Casting Coup Tuesdays: Strait-Jacket

Lucy Harbin has been in an insane asylum for twenty years after hacking up her husband and his lover in front of her young daughter. Finally released, she is reunited with her affianced offspring, who only wishes to be one happy family. And then people start losing their heads -- literally.

I first saw Strait-Jacket a little over a year ago, for my 1964 retrospective. I had wanted to see it for a long time: being a fan of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, it was only natural that I should desire to see the Hag Horror Follow-Ups, especially if they starred my beloved Hudson Sisters. Well, Trog! remains unseen, but this gem, made the same year as Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, is one of those that I've seen over and over again -- even if it's only in my head.

As much as people outside the cult horror fandom like to deride William Castle as little more than a marketing whiz and PT Barnum type, the man used his kitschy tricks to further enhance his films, not as stand-ins for creativity and imagination. His "Emergo" trick for House on Haunted Hill -- a skeleton crawls out of the ground and flies over the audience just as a skeleton emerges in the film -- would not have worked were you not already on the edge of your seat. Same with his "Percepto" gimmick for The Tingler. Indeed, the evidence of his strength as a director lies in the immortality of his work. Sans gimmicks, sans publicity, sans campy trailer, his films still have the ability to frighten and engage.

And while Strait-Jacket isn't really scary, per se, it does an unsettling, almost discombobulating film. Joan Crawford's entrapment in the most mind-bending washroom ever built is not only eerie for its Caligari-esque production design, but for the lack of transition. We are suddenly in this bizarre prison (with sink), with no explanation of how or why. Castle gets us into the mind of his unstable heroine through such "tricks" -- although any other filmmaker would be credited for his CRAFT. It's his most uncomfortable film since the underrated Barbara Stanwyck thriller The Night Walker.

But really: who designed this?

What I love most about Strait-Jacket are the performances, of course. The characters really are rich, and ripe for multiple interpretations. Perhaps Lucy's encounter with her daughter's fiance wouldn't be so queasily horned up in another actress's hands; perhaps Mrs. Fields would seem more understandable rather than just a tight-ass; perhaps Bill Cutler would show noticeable signs of strain. And I don't know how anyone could work on their own version of Diane Baker's character, but they've got a tough road ahead of them -- I nominated her for Best Supporting Actress.

I don't know, and yet I tried:

DR ANDERSON

Who is He: Lucy's psych at the hospital, who drops by for a visit. And then just disappears...

Originally played by: Pepsi-Cola Vice President

Mitchell Cox

My Choice:

Audra McDonald (It Runs In the Family, Rampart)

EMILY CUTLER

Who is She: The wary wife of Bill, she's helped him to raise niece Carol but is naturally concerned with the reappearance of nutty mama Lucy. Supportive throughout, she maintains dignity and patience even in Lucy's less lucid moments.

Originally played by:

Rochelle Hudson (Les Miserables (1935), The Night Walker)

My Choice:

Caroline Rhea ("Sabrina, the Teenage Witch", Christmas with the Kranks)

MRS. ALISON FIELDS

Who is She: The snobbish mother of Carol's fiance, she takes an instant dislike to Lucy, and is vehemently against the marriage. I mean, would you want your son's mother-in-law to be a just-released murderess?

Originally played by:

Edith Atwater (True Grit, Die Sister, Die!)

My Choice: Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Cedar Rapids)

Anne Heche (Wag the Dog, Psycho)

RAYMOND FIELDS

Who is He: Her husband, a man of means who thinks Carol's a nice girl, but that mother... Anyway, he winds up in the closet on the wrong end of a hatchet.

Originally played by:

Howard St. John (Born Yesterday, Lafayette)

My Choice: Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actor - Musical/Comedy (The Purple Rose of Cairo, Something Wild, The Squid and the Whale), SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble (The Hours, Good Night and Good Luck)

Jeff Daniels (Pleasantville, Looper)

LEO

Who is He: The Cutlers' extra set of hands around the farm. Greasy, sleazy, none-too-bright, Leo sees -- and sees through -- everything happening around the house. And of course, someone feels that he must be gotten out of the way.

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner for Best Supporting Actor (Cool Hand Luke), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (Cool Hand Luke, Airport)

George Kennedy (The Naked Gun, Bolero)

My Choice:

Jason Clarke (Public Enemies, Lawless)

MICHAEL FIELDS

Who is He: Carol's fiance, a good-looking young man who is oddly patient with his future mother-in-law, even when she's obviously hitting on him. By wrapping her arms about him. And sticking her fingers in his mouth.

Originally played by:

John Anthony Hayes (Ride the Wild Surf, Winter A-Go-Go)

My Choice:

Chace Crawford (The Covenant, What To Expect When You're Expecting)

BILL CUTLER

Who is He: Lucy's brother, concerned for her mental well-being and Carol's welfare. Thinks something is amok, but also hopes that Lucy is healthy again.

Originally played by:

Leif Erickson (Sailor Beware, On the Waterfront)

My Choice:

Louis C.K. (Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins, The Invention of Lying)

CAROL HARBIN

Who is She: Lucy's daughter, brought up by her aunt and uncle. She witnessed the mother of her father and his mistress by Lucy, but has grown up well-mannered, confident, and beautiful. When Lucy comes home, Carol immediately tries to pick up where they left off, which may not be a good thing.

Originally played by: Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Strait-Jacket), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (The Prize)

Diane Baker (The Silence of the Lambs, The Joy Luck Club)

My Choice: Hollmann Award/Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actress [Musical/Comedy] (Easy A), SAG Award Winner for Best Ensemble (The Help)

Emma Stone (The House Bunny, The Amazing Spider-Man)

LUCY HARBIN

Who is She: Locked away for twenty years after hacking up her adulterous husband and his mistress, Lucy comes back quiet and gray, ready to be reunited with her daughter. Oy, but she's only a few steps away from crazy -- she hears chanting and bells jangling (she wore a bell charm bracelet during the murder), blacks out, hits on her future son-in-law, screams at his mother... She's a piece of work. And then the bodies start piling up.

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner for Best Actress (Mildred Pierce), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Foreign Actress (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actress - Drama (Sudden Fear)

Joan Crawford (Grand Hotel, Trog)

My Choice: Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Savage Grace), Academy Award/SAG Award Nominee for Best Actress (The End of the Affair, Far from Heaven) and Best Supporting Actress (Boogie Nights, The Hours), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Actress (The End of the Affair, The Kids Are All Right) and Best Supporting Actress (The Hours), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actress - Drama and Musical/Comedy (The End of the Affair, An Ideal Husband, Far from Heaven, The Kids Are All Right) and Best Supporting Actress (Boogie Nights, A Single Man), SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Magnolia) and Best Ensemble (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, The Hours, The Kids Are All Right)

Julianne Moore (The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Being Flynn)
She's been my first choice since I saw the film. She would bring a whole new spin to the role, one that didn't depend on making this old woman pathetic. Naw, this Lucy would be sexy-dangerous, and yet moving with her attempts at familial bonds.

Casting Coup Month: Grand Hotel

NOMINATIONS

Best Picture (WON)

The Silver Screener loves an ensemble film. This is obvious when one considers my favorite films: Nashville, Everyone Says I Love You, The Hours, Magnolia...then there's a few character studies and The Black Cat, but generally I adore ensembles. What's not to love? Several stories intertwine to present a common theme, something relatable about the human condition. Everybody is equal, because as Caden realizes in Synecdoche, NY, everyone is the lead in their own story. Best of all, an ensemble means an all-star cast.

When MGM first conceived of adapting Vicki Baum's 1929 Menschen im Hotel as an all-star vehicle, people thought it crazy. An all-star cast would mean more money spent on the cast, on trailers, on production itself! Then director Edmund Goulding and cinematographer William H. Daniels, working with the production designers, of course, made a 360-degree shooting area, the better to see the hustle and bustle of the hotel as its ensemble worked its way through the narrative. This, too, was unheard of at the time, and revolutionized filmmaking; no longer did they have to depend on a stagebound mise-en-scene. Directors could direct! Oh, and despite sound still being in its relative infancy, the production features pre-Altman overlapping dialogue. Again, it's a hotel. There's stuff going on.

The gamble paid off. Yes, it was one of the studio's biggest grossers.Yes, it won the Academy Award for Best Picture. More importantly, though, it was -- ahem, is -- an artistic triumph. It is as fine a comedy as it is a drama, as much a valentine to opulence as it is a defender of the working-class. When the wounded war vet Dr. Otternschlag claims that "nothing ever happens" at Grand Hotel, we feel sorry for him -- he does not see the romance and redemption, the crime and punishment, the sexy and saintly. Where else but the Grand Hotel would a dying accountant strike up a friendship with a debonair jewel thief? Where else would a stenographer and prima ballerina vie for that jewel thief's affections? Where else would a Dr. Otternschlag even be?

What's unusual about Grand Hotel is not that it won Best Picture, but that it was only nominated in that category. I suppose things would have been different were this not in the days of wacky nomination numbers: eight in Picture, three in the acting categories, four in writing, five in sound...and we were still five years away from supporting categories. Maybe the actors all canceled each other out, because I would say there are four deserving nominees: John and Lionel Barrymore, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford. Director? Cinematography? Art Direction? SCREENPLAY? All, I'm sure, would have received nominations in a five-wide field. Alas.

Oh-ho, but if this was remade? You can bet there would be a hell of a campaign for the stars! A hell of a one! And the nominees could be (after the cut, of course):

Stone & Movie an Easy A

I don't know why it's so difficult for me to express my love of certain films. I can write up a full review for The Town, yet for weeks I've been silent on my reaction to Easy A and The Social Network. That's unfair, to both the films and you, my dear friends, who no doubt choose your theater-going experiences based on what I think (...right?).

Rest assured, there are two reasons: (1) I want to be able to do justice to these films, and (2) I'm trying to keep both hyperbole and the words "awesome" and "amazing" to a minimum. That's difficult because both words aptly describe these films, albeit in different ways.

At least I know exactly how they apply to Easy A: the performances. Specifically, Emma Stone's lead performance as false slut Olive Penderghast. Stone makes Olive into my dream girl: an intelligent, quick-witted redhead who can reference the Kinsey scale and German cinema with equal ease. Sure, writer Bert V. Royal and director Will Gluck probably did have a great effect on the crafting of the character, but Stone's execution is confident and flawless. It's thanks to Stone that we believe that such a whip-smart knockout could conceivably be another background figure in the high school hallways, so in tune with her body that she subtly marks the difference between the casual student of the beginning and the wanton "harlot" of the middle with her walk and posture. Her line delivery is killer, in scenes both dramatic (the confessional) and comedic ("You gotta be shittin' me, woman"). It's one of the most consistently drawn, confidently performed high school heroines since Alicia Silverstone's Cher Horowitz, even topping Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls. After Superbad and Zombieland, it is more clear than ever: Emma Stone has arrived.

But I said performances. Plural. So I must talk about Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci and Bryce Clyde Jenkins as Olive's parents and adopted brother, respectively. There is an easy chemistry in all their scenes, and you get the sense that this is a family, that they have known each other their whole lives. Certainly Olive's humor and brilliance obviously stems from her warm, open, hilarious parents: when a boy arrives asking, "Is there an Olive here?", Clarkson replies, "There's a whole jar of them in the fridge." If there was anything that I wish we had more of, it's these scenes. Movie night, heart-to-hearts on cars, parents' past relationships stories, all are realistically, humorously portrayed, without any "wink-wink".

The school ensemble is solid, too, but here is where one problem lies: the script doesn't know what to do with all of them. A subplot with Lisa Kudrow as a guidance counselor is fascinatingly acted, but seems to come from nowhere. Alyson Michalka as the best friend is given short shrift; am I really to believe that her oldest friend would turn on her so quickly? Michalka is great, but I'm not always convinced by the turns the character makes. I wish we had gotten to know more about Penn Badgley and Cam Gigandet's characters,  because both young men are rather charming in their brief appearances.  Amanda Bynes and Thomas Haden Church are great fun, and Dan Byrd -- as the gay kid who first asks Olive to help his rep -- is pretty great, funny and touching.

The script does have its problems (unless it's a product of editing), but overall it's an extremely solid piece of work. I have to commend a high school movie that neither glamorizes nor demonizes sex. Gluck keeps everything grounded, but he never loses sight of the COMEDY. It made me laugh, it gave a message without being preachy, and it didn't overstay its welcome. Easy A lives up to the title.

Expect a write-up of The Social Network later.

Casting Coup: Lolita

*This is from the first 'audience pick' I ever did. I wound up doing all of them, of course, but this (understandably) got the most votes. It is also my favorite novel. Few votes, due to the small number of LJ readers I had at the time. Pics are different now, since some of the hot-links I used then are no longer in service.*

VOTES
Lolita: 3 (2 on lj, 1 in person)
Ethan Frome: 2 (1 on lj, 1 on facebook)
Breakfast at Tiffany's: 2

Becca's helpful and comprehensive list was the berries. I think everyone should do that from now on.

So, Lolita is clearly the winner.

On with the show then!

RITA
Who is She: "A woman in her mid-20s with whom Humbert has an affair".
My Choice: Christina Ricci (Sleepy Hollow, Black Snake Moan)



MISS PRATT
Who is She: The headmistress of the "progressive" Beardsley School for Girls.
My Choice: Elaine Stritch (Small Time Crooks, Monster-in-Law)



MONA DAHL
Who is She: A friend of Lolita's, who may or not know the "real deal" about Humbert.
My Choice: Emma Stone (Superbad, Archie: The Motion Picture Epic)



JEAN FARLOW
Who is She: One of Charlotte's friends in Ramsdale, a neighbor lady who crushes on Humbert.
My Choice: Cheryl Hines (Waitress, "Curb Your Enthusiasm")



JOHN FARLOW
Who is He: Jean's husband; on the surface, they are the Cleavers.
My Choice: Dylan Baker (Across the Universe, Spider-Man 3)



CHARLOTTE HAZE
Who is She: A religious woman, mother of Lolita, throws herself at Humbert, generally unpleasant.
My Choice: Felicity Huffman (Transamerica, Magnolia)



CLARE QUILTY
Who is He: A popular playwright, a producer of child pornography.
My Choice: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote, The Savages)



LOLITA
Who is She: The titular character, a nymphet, a young girl that drives men crazy, the lover of Humbert Humbert.
My Choice: AnnaSophia Robb (Bridge to Terabithia, Charlei and the Chocolate Factory)



HUMBERT HUMBERT
Who is He: Our protagonist, "a middle-aged scholar with an obsession for nymphets."
My Choice: Colin Firth (Love Actually, What a Girl Wants)



SPECIAL CAMEO: VIVIAN DARKBLOOM
Who is She: Quilty's writing partner and companion.
My Choice: Maggie Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Stranger Than Fiction)

Casting Coup: Archie!

*Haha! This was only the second Casting Coup ever, way before it got its name. Of course, this was before Gossip Girl became a popular television program, but it's interesting to see how my Betty Cooper is best-known for playing a rich girl while my Veronica Lodge is best-known for playing the girl next door. Funny. Brand-spankin' new pics, though, since my original hot-links (de rigeur in the LJ days) no longer work. (Now that I think about it, this would make a better series than it would a movie. Damn those teen actors for aging!)*

Ahoy. Walter here, to inform you of his new dream project: Archie. Yes, that's right. I feel it's high time the Archie Universe get the big-screen treatment, properly. Josie made it, as did her Pussycats. The fact that Archie has never been seen on the big screen is a crime.

What I need is a plot. But until that comes along, what about a dream cast? Like always?



Michael Angarano (Sky High) as Archie Andrews. We'll need to dye his hair red, of course, but he'd be great for it. Look at him: dorky, yet attractive. Looks a little like Antoine Doinel from The 400 Blows.




Blake Lively (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) as Betty Cooper. I've never seen her in a movie before, but come on. Look at her. She's Betty.




Margo Harshman (Even Stevens) as Veronica Lodge. Hot. But has she done anything since Tawny?




Anton Yelchin (Alpha Dog) as Jughead Jones. Again, haven't really seen him in much, but he seems like he could play Forsythe P. Jones himself. See him in the upcoming Charlie Bartlett.




Ricky Ullman (Phil of the Future) as Reggie Mantle. Good-looking, and can probably pull off the smarmy cockiness (or cocky smarminess). I've seen Phil let his ego get the best of him.




Donald Sutherland (M*A*S*H*) as Burton/Hiram K. Lodge. A sophisticated elderly man with a distinctive voice playing a sophisticated elderly man with a distinctive scream? Yes, please.




J.K. Simmons (Thank You for Smoking) as Fred Andrews. Mustache? Add it. A couple pounds? Sure. But as far as character and hairline go, he could nail it.





Miranda Richardson (Sleepy Hollow) as Mary Andrews, Bonnie Hunt (Return to Me) as Alice Cooper, and Beth Grant (Donnie Darko) as Hermione Lodge. Three bad-ass chicks playing the awesomest mums the comics have ever had.




Will Harris (also, Sky High) as Moose Mason. Now, I hate to typecast someone, because he's played the bug, dumb jock before. However, he's tremendous at it, so he's Moose. So there.




Olesya Rulin (High School Musical) as Midge Klump. First, what kind of surname is Klump? Secondly, yeah, she's pretty hot. Like, unconventionally, but still, hot is hot. I could see Reggie and Moose going for that. I mean, I wouldn't, but I could see them going for it.




Eva Amurri (Saved!) as Ethel Muggs. Awkward-looking, like Ethel. Ballsy, like Ethel. And Susan Sarandon's daughter...probably like Ethel, too.




Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad) as Dilton Doiley. "Hey, Walter, isn't that the same role he already played?" "Yep."




Chris Warren, Junior (High Schol Musical) as Chuck Clayton. Lord, I love this guy. He's charismatic, good-looking, athletic, but also plays that funny, artistic side. In HSM, he was a cook; in Archie, he's a cartoonist.




Jessica Lucas (She's the Man) as Nancy Woods. She's hot. And black. And age-appropriate.




John Aylward (Down with Love) as Waldo Weatherbee. A pro at playing "the guy with the suit that's in charge of something", Aylward has the build, the presence, and the spare spectacles to play "the Bee".




Jane Alexander (She has done much) as Geraldine Grundy. I always thought Miss Grundy was a classy old broad with a groovy side to her. Jane Alexander is groovy, and classy. Could she be bringing us a sexier of Miss Grundy?




Henry Gibson (Nashville) as Professor Flutesnoot. Admit it, he's perfect, despite the lack of lack of hair. I also just want to say, Flutesnoot is apparently drunk.




Ian Gomez (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) as Coach Kleats. It's my attempt to keep with the miage of a goofy-looking bald fat man teaching gym.




Harry Lennix (Titus) as Coach Clayton. Dear God, he looks like the comic! What the fuck???




Ellen Albertini Dow (The Wedding Singer) as Miss Beazly. Of course she's going to be in the movie. Not only was she an awesome school cook, but it's Elen Dow.




Paul Dooley (Sixteen Candles) as Pop Tate. "But, Walter, he's so old! He's close to death!" Yeah, but I'd trust Paul Dooley with my malts any day.




Emma Stone (Superbad) as Cheryl Blossom. Emma Stone is hot. Cheryl Blossom is hot. Emma Stone as Cheryl Blossom is hot.


With special guest stars:
Jon Lovitz (Rat Race) as Mr. Cooper.
David Moreland (Donnie Darko) as Mr. Jones.
Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) as Mrs. Jones.
Denis O'Hare (A Mighty Heart) as Mr. Mantle.
Fionnula Flanagan (Four Brothers) as Miss Haggly.
Mina E. Mina (Eastern Promises) as Svenson.
and
Bob Hoskins (Awesome shit) as Smithers the Butler.


That's Archie: The Movie. Now, I just need to think of a plot.