Gabe Polsky’s new acid Western “Butcher’s Crossing,” premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, takes place on the vast fertile plains of hubris, where if you stare far enough into the horizon, you can probably see your own uppance come.
Based on a novel by John Williams takes place in Kansas in 1874, where a young wide-eyed student named Will Andrews has abandoned his Ivy League education in favor of seeing the country and palling around with buffalo hunters. It’s a decision that old man McDonald, a fur trader and distant friend of the family, thinks is intensely ill-advised, so he warns him — in a tone so condescending it was practically guaranteed to have the opposite of its intended effect — that following this path will lead Will to soul-obliterating ruin.
Undeterred, Will proceeds to ally himself with the first semi-friendly person he meets, a hunter named Miller (Nicolas Cage), who...
Based on a novel by John Williams takes place in Kansas in 1874, where a young wide-eyed student named Will Andrews has abandoned his Ivy League education in favor of seeing the country and palling around with buffalo hunters. It’s a decision that old man McDonald, a fur trader and distant friend of the family, thinks is intensely ill-advised, so he warns him — in a tone so condescending it was practically guaranteed to have the opposite of its intended effect — that following this path will lead Will to soul-obliterating ruin.
Undeterred, Will proceeds to ally himself with the first semi-friendly person he meets, a hunter named Miller (Nicolas Cage), who...
- 9/10/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Saban Films is getting in the Nicolas Cage business.
The studio has acquired “Butcher’s Crossing,” a frontier epic that stars the off-beat, Oscar winner as a buffalo hunter. The deal covers rights in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia.
Gabe Polsky, who directed the documentary “Red Penguins,” slides behind the camera on this one. He wrote the script, as well. It’s an adaptation of a novel by John Williams. The film is produced by Polsky and Molly Conners of Phiphen Pictures alongside Will Clarke and Andy Mayson for Altitude Film Entertainment and Cage’s Saturn Films. Ingenious Media is funding, with Peter Touche, Jamie Jessop and Christelle Conan executive producing. Principal photography will begin this fall.
“Butcher’s Crossing” is set in the 1870s, and finds Cage’s character taking on a young Harvard dropout, who is seeking his destiny in the Colorado wilderness.
The studio has acquired “Butcher’s Crossing,” a frontier epic that stars the off-beat, Oscar winner as a buffalo hunter. The deal covers rights in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia.
Gabe Polsky, who directed the documentary “Red Penguins,” slides behind the camera on this one. He wrote the script, as well. It’s an adaptation of a novel by John Williams. The film is produced by Polsky and Molly Conners of Phiphen Pictures alongside Will Clarke and Andy Mayson for Altitude Film Entertainment and Cage’s Saturn Films. Ingenious Media is funding, with Peter Touche, Jamie Jessop and Christelle Conan executive producing. Principal photography will begin this fall.
“Butcher’s Crossing” is set in the 1870s, and finds Cage’s character taking on a young Harvard dropout, who is seeking his destiny in the Colorado wilderness.
- 9/21/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The 73rd Writers Guild Awards is underway in a virtual ceremony, honoring the best in original and adapted screenplay and documentary, TV, new media, news, radio/audio and promotional writing.
For the first time, in recent history, the awards ceremonies for both WGA West and WGA East will be in lock step as both have been merged tonight in one live stream. Typically, two ceremonies are held separately in both L.A. and NYC at the same time, with both reading off winners at separate times. Quite often, the NY awards ceremony will get ahead of LA’s and announce winners, completely spoiling the suspense for anyone in the Beverly Hilton ballroom.
Tonight’s host Kal Penn, clad in a satin purple tux jacket, was live from what looked to be his home. The Harold & Kumar actor mentioned that he just became a WGA member.
“When I joined SAG they just gave me a pin,...
For the first time, in recent history, the awards ceremonies for both WGA West and WGA East will be in lock step as both have been merged tonight in one live stream. Typically, two ceremonies are held separately in both L.A. and NYC at the same time, with both reading off winners at separate times. Quite often, the NY awards ceremony will get ahead of LA’s and announce winners, completely spoiling the suspense for anyone in the Beverly Hilton ballroom.
Tonight’s host Kal Penn, clad in a satin purple tux jacket, was live from what looked to be his home. The Harold & Kumar actor mentioned that he just became a WGA member.
“When I joined SAG they just gave me a pin,...
- 3/21/2021
- by Denise Petski, Anthony D'Alessandro and Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America Awards were handed during a virtual ceremony on Sunday, March 21. But don’t base your Oscar predictions on these kudos. Every year a slew of Oscar-nominated scripts are deemed ineligible for consideration here due to guild guidelines. Indeed, over the past 12 years only 80 of the Writers Guild of America Awards nominees have numbered among the 120 screenplays that reaped Academy Awards bids. Scroll down for the 2021 Writers Guild of America Awards winners list.
Our odds predict that “Nomadland” will win Best Adapted Screenplay winner at the Oscars but it was not allowed to compete at the WGA Awards. Neither was another Oscar contender in that category: “The Father.” The guild did match the academy three-for-five in this category, with “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “One Night in Miami” and “The White Tiger” competing at both. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “News of the World” round out the guild nominees.
Our odds predict that “Nomadland” will win Best Adapted Screenplay winner at the Oscars but it was not allowed to compete at the WGA Awards. Neither was another Oscar contender in that category: “The Father.” The guild did match the academy three-for-five in this category, with “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “One Night in Miami” and “The White Tiger” competing at both. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “News of the World” round out the guild nominees.
- 3/21/2021
- by Zach Laws and Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Don’t look for five of our predicted 10 Oscar contenders for screenplay in the 2021 Writers Guild of America Awards nominations announced February 16. They didn’t qualify for consideration under the guild’s guidelines or those of its international partners.
We are predicting that “Nomadland” will win Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars. Three of its likely Oscar rivals — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “News of the World” and “One Night in Miami” — contend at the WGA Awards as do “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and “The White Tiger.”
The Original Screenplay Oscar frontrunner “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is in the running here as is “Promising Young Woman,” which sits in second place on our chart. With “Mank,” “Minari” and “Soul” ineligible at the guild kudos, that race is rounded out by “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Palm Springs” and “Sound of Metal.”
Over the past 11 years only 73 of the Writers Guild...
We are predicting that “Nomadland” will win Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars. Three of its likely Oscar rivals — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “News of the World” and “One Night in Miami” — contend at the WGA Awards as do “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and “The White Tiger.”
The Original Screenplay Oscar frontrunner “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is in the running here as is “Promising Young Woman,” which sits in second place on our chart. With “Mank,” “Minari” and “Soul” ineligible at the guild kudos, that race is rounded out by “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Palm Springs” and “Sound of Metal.”
Over the past 11 years only 73 of the Writers Guild...
- 2/16/2021
- by Paul Sheehan and Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
The WGA on Tuesday unveiled the movie nominations for its 2021 WGA Awards, honoring outstanding achievement in screenwriting of original, adapted and documentary films during 2020. Winners will be March 21 in a virtual ceremony. Check out the full list below.
The Original Screenplay category covers comedy, drama, mystery and more as the scribes behind Judas and the Black Messiah, Palm Springs, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7 will vie for the hardware.
The Adapted Screenplay race will be among Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, News of the World, One Night in Miami and The White Tiger.
On the documentary side, All In: The Fight for Democracy, The Dissident, Herb Alpert Is…, Red Penguins and Totally Under Control will battle it out for the WGA trophy.
The eligibility period is January 1, 2020-February 28, 2021.
The WGA is the only guild that requires a movie to have been...
The Original Screenplay category covers comedy, drama, mystery and more as the scribes behind Judas and the Black Messiah, Palm Springs, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7 will vie for the hardware.
The Adapted Screenplay race will be among Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, News of the World, One Night in Miami and The White Tiger.
On the documentary side, All In: The Fight for Democracy, The Dissident, Herb Alpert Is…, Red Penguins and Totally Under Control will battle it out for the WGA trophy.
The eligibility period is January 1, 2020-February 28, 2021.
The WGA is the only guild that requires a movie to have been...
- 2/16/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “One Night in Miami,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” are among the films that have been nominated by the Writers Guild of America in the original and adapted screenplay categories, the WGA West and WGA East announced on Tuesday.
In the Original Screenplay category, “Chicago 7,” “Promising Young Woman” and “Judas and the Black Messiah” were joined by “Palm Springs” and “Sound of Metal.”
“Borat,” “One Night in Miami” and “Ma Rainey” were nominated for Adapted Screenplay along with “News of the World” and “The White Tiger.”
In the documentary category, the nominees included one film that is on the Oscars documentary shortlist, “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” and four that are not: “The Dissident,” “Herb Alpert Is…,” “Red Penguins” and “Totally Under Control.”
To an even greater degree than usual, many of the top Oscar...
In the Original Screenplay category, “Chicago 7,” “Promising Young Woman” and “Judas and the Black Messiah” were joined by “Palm Springs” and “Sound of Metal.”
“Borat,” “One Night in Miami” and “Ma Rainey” were nominated for Adapted Screenplay along with “News of the World” and “The White Tiger.”
In the documentary category, the nominees included one film that is on the Oscars documentary shortlist, “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” and four that are not: “The Dissident,” “Herb Alpert Is…,” “Red Penguins” and “Totally Under Control.”
To an even greater degree than usual, many of the top Oscar...
- 2/16/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Every year, the Writers Guild of America leaves out several Oscar-contending screenplays in its award nominations. But this year’s ineligible list is massive, from “Mank” to “Nomadland.” The WGA maintains jurisdiction over whether scripts are produced under a Writer’s Guild contract, and who finally gets credit on a screenplay. The guild insists on withholding non-signatories from being part of the WGA Awards.
That’s why, unlike the other guilds, every year a long list of WGA ineligible indie, British, and animated movies are excluded. A WGA nomination isn’t essential for Oscar nomination; plenty of exceptions include American indie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Iranian Oscar-winner “A Separation,” Oscar-winning British films “Les Miserables,” and “The Favourite,” and all Pixar animated contenders, from “Up” to “Incredibles 2.” “The Artist” and “The King’s Speech” both won Best Picture without the benefit of a WGA nomination.
The WGA nominees listed below...
That’s why, unlike the other guilds, every year a long list of WGA ineligible indie, British, and animated movies are excluded. A WGA nomination isn’t essential for Oscar nomination; plenty of exceptions include American indie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Iranian Oscar-winner “A Separation,” Oscar-winning British films “Les Miserables,” and “The Favourite,” and all Pixar animated contenders, from “Up” to “Incredibles 2.” “The Artist” and “The King’s Speech” both won Best Picture without the benefit of a WGA nomination.
The WGA nominees listed below...
- 2/16/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Every year, the Writers Guild of America leaves out several Oscar-contending screenplays in its award nominations. But this year’s ineligible list is massive, from “Mank” to “Nomadland.” The WGA maintains jurisdiction over whether scripts are produced under a Writer’s Guild contract, and who finally gets credit on a screenplay. The guild insists on withholding non-signatories from being part of the WGA Awards.
That’s why, unlike the other guilds, every year a long list of WGA ineligible indie, British, and animated movies are excluded. A WGA nomination isn’t essential for Oscar nomination; plenty of exceptions include American indie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Iranian Oscar-winner “A Separation,” Oscar-winning British films “Les Miserables,” and “The Favourite,” and all Pixar animated contenders, from “Up” to “Incredibles 2.” “The Artist” and “The King’s Speech” both won Best Picture without the benefit of a WGA nomination.
The WGA nominees listed below...
That’s why, unlike the other guilds, every year a long list of WGA ineligible indie, British, and animated movies are excluded. A WGA nomination isn’t essential for Oscar nomination; plenty of exceptions include American indie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Iranian Oscar-winner “A Separation,” Oscar-winning British films “Les Miserables,” and “The Favourite,” and all Pixar animated contenders, from “Up” to “Incredibles 2.” “The Artist” and “The King’s Speech” both won Best Picture without the benefit of a WGA nomination.
The WGA nominees listed below...
- 2/16/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Chicago – In a world gone a bit madder and sadder, the films of 2020 were a welcome escape from the travails of weekly reality. Without theater exhibition by and large, films had to be experienced on smaller home screens, shrinking bold cinematography and emphasizing the story.
Reflected in my 10 Best Films Of 2020 are those storyteller films, the escapes that told tales of our possibilities and hope. In lieu of complete normalcy in 2021, let’s at least get back to the theaters.
I begin by ranking the 25th film favorites through the 11th, with the option to click on the highlighted titles for reviews or associated interviews… 25th - Eurovision Song Contest, 24th - Da Five Bloods (Delroy Lindo symbolized a whole war in his performance), 23rd - Wonder Woman 1984 (we have met the villains and they are us), 22nd - The Hunt (sharpest satire in the tool shed), 21st - The Nest...
Reflected in my 10 Best Films Of 2020 are those storyteller films, the escapes that told tales of our possibilities and hope. In lieu of complete normalcy in 2021, let’s at least get back to the theaters.
I begin by ranking the 25th film favorites through the 11th, with the option to click on the highlighted titles for reviews or associated interviews… 25th - Eurovision Song Contest, 24th - Da Five Bloods (Delroy Lindo symbolized a whole war in his performance), 23rd - Wonder Woman 1984 (we have met the villains and they are us), 22nd - The Hunt (sharpest satire in the tool shed), 21st - The Nest...
- 1/3/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Academy dropped another 33 feature films into the online screening room for members of its Documentary Branch on Oct. 30, giving the Oscars doc race its biggest influx of new films to date. The branch now has 86 films to consider, with two or three more batches of films (and potentially more than 50 additional contenders) likely to be added to the field by early January.
Coming the same week that the Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced its nominees and the International Documentary Association’s Ida Documentary Awards revealed the 30-film shortlist from which it will make its final choices, the Academy move kicked the Oscar doc race into another gear in a year that promises to be highly competitive.
Among the docs that were made available to voters this week were Bryce Dallas Howard’s film about fatherhood, “Dads,” which means she’ll be competing against her father, Ron Howard, who is...
Coming the same week that the Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced its nominees and the International Documentary Association’s Ida Documentary Awards revealed the 30-film shortlist from which it will make its final choices, the Academy move kicked the Oscar doc race into another gear in a year that promises to be highly competitive.
Among the docs that were made available to voters this week were Bryce Dallas Howard’s film about fatherhood, “Dads,” which means she’ll be competing against her father, Ron Howard, who is...
- 11/2/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
“Crip Camp,” “Gunda” and “Mr. Soul!” led all films in nominations for the fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which were announced on Monday by the Critics Choice Association.
The three films each received five nominations, including nods in the Best Documentary Feature category. As usual, that category cast a very wide net and contains far more nominees than other awards for nonfiction filmmaking — 14 this year, with nominations also going to “Athlete A,” “Belushi,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “Feels Good Man,” “The Fight,” “The Go-Go’s,” “My Octopus Teacher,” “The Painter and the Thief,” “A Secret Love,” “The Social Dilemma” and “Time.”
Films with four nominations are “Athlete A,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “Octopus Teacher” and “Totally Under Control.”
The list was missing many of the year’s most acclaimed nonfiction films, including “Welcome to Chechnya,” “The Dissident,” “Collective,” “Disclosure,” “76 Days” and “On the Record,” none of which received any nominations.
The three films each received five nominations, including nods in the Best Documentary Feature category. As usual, that category cast a very wide net and contains far more nominees than other awards for nonfiction filmmaking — 14 this year, with nominations also going to “Athlete A,” “Belushi,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “Feels Good Man,” “The Fight,” “The Go-Go’s,” “My Octopus Teacher,” “The Painter and the Thief,” “A Secret Love,” “The Social Dilemma” and “Time.”
Films with four nominations are “Athlete A,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “Octopus Teacher” and “Totally Under Control.”
The list was missing many of the year’s most acclaimed nonfiction films, including “Welcome to Chechnya,” “The Dissident,” “Collective,” “Disclosure,” “76 Days” and “On the Record,” none of which received any nominations.
- 10/26/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
It makes sense that this year’s AFI Fest closed on Thursday night with the premiere of director Errol Morris’ wild and entertaining documentary “My Psychedelic Love Story.” In a year in which reality has smacked all of us in the face, nonfiction filmmaking is in the spotlight more than ever, from a string of docs that deal with issues at stake in the upcoming election to more freewheeling works like Morris’ film, a Wtf concoction from a director who only gets this playful once in a while.
It’s undeniable that the Oscars race for Best Picture is off to a slow start, with fewer films than usual playing the scaled-down fall film festivals and studios reluctant to commit to theatrical openings as the pandemic stretches on. But the race for Best Documentary Feature promises to be a robust one. More than 50 films are now available in the Academy...
It’s undeniable that the Oscars race for Best Picture is off to a slow start, with fewer films than usual playing the scaled-down fall film festivals and studios reluctant to commit to theatrical openings as the pandemic stretches on. But the race for Best Documentary Feature promises to be a robust one. More than 50 films are now available in the Academy...
- 10/23/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on August 13th, 2020, reviewing the new films “Sputnik” and “Red Penguins.”
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Sputnik This Russian-made film was suppose to have its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival 2020 in April (moved to online). A Russian cosmonaut in 1983 has something strange happen to him on re-entry, and the Soviet-era scientists can’t figure out what’s wrong. They bring in a radical female psycho-therapist to think outside the box, and she learns that the space traveler has a parasite living inside him (like the film Alien). This creature has needs – including what it eats – that are top secret. 4/5 stars. Locally, it’s available for actual theatrical and virtual download through MusicBoxTheatre.com.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Red Penguins What happens when two American entrepreneurs invest in the Russian Red Army hockey team in 1993, and send a slick marketing...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Sputnik This Russian-made film was suppose to have its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival 2020 in April (moved to online). A Russian cosmonaut in 1983 has something strange happen to him on re-entry, and the Soviet-era scientists can’t figure out what’s wrong. They bring in a radical female psycho-therapist to think outside the box, and she learns that the space traveler has a parasite living inside him (like the film Alien). This creature has needs – including what it eats – that are top secret. 4/5 stars. Locally, it’s available for actual theatrical and virtual download through MusicBoxTheatre.com.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Red Penguins What happens when two American entrepreneurs invest in the Russian Red Army hockey team in 1993, and send a slick marketing...
- 8/16/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
As most theatres around the world still remain closed, folks are hungry for any new content they can get their hands on and have turned to streaming and on demand to fulfill their needs. Thankfully, both platforms have really been stepping up and with the latter, in particular, this weekend brings a lot to get excited about.
For one thing, several big stars have new movies debuting digitally today, while a number of more under the radar films are also making their premieres on demand. In total, you’ve got a whopping total of 25 new titles available to rent/buy as of today, Friday, August 7th, and below, you can see the full list of options.
To Buy:
Weathering With You
The Tax Collector
Love Under the Rainbow
Lucky Grandma
Fantastic Fungi
She Dies Tomorrow
Waiting For the Barbarians
Spinster
To Rent:
Around the Sun
Alice
Star Light
The Stand:...
For one thing, several big stars have new movies debuting digitally today, while a number of more under the radar films are also making their premieres on demand. In total, you’ve got a whopping total of 25 new titles available to rent/buy as of today, Friday, August 7th, and below, you can see the full list of options.
To Buy:
Weathering With You
The Tax Collector
Love Under the Rainbow
Lucky Grandma
Fantastic Fungi
She Dies Tomorrow
Waiting For the Barbarians
Spinster
To Rent:
Around the Sun
Alice
Star Light
The Stand:...
- 8/7/2020
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
Gabe Polsky had just gotten out of a screening of his 2014 documentary “Red Army” when a “crazy guy” approached him with another incredible story about the Russian hockey team that would become his next documentary “Red Penguins.”
He was so disinterested about learning any more about the history of Russian hockey that he and his wife were cleaning house and almost threw away a massive box of memorabilia sent to him by someone he thought must’ve be a crazy person. It turns out though the box of material was a “treasure trove” of sports history, and that crazy person turned out to be one of the producers and subjects of “Red Penguins,” Steven Warshaw.
“Right away I didn’t want anything to do with it because I had just made this huge movie about Russia and hockey, and I didn’t want anything to do with it,” Polsky told...
He was so disinterested about learning any more about the history of Russian hockey that he and his wife were cleaning house and almost threw away a massive box of memorabilia sent to him by someone he thought must’ve be a crazy person. It turns out though the box of material was a “treasure trove” of sports history, and that crazy person turned out to be one of the producers and subjects of “Red Penguins,” Steven Warshaw.
“Right away I didn’t want anything to do with it because I had just made this huge movie about Russia and hockey, and I didn’t want anything to do with it,” Polsky told...
- 9/20/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
“Red Penguins” is a cautionary tale with particular resonance in the context of our current bizarre intertwining with Russia, the country that interfered in the last U.S. presidential election and is led by the Potus’ apparent Bff. This wild tale of attempted transnational commerce just after the demise of the Ussr in the 1990s chronicles the short-lived ownership of the East’s greatest hockey team by an American consortium.
It was an intriguing idea that fast vanished down a rabbit’s hole of deeply embedded corruption — and judging from the oil-and-water incompatibility of surviving participants decades later, one doubts any such venture attempted today would turn out much differently. Gabe Polsky’s very entertaining feature is a sports documentary with little game footage, or even interviews with players. Nonetheless,
Emigre Polsky made a prior doc (“Red Army”) about the Soviet hockey team in its heyday. But we meet them...
It was an intriguing idea that fast vanished down a rabbit’s hole of deeply embedded corruption — and judging from the oil-and-water incompatibility of surviving participants decades later, one doubts any such venture attempted today would turn out much differently. Gabe Polsky’s very entertaining feature is a sports documentary with little game footage, or even interviews with players. Nonetheless,
Emigre Polsky made a prior doc (“Red Army”) about the Soviet hockey team in its heyday. But we meet them...
- 9/20/2019
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 on the day after Christmas, American speculators were presented with the ultimate gift: An opportunity to sell capitalism to one of the largest untapped markets in the history of time. For Russians, however, the shift away from communism was hesitant and fraught with uncertainty, and some of the country’s proudest institutions began to languish without the state-funded support that had allowed them to thrive behind the Iron Curtain. Business relations between the two superpowers were tantalizing in theory, but difficult to make real, and the ice was slower to thaw than many people on either side might have hoped. Of course, that wasn’t a problem for anyone who knew how to skate.
An amusing sequel of sorts to his 2014 documentary “Red Army,” , and some of the most visionary and/or foolish executives of the American sports arena tried to swoop in and save it.
An amusing sequel of sorts to his 2014 documentary “Red Army,” , and some of the most visionary and/or foolish executives of the American sports arena tried to swoop in and save it.
- 9/10/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Roger Deakins arrived at Tiff with his new film “The Goldfinch” only four weeks after having finished shooting “1917,” due out later this year. The adaptation of the Donna Tart novel and World War I film are very different projects, but they both represent the type of prestige studio dramas Deakins has always been drawn to and have defined his celebrated career.
“I’m so thankful for both these two films, because they are such a rarity these days,” said Deakins, who is currently looking for his next gig. Pickings have become increasingly slim compared to when he started his career.
“I haven’t got anything, if anybody has any work out there that’d be good,” joked the 14-time Oscar nominated cinematographer. “It’s a different world. There’s much fewer of that middle budget range. There’s a bunch of lower-budget films, thank God, so people get to experiment,...
“I’m so thankful for both these two films, because they are such a rarity these days,” said Deakins, who is currently looking for his next gig. Pickings have become increasingly slim compared to when he started his career.
“I haven’t got anything, if anybody has any work out there that’d be good,” joked the 14-time Oscar nominated cinematographer. “It’s a different world. There’s much fewer of that middle budget range. There’s a bunch of lower-budget films, thank God, so people get to experiment,...
- 9/10/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Director Gabe Polsky’s “Red Penguins,” a wild documentary about the collision of Russian and North American hockey, readily invites comparison with “Red Army,” Polsky’s last wild documentary about a different aspect of that same collision. That’s a comparison that could increase interest in “Red Penguins,” which had its world premiere on Thursday at the Toronto International Film Festival, though it also sets an awfully high bar for the new film.
And in fact, “Red Penguins” is a dramatically different film in spite of the surface similarities. “Red Army,” one of the most acclaimed nonfiction films of 2014, was a deep, wide-ranging look at the dominance of the Soviet hockey team in the 1970s and ’80s, and of the recruitment of five players from that team to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League after the breakup of the Soviet Union. It told a big story, and it told it well.
And in fact, “Red Penguins” is a dramatically different film in spite of the surface similarities. “Red Army,” one of the most acclaimed nonfiction films of 2014, was a deep, wide-ranging look at the dominance of the Soviet hockey team in the 1970s and ’80s, and of the recruitment of five players from that team to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League after the breakup of the Soviet Union. It told a big story, and it told it well.
- 9/6/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
In “Red Penguins,” writer-director Gabe Polsky looks back at a curious and little-known chapter in U.S.-Russian relations following the collapse of the Soviet Union, one that marked the beginning of a promising, if short-lived, friendship between the two longtime adversaries by way of the NHL.
Described as “one of the most bizarre stories of the post-Cold War era,” the documentary, which screens in Tiff Docs, recounts the attempt by the Pittsburgh Penguins and the former Soviet Red Army’s national hockey team to set up a joint venture in an effort to demonstrate to the world the possibilities offered by the new Russia, not to mention the legendary prowess of Russian hockey players.
As part of the ambitious endeavor, the Pittsburgh Penguins hired eccentric American sports marketing consultant Steve Warshaw in 1993 to help restore the bankrupt and downtrodden Red Army team to its former glory. In the lawless...
Described as “one of the most bizarre stories of the post-Cold War era,” the documentary, which screens in Tiff Docs, recounts the attempt by the Pittsburgh Penguins and the former Soviet Red Army’s national hockey team to set up a joint venture in an effort to demonstrate to the world the possibilities offered by the new Russia, not to mention the legendary prowess of Russian hockey players.
As part of the ambitious endeavor, the Pittsburgh Penguins hired eccentric American sports marketing consultant Steve Warshaw in 1993 to help restore the bankrupt and downtrodden Red Army team to its former glory. In the lawless...
- 9/5/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Director Gabe Polsky's wife, Justine, was purging long-abandoned boxes from their West Hollywood home when she happened upon one that looked especially worthy of the dumpster. The box, sent to Polsky in 2014 by a fan of his hockey doc, Red Army, contained a trove of letters, contracts and photos related to Russia's once-dominant Red Army hockey team. But the cache, which provided the genesis of his latest film, Red Penguins, illustrated a less-than-glorious chapter in the squad's history. Instead of Olympic gold medal podium shots, the archive chronicled the bizarre period following the fall of the Soviet Union ...
Director Gabe Polsky's wife, Justine, was purging long-abandoned boxes from their West Hollywood home when she happened upon one that looked especially worthy of the dumpster. The box, sent to Polsky in 2014 by a fan of his hockey doc, Red Army, contained a trove of letters, contracts and photos related to Russia's once-dominant Red Army hockey team. But the cache, which provided the genesis of his latest film, Red Penguins, illustrated a less-than-glorious chapter in the squad's history. Instead of Olympic gold medal podium shots, the archive chronicled the bizarre period following the fall of the Soviet Union ...
“Bad Education”
Perhaps one of the biggest titles for sale, “Bad Education” stars Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Ray Romano and Alex Wolff and is based on the real-life events that took place at writer Mike Makowsky’s high school.
“Citizen K”
Following his critically lauded “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” Alex Gibney is back with “Citizen K,” a documentary about Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who went from communist to political prisoner in a 20-year battle with Putin.
“The Friend”
Based on the award-winning Esquire article of the same name, the film follows a man (Jason Segel) who puts his life on hold to help his friends though a terminal cancer diagnosis. Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck also star in the Gabriela Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish”) film.
“How to Build a Girl”
Everyone is obsessed with Beanie Feldstein following her performance in “Booksmart,” so naturally, this film has become a buzzy title for Tiff buyers.
Perhaps one of the biggest titles for sale, “Bad Education” stars Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Ray Romano and Alex Wolff and is based on the real-life events that took place at writer Mike Makowsky’s high school.
“Citizen K”
Following his critically lauded “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” Alex Gibney is back with “Citizen K,” a documentary about Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who went from communist to political prisoner in a 20-year battle with Putin.
“The Friend”
Based on the award-winning Esquire article of the same name, the film follows a man (Jason Segel) who puts his life on hold to help his friends though a terminal cancer diagnosis. Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck also star in the Gabriela Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish”) film.
“How to Build a Girl”
Everyone is obsessed with Beanie Feldstein following her performance in “Booksmart,” so naturally, this film has become a buzzy title for Tiff buyers.
- 9/3/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven and Brian Welk
- The Wrap
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