Synopsis: The Dresden Files are a series that follow around Harry Dresden as he deals with many crazy supernatural things in Chicago. There is a big overarching story that I won’t go too much into because that would be spoilers. But he works with the police to solve these crimes and mysteries. It also helps to know that Harry is a Wizard.

Let’s meet the main characters:

Harry Dresden – The aforementioned wizard, Harry is a tall man who diffuses his own stress with his own special brand of humor, which normally just gets him into more trouble. He’s not a built person, but is lanky and has good functional strength.

Karrin Murphy – Small spitfire of a police officer. She’s had to be patient as she has worked her way up in the Chicago PD, but she has made her way up. She’s athletic and doesn’t put up his Harry’s crap or anyone’s crap, but is still a very caring person.

Susan Rodriguez – A reporter who is pretty and also investigates the paranormal or supernatural. She’s onto the fact that Harry might actually be what he says and hounds him for information.

Bob – A talking skull that is a wealth of knowledge that is in Harry’s possession. Also a quite pervy spirit who inhabits the skull.

Michael Carpenter – A large strong man with a large family. He is a man of faith who is very even keeled but not afraid to step into a situation, help Harry out and make a difference when evil is threatening Chicago or anywhere in the world.

Waldo Butters – A small coroner who knows some about the supernatural. He also really loves polka and can’t stand injury, though has no problem working on a corpse.

“Gentleman” Johnny Marconne – A mobster who runs basically all the organized crime in Chicago. He helps out Harry at times and gets in Harry’s way at other times, depending on what is most useful for him.

Ebenezar McCoy – Harry’s mentor, teacher, and friend. Took Harry in when his first teacher went evil. He’s an old wizard with a ton of power and very respected. Also part of the White Council which oversees the wizarding community.

There are really a plethora more characters who could make sense to talk about and cast, but this is limited spoilers as well and does focus on a lot of reoccurring characters throughout the series.

So who would I want to play them?

Harry Dresden – Tom Ellis
Tom Ellis, who plays Lucifer in Lucifer, is sufficiently tall. He also has that long frame, that comes with height, but isn’t too built. He’s very polished looking as Lucifer, but if his hair was a bit longer and messier and, like Harry, had a beat up look about him most of the time, I think that he’d make a good Harry Dresden.

Karen Murphy – Maggie Lawson
I really only know Maggie Lawson from watching Psych. But in that show she’s very much a character who has to put up with Shawn’s crap as a fake psychic detective. The only thing I wonder about is if she can be as grouchy as Murphy is sometimes. But Lawson can definitely play a character who is caring.

Susan Rodriguez – Melissa Fumero
We’ve seen her in a comedy in Brooklyn 99, and while Susan isn’t the most comedic role, I think that Fumero would have the acting chops to pull it off. What I think works really well with her is that she’s an intense character in Brooklyn 99 who is always needing to do the best, I think that Susan possesses a lot of those similar qualities.

Bob – Paul Bettany
He’s the first person I thought off. He does a good job as J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision in the Marvel movies, but I think it’s more his Knight’s Tale Chaucer that he could channel into Bob, this spirit who has been around for so long but also has this surprisingly pervy human side.

Michael Carpenter – Adam Copeland
You’re more apt to know him as Edge from WWE. So clearly you have someone who is going to have a larger build. Edge, though, just has a very friendly looking face and with a few beard hairs turning grey, he would make a really believable family man who is also strong and tough.

Waldo Butters – Elijah Woods
Frodo as an eccentric coroner? That doesn’t make a ton of sense, but the actor who was in Dirk Gentley’s Holistic Detective Agency, that makes perfect sense. Woods has shown that he’s up for those odd roles and has done a very good job with them. I think he’d make a lot of sense continue in those odd roles as the worried and polka loving Waldo Butters.

“Gentleman” Johnny Marconne – Ben Mendelsohn
You might know him as Sorrento in Ready Player One or Orson Krennic in Star Wars: Rogue One. He’s done a good job of playing those skeezy bad guys before who are slick. Marconne definitely has that feel and while I would think of Marconne being a bit younger personally, I think that Mendelsohn’s acting shows that he could deal with the role very well.

Ebenezar McCoy – Brendan Gleeson
Older, bigger, and still tough as nails. Gleeson fits that quite well I’d think. I’m not extremely familiar with Gleeson’s work, but if you’re not making McCoy quite as crazy white haired as he has been in my brain, just older and tough as nails, Gleeson fits that to a tee.

There are so many more characters to cast, and I really want to go through and figure out all of them, but that would be semi-spoiler heavy to describe who the characters are. So instead, I’ll hold off on those and maybe do another post to talk about them, just be warned there would be spoilers.

So what do you think of my casting, who would you cast in their place if you disagree?

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Making my choices for this list was no easier than for the first two, and at the same time it was different — for instance, it was a little easier to identify my all-time faves (most of which I’ve watched upwards of 20 times apiece…no wonder there’s still so much on my to-be-watched list). However, as I was thinking through my list, I felt that there are a lot of titles that hold kind of an equal ranking in terms of how much I like them, so there are a ton of films on my honorable mentions list, most of which it was really painful to keep out of the top 5. In other words, get ready for an honorable mention list at the end of this post that will no doubt be far too long…at least you’ll get lots of recs that way, am I right?

So with that caveat in place, here are my top 5 favorite films of all time!

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

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I’ll never forget seeing the trailer for this movie in theaters when I was about 14 and thinking, “Wow, that movie looks super creepy! I’m never watching that one…” Little did I know that I’d work up the courage to do so soon after the movie came out, or that I would instantly become obsessed with it! That obsession has never really let up in the intervening 14 years (yes, you read that right; I’ve been watching this movie for fully half my life. Does that make me feel old? Yes…yes it does). I’m still not tired of the amazing soundtrack, Will and Elizabeth’s adorable awkwardness, the sweeping scenery, or the gloriousness that is Captain Jack Sparrow.

I will say that I think the first POTC film is by far the strongest — while I enjoy all the others to varying degrees, sometimes I find myself wishing they’d just left well enough alone after the first one. However, this film and its descendants remain some of my favorites to watch when I want the perfect kicking-back movie in the summertime, or just when I want a little adventure.

4. Beauty and the Beast

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This one had to make it on to the list even if for no other reason than the fact that I’ve loved it since I was literally 3 years old (which was right about the time it was first released — yes, I am old; we’ve established this). This is one of the first movies I have clear memories seeing (along with Dumbo, 2-year-old me’s favorite), and though my feelings toward it and the things I get out of watching it have changed as I’ve grown up, it always has been and always will be among my all-time favorites.

I don’t know for sure what 3-year-old Kristen loved about it, other than the smart and pretty princess and the beautiful castle she roamed, but I do know that, then and afterward, this movie has always resonated with me. Whether it’s the beauty of two total outcasts finding safety and love with each other, the wonderful fantasy elements, the amazing music that is among the best of the best to this day, or just that awesome library that I wished Beast had given to me instead of Belle, there’s been something great to take away with every one of my dozens of re-watchings.

3. Star Wars (original trilogy)

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These films, in all their campy, goofy, haphazard glory, were my first real introduction to the world of sci-fi, and there was no turning back from that point on. I first saw the original Star Wars films when I was about 10, and let me tell you, they blew my tiny little mind. I quickly became obsessed with them, and learned all I could about the films themselves, the characters, and the extended universe. I checked out all the Star Wars-related books I could get my hands on from the library (which, granted, was not many given the fact that I grew up in a small town, but I did the best with what I had). While I may have forgotten a lot of the SW trivia I once knew, the memories of how the movies first made me feel have stayed, and I get to revisit them at least in some small measure every time I re-watch these movies. I love them for their sense of adventure, their unforgettable characters, the way the special effects still manage to mostly hold up after all these years, and for the never-stale message that even someone insignificant can become something great.

2. Pride and Prejudice (2005 version)

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Quite simply, this movie swept me off my feet like a cheesy romance hero. But cheesy this film is not — to this day, I still consider it to be one of the most beautiful pieces of art (cinematic or otherwise) I’ve had the good fortune to run across, and it doesn’t feel over-the-top to say that it changed something about my mental aesthetic, and about the way I interpret romantic (and Romantic) media.

There are those purists out there who will deem that ranking the 2005 version of P&P over the 1995 version is nothing short of blasphemy. They’re welcome to think that, but I have to respectfully disagree. I’ll grant that the ’95 version is far closer to the book both in terms of tone and content, and that it’s a better look at the follies of high society as represented in Austen’s work. Nonetheless, the ’05 version is just beyond gorgeous, both in terms of the loving (yet still often scathing) way it paints its characters, to the pitch-perfect settings, to the way it gets to the real heart of the varied, fraught, and somehow beautiful relationships between the characters that inhabit the stories. Call me a hopelessly romantic teenager if you want, but to quote dearest Darcy, it bewitched me body and soul, you guys. There’s no topping that.

1. Lord of the Rings trilogy

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Let’s face it — there was no way this one wasn’t going at the top of the list. These films are still the best book-to-film adaptations I’ve ever seen, before or since, and I don’t anticipate they’ll get bumped from that position anytime soon.

These movies brought the books to life for me in the best way — though they may not be perfect adaptations (and I know all about the schools of thought on this; believe me), to me they capture the true heart of the stories themselves. They communicate the same truth, the same love, the same moments of clarity and conviction. As far as I’m concerned, that’s all that’s needed for a truly great adaptation, regardless of the surrounding details. Just like with the books, I can call up images and quotes and feelings from the films to find peace when I’m troubled — I couldn’t ask for anything greater from a film than that.

Honorable mentions (presented without further comment for sake of space): The Princess Bride, Tangled, The Avengers (and other Marvel offerings), Howl’s Moving Castle, Tangled, North & South (BBC), The Holiday, Ever After, The Hunger Games, How to Train Your Dragon, Big Hero 6, Wall-E, V for Vendetta, A Knight’s Tale, The Count of Monte Cristo (Jim Caviezel version), The Fall, Treasure Planet

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