Stars Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Maluma and more take you behind the scenes of their glamorous new romance, Universal Pictures’ Marry Me, directed by Kat Coiro. In theaters and streaming only on Peacock this Valentine’s Day. https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-movies/marry-me
Packed with original songs by Jennifer Lopez and global Latin music star Maluma, Marry Me arrives next Valentine’s Day with Lopez starring as musical superstar Kat Valdez and Owen Wilson as Charlie Gilbert, a math teacher—total strangers who agree to marry and then get to know each other. An unlikely romance about two different people searching for something real in a world where value is based on likes and followers, Marry Me is a modern love story about celebrity, marriage and social media.
Kat Valdez (Lopez) is half of the sexiest celebrity power couple on Earth with hot new music supernova Bastian. As Kat and Bastian’s inescapable hit single,...
Packed with original songs by Jennifer Lopez and global Latin music star Maluma, Marry Me arrives next Valentine’s Day with Lopez starring as musical superstar Kat Valdez and Owen Wilson as Charlie Gilbert, a math teacher—total strangers who agree to marry and then get to know each other. An unlikely romance about two different people searching for something real in a world where value is based on likes and followers, Marry Me is a modern love story about celebrity, marriage and social media.
Kat Valdez (Lopez) is half of the sexiest celebrity power couple on Earth with hot new music supernova Bastian. As Kat and Bastian’s inescapable hit single,...
- 1/25/2022
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Disney is the premier company for family friendly fare, and rightly so. Their brand is synonymous with making children happy. At their best, they can also produce content that delights adults in the same manner. Their latest effort, The One and Only Ivan, attempts to pull that feat off, with mixed results. Younger viewers will love the look of the flick, the silliness at times, and the simple resolutions. Older viewers will grasp on to the emotions on display, but wish they were followed through on more. It all ends up becoming a mixed bag that kids will dig on, but adults might not. Coming this week to Disney+, it’s nothing to avoid, but it also falls short of its fully intended goal, and that’s a bit of a let down. The movie is a family adventure, based on a popular children’s book. For as long as...
- 8/20/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Far fairer than Artemis Fowl, the poorly-received, previous live-action/CGI hybrid to be rerouted from theaters to Disney+, The One and Only Ivan is a notably muted, soulful portrait of a silverback gorilla who re-evaluates his seemingly contented life as a mall circus performer.
Based on the Newbery Medal-winning 2013 novel by Katherine Applegate, which in turn took its inspiration from real-life events, the production offers a stirring take on themes of belonging and advocacy; understated voice work from Sam Rockwell in the title role; and intimate cinematography by Florian Ballhaus (a far cry from the sort of anthropomorphic animation on recent display ...
Based on the Newbery Medal-winning 2013 novel by Katherine Applegate, which in turn took its inspiration from real-life events, the production offers a stirring take on themes of belonging and advocacy; understated voice work from Sam Rockwell in the title role; and intimate cinematography by Florian Ballhaus (a far cry from the sort of anthropomorphic animation on recent display ...
- 8/18/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Far fairer than Artemis Fowl, the poorly-received, previous live-action/CGI hybrid to be rerouted from theaters to Disney+, The One and Only Ivan is a notably muted, soulful portrait of a silverback gorilla who re-evaluates his seemingly contented life as a mall circus performer.
Based on the Newbery Medal-winning 2013 novel by Katherine Applegate, which in turn took its inspiration from real-life events, the production offers a stirring take on themes of belonging and advocacy; understated voice work from Sam Rockwell in the title role; and intimate cinematography by Florian Ballhaus (a far cry from the sort of anthropomorphic animation on recent display ...
Based on the Newbery Medal-winning 2013 novel by Katherine Applegate, which in turn took its inspiration from real-life events, the production offers a stirring take on themes of belonging and advocacy; understated voice work from Sam Rockwell in the title role; and intimate cinematography by Florian Ballhaus (a far cry from the sort of anthropomorphic animation on recent display ...
- 8/18/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Camerimage, the weeklong celebration of cinematography in Bydgoszcz, Poland, comes to a close today by handing out its prestigious Frog prizes. The big winner was South Korean drama “The Fortress,” which won the top prize, the Golden Frog, in the Main Competition. The film directed by Dong-Hyuk Hwang and lensed by Ji Yong Kim was a massive hit in its home country in late 2017 and has since been released in 28 countries, including the U.S., reaching 3.8 million viewers worldwide.
The competition jury gave the Silver Frog to cinematographer Łukasz Żal for “Cold War” and the Bronze Frog to director-cinematographer Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma.” With over 900 cinematographers from around the world in attendance, many voting members of the Asc, Camerimage is an important bellwether for the Oscar race for Best Cinematography. The silver and bronze prizes should be a big boost for the two black-and-white films angling for Oscar nominations.
Five years ago,...
The competition jury gave the Silver Frog to cinematographer Łukasz Żal for “Cold War” and the Bronze Frog to director-cinematographer Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma.” With over 900 cinematographers from around the world in attendance, many voting members of the Asc, Camerimage is an important bellwether for the Oscar race for Best Cinematography. The silver and bronze prizes should be a big boost for the two black-and-white films angling for Oscar nominations.
Five years ago,...
- 11/17/2018
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
In this horrifying true story, a German deserter poses as a Luftwaffe captain and presides over the slaughter of prisoners
Here is a nightmare from the German home front in April 1945, collapsing into horror and chaos with the looming reality of imminent defeat. It’s a movie with echoes of Günter Grass’s The Tin Drum or Ralf Rothmann’s To Die in Spring – written and directed by Robert Schwentke, a veteran of commercial Hollywood fare who has gone back to basics with this brutally stark picture, shot by Florian Ballhaus in a crystalline black-and-white: a look inspired, perhaps, by Spielberg’s Schindler’s List.
The drama is based on the bizarre true story of Willi Herold, a German deserter who while on the run chanced upon a Luftwaffe captain’s uniform, dressed up in it and with extraordinary effrontery and cunning played on Germany’s cringing fear of authority...
Here is a nightmare from the German home front in April 1945, collapsing into horror and chaos with the looming reality of imminent defeat. It’s a movie with echoes of Günter Grass’s The Tin Drum or Ralf Rothmann’s To Die in Spring – written and directed by Robert Schwentke, a veteran of commercial Hollywood fare who has gone back to basics with this brutally stark picture, shot by Florian Ballhaus in a crystalline black-and-white: a look inspired, perhaps, by Spielberg’s Schindler’s List.
The drama is based on the bizarre true story of Willi Herold, a German deserter who while on the run chanced upon a Luftwaffe captain’s uniform, dressed up in it and with extraordinary effrontery and cunning played on Germany’s cringing fear of authority...
- 9/19/2018
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The Captain (Der Hauptmann) director Robert Schwentke: "There's certain conventions in German cinema." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In the first instalment of my conversation with Robert Schwentke at the Quad Cinema, the director of Red, R.I.P.D., and Flightplan talks about his latest film The Captain (Der Hauptmann), shot by Florian Ballhaus and starring Max Hubacher with Alexander Fehling, Milan Peschel, Frederick Lau, Bernd Hölscher, Waldemar Kobus, Samuel Finzi, and Wolfram Koch.
Max Hubacher stars as Willi Herold in The Captain
Robert Schwentke also discusses with me the significance of the uniform for Emil Jannings in Fw Murnau's Der Letzte Mann; Heinz Rühmann in Helmut Käutner's Der Hauptmann Von Köpenick, based on Carl Zuckmayer's play; being a "big fan" of Bierkampf director and star Herbert Achternbusch; Heinz Schirk's Die Wannseekonferenz and Theodor Kotulla's Aus einem Deutschen Leben; certain conventions of German cinema, and...
In the first instalment of my conversation with Robert Schwentke at the Quad Cinema, the director of Red, R.I.P.D., and Flightplan talks about his latest film The Captain (Der Hauptmann), shot by Florian Ballhaus and starring Max Hubacher with Alexander Fehling, Milan Peschel, Frederick Lau, Bernd Hölscher, Waldemar Kobus, Samuel Finzi, and Wolfram Koch.
Max Hubacher stars as Willi Herold in The Captain
Robert Schwentke also discusses with me the significance of the uniform for Emil Jannings in Fw Murnau's Der Letzte Mann; Heinz Rühmann in Helmut Käutner's Der Hauptmann Von Köpenick, based on Carl Zuckmayer's play; being a "big fan" of Bierkampf director and star Herbert Achternbusch; Heinz Schirk's Die Wannseekonferenz and Theodor Kotulla's Aus einem Deutschen Leben; certain conventions of German cinema, and...
- 7/27/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Hollywood will be hard-pressed to come up with a more horrifying film this year than writer-director Robert Schwentke’s “The Captain.” Schwentke is perhaps best known to American audiences as the filmmaker behind such hit-and-miss shoot-’em-up movies as “Red,” “R.I.P.D.,” and “Insurgent,” which makes this return to his native Germany a rather surprising departure.
Shot in black and white and set in the final days of World War II, “The Captain” is every bit as violent as those movies, and twice as tense, but it’s a different beast entirely: a period piece — one with a chilling contemporary relevance — about Willi Herold, a kid just 19 years old, who found a Nazi officer’s uniform, assumed the role, and self-righteously went on to murder an estimated 170 of his countrymen. Herold was a real person, and the film assumes a passing respect for history, but it’s hardly the kind of penitent,...
Shot in black and white and set in the final days of World War II, “The Captain” is every bit as violent as those movies, and twice as tense, but it’s a different beast entirely: a period piece — one with a chilling contemporary relevance — about Willi Herold, a kid just 19 years old, who found a Nazi officer’s uniform, assumed the role, and self-righteously went on to murder an estimated 170 of his countrymen. Herold was a real person, and the film assumes a passing respect for history, but it’s hardly the kind of penitent,...
- 7/26/2018
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
After the last decade-plus German director Robert Schwentke has been a Hollywood mainstay with varying levels of success, including Flightplan, Red, R.I.P.D., and a pair of Divergent films. For his latest film, he’s going smaller-scale and back to his roots with the WWII thriller The Captain – also known by its German title Der Hauptmann. With this psychologically challenging thriller, this isn’t Schwentke’s first independent venture as his 2002 horror drama Tattoo found an arthouse audience.
In her review for RogerEbert.com, Tina Hassannia compared the ideologies explored in The Captain to the Milgram experiment, the Stanford University-led experiment that unveiled people’s willingness to physically harm their peers if a high enough authority ordered them to do so. The comparison proves accurate as The Captain centers on German army deserter Willi Herold who disguises himself as a Nazi soldier in order to avoid capture. However, this disguise...
In her review for RogerEbert.com, Tina Hassannia compared the ideologies explored in The Captain to the Milgram experiment, the Stanford University-led experiment that unveiled people’s willingness to physically harm their peers if a high enough authority ordered them to do so. The comparison proves accurate as The Captain centers on German army deserter Willi Herold who disguises himself as a Nazi soldier in order to avoid capture. However, this disguise...
- 6/21/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Amy Schumer’s very R-rated film breakthrough Trainwreck was a hit with critics and audiences looking for the kind of edgy material that made the self-confident and raunchily funny comic a success before Hollywood came calling. Her star vehicle with Goldie Hawn last year, Snatched, was not well received but carried the same R rating one would associate with the Emmy-winning star of Inside Amy Schumer.
But with her latest outing, I Feel Pretty, the humor is defanged and the raunch virtually non-existent in order to get a PG-13 — and a pretty tame PG-13 at that. With this comedy, Schumer attempts to take her admirable positive self-esteem and status as a role model for full-bodied sexiness and flip it on its head. What we are left with, as I say in my video review above, is mostly a one-joke premise spread out to feature length by directors and screenwriters Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein.
But with her latest outing, I Feel Pretty, the humor is defanged and the raunch virtually non-existent in order to get a PG-13 — and a pretty tame PG-13 at that. With this comedy, Schumer attempts to take her admirable positive self-esteem and status as a role model for full-bodied sexiness and flip it on its head. What we are left with, as I say in my video review above, is mostly a one-joke premise spread out to feature length by directors and screenwriters Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein.
- 4/18/2018
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Ever since the release of Trainwreck established Amy Schumer as a big screen comedy star, it has been a waiting game to find out how she would fair as an A list leading lady, following that hit. Schumer has already conquered the small screen with Inside Amy Schumer, but now she tries cinemas again with Snatched. It’s out today and represents the best option in theaters this week. Keep in mind, it’s not amazing, but it’s solidly entertaining and more than amusing enough to recommend. Plus, Schumer has gotten Goldie Hawn back on screens, which is an absolute delight. If you’re a fan of either, you should be in for a treat. The film is an action comedy that wants to be as much an adventure as it is a laugh riot. Emily Middleton (Schumer) is the complete opposite of her mother Linda Middleton (Hawn). In...
- 5/12/2017
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, who died Tuesday at the age of 81, is remembered fondly by Martin Scorsese as “a great artist” who “gave me back my sense of excitement in making movies,” Martin Scorsese said of the man who lensed “Goodfellas” and “Gangs of New York.”
For over two decades, the Scorsese and Ballhaus “had a real creative partnership, and a very close and enduring friendship,” Scorsese said in a statement. “By the time we met, he had already made film history with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and I revered him. He was a lovely human being, and he always had a warm smile for even the toughest situations—anyone who knew him will remember his smile. We started working together in the 80s, during a low ebb in my career. And it was Michael who really gave me back my sense of excitement in making movies.”
Read More: Michael Ballhaus, Who Lensed ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘The Departed,...
For over two decades, the Scorsese and Ballhaus “had a real creative partnership, and a very close and enduring friendship,” Scorsese said in a statement. “By the time we met, he had already made film history with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and I revered him. He was a lovely human being, and he always had a warm smile for even the toughest situations—anyone who knew him will remember his smile. We started working together in the 80s, during a low ebb in my career. And it was Michael who really gave me back my sense of excitement in making movies.”
Read More: Michael Ballhaus, Who Lensed ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘The Departed,...
- 4/13/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Now that the "Divergent" rules have been established, director Robert Schwentke was free to experiment with more psychological emphasis and different visual looks that keep us guessing what's real and what's a sim for Shailene Woodley's Tris. Schwentke 's longtime cinematographer Florian Ballhaus explains the challenges of "The Train" set piece, in which Tris and her friends narrowly escape the Erudites (watch the clip below). "Filming 'Insurgent' was a unique experience because we had the opportunity to be unusually experimental in the context of an action movie -- much more surreal than what is normally allowed. The atmosphere on the set was also shaped by our young and talented actors, an experience I found very refreshing," Ballhaus said. "Insurgent" posed an interesting challenge as a Ya franchise sequel: How do you raise the action and jeopardy while still keeping it character-driven and trippy? "We were lucky to.
- 3/20/2015
- by Bill Desowitz
- Thompson on Hollywood
In the compelling, richly acted Lullaby, painter and sculptor Andrew Levitas writes and directs a debut film about a father’s impending death that manages to take the weight of the moment seriously and not as a simple plot tool for heightened drama. Based loosely off the events surrounding his own father’s death, Levitas takes advantage of a superb ensemble to offer a film that, while sometimes conventional and overlong, has the intimacy and intelligence of a stellar stage play. In fact, given how every other scene is in the dad’s hospital room, how the story takes place over an 18-hour period and how there are suspiciously few hospital staff around, it very well could have been staged.
Levitas’ father passed away more than a decade ago, which brought the artist time to reflect about the circumstances of his life and his father’s disease. Although he shares...
Levitas’ father passed away more than a decade ago, which brought the artist time to reflect about the circumstances of his life and his father’s disease. Although he shares...
- 6/11/2014
- by Jordan Adler
- We Got This Covered
We’re nearly fifteen years into the 21st century and despite the frequent predictions of the implosion of cinema, the industry and medium is still going strong. While much has been made recently about the end of celluloid, a great deal of the best cinematic work in the past decade has been captured photochemically in addition to digitally as a new video on Vimeo can attest. Edited by Erick Lee, this roughly six-minute long video pays tribute to some the best cinematographers working today. In an attempt to maintain uniformity throughout the video as well as not wishing to crop any of the images, Lee culled shots from films with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 by luminaries that include Christopher Doyle, Pung-Leung Kwan, S. Ravi Varman,Frank Giebe, John Toll, Wally Pfister, Roger Deakins, Anthony Dod Mantle, Paul Cameron, Emmanuel Lubezki, J. Michael Muro, Robert Richardson, Florian Ballhaus,John R.,...
- 4/1/2014
- by Cain Rodriguez
- The Playlist
"The Book Thief" might be flying under the Oscar radar, but it's still a gentle gem worth considering. True, it's old-fashioned and sentimental while contemplating the vicarious power of storytelling. But it's a unique Holocaust story told from a child's point of view as well as Death's (adapted from the best-seller by Markus Zusak). And that's what attracted Dp Florian Ballhaus, best known for comedy ("The Devil Wears Prada"), and the son of the great cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (who's worked with both Fassbinder and Scorsese). "I enjoyed how it dealt with innocence and guilt through the eyes of children and their everyday lives," Ballhaus says. "In a way it legitimizes the simplicity or the sense of brutality that is shown from a kid's point of view in that world." Directed by Brian Percival ("Downton Abbey") with attention to innocence, Ballhaus insists that it was important not to be confined to one look.
- 11/15/2013
- by Bill Desowitz
- Thompson on Hollywood
Chicago – Markus Zusak’s hit young adult novel “The Book Thief” is making the transition from book to screen this week when the film, which had its Windy City premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival, makes it theatrical debut.
When the movie premiered here, director Brian Percival, a vet of “Downton Abbey,” Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, and the incredibly talented future star Sophie Nélisse (who stole “Monsieur Lazhar”) sat down to talk to us about their work. Nélisse stars as Liesel, a young girl taken in by a kind couple (Rush & Emily Watson) in Germany just before World War II. When her new parents also take in a Jewish refugee as tensions grow in the small town, Liesel learns lessons about loyalty and courage.
Hollywoodchicago.Com: Who was familiar with the book?
Brian Percival: I don’t think any of us were familiar with the book actually when we got the screenplay.
When the movie premiered here, director Brian Percival, a vet of “Downton Abbey,” Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, and the incredibly talented future star Sophie Nélisse (who stole “Monsieur Lazhar”) sat down to talk to us about their work. Nélisse stars as Liesel, a young girl taken in by a kind couple (Rush & Emily Watson) in Germany just before World War II. When her new parents also take in a Jewish refugee as tensions grow in the small town, Liesel learns lessons about loyalty and courage.
Hollywoodchicago.Com: Who was familiar with the book?
Brian Percival: I don’t think any of us were familiar with the book actually when we got the screenplay.
- 11/11/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Five brave films have made Tiff stand out in a very particular way for me this year. Usually I, among hordes of others, am busiest chasing down the next Academy Award contenders, the high priced U.S. acquisitions or the major sleeper of the festival. Those films are repeatedly covered by the trades, and my Rights Roundup will keep a running talley on all announced pickups worldwide of all the films.
These other brave films are the films which motivate our best filmmakers to create works of art in the first place of filmmaking on my charts.
I already covered Annemarie Jacir's newest film, When I Saw You (Isa: The Match Factory), about a young Palestinian boy in 1967 who, when placed in a Jordanian camp with his mother, insists on returning to his home to find his father. Annemarie is a beautifully determined Jordanian filmmaker who will make films which reflect our world's diversity, speaking out for women and children who would otherwise have no voice. Although there are several films dealing with these refugee camps of Palestinians which were supposed to be temporary but have remained in countries such as Lebanon and Jordan. for three generations, further marginalizing the dispossessed, this one stands out for me because it shows the woman and child in their own private spheres, marginalizing the male politics of the situation. The child's refusal to accept artificial barriers and borders triumphs in the end. That is the only hope for world unity.
Its opposite is realized in Costa Gavras' new film Capital, where money and corporate interests know no borders, and the socialist dream is turned on its head. This film was supported by the French; When I Saw You was supported by Abu Dhabi film funds. Both are important views of life in two vastly different segments of the world today. Will either see wide distribution? The Match Factory who has the most films in Toronto of any sales agent is selling the former and Elle Driver is selling the latter. We'll watch the sales on these two issue oriented dramas' sales.
Another film The Match Factory is handling is Hannah Arendt, directed by Margarethe von Trotta, another filmmaker who is fearless in facing deeply philosophical and important issue. Hannah Arendt, one of the greatest political analysts of the Xx° century, who coined the phrase, "the banality of evil" when she covered the Jerusalem trial of Adolph Eichmann in 1961, and, in so doing, lost many of her best friends, is here portrayed by Barbara Sukowa, who revives the 60s in the New York German Jewish intellectual milieu, reminding us of the days when the New School was tackling tough issues and New Yorker magazine was articulating issues of great importance which today are just as urgent as they were then. The nature of totalitarianism includes victims and oppressors in a cycle of silence which in turn, creates evil because no one speaks up to protest. It took Von Trotta 10 years to make this film in spite of her winning the Venice Fest's Golden Lion for Marianne and Juliane in 1981, a story sharing the theme that von Trotta uses throughout her works, that “the personal is political", or Barbara Sukowa's winning Best Actress for in Venice for the same movie and Best Actress at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival for her work in von Trotta's film Rosa Luxemburg. The New York of this story ("Paradise" as the most wonderful Barbara Sukowa named it in Hannah Arendt) is so well captured because Barbara Sukowa is not only the consummate German as seen in her roles in Fassbinder's films but is also a longtime New Yorker, married to the artist Robert Longo. In addition to those credentials, the scriptwriter is Pamela Katz who wrote Von Trotta's Rosenstrasse is also a New Yorker married to the German Dp Florian Ballhaus (The Devil Wears Prada), the son of the legendary Michael Ballhaus. They all live in the same New York that they inherited from the very people they recreate in the film!
And yet another brave film about a brave woman is The Patience Stone (Isa: Le Pacte) by Atik Rahimi which was just picked up for U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics which will ignite a lot more sales for Le Pacte and which puts it into the Best Foreign Language Academy Award company for 2012. So far, Brazil is the only buyer registered on Cinando. Watch the film on Cinando! It is pure poetry. Piers Handling himself recommended it and it was the buzz film of the festival. It is a movie which Muslim fundamentalists would never allow to be made; and they will hate it.
The issue of religious fundamentalism was also treated with great delicacy in Mira Nair's story of cross cultural belief systems at odds. The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Isa: K5 International who also sold the great sleeper, The Visitors) stars Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber and Kiefer Sutherland. Riz Ahmed who also starred in Trishna is someone who you will want to see again, and I hope we see him soon! He graduated Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and later enrolled into London's Central School of Speech and Drama. He's quoted in IMDb as saying, "[Oxford University] is socially unrepresentative about the real world. The first person I met, I asked to borrow a phone charger. She looked at me, laughed in my face, and told me with no irony or malice that I looked just like Ali G." Ironically, he reminds me of Gordon Warnicke who played Omar in My Beautiful Laundrette and who is British born of South American and German ancestry (and who is probably Jewish). IFC snapped up North American rights to this outstanding film in which Pakistan and Wall Street unite and divide as a smart young Pakistani enters the Hallowed Halls of the Ivy League, Big Business on Wall Street and High Society via Romance until September 11, 2001 shatters the illusions of peace and prosperity we all had been harboring.
There are many more brave and wonderful films which screened this year at Tiff, but for me, these were the ones I was honored to catch. I hope my readers get the chance to see these!
These other brave films are the films which motivate our best filmmakers to create works of art in the first place of filmmaking on my charts.
I already covered Annemarie Jacir's newest film, When I Saw You (Isa: The Match Factory), about a young Palestinian boy in 1967 who, when placed in a Jordanian camp with his mother, insists on returning to his home to find his father. Annemarie is a beautifully determined Jordanian filmmaker who will make films which reflect our world's diversity, speaking out for women and children who would otherwise have no voice. Although there are several films dealing with these refugee camps of Palestinians which were supposed to be temporary but have remained in countries such as Lebanon and Jordan. for three generations, further marginalizing the dispossessed, this one stands out for me because it shows the woman and child in their own private spheres, marginalizing the male politics of the situation. The child's refusal to accept artificial barriers and borders triumphs in the end. That is the only hope for world unity.
Its opposite is realized in Costa Gavras' new film Capital, where money and corporate interests know no borders, and the socialist dream is turned on its head. This film was supported by the French; When I Saw You was supported by Abu Dhabi film funds. Both are important views of life in two vastly different segments of the world today. Will either see wide distribution? The Match Factory who has the most films in Toronto of any sales agent is selling the former and Elle Driver is selling the latter. We'll watch the sales on these two issue oriented dramas' sales.
Another film The Match Factory is handling is Hannah Arendt, directed by Margarethe von Trotta, another filmmaker who is fearless in facing deeply philosophical and important issue. Hannah Arendt, one of the greatest political analysts of the Xx° century, who coined the phrase, "the banality of evil" when she covered the Jerusalem trial of Adolph Eichmann in 1961, and, in so doing, lost many of her best friends, is here portrayed by Barbara Sukowa, who revives the 60s in the New York German Jewish intellectual milieu, reminding us of the days when the New School was tackling tough issues and New Yorker magazine was articulating issues of great importance which today are just as urgent as they were then. The nature of totalitarianism includes victims and oppressors in a cycle of silence which in turn, creates evil because no one speaks up to protest. It took Von Trotta 10 years to make this film in spite of her winning the Venice Fest's Golden Lion for Marianne and Juliane in 1981, a story sharing the theme that von Trotta uses throughout her works, that “the personal is political", or Barbara Sukowa's winning Best Actress for in Venice for the same movie and Best Actress at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival for her work in von Trotta's film Rosa Luxemburg. The New York of this story ("Paradise" as the most wonderful Barbara Sukowa named it in Hannah Arendt) is so well captured because Barbara Sukowa is not only the consummate German as seen in her roles in Fassbinder's films but is also a longtime New Yorker, married to the artist Robert Longo. In addition to those credentials, the scriptwriter is Pamela Katz who wrote Von Trotta's Rosenstrasse is also a New Yorker married to the German Dp Florian Ballhaus (The Devil Wears Prada), the son of the legendary Michael Ballhaus. They all live in the same New York that they inherited from the very people they recreate in the film!
And yet another brave film about a brave woman is The Patience Stone (Isa: Le Pacte) by Atik Rahimi which was just picked up for U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics which will ignite a lot more sales for Le Pacte and which puts it into the Best Foreign Language Academy Award company for 2012. So far, Brazil is the only buyer registered on Cinando. Watch the film on Cinando! It is pure poetry. Piers Handling himself recommended it and it was the buzz film of the festival. It is a movie which Muslim fundamentalists would never allow to be made; and they will hate it.
The issue of religious fundamentalism was also treated with great delicacy in Mira Nair's story of cross cultural belief systems at odds. The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Isa: K5 International who also sold the great sleeper, The Visitors) stars Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber and Kiefer Sutherland. Riz Ahmed who also starred in Trishna is someone who you will want to see again, and I hope we see him soon! He graduated Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and later enrolled into London's Central School of Speech and Drama. He's quoted in IMDb as saying, "[Oxford University] is socially unrepresentative about the real world. The first person I met, I asked to borrow a phone charger. She looked at me, laughed in my face, and told me with no irony or malice that I looked just like Ali G." Ironically, he reminds me of Gordon Warnicke who played Omar in My Beautiful Laundrette and who is British born of South American and German ancestry (and who is probably Jewish). IFC snapped up North American rights to this outstanding film in which Pakistan and Wall Street unite and divide as a smart young Pakistani enters the Hallowed Halls of the Ivy League, Big Business on Wall Street and High Society via Romance until September 11, 2001 shatters the illusions of peace and prosperity we all had been harboring.
There are many more brave and wonderful films which screened this year at Tiff, but for me, these were the ones I was honored to catch. I hope my readers get the chance to see these!
- 9/17/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences brings you the Oscars (yep, that's why they're called Academy Awards), and on Friday, the organization announced that it was prepared to invite 176 new folks to its fold.
In a list posted on its website, the Academy deemed Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin, Terrence Malick, Jonah Hill, Berenice Bejo, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer and a host of other film luminaries worthy of inclusion in its nearly 6,000-member army.
The Academy has drawn the ire of critics who bemoan its overwhelmingly male, white population. A Los Angeles Times investigation found that of all Academy members, 94 percent are Caucasian and 77 percent are male. A mere 2 percent are black, with Latinos constituting an even smaller portion. Only 14 percent of members are under the age of 50.
Full members of the Academy select and vote on Oscars nominees. The organization was started in 1927 and is now governed by a 43-person board.
In a list posted on its website, the Academy deemed Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin, Terrence Malick, Jonah Hill, Berenice Bejo, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer and a host of other film luminaries worthy of inclusion in its nearly 6,000-member army.
The Academy has drawn the ire of critics who bemoan its overwhelmingly male, white population. A Los Angeles Times investigation found that of all Academy members, 94 percent are Caucasian and 77 percent are male. A mere 2 percent are black, with Latinos constituting an even smaller portion. Only 14 percent of members are under the age of 50.
Full members of the Academy select and vote on Oscars nominees. The organization was started in 1927 and is now governed by a 43-person board.
- 6/29/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 176 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2012 to the Academy.s roster of members.
.These film professionals represent some of the most talented, most passionate contributors to our industry,. said Academy President Tom Sherak. .I.m glad to recognize that by calling each of them a fellow Academy member..
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
The 2012 invitees are:
Actors
Simon Baker . .Margin Call,. .L.A. Confidential.
Sean Bean . .Flightplan,. .The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Bérénice Bejo . .The Artist,. .Oss 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies.
Tom Berenger . .Inception,. .Platoon.
Demián Bichir . .A Better Life,. .Che.
Jessica Chastain . .The Help,. .The Tree of Life.
Clifton Collins,...
.These film professionals represent some of the most talented, most passionate contributors to our industry,. said Academy President Tom Sherak. .I.m glad to recognize that by calling each of them a fellow Academy member..
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
The 2012 invitees are:
Actors
Simon Baker . .Margin Call,. .L.A. Confidential.
Sean Bean . .Flightplan,. .The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Bérénice Bejo . .The Artist,. .Oss 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies.
Tom Berenger . .Inception,. .Platoon.
Demián Bichir . .A Better Life,. .Che.
Jessica Chastain . .The Help,. .The Tree of Life.
Clifton Collins,...
- 6/29/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences extended their 2012 membership invitations today to 176 lucky actors, directors, cinematographers, and other members of the filmmaking industry.
Terrence Malick, who somehow wasn’t already a member, received an invitation, as did fellow directors Rodrigo Garcia and Asghar Farhadi.
For actors, Melissa McCarthy’s invitation continues her incredible post-Bridesmaids rise. In addition, actors Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Andy Serkis, Jessica Chastain, and Octavia Spencer were all invited to be members, among others.
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003, according to the Academy’s website.
Terrence Malick, who somehow wasn’t already a member, received an invitation, as did fellow directors Rodrigo Garcia and Asghar Farhadi.
For actors, Melissa McCarthy’s invitation continues her incredible post-Bridesmaids rise. In addition, actors Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Andy Serkis, Jessica Chastain, and Octavia Spencer were all invited to be members, among others.
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003, according to the Academy’s website.
- 6/29/2012
- by Erin Strecker
- EW - Inside Movies
HollywoodNews.com: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 176 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2012 to the Academy’s roster of members.
“These film professionals represent some of the most talented, most passionate contributors to our industry,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “I’m glad to recognize that by calling each of them a fellow Academy member.”
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
The 2012 invitees are:
Actors
Simon Baker – “Margin Call,” “L.A. Confidential”
Sean Bean – “Flightplan,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
Bérénice Bejo – “The Artist,” “Oss 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies”
Tom Berenger – “Inception,” “Platoon”
Demián Bichir – “A Better Life,” “Che”
Jessica Chastain – “The Help,” “The Tree of Life”
Clifton Collins,...
“These film professionals represent some of the most talented, most passionate contributors to our industry,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “I’m glad to recognize that by calling each of them a fellow Academy member.”
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
The 2012 invitees are:
Actors
Simon Baker – “Margin Call,” “L.A. Confidential”
Sean Bean – “Flightplan,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
Bérénice Bejo – “The Artist,” “Oss 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies”
Tom Berenger – “Inception,” “Platoon”
Demián Bichir – “A Better Life,” “Che”
Jessica Chastain – “The Help,” “The Tree of Life”
Clifton Collins,...
- 6/29/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
“Tracking Shot” is a monthly featurette here on Ioncinema.com that looks at a dozen or so projects that are moments away from lensing and with June being a major production month we’ve got a slew of projects that we feel are worth signaling out. Music appears to be a common narrative theme surrounding several items – we find it infused in Once‘s John Carney’s U.S. production debut – a 10 million dollar production about a dejected music business executive forms a bond with a young singer-songwriter new to Manhattan. Scarlett Johansson was formerly attached to Can a Song Save Your Life?, now Knightley appears to be on board. Rock documentary filmmaker Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile) is looking to make his second fictional feature based on the true story of a The Smiths fans who lost his bearings when the group announced its break-up. Shoplifters of the World...
- 6/5/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Gambit, from the Coen brothers' screenplay update of the original 1966 film (with Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine), is currently in post-production in London. The star-packed film--Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Sir Tom Courtenay, Stanley Tucci and Cloris Leachman--directed by Michael Hoffman now boasts composer Rolfe Kent (Up in the Air, Sideways). Adding to the impressive creative team behind Gambit--including three-time Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig (Harry Potter, The English Patient, Dangerous Liaisons, Gandhi); Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan (The King's Speech, Sherlock Holmes, A Room with a View, Gosford Park) and cinematographer Florian Ballhaus (The Devil Wears Prada, Red)--Kent is just one more reason to put Gambit on our must-see list. Here's more. CBS Films will distribute the film in the Us, while ...
- 10/18/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
Principal Photography Begins On Colin Firth And Cameron Diaz Starring In Gambit In London Stanley Tucci And Cloris Leachman Join Highly Anticipated Production
Gambit, starrign Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz has began shooting in London (as of May 5th) and the above photo is your first look from the set.The film from Crime Scene Pictures began shooting in London on May 5 with Stanley Tucci and Cloris Leachman joining the cast of the film under the direction of Michael Hoffman. Gambit is based on a screenplay written by Academy Award© winners Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit, No Country for Old Men). Mike Lobell (The Freshman, Honeymoon in Vegas) is producing, alongside Crime Scene Pictures partners Adam Ripp and Rob Paris, who are also financing.
Principal photography began on Gambit, starring Academy Award© winner Colin Firth (The King.s Speech), Cameron Diaz (The Green Hornet, There.s Something About Mary...
Gambit, starrign Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz has began shooting in London (as of May 5th) and the above photo is your first look from the set.The film from Crime Scene Pictures began shooting in London on May 5 with Stanley Tucci and Cloris Leachman joining the cast of the film under the direction of Michael Hoffman. Gambit is based on a screenplay written by Academy Award© winners Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit, No Country for Old Men). Mike Lobell (The Freshman, Honeymoon in Vegas) is producing, alongside Crime Scene Pictures partners Adam Ripp and Rob Paris, who are also financing.
Principal photography began on Gambit, starring Academy Award© winner Colin Firth (The King.s Speech), Cameron Diaz (The Green Hornet, There.s Something About Mary...
- 5/17/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chicago – After 2010, the Golden Globes should officially retire the category of “Best Musical or Comedy” for two reasons: 1. A staggeringly small percentage of American films annually fall under the category of “musical,” and 2. This year’s nominees were so embarrassingly awful that they instantly drained the category of any future credibility.
With the obvious exception of the family drama “The Kids Are All Right,” none of the nominated pictures were the least bit deserving of a Best Picture nod. Yet unlike “The Tourist,” “Burlesque” and (arguably) “Alice in Wonderland,” “Red” is the only nominee destined to spawn an ill-advised franchise. A sequel to “Red” would be wholly unnecessary, since the original film could easily function as its own sequel, remake and TV spin-off.
Blu-Ray Rating: 1.5/5.0
Why? Because this 111-minute exercise in excess is built around exactly one joke: old geezers love firing guns. This premise stopped being funny around the...
With the obvious exception of the family drama “The Kids Are All Right,” none of the nominated pictures were the least bit deserving of a Best Picture nod. Yet unlike “The Tourist,” “Burlesque” and (arguably) “Alice in Wonderland,” “Red” is the only nominee destined to spawn an ill-advised franchise. A sequel to “Red” would be wholly unnecessary, since the original film could easily function as its own sequel, remake and TV spin-off.
Blu-Ray Rating: 1.5/5.0
Why? Because this 111-minute exercise in excess is built around exactly one joke: old geezers love firing guns. This premise stopped being funny around the...
- 2/1/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Sneak Peek DC comics newest Wildstorm issues, picturing actors Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren, supporting Summit Entertainment's upcoming release of the Toronto-lensed, comic book adaptation "Red".
The cast of the "Red"movie, also includes Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds") , Morgan Freeman ("Unforgiven")", Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss ("The Goodbye Girl"), Ernest Borgnine ("The Wild Bunch"), Julian McMahon, James Remar ("The Warriors") and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout"), "Red" is...
The cast of the "Red"movie, also includes Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds") , Morgan Freeman ("Unforgiven")", Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss ("The Goodbye Girl"), Ernest Borgnine ("The Wild Bunch"), Julian McMahon, James Remar ("The Warriors") and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout"), "Red" is...
- 9/19/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sneak Peek the new character poster of "Weeds" actress Mary-Louise Parker, co-starring in Summit Entertainment's Toronto-lensed comic book adaptation "Red".
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren/Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout...
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren/Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout...
- 7/19/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sneak Peek the new character poster of actress Helen Mirren supporting Summit Entertainment's Toronto-lensed comic book adaptation "Red", co-starring Bruce Willis and John Malkovich.
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout...
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout...
- 7/13/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sneak Peek the new character poster of actor Bruce Willis supporting Summit Entertainment's Toronto-lensed comic book adaptation "Red", co-starring John Malkovich.
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren/Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout"), the...
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren/Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout"), the...
- 7/13/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Take a look at the teaser trailer supporting Summit Entertainment's Toronto-lensed comic book adaptation Red, starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich. Red is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same title by author Warren Ellis. Cast of the film also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon. "...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..." Directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler's Wife) from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber (Whiteout...
- 6/29/2010
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
Sneak Peek the new teaser trailer supporting Summit Entertainment's Toronto-lensed comic book adaptation "Red", starring Bruce Willis and John Malkovich.
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout"), the...
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout"), the...
- 6/24/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Take a look at exclusive nighttime footage of Summit Entertainment's upcoming, Toronto-lensed comic book adaptation Red, starring Bruce Willis and John Malkovich, as Chicago police cars approach the Toronto Parking Authority parking garage, @ 2 Church Street, south of Front Street, March 3, accompanied by 'loud simulated gunfire'. Red is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis. Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon. "...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in...
- 3/12/2010
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
Sneak Peek exclusive footage of Summit Entertainment's Toronto-lensed comic book adaptation "Red", starring Bruce Willis and John Malkovich, shooting nighttime police car sequences approaching the Toronto Parking Authority parking garage, @ 2 Church Street, south of Front Street along Church, on March 3, accompanied by 'loud simulated gunfire'.
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in...
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in...
- 3/11/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Summit Entertainment's Toronto-lensed comic book adaptation Red, starring Bruce Willis and John Malkovich, will be shooting interior sequences in the Toronto Parking Authority parking garage, @ 2 Church Street between 5Pm and 6Am, February 17, 18, 19, 22, 23 and 24. The nighttime filming, involving 'loud simulated gunfire', will also include an exterior scene February 22, involving emrgency vehicles approaching the garage southbound on Church Street from Front Street. Red is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis. Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon. "...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for,...
- 2/17/2010
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
Summit Entertainment's Toronto-lensed comic book adaptation "Red", starring Bruce Willis and John Malkovich, will be shooting interior scenes in the Toronto Parking Authority parking garage, @ 2 Church Street between 5Pm and 6Am, February 17, 18, 19, 22, 23 and 24.
The nighttime filming, involving 'loud simulated gunfire', will also include a scene February 22, involving emrgency vehicles approaching the garage southbound on Church Street from Front Street.
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for,...
The nighttime filming, involving 'loud simulated gunfire', will also include a scene February 22, involving emrgency vehicles approaching the garage southbound on Church Street from Front Street.
"Red" is an adaptation of DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Cast also includes Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for,...
- 2/16/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Chicago – Robert Schwentke’s adaptation of the beloved novel “The Time Traveler’s Wife” was mostly critically ridiculed in theaters but should make for a satisfying rental this Valentine’s Day and deserves a second consideration from those that completely dismissed it at first. It looks beautiful in HD and the film’s flaws are easier to forgive at home without the expectation of this long-awaited project.
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0
Ultimately, I wish “The Time Traveler’s Wife” was weirder. A tale about a man who travels through time but stays betrothed to his one true love should be awash in romance, magic, and surrealism. It should be poetry, not prose. And when Schwentke, writer Bruce Joel Robin, and, notably, cinematographer Florian Ballhaus allow the film to focus on themes more than practicalities, it nearly works.
The Time Traveler’s Wife was released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 9th, 2010.
Photo...
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0
Ultimately, I wish “The Time Traveler’s Wife” was weirder. A tale about a man who travels through time but stays betrothed to his one true love should be awash in romance, magic, and surrealism. It should be poetry, not prose. And when Schwentke, writer Bruce Joel Robin, and, notably, cinematographer Florian Ballhaus allow the film to focus on themes more than practicalities, it nearly works.
The Time Traveler’s Wife was released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 9th, 2010.
Photo...
- 2/11/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Academy Award® winners Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine joined Bruce Willis (Sin City), Mary-Louis Parker (“Weeds”), Brian Cox (Rushmore) and Academy Award® nominee John Malkovich in Toronto as they began production of the big-screen adaptation Red based on the graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis. Its hard to hear about a graphic novel adaptation starring Willis along side a lot of A list actors and not think of Frank Miller’s Sin City — alas, the City casts a large shadow. Rumors of a City sequel make this an especially interesting project for Willis to take on. I hope that Red finds a unique onscreen style and feel to stand out in whats become a rather big graphic novel crowd. Production moves to New Orleans before wrapping in late March. Look for Red in theaters October 22, 2010 and watch Willis and Freeman in Lucky Number Slevin on DVD today!
- 1/20/2010
- by creth
- Atomic Popcorn
Principal photography has begun in Toronto on Summit Entertainment’s spy-thriller “Red,” based on the DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis.
Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
“Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive.
Directed by Robert Schwentke (“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Flightplan”) from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber...
Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
“Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive.
Directed by Robert Schwentke (“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Flightplan”) from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber...
- 1/19/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Flush with cash from the Twilight films, Summit Entertainment is moving ahead with other projects and today announced work has begun on Red.
January 12, 2010 --- Toronto, Canada – Principal photography has begun in Toronto on Summit Entertainment’s spy-thriller Red, based on the WildStorm graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner.
Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
Red is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman,...
January 12, 2010 --- Toronto, Canada – Principal photography has begun in Toronto on Summit Entertainment’s spy-thriller Red, based on the WildStorm graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner.
Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
Red is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman,...
- 1/19/2010
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Principal photography has started in Toronto on Summit Entertainment's spy-thriller "Red", based on the DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by author Warren Ellis.
Joining previously announced actors Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Oscar-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber...
Joining previously announced actors Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Oscar-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
"...Red is the story of 'Frank Moses' (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive..."
Directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife") from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber...
- 1/18/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Principal photography on the big screen adaptation of the DC Comics/Warren Ellis graphic novel Red has begun in Toronto. Summit Entertainment issued a press release, which includes details on the full cast/crew, and which follows below.
If you recall, I previously profiled the film on this blog, and also included a link to the full script, as well as a full review by Script Shadow. You can read that post Here.
The film stars Bruce Willis as a former black-ops CIA agent now living a quiet life in retirement, until the day a high-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. Morgan Freeman co-stars. Initially, I hoped would he would be one of the two main characters (either the retired CIA agent, or the assassin); however, Freeman plays one of Willis’ former CIA pals, by the name of Marvin, who’s also retired and, according to Script Shadow’s review of the script,...
If you recall, I previously profiled the film on this blog, and also included a link to the full script, as well as a full review by Script Shadow. You can read that post Here.
The film stars Bruce Willis as a former black-ops CIA agent now living a quiet life in retirement, until the day a high-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. Morgan Freeman co-stars. Initially, I hoped would he would be one of the two main characters (either the retired CIA agent, or the assassin); however, Freeman plays one of Willis’ former CIA pals, by the name of Marvin, who’s also retired and, according to Script Shadow’s review of the script,...
- 1/18/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
That one comic book you've never read is officially under way. Red, starring Bruce Willis and a bunch of old people, has started shooting up in Toronto. Here's the press release!Toronto, Canada – Principal photography has begun in Toronto on Summit Entertainment’s spy-thriller “Red,” based on the DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis. Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon. “Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered,...
- 1/18/2010
- LRMonline.com
That one comic book you've never read is officially under way. Red, starring Bruce Willis and a bunch of old people, has started shooting up in Toronto. Here's the press release!Toronto, Canada – Principal photography has begun in Toronto on Summit Entertainment’s spy-thriller “Red,” based on the DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis. Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon. “Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered,...
- 1/18/2010
- LRMonline.com
Principal photography on the big screen adaptation of the DC Comics/Warren Ellis graphic novel Red has begun in Toronto:
Here is the full press release.
Principal photography has begun in Toronto on Summit Entertainment’s spy-thriller “Red,” based on the DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis.
Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
“Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman,...
Here is the full press release.
Principal photography has begun in Toronto on Summit Entertainment’s spy-thriller “Red,” based on the DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis.
Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
“Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman,...
- 1/18/2010
- by Kellvin Chavez
- AMC - Script to Screen
Principal photography has begun in Toronto on Summit Entertainment’s spy-thriller “Red,” based on the DC Comics graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis.
Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
“Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive.
Directed by Robert Schwentke (“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Flightplan”) from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber...
Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.
“Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive.
Directed by Robert Schwentke (“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Flightplan”) from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber...
- 1/18/2010
- MoviesOnline.ca
Release Date: Aug. 14
Director: Robert Schwentke
Writer: Bruce Joel Rubin
Starring: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams
Cinematographer: Florian Ballhaus
Studio/Run Time: New Line, 107 mins.
By, oh, eight minutes into The Time Traveler’s Wife, you may find yourself wondering how you could possibly be in a movie about a sexy alcoholic librarian who involuntarily travels through time and falls in love with Rachel McAdams. Take heed, though, because by minute 30, you'll be hopelessly hooked. What happens if he time-travels at his wedding? Is his kid trying to time-travel in utero? Why does he never seem to time-travel age past 50?...
Director: Robert Schwentke
Writer: Bruce Joel Rubin
Starring: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams
Cinematographer: Florian Ballhaus
Studio/Run Time: New Line, 107 mins.
By, oh, eight minutes into The Time Traveler’s Wife, you may find yourself wondering how you could possibly be in a movie about a sexy alcoholic librarian who involuntarily travels through time and falls in love with Rachel McAdams. Take heed, though, because by minute 30, you'll be hopelessly hooked. What happens if he time-travels at his wedding? Is his kid trying to time-travel in utero? Why does he never seem to time-travel age past 50?...
- 8/25/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
I want to begin by telling you up front that what I am about to say may shock some of you. In fact, some of you may choose never to read my reviews again. Prepare yourselves, because I am about to make one bold statement… The Time Traveler’S Wife is one of the best love stories Ever told. There. Now, that wasn’t that bad, was it? With that said, I would liked to have seen a few better casting choices.
The film was based on Audrey Niffenegger’s novel of the same name, adapted for the screen by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost, Jacob’S Ladder) and directed by Robert Schwentke (Tattoo, Flight Plan). At one hour and 47 minutes in length, the film can feel a bit slow at times in the first two acts, but the pace of the third act certainly makes up for having patience. The...
The film was based on Audrey Niffenegger’s novel of the same name, adapted for the screen by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost, Jacob’S Ladder) and directed by Robert Schwentke (Tattoo, Flight Plan). At one hour and 47 minutes in length, the film can feel a bit slow at times in the first two acts, but the pace of the third act certainly makes up for having patience. The...
- 8/14/2009
- by Travis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Release Date: Dec. 25
Director: David Frankel
Writer: Scott Frank and Don Roos (screenplay), Josh Grogan (novel)
Cinematographer: Florian Ballhaus
Starring: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, Alan Arkin
Studio/Run Time: Twentieth Century-Fox, 120 mins.
If the trailer and marketing for Marley & Me accurately portrayed the film, it would be about following a dog and its owners through a lifetime of misadventures. What the film’s actually about is a pair of people who marry and soon afterward find themselves overwhelmed by the responsibilities of work and family, all of which is somewhat exacerbated by their ill-behaved pet. It’s a big switcheroo, but Fox is smart and its choice of showcasing the attractive dog rather than the depressing realities of maturing is a big PR coup. Marley himself is the biggest MacGuffin this side of Hitchcock.
Director: David Frankel
Writer: Scott Frank and Don Roos (screenplay), Josh Grogan (novel)
Cinematographer: Florian Ballhaus
Starring: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, Alan Arkin
Studio/Run Time: Twentieth Century-Fox, 120 mins.
If the trailer and marketing for Marley & Me accurately portrayed the film, it would be about following a dog and its owners through a lifetime of misadventures. What the film’s actually about is a pair of people who marry and soon afterward find themselves overwhelmed by the responsibilities of work and family, all of which is somewhat exacerbated by their ill-behaved pet. It’s a big switcheroo, but Fox is smart and its choice of showcasing the attractive dog rather than the depressing realities of maturing is a big PR coup. Marley himself is the biggest MacGuffin this side of Hitchcock.
- 1/5/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
Scintillating romantic comedy is the holy grail that everyone in Hollywood dreams of capturing. Producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner have achieved some success reinvigorating classic formulas in their English comedies including Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill.
But in crossing the pond for their latest effort, Definitely, Maybe, they run into some problems. Writer-director Adam Brooks ("Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason") doesn't have the knack for the genre demonstrated by the masters. Opening on Valentine's Day, the film hopes to tap the date crowd, but it falls somewhere between a mass audience crowd-pleaser and a literate class act. Business will be middling but not spectacular.
Yet the film is far from a complete washout, and this is chiefly a tribute to its immensely attractive and appealing cast. Ryan Reynolds proves to have the stuff of a true leading man. He plays disgruntled ad man Will Hayes, who receives divorce papers in the movie's opening scene. He goes to pick up his daughter Maya ("Little Miss Sunshine's" Abigail Breslin) at school, where she has just attended her first sex education class and has a million questions for her befuddled dad.
Maya's discovery of sex prompts her to ask Will how he met and fell and love with her mother. Instead of giving her a straightforward answer, Will recounts his romantic involvement with three women: college sweetheart Emily (Elizabeth Banks), flaky co-worker April (Isla Fisher) and aspiring journalist Summer (Rachel Weisz). He frames his history as something of a mystery that Maya will have to solve: Which of the three women became his wife, and which of the three is his true soulmate?
The answer to the first question is not immediately apparent, but the answer to the second is clear because Fisher has top billing and the most screen time. It's also clear because Fisher and Reynolds have the kind of sizzling chemistry that defines all the memorable movie couples. This film is a great showcase for both of them.
Will is an unusual romantic hero in that he spends most of the movie being dumped instead of conquering women. Considering that Reynolds has the looks to be a superstar, it's a shrewd decision for him to play against that and come across as awkward and even dorky in his pursuit of women. His lack of confidence in his sexual prowess makes him even more endearing.
Fisher, best known for her role in Wedding Crashers, is absolutely irresistible. She, too, seems frazzled and rumpled rather than glamorous. April is the kind of no-nonsense, down-to-earth woman who always has been the mainstay of romantic comedy. Fisher actually seems to be channeling Jean Arthur or Claudette Colbert.
Weisz and Banks are ravishing enough to make the contest among the three women viable, though Banks' role is underdeveloped, and even Weisz could use some meatier scenes. (A bland montage that shows Summer and Will falling in love doesn't do the trick.)
Kevin Kline has a sharp cameo as the drunk writer who is Summer's mentor and lover. But a lot of the other supporting players don't really have enough to do. Even Breslin is reduced to little more than a sounding-board until the very last scenes, when she finally gets to play a more active role in Will's search for fulfillment.
The film begins in 1992, when Will goes to work for Bill Clinton's campaign for president, and an entertaining subplot concerns Will's disillusionment with Clinton during the course of the '90s. But the evocation of the era is fairly lackluster. Cinematographer Florian Ballhaus does capture the allure of Manhattan, though the editing by Peter Teschner lets the picture drag on too long.
The bigger problem is that the romantic banter between Will and his three paramours strains for sparkling wit and only occasionally achieves it. In addition, the script cries out for the kind of clever plotting that distinguished such movies as It Happened One Night and "Adam's Rib." Is it impossible for today's writers to match the urbanity of Samson Raphaelson or Donald Ogden Stewart or Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin?
Such performers as Reynolds and Fisher might rank with Gable and Lombard or Tracy and Hepburn, but we'll never know until they get the crack scripts that helped to turn an earlier generation of actors into legends.
DEFINITELY, MAYBE
Universal
Working Title, StudioCanal
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Adam Brooks
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Executive producers: Liza Chasin, Bobby Cohen
Co-executive producer: Kerry Orent
Director of photography: Florian Ballhaus
Production designer: Stephanie Carroll
Music: Clint Mansell
Costume designer: Gary Jones
Editor: Peter Teschner
Cast:
Will Hayes: Ryan Reynolds
April: Isla Fisher
Maya Hayes: Abigail Breslin
Russell McCormack: Derek Luke
Emily: Elizabeth Banks
Summer Hartley: Rachel Weisz
Hampton Roth: Kevin Kline
Gareth: Adam Ferrara
Arthur Robredo: Nestor Serrano
Running time -- 110 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
But in crossing the pond for their latest effort, Definitely, Maybe, they run into some problems. Writer-director Adam Brooks ("Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason") doesn't have the knack for the genre demonstrated by the masters. Opening on Valentine's Day, the film hopes to tap the date crowd, but it falls somewhere between a mass audience crowd-pleaser and a literate class act. Business will be middling but not spectacular.
Yet the film is far from a complete washout, and this is chiefly a tribute to its immensely attractive and appealing cast. Ryan Reynolds proves to have the stuff of a true leading man. He plays disgruntled ad man Will Hayes, who receives divorce papers in the movie's opening scene. He goes to pick up his daughter Maya ("Little Miss Sunshine's" Abigail Breslin) at school, where she has just attended her first sex education class and has a million questions for her befuddled dad.
Maya's discovery of sex prompts her to ask Will how he met and fell and love with her mother. Instead of giving her a straightforward answer, Will recounts his romantic involvement with three women: college sweetheart Emily (Elizabeth Banks), flaky co-worker April (Isla Fisher) and aspiring journalist Summer (Rachel Weisz). He frames his history as something of a mystery that Maya will have to solve: Which of the three women became his wife, and which of the three is his true soulmate?
The answer to the first question is not immediately apparent, but the answer to the second is clear because Fisher has top billing and the most screen time. It's also clear because Fisher and Reynolds have the kind of sizzling chemistry that defines all the memorable movie couples. This film is a great showcase for both of them.
Will is an unusual romantic hero in that he spends most of the movie being dumped instead of conquering women. Considering that Reynolds has the looks to be a superstar, it's a shrewd decision for him to play against that and come across as awkward and even dorky in his pursuit of women. His lack of confidence in his sexual prowess makes him even more endearing.
Fisher, best known for her role in Wedding Crashers, is absolutely irresistible. She, too, seems frazzled and rumpled rather than glamorous. April is the kind of no-nonsense, down-to-earth woman who always has been the mainstay of romantic comedy. Fisher actually seems to be channeling Jean Arthur or Claudette Colbert.
Weisz and Banks are ravishing enough to make the contest among the three women viable, though Banks' role is underdeveloped, and even Weisz could use some meatier scenes. (A bland montage that shows Summer and Will falling in love doesn't do the trick.)
Kevin Kline has a sharp cameo as the drunk writer who is Summer's mentor and lover. But a lot of the other supporting players don't really have enough to do. Even Breslin is reduced to little more than a sounding-board until the very last scenes, when she finally gets to play a more active role in Will's search for fulfillment.
The film begins in 1992, when Will goes to work for Bill Clinton's campaign for president, and an entertaining subplot concerns Will's disillusionment with Clinton during the course of the '90s. But the evocation of the era is fairly lackluster. Cinematographer Florian Ballhaus does capture the allure of Manhattan, though the editing by Peter Teschner lets the picture drag on too long.
The bigger problem is that the romantic banter between Will and his three paramours strains for sparkling wit and only occasionally achieves it. In addition, the script cries out for the kind of clever plotting that distinguished such movies as It Happened One Night and "Adam's Rib." Is it impossible for today's writers to match the urbanity of Samson Raphaelson or Donald Ogden Stewart or Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin?
Such performers as Reynolds and Fisher might rank with Gable and Lombard or Tracy and Hepburn, but we'll never know until they get the crack scripts that helped to turn an earlier generation of actors into legends.
DEFINITELY, MAYBE
Universal
Working Title, StudioCanal
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Adam Brooks
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Executive producers: Liza Chasin, Bobby Cohen
Co-executive producer: Kerry Orent
Director of photography: Florian Ballhaus
Production designer: Stephanie Carroll
Music: Clint Mansell
Costume designer: Gary Jones
Editor: Peter Teschner
Cast:
Will Hayes: Ryan Reynolds
April: Isla Fisher
Maya Hayes: Abigail Breslin
Russell McCormack: Derek Luke
Emily: Elizabeth Banks
Summer Hartley: Rachel Weisz
Hampton Roth: Kevin Kline
Gareth: Adam Ferrara
Arthur Robredo: Nestor Serrano
Running time -- 110 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 2/11/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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