Watch him in Punch-Drunk Love or Reign Over Me or Spanglish (and I suspect the upcoming Funny People). Completely different than his characters in Water Boy, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, etc.

He would have owned this role. I truly believe that. And seeing as how Quentin had him in mind for the role all along, I am inclined to think he did as well.

Exactly.

He's a horror fanboy that achieved success, so all the horror fanboys out there take their jeolousy and turn it into hate because he is doing what they dream of doing.

I don't mind the guy. I enjoy his films and like his enthusiam for the horror genre.

I get that, and I'm totally fine with it, but Roth isn't an actor and I don't want to see him playing a badass.

Aside form the fact that he's a pompous, Ivy League, spoiled rich kid who bought his way into the film business... I've met the guy a few times and he's such a smug little cocksucker. I've been to screenings with him and Tarantino in the audience and the guy clings to Quentin like a newborn. He feels the need to constantly remind people of how much film trivia he knows and he makes so many grandiose, pretentious statements I just want to punch him in the face, repeatedly.

Now, I know QT also talks and talks and talks about his film knowledge but, you know what, not only does he know more than Roth but he also MAKES GOOD MOVIES. Something Roth hasn't, and probably won't, ever manage. This role should have been Sandler's.

Eli Roth is a horrible actor but I think he's a pretty good director....
I really liked Cabin Fever, Hostel 1, & Hostel 2....

I'm not particularly a Sandler fan, but I feel he has a great deal of unrealized potential in a level of adult dramatic roles of the kind he rarely takes. (Although that's true of most under-40 male stars these days.) I would love to have seen him in this film. There's an undercurrent of Jewish rage in some of Sandler's performances (e.g. BIG DADDY) that would have worked in a film like this and made it more substantial than the war movie cartoon it's increasingly sounding like. I will not enjoy seeing Roth in it. I found him repulsive in DEATH PROOF and the films he's made sound repulsive to me, so I don't bother seeing them.

Absolutely. He's been pigeon-holed, as so many actos are these days, as a strictly comedic actor. But many people fail to realize that he has considerable chops for dramatic roles. My favorite role he's done was Punch Drunk Love, followed closely by Happy Gilmore. I think he wuld have been awesome as a Nazi-killing Jew in this flick.

Ah.

I had a feeling there was some personal experience behind the venom you were posting.

I agree with you 100%. However, it appears that it was Adam Sandler who couldn't commit to the role because of his involvement in the movie Funny People. I really wish he could have fit both in, because I think he could've really added to this movie. His passion and intensity and he could draw from his own Jewish background; I think it would have made for a startling performance.

That being said, I have a feeling that Sandler is going to receive widespread critical acclaim for his role in Funny People. Whereas Spanglish, Punch-Drunk Love, and Reign Over Me are relatively unknown movies, this one is an Apatow Production and is likely to pull in larger audiences for that very reason. However, I think people are going to be very surprised when they realize this isn't a typical Apatow movie, but instead a drama about life and death and making the most of your time here. I think Sandler will turn in a performance that is on par with his dramatic performances in the aforementioned three.

So for those reasons I am glad he is doing Funny People, but I think Eli Roth will be the weak link in Basterds, a link which Sandler could have owned. I can just picture him swinging a bat into a Nazi's skull...it would have been great...

think it should work now...

^ Nice pair of red X's you got there...

Yeah....kinda wished Tim Roth was in this...he's such a cool actor. I mean he can scare with the right look. Loved him in The Incredible Hulk..and of course Reservoir Dogs..and his bit in Pulp Fiction.

This is probably wasted on anyone who considers calling someone an Ivy Leaguer to be an insult (do you have any idea how many students at those universities are from families poorer than yours?), but Eli Roth went to NYU.

NYU is not in the Ivy League.

Well stated.

To be fair we havnt really got to see an actual performance by Roth in a dramatic film so its hard to judge him. All we've seen are really silly but fun cameos in horror-comedies.

I haven't heard this, so I'm assuming that Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson do not contribute cameos to the new movie. I would have been very happy if they had. Unless, they're simply keeping it under wraps.

But, on the other hand, the good news is that Maggie Cheung (HEROIC TRIO) is in it. Always a good thing in my book.

I'm fine with them not being the movie in whatever form.

Where can I get that Diane Kruger poster?

I'm sure eBay will have a couple by month's end.

The new Til Schweiger poster is pretty badass looking:

Wow..that poster looks old school badass.

I'm glad that Sandler didn't get the role. I've boycotted buying/renting/seeing any of his movies. But i love QT so that would have put me in a tricky situation.

I'm guessing you dislike him because of his performances in Waterboy, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, etc., etc?

People never give the guy a chance as a serious actor, but he has some real acting chops. Again, check out Spanglish, Punc-Drunk Love, and Reign Over Me for pretty much the exact opposite of anything you have ever come to expect from Adam Sandler. He pulls off this movies like a true actor. Funny People looks to add to the list of serious Sandler roles.

He would've been fantastic in this.

I've seen Spanglish and all I saw was the Happy Gilmore character acting bored and looking like he wanted to do stupid shit but wasn't allowed to. He can't can't help but have this wry smile on his face all the time as if he just popped one to his best friends Mum.
For me, it'll be really really hard to see Sandler in any other light. I might give the other movies you mentioned a try, but I won't ever expect to see him make a turn like Carrey did in Spotless Mind.

He's kind of weird in Punch-Drunk Love, but the character calls for it; he's a lonely guy with problems and prone to violent outbursts.

Reign Over Me is as far away from his typical character as he can possibly get. He plays a guy that lost his wife and kids in 9/11. It's not a comedy by any stretch of the imagination. His performance is truly heartbreaking.

I can't say I imagined Eli Roth or Adam Sandler in that role. I read it as some big but kinda dumb character. Pretty much like the cliched henchmen character.

But I always pictured Brad Pitt's character being a black dude so I don't know anything.