Terry Crews will be playing The Killer’s Game.
The actor will be seen alongside Dave Bautista, Ben Kingsley and Sofia Boutella in the J.J. Perry-directed movie, which has wrapped filming. Crews will be playing a character that was previously reported to be played by Ice Cube.
Based on Jay Bonansinga’s novel, The Killer’s Game follows a veteran assassin (Bautista), who, according to the film’s synopsis, “is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and authorizes a hit on himself to avoid the pain that is destined to follow. But soon after, he finds out that he was misdiagnosed— and must fend off an army of former colleagues trying to kill him.”
Rand Ravich and James Coyne penned the screenplay. Mad Chance’s Andrew Lazar and Endurance Media’s Steve Richards are producers, along with Kia Jam. Bautista and Jonathan Meisner will executive produce for Dogbone Entertainment, with Scott Lambert also exec producing.
The actor will be seen alongside Dave Bautista, Ben Kingsley and Sofia Boutella in the J.J. Perry-directed movie, which has wrapped filming. Crews will be playing a character that was previously reported to be played by Ice Cube.
Based on Jay Bonansinga’s novel, The Killer’s Game follows a veteran assassin (Bautista), who, according to the film’s synopsis, “is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and authorizes a hit on himself to avoid the pain that is destined to follow. But soon after, he finds out that he was misdiagnosed— and must fend off an army of former colleagues trying to kill him.”
Rand Ravich and James Coyne penned the screenplay. Mad Chance’s Andrew Lazar and Endurance Media’s Steve Richards are producers, along with Kia Jam. Bautista and Jonathan Meisner will executive produce for Dogbone Entertainment, with Scott Lambert also exec producing.
- 3/7/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Zachary Levi from Shazam! , Josh Duhamel star in real-life story.
Highland Film Group has announced at TIFF a raft of territory sales on Joe Carnahan’s real-life survival thriller Not Without Hope starring Zachary Levi from Shazam! and Josh Duhamel.
Levi plays Nick Schuyler, who goes on a fishing trip with friends Will Bleakley and NFL American Football players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith only to become stranded when their boat capsizes in a storm 70 miles off the coast of Florida, triggering a US Coast Guard rescue operation.
Deals have locked in Germany (SquareOne), Australia and New Zealand (Rialto Distribution...
Highland Film Group has announced at TIFF a raft of territory sales on Joe Carnahan’s real-life survival thriller Not Without Hope starring Zachary Levi from Shazam! and Josh Duhamel.
Levi plays Nick Schuyler, who goes on a fishing trip with friends Will Bleakley and NFL American Football players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith only to become stranded when their boat capsizes in a storm 70 miles off the coast of Florida, triggering a US Coast Guard rescue operation.
Deals have locked in Germany (SquareOne), Australia and New Zealand (Rialto Distribution...
- 9/9/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Josh Duhamel (Transformers franchise) is set to join Zachary Levi (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) in the survival thriller ‘Not Without Hope.’
Based on the New York Times non-fiction best-seller, the story follows best friends Nick Schuyler (Zachary Levi) and Will Bleakley (Marshall Cook), and NFL players Marquis Cooper (Quentin Plair) and Corey Smith (Terrence Terrell), as they depart Clearwater, Florida for a day trip at their favourite fishing spot 70 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. As a severe storm heads their way, a trapped anchor causes their boat to capsize, throwing the four friends violently into the freezing water. US Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close (Josh Duhamel) and his crew summon their largest ship to cut through the raging ocean as the group battles massive waves, dehydration, severe hypothermia, and marine predators, in their epic struggle to survive and return home to their distraught loved ones.
Also in news – Idris Elba,...
Based on the New York Times non-fiction best-seller, the story follows best friends Nick Schuyler (Zachary Levi) and Will Bleakley (Marshall Cook), and NFL players Marquis Cooper (Quentin Plair) and Corey Smith (Terrence Terrell), as they depart Clearwater, Florida for a day trip at their favourite fishing spot 70 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. As a severe storm heads their way, a trapped anchor causes their boat to capsize, throwing the four friends violently into the freezing water. US Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close (Josh Duhamel) and his crew summon their largest ship to cut through the raging ocean as the group battles massive waves, dehydration, severe hypothermia, and marine predators, in their epic struggle to survive and return home to their distraught loved ones.
Also in news – Idris Elba,...
- 6/15/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Josh Duhamel will join the ensemble of the survival thriller “Not Without Hope,” an adaptation of Nick Schuyler and Jere Longman’s best-selling book that will be written and directed by Joe Carnahan. Also joining the cast are JoBeth Williams, Quentin Plair, Terrence Terrell and Marshall Cook.
As previously announced, Zachary Levi (“Shazam!”) is starring in the film, which tells the real-life story of a tragic 2009 boating accident involving Schuyler, his friends Will Bleakley (Cook) and NFL players Marquis Cooper (Plair) and Corey Smith (Terrell). Levi will play Schuyler.
The search-and rescue-operation captivated national attention. Duhamel will portray U.S. Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close, who oversaw a crew that cut through the ocean to try to find the friends who went missing. Carnahan has some experience orchestrating survival tales, having previously directed “The Grey,” which found Liam Neeson battling very hungry wolves after a plane crash stranded his character in a snowy mountain range.
As previously announced, Zachary Levi (“Shazam!”) is starring in the film, which tells the real-life story of a tragic 2009 boating accident involving Schuyler, his friends Will Bleakley (Cook) and NFL players Marquis Cooper (Plair) and Corey Smith (Terrell). Levi will play Schuyler.
The search-and rescue-operation captivated national attention. Duhamel will portray U.S. Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close, who oversaw a crew that cut through the ocean to try to find the friends who went missing. Carnahan has some experience orchestrating survival tales, having previously directed “The Grey,” which found Liam Neeson battling very hungry wolves after a plane crash stranded his character in a snowy mountain range.
- 6/15/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Highland Film Group represents for international sales.
Josh Duhamel (Transformers franchise) is joining Zachary Levi (Shazam! Fury Of The Gods) in Joe Carnahan’s survival thriller Not Without Hope, which has begun production in Malta.
The feature is based on the true story of a US Coast Guard Captain (Duhamel) and his crew who set out to rescue two best friends and two American Football players whose boat capsizes on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico.
Also joining the cast are JoBeth Williams (The Big Chill), Quentin Plair (Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things), Terrence Terrell (Netflix’s Obliterated...
Josh Duhamel (Transformers franchise) is joining Zachary Levi (Shazam! Fury Of The Gods) in Joe Carnahan’s survival thriller Not Without Hope, which has begun production in Malta.
The feature is based on the true story of a US Coast Guard Captain (Duhamel) and his crew who set out to rescue two best friends and two American Football players whose boat capsizes on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico.
Also joining the cast are JoBeth Williams (The Big Chill), Quentin Plair (Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things), Terrence Terrell (Netflix’s Obliterated...
- 6/15/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
With Warner Bros.’ Shazam! Fury of the Gods gearing up for release next month, lead star Zachary Levi has lined up another major project.
The actor is set to take the lead in survival thriller Not Without Hope. Adapted from Nick Schuyler and Jere Longman’s best-selling novel of the same name, the film is written and directed by Joe Carnahan (The Grey, Boss Level). Highland Film Group is handling international sales, which will launch at the European Film Market.
Based on a true story, Not Without Hope follows best friends Schuyler (Levi) and Will Bleakley, and NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, as they depart Clearwater, Florida for a day trip at their favorite fishing spot 70 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. As a severe storm heads their way, a trapped anchor causes their boat to capsize, throwing the four friends violently into the freezing water. With...
The actor is set to take the lead in survival thriller Not Without Hope. Adapted from Nick Schuyler and Jere Longman’s best-selling novel of the same name, the film is written and directed by Joe Carnahan (The Grey, Boss Level). Highland Film Group is handling international sales, which will launch at the European Film Market.
Based on a true story, Not Without Hope follows best friends Schuyler (Levi) and Will Bleakley, and NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, as they depart Clearwater, Florida for a day trip at their favorite fishing spot 70 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. As a severe storm heads their way, a trapped anchor causes their boat to capsize, throwing the four friends violently into the freezing water. With...
- 2/8/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Screen Media has acquired North American rights to the psychological thriller The Good Neighbor, from director Stephan Rick (The Dark Side of the Moon), with plans for a day-and-date theatrical release in June.
The film written by Rick and Ross Partridge (Room 104) is a remake of the 2011 German thriller Unter Nachbarn, which marked Rick’s feature directorial debut. It watches as a nightmarish evening unfolds when neighbors David (Luke Kleintank) and Robert (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) hit a woman on her bike and flee. When her sister arrives searching for the truth, Robert does unspeakable things to protect their secret.
Bruce Davison (X-Men) also stars in the thriller, which was produced by Dean Altit, Yulia Zayceva, Forma Pro Films and Altit Media Group. Kimberly Hines, Rami Jaber, Kia Jam, Jeff Kranzdorf, Ross Partridge, Max Pavlov, Igor Pronin, Svetlana Punte, Qais Qandil, Stephan Rick, Patrick Rizzotti and Jim Steele served as its executive producers.
The film written by Rick and Ross Partridge (Room 104) is a remake of the 2011 German thriller Unter Nachbarn, which marked Rick’s feature directorial debut. It watches as a nightmarish evening unfolds when neighbors David (Luke Kleintank) and Robert (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) hit a woman on her bike and flee. When her sister arrives searching for the truth, Robert does unspeakable things to protect their secret.
Bruce Davison (X-Men) also stars in the thriller, which was produced by Dean Altit, Yulia Zayceva, Forma Pro Films and Altit Media Group. Kimberly Hines, Rami Jaber, Kia Jam, Jeff Kranzdorf, Ross Partridge, Max Pavlov, Igor Pronin, Svetlana Punte, Qais Qandil, Stephan Rick, Patrick Rizzotti and Jim Steele served as its executive producers.
- 3/29/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Luke Kleintank will star in “The Good Neighbor,” a remake of German thriller “Unter Nachbarn.”
The movie will center on new neighbors David and Robert, who find themselves bonded by a hit-and-run accident. According to the official logline: “When the dead girl’s sister shows up to investigate, David, overcome with guilt, wonders if he can find redemption while Robert is determined to bury the past and keep his new friend for himself, no matter the cost.”
The film will be directed by Stephan Rick (“The Dark Side of the Moon”), from a script by Rick and Ross Partridge (“Room 104”). Rick also directed the original movie.
Dean Altit (“Misfits”) and Yulia Zayceva (“WarHunt”) are producing. Kia Jam and Igor Pronin are executive producing with casting by Ricki Maslar. CAA Media Finance is handling domestic sales, while Highland Film Group will oversee international sales.
Rhys Meyers...
The movie will center on new neighbors David and Robert, who find themselves bonded by a hit-and-run accident. According to the official logline: “When the dead girl’s sister shows up to investigate, David, overcome with guilt, wonders if he can find redemption while Robert is determined to bury the past and keep his new friend for himself, no matter the cost.”
The film will be directed by Stephan Rick (“The Dark Side of the Moon”), from a script by Rick and Ross Partridge (“Room 104”). Rick also directed the original movie.
Dean Altit (“Misfits”) and Yulia Zayceva (“WarHunt”) are producing. Kia Jam and Igor Pronin are executive producing with casting by Ricki Maslar. CAA Media Finance is handling domestic sales, while Highland Film Group will oversee international sales.
Rhys Meyers...
- 4/21/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Highland Film Group is handling worldwide sales rights to Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) action-thriller The Misfits and will distribute the movie in the U.S. through its sister distribution banner The Avenue in partnership with Paramount Pictures.
Former Bond star Pierce Brosnan leads cast alongside Nick Cannon (Bobby), Jamie Chung (The Gifted), Tim Roth (The Hateful Eight), Hermione Corfield (Star Wars Episode VIII) Rami Jaber (Tough Love) and Mike Angelo (Surprise). We can reveal a first look image from the film above.
The domestic theatrical release is planned for summer this year as a joint release with Paramount Pictures, which will also handle blu-ray, DVD, VOD, and digital rights per the home ent deal between the two companies.
In The Misfits, after being recruited by a group of unconventional thieves, renowned criminal Richard Pace (Brosnan) finds himself caught up in an elaborate gold heist that promises to have far-reaching...
Former Bond star Pierce Brosnan leads cast alongside Nick Cannon (Bobby), Jamie Chung (The Gifted), Tim Roth (The Hateful Eight), Hermione Corfield (Star Wars Episode VIII) Rami Jaber (Tough Love) and Mike Angelo (Surprise). We can reveal a first look image from the film above.
The domestic theatrical release is planned for summer this year as a joint release with Paramount Pictures, which will also handle blu-ray, DVD, VOD, and digital rights per the home ent deal between the two companies.
In The Misfits, after being recruited by a group of unconventional thieves, renowned criminal Richard Pace (Brosnan) finds himself caught up in an elaborate gold heist that promises to have far-reaching...
- 3/9/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Christian Rivers has signed on to direct Into Thin Air, a feature drama that explores the unsolved mystery behind the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The film is a co-production of Illusion Media Entertainment, K. Jam Media, and Altit Media Group and it is being financed by Avi Nakash. He’s the owner of Arkia Airline, the second largest in Israel.
Rivers is the Oscar-winning visual effects wiz behind such Peter Jackson-directed films as King Kong, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, who made his feature directorial debut last year on Mortal Engines. The film is scripted by Jonas McCord, an Oscar-winning documentarian and investigative journalist with credits that include Malice and Ask The Dust, and produced by Oscar winner Barrie Osborne, McCord, Kia Jam, and Dean Altit. Exec producers are Avi Nakash, Dan Gordon and Jonathan Sanger.
The film weaves a narrative around the tragedy,...
Rivers is the Oscar-winning visual effects wiz behind such Peter Jackson-directed films as King Kong, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, who made his feature directorial debut last year on Mortal Engines. The film is scripted by Jonas McCord, an Oscar-winning documentarian and investigative journalist with credits that include Malice and Ask The Dust, and produced by Oscar winner Barrie Osborne, McCord, Kia Jam, and Dean Altit. Exec producers are Avi Nakash, Dan Gordon and Jonathan Sanger.
The film weaves a narrative around the tragedy,...
- 1/27/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Deadline has learned that Raja Gosnell has signed on to direct the live-action family film Santa: The Adventure Begins for Armory Films, Dnf Pictures and K. Jam Media.
Written by Tamara Taillie, Santa: The Adventure Begins follows the humble origins of Santa Claus as an orphan and young would-be toymaker. In a quest to know his true identity, Santa embarks upon a journey to the forbidden North. With a little help from his friends, Santa discovers the source of his extraordinary magic, and we learn how he finds his true love, his forever home and his destiny. Marisol Roncali and Chelsea Bloch are currently casting with principal photography set to begin late this year in Cologne, Germany, in cooperation with Mmc Studios.
Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros have come on board...
Written by Tamara Taillie, Santa: The Adventure Begins follows the humble origins of Santa Claus as an orphan and young would-be toymaker. In a quest to know his true identity, Santa embarks upon a journey to the forbidden North. With a little help from his friends, Santa discovers the source of his extraordinary magic, and we learn how he finds his true love, his forever home and his destiny. Marisol Roncali and Chelsea Bloch are currently casting with principal photography set to begin late this year in Cologne, Germany, in cooperation with Mmc Studios.
Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros have come on board...
- 7/18/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Ice Cube is in the midst of making deals to star in a pair of movies. He has just closed with Focus Features to join the cast of the Working Title-produced film Covers, directed by Late Night helmer Nisha Ganatra. Production is just getting underway and he is starring alongside Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson. The Flora Greeson-scripted comedy is set among the talent, fame and fast-paced world of Hollywood’s music scene. Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner are producing.
Cube is separately negotiating to team with Dave Bautista in The Killer’s Game, the Simon Kinberg & Rand Ravich-scripted adaptation of the Jay Bonansinga novel that DJ Caruso will direct in October for Stx and Endurance. In that film, Bautista (opening soon in Stuber and My Spy) plays an elite hitman named Joe Flood who learns he will die of a terminal disease. A devout Catholic, he won’t kill himself,...
Cube is separately negotiating to team with Dave Bautista in The Killer’s Game, the Simon Kinberg & Rand Ravich-scripted adaptation of the Jay Bonansinga novel that DJ Caruso will direct in October for Stx and Endurance. In that film, Bautista (opening soon in Stuber and My Spy) plays an elite hitman named Joe Flood who learns he will die of a terminal disease. A devout Catholic, he won’t kill himself,...
- 6/19/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Kiarash “Kia” Jam, an executive producer of “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” has agreed to pay nearly $500,000 to settle fraud charges by the SEC for his role in misrepresenting over $6 million raised from investors, the SEC announced Tuesday.
According to the SEC’s order, Jam and David R. Bergstein, who was convicted of fraud and sentenced to an eight-year prison sentence in June 2018, raised approximately $5.6 million from 11 investors between September 2012 and March 2013 with the plan of taking the publicly-traded auction site Bidz.com Inc. private.
Jam lied about the amounts raised, the number of shares for sale, and the timing of the acquisition of Bidz.com. According to the SEC, Jam also “stole over $200,000 of investors’ proceeds, using the majority of the stolen funds to pay for, among other things, expensive meals out, alcohol, and travel and entertainment.”
Also Read: SEC Asks Judge to Hold Elon Musk in...
According to the SEC’s order, Jam and David R. Bergstein, who was convicted of fraud and sentenced to an eight-year prison sentence in June 2018, raised approximately $5.6 million from 11 investors between September 2012 and March 2013 with the plan of taking the publicly-traded auction site Bidz.com Inc. private.
Jam lied about the amounts raised, the number of shares for sale, and the timing of the acquisition of Bidz.com. According to the SEC, Jam also “stole over $200,000 of investors’ proceeds, using the majority of the stolen funds to pay for, among other things, expensive meals out, alcohol, and travel and entertainment.”
Also Read: SEC Asks Judge to Hold Elon Musk in...
- 3/12/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Rising Asian actor Mike Angelo has joined veteran action director Renny Harlin’s heist pic The Misfits. Pierce Brosnan is starring in the project that starts principal photography in Abu Dhabi on February 18. Hermione Corfield and Jamie Chung are also in the cast.
Penned by Robert Henny, The Misfits centers on renowned criminal Richard Pace (Brosnan) who finds himself caught up in an elaborate gold heist that promises to have far reaching implications on his life and the lives of countless others. Angelo is playing Wick in the film which will be produced by Kia Jam and Dean Altit (Realms).
Multi-hyphenate Angelo, who is of Thai and Chinese descent, rose to fame as part of the Thai pop duo Golf & Mike before segueing to television. His credits include Asian series Delicious Destiny, Mr Swimmer and My Amazing Boyfriend.
Penned by Robert Henny, The Misfits centers on renowned criminal Richard Pace (Brosnan) who finds himself caught up in an elaborate gold heist that promises to have far reaching implications on his life and the lives of countless others. Angelo is playing Wick in the film which will be produced by Kia Jam and Dean Altit (Realms).
Multi-hyphenate Angelo, who is of Thai and Chinese descent, rose to fame as part of the Thai pop duo Golf & Mike before segueing to television. His credits include Asian series Delicious Destiny, Mr Swimmer and My Amazing Boyfriend.
- 2/14/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
David O. Russell.s lost film Nailed will finally see the light of day over five years after production was shut down. The film was 99% complete when time was called on its shoot, and it.s been alleged that all that was needed for the film to be finished was one pivotal scene. According to Yahoo Movies, Arrow Films have now purchased a rough-cut of Nailed that was compiled by its new producer, Kia Jam. Arrow Films have confirmed that it has now been re-titled Politics Of Love, and that it will hit cinemas in the United Kingdom at some point in 2015. Unfortunately, a United States release date has yet to be confirmed, though. Nailed/Politics Of Love revolves around Jessica Biel.s Alice Eckle, who after accidentally getting shot in the head with a nail starts having wild sexual urges. She then goes on a crusade to Washington to...
- 11/6/2014
- cinemablend.com
"Nailed" haunts writer-director David O. Russell. A health care satire starring Jessica Biel suffering from a near-fatal nail gun shot to the head, the film went into production before "The Fighter" and imploded before making it through post-production. Russell moved on, for the clear better, but onlookers anxious for a taste of the writer’s sardonic humor kept wondering if the film would ever surface. Whether he was talking about "The Fighter," "Silver Linings Playbook" or "American Hustle," nearly ever interview steered towards "Nailed" out of due diligence. When our own Drew McWeeny spoke to Russell in 2011, he summed up the experience he was happy to distance himself from: "['Nailed'] was supposed to be a fresh page and comeback and it turned out to be disappointment, another notch on my belt in this business." Fans would never see "Nailed." Or fans were resigned to never seeing "Nailed"… until now. Screendaily reports...
- 11/5/2014
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
Nailed, mostly shot by American Hustle director David O. Russell back in 2008, has been one of those long-delayed movies that have fascinated film-industry-watchers. We even wrote about it in a recent feature on projects that have suffered trouble on the way to the screen. Now, via a new deal and a title change to Politics Of Love, the satire is finally set to see the inside of a cinema here in the UK.According to Screen International, Arrow Films has bought the rights to the film from producer Kia Jam, who has somehow put together a cut of the film without Russell’s input. The director famously clashed with financiers when the money kept drying up during production, with the shoot shut down several times and one key scene left unfinished.The plot finds Jessica Biel as Alice Eckle, a small town waitress who accidentally gets a nail lodged in...
- 11/5/2014
- EmpireOnline
Shot back in 2008 and ultimately abandoned due to financial issues, the producers behind David O. Russell's drama "Nailed" are still trying to get the project assembled and out in cinemas.
It appears they may succeed though as producer Kia Jam has reportedly finished his own cut of the film which will go by the new title of "Politics of Love" says Screen. Arrow Films have reportedly picked up the 99 minute-long film for a release in the U.K. sometime next year.
In fact the film has already scored a PG-13 rating from the MPAA and is set to be screened today at the American Film Market for potential buyers. Will anyone else bite? We'll see.
The political comedy has Jessica Biel as a small town waitress who accidentally gets a nail lodged in her head which causes her to have wild sexual urges. She flees her boyfriend (James Marsden...
It appears they may succeed though as producer Kia Jam has reportedly finished his own cut of the film which will go by the new title of "Politics of Love" says Screen. Arrow Films have reportedly picked up the 99 minute-long film for a release in the U.K. sometime next year.
In fact the film has already scored a PG-13 rating from the MPAA and is set to be screened today at the American Film Market for potential buyers. Will anyone else bite? We'll see.
The political comedy has Jessica Biel as a small town waitress who accidentally gets a nail lodged in her head which causes her to have wild sexual urges. She flees her boyfriend (James Marsden...
- 11/5/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Exclusive: UK distributor picks up Good Kill [pictured] and Politics of Love.
Arrow Films has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Voltage Pictures’ Good Kill and Politics of Love (formerly titled Nailed).
Written and directed by Andrew Niccol (The Host, In Time), Good Kill stars Ethan Hawke as a drone pilot who begins to question his mission of killing the Taliban. It also stars January Jones.
The UK distributor will also release the long-gestating Politics of Love, formerly titled Nailed when it was originally directed by David O Russell in 2008. Producer Kia Jam put together this cut of the film.
Starring Jessica Biel, James Marsden and Jake Gyllenhaal, the film follows a small town waitress (Biel) who gets a nail lodged in her head which leads to unpredictable behaviour and a journey to Washington DC.
Tom Stewart, acquisitions director for Arrow Films, commented: “Arrow Films are thrilled to be collaborating with everyone at Voltage Pictures on two high-calibre...
Arrow Films has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Voltage Pictures’ Good Kill and Politics of Love (formerly titled Nailed).
Written and directed by Andrew Niccol (The Host, In Time), Good Kill stars Ethan Hawke as a drone pilot who begins to question his mission of killing the Taliban. It also stars January Jones.
The UK distributor will also release the long-gestating Politics of Love, formerly titled Nailed when it was originally directed by David O Russell in 2008. Producer Kia Jam put together this cut of the film.
Starring Jessica Biel, James Marsden and Jake Gyllenhaal, the film follows a small town waitress (Biel) who gets a nail lodged in her head which leads to unpredictable behaviour and a journey to Washington DC.
Tom Stewart, acquisitions director for Arrow Films, commented: “Arrow Films are thrilled to be collaborating with everyone at Voltage Pictures on two high-calibre...
- 11/5/2014
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Know what would be awesome? If everyone decided that it'd be really cool to release dozens of stills for their upcoming flicks all on the same day! That would Rock! Next up are around two dozen stills from Renny Harlin's The Dyatlov Pass Incident.
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred in the...
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred in the...
- 6/25/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
An official trailer for Renny Harlin's The Dyatlov Pass Incident has come in from the cold courtesy of our friends across the pond, and we have every frigid and frightening second of it right here for your mass consumption. Dig it!
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred in the northern Urals which...
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred in the northern Urals which...
- 5/29/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Time to add a bit more of a chill to your afternoon as a couple of new one-sheets and a new still from Renny Harlin's The Dyatlov Pass Incident have come our way. Dress warm and check them out!
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred in the northern Urals which saw a...
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred in the northern Urals which saw a...
- 2/14/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
More visual mayhem has come our way for Renny Harlin's The Dyatlov Pass Incident based upon a story so strange it's bound to grab your interest and run with it. Check out the trailer and even some behind-the-scenes goodness right here!
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred in the northern Urals which...
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred in the northern Urals which...
- 2/8/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Hot on the heels of the Russian one-sheet, we now have the first international teaser trailer for Renny Harlin's The Dyatlov Pass Incident. Be warned that there are no subtitles, but after a few shots of vodka, you probably won't care!
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Curious? Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred in the northern Urals...
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Curious? Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred in the northern Urals...
- 1/29/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Ever since it was announced a little while ago, we have been pretty excited to see the new film from director Renny Harlin, the Dyatlov Pass Incident, which is based on one of the single most frightening occurrences you could imagine. Check out the first poster.
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Curious? Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred...
The fact-based film concerns a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. It finds contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Curious? Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass Incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery that occurred...
- 1/17/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Holy cow, do we have something cool for you cats to dig into! A viral pitch video created by Renny Harlin that ... well ... you'll see. What happened in the Ural Mountains? Read on for some early sales art and video surrounding the Dyatlov Pass incident.
"The fact-based film is about a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. The film is about contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery."
Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Curious? Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery...
"The fact-based film is about a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. The film is about contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery."
Producers are Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script, and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences."
Curious? Want to know a bit more? In a nutshell the Dyatlov Pass incident (as it is known) refers to an unsolved mystery...
- 4/23/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Dyatlov Pass Incident Poster. Renny Harlin‘s Dyatlov Pass Incident movie poster or the as yet unnamed horror movie Renny Harlin is directing has been released. The film is supposedly going to a modern day investigation of an event that happened in 1959. This event was later dubbed the “Dyatlov Pass Incident”. Because of the investigation aspect of the film, the film sounds like The Blair Witch Project.
The Dyatlov Pass Incident movie poster:
Dyatlov Pass Incident Poster
The Dyatlov Pass Incident is an real event that transpired:
The Dyatlov Pass incident refers to an event that resulted in the deaths of nine ski hikers in the northern Ural mountains on the night of February 2, 1959. It happened on the east shoulder of the mountain Kholat Syakhl (a Mansi name, meaning Mountain of the Dead). The mountain pass where the incident occurred has since been named Dyatlov Pass after the group’s leader,...
The Dyatlov Pass Incident movie poster:
Dyatlov Pass Incident Poster
The Dyatlov Pass Incident is an real event that transpired:
The Dyatlov Pass incident refers to an event that resulted in the deaths of nine ski hikers in the northern Ural mountains on the night of February 2, 1959. It happened on the east shoulder of the mountain Kholat Syakhl (a Mansi name, meaning Mountain of the Dead). The mountain pass where the incident occurred has since been named Dyatlov Pass after the group’s leader,...
- 2/15/2012
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
Renny Harlin ("Cliffhanger," "The Long Kiss Goodnight") is set to direct an as-yet-untitled thriller set in Russia’s Ural Mountains reports Screen Daily.
The fact-based film deals with a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. The film will follows contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery.
Shooting begins on location in Russia in March. Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin and Sergei Bespalov will produce.
The fact-based film deals with a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. The film will follows contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery.
Shooting begins on location in Russia in March. Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin and Sergei Bespalov will produce.
- 2/10/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
At Dread Central we Love the unexplained. Mysteries, disappearances, you name it. Decades before three fictional campers vanished in The Blair Witch Project, an incident happened in Russia that resulted in the mysterious deaths of nine people in the northern Ural Mountains. The night was February 2, 1959. The mystery lingers to this day.
According to Screen Daily reports from Efm are that Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Deep Blue Sea, Exorcist: The Beginning, The Covenant) will direct an as-yet-untitled thriller set in Russia’s Ural Mountains.
"The fact-based film is about a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. The film will be about contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery."
Producers will be Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore.
According to Screen Daily reports from Efm are that Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Deep Blue Sea, Exorcist: The Beginning, The Covenant) will direct an as-yet-untitled thriller set in Russia’s Ural Mountains.
"The fact-based film is about a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. The film will be about contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery."
Producers will be Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin, and Sergei Bespalov.
Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore.
- 2/9/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Screen Daily reports from Efm that Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master , Deep Blue Sea, Exorcist: The Beginning, The Covenant ) will direct an as-yet-untitled thriller set in Russias Ural Mountains. "The fact-based film is about a mysterious incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. The film will be able contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery." Producers will be Alexander Rodnyansky, Kia Jam, Harlin and Sergei Bespalov. Harlin said: "I was fascinated by this story, which remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern paranormal lore. The facts, the script and the very dramatic setting convinced me that there is a thrilling movie there, just waiting to rivet audiences." The project will start shooting on location in Russia in March.
- 2/9/2012
- bloody-disgusting.com
Anchor Bay Films has picked up the rights to Kevin Spacey's new comedy, Father of Invention. The film also stars Camilla Belle, Heather Grahm and Virginia Madsen. The story follows "an eccentric inventor turned egomaniacal infomercial guru, who loses it all when one of his inventions maims thousands of customers." As a fan of Spacey, I am always interested in films he stars in. Keep reading for the full details from the press release.
Official Press Release:
Anchr Bay Films announced today the pick up of the comedy Father of Invention starring Academy Award™ winning actor Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses, American Beauty), Camilla Belle (10,000 BC, When a Stranger Calls), Heather Graham (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Hangover) and Virginia Madsen (Sideways, The Number 23). The film was co-financed by Sunrise Films, LLC and debuted as an official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival. Anchor Bay Films...
Official Press Release:
Anchr Bay Films announced today the pick up of the comedy Father of Invention starring Academy Award™ winning actor Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses, American Beauty), Camilla Belle (10,000 BC, When a Stranger Calls), Heather Graham (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Hangover) and Virginia Madsen (Sideways, The Number 23). The film was co-financed by Sunrise Films, LLC and debuted as an official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival. Anchor Bay Films...
- 8/9/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Beverly Hills, CA -- Anchor Bay Films announced today the pick up of the comedy Father of Invention starring Academy Award™ winning actor Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses, American Beauty), Camilla Belle (10,000 BC, When a Stranger Calls), Heather Graham (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Hangover) and Virginia Madsen (Sideways, The Number 23). The film was co-financed by Sunrise Films, LLC and debuted as an official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival. Anchor Bay Films has acquired all distribution rights in the U.S., U.K. as well as Australia and New Zealand. Bill Clark, President of Anchor Bay Entertainment, made the announcement. “Father of Invention offers two hours of great laughs with a talented cast,” remarked Clark. “We have no doubt that audiences worldwide will enjoy it as much as our worldwide team will enjoy working on it.” “Kevin Spacey is one of the most versatile actors...
- 8/9/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
- #97. Black Water Transit Director: Tony Kaye Writer: Matt Chapman (Runaway Jury)Producers: Michael Cerenzie, Christopher Eberts, Kia Jam, Robert Katz, Paul Parmar, Arnold RifkinDistributor: Rights Available. Capitol Films The Gist: New Orleans is a city in chaos, picking up the pieces after hurricane Katrina. Black Water Transit's owner, Jack Vermillion (Laurence Fishburne) is trying to break away from the life of crime he grew up in and conduct a legitimate business. Jack is tortured by thoughts of his only son Gary, who is in prison endangering his own life with his self destructive behavior and aggressive attitude towards the other inmates. When the mysterious Earl Pike (Karl Urban) approaches Jack to ship an enormous stash of guns, he decides to expose Earl to District Attorney Schick in exchange for Gary's protection. Jack's plan, however, is jeopardised by the fact that Sardoonah (Brittany Snow), a prostitute he has taken under his wing,
- 1/5/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
CORRECTED 2:44 p.m. PT March 24, 2008
NEW YORK -- James Marsden, Catherine Keener and Tracy Morgan are close to getting "Nailed".
The trio are in final negotiations to star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel in David O. Russell's romantic comedy "Nailed", written by Russell and Kristin Gore.
Marsden will play small-town the boyfriend of Biel's character Alice, a naive waitress who gets a nail shot into her head, causing erratic and outrageous behavior. She heads to Washington to fight for better health care and ends up falling for a clueless new congressman (Gyllenhaal) who must summon the political courage to save her.
Keener will play a self-serving Congresswoman. The filmmakers are finalizing details on Morgan's character, who will likely be an injured compatriot of Alice's who has given up on love.
Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher will produce for their Red Wagon Entertainment banner. Matthew Rhodes and Judd Payne of Persistent Entertainment and Kia Jam of Capitol Films will also produce.
NEW YORK -- James Marsden, Catherine Keener and Tracy Morgan are close to getting "Nailed".
The trio are in final negotiations to star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel in David O. Russell's romantic comedy "Nailed", written by Russell and Kristin Gore.
Marsden will play small-town the boyfriend of Biel's character Alice, a naive waitress who gets a nail shot into her head, causing erratic and outrageous behavior. She heads to Washington to fight for better health care and ends up falling for a clueless new congressman (Gyllenhaal) who must summon the political courage to save her.
Keener will play a self-serving Congresswoman. The filmmakers are finalizing details on Morgan's character, who will likely be an injured compatriot of Alice's who has given up on love.
Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher will produce for their Red Wagon Entertainment banner. Matthew Rhodes and Judd Payne of Persistent Entertainment and Kia Jam of Capitol Films will also produce.
- 3/23/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The weekend came to a close at the American Film Market on Sunday with sales and finance houses adding cast to projects to encourage buyers to splash the presale cash, while a flurry of deal memos also landed.
Buyers were greeted by the news that Sharon Stone and Amanda Peet have joined the cast of Nigel Cole's Five Dollars a Day, sold here by U.S. banner ThinkFilm International and financed by U.K. sister company Capitol Films.
Billed as a riotous father-and-son road-trip movie, Stone and Peet join Christopher Walken and Alessandro Nivola in the film, from a script by Neal and Tippi Dobrofsky. Carol Baum, Jane Goldenring and Kia Jam are producing.
Meanwhile, buzz is building on three titles.
The Weinstein Co. is said to be circling the horror film Eden Lake, from Pathe International, billed as a cross between Deliverance and Stand By Me.
The sales agent also is repping Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud's sea documentary Oceans, a follow-up to their Winged Migration. Disney is among the companies circling the big-budget project, due in mid-2009, and could see the studio reunited with Participant and National Geographic.
One of the most talked-about projects of the festival is the Peter Jackson-produced sci-fi film District 9, from director Neill Blomkamp and financier/sales rep QED International. Sony is among the strongest candidates to buy the film, set to shoot in the spring, sources said.
High-profile deal memos and pacts were beginning to land thick and fast during the weekend as attendees' thoughts turned to planning their exit from this year's market in the next day or so.
Buyers were greeted by the news that Sharon Stone and Amanda Peet have joined the cast of Nigel Cole's Five Dollars a Day, sold here by U.S. banner ThinkFilm International and financed by U.K. sister company Capitol Films.
Billed as a riotous father-and-son road-trip movie, Stone and Peet join Christopher Walken and Alessandro Nivola in the film, from a script by Neal and Tippi Dobrofsky. Carol Baum, Jane Goldenring and Kia Jam are producing.
Meanwhile, buzz is building on three titles.
The Weinstein Co. is said to be circling the horror film Eden Lake, from Pathe International, billed as a cross between Deliverance and Stand By Me.
The sales agent also is repping Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud's sea documentary Oceans, a follow-up to their Winged Migration. Disney is among the companies circling the big-budget project, due in mid-2009, and could see the studio reunited with Participant and National Geographic.
One of the most talked-about projects of the festival is the Peter Jackson-produced sci-fi film District 9, from director Neill Blomkamp and financier/sales rep QED International. Sony is among the strongest candidates to buy the film, set to shoot in the spring, sources said.
High-profile deal memos and pacts were beginning to land thick and fast during the weekend as attendees' thoughts turned to planning their exit from this year's market in the next day or so.
- 11/5/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- The role of father was pretty much confirmed a while back when Christopher Walken was circling the project and Variety reports that Alessandro Nivola will play son to the conman's father. In a project that dates back to 03’ with the like Nick Cassavetes and John Curran to direct, it looks like the project is moving forward with Nigel Cole (A Lot Like Love, Calendar Girls) at the helms.Written by Neal H. Dobrofsky and Tippi Dobrofsky, Five Dollars a Day is a road movie that pits a con artist against his more conservative son. Walken will play a conman proud of living like a king on $5 a day, and Nivola his offspring, who had been jailed for one of his father's crimes.Capitol Films greenlit the project for its Th!NKFilm arm to release. Carol Baum, Jane Goldenring and Kia Jam are producing. Look for shoooting to begin in New Mexico and Atlantic City,
- 8/9/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
NEW YORK -- Jeffrey Jones must have some really bad karma from a past life. The talented character has long made a specialty out of being abused on film, as typified by his iconic performance as the aggrieved principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." His streak continues with this urban variation of Caddyshack, in which he plays the snooty head of an exclusive private golf club. Whether being kicked in the groin, tackled by a flying obese man, having his car blown up or getting his face buried in doggie doo, Jones handles it with his usual slow burn. Who's Your Caddy? opened Friday without being screened in advance for the press.
The bare-bones plot revolves around the efforts of C-Note (Antwan Big Boi Patton, half of the R&B duo OutKast), a highly successful rap impresario, to join the ranks of the Carolina Pines Country Club. Naturally, its snobbish president Cummings (Jones) will have none of it, especially since the club is bidding to become the home of the next U.S. Open.
That doesn't stop the intrepid C-Note, who has a highly personal reason, not explained until late in the film, for his desire to join. He promptly buys a mansion adjoining the course, essentially blackmailing his way into the club via such tactics as filming his latest rap video with its scantily clad ladies in full view of the golfers.
It isn't long before he and his posse wreak havoc with the staid environment, packing heat and riding around in a tricked-up, Hummer golf cart. Cummings hires a beautiful black lawyer to help him oust the interlopers, not counting on her becoming attracted to the dashing rapper.
The film is strictly formulaic with its vulgar humor, managing to stereotype blacks, whites, gays and even little people to boot. Both a grudge-match polo game and the inevitable climactic round on the links register with little impact, and most of the film's humor is generated, literally out of his ass, by the big-boned Faizon Love as C-Note's particularly flatulent sidekick.
Garrett Morris has a cameo as a Johnnie Cochran-like lawyer, and hot rapper Lil Wayne shows up briefly as well. Patton has a subdued but likable screen presence, and Jenifer Lewis has nice moments as C-Note's no-nonsense mom. But ultimately this is utterly forgettable stuff, not even managing to fulfill its mandate of mindless summer fun.
WHO'S YOUR CADDY?
An MGM release
An Our Stories Films and Dimension Films presentation of an Ascendant Pictures/Cheyenne Enterprises/Edmonds Entertainment/Eleven Eleven films/Our Stories Films production
Credits:
Director: Don Michael Paul
Screenwriters: Don Michael Paul, Bradley Allenstein, Robert Henny
Producers: Christopher Eberts, Tracey Edmonds, Kia Jam, Arnold Rifkin
Executive producers: Shakim Compere, Ross M. Dinerstein, Queen Latifah, Marvin Peart, Chris Roberts, Bobby Schwartz
Director of photography: Thomas L. Callaway
Production designer: Paul Luther Jackson
Music: Jon Lee
Co-producers: John Duffy, Michael LaFetra
Costume designer: Jayme Bohn
Editor: Vanick Moradian
Cast:
Cummings: Jeffrey Jones: Shannon: Tamala Jones
Daisy: Jenifer Lewis
Wilson: Andy Milonakis
Dread: Finesse Mitchell
C-Note: Antwan Big Boi Patton
Lady G: Sherri Shepherd
Big Large: Faizon Love
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
The bare-bones plot revolves around the efforts of C-Note (Antwan Big Boi Patton, half of the R&B duo OutKast), a highly successful rap impresario, to join the ranks of the Carolina Pines Country Club. Naturally, its snobbish president Cummings (Jones) will have none of it, especially since the club is bidding to become the home of the next U.S. Open.
That doesn't stop the intrepid C-Note, who has a highly personal reason, not explained until late in the film, for his desire to join. He promptly buys a mansion adjoining the course, essentially blackmailing his way into the club via such tactics as filming his latest rap video with its scantily clad ladies in full view of the golfers.
It isn't long before he and his posse wreak havoc with the staid environment, packing heat and riding around in a tricked-up, Hummer golf cart. Cummings hires a beautiful black lawyer to help him oust the interlopers, not counting on her becoming attracted to the dashing rapper.
The film is strictly formulaic with its vulgar humor, managing to stereotype blacks, whites, gays and even little people to boot. Both a grudge-match polo game and the inevitable climactic round on the links register with little impact, and most of the film's humor is generated, literally out of his ass, by the big-boned Faizon Love as C-Note's particularly flatulent sidekick.
Garrett Morris has a cameo as a Johnnie Cochran-like lawyer, and hot rapper Lil Wayne shows up briefly as well. Patton has a subdued but likable screen presence, and Jenifer Lewis has nice moments as C-Note's no-nonsense mom. But ultimately this is utterly forgettable stuff, not even managing to fulfill its mandate of mindless summer fun.
WHO'S YOUR CADDY?
An MGM release
An Our Stories Films and Dimension Films presentation of an Ascendant Pictures/Cheyenne Enterprises/Edmonds Entertainment/Eleven Eleven films/Our Stories Films production
Credits:
Director: Don Michael Paul
Screenwriters: Don Michael Paul, Bradley Allenstein, Robert Henny
Producers: Christopher Eberts, Tracey Edmonds, Kia Jam, Arnold Rifkin
Executive producers: Shakim Compere, Ross M. Dinerstein, Queen Latifah, Marvin Peart, Chris Roberts, Bobby Schwartz
Director of photography: Thomas L. Callaway
Production designer: Paul Luther Jackson
Music: Jon Lee
Co-producers: John Duffy, Michael LaFetra
Costume designer: Jayme Bohn
Editor: Vanick Moradian
Cast:
Cummings: Jeffrey Jones: Shannon: Tamala Jones
Daisy: Jenifer Lewis
Wilson: Andy Milonakis
Dread: Finesse Mitchell
C-Note: Antwan Big Boi Patton
Lady G: Sherri Shepherd
Big Large: Faizon Love
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 7/30/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jim Caviezel has signed on to star in Outlander, a science fiction adventure movie that Howard McCain is directing for the Weinstein Co. Sophia Myles and Jack Huston are in negotiations to join the cast. The story centers on a man from another galaxy who crash-lands on Earth during the time of the Vikings. By accident, he brings with him an alien predator that he must destroy with the help of a Viking tribe. McCain wrote the screenplay with Dirk Blackman. Ascendant Pictures' Chris Eberts, Kia Jam, Chris Roberts are producing along with Barry Osborne.
- 9/26/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jim Caviezel has signed on to star in Outlander, a science fiction adventure movie that Howard McCain is directing for the Weinstein Co. Sophia Myles and Jack Huston are in negotiations to join the cast. The story centers on a man from another galaxy who crash-lands on Earth during the time of the Vikings. By accident, he brings with him an alien predator that he must destroy with the help of a Viking tribe. McCain wrote the screenplay with Dirk Blackman. Ascendant Pictures' Chris Eberts, Kia Jam, Chris Roberts are producing along with Barry Osborne.
- 9/26/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screened
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Much admired by Charles Bukowski and occupying a hallowed place in the literature of Los Angeles, John Fante's slender 1939 novel "Ask the Dust" pulses with the bruised but hopeful poetry of outsiders' yearnings. The love-hate romance at its center involves not only the tug of war between writer Arturo Bandini and waitress Camilla Lopez but the tension between WASP America and the rest of us, self-realization and shame, the skyward-reaching city and the wild natural continent.
Screenwriter Robert Towne, a great chronicler of Los Angeles in "Chinatown" and "Shampoo", would seem the perfect big-screen translator of the influential book, here taking the helm as well as scripting. To an extent he is, but Towne also inexplicably softens the story's noir edge, lapsing into melodrama and hammering at his themes instead of delving deeper into his characters. Despite what are likely to be mixed reviews, the project's literary/cinematic pedigree and topliners Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek will be certain lures when the film opens March 10 in limited release, after its world premiere at the Santa Barbara fest.
Towne's fourth directorial outing is an exceptionally handsome evocation of 1930s Los Angeles (shot in South Africa), with cinematographer Caleb Deschanel ("The Passion of the Christ") casting the proceedings in a burnished desert glow, a dreamy grit like the Mojave sand that permeates the city streets. The film is faithful to the book's tone of dark ache and much of its detail and for the most part terrifically cast. But Towne can't overcome an essential challenge of the material: Arturo and Camilla are constructs and ciphers as much as they are vivid characters -- difficult roles, to be sure. Neither the screenplay nor the actors manage to get far under their skin.
The story opens as Arturo Bandini (Farrell), subsisting on oranges and cigarettes and six weeks in arrears on his $4-a-week rent, ponders what to do with his last nickel. It has been five months since the good-looking young man arrived in L.A. from Colorado, with high hopes, an Underwood and a suitcase full of copies of his one published story. Determined to be a great writer of fiction, he rents a furnished room at the Alta Loma, a residential hotel built against the slope of Bunker Hill.
Arturo meets Mexican beauty Camilla when she's waiting tables at the Columbia Cafe, the downtown establishment where he spends that last nickel on an a cup of undrinkable joe. Their attraction quickly finds expression in cruelty. With a pointed stare at the huaraches in which Camilla glides about the dining room, Arturo takes great pleasure in shaking her out of her haughty self-confidence, arousing her shame about not being a "real" American. A pas de deux of one-upmanship begins, each expertly finding the other's sore spots -- easy to do when their insecurities are nearly identical. In the unenlightened parlance of the day, Camilla and Italian-American Arturo are both "spicks," a point Towne's script stresses repeatedly. It also adds an excruciating bit of business in which Arturo teaches Camilla to read English.
Towne's grasp of the story's existential core is shaky, but he turns the story's central romantic episode into a piece of exquisite cinema: Arturo and Camilla rushing naked into the moonlit Santa Monica surf, their exultation quickly turning to angry tussling. With haunting imagery, Deschanel captures the beauty of the two leads, tossed by the silver waves.
Farrell puts across the conflicted, virginal Catholic boy beneath the swagger, pretending to be worldly while fearfully resisting the more experienced Camilla's bold overtures. The film doesn't shy away from the ugliness of their strange courtship, but their games grow tiresome and never accrue much emotional weight. Losing steam in stretches of flat melodrama, the film lapses into bathos, nearly veering into "Love Story" territory.
Playing a character quite a bit younger than herself, Hayek has never looked more beautiful, and Camilla's tempestuous spirit finds full expression in her performance. Still, the sense of who Camilla is doesn't deepen as the story progresses. For his part, Farrell often struggles to indicate anything beyond observer Arturo's surface reactions, and the character remains opaque, even in a disturbing interlude with Vera Rivkin. Idina Menzel ("Rent") is heartbreaking as the wounded soul who sweeps into Arturo's room like a Santa Ana, all devouring gaze.
There are plenty of tantalizing performances at the edges of the narrative, especially the wonderful, pitch-perfect work by Donald Sutherland (who starred 30 years ago in the film adaptation of another revered L.A. novel, "Day of the Locust"), playing Arturo's dissolute neighbor Hellfrick. Eileen Atkins contributes a nuanced cameo as the landlady with a distaste for Mexicans and Jews, and Jeremy Crutchley makes an impression as informative barkeep Solomon. Providing the amused, avuncular voice of real-life American Mercury editor H.L. Mencken, Arturoıs benefactor and deity, is real-life critic Richard Schickel.
Towne and Deschanel never lose sight of Los Angeles as a naive, impermanent interloper, most dramatically in an earthquake sequence full of buckling pavement and crumbling buildings. The South African landscape is an evocative if not an accurate substitute (there's nary a Joshua Tree in sight). Dennis Gassner's production design and Albert Wolsky's costumes re-create the period with fittingly subdued detail, as does the music of Ramin Djawadi and Heitor Pereira.
ASK THE DUST
Paramount Classics
in association with Capitol Films a Cruise/Wagner, VIP Medienfonds 3, Ascendant production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Robert Towne
Based on the novel by: John Fante
Producers: Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner, Don Granger, Jonas McCord
Executive producers: Redmond Morris, Mark Roemmich, David Selvan, Andreas Schmid, Andy Grosch, Chris Roberts
Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel
Production designer: Dennis Gassner
Music: Ramin Djawadi, Heitor Pereira
Co-producers: Galit Hakmon McCord, Kia Jam, Andreas Schmid
Costume designer: Albert Wolsky
Editor: Robert K. Lambert
Cast:
Arturo Bandini: Colin Farrell
Camilla Lopez: Salma Hayek
Hellfrick: Donald Sutherland
Eileen Atkins
Vera Rivkin: Idina Menzel
Sammy: Justin Kirk
Solomon: Jeremy Crutchley
Voice of Mencken: Richard Schickel
MPAA rating R
Running time --117 minutes...
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Much admired by Charles Bukowski and occupying a hallowed place in the literature of Los Angeles, John Fante's slender 1939 novel "Ask the Dust" pulses with the bruised but hopeful poetry of outsiders' yearnings. The love-hate romance at its center involves not only the tug of war between writer Arturo Bandini and waitress Camilla Lopez but the tension between WASP America and the rest of us, self-realization and shame, the skyward-reaching city and the wild natural continent.
Screenwriter Robert Towne, a great chronicler of Los Angeles in "Chinatown" and "Shampoo", would seem the perfect big-screen translator of the influential book, here taking the helm as well as scripting. To an extent he is, but Towne also inexplicably softens the story's noir edge, lapsing into melodrama and hammering at his themes instead of delving deeper into his characters. Despite what are likely to be mixed reviews, the project's literary/cinematic pedigree and topliners Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek will be certain lures when the film opens March 10 in limited release, after its world premiere at the Santa Barbara fest.
Towne's fourth directorial outing is an exceptionally handsome evocation of 1930s Los Angeles (shot in South Africa), with cinematographer Caleb Deschanel ("The Passion of the Christ") casting the proceedings in a burnished desert glow, a dreamy grit like the Mojave sand that permeates the city streets. The film is faithful to the book's tone of dark ache and much of its detail and for the most part terrifically cast. But Towne can't overcome an essential challenge of the material: Arturo and Camilla are constructs and ciphers as much as they are vivid characters -- difficult roles, to be sure. Neither the screenplay nor the actors manage to get far under their skin.
The story opens as Arturo Bandini (Farrell), subsisting on oranges and cigarettes and six weeks in arrears on his $4-a-week rent, ponders what to do with his last nickel. It has been five months since the good-looking young man arrived in L.A. from Colorado, with high hopes, an Underwood and a suitcase full of copies of his one published story. Determined to be a great writer of fiction, he rents a furnished room at the Alta Loma, a residential hotel built against the slope of Bunker Hill.
Arturo meets Mexican beauty Camilla when she's waiting tables at the Columbia Cafe, the downtown establishment where he spends that last nickel on an a cup of undrinkable joe. Their attraction quickly finds expression in cruelty. With a pointed stare at the huaraches in which Camilla glides about the dining room, Arturo takes great pleasure in shaking her out of her haughty self-confidence, arousing her shame about not being a "real" American. A pas de deux of one-upmanship begins, each expertly finding the other's sore spots -- easy to do when their insecurities are nearly identical. In the unenlightened parlance of the day, Camilla and Italian-American Arturo are both "spicks," a point Towne's script stresses repeatedly. It also adds an excruciating bit of business in which Arturo teaches Camilla to read English.
Towne's grasp of the story's existential core is shaky, but he turns the story's central romantic episode into a piece of exquisite cinema: Arturo and Camilla rushing naked into the moonlit Santa Monica surf, their exultation quickly turning to angry tussling. With haunting imagery, Deschanel captures the beauty of the two leads, tossed by the silver waves.
Farrell puts across the conflicted, virginal Catholic boy beneath the swagger, pretending to be worldly while fearfully resisting the more experienced Camilla's bold overtures. The film doesn't shy away from the ugliness of their strange courtship, but their games grow tiresome and never accrue much emotional weight. Losing steam in stretches of flat melodrama, the film lapses into bathos, nearly veering into "Love Story" territory.
Playing a character quite a bit younger than herself, Hayek has never looked more beautiful, and Camilla's tempestuous spirit finds full expression in her performance. Still, the sense of who Camilla is doesn't deepen as the story progresses. For his part, Farrell often struggles to indicate anything beyond observer Arturo's surface reactions, and the character remains opaque, even in a disturbing interlude with Vera Rivkin. Idina Menzel ("Rent") is heartbreaking as the wounded soul who sweeps into Arturo's room like a Santa Ana, all devouring gaze.
There are plenty of tantalizing performances at the edges of the narrative, especially the wonderful, pitch-perfect work by Donald Sutherland (who starred 30 years ago in the film adaptation of another revered L.A. novel, "Day of the Locust"), playing Arturo's dissolute neighbor Hellfrick. Eileen Atkins contributes a nuanced cameo as the landlady with a distaste for Mexicans and Jews, and Jeremy Crutchley makes an impression as informative barkeep Solomon. Providing the amused, avuncular voice of real-life American Mercury editor H.L. Mencken, Arturoıs benefactor and deity, is real-life critic Richard Schickel.
Towne and Deschanel never lose sight of Los Angeles as a naive, impermanent interloper, most dramatically in an earthquake sequence full of buckling pavement and crumbling buildings. The South African landscape is an evocative if not an accurate substitute (there's nary a Joshua Tree in sight). Dennis Gassner's production design and Albert Wolsky's costumes re-create the period with fittingly subdued detail, as does the music of Ramin Djawadi and Heitor Pereira.
ASK THE DUST
Paramount Classics
in association with Capitol Films a Cruise/Wagner, VIP Medienfonds 3, Ascendant production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Robert Towne
Based on the novel by: John Fante
Producers: Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner, Don Granger, Jonas McCord
Executive producers: Redmond Morris, Mark Roemmich, David Selvan, Andreas Schmid, Andy Grosch, Chris Roberts
Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel
Production designer: Dennis Gassner
Music: Ramin Djawadi, Heitor Pereira
Co-producers: Galit Hakmon McCord, Kia Jam, Andreas Schmid
Costume designer: Albert Wolsky
Editor: Robert K. Lambert
Cast:
Arturo Bandini: Colin Farrell
Camilla Lopez: Salma Hayek
Hellfrick: Donald Sutherland
Eileen Atkins
Vera Rivkin: Idina Menzel
Sammy: Justin Kirk
Solomon: Jeremy Crutchley
Voice of Mencken: Richard Schickel
MPAA rating R
Running time --117 minutes...
Screened
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Much admired by Charles Bukowski and occupying a hallowed place in the literature of Los Angeles, John Fante's slender 1939 novel "Ask the Dust" pulses with the bruised but hopeful poetry of outsiders' yearnings. The love-hate romance at its center involves not only the tug of war between writer Arturo Bandini and waitress Camilla Lopez but the tension between WASP America and the rest of us, self-realization and shame, the skyward-reaching city and the wild natural continent.
Screenwriter Robert Towne, a great chronicler of Los Angeles in "Chinatown" and "Shampoo", would seem the perfect big-screen translator of the influential book, here taking the helm as well as scripting. To an extent he is, but Towne also inexplicably softens the story's noir edge, lapsing into melodrama and hammering at his themes instead of delving deeper into his characters. Despite what are likely to be mixed reviews, the project's literary/cinematic pedigree and topliners Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek will be certain lures when the film opens March 10 in limited release, after its world premiere at the Santa Barbara fest.
Towne's fourth directorial outing is an exceptionally handsome evocation of 1930s Los Angeles (shot in South Africa), with cinematographer Caleb Deschanel ("The Passion of the Christ") casting the proceedings in a burnished desert glow, a dreamy grit like the Mojave sand that permeates the city streets. The film is faithful to the book's tone of dark ache and much of its detail and for the most part terrifically cast. But Towne can't overcome an essential challenge of the material: Arturo and Camilla are constructs and ciphers as much as they are vivid characters -- difficult roles, to be sure. Neither the screenplay nor the actors manage to get far under their skin.
The story opens as Arturo Bandini (Farrell), subsisting on oranges and cigarettes and six weeks in arrears on his $4-a-week rent, ponders what to do with his last nickel. It has been five months since the good-looking young man arrived in L.A. from Colorado, with high hopes, an Underwood and a suitcase full of copies of his one published story. Determined to be a great writer of fiction, he rents a furnished room at the Alta Loma, a residential hotel built against the slope of Bunker Hill.
Arturo meets Mexican beauty Camilla when she's waiting tables at the Columbia Cafe, the downtown establishment where he spends that last nickel on an a cup of undrinkable joe. Their attraction quickly finds expression in cruelty. With a pointed stare at the huaraches in which Camilla glides about the dining room, Arturo takes great pleasure in shaking her out of her haughty self-confidence, arousing her shame about not being a "real" American. A pas de deux of one-upmanship begins, each expertly finding the other's sore spots -- easy to do when their insecurities are nearly identical. In the unenlightened parlance of the day, Camilla and Italian-American Arturo are both "spicks," a point Towne's script stresses repeatedly. It also adds an excruciating bit of business in which Arturo teaches Camilla to read English.
Towne's grasp of the story's existential core is shaky, but he turns the story's central romantic episode into a piece of exquisite cinema: Arturo and Camilla rushing naked into the moonlit Santa Monica surf, their exultation quickly turning to angry tussling. With haunting imagery, Deschanel captures the beauty of the two leads, tossed by the silver waves.
Farrell puts across the conflicted, virginal Catholic boy beneath the swagger, pretending to be worldly while fearfully resisting the more experienced Camilla's bold overtures. The film doesn't shy away from the ugliness of their strange courtship, but their games grow tiresome and never accrue much emotional weight. Losing steam in stretches of flat melodrama, the film lapses into bathos, nearly veering into "Love Story" territory.
Playing a character quite a bit younger than herself, Hayek has never looked more beautiful, and Camilla's tempestuous spirit finds full expression in her performance. Still, the sense of who Camilla is doesn't deepen as the story progresses. For his part, Farrell often struggles to indicate anything beyond observer Arturo's surface reactions, and the character remains opaque, even in a disturbing interlude with Vera Rivkin. Idina Menzel ("Rent") is heartbreaking as the wounded soul who sweeps into Arturo's room like a Santa Ana, all devouring gaze.
There are plenty of tantalizing performances at the edges of the narrative, especially the wonderful, pitch-perfect work by Donald Sutherland (who starred 30 years ago in the film adaptation of another revered L.A. novel, "Day of the Locust"), playing Arturo's dissolute neighbor Hellfrick. Eileen Atkins contributes a nuanced cameo as the landlady with a distaste for Mexicans and Jews, and Jeremy Crutchley makes an impression as informative barkeep Solomon. Providing the amused, avuncular voice of real-life American Mercury editor H.L. Mencken, Arturoıs benefactor and deity, is real-life critic Richard Schickel.
Towne and Deschanel never lose sight of Los Angeles as a naive, impermanent interloper, most dramatically in an earthquake sequence full of buckling pavement and crumbling buildings. The South African landscape is an evocative if not an accurate substitute (there's nary a Joshua Tree in sight). Dennis Gassner's production design and Albert Wolsky's costumes re-create the period with fittingly subdued detail, as does the music of Ramin Djawadi and Heitor Pereira.
ASK THE DUST
Paramount Classics
in association with Capitol Films a Cruise/Wagner, VIP Medienfonds 3, Ascendant production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Robert Towne
Based on the novel by: John Fante
Producers: Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner, Don Granger, Jonas McCord
Executive producers: Redmond Morris, Mark Roemmich, David Selvan, Andreas Schmid, Andy Grosch, Chris Roberts
Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel
Production designer: Dennis Gassner
Music: Ramin Djawadi, Heitor Pereira
Co-producers: Galit Hakmon McCord, Kia Jam, Andreas Schmid
Costume designer: Albert Wolsky
Editor: Robert K. Lambert
Cast:
Arturo Bandini: Colin Farrell
Camilla Lopez: Salma Hayek
Hellfrick: Donald Sutherland
Eileen Atkins
Vera Rivkin: Idina Menzel
Sammy: Justin Kirk
Solomon: Jeremy Crutchley
Voice of Mencken: Richard Schickel
MPAA rating R
Running time --117 minutes...
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Much admired by Charles Bukowski and occupying a hallowed place in the literature of Los Angeles, John Fante's slender 1939 novel "Ask the Dust" pulses with the bruised but hopeful poetry of outsiders' yearnings. The love-hate romance at its center involves not only the tug of war between writer Arturo Bandini and waitress Camilla Lopez but the tension between WASP America and the rest of us, self-realization and shame, the skyward-reaching city and the wild natural continent.
Screenwriter Robert Towne, a great chronicler of Los Angeles in "Chinatown" and "Shampoo", would seem the perfect big-screen translator of the influential book, here taking the helm as well as scripting. To an extent he is, but Towne also inexplicably softens the story's noir edge, lapsing into melodrama and hammering at his themes instead of delving deeper into his characters. Despite what are likely to be mixed reviews, the project's literary/cinematic pedigree and topliners Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek will be certain lures when the film opens March 10 in limited release, after its world premiere at the Santa Barbara fest.
Towne's fourth directorial outing is an exceptionally handsome evocation of 1930s Los Angeles (shot in South Africa), with cinematographer Caleb Deschanel ("The Passion of the Christ") casting the proceedings in a burnished desert glow, a dreamy grit like the Mojave sand that permeates the city streets. The film is faithful to the book's tone of dark ache and much of its detail and for the most part terrifically cast. But Towne can't overcome an essential challenge of the material: Arturo and Camilla are constructs and ciphers as much as they are vivid characters -- difficult roles, to be sure. Neither the screenplay nor the actors manage to get far under their skin.
The story opens as Arturo Bandini (Farrell), subsisting on oranges and cigarettes and six weeks in arrears on his $4-a-week rent, ponders what to do with his last nickel. It has been five months since the good-looking young man arrived in L.A. from Colorado, with high hopes, an Underwood and a suitcase full of copies of his one published story. Determined to be a great writer of fiction, he rents a furnished room at the Alta Loma, a residential hotel built against the slope of Bunker Hill.
Arturo meets Mexican beauty Camilla when she's waiting tables at the Columbia Cafe, the downtown establishment where he spends that last nickel on an a cup of undrinkable joe. Their attraction quickly finds expression in cruelty. With a pointed stare at the huaraches in which Camilla glides about the dining room, Arturo takes great pleasure in shaking her out of her haughty self-confidence, arousing her shame about not being a "real" American. A pas de deux of one-upmanship begins, each expertly finding the other's sore spots -- easy to do when their insecurities are nearly identical. In the unenlightened parlance of the day, Camilla and Italian-American Arturo are both "spicks," a point Towne's script stresses repeatedly. It also adds an excruciating bit of business in which Arturo teaches Camilla to read English.
Towne's grasp of the story's existential core is shaky, but he turns the story's central romantic episode into a piece of exquisite cinema: Arturo and Camilla rushing naked into the moonlit Santa Monica surf, their exultation quickly turning to angry tussling. With haunting imagery, Deschanel captures the beauty of the two leads, tossed by the silver waves.
Farrell puts across the conflicted, virginal Catholic boy beneath the swagger, pretending to be worldly while fearfully resisting the more experienced Camilla's bold overtures. The film doesn't shy away from the ugliness of their strange courtship, but their games grow tiresome and never accrue much emotional weight. Losing steam in stretches of flat melodrama, the film lapses into bathos, nearly veering into "Love Story" territory.
Playing a character quite a bit younger than herself, Hayek has never looked more beautiful, and Camilla's tempestuous spirit finds full expression in her performance. Still, the sense of who Camilla is doesn't deepen as the story progresses. For his part, Farrell often struggles to indicate anything beyond observer Arturo's surface reactions, and the character remains opaque, even in a disturbing interlude with Vera Rivkin. Idina Menzel ("Rent") is heartbreaking as the wounded soul who sweeps into Arturo's room like a Santa Ana, all devouring gaze.
There are plenty of tantalizing performances at the edges of the narrative, especially the wonderful, pitch-perfect work by Donald Sutherland (who starred 30 years ago in the film adaptation of another revered L.A. novel, "Day of the Locust"), playing Arturo's dissolute neighbor Hellfrick. Eileen Atkins contributes a nuanced cameo as the landlady with a distaste for Mexicans and Jews, and Jeremy Crutchley makes an impression as informative barkeep Solomon. Providing the amused, avuncular voice of real-life American Mercury editor H.L. Mencken, Arturoıs benefactor and deity, is real-life critic Richard Schickel.
Towne and Deschanel never lose sight of Los Angeles as a naive, impermanent interloper, most dramatically in an earthquake sequence full of buckling pavement and crumbling buildings. The South African landscape is an evocative if not an accurate substitute (there's nary a Joshua Tree in sight). Dennis Gassner's production design and Albert Wolsky's costumes re-create the period with fittingly subdued detail, as does the music of Ramin Djawadi and Heitor Pereira.
ASK THE DUST
Paramount Classics
in association with Capitol Films a Cruise/Wagner, VIP Medienfonds 3, Ascendant production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Robert Towne
Based on the novel by: John Fante
Producers: Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner, Don Granger, Jonas McCord
Executive producers: Redmond Morris, Mark Roemmich, David Selvan, Andreas Schmid, Andy Grosch, Chris Roberts
Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel
Production designer: Dennis Gassner
Music: Ramin Djawadi, Heitor Pereira
Co-producers: Galit Hakmon McCord, Kia Jam, Andreas Schmid
Costume designer: Albert Wolsky
Editor: Robert K. Lambert
Cast:
Arturo Bandini: Colin Farrell
Camilla Lopez: Salma Hayek
Hellfrick: Donald Sutherland
Eileen Atkins
Vera Rivkin: Idina Menzel
Sammy: Justin Kirk
Solomon: Jeremy Crutchley
Voice of Mencken: Richard Schickel
MPAA rating R
Running time --117 minutes...
PARK CITY -- "Lucky Number Slevin" is a crime thriller-cum-con job that might be too slick and clever for its own good.
The movie risks alienating its audience initially with a welter of confusing story lines, dead bodies and random characters, only for the film to grandly pull together the missing pieces by fadeout. So here's an audience's dilemma: You know you've been had, but do you like it -- or not?
The guess is a goodly number of moviegoers will like it, though there will be those refrigerator moments -- you know, when you get home, open the fridge and suddenly say to yourself, "Hey, wait a minute!" But no matter how badly the movie cons you, you must admit that the film is stylish as hell with sharp dialogue, a tongue-in-cheek plot and visual and editing razzle-dazzle.
The Weinstein Co. might have gotten lucky as boxoffice looks promising, especially given a cast headed by Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley.
Scottish director Paul McGuigan and writer Jason Smilovic have collaborated on a crime doozy that, after initial confusion, seems to center on a classic case of mistaken identity. A number of killings, a strange scene in an airport between Willis and a sleepy passenger and a flashback to a long-ago horse race inspire that initial confusion. Then the real story takes over with the promise that those early elements will become clear in time.
A fellow named Slevin (Hartnett) comes to New York to visit an old friend.
Only the friend has vanished from his apartment. Slevin spends the night, then meets the cute and flirty girl next door, Lindsey (Lucy Liu). But his luck doesn't hold. Two goons show up at the door and absolutely insist their boss wants to see him.
He protests that he is not the real occupant of the apartment, but -- more bad luck -- he can't prove his identity since a mugger took his wallet the day before.
The Boss (Freeman) claims that the apartment occupant owes him a small fortune. He will forgive the debt if Slevin kills the son of underworld rival Schlomo (Kingsley). While he is contemplating his offer, similar emissaries from Schlomo come to the unlucky apartment and drag him off to see their boss. He is a Jewish gangster who also insists Slevin owes him a lot of money -- and he wants it now. All the while, a shadowy figure, clearly playing both sides against each other, lurks in the background. This would be the notorious assassin Goodkat (Willis).
Nothing, of course, is quite what it seems, which you know all along, but what you do not realize -- and this is the movie's greatest cheat -- is that some scenes are phony. Yes, the filmmakers violate the usual unspoken agreement made with audiences by showing scenes that later turn out never to have occurred. In fairness, from the beginning, the movie claims the ground of utter genre fiction. Characters even chat about other thrillers, movies ranging from James Bond to Hitchcock's "North By Northwest".
Message: Nothing is real here.
The primary enjoyment in this film is watching talented actors having fun with far-out roles. Hartnett is terrific as the unlucky Slevin, who turns tables and proves he can play with the bad boys at their own game. Liu is refreshingly winsome as the girl next door. Freeman, Kingsley and Willis don't so much chew the scenery as dine delicately on the decor. It's great fun to watch.
Tech credits are aces. The film looks stylish, sleek and up-to-date despite characters and subplots that harken back to "The Sting".
LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN
The Weinstein Co.
FilmEngine/Ascendant Pictures/Capitol Films/VIP 4 Medienfonds
Credits:
Director: Paul McGuigan
Screenwriter: Jason Smilovic
Producers: Christopher Eberts, Kia Jam, Robert Kravis, Tyler Mitchell, Anthony Rhulen, Chris Roberts
Executive producers: Don Carmody, A.J. Dix, William Shivley
Director of photography: Peter Sova
Production designer: Francois Seguin
Music: Joshua Ralph
Costumes: Odette Gadoury
Editor: Andrew Hulme
Cast:
Mr. Goodkat: Bruce Willis
Slevin: Josh Hartnett
Schlomo: Ben Kingsley
The Boss: Morgan Freeman
Lindsey: Lucy Liu
Brikowsky: Stanley Tucci
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 109 minutes...
The movie risks alienating its audience initially with a welter of confusing story lines, dead bodies and random characters, only for the film to grandly pull together the missing pieces by fadeout. So here's an audience's dilemma: You know you've been had, but do you like it -- or not?
The guess is a goodly number of moviegoers will like it, though there will be those refrigerator moments -- you know, when you get home, open the fridge and suddenly say to yourself, "Hey, wait a minute!" But no matter how badly the movie cons you, you must admit that the film is stylish as hell with sharp dialogue, a tongue-in-cheek plot and visual and editing razzle-dazzle.
The Weinstein Co. might have gotten lucky as boxoffice looks promising, especially given a cast headed by Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley.
Scottish director Paul McGuigan and writer Jason Smilovic have collaborated on a crime doozy that, after initial confusion, seems to center on a classic case of mistaken identity. A number of killings, a strange scene in an airport between Willis and a sleepy passenger and a flashback to a long-ago horse race inspire that initial confusion. Then the real story takes over with the promise that those early elements will become clear in time.
A fellow named Slevin (Hartnett) comes to New York to visit an old friend.
Only the friend has vanished from his apartment. Slevin spends the night, then meets the cute and flirty girl next door, Lindsey (Lucy Liu). But his luck doesn't hold. Two goons show up at the door and absolutely insist their boss wants to see him.
He protests that he is not the real occupant of the apartment, but -- more bad luck -- he can't prove his identity since a mugger took his wallet the day before.
The Boss (Freeman) claims that the apartment occupant owes him a small fortune. He will forgive the debt if Slevin kills the son of underworld rival Schlomo (Kingsley). While he is contemplating his offer, similar emissaries from Schlomo come to the unlucky apartment and drag him off to see their boss. He is a Jewish gangster who also insists Slevin owes him a lot of money -- and he wants it now. All the while, a shadowy figure, clearly playing both sides against each other, lurks in the background. This would be the notorious assassin Goodkat (Willis).
Nothing, of course, is quite what it seems, which you know all along, but what you do not realize -- and this is the movie's greatest cheat -- is that some scenes are phony. Yes, the filmmakers violate the usual unspoken agreement made with audiences by showing scenes that later turn out never to have occurred. In fairness, from the beginning, the movie claims the ground of utter genre fiction. Characters even chat about other thrillers, movies ranging from James Bond to Hitchcock's "North By Northwest".
Message: Nothing is real here.
The primary enjoyment in this film is watching talented actors having fun with far-out roles. Hartnett is terrific as the unlucky Slevin, who turns tables and proves he can play with the bad boys at their own game. Liu is refreshingly winsome as the girl next door. Freeman, Kingsley and Willis don't so much chew the scenery as dine delicately on the decor. It's great fun to watch.
Tech credits are aces. The film looks stylish, sleek and up-to-date despite characters and subplots that harken back to "The Sting".
LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN
The Weinstein Co.
FilmEngine/Ascendant Pictures/Capitol Films/VIP 4 Medienfonds
Credits:
Director: Paul McGuigan
Screenwriter: Jason Smilovic
Producers: Christopher Eberts, Kia Jam, Robert Kravis, Tyler Mitchell, Anthony Rhulen, Chris Roberts
Executive producers: Don Carmody, A.J. Dix, William Shivley
Director of photography: Peter Sova
Production designer: Francois Seguin
Music: Joshua Ralph
Costumes: Odette Gadoury
Editor: Andrew Hulme
Cast:
Mr. Goodkat: Bruce Willis
Slevin: Josh Hartnett
Schlomo: Ben Kingsley
The Boss: Morgan Freeman
Lindsey: Lucy Liu
Brikowsky: Stanley Tucci
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 109 minutes...
- 1/22/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Echo Bridge Entertainment has acquired all North American rights to the feature film The Big White, starring Robin Williams, Holly Hunter and Woody Harrelson, managing partner Michael Rosenblatt said Tuesday. The film was directed by Mark Mylod from a screenplay by Collin Friesen and produced by Ascendant Pictures' Christopher Eberts, Chris Roberts, Kia Jam and John Schimmel. It was acquired from Capitol Films in a deal negotiated by Ronna Wallace on behalf of Capitol's Jane Barclay. It screens Friday at AFI Fest 2005.
- 11/2/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
AUSTIN -- On paper, it sounds like a carbon copy of "Fargo": A desperate man in a snow-packed small town turns to crime in an effort to avoid bankruptcy; his plan is thwarted by bad luck, oddball goons and an investigator who simply won't quit.
The similarities multiply from there, as "The Big White" also traffics in black humor leavened by a very un-noirlike sympathy for its protagonists. There are even some funny accents, though this film's sense of place is a good deal shakier than that of its predecessor. Where the Coen brothers' film was sure-footed in its odd blend of tones, "The Big White" never completely finds its balance.
The film is screening at the Fantastic Fest in Austin.
Leading an unusually strong indie cast, Robin Williams plays Paul Barnell, a travel agent whose wife, Margaret (Holly Hunter), suffers from some behavioral problem (possibly Tourette Syndrome) that the couple's health insurance won't cover. When he finds a dead body in a dumpster, Paul tries to pass it off as his long-lost brother and collect on a million-dollar life-insurance policy.
Naturally, Paul's brother chooses this moment to end his five-year absence, while the criminals who stashed the body to begin with track it to Paul. Both parties make Paul's life terribly awkward while a suspicious claims adjuster (Giovanni Ribisi, looking a bit like a corpse himself) sniffs around.
The film shows its nasty sense of humor early on, as Paul brutalizes the cadaver to fit it into a refrigerator. Soon the violence spreads to living victims, with beatings dished out at one point or another to much of the cast. The most successful bit of slapstick comes from Margaret, who bewilders an intruder with a barrage of unexpected projectiles.
(The screenplay is littered with suggestions that Margaret's illness is imaginary, but this is never resolved. Whatever the case, Hunter is always active with some sort of business, whether cursing at a friendly neighborhood kid or bunny-hopping from room to room.)
Like so much of the film, the production design is deliberately quirky -- from an all-white insurance company office to the tacky '70s decor in the Barnell home. The look doesn't quite ring true, and neither do many of the screenplay's little curveballs: the kidnapper who frets over the meals he cooks for his hostage, the girlfriend who works for a psychic hotline, the old-lady neighbor who wields a Ted Nugent-sized bowhunting rig. Strangely, one of the film's most conventional elements is its score, which was penned by Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh.
At heart, the film wants to be about a husband who loves his wife so much that he'll do bad, stupid things to provide for her. But the mainstream audiences who most would identify with this theme are likely to be alienated by the movie's violence and quirks, while the indie/art house market might not see anything here they haven't seen done better elsewhere. Distributors might lure a crowd with big names and slapstick, but few viewers will recommend "The Big White" to friends with much enthusiasm.
THE BIG WHITE
Ascendant Pictures
Credits: Director: Mark Mylod; Screenwriter: Collin Friesen; Producers: Christopher Eberts, David Faigenblum, Chris Roberts; Executive producers: Michael Birnbaum, Andreas Grosch, Sharon Harel, Kia Jam, Hannah Leader, John Schimmel, Andreas Schmid; Director of photography: James Glennon; Production designer: Jon Billington; Music: Mark Mothersbaugh; Co-producer: Elaine Dysinger; Costumes: Darena Snowe; Editor: Julie Monroe. Cast: Paul Barnell: Robin Williams; Margaret Barnell: Holly Hunter; Ted: Giovanni Ribisi; Tiffany: Alison Lohman; Gary: Tim Blake Nelson; Jimbo: W. Earl Brown; Raymond: Woody Harrelson.
MPAA rating R, running time 104 minutes.
The similarities multiply from there, as "The Big White" also traffics in black humor leavened by a very un-noirlike sympathy for its protagonists. There are even some funny accents, though this film's sense of place is a good deal shakier than that of its predecessor. Where the Coen brothers' film was sure-footed in its odd blend of tones, "The Big White" never completely finds its balance.
The film is screening at the Fantastic Fest in Austin.
Leading an unusually strong indie cast, Robin Williams plays Paul Barnell, a travel agent whose wife, Margaret (Holly Hunter), suffers from some behavioral problem (possibly Tourette Syndrome) that the couple's health insurance won't cover. When he finds a dead body in a dumpster, Paul tries to pass it off as his long-lost brother and collect on a million-dollar life-insurance policy.
Naturally, Paul's brother chooses this moment to end his five-year absence, while the criminals who stashed the body to begin with track it to Paul. Both parties make Paul's life terribly awkward while a suspicious claims adjuster (Giovanni Ribisi, looking a bit like a corpse himself) sniffs around.
The film shows its nasty sense of humor early on, as Paul brutalizes the cadaver to fit it into a refrigerator. Soon the violence spreads to living victims, with beatings dished out at one point or another to much of the cast. The most successful bit of slapstick comes from Margaret, who bewilders an intruder with a barrage of unexpected projectiles.
(The screenplay is littered with suggestions that Margaret's illness is imaginary, but this is never resolved. Whatever the case, Hunter is always active with some sort of business, whether cursing at a friendly neighborhood kid or bunny-hopping from room to room.)
Like so much of the film, the production design is deliberately quirky -- from an all-white insurance company office to the tacky '70s decor in the Barnell home. The look doesn't quite ring true, and neither do many of the screenplay's little curveballs: the kidnapper who frets over the meals he cooks for his hostage, the girlfriend who works for a psychic hotline, the old-lady neighbor who wields a Ted Nugent-sized bowhunting rig. Strangely, one of the film's most conventional elements is its score, which was penned by Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh.
At heart, the film wants to be about a husband who loves his wife so much that he'll do bad, stupid things to provide for her. But the mainstream audiences who most would identify with this theme are likely to be alienated by the movie's violence and quirks, while the indie/art house market might not see anything here they haven't seen done better elsewhere. Distributors might lure a crowd with big names and slapstick, but few viewers will recommend "The Big White" to friends with much enthusiasm.
THE BIG WHITE
Ascendant Pictures
Credits: Director: Mark Mylod; Screenwriter: Collin Friesen; Producers: Christopher Eberts, David Faigenblum, Chris Roberts; Executive producers: Michael Birnbaum, Andreas Grosch, Sharon Harel, Kia Jam, Hannah Leader, John Schimmel, Andreas Schmid; Director of photography: James Glennon; Production designer: Jon Billington; Music: Mark Mothersbaugh; Co-producer: Elaine Dysinger; Costumes: Darena Snowe; Editor: Julie Monroe. Cast: Paul Barnell: Robin Williams; Margaret Barnell: Holly Hunter; Ted: Giovanni Ribisi; Tiffany: Alison Lohman; Gary: Tim Blake Nelson; Jimbo: W. Earl Brown; Raymond: Woody Harrelson.
MPAA rating R, running time 104 minutes.
- 10/10/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lucy Liu is in negotiations to join Josh Hartnett in the noir gangster film Lucky Number Slevin, which Paul McGuigan is set to direct. Liu would play Lyndsey, a sexy coroner who falls in love with Slevin (Hartnett). The film is set amid a conflict between black and Jewish gangsters. Ascendant Pictures, which works closely with the German fund VIP Medien, is financing the film with London-based sales shingle Capital Films. Ascendant's Chris Eberts and Chris Roberts and Kia Jam are producing with FilmEngine's Tyler Mitchell, Anthony Rhulen and Robert S. Kravis. FilmEngine developed the script with writer Jason Smilovic. Liu's recent credits include the Charlie's Angels films and Kill Bill-Vol. 1. She is repped by WMA.
- 8/28/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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