Filmgaming

Recast HIGH FIDELITY (2000) & Top 5 Challenge

My friends and I used to create Top Five lists with a gravity you might see in duellists preparing their sabres for battle. We thought we were the only ones to do so until we saw High Fidelity.

So how about a good-natured duel?

Off comes the first glove: Recast High Fidelity.

And the second glove: What's your favorite Top Five list? Do you have a list like "Top 5 Movies the Coens Must Remake," or "Top 5 Bill Murray Characters," or even "Top 5 Albums to Make Out to"?

Prizes for the best recasts and lists. Winners will be announced Friday, Oct. 17.

En guarde.

    John Cusack    ...     Rob Gordon

    Iben Hjejle    ...     Laura

    Todd Louiso    ...     Dick (the quiet one)

    Jack Black    ...     Barry (the Jack Black one)

    Lisa Bonet    ...     Marie De Salle

    Catherine Zeta-Jones    ...     Charlie Nicholson

    Joan Cusack    ...     Liz

    Tim Robbins    ...     Ian 'Ray' Raymond

    Brian Powell    ...     Middle aged customer (the guys won't help him)

    Alex Desert     ...     Louis, the cool customer

    Erik Gundersen    ...     Marco (the guy Charlie falls for)

    Bruce Springsteen    ...     Himself

Re:Recast HIGH FIDELITY (2000) & Top 5 Challenge

Top 10 Actors Who Really Need to Get Punched by Lee Marvin

10. Tom Cruise

9. Russell Crowe

8. Whoopi Goldberg

7. William Hurt

6. Nic Cage (but only lightly)

5. Billy Bob Thornton

4. Richard Gere

3. John Travolta

2. John Cusack

1. John Voight

Re:Recast HIGH FIDELITY (2000) & Top 5 Challenge

The key thing about the original book was that the story revolved around people who were distanced from the original music.  They were brits who were arguing about American rock and roll, and that made it a bit more pitiful than the movie version.  These Brits were even arguing about things that weren't about them.  So keeping with that theme of misplaced nerds in the wrong place at the wrong time, I went with a different sort of cast and set them as sort of expatriots in Harajuku Japan:

John Cho (harold and kumar)   ...     Rob Gordon

Sandra Oh (grey's anatomy)    ...     Laura

James Kyson Lee  (heroes) ...     Dick (the quiet one)

Bobby Lee (mad tv)    ...     Barry (the Jack Black one)

Lisa Loeb   ...     Marie De Salle

Faye Wong (Chunking Express)   ...     Charlie Nicholson

Margret Cho (all american girl) ...     Liz

Dusten Ngyuen (21 Jump Street)   ...     Ian 'Ray' Raymond

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa  (Mortal Kombat) ...     Middle aged customer (the guys won't help him)

Masi Oka (heroes)    ...     Louis, the cool customer

Jason Scott Lee (the dragon)    ...     Marco (the guy Charlie falls for)

Bruce Springsteen    ...     Himself

Re:Recast HIGH FIDELITY (2000) & Top 5 Challenge

I'm not brave enough to recast "High Fidelity". I don't dance that close to the sun. Instead, I'll offer up two of my own top 5 lists. The first, you might say, is in honor of Louis, the cool customer....

Top 5 "Hey, you know what this film really needs? A black guy!" characters (The Winston memorial list):

5. James Smith (Glen Plummer) - Showgirls

4. Ron Clifford (Sean Patrick Thomas) - Cruel Intentions

3. Hollywood Montrose (Meschach Taylor) - Mannequin

2. Solomon (Ernie Hudson) - The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

1. Petty Officer Doris Miller (Cuba Gooding) - Pearl Harbor

And, tangentially related to the first, I present....

Top 5 Least Convincing Gay Performances (The Kevin Kline Lifetime Achievement List)

5. Mike Myers, 54

4. Joshua Jackson, Cruel Intentions

3. Robin Williams, The Birdcage

2. Cuba Gooding/Greg Kinnear (tie) - As Good As It Gets

1. Tom Selleck, In & Out

Re:Recast HIGH FIDELITY (2000) & Top 5 Challenge

SkyPilot:

My friends and I used to create Top Five lists with a gravity you might see in duellists preparing their sabres for battle. We thought we were the only ones to do so until we saw High Fidelity.

So how about a good-natured duel?

Off comes the first glove: Recast High Fidelity.

And the second glove: What's your favorite Top Five list? Do you have a list like "Top 5 Movies the Coens Must Remake," or "Top 5 Bill Murray Characters," or even "Top 5 Albums to Make Out to"?

Prizes for the best recasts and lists. Winners will be announced Friday, Oct. 17.

En guarde.

 

    John Cusack    ...     Rob Gordon

    Iben Hjejle    ...     Laura

    Todd Louiso    ...     Dick (the quiet one)

    Jack Black    ...     Barry (the Jack Black one)

    Lisa Bonet    ...     Marie De Salle

    Catherine Zeta-Jones    ...     Charlie Nicholson

    Joan Cusack    ...     Liz

    Tim Robbins    ...     Ian 'Ray' Raymond

    Brian Powell    ...     Middle aged customer (the guys won't help him)

    Alex Desert     ...     Louis, the cool customer

    Erik Gundersen    ...     Marco (the guy Charlie falls for)

    Bruce Springsteen    ...     Himself

The european version.....

Steve Coogan   ...     Rob Gordon

Simon Pegg  ...        Dick

Ricky Gervais ...     Barry

Ewan McGregor ...      Marco

Emily Mortimer  ....  Laura

Gerard Butler  ...  Louis

Kate Beckinsale  ... Charlie

Anna Friel .... Liz

Helena Bonham Carter   ... Sarah Kendrew

Joss Stone ... Marie De Salle

Sting   ...     Middle aged customer (the guys won't help him)

Re:Recast HIGH FIDELITY (2000) & Top 5 Challenge

 Hey rustymills18  you beat me to it here.. a "brit" recast was my choice too.  Guess what ..i absolutely agree with you on the lead part...

Re:Recast HIGH FIDELITY (2000) & Top 5 Challenge

 It's a cute movie .. It IS a British novel,most of the music references ARE English >I've never resented it but,naturally thought of a Brit recast straight away...In light of rustymills18's post i will offer a bit of  extra..qualification..

 Rob                                     Steve Coogan (agreed)

Ibjen Hjejle             Sally Hawkins ("broke-through" with "Happy Go Lucky" totally loveable).. By the way.. was it Ibjen's only Hollywood film?

Todd "the quiet one"            Rasmus Hardiker (young guy who has worked with Coogan on telly in "Saxondale"..think Justin Long )

Jack Black                          Nick Frost  (  Yes Gervais would  be fantastic.., Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) would be even better i think.)

Lisa  Bonet                                  Naomie Harris  (just as beautiful/sexy as Lisa,but English)

Charlie                            Catherine Zeta Jones  in a welsh accent ("boyo") I flipped the ticket..
 
Joan Cusack                     Keeley Hawes  ( dark hair "posh"/own voice) +She is gorgeous ..think Kiera Knightley's older sister)

Tim Robbins                      David Thewlis (plays comedy brilliantly)

 Middle aged customer     Jim Broadbent  (you beat me there.. Sting is a funnier pick)

Cool customer                   John Simm  ( i just love John Simm ..original "Life On Mars" Sam. he should get more "big" movies)

Bruce Springsteen              Bruce Springsteen
 alternative
 Elvis Costello                        Elvis Costello

Recast HIGH FIDELITY (2000) & Top 5 Challenge

Hey there Movie Friends...  It's been a while, but High Fidelity is one of my all-time favorites and I'm going to be all over this one.  I'll post some favorite Top 5's that my friends and I have done in the past later, but I have to find them in my email.  For my first attempt here is an updated casting for a makeable movie:

Rob Gordon   -   Casey Affleck
Laura   -   Rachel McAdams
Dick (the quiet one)   -   Michael Cera
Barry (the Jack Black one)   -   NPH
Marie De Salle   -   Jenny Lewis
Charlie Nicholson   -   Eva Mendes
Liz   -   Tina Fey
Ian 'Ray' Raymond   -   Ed Norton
Middle aged customer (the guys won't help him)   -   Loudon Wainwright III
Louis, the cool customer   -   Jermaine Clement
Marco (the guy Charlie falls for)   -   James Marsden
Springsteen   -   Bono

So, I wanted to stick in to the same ages as the original characters (ish).  Let's face it though you can't recast Jack Black's role and expect someone to pull it off.  You have to go in a different direction and I think NPH himself...  Mr. Neil Patrick Harris could be hilarious in redefining this role.  With Ian (aka Ray) you need a guy who will play out of his normal range for the effect and I think it would be hilarious to see Ed Norton rock this.  For Marie you need a cool chick that can sing and Jenny Lewis has established herself as the Indie Queen with some acting chops in her past to boot...  Who didn't love it when she kissed Fred Savage in The Wizard?!?  Keeping it in the music realm I thought it would be great to have the guys in the store refuse to help Loudon Wainwright.  Then, for Louis you need the guy to be cool, but I couldn't think of a cool black actor in that age range that isn't Will Smith.  So, if you can't get a black guy to be cool you need a white guy with an accent hence Jermaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords.  Finally, with the slightly younger age range the dream sequence musician couldn't be anyone other than Bono.

Thanks!  I should have a few more on this later.

~El Cid

Top 5 Challenge

I realize that we are generally pretty PG around here, but my friends and I put together this Top 5 that I thought was hilarious and works with the music theme of High Fidelity.  Without further ado I give you:

Top 5 Songs that are really just Thinly Veiled Metaphors for Oral Sex

5. "Tomorrow"  Silverchair: Sample Lyric - "Wont you come with me, to a place in a little town - The only way to get there's to go straight down -
Theres no bathroom, and there is no sink - The water out of the tap is very, hard to drink"

4. "Candy Shop" 50 cent: Sample Lyric - "I'll take you to the candy shop - I'll let you lick the lollypop - Go 'head girl don't you stop- Keep going 'til you hit the spot"

3. "Rock Me Gently" Andy Kim: For the longest time I thought that this song was just about regular old sex but check this Sample Lyric - "Oh my darlin' Oh my baby - You got the moves that drive me crazy - And on your face I see a trace of love"

2. "Misfire" Queen: Keep in mind this song is sung by a dude about a dude (not that there's anything wrong with that). Enjoy  Sample Lyric - "Your gun is loaded - And pointing my way - There's only one bullet - So don't delay - Got to time it right- Fire me through the night- Come on take a shot - Fire me higher - Don't you miss this time - Please don't misfire"

1. "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy" Ohio Express: This bubble-gum pop song of the 60's has become a staple on kids albums. Thats right, somewhere a 4 year old is singing these lyrics. Sample Lyric - "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy. - I got love in my tummy, - And I feel like a-lovin you - Love, you're such a sweet thing, - Good enough to eat thing - And that's just a-what I'm gonna do."

Top 5 Challenge

Top 5 Cult Movies (that don't involve John Carpenter, Kurt Russell or Bruce Campbell)

Yes, everyone knows that Big Trouble in Little China, Evil Dead 2, Army Of Darkness, The Thing, They Live, Tango & Cash, etc are F-ing awesome. That's why every time someone makes a top cult movies list a few of those movies slip onto it. Too easy. Try these out.