Swim Team director Lara Stolman with Anne-Katrin Titze: "I wanted to be able to go deep in this film." Photo: Monica Delamater
On the closing night of Doc NYC, an exceptional documentary on what it means to come together for a common goal under extraordinary circumstances will be shown. Swim Team captures individual members of the Jersey Hammerheads, co-founded by Mike and Maria McQuay, as they form a bond in and out of the water while training in the hope of qualifying for the Special Olympics.
Jersey Hammerheads - Maria McQuay guides Kelvin with Robbie, Mike and Hayden
Shot by Laela Kilbourn (Morgan Neville's Oscar-winning 20 Feet From Stardom), edited by co-producer Ann Collins (Josh Aronson's Oscar-nominated Sound And Fury) with a score by Mark Suozzo (Whit Stillman's Damsels In Distress, The Last Days Of Disco, Barcelona, Metropolitan), produced by Shanna Belott, Lara Stolman has assembled an impressive...
On the closing night of Doc NYC, an exceptional documentary on what it means to come together for a common goal under extraordinary circumstances will be shown. Swim Team captures individual members of the Jersey Hammerheads, co-founded by Mike and Maria McQuay, as they form a bond in and out of the water while training in the hope of qualifying for the Special Olympics.
Jersey Hammerheads - Maria McQuay guides Kelvin with Robbie, Mike and Hayden
Shot by Laela Kilbourn (Morgan Neville's Oscar-winning 20 Feet From Stardom), edited by co-producer Ann Collins (Josh Aronson's Oscar-nominated Sound And Fury) with a score by Mark Suozzo (Whit Stillman's Damsels In Distress, The Last Days Of Disco, Barcelona, Metropolitan), produced by Shanna Belott, Lara Stolman has assembled an impressive...
- 11/17/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
With the issue of suicide never shied away from, Whit Stillman’s Damsels In Distress is set against a backdrop of pain and suffering that is masked by whimsy and social judgment to produce a film that never dwells for longer than it needs to.
With the opening credits reminiscent of a Woody Allen flick alongside the inclusion of chapters and footnotes to the closing credits, the director’s presence is often felt, especially in how suicide is never treated as taboo but as an everyday part of human life. Though the overriding light-hearted humour ensures we are constantly aware this is a comedy first and drama second, Damsels In Distress utilises its comedy and throwaway charm (the tap dancing goes hand in hand with Fred Astaire’s 1937 musical, A Damsel In Distress) as a coping device for the personal – albeit rather frustratingly hidden – dramas at its core.
The introduction...
With the opening credits reminiscent of a Woody Allen flick alongside the inclusion of chapters and footnotes to the closing credits, the director’s presence is often felt, especially in how suicide is never treated as taboo but as an everyday part of human life. Though the overriding light-hearted humour ensures we are constantly aware this is a comedy first and drama second, Damsels In Distress utilises its comedy and throwaway charm (the tap dancing goes hand in hand with Fred Astaire’s 1937 musical, A Damsel In Distress) as a coping device for the personal – albeit rather frustratingly hidden – dramas at its core.
The introduction...
- 8/21/2012
- by Emma Thrower
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
With this past Spring’s release of Damsels In Distress, his first new title in thirteen years, the Criterion Collection has refurbished two Whit Stillman titles this month, including his impressive independent darling from 1990, Metropolitan. An odd-duck anachronism upon its initial release, time has only added a more subdued refinement and fascination to its subject matter, a depiction of a dying culture giving birth to an auteur whose own brand of strangeness may have recently shown itself to be as equally misdated in dealing with the modern youth in today’s world, where the upper class more freely walks amongst its inferior company.
One New York Christmas, not long ago, a group of seven upper class young adults on Christmas vacation are on their way to a deb ball, and it tis the season for a considerable flurry of such high brow events. Several members of the group known as...
One New York Christmas, not long ago, a group of seven upper class young adults on Christmas vacation are on their way to a deb ball, and it tis the season for a considerable flurry of such high brow events. Several members of the group known as...
- 7/17/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
A review of soundtracks and scores released the week of April 10, 2012.
Think Like a Man: Music From & Inspired By the Film – Various Artists
Think Like a Man is a comedy based on the book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey. The film follows four couples as the women use advice from Steve Harvey’s relationship book against the men while the men discover this and try to use that knowledge against the women.
This is a relationship film that contains an almost completely African-American cast. It’s no surprise this has an R&B-heavy soundtrack. Think Like a Man – Music From & Inspired by the Film brings together a collection of mostly new songs from popular artists like Jennifer Hudson, Ne-Yo, Keri Hilson, John Legend and more. Highlights of the soundtrack include the title track by Jennifer Hudson and Ne-Yo and the two older tracks...
Think Like a Man: Music From & Inspired By the Film – Various Artists
Think Like a Man is a comedy based on the book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey. The film follows four couples as the women use advice from Steve Harvey’s relationship book against the men while the men discover this and try to use that knowledge against the women.
This is a relationship film that contains an almost completely African-American cast. It’s no surprise this has an R&B-heavy soundtrack. Think Like a Man – Music From & Inspired by the Film brings together a collection of mostly new songs from popular artists like Jennifer Hudson, Ne-Yo, Keri Hilson, John Legend and more. Highlights of the soundtrack include the title track by Jennifer Hudson and Ne-Yo and the two older tracks...
- 4/14/2012
- by Christopher Laplante
- SoundOnSight
Mark Suozzo has recently recorded his score for the indie comedy Damsels in Distress. The movie written and directed by Whit Stillman stars Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, Analeigh Tipton, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Carrie MacLemore and Hugo Becker. In the film, a trio of beautiful girls set out to revolutionize life at a grungy American university by helping severely depressed students with a program of good hygiene and musical dance numbers. Adam Schlesinger (Music and Lyrics) is also contributing music to the project and is producing a number of songs for the film. Stillman is producing the comedy with Martin Shafer and Liz Glotzer (Friends with Benefits, Faster). Suozzo is best known in the film music community for his score for the 2003 indie American Splendor, as well as his music for The Nanny Diaries and The Notorious Betty Page. He previously worked with Whitman on the director’s previous indies The Last Days of Disco,...
- 9/3/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
Who is granted political asylum in the United States? It's a heartbreaking and difficult question, as the case of Elian Gonzalez has shown in recent weeks. This timely documentary looks at not only who is granted asylum but also who is doing the granting.
One of the most talked-about and attended films at the Sundance Film Festival, this documentary is a thoughtful, provocative and even-handed depiction of the inside of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. It will be presented on PBS in June.
A Frederick Wiseman-style docu that paints a portrait of a public institution, "Well-Founded Fear" reveals the innards of the INS. Like most government bodies, it is a physically forbidding place: sterile gray walls, plastic chairs, prohibiting signs and blurry barkings of the loudspeaker. Just looking at it is certain to raise one's blood pressure.
In this ambitious and provocative film, we're taken behind the bulletproof glass, through the locked doors, under the fluorescent glare, down the forbidding hallways and into the offices of the INS agents. They are a mixed lot -- all ages, all races. We learn quickly, however, that any system is ultimately a human system, made up of different personalities.
Like anything else in life, there is the crap-shoot element: The luck of the draw can determine whether political asylum is granted. Get a rookie INS worker who hasn't heard the same (fabricated) story over and over, and your chances are better. Indeed, workers constantly guard against becoming jaded, but after a while even the most kind-hearted viewer might be put off by the predictable litany of stories they hear: "I was in the police station, surrounded by five or six cops, and had to go to the bathroom. I escaped through the window"; "I was part of the student revolution"; "I was arrested because they had a photo of me tearing down the dictator's statue."
In Hollywood-ese, each applicant gets to make a "pitch" to tell their story. Unlike many producers, the INS agents are generally very savvy. Something that ties up too neatly rings false. They know life usually is not like that: A too-pat story is often a fabrication, while a story that has some messiness to it is often The Real Thing. Day in and day out, these conscientious government employees must make life-and-death judgment calls in very gray areas.
Naturally, some of the agents we like more than others. One lawyer-like agent comes across as unfeeling and egotistical, wishing to prove his intelligence in outwitting applicants. Yet generally, the agents seem incredibly even-minded and temperate. If anything, no matter what one thinks of the current politics of the INS, this documentary depicts its overall diligence, fairness and kindness.
We see that applicants from particular countries, such as Algeria, arouse special concern among the agents because it is such a "dangerous and chaotic" place. They seem almost willing to bend way over backward to grant these people asylum.
Ultimately, we see that there is a fine line between burnout and experience. Unlike most jobs, the agents' involves real life-and-death decisions, and the pressure is weighty. One particularly fine agent, we learn, has quit the force.
Filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini should be granted high praise for their eminently thorough depiction of this complex agency.
Technically, "Well-Founded Fear" is well-rounded, particularly enhanced by Mark Suozzo's atmospheric and subtle musical score that aptly conveys the tension and continuity of this unsettling setting.
WELL-FOUNDED FEAR
A film by Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini
Producer-directors:Shari Robertson, Michael Camerini
Music:Mark Suozzo
Editors:Karen Schmeer, Suzanne Pancrazi, Christopher Osborn
Director of photography:Michael Camerini
Sound:John Dildine
Color/stereo
Running time -- 119 minutes
No MPAA rating...
One of the most talked-about and attended films at the Sundance Film Festival, this documentary is a thoughtful, provocative and even-handed depiction of the inside of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. It will be presented on PBS in June.
A Frederick Wiseman-style docu that paints a portrait of a public institution, "Well-Founded Fear" reveals the innards of the INS. Like most government bodies, it is a physically forbidding place: sterile gray walls, plastic chairs, prohibiting signs and blurry barkings of the loudspeaker. Just looking at it is certain to raise one's blood pressure.
In this ambitious and provocative film, we're taken behind the bulletproof glass, through the locked doors, under the fluorescent glare, down the forbidding hallways and into the offices of the INS agents. They are a mixed lot -- all ages, all races. We learn quickly, however, that any system is ultimately a human system, made up of different personalities.
Like anything else in life, there is the crap-shoot element: The luck of the draw can determine whether political asylum is granted. Get a rookie INS worker who hasn't heard the same (fabricated) story over and over, and your chances are better. Indeed, workers constantly guard against becoming jaded, but after a while even the most kind-hearted viewer might be put off by the predictable litany of stories they hear: "I was in the police station, surrounded by five or six cops, and had to go to the bathroom. I escaped through the window"; "I was part of the student revolution"; "I was arrested because they had a photo of me tearing down the dictator's statue."
In Hollywood-ese, each applicant gets to make a "pitch" to tell their story. Unlike many producers, the INS agents are generally very savvy. Something that ties up too neatly rings false. They know life usually is not like that: A too-pat story is often a fabrication, while a story that has some messiness to it is often The Real Thing. Day in and day out, these conscientious government employees must make life-and-death judgment calls in very gray areas.
Naturally, some of the agents we like more than others. One lawyer-like agent comes across as unfeeling and egotistical, wishing to prove his intelligence in outwitting applicants. Yet generally, the agents seem incredibly even-minded and temperate. If anything, no matter what one thinks of the current politics of the INS, this documentary depicts its overall diligence, fairness and kindness.
We see that applicants from particular countries, such as Algeria, arouse special concern among the agents because it is such a "dangerous and chaotic" place. They seem almost willing to bend way over backward to grant these people asylum.
Ultimately, we see that there is a fine line between burnout and experience. Unlike most jobs, the agents' involves real life-and-death decisions, and the pressure is weighty. One particularly fine agent, we learn, has quit the force.
Filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini should be granted high praise for their eminently thorough depiction of this complex agency.
Technically, "Well-Founded Fear" is well-rounded, particularly enhanced by Mark Suozzo's atmospheric and subtle musical score that aptly conveys the tension and continuity of this unsettling setting.
WELL-FOUNDED FEAR
A film by Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini
Producer-directors:Shari Robertson, Michael Camerini
Music:Mark Suozzo
Editors:Karen Schmeer, Suzanne Pancrazi, Christopher Osborn
Director of photography:Michael Camerini
Sound:John Dildine
Color/stereo
Running time -- 119 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/10/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Third entry in his talky trilogy boogies with a fine, dysfunctional cast
By Michael Rechtshaffen
Nobody can do navel-gazing quite like Whit Stillman, the witty writer-director of "Metropolitan" and "Barcelona" whose latest, "The Last Days of Disco", completes a quirky, talky trilogy.
The final gasp of disco provides the early '80s backdrop for Stillman's preoccupied preppies who ponder their post-college futures against the insistent beat of "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and "Let's All Chant".
As with his two previous outings, which include a couple of carry-over characters, Stillman and his dialogue-driven approach can be an acquired taste, but the already converted should find his latest -- with its nimbly intertwined stories and echoes of Studio 54 fallout -- to be his most accomplished effort yet in his self-described "Doomed Bourgeois in Love" series.
While the draw will certainly be modest in scope, Gramercy should be able to lure nostalgic, bleary-eyed clubgoers to the Stillman fan base with its wall-to-wall, 22-song promise of nonstop disco action.
Falling chronologically somewhere between "Metropolitan" and "Barcelona", the picture surveys the interactive social and professional lives of a group of young people drawn by the strobe lights of Manhattan during the heady early days of the Me Decade. Among those crowding the dance floor at their beloved disco are the insecure Alice (Chloe Sevigny) and the outspoken Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale), both Hampshire College grads who work together at a book publishing company and become uneasy roommates in a cramped railroad apartment.
Then there's Jimmy (Mackenzie Astin), a struggling ad man who counts on club assistant manager Des (Chris Eigeman) -- a shameless Lothario who dumps girlfriends by telling them he might be gay -- to sneak his clients past discerning doorman Van (Burr Steers); Tom Robert Sean Leonard), a corporate lawyer obsessed with Scrooge McDuck; and Josh (Matt Keeslar), a junior prosecutor in the DA's office who will play a major part in the end of an era.
Although their dilemmas and concerns may be universal, the angst factor is purely New York, and the highly insular world in which they commune has more than once earned Stillman the title of a WASP Woody Allen. A certain degree of patience is required to come to love his fragile, jabbering characters, but the payoff can be satisfying, given the richness of the performances.
In addition to Stillman regular Eigeman, Sevigny and Beckinsale shine as unwitting friends, as does Astin and the entire dysfunctional cast.
Among behind-the-scenes personnel, production designer Ginger Tougas gets the period touches right, while regular Stillman DP John Thomas and editor Andrew Hafitz work nicely against the continuous musical backdrop which seamlessly merges with Mark Suozzo's linking score.
THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO
Gramercy Pictures
A Castle Rock Entertainment presentation
Credits: Director-screenwriter-producer: Whit Stillman; Executive producer: John Sloss; Director of photography: John Thomas; Production designer: Ginger Tougas; Editors: Andrew Hafitz, Jay Pires; Music: Mark Suozzo. Cast: Alice Kinnon: Chloe Sevigny; Charlotte Pingree: Kate Beckinsale; Des McGrath: Chris Eigeman; Jimmy Steinway: Mackenzie Astin; Josh Neff: Matt Keeslar; Dan Powers: Matthew Ross; Holly: Tara Subkoff; Tom: Robert Sean Leonard; Van: Burr Steers; Nina: Jennifer Beals. MPAA rating: R. Color/stereo. Running time -- 112 minutes...
By Michael Rechtshaffen
Nobody can do navel-gazing quite like Whit Stillman, the witty writer-director of "Metropolitan" and "Barcelona" whose latest, "The Last Days of Disco", completes a quirky, talky trilogy.
The final gasp of disco provides the early '80s backdrop for Stillman's preoccupied preppies who ponder their post-college futures against the insistent beat of "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and "Let's All Chant".
As with his two previous outings, which include a couple of carry-over characters, Stillman and his dialogue-driven approach can be an acquired taste, but the already converted should find his latest -- with its nimbly intertwined stories and echoes of Studio 54 fallout -- to be his most accomplished effort yet in his self-described "Doomed Bourgeois in Love" series.
While the draw will certainly be modest in scope, Gramercy should be able to lure nostalgic, bleary-eyed clubgoers to the Stillman fan base with its wall-to-wall, 22-song promise of nonstop disco action.
Falling chronologically somewhere between "Metropolitan" and "Barcelona", the picture surveys the interactive social and professional lives of a group of young people drawn by the strobe lights of Manhattan during the heady early days of the Me Decade. Among those crowding the dance floor at their beloved disco are the insecure Alice (Chloe Sevigny) and the outspoken Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale), both Hampshire College grads who work together at a book publishing company and become uneasy roommates in a cramped railroad apartment.
Then there's Jimmy (Mackenzie Astin), a struggling ad man who counts on club assistant manager Des (Chris Eigeman) -- a shameless Lothario who dumps girlfriends by telling them he might be gay -- to sneak his clients past discerning doorman Van (Burr Steers); Tom Robert Sean Leonard), a corporate lawyer obsessed with Scrooge McDuck; and Josh (Matt Keeslar), a junior prosecutor in the DA's office who will play a major part in the end of an era.
Although their dilemmas and concerns may be universal, the angst factor is purely New York, and the highly insular world in which they commune has more than once earned Stillman the title of a WASP Woody Allen. A certain degree of patience is required to come to love his fragile, jabbering characters, but the payoff can be satisfying, given the richness of the performances.
In addition to Stillman regular Eigeman, Sevigny and Beckinsale shine as unwitting friends, as does Astin and the entire dysfunctional cast.
Among behind-the-scenes personnel, production designer Ginger Tougas gets the period touches right, while regular Stillman DP John Thomas and editor Andrew Hafitz work nicely against the continuous musical backdrop which seamlessly merges with Mark Suozzo's linking score.
THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO
Gramercy Pictures
A Castle Rock Entertainment presentation
Credits: Director-screenwriter-producer: Whit Stillman; Executive producer: John Sloss; Director of photography: John Thomas; Production designer: Ginger Tougas; Editors: Andrew Hafitz, Jay Pires; Music: Mark Suozzo. Cast: Alice Kinnon: Chloe Sevigny; Charlotte Pingree: Kate Beckinsale; Des McGrath: Chris Eigeman; Jimmy Steinway: Mackenzie Astin; Josh Neff: Matt Keeslar; Dan Powers: Matthew Ross; Holly: Tara Subkoff; Tom: Robert Sean Leonard; Van: Burr Steers; Nina: Jennifer Beals. MPAA rating: R. Color/stereo. Running time -- 112 minutes...
- 5/26/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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