Exclusive: The UK Jewish Film Festival (Nov 6-23) has assembled a strong jury lineup for its 23rd edition including BAFTA chairwoman Jane Lush, Bridget Jones’s Baby scribe Dan Mazer, former Storyville boss Nick Fraser and Three Identical Strangers director Tim Wardle. Scroll down for the full list of jurors.
The festival program will be revealed on September 19 and organizers tell us it will be the biggest to date. The hub of the festival will be in London but there are due to be regional screenings in more than 20 cities in the UK.
Last year the Dorfman Best Film Award went to Wardle’s acclaimed doc Three Identical Strangers. There were special screenings for movies including Foxtrot, Promise At Dawn, Working Woman and Philip Roth adaptation The Human Stain. Guests included Simon Chinn, Mélanie Thierry and David Schneider.
The festival featured 85 films from 16 countries, including 51 UK premieres, at 21 cinemas in London,...
The festival program will be revealed on September 19 and organizers tell us it will be the biggest to date. The hub of the festival will be in London but there are due to be regional screenings in more than 20 cities in the UK.
Last year the Dorfman Best Film Award went to Wardle’s acclaimed doc Three Identical Strangers. There were special screenings for movies including Foxtrot, Promise At Dawn, Working Woman and Philip Roth adaptation The Human Stain. Guests included Simon Chinn, Mélanie Thierry and David Schneider.
The festival featured 85 films from 16 countries, including 51 UK premieres, at 21 cinemas in London,...
- 9/11/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Bruce Springsteen was the guest of honor at the Wednesday night (Aug. 7) premiere of “Blinded by The Light” at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Springsteen walked the red carpet with his wife, Patti Scialfa, and stopped to take a photo with stars Viveik Kaira and Aaron Phagura, writer/director/producer Gurinder Chadha, and screenwriter/author Sarfraz Manzoor, whose story is the basis of the film.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was seated inside the theatre with 1,500 guests to screen the movie, which is set for release on Aug. 16. The film follows a Pakistani-British teenager and his life-changing journey through Springsteen’s music.
“It was so cool watching it with Bruce,” Chadha said to the audience. “We want the whole world to understand the music and the words of Bruce Springsteen. … The reason why I wanted to make this film is because of what is happening in the world.
Springsteen walked the red carpet with his wife, Patti Scialfa, and stopped to take a photo with stars Viveik Kaira and Aaron Phagura, writer/director/producer Gurinder Chadha, and screenwriter/author Sarfraz Manzoor, whose story is the basis of the film.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was seated inside the theatre with 1,500 guests to screen the movie, which is set for release on Aug. 16. The film follows a Pakistani-British teenager and his life-changing journey through Springsteen’s music.
“It was so cool watching it with Bruce,” Chadha said to the audience. “We want the whole world to understand the music and the words of Bruce Springsteen. … The reason why I wanted to make this film is because of what is happening in the world.
- 8/8/2019
- by Michele Amabile Angermiller
- Variety Film + TV
London, England – July 29: Sarfraz Manzoor, Nell Williams, Viveik Kalra, Gurinder Chadha, Aaron Phagura, Meera Ganatra, Kulvinder Ghir and Jane Barclay attend the UK Gala Screening of Blinded By The Light at The Curzon Mayfair on July 29, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Dave Hogan/Getty Images for Eone)
Blinded By The Light, directed by Gurinder Chadha, celebrated its UK Gala Screening on Monday 29th July, at the Curzon Mayfair in London. Starring Viveik Kalra, Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, Nell Williams, Dean-Charles Chapman and Aaron Phagura Blinded By The Light opens nationwide on August 9th
Blinded By The Light is a joyous, coming of age story about a teenager who learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the words and music of Bruce Springsteen.
Javed is a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy growing up in the boring, industrial city
of Luton.
Blinded By The Light, directed by Gurinder Chadha, celebrated its UK Gala Screening on Monday 29th July, at the Curzon Mayfair in London. Starring Viveik Kalra, Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, Nell Williams, Dean-Charles Chapman and Aaron Phagura Blinded By The Light opens nationwide on August 9th
Blinded By The Light is a joyous, coming of age story about a teenager who learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the words and music of Bruce Springsteen.
Javed is a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy growing up in the boring, industrial city
of Luton.
- 7/30/2019
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
From writer/director/producer Gurinder Chadha (“Bend It Like Beckham”) comes the inspirational drama “Blinded by the Light,” set to the music and lyrics of Bruce Springsteen’s timeless songs. “Blinded by the Light” tells the story of Javed (Viveik Kalra) a British teen of Pakistani descent, growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of “the Boss,” Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in Springsteen’s powerful lyrics. As Javed discovers a cathartic outlet for his own pent-up dreams, he also begins to find the courage to express himself in his own unique voice.
Based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir Greetings from Bury Park, “Blinded by the Light...
Based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir Greetings from Bury Park, “Blinded by the Light...
- 7/26/2019
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Updated with official confirmation: New Line has confirmed Deadline’s scoop that it has acquired Blinded By the Light after its big Sundance Film Festival bow, and that it is eyeing a release for the Gurinder Chada-directed pic sometime in 2019. The studio’s announcement Friday can be found below our original break.
Previous Exclusive, January 28 Am: In yet another all-night deal auction at the Sundance Film Festival, New Line and Warner Bros are acquiring for $15 million for worldwide rights, minus a a few territories, the Gurinder Chada-directed Blinded by the Light. The film killed at its packed premiere Sunday night at Eccles and tells the story of a Muslim teen in 1987 Britain who learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen. Like 16 songs worth of the Boss’ coming-of-age songs.
A big wide release is planned for the pic starring Viveik Karla,...
Previous Exclusive, January 28 Am: In yet another all-night deal auction at the Sundance Film Festival, New Line and Warner Bros are acquiring for $15 million for worldwide rights, minus a a few territories, the Gurinder Chada-directed Blinded by the Light. The film killed at its packed premiere Sunday night at Eccles and tells the story of a Muslim teen in 1987 Britain who learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen. Like 16 songs worth of the Boss’ coming-of-age songs.
A big wide release is planned for the pic starring Viveik Karla,...
- 2/1/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
New Line is in final negotiations for a $15 million-plus deal to buy British filmmaker Gurinder Chadha’s film “Blinded by the Light.”
The film, which premiered Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival, follows a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy in 1987 England whose life is changed when his friend loans him Bruce Springsteen cassettes.
Springsteen’s working-class anthems and affirming lyrics embolden him to find his own voice as a writer, stand up to the racism around him and challenge his father’s rigid ideals.
Also Read: 'Blinded by the Light' Director on Progress and Diversity in Hollywood: 'Man, Where Are All the White Dudes?'
Chadha, Sarfraz Manzoor and Paul Mayeda Berges adapted the screenplay from Manzoor’s memoir “Greetings From Bury Park.”
Chadha, best known for her 2002’s “Bend It Like Beckham,” also produced with Jane Barclay and Jamal Daniel. Executive producers include Tory Metzger, Renee Witt, Peter Touche,...
The film, which premiered Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival, follows a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy in 1987 England whose life is changed when his friend loans him Bruce Springsteen cassettes.
Springsteen’s working-class anthems and affirming lyrics embolden him to find his own voice as a writer, stand up to the racism around him and challenge his father’s rigid ideals.
Also Read: 'Blinded by the Light' Director on Progress and Diversity in Hollywood: 'Man, Where Are All the White Dudes?'
Chadha, Sarfraz Manzoor and Paul Mayeda Berges adapted the screenplay from Manzoor’s memoir “Greetings From Bury Park.”
Chadha, best known for her 2002’s “Bend It Like Beckham,” also produced with Jane Barclay and Jamal Daniel. Executive producers include Tory Metzger, Renee Witt, Peter Touche,...
- 1/28/2019
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
The 2019 Sundance Film Festival has announced its entire feature film lineup for the January gathering. The festival has revealed its high-profile Premieres and Documentary Premieres selections in addition to the full list of films screening in four different competition sections, plus the forward-thinking Next section, the Kids lineup, and the Midnight list.
The 2019 feature film lineup includes a number of highly anticipated titles, including the Shia Labeouf-penned and Alma Har’el-directed “Honey Boy,” Joe Berlinger’s Zac Efron-starring Ted Bundy feature, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s feature directorial debut “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” Nanfu Wang’s latest documentary “One Child Nation,” the prescient doc “Knock Down the House,” and Alice Waddington’s wild-looking Nacho Vigalondo-written “Paradise Hills.” Plenty of Sundance alums are returning to debut new work, including Anne Sewitsky, Alex Gibney, Nick Broomfield, Justin Chon, Matt Tyrnauer, and Veronika Franz.
As is the festival’s tradition,...
The 2019 feature film lineup includes a number of highly anticipated titles, including the Shia Labeouf-penned and Alma Har’el-directed “Honey Boy,” Joe Berlinger’s Zac Efron-starring Ted Bundy feature, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s feature directorial debut “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” Nanfu Wang’s latest documentary “One Child Nation,” the prescient doc “Knock Down the House,” and Alice Waddington’s wild-looking Nacho Vigalondo-written “Paradise Hills.” Plenty of Sundance alums are returning to debut new work, including Anne Sewitsky, Alex Gibney, Nick Broomfield, Justin Chon, Matt Tyrnauer, and Veronika Franz.
As is the festival’s tradition,...
- 11/28/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Territories sold include France and Scandinavia.
As this year’s Cannes market gets underway, UK sales company Cornerstone Films has secured early territory deals on Gurinder Chadha’s Blinded By The Light, which is currently in shooting in the UK.
The film has sold to France (Ugc) and Scandinavia (Svensk). Entertainment One previously picked up rights for UK and Australia.
Separately, Ugc has also taken France rights to Cornerstone’s Georgetown, the directing debut of Christoph Waltz, and Svensk has picked up Scandinavia on Bart Freundlich’s After The Wedding remake.
Starring newcomer Viveik Kalra with Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon,...
As this year’s Cannes market gets underway, UK sales company Cornerstone Films has secured early territory deals on Gurinder Chadha’s Blinded By The Light, which is currently in shooting in the UK.
The film has sold to France (Ugc) and Scandinavia (Svensk). Entertainment One previously picked up rights for UK and Australia.
Separately, Ugc has also taken France rights to Cornerstone’s Georgetown, the directing debut of Christoph Waltz, and Svensk has picked up Scandinavia on Bart Freundlich’s After The Wedding remake.
Starring newcomer Viveik Kalra with Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon,...
- 5/8/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Entertainment One has taken U.K. and Australian rights on Gurinder Chadha’s new film, “Blinded by the Light,” a comedy drama inspired by rock legend Bruce Springsteen. Cornerstone Films has released a first-look image from the film (pictured), which began production last week, and will introduce it to international buyers at the Cannes Film Festival next month.
The film, described as a “hybrid musical” that weaves Springsteen’s music and lyrics into its narrative, stars newcomers Viveik Kalra and Nell Williams as its romantic leads, alongside Hayley Atwell and Rob Brydon in supporting roles. The movie grew out of a shared passion for Springsteen by Chadha, the director of “Bend It Like Beckham,” and British journalist Sarfraz Manzoor.
“Blinded by the Light” is based on Manzoor’s 2008 memoir, “Greetings From Bury Park,” which chronicles his experience as a British Muslim boy growing up in 1980s Luton, outside London, and...
The film, described as a “hybrid musical” that weaves Springsteen’s music and lyrics into its narrative, stars newcomers Viveik Kalra and Nell Williams as its romantic leads, alongside Hayley Atwell and Rob Brydon in supporting roles. The movie grew out of a shared passion for Springsteen by Chadha, the director of “Bend It Like Beckham,” and British journalist Sarfraz Manzoor.
“Blinded by the Light” is based on Manzoor’s 2008 memoir, “Greetings From Bury Park,” which chronicles his experience as a British Muslim boy growing up in 1980s Luton, outside London, and...
- 4/11/2018
- by Robert Mitchell
- Variety Film + TV
Shooting has begun, cast has been set and eOne has taken UK and Australia rights on Gurinder Chadha’s comedy/drama Blinded By The Light, a hybrid musical rooted in the British tradition of quirky comedies. This is the project that Deadline scooped Chadha was prepping with Cornerstone Films boarding international sales in Berlin. It’s based on the memoir Greetings From Bury Park by journalist/broadcaster Sarfraz Manzoor which chronicles his experiences as a British Muslim boy growing up in 1980s Luton and the impact Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics had upon him. And, evidently, The Boss is Ok with that.
Chadha and Manzoor developed the film out of their shared passion for Springsteen. They both met him at the London premiere of the Springsteen doc The Promise in 2010 and discovered he had not only read, but admired the book.
Says Chadha, “I quickly pitched him the film we wanted...
Chadha and Manzoor developed the film out of their shared passion for Springsteen. They both met him at the London premiere of the Springsteen doc The Promise in 2010 and discovered he had not only read, but admired the book.
Says Chadha, “I quickly pitched him the film we wanted...
- 4/11/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, newcomer Viveik Kalra feature in cast of 1980s-set comedy-drama.
Entertainment One (eOne) has taken UK and Australia distribution rights to Gurinder Chadha’s comedy-drama Blinded By The Light, starring Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir and newcomer Viveik Kalra.
The project chronicles the experiences of a British Muslim boy growing up in the UK in the 1980s who is impacted by the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen; it was developed by Chadha and journalist Sarfraz Manzoor from the latter’s memoir Greetings from Bury Park, with a screenplay from Paul Mayeda Berges (Bend It Like Beckham).
eOne...
Entertainment One (eOne) has taken UK and Australia distribution rights to Gurinder Chadha’s comedy-drama Blinded By The Light, starring Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir and newcomer Viveik Kalra.
The project chronicles the experiences of a British Muslim boy growing up in the UK in the 1980s who is impacted by the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen; it was developed by Chadha and journalist Sarfraz Manzoor from the latter’s memoir Greetings from Bury Park, with a screenplay from Paul Mayeda Berges (Bend It Like Beckham).
eOne...
- 4/11/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Neves will join in time for the European Film Market at the Berlinale (Feb 11-19).
Sofia Neves has joined international sales and film financing outfit WestEnd Films as its new director of sales.
Neves previously worked with WestEnd’s managing directors Schoukroun and Maya Amsellem during her time at Capitol Films.
She began her career with producer Paulo Branco before joining Capitol, run by Jane Barclay and Sharon Harel, in 2005.
Neves then moved to HanWay Films, run by Jeremy Thomas and Tim Haslam, in 2008 as the company’s director of sales and distribution.
Throughout her career she has handled titles including Nick Cassavettes’ Alpha Dog, Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion, John Maybury’s The Edge Of Love, Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Nowhere Boy, and Steve McQueen’s Shame
WestEnd’s managing director Maya Amsellem said of the appointment: “We’re delighted to welcome Sofia to the...
Sofia Neves has joined international sales and film financing outfit WestEnd Films as its new director of sales.
Neves previously worked with WestEnd’s managing directors Schoukroun and Maya Amsellem during her time at Capitol Films.
She began her career with producer Paulo Branco before joining Capitol, run by Jane Barclay and Sharon Harel, in 2005.
Neves then moved to HanWay Films, run by Jeremy Thomas and Tim Haslam, in 2008 as the company’s director of sales and distribution.
Throughout her career she has handled titles including Nick Cassavettes’ Alpha Dog, Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion, John Maybury’s The Edge Of Love, Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Nowhere Boy, and Steve McQueen’s Shame
WestEnd’s managing director Maya Amsellem said of the appointment: “We’re delighted to welcome Sofia to the...
- 1/14/2016
- ScreenDaily
This review was written for the festival screening of "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead." Toronto International Film Festival
NEW YORK -- After a long series of artistic missteps, Sidney Lumet, 83, makes a smashing return to form with this bleak crime thriller that shows off the veteran director's many strengths. Pungently atmospheric, brilliantly textured and featuring superb performances from every performer in parts big and small, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" might not quite rank with such classics as "Dog Day Afternoon" and countless other films by Lumet, but it does make thrillingly clear that he's still at the top of his game.
Kelly Masterson's expert screenplay relates a relatively simple story of a small-scale robbery gone horribly wrong in complex fashion. With its constant time shifts and depictions of the same events from varying perspectives, it recalls the director's own earlier caper flick "The Anderson Tapes", though this is a far more melodramatic and elemental tale.
A highly graphic but less than joyful sex scene at the beginning sets the harsh tone for the story, which involves the botched plan by siblings Andy Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) to rob their own parents' suburban jewelry store.
Both men are leading lives of not so quiet desperation, with each in serious financial straits. Andy has been systematically siphoning off money from the real estate company at which he works, while his divorced younger brother can't even make the child-support payments to his increasingly hostile ex-wife (Amy Ryan). Meanwhile, Hank has been having a longtime affair with his brother's beautiful wife (Marisa Tomei), even while Andy dreams of saving his passionless marriage by running off with her to Rio.
Andy's plan seems easy enough. Hank will rob the store on a quiet Saturday morning, when the only one there will be a single employee. But he makes the mistake of recruiting his petty criminal friend Bobby (Brian F. O'Byrne) to do the actual deed, and things go horribly awry, with Bobby and the brothers' Mother Rosemary Harris) winding up dead.
The men's frantic efforts to cover up their complicity in the crime, and those of their grieving father (Albert Finney) to find the rest of those involved, form the heart of the relentlessly downbeat tale, which only gets darker as it goes along.
As much character study as crime thriller, the film features indelible characterizations by the lead actors as the brothers whose flaws reach biblical proportions, with Hoffman's girth and Hawke's slightly dissipated handsomeness working perfectly for their roles. Finney is equally superb as their emotionally inaccessible father, especially in the haunting climactic scenes. But thanks to Lumet's expert handling of his actors, everyone shines, even in the smallest roles, with particularly memorable cameos by Michael Shannon as Bobby's vengeful brother-in-law and Leonard Cimino as a crooked diamond dealer.
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
ThinkFilm
Linsefilm, Michael Cerenzie Prods., Unity Prods.
Credits:
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter: Kelly Masterson
Producers: Michael Cerenzie, Brian Linse, Paul Parmar, William S. Gilmore
Executive producers: Bella Avery, Jane Barclay, David Bergstein, Janette Jensen Hoffman, Eli Klein, Hannah Leader, Jeffry Melnick, Sam Zaharis
Director of photography: Ron Fortunato
Production designer: Christopher Nowak
Music: Carter Burwell
Co-producers: Austin Chick, Jeff G. Waxman
Costume designer: Tina Nigro
Editor: Tom Swartwout
Cast:
Andy: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Hank: Ethan Hawke
Charles: Albert Finney
Gina: Marisa Tomei
Nanette: Rosemary Harris
Chris: Aleksa Palladino
Dex: Michael Shannon
Martha: Amy Ryan
Bobby: Brian F. O'Byrne
Running time -- 123 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
NEW YORK -- After a long series of artistic missteps, Sidney Lumet, 83, makes a smashing return to form with this bleak crime thriller that shows off the veteran director's many strengths. Pungently atmospheric, brilliantly textured and featuring superb performances from every performer in parts big and small, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" might not quite rank with such classics as "Dog Day Afternoon" and countless other films by Lumet, but it does make thrillingly clear that he's still at the top of his game.
Kelly Masterson's expert screenplay relates a relatively simple story of a small-scale robbery gone horribly wrong in complex fashion. With its constant time shifts and depictions of the same events from varying perspectives, it recalls the director's own earlier caper flick "The Anderson Tapes", though this is a far more melodramatic and elemental tale.
A highly graphic but less than joyful sex scene at the beginning sets the harsh tone for the story, which involves the botched plan by siblings Andy Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) to rob their own parents' suburban jewelry store.
Both men are leading lives of not so quiet desperation, with each in serious financial straits. Andy has been systematically siphoning off money from the real estate company at which he works, while his divorced younger brother can't even make the child-support payments to his increasingly hostile ex-wife (Amy Ryan). Meanwhile, Hank has been having a longtime affair with his brother's beautiful wife (Marisa Tomei), even while Andy dreams of saving his passionless marriage by running off with her to Rio.
Andy's plan seems easy enough. Hank will rob the store on a quiet Saturday morning, when the only one there will be a single employee. But he makes the mistake of recruiting his petty criminal friend Bobby (Brian F. O'Byrne) to do the actual deed, and things go horribly awry, with Bobby and the brothers' Mother Rosemary Harris) winding up dead.
The men's frantic efforts to cover up their complicity in the crime, and those of their grieving father (Albert Finney) to find the rest of those involved, form the heart of the relentlessly downbeat tale, which only gets darker as it goes along.
As much character study as crime thriller, the film features indelible characterizations by the lead actors as the brothers whose flaws reach biblical proportions, with Hoffman's girth and Hawke's slightly dissipated handsomeness working perfectly for their roles. Finney is equally superb as their emotionally inaccessible father, especially in the haunting climactic scenes. But thanks to Lumet's expert handling of his actors, everyone shines, even in the smallest roles, with particularly memorable cameos by Michael Shannon as Bobby's vengeful brother-in-law and Leonard Cimino as a crooked diamond dealer.
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
ThinkFilm
Linsefilm, Michael Cerenzie Prods., Unity Prods.
Credits:
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter: Kelly Masterson
Producers: Michael Cerenzie, Brian Linse, Paul Parmar, William S. Gilmore
Executive producers: Bella Avery, Jane Barclay, David Bergstein, Janette Jensen Hoffman, Eli Klein, Hannah Leader, Jeffry Melnick, Sam Zaharis
Director of photography: Ron Fortunato
Production designer: Christopher Nowak
Music: Carter Burwell
Co-producers: Austin Chick, Jeff G. Waxman
Costume designer: Tina Nigro
Editor: Tom Swartwout
Cast:
Andy: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Hank: Ethan Hawke
Charles: Albert Finney
Gina: Marisa Tomei
Nanette: Rosemary Harris
Chris: Aleksa Palladino
Dex: Michael Shannon
Martha: Amy Ryan
Bobby: Brian F. O'Byrne
Running time -- 123 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
This review was written for the festival screening of "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead." Toronto International Film Festival
NEW YORK -- After a long series of artistic missteps, Sidney Lumet, 83, makes a smashing return to form with this bleak crime thriller that shows off the veteran director's many strengths. Pungently atmospheric, brilliantly textured and featuring superb performances from every performer in parts big and small, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" might not quite rank with such classics as "Dog Day Afternoon" and countless other films by Lumet, but it does make thrillingly clear that he's still at the top of his game.
Kelly Masterson's expert screenplay relates a relatively simple story of a small-scale robbery gone horribly wrong in complex fashion. With its constant time shifts and depictions of the same events from varying perspectives, it recalls the director's own earlier caper flick "The Anderson Tapes", though this is a far more melodramatic and elemental tale.
A highly graphic but less than joyful sex scene at the beginning sets the harsh tone for the story, which involves the botched plan by siblings Andy Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) to rob their own parents' suburban jewelry store.
Both men are leading lives of not so quiet desperation, with each in serious financial straits. Andy has been systematically siphoning off money from the real estate company at which he works, while his divorced younger brother can't even make the child-support payments to his increasingly hostile ex-wife (Amy Ryan). Meanwhile, Hank has been having a longtime affair with his brother's beautiful wife (Marisa Tomei), even while Andy dreams of saving his passionless marriage by running off with her to Rio.
Andy's plan seems easy enough. Hank will rob the store on a quiet Saturday morning, when the only one there will be a single employee. But he makes the mistake of recruiting his petty criminal friend Bobby (Brian F. O'Byrne) to do the actual deed, and things go horribly awry, with Bobby and the brothers' Mother Rosemary Harris) winding up dead.
The men's frantic efforts to cover up their complicity in the crime, and those of their grieving father (Albert Finney) to find the rest of those involved, form the heart of the relentlessly downbeat tale, which only gets darker as it goes along.
As much character study as crime thriller, the film features indelible characterizations by the lead actors as the brothers whose flaws reach biblical proportions, with Hoffman's girth and Hawke's slightly dissipated handsomeness working perfectly for their roles. Finney is equally superb as their emotionally inaccessible father, especially in the haunting climactic scenes. But thanks to Lumet's expert handling of his actors, everyone shines, even in the smallest roles, with particularly memorable cameos by Michael Shannon as Bobby's vengeful brother-in-law and Leonard Cimino as a crooked diamond dealer.
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
ThinkFilm
Linsefilm, Michael Cerenzie Prods., Unity Prods.
Credits:
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter: Kelly Masterson
Producers: Michael Cerenzie, Brian Linse, Paul Parmar, William S. Gilmore
Executive producers: Bella Avery, Jane Barclay, David Bergstein, Janette Jensen Hoffman, Eli Klein, Hannah Leader, Jeffry Melnick, Sam Zaharis
Director of photography: Ron Fortunato
Production designer: Christopher Nowak
Music: Carter Burwell
Co-producers: Austin Chick, Jeff G. Waxman
Costume designer: Tina Nigro
Editor: Tom Swartwout
Cast:
Andy: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Hank: Ethan Hawke
Charles: Albert Finney
Gina: Marisa Tomei
Nanette: Rosemary Harris
Chris: Aleksa Palladino
Dex: Michael Shannon
Martha: Amy Ryan
Bobby: Brian F. O'Byrne
Running time -- 123 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
NEW YORK -- After a long series of artistic missteps, Sidney Lumet, 83, makes a smashing return to form with this bleak crime thriller that shows off the veteran director's many strengths. Pungently atmospheric, brilliantly textured and featuring superb performances from every performer in parts big and small, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" might not quite rank with such classics as "Dog Day Afternoon" and countless other films by Lumet, but it does make thrillingly clear that he's still at the top of his game.
Kelly Masterson's expert screenplay relates a relatively simple story of a small-scale robbery gone horribly wrong in complex fashion. With its constant time shifts and depictions of the same events from varying perspectives, it recalls the director's own earlier caper flick "The Anderson Tapes", though this is a far more melodramatic and elemental tale.
A highly graphic but less than joyful sex scene at the beginning sets the harsh tone for the story, which involves the botched plan by siblings Andy Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) to rob their own parents' suburban jewelry store.
Both men are leading lives of not so quiet desperation, with each in serious financial straits. Andy has been systematically siphoning off money from the real estate company at which he works, while his divorced younger brother can't even make the child-support payments to his increasingly hostile ex-wife (Amy Ryan). Meanwhile, Hank has been having a longtime affair with his brother's beautiful wife (Marisa Tomei), even while Andy dreams of saving his passionless marriage by running off with her to Rio.
Andy's plan seems easy enough. Hank will rob the store on a quiet Saturday morning, when the only one there will be a single employee. But he makes the mistake of recruiting his petty criminal friend Bobby (Brian F. O'Byrne) to do the actual deed, and things go horribly awry, with Bobby and the brothers' Mother Rosemary Harris) winding up dead.
The men's frantic efforts to cover up their complicity in the crime, and those of their grieving father (Albert Finney) to find the rest of those involved, form the heart of the relentlessly downbeat tale, which only gets darker as it goes along.
As much character study as crime thriller, the film features indelible characterizations by the lead actors as the brothers whose flaws reach biblical proportions, with Hoffman's girth and Hawke's slightly dissipated handsomeness working perfectly for their roles. Finney is equally superb as their emotionally inaccessible father, especially in the haunting climactic scenes. But thanks to Lumet's expert handling of his actors, everyone shines, even in the smallest roles, with particularly memorable cameos by Michael Shannon as Bobby's vengeful brother-in-law and Leonard Cimino as a crooked diamond dealer.
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
ThinkFilm
Linsefilm, Michael Cerenzie Prods., Unity Prods.
Credits:
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter: Kelly Masterson
Producers: Michael Cerenzie, Brian Linse, Paul Parmar, William S. Gilmore
Executive producers: Bella Avery, Jane Barclay, David Bergstein, Janette Jensen Hoffman, Eli Klein, Hannah Leader, Jeffry Melnick, Sam Zaharis
Director of photography: Ron Fortunato
Production designer: Christopher Nowak
Music: Carter Burwell
Co-producers: Austin Chick, Jeff G. Waxman
Costume designer: Tina Nigro
Editor: Tom Swartwout
Cast:
Andy: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Hank: Ethan Hawke
Charles: Albert Finney
Gina: Marisa Tomei
Nanette: Rosemary Harris
Chris: Aleksa Palladino
Dex: Michael Shannon
Martha: Amy Ryan
Bobby: Brian F. O'Byrne
Running time -- 123 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Toronto International Film Festival
NEW YORK -- After a long series of artistic missteps, Sidney Lumet, 83, makes a smashing return to form with this bleak crime thriller that shows off the veteran director's many strengths. Pungently atmospheric, brilliantly textured and featuring superb performances from every performer in parts big and small, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead might not quite rank with such classics as Dog Day Afternoon and countless other films by Lumet, but it does make thrillingly clear that he's still at the top of his game.
Kelly Masterson's expert screenplay relates a relatively simple story of a small-scale robbery gone horribly wrong in complex fashion. With its constant time shifts and depictions of the same events from varying perspectives, it recalls the director's own earlier caper flick The Anderson Tapes, though this is a far more melodramatic and elemental tale.
A highly graphic but less than joyful sex scene at the beginning sets the harsh tone for the story, which involves the botched plan by siblings Andy Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) to rob their own parents' suburban jewelry store.
Both men are leading lives of not so quiet desperation, with each in serious financial straits. Andy has been systematically siphoning off money from the real estate company at which he works, while his divorced younger brother can't even make the child-support payments to his increasingly hostile ex-wife (Amy Ryan). Meanwhile, Hank has been having a longtime affair with his brother's beautiful wife (Marisa Tomei), even while Andy dreams of saving his passionless marriage by running off with her to Rio.
Andy's plan seems easy enough. Hank will rob the store on a quiet Saturday morning, when the only one there will be a single employee. But he makes the mistake of recruiting his petty criminal friend Bobby (Brian F. O'Byrne) to do the actual deed, and things go horribly awry, with Bobby and the brothers' Mother Rosemary Harris) winding up dead.
The men's frantic efforts to cover up their complicity in the crime, and those of their grieving father (Albert Finney) to find the rest of those involved, form the heart of the relentlessly downbeat tale, which only gets darker as it goes along.
As much character study as crime thriller, the film features indelible characterizations by the lead actors as the brothers whose flaws reach biblical proportions, with Hoffman's girth and Hawke's slightly dissipated handsomeness working perfectly for their roles. Finney is equally superb as their emotionally inaccessible father, especially in the haunting climactic scenes. But thanks to Lumet's expert handling of his actors, everyone shines, even in the smallest roles, with particularly memorable cameos by Michael Shannon as Bobby's vengeful brother-in-law and Leonard Cimino as a crooked diamond dealer.
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
ThinkFilm
Linsefilm, Michael Cerenzie Prods., Unity Prods.
Credits:
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter: Kelly Masterson
Producers: Michael Cerenzie, Brian Linse, Paul Parmar, William S. Gilmore
Executive producers: Bella Avery, Jane Barclay, David Bergstein, Janette Jensen Hoffman, Eli Klein, Hannah Leader, Jeffry Melnick, Sam Zaharis
Director of photography: Ron Fortunato
Production designer: Christopher Nowak
Music: Carter Burwell
Co-producers: Austin Chick, Jeff G. Waxman
Costume designer: Tina Nigro
Editor: Tom Swartwout
Cast:
Andy: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Hank: Ethan Hawke
Charles: Albert Finney
Gina: Marisa Tomei
Nanette: Rosemary Harris
Chris: Aleksa Palladino
Dex: Michael Shannon
Martha: Amy Ryan
Bobby: Brian F. O'Byrne
Running time -- 123 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
NEW YORK -- After a long series of artistic missteps, Sidney Lumet, 83, makes a smashing return to form with this bleak crime thriller that shows off the veteran director's many strengths. Pungently atmospheric, brilliantly textured and featuring superb performances from every performer in parts big and small, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead might not quite rank with such classics as Dog Day Afternoon and countless other films by Lumet, but it does make thrillingly clear that he's still at the top of his game.
Kelly Masterson's expert screenplay relates a relatively simple story of a small-scale robbery gone horribly wrong in complex fashion. With its constant time shifts and depictions of the same events from varying perspectives, it recalls the director's own earlier caper flick The Anderson Tapes, though this is a far more melodramatic and elemental tale.
A highly graphic but less than joyful sex scene at the beginning sets the harsh tone for the story, which involves the botched plan by siblings Andy Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) to rob their own parents' suburban jewelry store.
Both men are leading lives of not so quiet desperation, with each in serious financial straits. Andy has been systematically siphoning off money from the real estate company at which he works, while his divorced younger brother can't even make the child-support payments to his increasingly hostile ex-wife (Amy Ryan). Meanwhile, Hank has been having a longtime affair with his brother's beautiful wife (Marisa Tomei), even while Andy dreams of saving his passionless marriage by running off with her to Rio.
Andy's plan seems easy enough. Hank will rob the store on a quiet Saturday morning, when the only one there will be a single employee. But he makes the mistake of recruiting his petty criminal friend Bobby (Brian F. O'Byrne) to do the actual deed, and things go horribly awry, with Bobby and the brothers' Mother Rosemary Harris) winding up dead.
The men's frantic efforts to cover up their complicity in the crime, and those of their grieving father (Albert Finney) to find the rest of those involved, form the heart of the relentlessly downbeat tale, which only gets darker as it goes along.
As much character study as crime thriller, the film features indelible characterizations by the lead actors as the brothers whose flaws reach biblical proportions, with Hoffman's girth and Hawke's slightly dissipated handsomeness working perfectly for their roles. Finney is equally superb as their emotionally inaccessible father, especially in the haunting climactic scenes. But thanks to Lumet's expert handling of his actors, everyone shines, even in the smallest roles, with particularly memorable cameos by Michael Shannon as Bobby's vengeful brother-in-law and Leonard Cimino as a crooked diamond dealer.
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
ThinkFilm
Linsefilm, Michael Cerenzie Prods., Unity Prods.
Credits:
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter: Kelly Masterson
Producers: Michael Cerenzie, Brian Linse, Paul Parmar, William S. Gilmore
Executive producers: Bella Avery, Jane Barclay, David Bergstein, Janette Jensen Hoffman, Eli Klein, Hannah Leader, Jeffry Melnick, Sam Zaharis
Director of photography: Ron Fortunato
Production designer: Christopher Nowak
Music: Carter Burwell
Co-producers: Austin Chick, Jeff G. Waxman
Costume designer: Tina Nigro
Editor: Tom Swartwout
Cast:
Andy: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Hank: Ethan Hawke
Charles: Albert Finney
Gina: Marisa Tomei
Nanette: Rosemary Harris
Chris: Aleksa Palladino
Dex: Michael Shannon
Martha: Amy Ryan
Bobby: Brian F. O'Byrne
Running time -- 123 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
LONDON -- Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs David Bergstein and Ronald Tutor have snapped up U.K. movie sales and finance house Capitol Films for an undisclosed sum, the parties said Sunday. The deal saw the three owners of Capitol Films -- Sharon Harel, Jane Barclay and Hannah Leader -- sell the company to Bergstein and Tutor, who will center Capitol in an entertainment group with interests in production, postproduction, library management and sales. Capitol will retain its London office and staff, while Barclay, Leader and co-managing director Nick Hill will continue to manage the affairs of the company, a deal statement said.
- 1/23/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs David Bergstein and Ronald Tutor have snapped up U.K. movie sales and finance house Capitol Films for an undisclosed sum, the parties said Sunday. The deal saw the three owners of Capitol Films -- Sharon Harel, Jane Barclay and Hannah Leader -- sell the company to Bergstein and Tutor, who will center Capitol in an entertainment group with interests in production, postproduction, library management and sales. Capitol will retain its London office and staff, while Barclay, Leader and co-managing director Nick Hill will continue to manage the affairs of the company, a deal statement said.
- 1/23/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- U.K. sales and finance house Capitol Films has hired Nick Hill, the former CEO of Icon Entertainment, as its joint managing director, Capitol said Tuesday. Hill joins Capitol as joint managing director alongside existing managing director Jane Barclay. Co-founder and current co-managing director Sharon Harel is stepping down from the day-to-day running of the business, making way for Hill's appointment. Said Harel in a statement: "I have decided from the New Year to take a less active role in the day-to-day running of Capitol although I remain the principal shareholder and co-chair of the board. I know that Nick Hill) will take over the mantel of day-to-day control with Jane Barclay) and Hannah Leader) bringing a fresh enthusiasm and much experience." Added Hill: "I'm very pleased to be joining Capitol. I have known Sharon, Jane and Hannah for many years and have always admired the way they have built their company."...
- 11/15/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Echo Bridge Entertainment has acquired all North American rights to the feature film The Big White, starring Robin Williams, Holly Hunter and Woody Harrelson, managing partner Michael Rosenblatt said Tuesday. The film was directed by Mark Mylod from a screenplay by Collin Friesen and produced by Ascendant Pictures' Christopher Eberts, Chris Roberts, Kia Jam and John Schimmel. It was acquired from Capitol Films in a deal negotiated by Ronna Wallace on behalf of Capitol's Jane Barclay. It screens Friday at AFI Fest 2005.
- 11/2/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screened
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- "The Company" is Robert Altman's valentine to the challenging world of ballet and its world-class dancers. Eschewing the high drama of a dance film like "The Turning Point", Altman and his collaborators go for documentary-like realism, which scrutinizes company rehearsals, quick repairs to bruised and calloused bodies, arguments over choreography and the performances themselves, all lovingly photographed by Andrew Dunn. Altman and screenwriter Barbara Turner impose little narration on the film. Instead, they let the drama emerge from the daily routines of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago.
After the rousing critical and boxoffice success of his previous film, "Gosford Park", "The Company" may strike some as a minor work from the iconoclastic director. This also may translate into a limited, though highly appreciative, audience for the Sony Pictures Classics release. Yet the glories of the Joffrey Ballet and Dunn's luminescent cinematography, shooting in high-definition video to give us views from outside the proscenium, in the wings and overhead, make "The Company" a wonderfully vivid and engaging theatrical experience.
The genesis of the film lies with actress Neve Campbell, a fine dancer who studied with the National Ballet of Canada before embarking on an acting career. Campbell wrote the story with Turner and is the only actor in the film to participate with the Joffrey corps, doing all her own dances while playing the role of Ry, a company member on the verge of becoming a principal dancer. Realizing this project not only represents the fulfillment of a longtime dream but also a smart move as an actress. This film should get Campbell out of the "Scream" business and into classier movies and roles.
The other actor to command the screen is Malcolm McDowell, who plays Alberto Antonelli, the ballet's autocratic director. Alberto roams through rehearsal halls and company offices, wearing a series of dapper scarves and bringing the full weight of his demanding personality into every room he visits. He refers to the dancers as "my babies" and insists that they think beyond their own movements to the concept of the ballet itself. (Alberto is loosely based on Joffrey head Gerald Arpino.) It is indicative of Altman's determination to keep things real that an underling, summoning the boss to tend to another crisis elsewhere in the building, interrupts any moment involving Alberto that threatens to become dramatic.
The movie has little plot. An injury creates an opportunity for Ry to perform a pas de deux in an outdoor theater during a thunderstorm. (This is perhaps the movie's most visually exciting sequence.) She is a great success, but Alberto's promise to create dances around her fades, much to the annoyance of her pushy mother (Marilyn Dodds Frank).
Ry breaks up with a boyfriend in the company, then takes up with Josh James Franco), an affable sous chef. A veteran dancer snaps her Achilles tendon, a male dancer is replaced the week before a major ballet and threatens legal action, and dancers and choreographers occasionally clash over movements. That's about it for drama.
The real drama evolves out of the daily lives of the company. Altman, Turner and Campbell prefer to let simple observation demonstrate the battle a dancer must wage to stay on top of his or her game. We are surprised to see Ry forced to work as a cocktail waitress to make ends meet. We witness how dancers' careers are always at the disposal of the company's determined director. We understand the role injuries play.
Such is Altman's love for this brave world that he glides by its darker sides. The impact of AIDS is mentioned only in passing, and nothing at all is said about dancers' constant battle to keep their weight down.
The time period is not always clear, either. We sometimes go from rehearsal to performance in a single cut. One night Ry meets Josh in a saloon, and soon he has her apartment key. Are we experiencing a single season here or several years? Hard to say.
But the film does sweep us up into the lives of ballet dancers in ways no other film ever has. Altman also takes the time to stage and film several individual ballets nearly completely. And the costumes, makeup and design both of the film and the dance performances are magnificent.
THE COMPANY
Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics presents in association with CP Medien and Capitol Films a Killer Films/John Wells production in association with First Snow Prods. and Sand Castle 5 Prods.
Credits:
Director: Robert Altman
Screenwriter: Barbara Turner
Based on a story by: Neve Campbell, Barbara Turner
Producers: David Levy, Joshua Astrachan, Neve Campbell, Christine Vachon, Robert Altman, Pamela Koffler
Executive producers: Jane Barclay, Sharon Harel, Hannah Leader, John Wells, Roland Pellegrino, Dieter Meyer
Director of photography: Andrew Dunn
Production designer: Gary Baugh
Music: Van Dyke Parks
Costume designer: Susan Kaufman
Editor: Geraldine Peroni
Cast:
Ry: Neve Campbell
Alberto Antonelli: Malcolm McDowell
Josh: James Franco
Harriet: Barbara Robertson
Edouard: William Dick
Susie: Susie Cusack
Ry's mother: Marilyn Dodds Frank
Ry's father: John Lordan
Running time -- 112 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- "The Company" is Robert Altman's valentine to the challenging world of ballet and its world-class dancers. Eschewing the high drama of a dance film like "The Turning Point", Altman and his collaborators go for documentary-like realism, which scrutinizes company rehearsals, quick repairs to bruised and calloused bodies, arguments over choreography and the performances themselves, all lovingly photographed by Andrew Dunn. Altman and screenwriter Barbara Turner impose little narration on the film. Instead, they let the drama emerge from the daily routines of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago.
After the rousing critical and boxoffice success of his previous film, "Gosford Park", "The Company" may strike some as a minor work from the iconoclastic director. This also may translate into a limited, though highly appreciative, audience for the Sony Pictures Classics release. Yet the glories of the Joffrey Ballet and Dunn's luminescent cinematography, shooting in high-definition video to give us views from outside the proscenium, in the wings and overhead, make "The Company" a wonderfully vivid and engaging theatrical experience.
The genesis of the film lies with actress Neve Campbell, a fine dancer who studied with the National Ballet of Canada before embarking on an acting career. Campbell wrote the story with Turner and is the only actor in the film to participate with the Joffrey corps, doing all her own dances while playing the role of Ry, a company member on the verge of becoming a principal dancer. Realizing this project not only represents the fulfillment of a longtime dream but also a smart move as an actress. This film should get Campbell out of the "Scream" business and into classier movies and roles.
The other actor to command the screen is Malcolm McDowell, who plays Alberto Antonelli, the ballet's autocratic director. Alberto roams through rehearsal halls and company offices, wearing a series of dapper scarves and bringing the full weight of his demanding personality into every room he visits. He refers to the dancers as "my babies" and insists that they think beyond their own movements to the concept of the ballet itself. (Alberto is loosely based on Joffrey head Gerald Arpino.) It is indicative of Altman's determination to keep things real that an underling, summoning the boss to tend to another crisis elsewhere in the building, interrupts any moment involving Alberto that threatens to become dramatic.
The movie has little plot. An injury creates an opportunity for Ry to perform a pas de deux in an outdoor theater during a thunderstorm. (This is perhaps the movie's most visually exciting sequence.) She is a great success, but Alberto's promise to create dances around her fades, much to the annoyance of her pushy mother (Marilyn Dodds Frank).
Ry breaks up with a boyfriend in the company, then takes up with Josh James Franco), an affable sous chef. A veteran dancer snaps her Achilles tendon, a male dancer is replaced the week before a major ballet and threatens legal action, and dancers and choreographers occasionally clash over movements. That's about it for drama.
The real drama evolves out of the daily lives of the company. Altman, Turner and Campbell prefer to let simple observation demonstrate the battle a dancer must wage to stay on top of his or her game. We are surprised to see Ry forced to work as a cocktail waitress to make ends meet. We witness how dancers' careers are always at the disposal of the company's determined director. We understand the role injuries play.
Such is Altman's love for this brave world that he glides by its darker sides. The impact of AIDS is mentioned only in passing, and nothing at all is said about dancers' constant battle to keep their weight down.
The time period is not always clear, either. We sometimes go from rehearsal to performance in a single cut. One night Ry meets Josh in a saloon, and soon he has her apartment key. Are we experiencing a single season here or several years? Hard to say.
But the film does sweep us up into the lives of ballet dancers in ways no other film ever has. Altman also takes the time to stage and film several individual ballets nearly completely. And the costumes, makeup and design both of the film and the dance performances are magnificent.
THE COMPANY
Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics presents in association with CP Medien and Capitol Films a Killer Films/John Wells production in association with First Snow Prods. and Sand Castle 5 Prods.
Credits:
Director: Robert Altman
Screenwriter: Barbara Turner
Based on a story by: Neve Campbell, Barbara Turner
Producers: David Levy, Joshua Astrachan, Neve Campbell, Christine Vachon, Robert Altman, Pamela Koffler
Executive producers: Jane Barclay, Sharon Harel, Hannah Leader, John Wells, Roland Pellegrino, Dieter Meyer
Director of photography: Andrew Dunn
Production designer: Gary Baugh
Music: Van Dyke Parks
Costume designer: Susan Kaufman
Editor: Geraldine Peroni
Cast:
Ry: Neve Campbell
Alberto Antonelli: Malcolm McDowell
Josh: James Franco
Harriet: Barbara Robertson
Edouard: William Dick
Susie: Susie Cusack
Ry's mother: Marilyn Dodds Frank
Ry's father: John Lordan
Running time -- 112 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/11/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Montreal -- "Among Giants" should garner much attention because it is the first effort from screenwriter Simon Beaufoy since the worldwide smash success of "The Full Monty". ("Giants", however, was written much earlier.)
Scheduled for theatrical release via Fox Searchlight in March and showcased recently at the Montreal World Film Festival, "Giants" will not have the same mass appeal as its predecessor, but in many ways it's a deeper, richer film, and it is a rare contemporary love story that works. Featuring superb performances, especially from Pete Postlethwaite in his first romantic role, it is a moving, funny story of people wrestling with the complexities of affairs of the heart.
Postlethwaite plays Ray, foreman of a group of laborers hired to paint miles of electrical towers along the Yorkshire moors. Ray is more than up to the task: In his spare time, he likes to climb the cliffs of Sheffield with his younger, rowdier buddy Steven (James Thornton). The latter is the kind of guy who, when a mountain isn't handy, will literally climb the walls of a local pub.
One day, the pair runs into a beautiful young woman, an Australian climber named Gerry (Rachel Griffiths, from "Muriel's Wedding") who is roaming the countryside toting nothing more than her backpack. Steven immediately makes a play for her, but Gerry seems more intrigued by the stoic Ray. When, in a decision that seems perplexing to the other men, he hires her to join the painting crew, the relationship has an opportunity to blossom.
At first, the two get along famously, with world-weary Ray finding his greatest happiness in years. And Gerry quickly proves herself one of the most valuable, if reckless, members of the work crew. But the affair runs into difficulty: Ray proposes marriage, but the restless, independent Gerry finds it difficult to commit.
Beaufoy's beautifully modulated screenplay explores the complicated emotional dynamics with intelligence and sensitivity, and his characterizations are well-rounded and complex. Director Sam Miller, making an auspicious debut, doesn't shy away from lyricism -- the first kiss between the two lovers is beautifully rendered -- and he depicts the relationship's physical side in a refreshingly frank, honest fashion. There is much nudity on display, including a scene featuring the lovers frolicking through an abandoned silo that is a particularly vivid illustration of Ray's newfound freedom.
The film also displays many examples of the brand of humor we expect from the "Monty" scribe, with a similar emphasis on good-natured camaraderie among co-workers. Although there are no instantly classic scenes a la the impromptu group dance from "Monty", there are many moments -- especially when the co-workers break into group sing-alongs -- that should be real audience-pleasers.
Postlethwaite is superb in the lead role, providing a multifaceted portrayal that represents the most appealing work he has done onscreen. Griffiths is equally captivating, playing a woman whose tomboyish nature doesn't completely hide a smoldering sexuality. Thornton effectively conveys Steven's vulnerability and brashness, and there isn't a false note among the supporting players.
AMONG GIANTS
Fox Searchlight
Director: Sam Miller
Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy
Producer: Stephen Garrett
Executive producers: Jana Edelbaum, David M. Thompson,
Jane Barclay, Sharon Harel
Director of photography: Witold Stok
Editors: Elen Pierce Lewis, Paul Green
Music: Tim Atak
Color/stereo
Cast: Pete Postlethwaite, Rachel Griffiths, James Thornton, Lennie James, Andy Serkis, Rob Jarvis, Alan Williams
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Scheduled for theatrical release via Fox Searchlight in March and showcased recently at the Montreal World Film Festival, "Giants" will not have the same mass appeal as its predecessor, but in many ways it's a deeper, richer film, and it is a rare contemporary love story that works. Featuring superb performances, especially from Pete Postlethwaite in his first romantic role, it is a moving, funny story of people wrestling with the complexities of affairs of the heart.
Postlethwaite plays Ray, foreman of a group of laborers hired to paint miles of electrical towers along the Yorkshire moors. Ray is more than up to the task: In his spare time, he likes to climb the cliffs of Sheffield with his younger, rowdier buddy Steven (James Thornton). The latter is the kind of guy who, when a mountain isn't handy, will literally climb the walls of a local pub.
One day, the pair runs into a beautiful young woman, an Australian climber named Gerry (Rachel Griffiths, from "Muriel's Wedding") who is roaming the countryside toting nothing more than her backpack. Steven immediately makes a play for her, but Gerry seems more intrigued by the stoic Ray. When, in a decision that seems perplexing to the other men, he hires her to join the painting crew, the relationship has an opportunity to blossom.
At first, the two get along famously, with world-weary Ray finding his greatest happiness in years. And Gerry quickly proves herself one of the most valuable, if reckless, members of the work crew. But the affair runs into difficulty: Ray proposes marriage, but the restless, independent Gerry finds it difficult to commit.
Beaufoy's beautifully modulated screenplay explores the complicated emotional dynamics with intelligence and sensitivity, and his characterizations are well-rounded and complex. Director Sam Miller, making an auspicious debut, doesn't shy away from lyricism -- the first kiss between the two lovers is beautifully rendered -- and he depicts the relationship's physical side in a refreshingly frank, honest fashion. There is much nudity on display, including a scene featuring the lovers frolicking through an abandoned silo that is a particularly vivid illustration of Ray's newfound freedom.
The film also displays many examples of the brand of humor we expect from the "Monty" scribe, with a similar emphasis on good-natured camaraderie among co-workers. Although there are no instantly classic scenes a la the impromptu group dance from "Monty", there are many moments -- especially when the co-workers break into group sing-alongs -- that should be real audience-pleasers.
Postlethwaite is superb in the lead role, providing a multifaceted portrayal that represents the most appealing work he has done onscreen. Griffiths is equally captivating, playing a woman whose tomboyish nature doesn't completely hide a smoldering sexuality. Thornton effectively conveys Steven's vulnerability and brashness, and there isn't a false note among the supporting players.
AMONG GIANTS
Fox Searchlight
Director: Sam Miller
Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy
Producer: Stephen Garrett
Executive producers: Jana Edelbaum, David M. Thompson,
Jane Barclay, Sharon Harel
Director of photography: Witold Stok
Editors: Elen Pierce Lewis, Paul Green
Music: Tim Atak
Color/stereo
Cast: Pete Postlethwaite, Rachel Griffiths, James Thornton, Lennie James, Andy Serkis, Rob Jarvis, Alan Williams
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/28/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Lulu on the Bridge" is "LaLa" on the beach here at the 51st Cannes International Film Festival. An indecipherable indie starring Harvey Keitel as a wounded jazz player, "Lulu" is likely to leave no one gaga, even on the art house circuit.
When the opening shot is of Keitel standing at a urinal taking a whiz, you know you're going to be in for some overwrought filmmaking, even by the lax and pretentious standards of the independent film oeuvre. Written and directed by Paul Auster, who previously teamed with Wayne Wang and Keitel on Miramax's sly and supple story about a streetcorner cigar store, this offering is, unfortunately, all smoke and little flavor.
A mixed blend of philosophizing, psychologizing and mystifying, "Lulu" follows the uneven trajectory of alto sax jazzman, Izzy (Keitel), who is struck by a random bullet one night while whaling away at a session. The bullet has rendered his left lung unworkable -- with no lung capacity, Izzy's career as a saxophonist has ended. In its initial development, "Lulu" charts his recovery as he copes with his essentially life-ending predicament.
Unfortunately, this psychological charting is largely a series of billowing blather, a cadenza of platitudes -- "I'm much younger than I was", "I'm finally connecting", etc. -- that obscures rather than amplifies Izzy's plight. Even worse, Auster goes off on all sorts of distended dramatic riffs, most of them so overwritten and structurally cute that one surmises that this screenplay went through rigorous development at a university writing lab.
While the film's structure stretches for philosophizing, the plotting and narrative flow are characterized by huge open gaps and flip philosophical discourses, and the visual direction is similarly undisciplined. Auster gropes for meaning in his shots -- lingering, say, on the Statue of Liberty after an otherwise desultory camera movement.
In short, "Lulu" is all puff and piffle -- its characters drawn in shorthand and its philosophizing written in gruelingly tedious longhand. In particular, a philosophical discussion about a turd is so pretentious and sophomoric that one supposes this film was penned by a graduate student.
As the wounded saxophonist, Keitel brings a credible weariness to his role, while Mira Sorvino is well-cast as an actress/waitress who meets him under mysterious circumstances. Willem Dafoe does an amusing serpentine turn as some sort of thug/inquisitor, while Vanessa Redgrave oozes presence as a dithery director.
Technical contributions are solid, particularly Alik Sakharov's dark and shaded compositions; however, Graeme Revell's dour score drains "Lulu" of even the little life it has as a human story.
LULU ON THE BRIDGE
Capitol Films presents
a Paul Auster film
CREDITS:
Producers: Peter Newman, Greg Johnson, Amy J. Kaufman
Screenwriter-director: Paul Auster
Executive producers: Sharon Harel, Jane Barclay, Ira Deutchman
Director of photography: Alik Sakharov
Editor: Tim Squyres
Production designer: Kalina Ivanov
Costume designer: Adelle Lutz
Music: Graeme Revell
Katmandu CD music by: John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards
Music supervisor: Susan Jacobs
Sound mixer: Michael Barosky
Casting: Heidi Levitt, Ann Goulder
CAST:
Izzy Maurer: Harvey Keitel
Celia Burns: Mira Sorvino
Dr. Van Horn: Willem Dafoe
Hannah: Gina Gershon
Philip Kleinman: Mandy Patinkin
Catherine Moore: Vanessa Redgrave
Tyrone Lord: Don Byron
Dave Reilly: Richard Edson
Pierre: Victor Argo
Running Time: 103 minutes...
When the opening shot is of Keitel standing at a urinal taking a whiz, you know you're going to be in for some overwrought filmmaking, even by the lax and pretentious standards of the independent film oeuvre. Written and directed by Paul Auster, who previously teamed with Wayne Wang and Keitel on Miramax's sly and supple story about a streetcorner cigar store, this offering is, unfortunately, all smoke and little flavor.
A mixed blend of philosophizing, psychologizing and mystifying, "Lulu" follows the uneven trajectory of alto sax jazzman, Izzy (Keitel), who is struck by a random bullet one night while whaling away at a session. The bullet has rendered his left lung unworkable -- with no lung capacity, Izzy's career as a saxophonist has ended. In its initial development, "Lulu" charts his recovery as he copes with his essentially life-ending predicament.
Unfortunately, this psychological charting is largely a series of billowing blather, a cadenza of platitudes -- "I'm much younger than I was", "I'm finally connecting", etc. -- that obscures rather than amplifies Izzy's plight. Even worse, Auster goes off on all sorts of distended dramatic riffs, most of them so overwritten and structurally cute that one surmises that this screenplay went through rigorous development at a university writing lab.
While the film's structure stretches for philosophizing, the plotting and narrative flow are characterized by huge open gaps and flip philosophical discourses, and the visual direction is similarly undisciplined. Auster gropes for meaning in his shots -- lingering, say, on the Statue of Liberty after an otherwise desultory camera movement.
In short, "Lulu" is all puff and piffle -- its characters drawn in shorthand and its philosophizing written in gruelingly tedious longhand. In particular, a philosophical discussion about a turd is so pretentious and sophomoric that one supposes this film was penned by a graduate student.
As the wounded saxophonist, Keitel brings a credible weariness to his role, while Mira Sorvino is well-cast as an actress/waitress who meets him under mysterious circumstances. Willem Dafoe does an amusing serpentine turn as some sort of thug/inquisitor, while Vanessa Redgrave oozes presence as a dithery director.
Technical contributions are solid, particularly Alik Sakharov's dark and shaded compositions; however, Graeme Revell's dour score drains "Lulu" of even the little life it has as a human story.
LULU ON THE BRIDGE
Capitol Films presents
a Paul Auster film
CREDITS:
Producers: Peter Newman, Greg Johnson, Amy J. Kaufman
Screenwriter-director: Paul Auster
Executive producers: Sharon Harel, Jane Barclay, Ira Deutchman
Director of photography: Alik Sakharov
Editor: Tim Squyres
Production designer: Kalina Ivanov
Costume designer: Adelle Lutz
Music: Graeme Revell
Katmandu CD music by: John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards
Music supervisor: Susan Jacobs
Sound mixer: Michael Barosky
Casting: Heidi Levitt, Ann Goulder
CAST:
Izzy Maurer: Harvey Keitel
Celia Burns: Mira Sorvino
Dr. Van Horn: Willem Dafoe
Hannah: Gina Gershon
Philip Kleinman: Mandy Patinkin
Catherine Moore: Vanessa Redgrave
Tyrone Lord: Don Byron
Dave Reilly: Richard Edson
Pierre: Victor Argo
Running Time: 103 minutes...
- 5/15/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
An affable comedy of manners about a Bronx pizza-maker who follows his thespian dreams to the West Village, "Kiss Me, Guido" serves as a light but promising mainstream entry for first-time writer-director Tony Vitale.
Screened this year at Sundance in the out-of-competition American Spectrum program, the picture serves up a good-natured skewering of gay and straight cultural stereotypes that makes up in warmth what it may lack in subtlety.
While definitely not your average Paramount fare, careful handling and enthusiastic word-of-mouth should take "Guido" beyond its specialized audience base.
Nick Scotti provides the right blend of Tony Manero machismo and gentle naivete as Italian-American Frankie Zito, a DeNiro/Pacino/Pesci-quoting wannabe who answers a Village Voice ad for a "GWM" roommate, believing the abbreviation to stand for "guy with money."
The GWM in question turns out to be Warren (Anthony Barrile), a Soho actor-choreographer recently dumped by his boyfriend who is having a little trouble making the rent. The mistaken-identity situation leads to the inevitable cultural clash, but ultimately, Frankie and Warren form a growing bond, cemented by the mutually respected power of disco music and the fact that Warren starred in one of Frankie's favorite martial arts movies.
Scotti, a former model making his feature film debut following a recurring role in a daytime soap, brings a light comic likability to the part. There's a sweetness to his swagger. Barrile, meanwhile, comes across as a low-key Nathan Lane in his portrayal of Scotti's perpetually sad-sack gay foil.
Also effective are Molly Price as Barrile's unlucky-in-love landlord, Meryl; Christopher Lawford as Warren's weasely ex-boyfriend, Dakota; and Domenick Lombardozzi as Scotti's faithful Bronx buddy, Joey Chips, who brings over the rest of Scotti's stuff, carefully folded in pizza boxes.
Writer-director Vitale, a New York Film Production veteran, admittedly employs a broad stroke here -- the "La Cage Aux Folles" influence is unmistakable -- and his across-the-board style of cultural parody will undoubtedly raise the ire of PC police, but he fills the story with enough clever bits to freshen up the farce.
Production values on this low-budgeter are solid, making good use of the Little Italy/Soho backdrops.
Music supervisor Randall Poster, meanwhile, plays deejay, helping to keep things moving with a nonstop disco mix.
KISS ME, GUIDO
Paramount
Director-screenwriter Tony Vitale
Producers Ira Deutchman, Christine Vachon
Executive producers Jane Barclay,
Tom Carouso, Sharon Harel,
Christopher Lawford
Director of photography Claudia Raschke
Production designer Jeffrey Rathaus
Editor Alexander Hall
Costume designer Victoria Farrell
Music supervisor Randall Poster
Casting Hopkins, Smith and Barden
Color/stereo
Cast:
Frankie Nick Scotti
Warren Anthony Barrile
Pino Anthony DeSando
Terry Craig Chester
Joey Chips Domenick Lombardozzi
Dakota Christopher Lawford
Meryl Molly Price
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Screened this year at Sundance in the out-of-competition American Spectrum program, the picture serves up a good-natured skewering of gay and straight cultural stereotypes that makes up in warmth what it may lack in subtlety.
While definitely not your average Paramount fare, careful handling and enthusiastic word-of-mouth should take "Guido" beyond its specialized audience base.
Nick Scotti provides the right blend of Tony Manero machismo and gentle naivete as Italian-American Frankie Zito, a DeNiro/Pacino/Pesci-quoting wannabe who answers a Village Voice ad for a "GWM" roommate, believing the abbreviation to stand for "guy with money."
The GWM in question turns out to be Warren (Anthony Barrile), a Soho actor-choreographer recently dumped by his boyfriend who is having a little trouble making the rent. The mistaken-identity situation leads to the inevitable cultural clash, but ultimately, Frankie and Warren form a growing bond, cemented by the mutually respected power of disco music and the fact that Warren starred in one of Frankie's favorite martial arts movies.
Scotti, a former model making his feature film debut following a recurring role in a daytime soap, brings a light comic likability to the part. There's a sweetness to his swagger. Barrile, meanwhile, comes across as a low-key Nathan Lane in his portrayal of Scotti's perpetually sad-sack gay foil.
Also effective are Molly Price as Barrile's unlucky-in-love landlord, Meryl; Christopher Lawford as Warren's weasely ex-boyfriend, Dakota; and Domenick Lombardozzi as Scotti's faithful Bronx buddy, Joey Chips, who brings over the rest of Scotti's stuff, carefully folded in pizza boxes.
Writer-director Vitale, a New York Film Production veteran, admittedly employs a broad stroke here -- the "La Cage Aux Folles" influence is unmistakable -- and his across-the-board style of cultural parody will undoubtedly raise the ire of PC police, but he fills the story with enough clever bits to freshen up the farce.
Production values on this low-budgeter are solid, making good use of the Little Italy/Soho backdrops.
Music supervisor Randall Poster, meanwhile, plays deejay, helping to keep things moving with a nonstop disco mix.
KISS ME, GUIDO
Paramount
Director-screenwriter Tony Vitale
Producers Ira Deutchman, Christine Vachon
Executive producers Jane Barclay,
Tom Carouso, Sharon Harel,
Christopher Lawford
Director of photography Claudia Raschke
Production designer Jeffrey Rathaus
Editor Alexander Hall
Costume designer Victoria Farrell
Music supervisor Randall Poster
Casting Hopkins, Smith and Barden
Color/stereo
Cast:
Frankie Nick Scotti
Warren Anthony Barrile
Pino Anthony DeSando
Terry Craig Chester
Joey Chips Domenick Lombardozzi
Dakota Christopher Lawford
Meryl Molly Price
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 7/18/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.