Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Al Pacino and Francis Ford Coppola on the set of The Godfather: Part III.A new edit and restoration of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather: Part III will have a limited theatrical release in December. The film, entitled Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, includes a "a new beginning and ending."New inclusion requirements for the Oscars will take full effect in 2024, requiring films to meet standards for on-screen representation (in cast or theme) and creative leadership in order to be eligible for Best Picture. This year's lineup for the London Film Festival includes Ben Sharrock's Limbo (which will be distributed in the U.K. and Ireland by Mubi!). The Fondation Cartier will be presenting the world premiere of Artavazd Peleshian's first film in 27 years, La nature.
- 9/9/2020
- MUBI
Roger Ebert often paraphrased what his onscreen sparring partner Gene Siskel said about films he didn’t enjoy: Wouldn’t it have been better to watch a documentary about the same actors having lunch together? It’s a thought experiment that might come to mind watching “Sportin’ Life,” a rambling, hour-long documentary directed by Abel Ferrara. These days, Ferrara’s fiction films rarely go far beyond the festival circuit, even those starring his friend and frequent collaborator Willem Dafoe. It’s been some time since the likes of “Bad Lieutenant” and “King of New York” reached a wider audience. But .
Most of the documentary was shot while Ferrara was promoting his last film with Dafoe, “Siberia,” at the Berlin Film Festival in February. Not that he bothers to explain that with anything as commonplace as captions or voiceovers. All the film offers is the chance to hang out with Ferrara for a while,...
Most of the documentary was shot while Ferrara was promoting his last film with Dafoe, “Siberia,” at the Berlin Film Festival in February. Not that he bothers to explain that with anything as commonplace as captions or voiceovers. All the film offers is the chance to hang out with Ferrara for a while,...
- 9/6/2020
- by Nicholas Barber
- Indiewire
Abel Ferrara will be awarded the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award at the Venice Film Festival.
Ferrara, who is based in Rome these days, will be handed the award honoring an artist’s original mark on contemporary cinema during a ceremony on Sept. 5 prior to the screening of his latest doc titled “Sportin’ Life.” The doc is described in a Venice statement as an “intimate and lush” look at his own life.
It’s Ferrara’s “world refracted through his art – music, filmmaking, his collaborators and inspirations… his partner Cristina Chiriac and their daughter Anna, their life in the eternal city, Roma… as the corona virus descends and paralyses the world,” the statement said.
“Sportin’ Life,” which is screening out-of-competition and runs 65 minutes, features turns by Abel Ferrara, Willem Dafoe, Cristina Chiriac, Anna Ferrara, Paul Hipp, and Joe Delia.
Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera in the statement praised Ferrara...
Ferrara, who is based in Rome these days, will be handed the award honoring an artist’s original mark on contemporary cinema during a ceremony on Sept. 5 prior to the screening of his latest doc titled “Sportin’ Life.” The doc is described in a Venice statement as an “intimate and lush” look at his own life.
It’s Ferrara’s “world refracted through his art – music, filmmaking, his collaborators and inspirations… his partner Cristina Chiriac and their daughter Anna, their life in the eternal city, Roma… as the corona virus descends and paralyses the world,” the statement said.
“Sportin’ Life,” which is screening out-of-competition and runs 65 minutes, features turns by Abel Ferrara, Willem Dafoe, Cristina Chiriac, Anna Ferrara, Paul Hipp, and Joe Delia.
Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera in the statement praised Ferrara...
- 8/26/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Baker, Nyoni, Jasper and Carpignano join Cannes veterans Denis, Ferrara, Dumont, Garrel and Gitai.Scroll Down For Full List
Tangerine director Sean Baker, the UK’s Rungano Nyoni and Italo-American film-maker Jonas Carpignano will be among the buzzed-about names premiering new works at the 49th edition of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight this year (18-28 May).
Artistic director Edouard Waintrop unveiled the eclectic selection, comprising 19 feature-length films and another 11 shorts, at a press conference at the Cinéma Le Grand Action in Paris on Thursday (20 April).
Read more: Cannes 2017: Official Selection in full
Opening And Closing Films
Claire Denis will open the 49th edition – running May 18-28 - with Un Beau Soleil Intérieur starring Juliette Binoche, Gérard Depardieu and Xavier Beauvois.
Us director Geremy Jasper’s debut feature Patti Cake$ - which world premiered at Sundance this year has been selected as the closing film.
Us Presence
It is one of two Sundance titles in this year’s selection...
Tangerine director Sean Baker, the UK’s Rungano Nyoni and Italo-American film-maker Jonas Carpignano will be among the buzzed-about names premiering new works at the 49th edition of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight this year (18-28 May).
Artistic director Edouard Waintrop unveiled the eclectic selection, comprising 19 feature-length films and another 11 shorts, at a press conference at the Cinéma Le Grand Action in Paris on Thursday (20 April).
Read more: Cannes 2017: Official Selection in full
Opening And Closing Films
Claire Denis will open the 49th edition – running May 18-28 - with Un Beau Soleil Intérieur starring Juliette Binoche, Gérard Depardieu and Xavier Beauvois.
Us director Geremy Jasper’s debut feature Patti Cake$ - which world premiered at Sundance this year has been selected as the closing film.
Us Presence
It is one of two Sundance titles in this year’s selection...
- 4/20/2017
- ScreenDaily
Clint Eastwood's mint juleps 'n' murder epic is an easygoing pleasure. Kevin Spacey, John Cusack and a host of great performances guarantee interest, but maybe I have to go to the book to really understand what's going on. A solid 'A' for this one, Clint. The Savannah tourism board must bless you in their nightly prayers. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Blu-ray The Warner Archive Collection 1997 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 155 min. / Street Date September 27, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 21.99 Starring John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Jack Thompson, Irma P. Hall, Jude Law, Alison Eastwood, Paul Hipp, The Lady Chablis, Dorothy Loudon, Anne Haney, Kim Hunter, Geoffrey Lewis, Richard Herd, Jo Ann Pflug. Cinematography Jack N. Green Original Music Lennie Niehaus Written by John Lee Hancock from the book by John Berendt Produced by Clint Eastwood, Arnold Stiefel Directed by Clint Eastwood
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Clint Eastwood...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Clint Eastwood...
- 9/5/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Jacqueline Bisset, Paul Calderon, Paul Hipp, Shanyn Leigh, Amy Ferguson, Drena De Niro, Ronald Guttman | Written by Abel Ferrara, Christ Zois | Directed by Abel Ferrara
Review by Andrew McArthur
Abel Ferrara‘s latest work Welcome to New York is a film so unflinching in its portrait of excess and moral-corruption that it makes The Wolf of Wall Street look like it was produced by Cbeebies.
Devereaux (Gerard Depardieu), one of the world’s most powerful businessmen is filled with a gratuitous sexual hunger – a man so entangled in his lifestyle of power, sex and money that he believes everything is his. This is until Deveraux sexually assaults a hotel maid in New York and finds himself arrested, on the verge of being stripped of this power. Ferrara uses the high-profile case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as his factual basis for this slow-burning piece filled with excess and debauchery.
Review by Andrew McArthur
Abel Ferrara‘s latest work Welcome to New York is a film so unflinching in its portrait of excess and moral-corruption that it makes The Wolf of Wall Street look like it was produced by Cbeebies.
Devereaux (Gerard Depardieu), one of the world’s most powerful businessmen is filled with a gratuitous sexual hunger – a man so entangled in his lifestyle of power, sex and money that he believes everything is his. This is until Deveraux sexually assaults a hotel maid in New York and finds himself arrested, on the verge of being stripped of this power. Ferrara uses the high-profile case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as his factual basis for this slow-burning piece filled with excess and debauchery.
- 10/19/2014
- by Guest
- Nerdly
Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Jacqueline Bisset, Paul Calderon, Paul Hipp, Shanyn Leigh, Amy Ferguson, Drena De Niro, Ronald Guttman | Written by Abel Ferrara, Christ Zois | Directed by Abel Ferrara
Review by Andrew McArthur
Abel Ferrara‘s latest work Welcome to New York is a film so unflinching in its portrait of excess and moral-corruption that it makes The Wolf of Wall Street look like it was produced by Cbeebies.
Devereaux (Gerard Depardieu), one of the world’s most powerful businessmen is filled with a gratuitous sexual hunger – a man so entangled in his lifestyle of power, sex and money that he believes everything is his. This is until Deveraux sexually assaults a hotel maid in New York and finds himself arrested, on the verge of being stripped of this power. Ferrara uses the high-profile case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as his factual basis for this slow-burning piece filled with excess and debauchery.
Review by Andrew McArthur
Abel Ferrara‘s latest work Welcome to New York is a film so unflinching in its portrait of excess and moral-corruption that it makes The Wolf of Wall Street look like it was produced by Cbeebies.
Devereaux (Gerard Depardieu), one of the world’s most powerful businessmen is filled with a gratuitous sexual hunger – a man so entangled in his lifestyle of power, sex and money that he believes everything is his. This is until Deveraux sexually assaults a hotel maid in New York and finds himself arrested, on the verge of being stripped of this power. Ferrara uses the high-profile case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as his factual basis for this slow-burning piece filled with excess and debauchery.
- 7/3/2014
- by Guest
- Nerdly
Stars: Paul Hipp, Martha Quinn, Aaron Lustig, Charlie Spradling, Ian Patrick Williams | Written by Jackson Barr | Directed by Ted Nicolaou
I’m a bad Full Moon fan. I really am… I can now cross Bad Channels off my list of Full Moon flicks I know of but haven’t seen.
Yet another collaboration between Charles Band and his Subspecies director Ted Nicolaou, Bad Channels tells the story of Dangerous Dan (Hipp) a newly employed DJ at Kdul who is returning to the airwaves after a six month suspension by the FCC for a stunt he pulled while on the air. Covering Dan’s return to the airwaves is Lisa Cummings (Quinn) who doesn’t trust Dan and thinks he’s a hoax. She becomes the butt of his jokes when she spots a UFO landing near the radio station and Dan is quick to laugh until the alien breaks into Kdul.
I’m a bad Full Moon fan. I really am… I can now cross Bad Channels off my list of Full Moon flicks I know of but haven’t seen.
Yet another collaboration between Charles Band and his Subspecies director Ted Nicolaou, Bad Channels tells the story of Dangerous Dan (Hipp) a newly employed DJ at Kdul who is returning to the airwaves after a six month suspension by the FCC for a stunt he pulled while on the air. Covering Dan’s return to the airwaves is Lisa Cummings (Quinn) who doesn’t trust Dan and thinks he’s a hoax. She becomes the butt of his jokes when she spots a UFO landing near the radio station and Dan is quick to laugh until the alien breaks into Kdul.
- 3/14/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Written and directed by Abel Ferrara
Featuring Willem Dafoe, Shanlyn Leigh, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Hipp, Trung Nguyen
I’ve always have a tough relationship with the films of Abel Ferarra.
He’s always been one of the most unique and idiosyncratic New York indie directors over his 35 year career, but in the past decade and a half his work has completely degraded to the point where his films have become unwatchable. The director recently admitted he’s had some struggles with drug addiction, which makes sense: only someone who’s completely high would think it’s a good idea to cast Matthew Modine as your lead.
In Ferrara’s case, getting sober ahs yielded quite the dividend: 4:44 Last Day on Earth is not only one of Ferrara’s best films in years, but it’s one of the best films I’ve seen this year- like, Avengers good.
(cough)
As the film opens,...
Featuring Willem Dafoe, Shanlyn Leigh, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Hipp, Trung Nguyen
I’ve always have a tough relationship with the films of Abel Ferarra.
He’s always been one of the most unique and idiosyncratic New York indie directors over his 35 year career, but in the past decade and a half his work has completely degraded to the point where his films have become unwatchable. The director recently admitted he’s had some struggles with drug addiction, which makes sense: only someone who’s completely high would think it’s a good idea to cast Matthew Modine as your lead.
In Ferrara’s case, getting sober ahs yielded quite the dividend: 4:44 Last Day on Earth is not only one of Ferrara’s best films in years, but it’s one of the best films I’ve seen this year- like, Avengers good.
(cough)
As the film opens,...
- 8/31/2012
- by Dan Coyle aka Deadpool
- Planet Fury
Chicago – Apocalyptic dramas are a dime a dozen these days, and it’s not difficult to determine why. While the Mayan calendar has singled out the specific day of our demise, record-breaking temperatures have caused some to worry that the planet has indeed reached its final act. Neither of these theories may be true, but that hasn’t stopped them from permeating our collective consciousness.
While many indie flicks have centered on characters living out the final days of life on Earth, no picture has matched the operatic intensity of Lars von Trier’s under-appreciated masterpiece, “Melancholia.” Yet Abel Ferrara’s “4:44 Last Day on Earth” has a power all its own, and like Von Trier’s film, it’s an immensely personal work. Ferrara cast his long-time girlfriend, Shanyn Leigh, opposite Willem Dafoe, and their dramatic age difference mirrors that of the director and his leading lady.
Blu-ray Rating:...
While many indie flicks have centered on characters living out the final days of life on Earth, no picture has matched the operatic intensity of Lars von Trier’s under-appreciated masterpiece, “Melancholia.” Yet Abel Ferrara’s “4:44 Last Day on Earth” has a power all its own, and like Von Trier’s film, it’s an immensely personal work. Ferrara cast his long-time girlfriend, Shanyn Leigh, opposite Willem Dafoe, and their dramatic age difference mirrors that of the director and his leading lady.
Blu-ray Rating:...
- 7/26/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Director Abel Ferrara is known for releasing films that are, if nothing else, extremely bold. His latest flick, 4:44 Last Day on Earth, showed recently in New York, and IFC sent over some cameras to grab the audience's reaction. Dig it!
4:44 Last Day on Earth stars Willem Dafoe along with Paz de la Huerta, Shanyn Leigh, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Hipp, and Dierdra McDowell. Look for it in theaters and On Demand beginning today, March 23rd.
Synopsis
In a large apartment high above the city, lives our couple. They’re in love. She’s a painter, he’s a successful actor. Just a normal afternoon - except that this isn’t a normal afternoon, for them or anyone else. Because tomorrow, at 4:44 am, give or take a few seconds, the world will come to an end far more rapidly than even the worst doomsayer could have imagined. The final...
4:44 Last Day on Earth stars Willem Dafoe along with Paz de la Huerta, Shanyn Leigh, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Hipp, and Dierdra McDowell. Look for it in theaters and On Demand beginning today, March 23rd.
Synopsis
In a large apartment high above the city, lives our couple. They’re in love. She’s a painter, he’s a successful actor. Just a normal afternoon - except that this isn’t a normal afternoon, for them or anyone else. Because tomorrow, at 4:44 am, give or take a few seconds, the world will come to an end far more rapidly than even the worst doomsayer could have imagined. The final...
- 3/23/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Ah, the apocalypse. We've been waiting for you forever now. Just waiting for mother nature to fix it all soon. To come around and put it back the way it ought to be. We can dream, right? In any event ... dig on this clip!
Below you'll find the first trailer, clip, poster and still for the next apocalyptic film headed our way, 4:44 Last Day on Earth. The flick, which is directed by the always odd Abel Ferrara, stars Dafoe along with Paz de la Huerta, Shanyn Leigh, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Hipp, and Dierdra McDowell. Look for it in theaters and On Demand on March 23rd.
Synopsis
In a large apartment high above the city, lives our couple. They’re in love. She’s a painter, he’s a successful actor. Just a normal afternoon - except that this isn’t a normal afternoon, for them or anyone else. Because tomorrow,...
Below you'll find the first trailer, clip, poster and still for the next apocalyptic film headed our way, 4:44 Last Day on Earth. The flick, which is directed by the always odd Abel Ferrara, stars Dafoe along with Paz de la Huerta, Shanyn Leigh, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Hipp, and Dierdra McDowell. Look for it in theaters and On Demand on March 23rd.
Synopsis
In a large apartment high above the city, lives our couple. They’re in love. She’s a painter, he’s a successful actor. Just a normal afternoon - except that this isn’t a normal afternoon, for them or anyone else. Because tomorrow,...
- 3/19/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
If it were our last day on Earth, we're not quite sure we'd wanna spend it with Willem Dafoe, but hey, I guess if the apocalypse were coming, you just have to make do with who you've got. As long as he doesn't pull any of that talking to himself Green Goblin crap, everything will be okay.
Below you'll find the first trailer and still for the next apocalyptic film headed our way, 4:44 Last Day on Earth. The flick, which is directed by the always odd Abel Ferrara, stars Dafoe along with Paz de la Huerta, Shanyn Leigh, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Hipp, and Dierdra McDowell. Look for it in theaters and On Demand on March 23rd.
Synopsis
In a large apartment high above the city, lives our couple. They’re in love. She’s a painter, he’s a successful actor. Just a normal afternoon - except that this isn’t a normal afternoon,...
Below you'll find the first trailer and still for the next apocalyptic film headed our way, 4:44 Last Day on Earth. The flick, which is directed by the always odd Abel Ferrara, stars Dafoe along with Paz de la Huerta, Shanyn Leigh, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Hipp, and Dierdra McDowell. Look for it in theaters and On Demand on March 23rd.
Synopsis
In a large apartment high above the city, lives our couple. They’re in love. She’s a painter, he’s a successful actor. Just a normal afternoon - except that this isn’t a normal afternoon,...
- 2/23/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Abel Ferrara has just wrapped production on his latest film, called 4:44 – The Last Day on Earth, which stars Willem Dafoe. Not much was known on the film, outside of this synopsis (below), until Killer Film caught up with the controversial director.
In a large apartment high above the city lives our couple. They’re in love. She’s a painter, he’s a successful actor. Just a normal afternoon – except that this isn’t a normal afternoon, for them or anyone else. Because tomorrow, at 4:44 am, give or take a few seconds, the world will come to an end far more rapidly than even the worst doomsayer could have imagined. The final meltdown will come, not without warnings, but with no means of escape. There will be no survivors. As always, there are those who, as their final cigarette is being lit and the blindfold tightened, will still...
In a large apartment high above the city lives our couple. They’re in love. She’s a painter, he’s a successful actor. Just a normal afternoon – except that this isn’t a normal afternoon, for them or anyone else. Because tomorrow, at 4:44 am, give or take a few seconds, the world will come to an end far more rapidly than even the worst doomsayer could have imagined. The final meltdown will come, not without warnings, but with no means of escape. There will be no survivors. As always, there are those who, as their final cigarette is being lit and the blindfold tightened, will still...
- 5/16/2011
- by Jon Peters
- Killer Films
Some few years ago the Coen Brothers scripted a remake of the '60s romantic caper comedy Gambit (originally starring Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine) and the remake is finally shooting now under the direction of Michael Hoffman (The Last Station). Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz star in the key roles, and Stanley Tucci and Cloris Leachman have joined Alan Rickman and Tom Courtenay in the supporting cast. The first image of the leads is out now, and you can see a larger version after the break. Also lurking below the jump is the first image from Abel Ferrara's new film, 4:44 Last Day on Earth, which stars Willem Dafoe. Neither of these images are quite earth-shaking, but they're minor teases of what is to come. ComingSoon [1] got the Gambit image, and provides this plot synopsis: Colin Firth plays British art curator Harry Deane, who devises a finely-crafted scheme...
- 5/15/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
John Cusack will star in the comedy "Dictablanda" ("Soft Dictator").According to Variety, production is underway in Buenos Aires and Mar de Ajo, Argentina.No plot details have been given other than the film is a comedy that finds Cusack's character involved in international mayhem.Pablo Bossi's Pampa Films is producing along with Cusack through his New Crime Productions shingle and entertainment attorney Kevin Morris. Alejandro Agresti ("The Lake House") is directing from a script he co-wrote with Cusack, Morris and Paul Hipp.Hipp also co-stars in the film.Cusack was last seen in the MGM comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine" and recently wrapped James McTeigue's thriller "The Raven," in which he stars as Edgar Allan Poe.
- 3/9/2011
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
John Cusack continues his trend of juggling the more serious pictures with lighter fare with news from Variety that he is set to headline a “screwball comedy of manners” called Dictablanda (Soft Dictator).
The Hot Tub Time Machine star is also producing the flick through his company, and has co-written the script with Kevin Morris and Paul Hipp.
Little is revealed about the film itself, but is has a tagline (People don’t die, they get killed) and its being shot on location in Buenos Aires and Argentina during March and April. Could it be some kind of comedic counterpart to The Expendables?
The actor will be next seen in two features which fall into the aforementioned “serious” category – Edgar Allan Poe biopic, The Raven, and the Mikael Hafstrom (his director on 1408) period drama, Shanghai.
The Hot Tub Time Machine star is also producing the flick through his company, and has co-written the script with Kevin Morris and Paul Hipp.
Little is revealed about the film itself, but is has a tagline (People don’t die, they get killed) and its being shot on location in Buenos Aires and Argentina during March and April. Could it be some kind of comedic counterpart to The Expendables?
The actor will be next seen in two features which fall into the aforementioned “serious” category – Edgar Allan Poe biopic, The Raven, and the Mikael Hafstrom (his director on 1408) period drama, Shanghai.
- 3/9/2011
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
John Cusack is almost exclusively known for his versatility and effortlessly charming screen-presence, and for possessing a talent which is too rarely the instrument of deserving big-screen material. And yet, he is still seeking that role that would catapult him into the elite bracket of actors, but an aspect of Cusack’s work that is rarely remarked upon has been his screenwriting. Although his most recent script, War Inc, a sprawling political satire, suffered badly both commercially and critically, his broader comedy writing- including credits for High Fidelity and Grosse Point Blank- has been his most successful.
Now Variety say Cusack is once again taking the lead on the page and screen with his latest film Dictablanda.
In spite of a commercially belligerent name- which means “Soft Dictator”- the film is described as a “screwball comedy of manners,” and will be produced in collaboration between Cusack’s own company,...
Now Variety say Cusack is once again taking the lead on the page and screen with his latest film Dictablanda.
In spite of a commercially belligerent name- which means “Soft Dictator”- the film is described as a “screwball comedy of manners,” and will be produced in collaboration between Cusack’s own company,...
- 3/9/2011
- by Ben Szwediuk
- Obsessed with Film
Variety reportedly said John Cusack’s starring in a new feature called Dictablanda (Soft Dictator), a screwball slapstick comedy of manners including an international conspiracy and intrigue.
Cusack co-wrote the script with entertainment attorney Kevin Morris, as well as actor Paul Hipp (”The Funeral,” “Face/Off”), who will also play in the film, and plus Alejandro Agresti. The latter, Agresti, the Argentine director of Valentin and The Lake House, is helming the lens. Production is already ongoing in Argentina, with sponsorship from local Pampa Films, and will continue through April.
The working title of the movie is “People don’t die, they get killed.”
John Cusack has just preoccupied playing Edgar Allan Poe in a period thriller called The Raven, inspired by the life and mysterious death of a magnificent American poet.
Cusack has been blessed enough to enjoy more than one period of career soaring. He had the top...
Cusack co-wrote the script with entertainment attorney Kevin Morris, as well as actor Paul Hipp (”The Funeral,” “Face/Off”), who will also play in the film, and plus Alejandro Agresti. The latter, Agresti, the Argentine director of Valentin and The Lake House, is helming the lens. Production is already ongoing in Argentina, with sponsorship from local Pampa Films, and will continue through April.
The working title of the movie is “People don’t die, they get killed.”
John Cusack has just preoccupied playing Edgar Allan Poe in a period thriller called The Raven, inspired by the life and mysterious death of a magnificent American poet.
Cusack has been blessed enough to enjoy more than one period of career soaring. He had the top...
- 3/8/2011
- by Nikola Mraovic
- Filmofilia
John Cusack has signed on to star and produce Dictablanda, ”a screwball comedy of manners which finds the thesp embroiled in international mayhem.” The film has the tagline, "People don't die, they get killed," and will be filmed on location in Buenos Aires and Mar de Ajo, Argentina throughout March and April.
Production is underway already with Pablo Bossi's Pampa Films. Cusack is producing through his New Crime Productions banner, along with prominent entertainment attorney Kevin Morris and Bossi. Alejandro Agresti (The Lake House) is set to direct based on a script he co-wrote with Cusack, Morris and Paul Hipp, who co-stars.
I am looking forward to seeing the recently wrapped James McTeigue's thriller The Raven, in which Cusack stars as Edgar Allan Poe. Cusack also has Mikael Hafstrom's beautiful looking Shanghai awaiting release from The Weinstein Co.
I enjoy just about all films that Cusack stars...
Production is underway already with Pablo Bossi's Pampa Films. Cusack is producing through his New Crime Productions banner, along with prominent entertainment attorney Kevin Morris and Bossi. Alejandro Agresti (The Lake House) is set to direct based on a script he co-wrote with Cusack, Morris and Paul Hipp, who co-stars.
I am looking forward to seeing the recently wrapped James McTeigue's thriller The Raven, in which Cusack stars as Edgar Allan Poe. Cusack also has Mikael Hafstrom's beautiful looking Shanghai awaiting release from The Weinstein Co.
I enjoy just about all films that Cusack stars...
- 3/8/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
John Cusack (2012, Igor) will star and produce a movie that's a collaboration among his friends. Dictablanda (which means "soft dictator") was written by Cusack, his entertainment attorney Kevin Morris, director Alejandro Agresti (The Lake House) and actor Paul Hipp. Agresti is directing, Hipp is co-starring and Morris is co-producing. Variety describes the project as "a screwball comedy of manners" that finds Cusack's character "embroiled in international mayhem."...
- 3/8/2011
- by tara@kidspickflicks.com (Tara the Mom)
- kidspickflicks
John Cusack is getting a little wacky, starring in the international screwball comedy Dictablanda (meaning ‘Soft Dictator’), which comes with the tagline “People don’t die, they get killed.” Directed by Alejandro Agresti, an Argentinian director who most recently gave us The Lake House, the film starts shooting this month through April in Buenos Aires and Mar de Ajo, Argentina.
The script is written by Cusack, entertainment attorney Kevin Morris (more on that in a minute), Paul Hipp and Agresti as well.
Morris, the lawyer, is also Cusack’s partner in New Crime, the actor’s new production banner. Pablo Bossi is also producing through his Pampa Films. [Variety]
This doesn’t sound too far off from Cusack’s recent passion poly-satire War Inc., which came and went with not so much as a whimper. That said, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Screwball’s been stigmatized these days as archaic,...
The script is written by Cusack, entertainment attorney Kevin Morris (more on that in a minute), Paul Hipp and Agresti as well.
Morris, the lawyer, is also Cusack’s partner in New Crime, the actor’s new production banner. Pablo Bossi is also producing through his Pampa Films. [Variety]
This doesn’t sound too far off from Cusack’s recent passion poly-satire War Inc., which came and went with not so much as a whimper. That said, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Screwball’s been stigmatized these days as archaic,...
- 3/8/2011
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Briefly: John Cusack has been lucky enough to enjoy more than one period of career high. He had career spikes in the early '80s and a great run from the mid '90s to 2000. The last decade hasn't produced a High Fidelity, but it had some solid gigs. He keeps working and even taking unexpected roles, such as playing Edgar Allan Poe in The Raven, which is in post-production now. (Strangely, he's also got two unreleased films sitting around: Shanghai and The Factory.) Now to follow The Raven John Cusack has got Dictablanda, which he'll also produce. Variety [1] says the film is " a screwball comedy of manners which finds the thesp embroiled in international mayhem" with a provocative tagline: People don't die, they get killed. That all sounds like a film very much in the Grosse Pointe Blank mode, which is promising. Granted, War, Inc. was also in the...
- 3/8/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
John Cusack will star in Dictablanda ("Soft Dictator"), a screwball comedy of manners directed by Alejandro Agresti. that finds the actor entangled in international mayhem. Pampa Films has started production on the Dictablanca which Cusack produces via his New Crime Productions alongside Kevin Morris and Pablo Bossi of Pampa Films. Agresti (The Lake House) helms from a script he co-wrote along with Cusack, Morris and Paul Hipp, who's also in a co-starring role in the film. Dictablanca is taglined with "People don't die, they get killed" and is being shot on location in Buenos Aires and Mar de Ajo, Argentina...
- 3/8/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
John Cusack will star in Dictablanda ("Soft Dictator"), a screwball comedy of manners directed by Alejandro Agresti. that finds the actor entangled in international mayhem. Pampa Films has started production on the Dictablanca which Cusack produces via his New Crime Productions alongside Kevin Morris and Pablo Bossi of Pampa Films. Agresti (The Lake House) helms from a script he co-wrote along with Cusack, Morris and Paul Hipp, who's also in a co-starring role in the film. Dictablanca is taglined with "People don't die, they get killed" and is being shot on location in Buenos Aires and Mar de Ajo, Argentina...
- 3/8/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
John Cusack is set to star in the screwball comedy of manners "Dictablanda" ("Soft Dictator") for Pampa Films and New Crime Productions reports Variety.
The title is a piece of political terminology used to describe dictatorships with a high regard for civil liberties.
Alejandro Agresti ("The Lake House") directs from a script he co-wrote with Cusack, Morris and Paul Hipp. Cusack, Pablo Bossi and Kevin Morris are producing.
The film is being shot on location in Buenos Aires and Mar de Ajo, Argentina throughout March and April.
The title is a piece of political terminology used to describe dictatorships with a high regard for civil liberties.
Alejandro Agresti ("The Lake House") directs from a script he co-wrote with Cusack, Morris and Paul Hipp. Cusack, Pablo Bossi and Kevin Morris are producing.
The film is being shot on location in Buenos Aires and Mar de Ajo, Argentina throughout March and April.
- 3/8/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
After tackling political satire in War, Inc. (which was almost like an unofficial sequel to Grosse Pointe Blank), it looks like John Cusack is back to socially relevant, skewering comedies. Variety reports the actor will star in Dictablanda (translated as "Soft Dictator") a film described as a screwball comedy of manners involving international mayhem. The phrase itself refers to a word used by political scientists to describe a dictatorship in which civil liberties are allegedly preserved rather than destroyed. It's a little hard to discern the story but Cusack had a hand in writing the script himself, so it's obviously something close to his heart. Along with Cusack's writing, the script was put together by Kevin Morris (an entertainment attorney) and actor Paul Hipp ("Terriers"). In addition, director Alejandra Agresti, who helmed The Lake House, also contributed to the script and will be directing the film as well. Along with...
- 3/8/2011
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
John Cusack doesn't always make the greatest movies in the world, but the guy is so incredibly likable that it's even easy to sit through some of the worse ones (*cough*2012*cough*) . That in mind, when Cusack gets something great to work with - like Grosse Pointe Blank or High Fidelity - it becomes something truly special. Dictablanda sounds like it could fall into the latter category. Variety has learned that Cusack has signed on to star in the aforementioned film (which translates from Spanish into "Soft Dictator") that is described as "a screwball comedy of errors." Directed by Alejandro Agresti and based on a script by Agresti, Cusack, Kevin Morris and Paul Hipp, the actor plays a man caught up in an international situation. Hipp, who previously starred with Cusack in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil will co-star. Sold with the tagline "People don't die, they...
- 3/8/2011
- cinemablend.com
Now that he's done Poe'n it up, actor John Cusack is looking to embroil himself in some "international mayhem" in the screwball comedy Dictablanda. Alas, "international mayhem" is all Variety is giving us to go on. The film will be directed by Argentinian filmmaker Alejandro Agresti (The Lake House) from a script he co-wrote with Cusack, prominent entertainment lawyer Kevin Morris (entertainment lawyers are writing films now?), and actor Paul Hipp...
- 3/8/2011
- by George Merchan
- JoBlo.com
Can you see John Cusack starring in a screwball comedy about a dodgy dictator? The actor clearly can, as he’s signed on for a new film called Dictablanda.The title translates to Soft Dictator and will find Cusack in the lead of what Variety reports will be a comedy of manners about international mayhem.That’s about it for plot details, though the tagline is apparently, “People don’t die, they get killed.” Which makes it sound a little like misfiring 2008 comedy War, Inc. all over again. Though the producers (including Cusack himself) are probably hoping it’ll make a bit more money.Alejandro Agresti, last found directing 2006’s Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock time-twisting romance pic The Lake House, is on to make the movie from a script he wrote with Cusack, Kevin Morris and Paul Hipp, who has snagged one of the supporting roles.Cusack and co are...
- 3/8/2011
- EmpireOnline
John Cusack has been announced as the lead of Dictablanda , a comedy from The Lake House director Alejandro Agresti, Variety reports. Cusack was involved with co-writing the script, alongside Agresti, Kevin Morris and Paul Hipp (who will also appear). The title is a political term used to describe dictatorships with a high regard for civil liberties and is described as being a "screwball comedy of manners." Production on Dictablanda is set to begin immediately, shooting this month and the next in Buenos Aires and Mar de Ajo, Argentina.
- 3/7/2011
- Comingsoon.net
This film should be entitled: Two Tickets to Snoozeville. I hate to be so harsh, especially since this film enabled me to totally nerd out for a minute to enjoy D.B Sweeney and Moira Kelly reunited. They first caught my attention as odd-couple pairs figure skaters Kate Moseley and Doug Dorsey in 1992’s The Cutting Edge. Ice queen Olympics skater Kate can’t seem to keep a partner. Her extensive entourage has run through a roster of names all to no avail before taking a chance on wild card and former hockey player Doug Dorsey, whose eye injury in 1988 has kept him out of the game. The two immediately hate one another, constantly bicker and complain, eventually go to the Olympics, and ultimately, fall in love. All the while mastering a nearly impossible Russian figure skating move that’s a cross between a death spiral and just plain swinging...
- 9/28/2010
- by Marissa Quenqua
- JustPressPlay.net
Chicago – The Round-Up is back with a quintet of standard DVDs that may have gone unnoticed in your latest Best Buy circular. There’s at least one very good movie in here and a few unique independent offerings that you might want to take a peek at. We wish we had time to cover these titles in more depth, but here are the details - synopsis, cast, features - that you really need to know.
“Horsemen” was released on July 14th, 2009.
“Bad Lieutenant,” “Bart Got a Room,” “Big Man Japan,” and “The Great Buck Howard” will be released on July 28th, 2009.
“Bad Lieutenant: Special Edition”
Photo credit: Lionsgate Synopsis: “Harvey Keitel is a nameless New York cop, hopelessly addicted to drugs, gambling, and sex. As he makes his way to various crime scenes, he is concerned only with taking bets from his fellow cops on the outcome of the ongoing National League playoffs.
“Horsemen” was released on July 14th, 2009.
“Bad Lieutenant,” “Bart Got a Room,” “Big Man Japan,” and “The Great Buck Howard” will be released on July 28th, 2009.
“Bad Lieutenant: Special Edition”
Photo credit: Lionsgate Synopsis: “Harvey Keitel is a nameless New York cop, hopelessly addicted to drugs, gambling, and sex. As he makes his way to various crime scenes, he is concerned only with taking bets from his fellow cops on the outcome of the ongoing National League playoffs.
- 7/27/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
D.B. Sweeney's road comedy Two Tickets to Paradise tracks a trio of beleaguered buddies (Sweeney, John C. McGinley, and Paul Hipp) who motor from small-town Pennsylvania to Florida to attend a college football bowl game. Considering the movie's blue-collar sensibilities, the term auteur might seem inappropriately highfalutin to describe Sweeney. But he clearly assumed such a role here — directing, co-writing, and producing. The actor (Eight Men Out, The Cutting Edge) had not originally planned to direct or produce. But he was interested in scripting a project for himself, and he enlisted friend Brian Currie, a bouncer-turned-scenarist, to help develop a story. Having spoken with firefighters and police officers in the wake of 9/11, Sweeney knew that many middle-aged working-class men were dissatisfied with the way they're portrayed onscreen. Citing the new film Zack and Miri Make a Porno, he says, "Seth Rogen is with this beautiful girl. The geeky guy...
- 12/15/2008
- by Mark Dundas Wood
- backstage.com
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