So it seems that something I have been saying for the longest time is coming to fruition with Hollywood using no names instead of the big named known actors. Some of my favorite films for the past two years have avoided this and done quite well in doing so. One thing that I have always said is that if the actor is bigger than the movie, that actor will always be accused of playing himself. This isn’t to say that A-listers shouldn’t get work, it’s just that the current trend of running one guy in multiple movies for a 3 year stretch has grown a bit old. I recall Jude Law being in everything, Russell Crowe and lately Gerard Butler. With the success of The Hangover ($459 million globally), District 9 ($200 million) and Paranormal Activity ($100 million) this year, film studies are starting reevaluate their decisions when it comes to casting. As a cinephile who rarely goes to see a movie for an actor/actress (unless it’s Angelina Jolie), I think this move will only make sense financially and realistically.
In stark contrast, Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” flopped in the box office even with the star power of Jim Carrey voicing Scrooge. With the economy being used as an excuse to not pay the high salary demands of big named actors, be prepared to see a big change in casting for future movies. Well it can’t be all bad, it seems that television is the way to go for big names, with the influx of known names like Lawrence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum into popular shows like CSI and Law and Order. The new series V has Morris Chestnut, who is nowhere near being an A-lister but a recognizable face who has struggled to get top billing since Boys in The Hood.
“But in recent years, Hollywood has been racked by the recession, competition from video games and the Web, declining DVD sales and fewer licensing deals with television networks
This week, Disney chief Bob Iger said in a conference call that the sluggish DVD market is one reason the major studio has altered its moviemaking. “It causes us to really reconsider not only what we’re investing in our films, but how we market them and how we distribute them,” he said.” – www.hollywoodreporter.com (Alex Dobuzinskis, Reuters)
Seriously folks, think about it, does it really matter to you who plays a character if you have a guarantee that it will be a believable portrayal? Outside of key roles such as Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow or Willis’s John McClane, would a no name Aragorn, or Legolas had mattered if the films were shot the exact same way and the two characters played well?
In my review for Paranormal Activity, I remarked at how well the two actors worked together and how believable they were. Had the two been played poorly by two big names, I doubt the contrast would have worked really well . If played well by two A-listers the illusion of reality (cough Milla Jovovich – The Fourth Kind) may not have worked too well. This decision falls on the “no duh” category to a lot of moviegoers since we have been saying this forever, but it looks like it will be put into action soon.
Written by Greg Dragon – who has written 365 reviews on Spicy Movie Dogs.
Cinephile and opinion writer, Greg Dragon has been a fan of movies since the 80's when Kung Fu theater was all the rage and Roger Moore was James Bond. As an opinion writer that has reviewed Box Office releases on a number of prominent websites, Greg is the founder and lead critic of Spicy Movie Dogs.
Related News and Reviews:
No related posts.
