of those dogs with the muscly shoulders. He looks like a pug or a pitbull. Maybe he's capable of warmth and affection, but he's much better at scowling and scaring off cats. 

The same goes for Mad-Eye Moody.

Gleeson is a revered, talented actor. Like Ralph Fiennes, he didn't say "Kid movie!" and slack off. He's committed to making sure that Mad-Eye is the same gonzo, paranoid guy he is in the books. He looks the part and he plays it well.

5. Natalia Tena as Nymphadora Tonks

The right age, the right look, and my God, her voice is wicked cool.

4. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid

He's like a big furry teddy bear. Robbie Coltrane is another one of those actors who has a genuine soul that exudes warmth. Sure, I've seen him play mean and menacing, but he's so lovable as the simple half-giant.

Coltrane has been with the series for all eight movies, but he never seems tired of the role. He has kept up his commitment to the character. It's a good thing. I think he'd have to look over his shoulder for an angry Dianne Rowling if he butchered her favourite character. I think Hagrid might not have survived the Battle of Hogwarts if JK Rowling hadn't feared that very same thing.

3. Dame Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall

The fact that she has been Knighted should tell you that her acting ability is not in question. Maggie Smith has a tendency to be cast as stern women (I first saw her as a strict nun in Sister Act). She continued the type with the no-nonsense McGonagall.

It's easy enough to be a tight-haired teacher. Maggie Smith was sure, from the start, to make sure that McGonagall showed hints of compassion through her tough exterior.

2. Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange

Bellatrix is crazy, dark, and evil. Who better to play her than Tim Burton's baby mama? When Helen McCrory dropped the role due to her pregnancy and Carter filled in, I was ecstatic. Voldemort is the big baddie of the Harry Potter series, but I would rather be locked in a room with him than Bellatrix Lestrange.

Carter actually managed to make her character more maniacal and bipolar than Voldemort. Combine that with her frizzy hair, unusual beauty, and big dark eyes and you have one absolutely spot-on casting for the role.

1. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood

When I first saw photos of Luna I thought that she looked freakily like a younger version of my room mate.

Then I saw this video. She IS Luna. Rather than talk about it, I'll just let you watch it.

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