Susan Seidelman with Anne-Katrin Titze and music producer/99 Records founder Ed Bahlman: “Music has always been important in my movies.”
In the first instalment with Susan Seidelman on her memoir, Desperately Seeking Something (St. Martin’s Press), and her career as a filmmaker, we start out discussing the jacket choices for Susan Berman, Madonna, Ann Magnuson (Frankie in Making Mr. Right with John Malkovich), and Emily Lloyd.
Susan Berman as Wren in Smithereens and Madonna as Susan in Desperately Seeking Susan
We move on to the influence of Jacques Rivette’s Celine And Julie Go Boating, her love of Billy Wilder films, being named after...
In the first instalment with Susan Seidelman on her memoir, Desperately Seeking Something (St. Martin’s Press), and her career as a filmmaker, we start out discussing the jacket choices for Susan Berman, Madonna, Ann Magnuson (Frankie in Making Mr. Right with John Malkovich), and Emily Lloyd.
Susan Berman as Wren in Smithereens and Madonna as Susan in Desperately Seeking Susan
We move on to the influence of Jacques Rivette’s Celine And Julie Go Boating, her love of Billy Wilder films, being named after...
- 7/1/2024
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
If you knew Laurie Frank — and who didn’t? — you know her great heart burst skyward on Nov. 30. Hours earlier, a technicolor rainbow appeared over the Hollywood Hills, Laurie’s Promised Land.
You likely knew she was in the first class at Yale that matriculated women — class of 1973 — and went on to be an accomplished screenwriter, journalist and acclaimed gallerist. In the late ‘70s, she worked at ABC News and directed short films for Saturday Night Live, famously Prose and Cons featuring Eddie Murphy in a spoof on Norman Mailer’s championing of murderer Jack Abbott.
In the mid-1980s, she moved to Los Angeles and co-wrote Making Mr. Right (1987) starring John Malkovich and Ann Magnuson, as well as Love Crimes (1992) and later ventured into collecting and selling art. From 2002 to 2013, she ran Frank Pictures at Bergamot Station, showcasing artists of fame and those undiscovered. The latter was Laurie’s forte.
You likely knew she was in the first class at Yale that matriculated women — class of 1973 — and went on to be an accomplished screenwriter, journalist and acclaimed gallerist. In the late ‘70s, she worked at ABC News and directed short films for Saturday Night Live, famously Prose and Cons featuring Eddie Murphy in a spoof on Norman Mailer’s championing of murderer Jack Abbott.
In the mid-1980s, she moved to Los Angeles and co-wrote Making Mr. Right (1987) starring John Malkovich and Ann Magnuson, as well as Love Crimes (1992) and later ventured into collecting and selling art. From 2002 to 2013, she ran Frank Pictures at Bergamot Station, showcasing artists of fame and those undiscovered. The latter was Laurie’s forte.
- 12/29/2023
- by A.L. Bardach
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Suzanne Fletcher and Ann Magnuson in Sara Driver’s Sleepwalk Photo: Nan Goldin
Sara Driver’s spellbinding Sleepwalk, co-written with Kathleen Brennan and Lorenzo Mans, shot by Jim Jarmusch and Frank Prinzi, with a score by Phil Kline, and starring Suzanne Fletcher with Ann Magnuson, Steve Buscemi (coming to the Tribeca Film Festival to present Ethan Coen and Joel Coen’s Fargo), Linda Yablonski, Sally Venue (aka Sally Berg), Richard Boes, Ako, Stephen Chen, Tony Todd, Dexter Lee, Harvey Perr, Barbara Klar, Cheryl Dyer, Rebecca Wright, and William Rice (aka Bill Rice) was a New Directors/New Films at 50: A Retrospective pick. Sara also participated in an HBO sponsored live virtual Free Talk, moderated by Wendy Keys. Ed Bahlman (99 Records founder and producer) and I sent in greetings to Sara. The exchange is below our conversation.
Sara Driver on New York City in the Eighties: “When I was making Sleepwalk,...
Sara Driver’s spellbinding Sleepwalk, co-written with Kathleen Brennan and Lorenzo Mans, shot by Jim Jarmusch and Frank Prinzi, with a score by Phil Kline, and starring Suzanne Fletcher with Ann Magnuson, Steve Buscemi (coming to the Tribeca Film Festival to present Ethan Coen and Joel Coen’s Fargo), Linda Yablonski, Sally Venue (aka Sally Berg), Richard Boes, Ako, Stephen Chen, Tony Todd, Dexter Lee, Harvey Perr, Barbara Klar, Cheryl Dyer, Rebecca Wright, and William Rice (aka Bill Rice) was a New Directors/New Films at 50: A Retrospective pick. Sara also participated in an HBO sponsored live virtual Free Talk, moderated by Wendy Keys. Ed Bahlman (99 Records founder and producer) and I sent in greetings to Sara. The exchange is below our conversation.
Sara Driver on New York City in the Eighties: “When I was making Sleepwalk,...
- 5/13/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Celine Danhier with Joel Coen and Ethan Coen at the table behind us at The Odeon on the evolution of Blank City: "James Nares said 'Let me call Jim Jarmusch.' It was really like that. And then at the same time I had the music scenes and I interviewed Pat Place." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Celine Danhier's all-hands-on-deck Blank City, edited to perfection by Vanessa Roworth, enters the world of the No Wave and Cinema of Transgression. We see and hear about the work of Bette Gordon, Casandra Stark Mele, Charlie Ahearn, Michael Oblowitz, Nick Zedd, Sara Driver, Susan Seidelman, Maripol, Patti Astor, Eric Mitchell, Beth B, Vivienne Dick, Vincent Gallo, John Lurie, Steve Buscemi, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lizzie Borden, Amos Poe, John Waters, James Nares, Jim Jarmusch, Anders Grafstrom, Richard Kern, Ann Magnuson, James Chance, Lydia Lunch, Pat Place, Becky Johnston, Adele Bertei, Scott B, Tommy Turner, Tessa Hughes-Freeland, Kemra Pfahler,...
Celine Danhier's all-hands-on-deck Blank City, edited to perfection by Vanessa Roworth, enters the world of the No Wave and Cinema of Transgression. We see and hear about the work of Bette Gordon, Casandra Stark Mele, Charlie Ahearn, Michael Oblowitz, Nick Zedd, Sara Driver, Susan Seidelman, Maripol, Patti Astor, Eric Mitchell, Beth B, Vivienne Dick, Vincent Gallo, John Lurie, Steve Buscemi, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lizzie Borden, Amos Poe, John Waters, James Nares, Jim Jarmusch, Anders Grafstrom, Richard Kern, Ann Magnuson, James Chance, Lydia Lunch, Pat Place, Becky Johnston, Adele Bertei, Scott B, Tommy Turner, Tessa Hughes-Freeland, Kemra Pfahler,...
- 4/24/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
International sales agent Stray Dogs acquired “Mansfied 66/67” and the Spanish drama “Sister of Mine” ahead of the Efm.
Among the most striking acquisitions is the Rotterdam Film Fest’s “Mansfield 66/67”, the experimental feature documentary about the last two years in the life of screen siren and Hollywood sex symbol, Jayne Mansfield.
In the film, which features cult director Kenneth Anger and actress Tippi Hedren, Mansfield is portrayed by Ann Magnuson. It combines archive footage and interviews blended with experimental dance numbers and animations.
Todd Hughes and P. David Ebersole directed the documentary, which premiered in Rotterdam.
Todd Hughes and P. David Ebersole
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Mansfield’s death in a car crash.
Paris-based International sales outfit Stray Dogs is ramping up its slate ahead of next month’s European Film Market in Berlin (Feb 9–17). The company, founded by Nathan Fischer in 2015, has two new pick-ups at International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Among the most striking acquisitions is the Rotterdam Film Fest’s “Mansfield 66/67”, the experimental feature documentary about the last two years in the life of screen siren and Hollywood sex symbol, Jayne Mansfield.
In the film, which features cult director Kenneth Anger and actress Tippi Hedren, Mansfield is portrayed by Ann Magnuson. It combines archive footage and interviews blended with experimental dance numbers and animations.
Todd Hughes and P. David Ebersole directed the documentary, which premiered in Rotterdam.
Todd Hughes and P. David Ebersole
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Mansfield’s death in a car crash.
Paris-based International sales outfit Stray Dogs is ramping up its slate ahead of next month’s European Film Market in Berlin (Feb 9–17). The company, founded by Nathan Fischer in 2015, has two new pick-ups at International Film Festival Rotterdam.
- 1/28/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Sales outfit has also acquired Spanish drama and Iffr Tiger contender Sister Of Mine ahead of the Efm.
Paris-based International sales outfit Stray Dogs is ramping up its slate ahead of next month’s European Film Market in Berlin (Feb 9-17).
The company, founded by Nathan Fischer in 2015, has confirmed two new pick-ups at International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Among the most striking acquisitions is Mansfield 66/67, the experimental feature documentary about the last two years in the life of screen siren and Hollywood sex symbol, Jayne Mansfield.
In the film, which features cult director Kenneth Anger and actress Tippi Hedren, Mansfield is portrayed by Ann Magnuson. It combines archive footage and interviews blended with experimental dance numbers and animations.
Tood Hughes and P. David Ebersole directed the documentary, which premieres in Rotterdam today (Jan 28).
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Mansfield’s death in a car crash.
Also new on Stray Dogs’ slate is Spanish Iffr Tiger contender, Sister...
Paris-based International sales outfit Stray Dogs is ramping up its slate ahead of next month’s European Film Market in Berlin (Feb 9-17).
The company, founded by Nathan Fischer in 2015, has confirmed two new pick-ups at International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Among the most striking acquisitions is Mansfield 66/67, the experimental feature documentary about the last two years in the life of screen siren and Hollywood sex symbol, Jayne Mansfield.
In the film, which features cult director Kenneth Anger and actress Tippi Hedren, Mansfield is portrayed by Ann Magnuson. It combines archive footage and interviews blended with experimental dance numbers and animations.
Tood Hughes and P. David Ebersole directed the documentary, which premieres in Rotterdam today (Jan 28).
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Mansfield’s death in a car crash.
Also new on Stray Dogs’ slate is Spanish Iffr Tiger contender, Sister...
- 1/28/2017
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Sneak Peek footage from writer, director Robert Edwards' father/daughter comedic drama "One More Time" starring Christopher Walken, Amber Heard, Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Ann Magnuson and Oliver Platt, available now on DVD in Canada, from Anchor Bay Entertainment:
"...aspiring female rock star 'Jude' (Heard) is stuck in a rut - relegated to recording commercial jingles and lost in a series of one night stands.
"When she is evicted from her Brooklyn apartment, she is forced to move into the Hamptons home of her wealthy - and selfish - father 'Paul Lombard' (Walken), an over-the-hill, 'Sinatra'-esque crooner angling for a musical comeback.
"As the two reunite, Jude is forced to confront her problems, including troubled relationships with her father...
"...and overachieving sister (Garner), as well as her wobbly career and faltering love life.
"As Jude and Paul butt heads, they unexpectedly find themselves on a journey that may redefine their lives..."
"One More Time" was previously released theatrically and on Digital HD from Starz Digital April 2016.
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a leading independent home entertainment company that acquires and releases a wide array of filmed entertainment in the theatrical and home entertainment markets, including Starz Original series, children's entertainment, fitness ("Anchor Bay Fitness") sports and specialty films on Blu-Ray and DVD formats. The company also has long-term distribution agreements in place for select programming with The Weinstein Company, AMC Networks and RADiUS, among others.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "One More Time"...
"...aspiring female rock star 'Jude' (Heard) is stuck in a rut - relegated to recording commercial jingles and lost in a series of one night stands.
"When she is evicted from her Brooklyn apartment, she is forced to move into the Hamptons home of her wealthy - and selfish - father 'Paul Lombard' (Walken), an over-the-hill, 'Sinatra'-esque crooner angling for a musical comeback.
"As the two reunite, Jude is forced to confront her problems, including troubled relationships with her father...
"...and overachieving sister (Garner), as well as her wobbly career and faltering love life.
"As Jude and Paul butt heads, they unexpectedly find themselves on a journey that may redefine their lives..."
"One More Time" was previously released theatrically and on Digital HD from Starz Digital April 2016.
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a leading independent home entertainment company that acquires and releases a wide array of filmed entertainment in the theatrical and home entertainment markets, including Starz Original series, children's entertainment, fitness ("Anchor Bay Fitness") sports and specialty films on Blu-Ray and DVD formats. The company also has long-term distribution agreements in place for select programming with The Weinstein Company, AMC Networks and RADiUS, among others.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "One More Time"...
- 6/16/2016
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Title: One More Time Director: Robert Edwards Starring: Christopher Walken, Amber Heard, Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Oliver Platt, Ann Magnuson. ‘One More Time’ gathers a terrific cast to stage the story of a musician’s incongruence betwixt his romantic repertoire and his tumultuous private affairs. A rather familiar tune that does not surprise or entertain. Jude (Amber Heard) is an aspiring rock star who is at crossroads in her life, with no clear path to take. She is relegated to recording commercial jingles and distracts herself with one night stands. When she is evicted from her Brooklyn apartment, she is forced to move into the Hamptons home of her wealthy and [ Read More ]
The post One More Time Movie Review 2 appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post One More Time Movie Review 2 appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 4/7/2016
- by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
- ShockYa
Title: One More Time Director: Robert Edwards Starring: Christopher Walken, Amber Heard, Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Ann Magnuson and Oliver Platt People who lead the most seemingly charmed and privileged lives, and have the potential to easily thrive on the endless opportunities that are conveniently presented to them, can often times lead the most troubling and unfulfilled lives. They can squander even the most appealing and favorable chance because they feel undeserving of love and success, after not receiving much emotional encouragement throughout their lives. That’s certainly the case with the professedly privileged young protagonist and her once successful father, who are both so eager to make their mark on [ Read More ]
The post One More Time Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post One More Time Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 4/4/2016
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
Sorry, but Christopher Walken isn’t leading a Daft Punk biopic. Rather, One More Time (previously titled When I Live My Life Over Again) is indeed music-related, but instead of Walken donning any sort of robot helmet, the film follows his character as an aging crooner who is attempting to launch a comeback in the industry, recently reunited with his daughter, played by Amber Heard. Directed by Robert Edwards, we now have the first trailer and poster ahead of a release next month.
In their review out of Tribeca last year, THR noted, “Walken is the main attraction here; though the film identifies more with the wayward daughter, played by Amber Heard, it doesn’t make her nearly as interesting as his name-dropping, spotlight-hogging entertainer. The actor’s fans, who get too few chances to see him in this kind of role, should ensure that the likeable but underwhelming pic...
In their review out of Tribeca last year, THR noted, “Walken is the main attraction here; though the film identifies more with the wayward daughter, played by Amber Heard, it doesn’t make her nearly as interesting as his name-dropping, spotlight-hogging entertainer. The actor’s fans, who get too few chances to see him in this kind of role, should ensure that the likeable but underwhelming pic...
- 3/15/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
There's no such thing as having too much Christopher Walken in your life, and so if you've been feeling the need for a little extra dose, the good news is that he's got a movie coming soon, and the first trailer has just arrived. Read More: The Essentials: The 5 Best Christopher Walken Performances Co-starring Amber Heard, Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Oliver Platt, and Ann Magnuson, and written and directed by Robert Edwards, the story centers on an relationship between an aspiring rock star and her crooner father. Here's the official synopsis: Beautiful aspiring rock star Jude (Heard) is stuck in a rut - relegated to recording commercial jingles and lost in a series of one night stands. When she is evicted from her Brooklyn apartment, she is forced to move into the Hamptons home of her wealthy - and selfish - father Paul Lombard (Walken), an over-the-hill, Sinatra-esque crooner angling for a musical comeback.
- 3/11/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Writer/director Alan Rudolph is still inextricably linked to Robert Altman, his mentor and eventual producer for several of Rudolph’s own features. Having served as assistant director on Altman’s The Long Goodbye and Nashville, Rudolph would eventually steer his own considerable, idiosyncratic filmography. But without any significant mainstream efforts to explode him into the fabric of the cultural zeitgeist, many of his works faded quickly into obscurity, particularly if they weren’t well-received by critics. Often featuring delectable roles for offbeat female leads (including some unforgettable roles for Genevieve Bujold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Geraldine Chaplin), a late 90s Oscar nod for Julie Christie in Afterfglow (1997) resuscitated interest in the auteur. But the decade started out on a disappointing note for Rudolph with 1990’s Love at Large, the follow-up to critically acclaimed The Moderns (1980). Featuring a cascading array of notable actors, it’s an offbeat endeavor, to say the least,...
- 12/15/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Alan Rudolph goes all mushy on us, but in a good way. This loose, somewhat cartoonish comedy pits detectives Tom Berenger and Elizabeth Perkins on opposite sides of a hot case. All they uncover is one illicit love affair after another... while getting personally involved too. A quirky romantic favorite. Love at Large Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1990 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date December 1, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Tom Berenger, Elizabeth Perkins, Anne Archer, Kate Capshaw, Annette O'Toole, Ted Levine, Ann Magnuson, Kevin J. O'Connor, Ruby Dee, Barry Miller, Neil Young Cinematography Elliot Davis Production Designer Steven Legler Art Direction Steve Karatzas Film Editor Lisa Zeno Churgin Original Music Mark Isham, Warren Zevon Produced by Stuart M. Besser, David Blocker, Dana Mayer Written and Directed by Alan Rudolph
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
This charming little movie went nowhere in 1990, but it still pleases this reviewer, from its odd...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
This charming little movie went nowhere in 1990, but it still pleases this reviewer, from its odd...
- 12/5/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Starz has acquired North American distribution rights to One More Time, the comedic drama written and directed by Robert Edwards and starring Christopher Walken, Amber Heard, Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Ann Magnuson and Oliver Platt. The pic debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival this year when it was called When I Live My Life Over Again. The plan under the deal is a 2016 theatrical and on-demand release through Starz Digital followed by an exclusive TV premiere…...
- 11/4/2015
- Deadline TV
Starz has acquired North American distribution rights to One More Time, the comedic drama written and directed by Robert Edwards and starring Christopher Walken, Amber Heard, Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Ann Magnuson and Oliver Platt. The pic debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival this year when it was called When I Live My Life Over Again. The plan under the deal is a 2016 theatrical and on-demand release through Starz Digital followed by an exclusive TV premiere…...
- 11/4/2015
- Deadline
Starz has acquired the North American rights to “One More Time,” starring Christopher Walken and Amber Heard, the entertainment company announced Wednesday. It is planning a 2016 theatrical and on-demand release through Starz Digital, its multi-platform releasing team, followed by an exclusive TV premiere on Starz. The comedic drama, written and directed by Robert Edwards, also stars Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Ann Magnuson and Oliver Platt. The film follows rock star Jude (Heard) who is stuck in a rut, recording commercial jingles and having one night stands.
- 11/4/2015
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Despite the lottery-esque sounding odds, the U.S Dramatic Competition section which produces the finest American indie specimens such as Frozen River, Winter’s Bone, Blue Valentine, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station and Whiplash is fairly consistent in terms of quality. Last year’s crop of sixteen have almost all had their theatrical releases with Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter being the last one out of the gates (pegged with an early 2015 release). Last week we individually looked at our top 80 Sundance Film Fest Predictions (you’ll find 30 other titles worth considering in our intro) and below, we’ve split the list into narrative and non-fiction film items and have both identified and color-coded our picks in an AtoZ cheat sheet. You’ll find 2015′s answer to Whiplash located somewhere in the stack below. Click on the individual titles below, for the film’s profile.
- 11/19/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Despite one feature film under his belt with 2006′s Land of the Blind (the Ralph Fiennes and Donald Sutherland starrer won the Nicholl Fellowship from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award and landed at Rotterdam, but didn’t gain much traction after that), Robert Edwards isn’t an unknown entity for Sundance programmers. His 2002 docu short, Voice of the Prophet landed at the fest and American Prometheus, a project that hasn’t yet materialized, was awarded a the 2011 Sloan Science-in-Film Initiative Commissioning Grant. It appears that the filmmaker has had several high profile projects that didn’t materialize, but this April, is when he finally got a greenlight. When I Live My Life Over Again sees Christopher Walken, Amber Heard, Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Ann Magnuson and Oliver Platt in a New York city set drama.
Gist: The New York-based drama sees Walken play Lombard, dubbed “The King of Romance,...
Gist: The New York-based drama sees Walken play Lombard, dubbed “The King of Romance,...
- 11/14/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Into The Storm and Hatfields & McCoys actor Max Deacon has been cast in The Call Up, a British action/sci-fi pic set in the world of computer gaming technology. Written and directed by commercials helmer Charles Barker, The Call Up topped the 2011 Brit List of the best unproduced screenplays in the UK. The story follows a group of elite online gamers who each receive a mysterious invitation to trial a state-of-the-art virtual reality video game. The experience brings modern warfare to life with frightening realism, but what starts out like a dream encounter, quickly takes a turn for the sinister. EOne has Germany, France and Scandinavian rights with Altitude Film Sales handling international. Morfydd Clark (Madame Bovary), Ali Cook (The Anomaly), Parker Sawyers (Monsters: Dark Continent), Tom Benedict Knight (Dracula Untold), Boris Ler (In The Land Of Blood And Honey), and newcomers Douggie McMeekin and Adriana Randall also star. Shooting begins November 10 in Birmingham,...
- 10/28/2014
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline
Exclusive: Christopher Walken, Amber Heard star in New York comedy-drama.
K5 International has boarded New York-based comedy-drama When I Live My life Over Again, starring Christopher Walken, Amber Heard and Oliver Platt.
Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur’s sales outfit will introduce the film to buyers at Afm.
Zombieland star Heard plays Jude, the daughter of a famous crooner Paul Lombard (Walken), but for the proud, feisty Jude, spending time with her egocentric, impossible-to-please father becomes her worst nightmare as he plots his big comeback.
The film is written and directed by Robert Edwards and co-stars Kelli Garner (The Aviator), Ann Magnuson (Panic Room), and Hamish Linklater (Fantastic Four).
Producers are Parts & Labor’s Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints), Chris Maybach, Saemi and Saerom Kim at Maybach Film Productions (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Ferne Pearlstein and Lucas Joaquin (Beasts of the Southern Wild).
Executive producers are Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur at K5, Eugene Lee...
K5 International has boarded New York-based comedy-drama When I Live My life Over Again, starring Christopher Walken, Amber Heard and Oliver Platt.
Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur’s sales outfit will introduce the film to buyers at Afm.
Zombieland star Heard plays Jude, the daughter of a famous crooner Paul Lombard (Walken), but for the proud, feisty Jude, spending time with her egocentric, impossible-to-please father becomes her worst nightmare as he plots his big comeback.
The film is written and directed by Robert Edwards and co-stars Kelli Garner (The Aviator), Ann Magnuson (Panic Room), and Hamish Linklater (Fantastic Four).
Producers are Parts & Labor’s Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints), Chris Maybach, Saemi and Saerom Kim at Maybach Film Productions (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Ferne Pearlstein and Lucas Joaquin (Beasts of the Southern Wild).
Executive producers are Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur at K5, Eugene Lee...
- 10/28/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Christopher Walken, Amber Heard star in New York drama.
K5 International has boarded New York-based drama When I Live My life Over Again, starring Christopher Walken, Amber Heard and Oliver Platt.
Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur’s sales outfit will introduce the film to buyers at Afm.
Zombieland star Heard plays Jude, the daughter of a famous crooner Paul Lombard (Walken), but for the proud, feisty Jude, spending time with her egocentric, impossible-to-please father becomes her worst nightmare as he plots his big comeback.
The film is written and directed by Robert Edwards and co-stars Kelli Garner (The Aviator), Ann Magnuson (Panic Room), and Hamish Linklater (Fantastic Four).
Producers are Parts & Labor’s Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints), Chris Maybach, Saemi and Saerom Kim at Maybach Film Productions (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Ferne Pearlstein and Lucas Joaquin (Beasts of the Southern Wild).
Executive producers are Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur at K5, Eugene Lee...
K5 International has boarded New York-based drama When I Live My life Over Again, starring Christopher Walken, Amber Heard and Oliver Platt.
Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur’s sales outfit will introduce the film to buyers at Afm.
Zombieland star Heard plays Jude, the daughter of a famous crooner Paul Lombard (Walken), but for the proud, feisty Jude, spending time with her egocentric, impossible-to-please father becomes her worst nightmare as he plots his big comeback.
The film is written and directed by Robert Edwards and co-stars Kelli Garner (The Aviator), Ann Magnuson (Panic Room), and Hamish Linklater (Fantastic Four).
Producers are Parts & Labor’s Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints), Chris Maybach, Saemi and Saerom Kim at Maybach Film Productions (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Ferne Pearlstein and Lucas Joaquin (Beasts of the Southern Wild).
Executive producers are Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur at K5, Eugene Lee...
- 10/28/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
This year’s student-run Milwaukee Underground Film Festival will screen on May 1-4 at various locations on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus and off-campus at the Microlights Cinema. Once again, the festival will feature eclectic and amazing avant-garde and experimental short films in video, 16mm and 8mm formats.
The fest opens on May 1 with a screening of films made by this year’s three-member jury — David Witzling, Diane Kitchen and Scott Stark — followed by a special presentation of works from NYC’s Lgbt screening series, “Dirty Looks,” including Michael Robinson‘s hilarious The Dark, Krystle, Luther Price‘s recently restored Home and Michael Lucid‘s online video sensation Dirty Girls.
Other films to look out for are a pair of award-winning pieces: The May 2 at 2:00 p.m. shorts block will conclude with Jennifer Reeder‘s absolutely amazing A Million Miles Away, which took home the Best Short Film at the Chicago Underground Film Festival.
The fest opens on May 1 with a screening of films made by this year’s three-member jury — David Witzling, Diane Kitchen and Scott Stark — followed by a special presentation of works from NYC’s Lgbt screening series, “Dirty Looks,” including Michael Robinson‘s hilarious The Dark, Krystle, Luther Price‘s recently restored Home and Michael Lucid‘s online video sensation Dirty Girls.
Other films to look out for are a pair of award-winning pieces: The May 2 at 2:00 p.m. shorts block will conclude with Jennifer Reeder‘s absolutely amazing A Million Miles Away, which took home the Best Short Film at the Chicago Underground Film Festival.
- 5/1/2014
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Frankie Alvarez as Agustin in Looking
(Photos: HBO)
HBO’s Looking features several familiar faces– folks like Jonathan Groff (Glee, Spring Awakening), Russell Tovey (Sherlock, UK’s Being Human), Murray Bartlett (August, Guiding Light) and Scott Bakula (Oh, just about everything.) But one main cast member who might be less familiar to TheBacklot readers is Frankie J. Alvarez. The Cuban-American Julliard graduate plays Augustin, one of the trio of gay friends at the center of the Michael Lannan-created series.
When the series opens, Agustin is working as assistant to an artist (Ann Magnuson) and he’s making a major life change by moving in with longtime boyfriend, Frank (O.T. Fagbenle). Alvarez gave us a peek into what we can expect from Agustin. Also how he, as a straight man, navigated playing a gay man and what this first season of Looking has in store for viewers.
TheBacklot: First, tell...
(Photos: HBO)
HBO’s Looking features several familiar faces– folks like Jonathan Groff (Glee, Spring Awakening), Russell Tovey (Sherlock, UK’s Being Human), Murray Bartlett (August, Guiding Light) and Scott Bakula (Oh, just about everything.) But one main cast member who might be less familiar to TheBacklot readers is Frankie J. Alvarez. The Cuban-American Julliard graduate plays Augustin, one of the trio of gay friends at the center of the Michael Lannan-created series.
When the series opens, Agustin is working as assistant to an artist (Ann Magnuson) and he’s making a major life change by moving in with longtime boyfriend, Frank (O.T. Fagbenle). Alvarez gave us a peek into what we can expect from Agustin. Also how he, as a straight man, navigated playing a gay man and what this first season of Looking has in store for viewers.
TheBacklot: First, tell...
- 1/14/2014
- by Jim Halterman
- The Backlot
Everyone flies down to Florida to be with Phil after his mom’s passing. Claire helps Phil with his mom’s last wish for Phil’s dad, Mitch helps Gloria contend with an outstanding arrest warrant in Florida, Cam finds himself fitting right into an elderly women’s group, and Jay runs into his first.
Favorite Moments:
“It’s Florida. If I want to sweat more, I’ll just move my arms.” “Oh no, she’s going to ask me to throw her ashes in the Pope’s face!” Mitchell Pritchett – Man of The People. It takes Cam about five minutes to become one of the gossiping old biddies. The cornucopia of faboo older actresses, including Anita Gillette, Millicent Martin, Mary Jo Catlett, and an almost unrecognizable Ann Magnuson. The final scene with the funeral and the fireworks was very sweet, and a nice way to cap the season.
What were your favorite moments?...
Favorite Moments:
“It’s Florida. If I want to sweat more, I’ll just move my arms.” “Oh no, she’s going to ask me to throw her ashes in the Pope’s face!” Mitchell Pritchett – Man of The People. It takes Cam about five minutes to become one of the gossiping old biddies. The cornucopia of faboo older actresses, including Anita Gillette, Millicent Martin, Mary Jo Catlett, and an almost unrecognizable Ann Magnuson. The final scene with the funeral and the fireworks was very sweet, and a nice way to cap the season.
What were your favorite moments?...
- 5/23/2013
- by snicks
- The Backlot
Title: Blank City Director: Celine Danhier Featuring: Steve Buscemi, Fab 5 Freddy, Jim Jarmusch, Deborah Harry, John Lurie, Thurston Moore, John Waters, Susan Seidelman, Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell, Ann Magnuson and more The angry, dirty and unforgiving streets of New York City have over the course of several generations taken on an almost mythical role in American independent cinema, fueling some artists, creatively bankrupting many more, and driving others into the arms of more lucrative, mainstream projects. An exhaustively comprehensive oral history of outsider cinema from the late 1970s and into the mid ’80s, Celine Danhier’s Blank City unfolds in all the hazy, erudite specificity of some breezy, memories-laden conversation between your parents...
- 5/29/2011
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
By David Savage
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
The generation of subversive filmmakers who emerged out of the rubble of Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the 1970s, who wrote, cast, produced and directed their own punk riffs on narrative feature films long before the digital revolution made it easy, has long gone without a proper documentary that chronicles their fascinating emergence during this era. Well, no more. Blank City, directed by French newcomer Celine Danhier, was one of the most talked about docs at festivals worldwide in 2010, and recently started its theatrical engagement at the IFC Center in Manhattan and across the USA at major indie-cinema venues.
Packed with film clips, period footage and insightful interviews with key players from the scene, such as Debbie Harry, John Waters, Ann Magnuson, Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell, Patti Astor and Jim Jarmusch, Blank City is a fascinating and inspiring documentary...
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
The generation of subversive filmmakers who emerged out of the rubble of Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the 1970s, who wrote, cast, produced and directed their own punk riffs on narrative feature films long before the digital revolution made it easy, has long gone without a proper documentary that chronicles their fascinating emergence during this era. Well, no more. Blank City, directed by French newcomer Celine Danhier, was one of the most talked about docs at festivals worldwide in 2010, and recently started its theatrical engagement at the IFC Center in Manhattan and across the USA at major indie-cinema venues.
Packed with film clips, period footage and insightful interviews with key players from the scene, such as Debbie Harry, John Waters, Ann Magnuson, Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell, Patti Astor and Jim Jarmusch, Blank City is a fascinating and inspiring documentary...
- 5/17/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Featuring Jim Jarmusch, Debbie Harry, Steve Buscemi, John Lurie, Fab 5 Freddy, Thurston Moore,
Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch, Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell, James Nares, Maripol, Ann Magnuson,
James Chance, Beth B, Scott B and John Waters
A Film By
Opening at the IFC Center in New York on Friday, April 6
Before there was HD there was Super 8. Before Independent film there was Underground Cinema. And before New York there was.well, New York. Once upon a pre-Facebook time, before creative communities became virtual and viral, cultural movements were firmly grounded in geography. And the undisputed center of American . some would say international . art and film was New York City. In particular, downtown Manhattan in the late 1970.s and 80.s was the anchor of vanguard filmmaking.
Blank City tells the long-overdue tale of the motley crew of renegade filmmakers that emerged from an economically bankrupt and dangerous period of New York History.
Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch, Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell, James Nares, Maripol, Ann Magnuson,
James Chance, Beth B, Scott B and John Waters
A Film By
Opening at the IFC Center in New York on Friday, April 6
Before there was HD there was Super 8. Before Independent film there was Underground Cinema. And before New York there was.well, New York. Once upon a pre-Facebook time, before creative communities became virtual and viral, cultural movements were firmly grounded in geography. And the undisputed center of American . some would say international . art and film was New York City. In particular, downtown Manhattan in the late 1970.s and 80.s was the anchor of vanguard filmmaking.
Blank City tells the long-overdue tale of the motley crew of renegade filmmakers that emerged from an economically bankrupt and dangerous period of New York History.
- 3/17/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Featuring Jim Jarmusch, Debbie Harry, Steve Buscemi, John Lurie, Fab 5 Freddy, Thurston Moore,
Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch, Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell, James Nares, Maripol, Ann Magnuson,
James Chance, Beth B, Scott B and John Waters
A Film By
Opening at the IFC Center in New York on Friday, April 6
Before there was HD there was Super 8. Before Independent film there was Underground Cinema. And before New York there was.well, New York. Once upon a pre-Facebook time, before creative communities became virtual and viral, cultural movements were firmly grounded in geography. And the undisputed center of American . some would say international . art and film was New York City. In particular, downtown Manhattan in the late 1970.s and 80.s was the anchor of vanguard filmmaking.
Blank City tells the long-overdue tale of the motley crew of renegade filmmakers that emerged from an economically bankrupt and dangerous period of New York History.
Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch, Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell, James Nares, Maripol, Ann Magnuson,
James Chance, Beth B, Scott B and John Waters
A Film By
Opening at the IFC Center in New York on Friday, April 6
Before there was HD there was Super 8. Before Independent film there was Underground Cinema. And before New York there was.well, New York. Once upon a pre-Facebook time, before creative communities became virtual and viral, cultural movements were firmly grounded in geography. And the undisputed center of American . some would say international . art and film was New York City. In particular, downtown Manhattan in the late 1970.s and 80.s was the anchor of vanguard filmmaking.
Blank City tells the long-overdue tale of the motley crew of renegade filmmakers that emerged from an economically bankrupt and dangerous period of New York History.
- 3/10/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Klaus Nomi was a prominent figure in the New Wave scene of the '80s in New York City, not only for his gorgeous counter tenor that made pop and punk songs into opera but also for his iconic look and stage presence. Watching the documentary The Nomi Song, I can only wish I was around when he was performing, perhaps in the same clubs I went to many years after his death. With campy futuristic stage performances and an iconic look that was a mix between a space alien, a Kabuki performer, and the robot from Metropolis, he was the one shocking the seemingly unshockable downtown punk crowds.
This doc about his short career and early death from a mysterious disease we now know is AIDs has fantastic footage of him performing live, shots of the East Village as it was then and now, and, of course, tales from...
This doc about his short career and early death from a mysterious disease we now know is AIDs has fantastic footage of him performing live, shots of the East Village as it was then and now, and, of course, tales from...
- 2/23/2010
- by Jenni Miller
- Cinematical
The first that I heard of Frank Henenlotter was on a perfectly awful cable tv show that aired on Manhattan's Public Access channel in the 1970s.
"The Nikki Haskell Show" was a self-indulgent half-hour cable show hosted by Haskell, a wealthy socialite-divorcee and former stockbroker who now claims that her show marked the invention of "reality television." About a year ago, after her diet pill company got in trouble with the NFL over a "secret ingredient" that should have been labeled, Haskell signed up for an account at YouTube and started posting clips from the 30-year-old program, but she seems to have lost interest after posting just ten of them.
The main reason I'd tune in Haskell's silly show was the programming that followed it, "adults only" programming like Screw magazine publisher Al Goldstein's "Midnight Blue," porn performer Robin Bird's "Hot Legs" show featuring New York's leading "dance talent" and,...
"The Nikki Haskell Show" was a self-indulgent half-hour cable show hosted by Haskell, a wealthy socialite-divorcee and former stockbroker who now claims that her show marked the invention of "reality television." About a year ago, after her diet pill company got in trouble with the NFL over a "secret ingredient" that should have been labeled, Haskell signed up for an account at YouTube and started posting clips from the 30-year-old program, but she seems to have lost interest after posting just ten of them.
The main reason I'd tune in Haskell's silly show was the programming that followed it, "adults only" programming like Screw magazine publisher Al Goldstein's "Midnight Blue," porn performer Robin Bird's "Hot Legs" show featuring New York's leading "dance talent" and,...
- 11/17/2009
- by unclebob
- DreadCentral.com
Bring on the Araki! After getting busy with candy-coated 3-ways in Splendor, Gregg Araki concocted a little yin and yang. First came the gritty drama of Mysterious Skin, which revealed a range we didn't know existed. Then came the exact opposite -- the ridiculous Anna Faris-starring stoner comedy Smiley Face. But now the cult director is heading back to the green sprouts of sexual exploration.
The Hollywood Reporter posts that Araki is shooting his latest feature, Kaboom, and he's tapped Roxane Mesquida (Fat Girl), Thomas Dekker (Sarah Connor Chronicles), Kelly Lynch (Charlie's Angels), and Rooney Mara (Youth in Revolt) to star. Not much is being revealed at this time, but here's what I could find online. As THR notes, Kaboom will focus on "the sexual awakening of a group of college students." Araki started the feature last month, Helen STELLaR is performing in a scene, and Ann Magnuson (Panic Room...
The Hollywood Reporter posts that Araki is shooting his latest feature, Kaboom, and he's tapped Roxane Mesquida (Fat Girl), Thomas Dekker (Sarah Connor Chronicles), Kelly Lynch (Charlie's Angels), and Rooney Mara (Youth in Revolt) to star. Not much is being revealed at this time, but here's what I could find online. As THR notes, Kaboom will focus on "the sexual awakening of a group of college students." Araki started the feature last month, Helen STELLaR is performing in a scene, and Ann Magnuson (Panic Room...
- 10/6/2009
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
Ghostlight
Mill Valley Film Festival
MILL VALLEY, Calif. -- "Ghostlight" is an "impressionistic" homage -- or at least so says director/co-writer/co-producer Christopher Herrmann -- to the late choreographer Martha Graham that hopes to appeal to modern-dance aficionados and Graham devotees. That's a small enough audience, but because the film's tone careens between camp and artiness and the acting and filmmaking are so amateurish, it's not clear whom this film, from Cowboy Pictures, will attract.
Herrmann, a confidant of Graham in her last years, recounts the preparations around her last work, "Phaedre", and uses actual members of the Graham company. The conceit is that the notoriously camera-shy Graham has agreed to allow a documentary filmmaker, Barbara Rosen (Ann Magnuson), to record "Phaedre" and its rehearsals. We watch Rosen deal with Graham's mood swings, impracticality over money manners and general fits of pique. The kicker, though, is that the diminutive Graham is played by a 6-foot-4-inch man in drag, choreographer Richard Move.
There's no evidence Move has ever taken an acting lesson. His Graham speaks in imperious bitch-camp drag-queen tones through clenched teeth and jutting chin without variation or humor. Move repeats Graham's actual words regarding her art and process, but his lack of ability turns these pronouncements into nonsense.
The lighting by cinematographer Tsuyoshi Kimoto gives the lie to the title with harsh, unnatural-looking shadows and bad lamp placement. The sound recording features a staple of early talkies: When actors turn their heads away from the mike, their voices fade.
It's hard to know what to make of the scene in which Graham and her busybody maid lie in bed, sipping champagne and watching "Murder, She Wrote". The film might succeed as camp if it had any energy. A flashback where Helen Keller visits the company is pure camp.
The only genuine craft is in the dancing. Move created the choreography in the style of Graham, though the individual dancers are ill served when they have to speak the inane dialogue. Graham was one of the great artists of the 20th century. You'd never know it from "Ghostlight".
MILL VALLEY, Calif. -- "Ghostlight" is an "impressionistic" homage -- or at least so says director/co-writer/co-producer Christopher Herrmann -- to the late choreographer Martha Graham that hopes to appeal to modern-dance aficionados and Graham devotees. That's a small enough audience, but because the film's tone careens between camp and artiness and the acting and filmmaking are so amateurish, it's not clear whom this film, from Cowboy Pictures, will attract.
Herrmann, a confidant of Graham in her last years, recounts the preparations around her last work, "Phaedre", and uses actual members of the Graham company. The conceit is that the notoriously camera-shy Graham has agreed to allow a documentary filmmaker, Barbara Rosen (Ann Magnuson), to record "Phaedre" and its rehearsals. We watch Rosen deal with Graham's mood swings, impracticality over money manners and general fits of pique. The kicker, though, is that the diminutive Graham is played by a 6-foot-4-inch man in drag, choreographer Richard Move.
There's no evidence Move has ever taken an acting lesson. His Graham speaks in imperious bitch-camp drag-queen tones through clenched teeth and jutting chin without variation or humor. Move repeats Graham's actual words regarding her art and process, but his lack of ability turns these pronouncements into nonsense.
The lighting by cinematographer Tsuyoshi Kimoto gives the lie to the title with harsh, unnatural-looking shadows and bad lamp placement. The sound recording features a staple of early talkies: When actors turn their heads away from the mike, their voices fade.
It's hard to know what to make of the scene in which Graham and her busybody maid lie in bed, sipping champagne and watching "Murder, She Wrote". The film might succeed as camp if it had any energy. A flashback where Helen Keller visits the company is pure camp.
The only genuine craft is in the dancing. Move created the choreography in the style of Graham, though the individual dancers are ill served when they have to speak the inane dialogue. Graham was one of the great artists of the 20th century. You'd never know it from "Ghostlight".
- 7/9/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ghostlight
Mill Valley Film Festival
MILL VALLEY, Calif. -- "Ghostlight" is an "impressionistic" homage -- or at least so says director/co-writer/co-producer Christopher Herrmann -- to the late choreographer Martha Graham that hopes to appeal to modern-dance aficionados and Graham devotees. That's a small enough audience, but because the film's tone careens between camp and artiness and the acting and filmmaking are so amateurish, it's not clear whom this film, from Cowboy Pictures, will attract.
Herrmann, a confidant of Graham in her last years, recounts the preparations around her last work, "Phaedre", and uses actual members of the Graham company. The conceit is that the notoriously camera-shy Graham has agreed to allow a documentary filmmaker, Barbara Rosen (Ann Magnuson), to record "Phaedre" and its rehearsals. We watch Rosen deal with Graham's mood swings, impracticality over money manners and general fits of pique. The kicker, though, is that the diminutive Graham is played by a 6-foot-4-inch man in drag, choreographer Richard Move.
There's no evidence Move has ever taken an acting lesson. His Graham speaks in imperious bitch-camp drag-queen tones through clenched teeth and jutting chin without variation or humor. Move repeats Graham's actual words regarding her art and process, but his lack of ability turns these pronouncements into nonsense.
The lighting by cinematographer Tsuyoshi Kimoto gives the lie to the title with harsh, unnatural-looking shadows and bad lamp placement. The sound recording features a staple of early talkies: When actors turn their heads away from the mike, their voices fade.
It's hard to know what to make of the scene in which Graham and her busybody maid lie in bed, sipping champagne and watching "Murder, She Wrote". The film might succeed as camp if it had any energy. A flashback where Helen Keller visits the company is pure camp.
The only genuine craft is in the dancing. Move created the choreography in the style of Graham, though the individual dancers are ill served when they have to speak the inane dialogue. Graham was one of the great artists of the 20th century. You'd never know it from "Ghostlight".
MILL VALLEY, Calif. -- "Ghostlight" is an "impressionistic" homage -- or at least so says director/co-writer/co-producer Christopher Herrmann -- to the late choreographer Martha Graham that hopes to appeal to modern-dance aficionados and Graham devotees. That's a small enough audience, but because the film's tone careens between camp and artiness and the acting and filmmaking are so amateurish, it's not clear whom this film, from Cowboy Pictures, will attract.
Herrmann, a confidant of Graham in her last years, recounts the preparations around her last work, "Phaedre", and uses actual members of the Graham company. The conceit is that the notoriously camera-shy Graham has agreed to allow a documentary filmmaker, Barbara Rosen (Ann Magnuson), to record "Phaedre" and its rehearsals. We watch Rosen deal with Graham's mood swings, impracticality over money manners and general fits of pique. The kicker, though, is that the diminutive Graham is played by a 6-foot-4-inch man in drag, choreographer Richard Move.
There's no evidence Move has ever taken an acting lesson. His Graham speaks in imperious bitch-camp drag-queen tones through clenched teeth and jutting chin without variation or humor. Move repeats Graham's actual words regarding her art and process, but his lack of ability turns these pronouncements into nonsense.
The lighting by cinematographer Tsuyoshi Kimoto gives the lie to the title with harsh, unnatural-looking shadows and bad lamp placement. The sound recording features a staple of early talkies: When actors turn their heads away from the mike, their voices fade.
It's hard to know what to make of the scene in which Graham and her busybody maid lie in bed, sipping champagne and watching "Murder, She Wrote". The film might succeed as camp if it had any energy. A flashback where Helen Keller visits the company is pure camp.
The only genuine craft is in the dancing. Move created the choreography in the style of Graham, though the individual dancers are ill served when they have to speak the inane dialogue. Graham was one of the great artists of the 20th century. You'd never know it from "Ghostlight".
- 10/13/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The United States of Leland
PARK CITY -- "The United States of Leland" is a complex and often compelling melodrama, at times almost verging on soap opera.
Writer-director Matthew Ryan Hoge in an eye-catching debut is attempting to demonstrate what a slippery slope morality can be. Good people do bad things, sometimes very bad things, and while it is easy to pass judgment from afar, the more one examines a single immoral act, the less certain those judgments become.
This is tricky dramatic stuff, certain to displease some and at times a bit didactic. (It mirrors Sundance's opening-night film, "Levity", both by writer-directors who have worked in juvenile detention centers and strive to make a "monster" comprehensible.) Despite how well made the film is with finely nuanced performances from a stellar cast and a fascinating jigsaw-puzzle narration, its commercial potential is limited. Paramount Classics, which acquired the film during Sundance, will need judicious marketing to reach sophisticated adult viewers.
A murder in a Southwestern community is so seemingly senseless that it makes no sense. Leland Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling), an intelligent but impassive young man, stabs an autistic boy 20 times. He is arrested and sent to a detention center where a teacher, Pearl Madison (Don Cheadle), attempts to penetrate this student's alienation to discover the "why" behind the crime. He does so with an ulterior motive: A struggling writer, Pearl senses a good book in the youth's story.
In conversations between these two and a journal Leland starts writing, the story moves out into the community to survey the fallout of the heinous crime. Several people may have contributed to Leland's mental state, starting with his remote, terribly famous father (Kevin Spacey), a novelist living in Paris who hasn't seen his son in years. Leland's divorced mom (Lena Olin), from whom he has many secrets, struggles to make up for this absence. Then there's Becky (Jena Malone), the victim's sister and Leland's junkie girlfriend, who sends him packing in favor of her drug-dealer lover.
The tragedy has severely impacted the victim's family as the boy's father (Martin Donovan) and mother (Ann Magnuson) cannot cope with their grief. It also upsets the relationship between the victim's older sister (Michelle Williams) and her caring boyfriend (Chris Klein), whose mother died the year before.
Leland's community stretches implausibly to include a family of strangers that takes him on a solo trip to New York. Even here, dysfunctionalism greets him as the wife (Sherilyn Fenn) later discovers her husband's infidelities.
Pearl becomes the character through whom we view the story. As he gains insight into Leland's thinking, Pearl is forced to look at his own life along with the small crimes and misdemeanors he tends to dismiss by declaring, "I'm only human". What, the movie asks, is this connection between humanness and morality?
The "why" never becomes fully clear as it would in a murder mystery. Rather, the lives of these individuals shed light on Leland's psychological makeup and his dark outlook on life. It is a bit of a stretch that everyone is such an emotional mess, but the actors give precise and subtle performances that make the soapier aspects of the narrative credible.
Hoge is admirably supported in his first film by expressive camerawork, editing and design. Paramount Classics might consider toning down that soft-rock soundtrack, though, as it threatens to drown out many scenes.
THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND
Paramount Classics
A Thousand Words presentation in association with MDP Worldwide of a Tigger Street production
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Matthew Ryan Hoge; Producers: Kevin Spacey, Bernie Morris, Palmer West, Jonah Smith; Executive producers: Mark Damon, Sammy Lee, Stewart Hall; Director of photography: James Glennon; Production designer: Edward T. McAvoy; Music: Jeremy Enigk; Costume designer: Genevieve Tyrrell; Editor: Jeff Baetancourt. Cast: Pearl Madison: Don Cheadle; Leland Fitzgerald: Ryan Gosling; Allen Harris: Chris Klein; Becky: Jena Malone; Marybeth: Lena Olin; Albert: Kevin Spacey; Julie: Michelle Williams; Harry: Martin Donovan; Karen: Ann Magnuson.
No MPAA rating, running time 108 minutes.
Writer-director Matthew Ryan Hoge in an eye-catching debut is attempting to demonstrate what a slippery slope morality can be. Good people do bad things, sometimes very bad things, and while it is easy to pass judgment from afar, the more one examines a single immoral act, the less certain those judgments become.
This is tricky dramatic stuff, certain to displease some and at times a bit didactic. (It mirrors Sundance's opening-night film, "Levity", both by writer-directors who have worked in juvenile detention centers and strive to make a "monster" comprehensible.) Despite how well made the film is with finely nuanced performances from a stellar cast and a fascinating jigsaw-puzzle narration, its commercial potential is limited. Paramount Classics, which acquired the film during Sundance, will need judicious marketing to reach sophisticated adult viewers.
A murder in a Southwestern community is so seemingly senseless that it makes no sense. Leland Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling), an intelligent but impassive young man, stabs an autistic boy 20 times. He is arrested and sent to a detention center where a teacher, Pearl Madison (Don Cheadle), attempts to penetrate this student's alienation to discover the "why" behind the crime. He does so with an ulterior motive: A struggling writer, Pearl senses a good book in the youth's story.
In conversations between these two and a journal Leland starts writing, the story moves out into the community to survey the fallout of the heinous crime. Several people may have contributed to Leland's mental state, starting with his remote, terribly famous father (Kevin Spacey), a novelist living in Paris who hasn't seen his son in years. Leland's divorced mom (Lena Olin), from whom he has many secrets, struggles to make up for this absence. Then there's Becky (Jena Malone), the victim's sister and Leland's junkie girlfriend, who sends him packing in favor of her drug-dealer lover.
The tragedy has severely impacted the victim's family as the boy's father (Martin Donovan) and mother (Ann Magnuson) cannot cope with their grief. It also upsets the relationship between the victim's older sister (Michelle Williams) and her caring boyfriend (Chris Klein), whose mother died the year before.
Leland's community stretches implausibly to include a family of strangers that takes him on a solo trip to New York. Even here, dysfunctionalism greets him as the wife (Sherilyn Fenn) later discovers her husband's infidelities.
Pearl becomes the character through whom we view the story. As he gains insight into Leland's thinking, Pearl is forced to look at his own life along with the small crimes and misdemeanors he tends to dismiss by declaring, "I'm only human". What, the movie asks, is this connection between humanness and morality?
The "why" never becomes fully clear as it would in a murder mystery. Rather, the lives of these individuals shed light on Leland's psychological makeup and his dark outlook on life. It is a bit of a stretch that everyone is such an emotional mess, but the actors give precise and subtle performances that make the soapier aspects of the narrative credible.
Hoge is admirably supported in his first film by expressive camerawork, editing and design. Paramount Classics might consider toning down that soft-rock soundtrack, though, as it threatens to drown out many scenes.
THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND
Paramount Classics
A Thousand Words presentation in association with MDP Worldwide of a Tigger Street production
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Matthew Ryan Hoge; Producers: Kevin Spacey, Bernie Morris, Palmer West, Jonah Smith; Executive producers: Mark Damon, Sammy Lee, Stewart Hall; Director of photography: James Glennon; Production designer: Edward T. McAvoy; Music: Jeremy Enigk; Costume designer: Genevieve Tyrrell; Editor: Jeff Baetancourt. Cast: Pearl Madison: Don Cheadle; Leland Fitzgerald: Ryan Gosling; Allen Harris: Chris Klein; Becky: Jena Malone; Marybeth: Lena Olin; Albert: Kevin Spacey; Julie: Michelle Williams; Harry: Martin Donovan; Karen: Ann Magnuson.
No MPAA rating, running time 108 minutes.
- 1/27/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Night at the Golden Eagle
A swan dive into the dangerous human flotsam of an L.A. skid row hotel, with an ensemble cast of non-stars playing losers and psychos, the indie production "Night at the Golden Eagle" is both admirable -- for attempting to show everyday violence (usually against women) in all its sickening unavoidableness -- and a trial to sit through because of its unevenness and half-realized literary ambitions. Produced and released by Shangri-La Entertainment, "Night" is strictly art house fare, with potential post-theatrical buzz coming from critics and enthusiastic fans.
Writer-director Adam Rifkin ("The Chase", "Detroit Rock City") was inspired by the two most memorable male characters, who are played by newcomer (and real-life ex-mafioso) Donnie Montemarano and Vinny Argiro ("Molly"). Longtime friends in real life, the former is an oppressively menacing presence as just-out-of-prison Tommy, while Argiro, as longtime best friend Mic, deftly handles all the shifts of his character. One is reminded at times of Orson Welles and Joseph Calleia in "Touch of Evil", and it's natural to predict that bad things will happen in the end.
But for all the authentic-sounding patter and dingy atmosphere, "Night" veers into territory that Rifkin and crew struggle to make completely convincing. There's also not much of a theme or sense of justice. This amoral, cold universe can have its brief moments of warmth between characters, but through the impatient filmmaking and stark tone in general, one just waits grimly for the next shock without developing much attachment to the characters.
Natasha Lyonne and Ann Magnuson are thoroughly immersed in their roles as hard-living hookers who make use of the Golden Eagle Hotel, where aging small-time criminals Tommy and Vinny agree to stay one night and then leave on the bus for legitimate jobs and normal lives in Las Vegas. Dream on, boys. They'll get away only if Tommy can control his urges to be bad and the environment doesn't get them first.
Rifkin's take on human nature is bleaker than the surroundings, while fate is cruel to just about everyone. Condensed into a single day, the omnitragic story includes two cold-blooded murders and a fatal heart attack. There's also the brutal introduction to prostitution of a young runaway (Nicole Jacobs), with the help of Magnuson and Lyonne's abusive pimp (Vinnie Jones). James Caan appears for mere seconds at the beginning as a prison warden, while other auspicious supporting actors include singer Sam Moore, tap dancer Fayard Nicholas (of The Nicholas Brothers) and Kitten Natividad.
After her solid work as a working girl, Lyonne makes the most out of impersonating a corpse through half the film. Likewise, there's much to praise in the performances of Magnuson, Jacobs and secondary players like Miles Dougal, as the sleazy desk clerk. Nonetheless, too much rides on one embracing the performance of Montemarano, whose Tommy is pathologically unthinking in his struggle to survive. And overall "Night" can seem endless, while it's trying to give one nightmares.
NIGHT AT THE GOLDEN EAGLE
Shangri-La Entertainment
Credits:
Writer-director: Adam Rifkin
Producer: Steve Bing
Executive producers: Mindy Marin, Morgan Sackett
Director of photography: Francesco Varese
Editor: Peter Schink
Music: Tyler Bates
Casting: Mindy Marin
Cast:
Tommy: Donnie Montemarano
Mic: Vinny Argiro
Amber: Natasha Lyonne
Sally: Ann Magnuson
Loriann: Nicole Jacobs
Rodan: Vinnie Jones
Mr. Maynard: Fayard Nicholas.
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating R...
Writer-director Adam Rifkin ("The Chase", "Detroit Rock City") was inspired by the two most memorable male characters, who are played by newcomer (and real-life ex-mafioso) Donnie Montemarano and Vinny Argiro ("Molly"). Longtime friends in real life, the former is an oppressively menacing presence as just-out-of-prison Tommy, while Argiro, as longtime best friend Mic, deftly handles all the shifts of his character. One is reminded at times of Orson Welles and Joseph Calleia in "Touch of Evil", and it's natural to predict that bad things will happen in the end.
But for all the authentic-sounding patter and dingy atmosphere, "Night" veers into territory that Rifkin and crew struggle to make completely convincing. There's also not much of a theme or sense of justice. This amoral, cold universe can have its brief moments of warmth between characters, but through the impatient filmmaking and stark tone in general, one just waits grimly for the next shock without developing much attachment to the characters.
Natasha Lyonne and Ann Magnuson are thoroughly immersed in their roles as hard-living hookers who make use of the Golden Eagle Hotel, where aging small-time criminals Tommy and Vinny agree to stay one night and then leave on the bus for legitimate jobs and normal lives in Las Vegas. Dream on, boys. They'll get away only if Tommy can control his urges to be bad and the environment doesn't get them first.
Rifkin's take on human nature is bleaker than the surroundings, while fate is cruel to just about everyone. Condensed into a single day, the omnitragic story includes two cold-blooded murders and a fatal heart attack. There's also the brutal introduction to prostitution of a young runaway (Nicole Jacobs), with the help of Magnuson and Lyonne's abusive pimp (Vinnie Jones). James Caan appears for mere seconds at the beginning as a prison warden, while other auspicious supporting actors include singer Sam Moore, tap dancer Fayard Nicholas (of The Nicholas Brothers) and Kitten Natividad.
After her solid work as a working girl, Lyonne makes the most out of impersonating a corpse through half the film. Likewise, there's much to praise in the performances of Magnuson, Jacobs and secondary players like Miles Dougal, as the sleazy desk clerk. Nonetheless, too much rides on one embracing the performance of Montemarano, whose Tommy is pathologically unthinking in his struggle to survive. And overall "Night" can seem endless, while it's trying to give one nightmares.
NIGHT AT THE GOLDEN EAGLE
Shangri-La Entertainment
Credits:
Writer-director: Adam Rifkin
Producer: Steve Bing
Executive producers: Mindy Marin, Morgan Sackett
Director of photography: Francesco Varese
Editor: Peter Schink
Music: Tyler Bates
Casting: Mindy Marin
Cast:
Tommy: Donnie Montemarano
Mic: Vinny Argiro
Amber: Natasha Lyonne
Sally: Ann Magnuson
Loriann: Nicole Jacobs
Rodan: Vinnie Jones
Mr. Maynard: Fayard Nicholas.
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating R...
- 5/1/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Caveman's Valentine
Samuel L. Jackson, who just might be the best actor working in American movies, delivers another suggestive, mesmerizing performance in "The Caveman's Valentine". The film -- an impressive second effort from Kasi Lemmons, whose "Eve's Bayou" displayed a fine instinct for narrative and complex characterizations -- is a highly unusual attempt to marry heavy dramatic material to a mystery-thriller format. While this marriage has its ups and downs, "Valentine" is an utterly fascinating film that probably would not work without Jackson.
The actor has developed enough of a following to attract moviegoers when "Valentine" opens next month. So with careful nurturing by Universal Focus and word-of-mouth reaching serious moviegoers and mystery fans, the film should far surpass "Bayou" at the boxoffice.
The film is based on a 1994 Edgar Award-winning novel by George Dawes Green, who adapted to the screen his tale of a paranoid schizophrenic in Manhattan who finds himself playing detective to solve a murder. The film is somewhat reminiscent of "The Fisher King" and George C. Chesbro's 1989 mystery novel "Bone", in which a homeless, mute man in Manhattan holds the key to a string of vicious killings.
Jackson plays Romulus Ledbetter, once a promising, Juilliard-trained musician and composer -- only his mind has deteriorated so badly he lives in a park cave and believes a powerful foe he calls Stuyvesant monitors his every move from the Chrysler building. When Romulus, known to everyone on the street as Caveman, discovers the corpse of a young man apparently frozen to death in a tree outside his cave on Valentine's Day, he grows convinced the man was murdered.
Police dismiss his ranting. So he must fight his mental illness to pull together a convincing enough case against the man he believes is the killer, a prominent art photographer named David Leppenraub (Colm Feore in a eerily quiet, forceful performance).
To be sure, the entire story is an exercise in suspended disbelief. An audience is asked to buy, among other things, that Romulus' daughter (Aunjanue Ellis) just happens to be a cop, that Romulus' musicianship and contacts from his previous "sane" life enable him to gain entry to penthouse suites and upstate art gatherings, that a yuppie lawyer Anthony Michael Hall) would befriend a filthy street person and that Leppenraub's own sister (Ann Magnuson) would go to bed with him.
But we do buy all these things, thanks largely to Jackson's multidimensional, charismatic acting. With his hair in dreadlocks and bulky winter clothes hanging from his body, he shuffles through city streets as if expecting an attack from his nemesis at any moment. While Romulus' illness has the upper hand, he understands he is ill. He understands he must fight with all his mental strength to hold onto what little clarity he possesses to sort out clues and interview witnesses.
Lemmons has created a visually arresting landscape to depict Romulus' "brain typhoons." Flashing colored lights that emanate from the Chrysler building roll over Romulus in waves. Scenes from his past pop up as visions filtered through a damaged mind: His wife, as her younger self (Tamara Tunie), appears to him, acting as a kind of Greek chorus to question his motives and challenge his actions.
Production designer Robin Standefer and cinematographer Amelia Vincent beautifully capture the fragmented, often frightening world of schizophrenia. Caveman is obsessed with "angels": Standefer and Vincent render these visions as images of brown male bodies turning into moths in a vaguely Moorish interior.
The balancing act between the movie's genre trappings and its stylized portrait of mental disintegration is dazzling to behold even when it doesn't quite work. In the movie's third act, it collapses completely when Romulus morphs into a combination of Sherlock Holmes and Perry Mason. But Lemmons' filmmaking has pulled us too far into Romulus' fascinating world for this to do the movie much harm.
THE CAVEMAN'S VALENTINE
Universal Pictures
Universal Focus and Franchise Pictures present a Jersey Shore production in association with Arroyo Prods.
Producers: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Scott Frank, Elie Samaha, Andrew Stevens
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Screenwriter: George Dawes Green
Based on the novel by: George Dawes Green
Executive producers: Samuel L. Jackson, Eli Selden, Julie Yorn, Nicholas Clermont
Director of photography: Amelia Vincent
Production designer: Robin Standefer
Music: Terence Blanchard
Co-producers: Michael Bennett, James Holt, Jonathan Weisgal
Costume designer: Denise Cronenberg
Editor: Terilyn Shropshire
Color/stereo
Cast:
Romulus Ledbetter: Samuel L. Jackson
David Leppenraub: Colm Feore
Moira Leppenraub: Ann Magnuson
Arnold: Damir Andrei
Lulu: Aunjanue Ellis
Sheila: Tamara Tunie
Cork: Peter MacNeill
Bob: Anthony Michael Hall
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
The actor has developed enough of a following to attract moviegoers when "Valentine" opens next month. So with careful nurturing by Universal Focus and word-of-mouth reaching serious moviegoers and mystery fans, the film should far surpass "Bayou" at the boxoffice.
The film is based on a 1994 Edgar Award-winning novel by George Dawes Green, who adapted to the screen his tale of a paranoid schizophrenic in Manhattan who finds himself playing detective to solve a murder. The film is somewhat reminiscent of "The Fisher King" and George C. Chesbro's 1989 mystery novel "Bone", in which a homeless, mute man in Manhattan holds the key to a string of vicious killings.
Jackson plays Romulus Ledbetter, once a promising, Juilliard-trained musician and composer -- only his mind has deteriorated so badly he lives in a park cave and believes a powerful foe he calls Stuyvesant monitors his every move from the Chrysler building. When Romulus, known to everyone on the street as Caveman, discovers the corpse of a young man apparently frozen to death in a tree outside his cave on Valentine's Day, he grows convinced the man was murdered.
Police dismiss his ranting. So he must fight his mental illness to pull together a convincing enough case against the man he believes is the killer, a prominent art photographer named David Leppenraub (Colm Feore in a eerily quiet, forceful performance).
To be sure, the entire story is an exercise in suspended disbelief. An audience is asked to buy, among other things, that Romulus' daughter (Aunjanue Ellis) just happens to be a cop, that Romulus' musicianship and contacts from his previous "sane" life enable him to gain entry to penthouse suites and upstate art gatherings, that a yuppie lawyer Anthony Michael Hall) would befriend a filthy street person and that Leppenraub's own sister (Ann Magnuson) would go to bed with him.
But we do buy all these things, thanks largely to Jackson's multidimensional, charismatic acting. With his hair in dreadlocks and bulky winter clothes hanging from his body, he shuffles through city streets as if expecting an attack from his nemesis at any moment. While Romulus' illness has the upper hand, he understands he is ill. He understands he must fight with all his mental strength to hold onto what little clarity he possesses to sort out clues and interview witnesses.
Lemmons has created a visually arresting landscape to depict Romulus' "brain typhoons." Flashing colored lights that emanate from the Chrysler building roll over Romulus in waves. Scenes from his past pop up as visions filtered through a damaged mind: His wife, as her younger self (Tamara Tunie), appears to him, acting as a kind of Greek chorus to question his motives and challenge his actions.
Production designer Robin Standefer and cinematographer Amelia Vincent beautifully capture the fragmented, often frightening world of schizophrenia. Caveman is obsessed with "angels": Standefer and Vincent render these visions as images of brown male bodies turning into moths in a vaguely Moorish interior.
The balancing act between the movie's genre trappings and its stylized portrait of mental disintegration is dazzling to behold even when it doesn't quite work. In the movie's third act, it collapses completely when Romulus morphs into a combination of Sherlock Holmes and Perry Mason. But Lemmons' filmmaking has pulled us too far into Romulus' fascinating world for this to do the movie much harm.
THE CAVEMAN'S VALENTINE
Universal Pictures
Universal Focus and Franchise Pictures present a Jersey Shore production in association with Arroyo Prods.
Producers: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Scott Frank, Elie Samaha, Andrew Stevens
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Screenwriter: George Dawes Green
Based on the novel by: George Dawes Green
Executive producers: Samuel L. Jackson, Eli Selden, Julie Yorn, Nicholas Clermont
Director of photography: Amelia Vincent
Production designer: Robin Standefer
Music: Terence Blanchard
Co-producers: Michael Bennett, James Holt, Jonathan Weisgal
Costume designer: Denise Cronenberg
Editor: Terilyn Shropshire
Color/stereo
Cast:
Romulus Ledbetter: Samuel L. Jackson
David Leppenraub: Colm Feore
Moira Leppenraub: Ann Magnuson
Arnold: Damir Andrei
Lulu: Aunjanue Ellis
Sheila: Tamara Tunie
Cork: Peter MacNeill
Bob: Anthony Michael Hall
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 1/19/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'Small Soldiers'
Before DreamWorks' big soldiers invade cinemas in a fortnight -- with top general Steven Spielberg's third directorial effort to be released in the past 15 months -- there's Joe Dante's fun, well-crafted "Small Soldiers" to remind audiences that not all summer films are more visceral than visionary.
A refreshing, Dantesque spin on capitalism gone awry when advanced military technology is inadvertently used in mass-produced toys, "Soldiers" is a goofy/scary idea with a nostalgic/satiric tone that probably means mixed results at the boxoffice, but the DreamWorks-Universal co-production Will More than make up for it in ancillary markets.
With four credited screenwriters, ubiquitous military adviser Capt. Dale Dye and a small army of artists and technicians -- who the press kit claims took a total of "over 16 man-years" to create "more than 237 character toys" -- "Soldiers" is a little lazy when it comes to fleshing out its human characters, but there's enough story to amiably fill in the breaks between the CG-driven sequences of foot-high action figures going on the warpath.
In a brief infomercial prologue, we're introduced to the reformed military contractor Globotech on a mission to turn civilian. Company commander Gil Mars (Denis Leary) expects big things from a newly acquired toy manufacturer, and his instant big bucks lure two nerdy types (Jay Mohr, David Cross) to put state-of-the-art computer chips in conventional action figures.
Of course, it's hardly believable that these updated GI Joes would become wisecracking terrors able to build a siege weapon capable of launching flaming tennis balls, but that's where the generally snappy dialogue delivered by the likes of Tommy Lee Jones and Frank Langella (as the two leaders of opposing forces) saves the day. One gets easily caught up in the conflict between the Gorgonites and Commando Elite -- both sets of toys display "real intelligence" -- and Langella's programmed-to-lose Archer is a sympathetic, peaceful counterpart to Jones' show-no-mercy warmonger Chip Hazard.
Indeed, a good deal of time is given over to Archer's getting to know the young male lead, Alan (Gregory Smith), whose father (Kevin Dunn) owns a struggling independent toy store. It's Alan who inadvertently discovers the secret of the new Globotech products and becomes a target of the Commandos -- which include four roughnecks voiced by Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, George Kennedy and Clint Walker, all veterans of the 1967 classic "The Dirty Dozen".
There are numerous pop culture references -- from famous lines taken from other sources to a climactic mini-helicopter attack a la "Apocalypse Now" to composer Jerry Goldsmith using parts of his own "Patton" score -- and Dante even throws in scenes from "The Crawling Eye" to jog the memories of baby boomers raised on monster movies.
Kirsten Dunst is appealing as Alan's would-be girlfriend, and she lets loose in the movie's wildest scene involving the destruction of mutant Gwendy dolls. Her materialistic father is played with bullheaded energy by the late Phil Hartman, who is tastefully mourned in an outtake placed at the close of the end credits followed by the simple tribute "For Phil". Ann Magnuson as Alan's take-charge mom is wonderful in the deadly siege of the Commandos against the Gorgonites and their human allies.
Bruce Dern, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Christina Ricci also lend their vocal talents to the colorfully named cast of toys. While the film was surely a logistical/technical headache for cinematographer Jamie Anderson, production designer William Sandell, animation supervisor David Andrews, visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier and action-figure designer Stan Winston, the engaging "Soldiers" does not seduce one only with its remarkable ingenuity -- the best special effect of all.
SMALL SOLDIERS
DreamWorks Distribution
DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures
Director: Joe Dante
Screenwriters: Gavin Scott, Adam Rifkin,
Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
Producers: Michael Finnell, Colin Wilson
Executive producer: Walter Parkes
Director of photography: Jamie Anderson
Production designer: William Sandell
Editor: Marshall Harvey
Costume designer: Carole Brown-James
Animation supervisor: David Andrews
Visual effects supervisor: Stefen Fangmeier
Action figures/animatronics design: Stan Winston
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Casting: Denise Chamian
Color/stereo
Cast:
Alan Abernathy: Gregory Smith
Christy Fimple: Kirsten Dunst
Larry Benson: Jay Mohr
Irwin Wayfair: David Cross
Phil Fimple: Phil Hartman
Stuart Abernathy: Kevin Dunn
Irene Abernathy: Ann Magnuson
Gil Mars: Denis Leary
Voice of Chip Hazard: Tommy Lee Jones
Voice of Archer: Frank Langella
Running time -- 109 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
A refreshing, Dantesque spin on capitalism gone awry when advanced military technology is inadvertently used in mass-produced toys, "Soldiers" is a goofy/scary idea with a nostalgic/satiric tone that probably means mixed results at the boxoffice, but the DreamWorks-Universal co-production Will More than make up for it in ancillary markets.
With four credited screenwriters, ubiquitous military adviser Capt. Dale Dye and a small army of artists and technicians -- who the press kit claims took a total of "over 16 man-years" to create "more than 237 character toys" -- "Soldiers" is a little lazy when it comes to fleshing out its human characters, but there's enough story to amiably fill in the breaks between the CG-driven sequences of foot-high action figures going on the warpath.
In a brief infomercial prologue, we're introduced to the reformed military contractor Globotech on a mission to turn civilian. Company commander Gil Mars (Denis Leary) expects big things from a newly acquired toy manufacturer, and his instant big bucks lure two nerdy types (Jay Mohr, David Cross) to put state-of-the-art computer chips in conventional action figures.
Of course, it's hardly believable that these updated GI Joes would become wisecracking terrors able to build a siege weapon capable of launching flaming tennis balls, but that's where the generally snappy dialogue delivered by the likes of Tommy Lee Jones and Frank Langella (as the two leaders of opposing forces) saves the day. One gets easily caught up in the conflict between the Gorgonites and Commando Elite -- both sets of toys display "real intelligence" -- and Langella's programmed-to-lose Archer is a sympathetic, peaceful counterpart to Jones' show-no-mercy warmonger Chip Hazard.
Indeed, a good deal of time is given over to Archer's getting to know the young male lead, Alan (Gregory Smith), whose father (Kevin Dunn) owns a struggling independent toy store. It's Alan who inadvertently discovers the secret of the new Globotech products and becomes a target of the Commandos -- which include four roughnecks voiced by Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, George Kennedy and Clint Walker, all veterans of the 1967 classic "The Dirty Dozen".
There are numerous pop culture references -- from famous lines taken from other sources to a climactic mini-helicopter attack a la "Apocalypse Now" to composer Jerry Goldsmith using parts of his own "Patton" score -- and Dante even throws in scenes from "The Crawling Eye" to jog the memories of baby boomers raised on monster movies.
Kirsten Dunst is appealing as Alan's would-be girlfriend, and she lets loose in the movie's wildest scene involving the destruction of mutant Gwendy dolls. Her materialistic father is played with bullheaded energy by the late Phil Hartman, who is tastefully mourned in an outtake placed at the close of the end credits followed by the simple tribute "For Phil". Ann Magnuson as Alan's take-charge mom is wonderful in the deadly siege of the Commandos against the Gorgonites and their human allies.
Bruce Dern, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Christina Ricci also lend their vocal talents to the colorfully named cast of toys. While the film was surely a logistical/technical headache for cinematographer Jamie Anderson, production designer William Sandell, animation supervisor David Andrews, visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier and action-figure designer Stan Winston, the engaging "Soldiers" does not seduce one only with its remarkable ingenuity -- the best special effect of all.
SMALL SOLDIERS
DreamWorks Distribution
DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures
Director: Joe Dante
Screenwriters: Gavin Scott, Adam Rifkin,
Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
Producers: Michael Finnell, Colin Wilson
Executive producer: Walter Parkes
Director of photography: Jamie Anderson
Production designer: William Sandell
Editor: Marshall Harvey
Costume designer: Carole Brown-James
Animation supervisor: David Andrews
Visual effects supervisor: Stefen Fangmeier
Action figures/animatronics design: Stan Winston
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Casting: Denise Chamian
Color/stereo
Cast:
Alan Abernathy: Gregory Smith
Christy Fimple: Kirsten Dunst
Larry Benson: Jay Mohr
Irwin Wayfair: David Cross
Phil Fimple: Phil Hartman
Stuart Abernathy: Kevin Dunn
Irene Abernathy: Ann Magnuson
Gil Mars: Denis Leary
Voice of Chip Hazard: Tommy Lee Jones
Voice of Archer: Frank Langella
Running time -- 109 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 7/9/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'Still Breathing'
PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The central character in James F. Robinson's feature is a hard-boiled con woman who nonetheless has a desperate yearning to find true love. When she accidentally meets her dream man, a childlike street musician, she is unwilling to trust her instincts and spends a good deal of time resisting him.
The same effect is likely to occur with moviegoers, who may at first resist the charms of "Still Breathing" until they are ultimately seduced.
Flawed and uneven, the film is nonetheless an example of an all-too-rare commodity: a true romance. Recently showcased at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, it will be released soon by October Films.
Joanna Going, who seems to become more luminous with each film, plays Roz, who cons rich admirers into buying expensive art. Brendan Fraser is Fletcher, a San Antonio street musician who, like all his male ancestors, has conjured up the image of his perfect mate in a midnight vision.
Seeing the word "Formosa" and just enough of his beloved's face to create a Cubist representation, he attempts to travel to that distant land (now Taiwan) to find her. Stopping in Los Angeles, he discovers her in the Formosa Cafe, where she mistakes him for the rich Texan she had arranged to meet and fleece.
The resulting emotional tango forms the heart of the story, which is otherwise populated by a gallery of eccentrics, from Roz's pragmatic partner in crime (Ann Magnuson) to Fletcher's tuba-playing, wisdom-spouting grandmother (Celeste Holm) to a street musician dubbed Tree Man (Lou Rawls).
The film concentrates mainly on the contrast between Fletcher's daffy romanticism and Roz's emotional reserve and works as well as it does because of the leading performers' charms and the writer-director's commitment and lack of self-consciousness.
The story strains credibility -- Roz, for example, is a supposedly smart cookie but takes forever to figure out that Fletcher isn't rich -- and Fletcher, whose activities range from rock-arranging to performing puppetry for sick children, is a character that defies belief.
Somehow, though, the melange works.
The film benefits from extensive location shooting in San Antonio, which gives it a freshness that helps us overlook the artificiality of the concept.
STILL BREATHING
October Films
Director-screenplay-producer: James F. Robinson
Producer: Marshall Persinger
Executive producer: Joyce Schweickert
Co-executive producer: Janet Graham
Director of photography: John Thomas
Film editor: Sean Albertson
Music: Paul Mills
Color/stereo
Cast:
Fletcher McBracken: Brendan Fraser
Roz Willoughby: Joanna Going
Ida McBracken: Celeste Holm
Elaine: Ann Magnuson
Tree Man: Lou Rawls
Philip: Angus MacFadyen
Cameron: Toby Huss
Tomas De Leon: Paolo Seganti
Running time -- 109 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The same effect is likely to occur with moviegoers, who may at first resist the charms of "Still Breathing" until they are ultimately seduced.
Flawed and uneven, the film is nonetheless an example of an all-too-rare commodity: a true romance. Recently showcased at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, it will be released soon by October Films.
Joanna Going, who seems to become more luminous with each film, plays Roz, who cons rich admirers into buying expensive art. Brendan Fraser is Fletcher, a San Antonio street musician who, like all his male ancestors, has conjured up the image of his perfect mate in a midnight vision.
Seeing the word "Formosa" and just enough of his beloved's face to create a Cubist representation, he attempts to travel to that distant land (now Taiwan) to find her. Stopping in Los Angeles, he discovers her in the Formosa Cafe, where she mistakes him for the rich Texan she had arranged to meet and fleece.
The resulting emotional tango forms the heart of the story, which is otherwise populated by a gallery of eccentrics, from Roz's pragmatic partner in crime (Ann Magnuson) to Fletcher's tuba-playing, wisdom-spouting grandmother (Celeste Holm) to a street musician dubbed Tree Man (Lou Rawls).
The film concentrates mainly on the contrast between Fletcher's daffy romanticism and Roz's emotional reserve and works as well as it does because of the leading performers' charms and the writer-director's commitment and lack of self-consciousness.
The story strains credibility -- Roz, for example, is a supposedly smart cookie but takes forever to figure out that Fletcher isn't rich -- and Fletcher, whose activities range from rock-arranging to performing puppetry for sick children, is a character that defies belief.
Somehow, though, the melange works.
The film benefits from extensive location shooting in San Antonio, which gives it a freshness that helps us overlook the artificiality of the concept.
STILL BREATHING
October Films
Director-screenplay-producer: James F. Robinson
Producer: Marshall Persinger
Executive producer: Joyce Schweickert
Co-executive producer: Janet Graham
Director of photography: John Thomas
Film editor: Sean Albertson
Music: Paul Mills
Color/stereo
Cast:
Fletcher McBracken: Brendan Fraser
Roz Willoughby: Joanna Going
Ida McBracken: Celeste Holm
Elaine: Ann Magnuson
Tree Man: Lou Rawls
Philip: Angus MacFadyen
Cameron: Toby Huss
Tomas De Leon: Paolo Seganti
Running time -- 109 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 4/23/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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