baumer Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Right now I'm watching In The Line of Fire, with Clint Eastwood. It's got a good, very good cast. Him, Rene Russo, John Mahoney, Dylan McDermott, John Malkovich and Gary Cole. Good cast. This got me thinking. What films have the greatest casts ever assembled? I know there are lots of films that can be spoken about here. But which ones stand out to you. Kevin Smith always seems to be able to assemble a huge cast for his films even though their budgets are about as parsimonious as they come. But give us other films with awesome casts. I'll start with two and I'm sorry to steal some thunder here but these are two of my faves BTW, when giving us the cast talk a bit about the film. How did the cast work for the film and so on. 1) JFK 1991: Oliver Stones masterpiece about the JFK conspiracy, undoubtedly has one of the greatest casts ever assembled. This is going to be a long list, but here goes: Kevin Costner: Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones: OW Joe Pesci: OW Sissy Spacek: OW Jack Lemmon: OW Walter Mathau: OW Then you have: Kevin Bacon John Candy Michael Rooker Sally Kirkland Jay O Sanders Ed Asner Bryan Doyle Murray (Groundhog Day) Wayne Knight Laurie Metcalf Vincent D'Onofrio Pruitt Taylor Vince Donald Sutherland Dale Dye Frank Whaley Bob Gunton John Laroquette That is one hell of a cast. And a lot of those guys are really well known. Stone not only got a ridiculously amazing cast together, the roles he cast them in were perfect in relation to the people they were playing. John Candy played Dean Andrews, try googling the image of Dean Andrews in real life...scary how close Candy comes to at least in appearance. JFK is one of my favourite casts. A note about Michael Rooker, at this time of his career, he seemed to be in everything. From Mississippi Burning, Cliffhanger, Days of Thunder and Tombstone, the man was in everything and every film he was in he added flavour and panache to it. 2) Tombstone 1993: The first of two films about the OK Corral that came out in a 12 month span, Tombstone boasts a ridiculous cast where every single person cast in a speaking role seemed to be someone you recognized, even if they were just on TV at the time. Kurt Russel Sam Elliot Bill Paxton Michael Rooker Charleton Heston Powers Boothe Val Kilmer Michael Biehn Jason Priestley Stephen Lang (Avatar) Thomas Haden Church (who at the time was only known for his role on Wings) Billy Zane Dana Delaney Billy Bob Thornton (about 50 pounds heavier) I love the cast in this film. Val Kilmer should have at least been nominated for best supporting actor that year and Stephen Lang and Michael Biehn are so evil that you want to smash them in the face. How about you? What films have the best casts in your opinion? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceroll Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Oceans 11/12/12 American Hustle 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Films Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Hairspray [2007] [*]Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Edna Turnblad, an optimistic, overweight teenage girl who loves dancing, Tracy's racial color-blindness leads her to become an active supporter for the integration of The Corny Collins Show. Hairspray is Blonsky's debut as a professional actress.[9] [*]John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, Tracy's mother and agent, an agoraphobe ashamed of her obesity. Travolta's casting as Edna continues the tradition of having a man in drag portray the character, going back to the original 1988 film, which featured drag queen Divine as Edna and at Hairspray's Broadway version, which featured Harvey Fierstein as Edna.[10] Executives at New Line Cinema originally expected the part to be filled by an actor accustomed to playing comic roles, tossing around names such as Robin Williams, Steve Martin, and Tom Hanks.[10] However, Travolta was aggressively sought after by producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron for this role because he had starred as Danny Zuko in Grease, the second most successful movie musical to date, beaten only by Mamma Mia!.[11] [*]Michelle Pfeiffer as Velma Von Tussle, the manager of station WYZT and a racist and weightist, former beauty queen Velma is interested in keeping her daughter Amber in the spotlight and The Corny Collins Show segregated. Hairspray is the first film featuring Pfeiffer to be released in five years. Stardust, also featuring Pfeiffer, was shot before Hairspray, but released three weeks afterwards.[12] The peculiarity of Pfeiffer and Travolta appearing onscreen together (Travolta starred in Grease, Pfeiffer in Grease 2) was not lost on the production staff;[12] Travolta requested that Pfeiffer play the part of the villainess.[10] [*]James Marsden as Corny Collins, the host of The Corny Collins Show; his politically progressive attitudes lead him to fight his show's imposed segregation. Corny Collins is based upon Baltimore TV personality, Buddy Deane, who hosted an eponymous local teen dance show in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[13] James Marsden beat out both Joey McIntyre and X-Men costar Hugh Jackman for the part.[14] [*]Christopher Walken as Wilbur Turnblad, Tracy's father, the easygoing proprietor of the "Hardy-Har Hut" joke shop below the Turnblad family's apartment. John Travolta had asked that Walken be considered for the part,[10] and he eventually beat out Billy Crystal[15] and Jim Broadbent[16] for the role of Wilbur. [*]Amanda Bynes as Penny Lou Pingleton, Tracy's best friend, a sheltered girl who falls in love with Seaweed, despite the efforts of her racist and stern mother, Prudy Pingleton. A young actress famous for appearances on Nickelodeon TV shows and in feature films, Bynes was one of the few movie stars cast among the teen roles.[17] [*]Queen Latifah as "Motormouth" Maybelle, a Baltimore rhythm and blues radio DJ who hosts "Negro Day" on The Corny Collins Show. Maybelle also runs a record shop on North Avenue. Queen Latifah appeared in the successful Zadan/Meron film musical Chicago, and worked under Adam Shankman's direction in Bringing Down the House.[18] She beat out soul legend Aretha Franklin for the role of Maybelle.[15] [*]Brittany Snow as Amber Von Tussle, Velma's bratty daughter and the lead female dancer on The Corny Collins Show. Amber becomes Tracy's enemy when Tracy threatens both Amber's chances of winning the "Miss Teenage Hairspray" crown and Amber's relationship with her boyfriend, Link. Snow previously worked with Shankman in The Pacifier.[14]Hayden Panettiere was also considered for the part of Amber, but was decided against in part because of her then-upcoming work with the NBC television series Heroes.[14] [*]Zac Efron as Link Larkin, Amber's boyfriend and the lead male dancer on The Corny Collins Show. Link is a singer who becomes more attracted to Tracy. The character is based in part upon Elvis Presley.[14] Efron, a popular teen actor who played Troy Bolton in the Disney Channel TV film High School Musical, was initially thought by Adam Shankman to be "too Disney".[14] Shankman's sister, executive producer Jennifer Gibgot, convinced her brother to cast Efron, believing that the teen star would draw a substantial teen crowd.[14] [*]Elijah Kelley as Seaweed J. Stubbs, Maybelle's son, a skilled dancer who teaches Tracy some dance moves and falls in love with her friend, Penny. Kelley, a relative newcomer to film, overcame other auditioners and several popular R&B stars for the part of Seaweed.[17] [*]Allison Janney as Prudence "Prudy" Pingleton, Penny's mother, a zealous Catholic whose strict parenting keeps Penny from experiencing social life. Her husband is serving out a prison sentence for a crime unspecified in the film. [*]Taylor Parks as Little Inez Stubbs Arguably the most prettiest person in the world then, Amanda Bynes shines as my favourite character Penny in her best role ever. Travolta, Latifah, pfiefer, Kelley, blonsky and efron are all fantastic and snow, walken and marsden are all great. A stunning film. My favourite scene was trudy tying up and cursing penny after she hid Tracy downstairs. They all sing great, especially in YCSTB. Pfiefer is amazing as the villain and bitch of the film while Penny and Seaweed keep the funny and sweet side of stuff for a perfect balance. A+ on film and casting. This might not spring to most people minds but in my view it is one of the best ensembles 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementeleus Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Haha, I saw the thread title and was gonna post JFK. I'll go with an oldie, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (admittedly they were going for as many celebs as they could get): David Niven Robert Morley Noel Coward John Gielgud Trevor Howard Ronald Colman Shirley Maclaine Peter Lorre George Raft Red Skelton Marlene DietrichJohn Carradine Frank Sinatra Buster Keaton Joe E. Brown John Mills Edward R. Murrow (as the Narrator) For a more recent example, what about BLACK HAWK DOWN? Josh Hartnett Ewan McGregor Tom Sizemore Eric Bana William Fichtner Ewan Bremner Sam Shepard Hugh Dancy Ron Eldard Ioan Gruffudd Jason Isaacs Zeljko Ivanek Jeremy Piven Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Tom Hardy (!) Orlando Bloom Ty Burrell 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Haha, I saw the thread title and was gonna post JFK. I'll go with an oldie, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (admittedly they were going for as many celebs as they could get): David Niven Robert Morley Noel Coward John Gielgud Trevor Howard Ronald Colman Shirley Maclaine Peter Lorre George Raft Red Skelton Marlene DietrichJohn Carradine Frank Sinatra Buster Keaton Joe E. Brown John Mills Edward R. Murrow (as the Narrator) For a more recent example, what about BLACK HAWK DOWN? Josh Hartnett Ewan McGregor Tom Sizemore Eric Bana William Fichtner Ewan Bremner Sam Shepard Hugh Dancy Ron Eldard Ioan Gruffudd Jason Isaacs Zeljko Ivanek Jeremy Piven Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Tom Hardy (!) Orlando Bloom Ty Burrell Wow! Black Hawk Down. Incredible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't mention The Expendables: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Mickey Rourke, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainJackSparrow Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Expendables 2 for me. Sylvester, Norris, Willis, Li, Arnie, and more. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainJackSparrow Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't mention The Expendables: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Mickey Rourke, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews. Ha, you posted Expendables right before me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 And then of course there's the Robert Altman era: The Player: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Brion James, Cynthia Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Richard E Grant, Sydney Pollack, Lyle Lovett, Karen Black, Gary Busey, Cher, James Coburn, John Cusack, Peter Falk, Jeff Goldblum, Elliott Gould, Nick Nolte, Jack Lemmon, Lily Tomlin, Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, Patrick Swayze 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Granted not all of those actors had big roles or even speaking roles, but they were all in The Player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 The disaster film era in the 70's had great casts. The Poseiden Adventure and Towering Inferno had monster casts, here is TI: Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Jennifer Jones, Susan Blakely, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Vaughn, O.J. Simpson, Robert Wagner, Susan Flannery, Sheila Matthews, Jack Collins, Norman Burton, John Crawford, Scott Newman, Sheila Matthews, Maureen McGovern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementeleus Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 (edited) ^^ THE PLAYER needs an asterisk, though, because many of them were playing themselves. How about HEAT? Al Pacino Robert De Niro Val Kilmer Jon Voight Natalie Portman Ashley Judd Tom Sizemore Hank Azaria Danny Trejo Henry Rollins Tone Loc Jeremy Piven Amy Brenneman Mykelti Williamson Wes Studi Ted Levine Dennis Haysbert William Fichtner Tom Noonan Xander Berkeley Edited November 19, 2013 by Telemachos 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainJackSparrow Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Shrek and especially Shrek 2 had a great cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementeleus Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 A BRIDGE TOO FAR: Dirk Bogarde Sean Connery Robert Redford Ryan O'Neal Gene Hackman Elliot Gould Edward Fox Michael Caine Anthony Hopkins James Caan Maximilian Schell John Ratzenberger Liv Ullmann Ben Cross Denholm Elliot Laurence Olivier Richard Attenborough 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rukaio101 Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Assuming we're not just talking about good films here, Movie 43 had a great cast, 98% of which I'm convinced were blackmailed to take part 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 ^^ THE PLAYER needs an asterisk, though, because many of them were playing themselves. How about HEAT? Al Pacino Robert De Niro Val Kilmer Jon Voight Natalie Portman Charlize Theron Tom Sizemore Hank Azaria Danny Trejo Henry Rollins Tone Loc Jeremy Piven Amy Brenneman Mykelti Williamson Wes Studi Ted Levine Dennis Haysbert William Fichtner Tom Noonan Xander Berkeley The Heat is a ridiculously rich cast. Natalie Portman as the daughter was kind of funny....I mean she was kind of funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanilla Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Vanilla SkyTom Cruise Penelope CruzCameron DiazKurt RussellJason LeeNoah TaylorTimothy SpallTilda SwintonMichael ShannonYep 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainJackSparrow Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Vanilla SkyTom Cruise Penelope CruzCameron DiazKurt RussellJason LeeNoah TaylorTimothy SpallTilda SwintonMichael ShannonYepIs that why you are called Vanilla? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peludo Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 THE GODFATHER I and (II) Marlon Brando (Robert De Niro): Only role in history which was awarded with Oscar two times with two different actors. Al Pacino James Caan Diane Keaton Robert Duvall John Cazale Talia Shire MURDER BY DEATH Alec Guinness David Niven Peter Sellers Peter Falk Eileen Brennan Maggie Smith Truman Capote James Coco Elsa Lanchester James Cromwell THE DARK KNIGHT Christian Bale Heath Ledger Aaron Eckhart Michael Caine Gary Oldman Morgan Freeman MEET THE FOCKERS Robert De Niro Ben Stiller Dustin Hoffman Barbra Streisand Blythe Danner Owen Wilson APOCALYPSE NOW Marlon Brando Martin Sheen Robert Duvall Laurence Fishburne Harrison Ford Dennis Hopper INCEPTION Leonardo Di Caprio Joseph Gordon-Levitt Ellen Page Ken Watanabe Marion Cotillard Tom Hardy Cillian Murphy Michael Caine Tom Berenger THE DEPARTED Jack Nicholson Leonardo Di Caprio Matt Damon Mak Wahlberg Vera Farmiga Alec Baldwin Martin Sheen THE DIRTY DOZEN Lee Marvin Charles Bronson John Cassavetes Ernest Borgnine George Kennedy Donald Sutherland Telly Savallas PULP FICTION Samuel L. Jackson John Travolta Bruce Willis Maria de Medeiros Uma Thurman Harvey Keitel Tim Roth Ving Rhames Rossana Arquette Christopher Walken Steve Buscemi 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Scottb Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 (edited) Here are some I thought of Any Given Sunday Al Pacino Dennis Quaid Cameron Diaz Jamie Foxx Aaron Eckhart James Woods Charlton Heston Ann-Margret Mars Attacks Jack NicholsonGlenn ClosePierce BrosnanAnnette BeningDanny DevitoMartin ShortSarah Jessica ParkerMichael J. FoxRod SteigerJim BrownPam GrierPaul WinfieldTom JonesJack BlackNatalie PortmanChristna Applegate The Royal TenenbaumsGene HackmanBen StillerGwyneth PaltrowAngelica HustonLuke WilsonOwen WilsonBill MurrayDanny GloverAlec Baldwin Edited November 19, 2013 by scottb 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
