Exclusive: Danny Trejo and Joel McHale have been unveiled as key supporting cast members of Stimson Snead’s sci-fi comedy Tim Travers & The Time Traveler’s Paradox, which wrapped in Spokane Washington earlier this month.
Guerrilla Rep Media, which is overseeing marketing and distribution, is gearing up to give buyers giving a sneak peek of the feature at the Berlinale’s European Film Market in February.
The feature expands on Snead’s award-winning short of the same name.
Sam Dunning (G.O.D. Tech New World Order) stars as a narcissistic, genius but broke scientist who seeks to solve the paradox of what happens to your past self when a future version travels backwards in time.
His work attracts the attention of the head of a mercenary army played by Machete star Trejo.
McHale plays a conspiracy theorist radio host whose interviews with the scientist protagonist...
Guerrilla Rep Media, which is overseeing marketing and distribution, is gearing up to give buyers giving a sneak peek of the feature at the Berlinale’s European Film Market in February.
The feature expands on Snead’s award-winning short of the same name.
Sam Dunning (G.O.D. Tech New World Order) stars as a narcissistic, genius but broke scientist who seeks to solve the paradox of what happens to your past self when a future version travels backwards in time.
His work attracts the attention of the head of a mercenary army played by Machete star Trejo.
McHale plays a conspiracy theorist radio host whose interviews with the scientist protagonist...
- 1/31/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Genre: Drama, Crime
Rating: R
On 4K Ultra HD: November 15, 2022
Running Time: 100 minutes
Cast: Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Harvey Keitel, Chris Penn, Edward Bunker, Kirk Baltz, Quentin Tarantino, and Lawrence Tierney
Written by: Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Produced by: Lawrence Bender
Executive Producers: Richard H. Gladstein, Monte Hellman, Ronna B. Wallace
Co-Producer: Harvey Keitel
Director of Photography: Andrzej Sekula
Production Designer: David Wasco
Edited by: Sally Menke
Casting by: Ronnie Yeskel
Costume Designer: Betsy Heimann
Synopsis:
Frenzied, soaked in blood, and featuring gangsters both ruthless and engaging (who debate the deeper meanings of “Like a Virgin”), Reservoir Dogs — Quentin Tarantino’s debut film about a heist gone horribly wrong — attained iconic cult status upon its release in 1992, and launched the career of a director whose singular vision has influenced a generation of filmmakers. To celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary, the cocked-and-loaded world of Mr.
Rating: R
On 4K Ultra HD: November 15, 2022
Running Time: 100 minutes
Cast: Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Harvey Keitel, Chris Penn, Edward Bunker, Kirk Baltz, Quentin Tarantino, and Lawrence Tierney
Written by: Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Produced by: Lawrence Bender
Executive Producers: Richard H. Gladstein, Monte Hellman, Ronna B. Wallace
Co-Producer: Harvey Keitel
Director of Photography: Andrzej Sekula
Production Designer: David Wasco
Edited by: Sally Menke
Casting by: Ronnie Yeskel
Costume Designer: Betsy Heimann
Synopsis:
Frenzied, soaked in blood, and featuring gangsters both ruthless and engaging (who debate the deeper meanings of “Like a Virgin”), Reservoir Dogs — Quentin Tarantino’s debut film about a heist gone horribly wrong — attained iconic cult status upon its release in 1992, and launched the career of a director whose singular vision has influenced a generation of filmmakers. To celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary, the cocked-and-loaded world of Mr.
- 10/1/2022
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
The Academy has announced the new class of invited members for 2014 and, as is typical, many of which are among last year's nominees, which includes Barkhad Abdi, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Mads Mikkelsen, Lupita Nyong'o and June Squibb in the Actors branch not to mention curious additions such as Josh Hutcherson, Rob Riggle and Jason Statham, but, okay. The Directors branch adds Jay and Mark Duplass along with Jean-Marc Vallee, Denis Villeneuve and Thomas Vinterberg. I didn't do an immediate tally of male to female additions or other demographics, but at first glance it seems to be a wide spread batch of new additions on all fronts. The Academy is also clearly attempting to aggressively bump up the demographics as this is the second year in a row where they have added a large number of new members, well over the average of 133 new members from 2004 to 2012. As far as...
- 6/26/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
- 6/26/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o of 12 Years a Slave were two of the 271 artists and industry leaders invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which determines nominations and winners at the annual Oscars. The entire list of Academy membership—which numbers about 6,000—isn’t public information so the annual invitation list is often the best indication of the artists involved in the prestigious awards process. It’s worth noting that invitations need to be accepted in order for artists to become members; some artists, like two-time Best Actor winner Sean Penn, have declined membership over the years.
- 6/26/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Pop quiz: What do Chris Rock, Claire Denis, Eddie Vedder and Josh Hutcherson all have in common? Answer: They could all be Oscar voters very soon. The annual Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences invitation list always makes for interesting reading, shedding light on just how large and far-reaching the group's membership is -- or could be, depending on who accepts their invitations. This year, 271 individuals have been asked to join AMPAS, meaning every one of them could contribute to next year's Academy Awards balloting -- and it's as diverse a list as they've ever assembled. Think the Academy consists entirely of fusty retired white dudes? Not if recent Best Original Song nominee Pharrell Williams takes them up on their offer. Think it's all just a Hollywood insiders' game? Not if French arthouse titans Chantal Akerman and Olivier Assayas join the party. It's a list that subverts expectation at every turn.
- 6/26/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- Hitfix
Films screen all day at the Orpheum Theatre, Scottish Rite, Central Library, Historical Museum, Garvey Center, Hotel at Old Town and the C.A.C. Theatre at Wsu. Click here for Friday’s schedule.
Be sure to check out these films with Special Guests:
I Declare War, 1:30 pm at the Orpheum with Director James Lapeyre Lost On Purpose, 4:00 pm at the Orpheum with co-Director Josh Barrett Blackfish, 4:45 pm at the Scottish Rite with Producer Manuel Oteyza Her Aim Is True, 11:15 am at the Garvey Forum with Director Karen Whitehead Zipper: Coney Island’S Last Wild Ride, 1:30 pm at the Garvey Forum with Director Amy Nicholson A Band Called Death, 4:00 pm at the Garvey Forum with Director Mark Covino The Last White Knight, 11:30 am at the Garvey Med. with Director Paul Saltzman Barzan, 2:00 pm at the Garvey Med. with Producer Sarah Stuteville and...
Be sure to check out these films with Special Guests:
I Declare War, 1:30 pm at the Orpheum with Director James Lapeyre Lost On Purpose, 4:00 pm at the Orpheum with co-Director Josh Barrett Blackfish, 4:45 pm at the Scottish Rite with Producer Manuel Oteyza Her Aim Is True, 11:15 am at the Garvey Forum with Director Karen Whitehead Zipper: Coney Island’S Last Wild Ride, 1:30 pm at the Garvey Forum with Director Amy Nicholson A Band Called Death, 4:00 pm at the Garvey Forum with Director Mark Covino The Last White Knight, 11:30 am at the Garvey Med. with Director Paul Saltzman Barzan, 2:00 pm at the Garvey Med. with Producer Sarah Stuteville and...
- 10/18/2013
- by Staff
- The Moving Arts Journal
When writer-director Ben Lewin was looking for an actor to play Mark O’Brien in “The Sessions,” he knew he was in for a challenge. The role of the poet and journalist, previously profiled in the Oscar-winning short “Breathing Lessons,” was unable to move his body from the head down due to a childhood bout with polio. In addition to the physical demands, the role of O’Brien was a challenging one; unlike many films that portray the disabled as saints, O’Brien is a complicated character, often charming but also prone to bouts of anger and self-loathing. Casting director Ronnie Yeskel first brought up the name John Hawkes, then fresh off his Oscar nomination for “Winter’s Bone.” Recalls Lewin, “She told me, ‘This is your man.’ So I watched ‘Winter’s Bone’ and thought, ‘What? This creepy old guy?’ ” But as Lewin watched more of Hawkes’ work, he...
- 11/26/2012
- backstage.com
With The Sessions getting positive reviews at the box office, Australian producer Judi Levine tells Georgina Pearson about working with her husband, director Ben Lewin on the film that tells the true story of Mark O’Brien, a man who lives in an iron lung and wants to lose his virginity.
How did you get involved in this project?
Ben came across an essay by Mark O’Brien while researching another project and said to me, “I’ve just read something extraordinary. Read it”. I thought it was fantastic so we went from there.
Making The Sessions was very much a family affair. Tell us about the experience.
It was an entire family production. Our two daughters and son also worked with us on it – our youngest daughter played a small role in the flashback scene and our son, who is studying classical music, helped out with the soundtrack. Our...
How did you get involved in this project?
Ben came across an essay by Mark O’Brien while researching another project and said to me, “I’ve just read something extraordinary. Read it”. I thought it was fantastic so we went from there.
Making The Sessions was very much a family affair. Tell us about the experience.
It was an entire family production. Our two daughters and son also worked with us on it – our youngest daughter played a small role in the flashback scene and our son, who is studying classical music, helped out with the soundtrack. Our...
- 11/12/2012
- by Brooke Hemphill
- Encore Magazine
Streaming comes to NYC.
The cinemas are closing.
AMC, Clearview, Anjelika, City Cinemas, Regal all will close down Sunday evening and Monday leaving New Yorkers to watch movies over the internet. Read The Hollywood Reporter for the facts. Think how this can increase streaming dollars. As Carmegeddon in L.A. increased the number of babies born nine months later, so streaming dollars should show the film industry what a good stay-at-home storm can do.
Distance learning, satellites, storms, epidemics, transportation woes...whole stories remain to be told.
Peter and I went today to see The Sessions in a sunny L.A. at the Arclight, our favorite L.A. theater. This Fox Searchlight pick-up from Sundance is beautiful and intimate. I don't usually cry in films, but tears welled up several times to my own surprise. Helen Hunt was perfect, though I had a problem with her Jewish husband - especially his ugly tattoo, an unexplained missing-of-the-mark which immediately put me off; definitely not kosher in this otherwise authentically told and sincerely felt film. In all other respects (and maybe the tattoo was the director's decision), casting by Ronnie Yeskel was perfect. Worth a future blog (on casting, with Ronnie's help) which I hope to do soon. Hots off also to the location manager, Jerod Parsons. I loved his choice of that Persian Mikvah on Westwood; I might try it too one day. Rhea Pearlman was wonderful. I thought the spiritual joining of Catholic and Jewish faiths was most interesting, given the subject. It confirmed to Peter and me that The Bible can be used to confirm every idea known to man (thought not, perhaps, to women).
How lucky we are to be in L.A. enjoying the sunny warm days, although there was an earthquake this morning which woke me up. Thanks to you know who, it was slight. Maybe a 2 or 3 on the Richter Scale? Haven't heard yet. (Flash 3.9 on the Richter Scale, 7 hours ago at 8:24 Am, preceded by a 7.7 in Canada resulting in a tsumani alert in Hawaii and followed by a jolt in Palm Springs)
Have a good weekend!
The cinemas are closing.
AMC, Clearview, Anjelika, City Cinemas, Regal all will close down Sunday evening and Monday leaving New Yorkers to watch movies over the internet. Read The Hollywood Reporter for the facts. Think how this can increase streaming dollars. As Carmegeddon in L.A. increased the number of babies born nine months later, so streaming dollars should show the film industry what a good stay-at-home storm can do.
Distance learning, satellites, storms, epidemics, transportation woes...whole stories remain to be told.
Peter and I went today to see The Sessions in a sunny L.A. at the Arclight, our favorite L.A. theater. This Fox Searchlight pick-up from Sundance is beautiful and intimate. I don't usually cry in films, but tears welled up several times to my own surprise. Helen Hunt was perfect, though I had a problem with her Jewish husband - especially his ugly tattoo, an unexplained missing-of-the-mark which immediately put me off; definitely not kosher in this otherwise authentically told and sincerely felt film. In all other respects (and maybe the tattoo was the director's decision), casting by Ronnie Yeskel was perfect. Worth a future blog (on casting, with Ronnie's help) which I hope to do soon. Hots off also to the location manager, Jerod Parsons. I loved his choice of that Persian Mikvah on Westwood; I might try it too one day. Rhea Pearlman was wonderful. I thought the spiritual joining of Catholic and Jewish faiths was most interesting, given the subject. It confirmed to Peter and me that The Bible can be used to confirm every idea known to man (thought not, perhaps, to women).
How lucky we are to be in L.A. enjoying the sunny warm days, although there was an earthquake this morning which woke me up. Thanks to you know who, it was slight. Maybe a 2 or 3 on the Richter Scale? Haven't heard yet. (Flash 3.9 on the Richter Scale, 7 hours ago at 8:24 Am, preceded by a 7.7 in Canada resulting in a tsumani alert in Hawaii and followed by a jolt in Palm Springs)
Have a good weekend!
- 10/28/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Back to New York, post New Years. The Rabbi at the closing of the New Year said we still have until the next holiday (Sukkot) to ask forgiveness and to be written up in the Book of Life, and so I continue the blog I was writing regarding not only our recent New York trip but the unfinished topics that I did not get to complete in the past year, mostly about Cannes. As in Part I, this is a rambling account, so get ready for a long read.
We went to NYC after Tiff 12. Being at Ifp Filmweek in NYC where my partner Peter Belsito was on a speed dating table, we appreciated its new venue at Lincoln Center. At the same time as our event, Nyff was having its press screenings. Our own L.A. Times gave its Los Angeles stars some ink today. We hugged Rose Kuo, chatted with Eugene Hernandez, Eric Kohn and Peter Kneght, all hanging around together just like in the old Indiewire days. The layout of Ifp and Nyff at the newly designed Lincoln Center and the convergence between the two events is a great development. Joana Vicente has infused Ifp with new energy.
Rose (Kuo) is also so smart! I had wanted to discuss her unique views on distribution, festivals and exhibition in a blog. We talked about it at length during our 2 hour drive home from Monte Carlo during Cannes. Another conversation I had wanted to blog about was one held over lunch at the Plage des Palmes in Cannes with French producer, Sylvain Burnsztejn and John Kochman of Unifrance about the futility of factoring in U.S. revenues when writing up budgets and projections for French films. U.S. has to be ignored as a market because the chances of foreign language films making any money are so negligible, even when they are French which have proven to be the most popular of all foreign language films in the U.S. U.S. box office and video numbers are so small that the U.S. is excluded from important participation in the film activities among European countries unless, like the French, they offer incentives even for English language films. This is something new which is proving lucrative for mid-range U.S. productions. I spoke more about it over dinner at Antonia Dauphin and Peter Newman's 5th Avenue apartment. (Another New York great spots!)
Antonia has been casting American name actors in European funded films with great success. I told her I wanted to introduce her to my friend in Berlin, Geno Lechner of Volume57, a unique collective of international performers - actors, dancers, musicians and vagabonds - dedicated to the promotion of outstanding, independent performing artists. Geno, an actress in European art films is also the owner of an extraordinary house in Berlin which she is considering using for artist retreats. If you are lucky you could rent a unit that was recently rented by one of my favorite actresses, Tilda Swinton. You can read more about Antonia and casting in Backstage.
As Antonia and I talked, I told her about Tiff 12's Casting By, a new documentary paying tribute to the legacy of the late, legendary casting director Marion Dougherty. It shines a light on one of the most overlooked and least understood crafts in filmmaking. Packed with interviews with a "who's who" of top stars and filmmakers (she discovered James Dean and told Warren Beatty to lose his Brando accent), this world premiere screening was followed by a live, onstage discussion with people who were deeply affected by Dougherty, including some of the participants in the film. Dougherty surely would have won an Academy Award for Casting had there been any. I had never thought about this before, but the film seemed like a call to action about this issue. I am for adding an Oscar for Best Casting. The craft of casting seems like a predominately female craft. It also reminded me that I had wanted to write a blog about casting and my friend Ronnie Yeskel and her new British casting director partner. Another issue casting directors face every day is that when they submit a script to a talent agent for a client, by law the agent is supposed to send the script to the client. However, this often does not happen. This was not brought up in the film because Marion, her director clients and the actors she chose to push (Richard Dreyfus for The Graduate, Al Pacino, Robert de Niro, etc.) did not work that way. She brought new Broadway and off-Broadway talent to the directors. Anyway see the movie; it’s a great piece of New York and Hollywood history. HBO picked up No. American rights, but Submarine is still repping the film for the world.
That was quite a day; earlier the same day, my Peter (Belsito) and I had presented our ideas on the world market at Peter Newman’s 3rd year graduate class at Nyu’s Tisch School of Film. At our dinner with Peter and Antonia, we also talked with their 14 year old daughter recently returned from a year in Paris with her mother where Brodlie had studied at Gordon Bleu. She is already an accomplished food writer, and is being presented to the King and Queen of Sweden for her talent.
Another great dinner with a couple of friends, Richard Lorber, his wife Dovie Wingarsd, was at Back 40 West at Prince and Crosby in SoHo, formerly Savoy, a restaurant our friend Larry Bognanow designed and had taken us to before. We ate and rushed to the screening of his film Radio Unnamable. Speak of being So New York. This film got great coverage that very day in the N.Y. Times, not only with A.O. Scott’s review but with a separate article about “The Cuban Boys”. It was held at Karen Cooper’s Film Forum. The audience had film people in it I had not seen since my heady New York days in the early 80s like Jill Godmilow. I knew the audience was made of other New York intelligentsia though I did not know them, and consequently I did not go to the after party, a mistake I frequently make due to my innate shyness. Oh well, try as I might, I cannot entirely rid myself of this...Maybe during the New Year I'll be better.
The story of Wbai’s Bob Fass, an icon of free speech radio, his legacy and his archives, are, to quote Variety, “as epic as the medium gets”. Indiewire itself says that it “superbly recreates a time when radio mattered”. I loved this doc about the people who never sleep in the city that never sleeps. I knew Wbai’s call letters but did not know Bob Fass. He evokes a NYC that equals that New York of Weegee. The warm testimonies and radio appearances by such friends of his such as Larry Krassner, Arlo Guthrie, Kinky Freidman, Abbie Hoffman, Bob Dylan, Joni Collins, Carly Simon evoke an entire era. He created the community network in the days of be-ins and fly-ins, flash mobs via radio. I loved this movie, the venue, the audience. A totally New York experience. Thank you Richard and Dovie! See the film’s website www.radiounnameablemovie.com or on Facebook or via www.kinolorber.com.
We called on Susan Krim, Donald’s recent widow but didn’t connect. She welcomed in the New Year with her two children in a country house she and Don had bought not so long ago.
We went to Rosh Hashanah at B’nai Jeshurin, the Upper Westside Reconstructionist Synagogue whose music Shlomo Carlbach created and which is now under the leadership of Argentinean clergy and cantor. The next day, we were invited by an old friend from Peter’s childhood in Bayside, Queens to Temple Emanu-el, the High Reform Synagogue of the Upper Eastside. Their rabbi retires next year and this year’s sermon was by the woman rabbi there. This brave woman spoke of church and state, faith-based politics, the kashruth of what makes a fetus a human with a soul and what control a woman has over her own body, and when must we speak out for what we believe to be true. (And if now now, when?)
A press screening of Bianconieves (Isa: 6 Sales) which some after-tiff buzz was held in N.Y.and L.A. but I missed it! Pity! I do hope I will see it soon as Snow White ranks with my favorite Sleeping Beauty among childhood fairy tales I loved.
Hilary Davis of Bankside, here for Ifp No Borders, her husband, Peter and I had an outstanding dinner at Robert with a view from the 9th floor of 2 Columbus Circle at the Museum of Arts and Design. So New York! I later returned for lunch with my cousin and afterward visited the Museum whose elevator dropped me on the 3rd floor where there was a native arts’ exhibiton for modern and traditional art from the Americas.
Trisha Robinson who was in acquisitions with me at Lorimar in the late 80s and went on to head Academy Home Video when video was going through its changes, has moved to New York’s Upper East Side for the next year or two. Our dinner at Table d’hote, a small intimate and quiet restaurant with 6 tables on East 92ndStreet at Madison had wonderful waiters and great Italian food. The next day Trisha and I had lunch at the Vienneses café in Neue Galerie and then went to the Guggenheim to see the photograpy retrospective of contemporary Dutch woman, Rineke Dijkstra.
Dinner with Ben Barenholz at an old favorite of his in Chelsea from before he had moved to the Eastside brought up film history in yet another New York light. His first midnight screening (El Topo), his box office all time winner Cousin, Cousine and his experiment with dubbing, his opinions of film today, of the people we know, his remembering having hired John Tilley as soon as he graduated college in North Carolina, and of hiring Eamonn Bowles for his first job outside of college again made me want to write a book! I plan to look up his history on the internet in the coming year. Ben had wanted to go to Gotham Pizza which has the best pizza in N.Y., but it was too crowded, so we went down 9th St. to another old, small and intimate Italian restaurant.
Some of my readers might remember Joy Pereths. She was the first U.S. rep for U.K.’s Channel Four / Film Four and licensed My Beautiful Laundrette to me when I was buying for Lorimar and Orion Classics, in the days when it was run by Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Donna Giogliotti. Lorimar paid $75,000 for U.S. rights. That went toward P&A as it opened in N.Y. and L.A. and from there the film went on to make an astonishing $7 million at the box office and sold 75,000 video cassettes at wholesale, $59.95 a unit. The first film I acquired on my return to L.A. for Lorimar (and their first acquisition as well), the first film produced by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radcliffe, the first produced film written by Hanif Kureishi, starring Daniel Day Lewis, sold to U.S. by a British company, gay and with a Pakistani protagonist – what a record of firsts! I recall that when I made the deal, N.Y. was in hurricane-warning mode and Joy and I had to hold on to each other as we crossed the street from Lincoln Center. She is now raising money for marketing a documentary film.
Finally, my friend who dates back to before those Lorimar days, to the days she worked for Fox-Lorber and I was looking for my next job in New York after heading a special social issue documentyr branch of Films Inc, started by Charles’ wife Marge Benton. Susan Margolin of New Video had lots of news and ideas to share now that the company has been acquired by Cinedigm. She’s bringing together a new staff. Jeff Reichert from Magnolia heads theatrical marketing and former New Video executive Stephanie Bruder is VP of marketing; Vincent (Vinni) Scordino – who started with Sara Rose at Picurehouse -- is VP of acquisitions, and Bob Fiorella is Executive VP and Chief Strategy Officer of Entertainment. Also, Ellen Trost is their Business Affairs Manager is a great asset. We knew each other when she was in London working for a blue chip company, BFI if I remember correctly. I bumped into her on the streets in New York quite by accident.
Finally, we had lunch with Juan Caceras and Vanessa Erazo of the New York Latino Film Festival at Spice, a Thai restaurant on 9th Avenue in Chelsea. My readers know them as the originators ad writers of Latino Buzz which appears on SydneysBuzz every Wednesday (except today!). It was the first time we met face to faces. We discussed their wish to bring light to the Latino filmmakers in the U.S. in their blog and how pleased they are to be receiving news for others requesting blog space. I love having them use SydneysBuzz as their platform. Juan’s film was picked up for North American distribution by Tla and is winding down its festival run of about 20 film festivals. We discussed the Latin Film Festivals in the U.S. Vanessa’s ideas about the feasibility of a sort of Latino Film Festival co-ordinating umbrella and our discussion of the upcoming Film Festival Academy (Ffa) which will hold its first edition with the New York Film Festival this year spurred us on to creating a workable plan.
As I write this the High Holidays have come to a close. Completed are the processes of Atonement, Reconciliation and a Turning Back to what is important with my fellow humankind. Thursday I will take off on my next trip, this time a four- day trip to trinidad + tobago film festival. You’ll hear more from me then.
Until then, Le Shana Tova! A Sweet New Year! May you be inscribed in the Book of Life. Forgive me if my rambling has bored you, though if you got this far, it is a compliment for which I thank you!
We went to NYC after Tiff 12. Being at Ifp Filmweek in NYC where my partner Peter Belsito was on a speed dating table, we appreciated its new venue at Lincoln Center. At the same time as our event, Nyff was having its press screenings. Our own L.A. Times gave its Los Angeles stars some ink today. We hugged Rose Kuo, chatted with Eugene Hernandez, Eric Kohn and Peter Kneght, all hanging around together just like in the old Indiewire days. The layout of Ifp and Nyff at the newly designed Lincoln Center and the convergence between the two events is a great development. Joana Vicente has infused Ifp with new energy.
Rose (Kuo) is also so smart! I had wanted to discuss her unique views on distribution, festivals and exhibition in a blog. We talked about it at length during our 2 hour drive home from Monte Carlo during Cannes. Another conversation I had wanted to blog about was one held over lunch at the Plage des Palmes in Cannes with French producer, Sylvain Burnsztejn and John Kochman of Unifrance about the futility of factoring in U.S. revenues when writing up budgets and projections for French films. U.S. has to be ignored as a market because the chances of foreign language films making any money are so negligible, even when they are French which have proven to be the most popular of all foreign language films in the U.S. U.S. box office and video numbers are so small that the U.S. is excluded from important participation in the film activities among European countries unless, like the French, they offer incentives even for English language films. This is something new which is proving lucrative for mid-range U.S. productions. I spoke more about it over dinner at Antonia Dauphin and Peter Newman's 5th Avenue apartment. (Another New York great spots!)
Antonia has been casting American name actors in European funded films with great success. I told her I wanted to introduce her to my friend in Berlin, Geno Lechner of Volume57, a unique collective of international performers - actors, dancers, musicians and vagabonds - dedicated to the promotion of outstanding, independent performing artists. Geno, an actress in European art films is also the owner of an extraordinary house in Berlin which she is considering using for artist retreats. If you are lucky you could rent a unit that was recently rented by one of my favorite actresses, Tilda Swinton. You can read more about Antonia and casting in Backstage.
As Antonia and I talked, I told her about Tiff 12's Casting By, a new documentary paying tribute to the legacy of the late, legendary casting director Marion Dougherty. It shines a light on one of the most overlooked and least understood crafts in filmmaking. Packed with interviews with a "who's who" of top stars and filmmakers (she discovered James Dean and told Warren Beatty to lose his Brando accent), this world premiere screening was followed by a live, onstage discussion with people who were deeply affected by Dougherty, including some of the participants in the film. Dougherty surely would have won an Academy Award for Casting had there been any. I had never thought about this before, but the film seemed like a call to action about this issue. I am for adding an Oscar for Best Casting. The craft of casting seems like a predominately female craft. It also reminded me that I had wanted to write a blog about casting and my friend Ronnie Yeskel and her new British casting director partner. Another issue casting directors face every day is that when they submit a script to a talent agent for a client, by law the agent is supposed to send the script to the client. However, this often does not happen. This was not brought up in the film because Marion, her director clients and the actors she chose to push (Richard Dreyfus for The Graduate, Al Pacino, Robert de Niro, etc.) did not work that way. She brought new Broadway and off-Broadway talent to the directors. Anyway see the movie; it’s a great piece of New York and Hollywood history. HBO picked up No. American rights, but Submarine is still repping the film for the world.
That was quite a day; earlier the same day, my Peter (Belsito) and I had presented our ideas on the world market at Peter Newman’s 3rd year graduate class at Nyu’s Tisch School of Film. At our dinner with Peter and Antonia, we also talked with their 14 year old daughter recently returned from a year in Paris with her mother where Brodlie had studied at Gordon Bleu. She is already an accomplished food writer, and is being presented to the King and Queen of Sweden for her talent.
Another great dinner with a couple of friends, Richard Lorber, his wife Dovie Wingarsd, was at Back 40 West at Prince and Crosby in SoHo, formerly Savoy, a restaurant our friend Larry Bognanow designed and had taken us to before. We ate and rushed to the screening of his film Radio Unnamable. Speak of being So New York. This film got great coverage that very day in the N.Y. Times, not only with A.O. Scott’s review but with a separate article about “The Cuban Boys”. It was held at Karen Cooper’s Film Forum. The audience had film people in it I had not seen since my heady New York days in the early 80s like Jill Godmilow. I knew the audience was made of other New York intelligentsia though I did not know them, and consequently I did not go to the after party, a mistake I frequently make due to my innate shyness. Oh well, try as I might, I cannot entirely rid myself of this...Maybe during the New Year I'll be better.
The story of Wbai’s Bob Fass, an icon of free speech radio, his legacy and his archives, are, to quote Variety, “as epic as the medium gets”. Indiewire itself says that it “superbly recreates a time when radio mattered”. I loved this doc about the people who never sleep in the city that never sleeps. I knew Wbai’s call letters but did not know Bob Fass. He evokes a NYC that equals that New York of Weegee. The warm testimonies and radio appearances by such friends of his such as Larry Krassner, Arlo Guthrie, Kinky Freidman, Abbie Hoffman, Bob Dylan, Joni Collins, Carly Simon evoke an entire era. He created the community network in the days of be-ins and fly-ins, flash mobs via radio. I loved this movie, the venue, the audience. A totally New York experience. Thank you Richard and Dovie! See the film’s website www.radiounnameablemovie.com or on Facebook or via www.kinolorber.com.
We called on Susan Krim, Donald’s recent widow but didn’t connect. She welcomed in the New Year with her two children in a country house she and Don had bought not so long ago.
We went to Rosh Hashanah at B’nai Jeshurin, the Upper Westside Reconstructionist Synagogue whose music Shlomo Carlbach created and which is now under the leadership of Argentinean clergy and cantor. The next day, we were invited by an old friend from Peter’s childhood in Bayside, Queens to Temple Emanu-el, the High Reform Synagogue of the Upper Eastside. Their rabbi retires next year and this year’s sermon was by the woman rabbi there. This brave woman spoke of church and state, faith-based politics, the kashruth of what makes a fetus a human with a soul and what control a woman has over her own body, and when must we speak out for what we believe to be true. (And if now now, when?)
A press screening of Bianconieves (Isa: 6 Sales) which some after-tiff buzz was held in N.Y.and L.A. but I missed it! Pity! I do hope I will see it soon as Snow White ranks with my favorite Sleeping Beauty among childhood fairy tales I loved.
Hilary Davis of Bankside, here for Ifp No Borders, her husband, Peter and I had an outstanding dinner at Robert with a view from the 9th floor of 2 Columbus Circle at the Museum of Arts and Design. So New York! I later returned for lunch with my cousin and afterward visited the Museum whose elevator dropped me on the 3rd floor where there was a native arts’ exhibiton for modern and traditional art from the Americas.
Trisha Robinson who was in acquisitions with me at Lorimar in the late 80s and went on to head Academy Home Video when video was going through its changes, has moved to New York’s Upper East Side for the next year or two. Our dinner at Table d’hote, a small intimate and quiet restaurant with 6 tables on East 92ndStreet at Madison had wonderful waiters and great Italian food. The next day Trisha and I had lunch at the Vienneses café in Neue Galerie and then went to the Guggenheim to see the photograpy retrospective of contemporary Dutch woman, Rineke Dijkstra.
Dinner with Ben Barenholz at an old favorite of his in Chelsea from before he had moved to the Eastside brought up film history in yet another New York light. His first midnight screening (El Topo), his box office all time winner Cousin, Cousine and his experiment with dubbing, his opinions of film today, of the people we know, his remembering having hired John Tilley as soon as he graduated college in North Carolina, and of hiring Eamonn Bowles for his first job outside of college again made me want to write a book! I plan to look up his history on the internet in the coming year. Ben had wanted to go to Gotham Pizza which has the best pizza in N.Y., but it was too crowded, so we went down 9th St. to another old, small and intimate Italian restaurant.
Some of my readers might remember Joy Pereths. She was the first U.S. rep for U.K.’s Channel Four / Film Four and licensed My Beautiful Laundrette to me when I was buying for Lorimar and Orion Classics, in the days when it was run by Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Donna Giogliotti. Lorimar paid $75,000 for U.S. rights. That went toward P&A as it opened in N.Y. and L.A. and from there the film went on to make an astonishing $7 million at the box office and sold 75,000 video cassettes at wholesale, $59.95 a unit. The first film I acquired on my return to L.A. for Lorimar (and their first acquisition as well), the first film produced by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radcliffe, the first produced film written by Hanif Kureishi, starring Daniel Day Lewis, sold to U.S. by a British company, gay and with a Pakistani protagonist – what a record of firsts! I recall that when I made the deal, N.Y. was in hurricane-warning mode and Joy and I had to hold on to each other as we crossed the street from Lincoln Center. She is now raising money for marketing a documentary film.
Finally, my friend who dates back to before those Lorimar days, to the days she worked for Fox-Lorber and I was looking for my next job in New York after heading a special social issue documentyr branch of Films Inc, started by Charles’ wife Marge Benton. Susan Margolin of New Video had lots of news and ideas to share now that the company has been acquired by Cinedigm. She’s bringing together a new staff. Jeff Reichert from Magnolia heads theatrical marketing and former New Video executive Stephanie Bruder is VP of marketing; Vincent (Vinni) Scordino – who started with Sara Rose at Picurehouse -- is VP of acquisitions, and Bob Fiorella is Executive VP and Chief Strategy Officer of Entertainment. Also, Ellen Trost is their Business Affairs Manager is a great asset. We knew each other when she was in London working for a blue chip company, BFI if I remember correctly. I bumped into her on the streets in New York quite by accident.
Finally, we had lunch with Juan Caceras and Vanessa Erazo of the New York Latino Film Festival at Spice, a Thai restaurant on 9th Avenue in Chelsea. My readers know them as the originators ad writers of Latino Buzz which appears on SydneysBuzz every Wednesday (except today!). It was the first time we met face to faces. We discussed their wish to bring light to the Latino filmmakers in the U.S. in their blog and how pleased they are to be receiving news for others requesting blog space. I love having them use SydneysBuzz as their platform. Juan’s film was picked up for North American distribution by Tla and is winding down its festival run of about 20 film festivals. We discussed the Latin Film Festivals in the U.S. Vanessa’s ideas about the feasibility of a sort of Latino Film Festival co-ordinating umbrella and our discussion of the upcoming Film Festival Academy (Ffa) which will hold its first edition with the New York Film Festival this year spurred us on to creating a workable plan.
As I write this the High Holidays have come to a close. Completed are the processes of Atonement, Reconciliation and a Turning Back to what is important with my fellow humankind. Thursday I will take off on my next trip, this time a four- day trip to trinidad + tobago film festival. You’ll hear more from me then.
Until then, Le Shana Tova! A Sweet New Year! May you be inscribed in the Book of Life. Forgive me if my rambling has bored you, though if you got this far, it is a compliment for which I thank you!
- 9/27/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
So begins my interview with Sophie Dulac, President of the Champs Élysées Film Festival, film distributor, exhibitor and producer. The first edition of the Festival, co-presided by actors Lambert Wilson and Michael Madsen reached an audience of 15,000 people in Paris, June 6 – 12, 2012.
"And I work with another real blond and her name is Isabelle” [Svanda, General Manager], she adds.
Champs Elysees Film Festival
We are sitting in the outdoor restaurant of Fouquet’s Barriere Hotel, Paris. Also with us are Astrid de Beauregard who has handled all the 50 industry-ites converging on the festival to view four well curated U.S. indie films for the second edition of U.S. in Progress. Maxine Leonard, the festival's publicist and Matthew Akers, the director and cinematographer of Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present are also present. Little did I know he was going to win the Audience Prize for a feature length film from the U.S.
The Festival ended for me with current French resident, with white hair and beard, Donald Sutherland presenting Klute by Alan J. Pakula and starring Jane Fonda, and then giving a A Hollywood Conversation in his American accented but fluent French in a good humored atmosphere. I could write an entire blog on what that film and all that he and Jane meant to me at the very beginning of my career in the film business, but I won’t do that here. He was subsequently post-film appointed Commandeur des Arts & Lettres by Frédéric Mitterrand.
My interview with Sophie is the summit of my experience so far as a "blogger". After all I am not a journalist, nor do I pal around with the glitterati or the “elite” folks in the film business. I knew I was entering a rare atmosphere strolling everyday along the Rue de Montaigne to the Champs Elysees. And now, I was going to talk to the granddaughter of one of France's most illustrious citizens. (and no slouch herself! What a truly lovely, amazing woman!!)
U.S. in Progress
The night before, we, the jury of 9, presented the winners of the 2nd edition of U.S. in Progress with their prizes of post production services. First Prize went to a film worthy of a Cannes slot in Un Certain Regard or Fortnight or Critics Week, A Teacher by Hannah Fidell ♀, whose about-to-turn-thirty protagonist is forced to acknowledge her sin of having an affair with a student. The film's affect upon us women was overwhelmingly cathartic. Receiving an Honorable Mention, I Am I, a Sundance-worthy film, well executed very interesting story, well acted by the extremely professional first-time director Joceyln Towne ♀ with additional casting by Ronnie Yeskel ♀, one of the top indie film casting agents. Julie Bergeron, one of the nine-member jury loved Desert Cathedral, a man's quest for peace after an increasing estrangement from his life. She liked its combination of documentary depiction of the desert and the fictional story about a contemporary and universal dilemma faced by too many people today. I want to see more of the three actors, Lee Tergesen is a young and handsome William Macy type and Chaske Spencer, a charismatic First Nation descendant of Lakota (Sioux) Nation, and Petra Wright. The fourth film Michael Bartlett's House Of Last Things is Bonnie Darko meets Twin Peaks, a paean to the Maestro, David Lynch. More than 50 distributors and sales agent watched these films with us.
As part of the selection, the winner of U.S. in Progress from the 1st edition in Wroclaw, Poland last November, Not Waving But Drowning directed by Devyn Waitt and produced by Nicole Emanuele was also showing and Nicole was accompanied by the star, her boyfriend Steven Farneth from Cinetic, the godmother of the movie and other "family" members. Nicole is now working with Google and YouTube in Content Partnerships, Film/ TV while contemplating her next moves in the business.
Created by Sophie Dulac, the Festival programmed some 50 films enabling Parisian audiences to discover the variety of productions available from France and the United States, in the 5 cinema theaters of the Champs Elysees, the most beautiful avenue in the world: the normally rival cinemas Le Balzac and Le Lincoln, the rivals Gaumont Champs-Elysées and Ugc George V, and the Publicis Cinéma.
This success was thanks to an inquiring public which appreciated the simplicity of organization, the fact that projections started on time, and also the quality of programming, with a special heartfelt interest for the 10 independent films from the U.S. in the official selection.
What Makes Sophie Run?
One night at an extraordinary dinner at the Renault Restaurant on the Champs Elysees, where we sat with Julie Bergeron (of Cannes Marche prominence), Pascal Diot (former Paris based sales agent and now organizer in chief of both Venice and Dubai Ff’s Markets), Adeline Monzier (founder of U.S. in Progress and Europa Distribution), and Producer Christophe Bruncher (whose latest film, If We All Lived Together stars Jane Fonda), I learned about Sophie’s grandfather, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet,who founded Publicis in 1926 and in effect, invented modern advertising in much the same way that Lucien Barriere invented the resort and the casino. Today Publicis is a French multinational advertising and communications company, headquartered in Paris, France and one of the world's three largest advertising holding companies holding among others, Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett Worldwide. The company conducts its operations in over 200 cities in 104 countries and has a strategic alliance with Dentsu, Inc. He began it as a young man and the Nazis confiscated it as Jewish property. He fled and fought with The Free French...and worked in the Resistance under the name of Blanchet. When he returned to France, he got back his advertising agency and continued doing the sort of pioneering work he loved the best. He also added Blanchet onto his surname. Publicis' current president is Maurice Lévy who was just in the news for having called for higher taxes on the wealthy and now objecting to France’s new President's pledging that he would tax the rich 75% of their income. Read more about the company here.
One more boast about this family: One of Bleustein-Blanchet’s daughters was a legislator and is responsible for abolishing capital punishment in France.
Aside from being totally impressed by all I was hearing, I was beginning to see what informed the personality of the festival and of Sophie herself who was there and everywhere, meeting and mixing with us all. As Maxine said, in effect, Sophie is a mensch. She is the real thing, feet planted firmly on the ground and real. And yet she seems so idealistic in the choices she makes. To this remark of mine, she responded, that in fact, she is very pragmatic, but one must take pleasure in life.
Her grandfather and grandmother raised her and her brother and half brother after their 27 year old mother died in an automobile accident. Sophie was eight years old at the time.
Her grandfather told her that when he began Publicis as a teenager, he never thought about the money he might make. He did it for pleasure. He thought of how best to do what he loved to do the most. For her too, life is about innovation and being happy. She hopes that in ten years the festival and her film business will continue to inspire and motivate her.
Sophie has three children and she tells them to do whatever they want as she would advise everyone: Do what is inside of you, even if it is not what you end up doing. It will make you a better person. Her first son, whom she had when she was 17 and who is now 24, lived one year in Australia and another year in Canada. He is now working with her at the festival. Her 22 year old daughter whom she had when she was 19, lives in London, and the 19 year old, following in his brother’s footsteps, is spending a year in Australia, alone and exploring on his own.
If she succeeds in the movie business, it is because she was not born into films. She has been in the business of Arthouse film production, distribution and exhibition for ten years. Before that she was a practicing psycho graphologist, counseling people from 16 to 60 years old, male and female. You can know a person totally through the handwriting she says. She also did a stint in PR which she hated, before going into film. Her father was a writer and told her to read and so she can talk of many things, not only of business. At the end of the day, she closes her door and business does not exist (unless of course there is a problem at one of her theaters which she does drop in on on Sundays when she is not expected.) She has no scripts at home and does not watch movies for work at home. She has a well rounded education and is proud not to be 100% business.
Today she is also a sort of guardian of Israeli films in France as well. She even wears a small gold Jewish star.
Film Career
She began her film career in 2003 producing a documentary DÉCryptage which examined the French media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflictand concludes that the media's presentation of the Arab–Israeli conflict in France is consistently skewed against Israel and may be responsible for exacerbating anti-semitism. That documentary was very successful in France, drawing some 300,000 viewers and it caught the attention of Israeli filmmakers.
Famed Israeli actress Ronit Elkabetz, ♀a friend of hers, suggested she help her produce a film she wrote and wanted to direct and she agreed to make Rendre Femme (aka To Take A Wife ♀ produced by Marek Rozenbaum. When Ronit asked her to produce The Band’S Visit, she did not know what to make of the script. But when she saw the footage, she recognized its great potential and stepped in as producer. Unfortunately it could not qualify for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film because it was filmed in Hebrew, Egyptian and English. She went on to produce My Father My Lord an implicit critique of ultra-Orthodox dogma by a filmmaker who grew up in a Hasidic community but abandoned it when he was 25 to study film.
Sophie produces other world films, including her second American film Benny And The Kids (Go Get Some Rosemary), Argentina’s Little Sky and The Camera Obscura both by Maria Victoria Menis ♀ and others including French films like the upcoming film by Jacques Douvenne.
In Cannes this year, she acquired Room 514 (Isa: Docs & Film) de Sharon Bar-Ziv ♀ which played in l'Acid in Cannes and Les Voisins De Dieu (God’S Neighbors) (Isa: Rezo) de Meni Yaesh which played in La Semaine de la Critique in Cannes as well as Directors’ Fortnight entry Le Repenti and Bence Fliegauf’s Berlin competition entry Just The Wind.
She sees festivals as a place where people can discover new films. Theaters need new ideas, directors, and distributors can take risks only if they own theaters. The triangle of festivals, distributors and exhibitors are complimentary and she finds that having all three allows her to keep selected films longer in theaters or allows for changing theaters (she owns 5 theaters including the famous St. Germain arthouse Harlequin). She recognizes that France has so many subsidies for production and distribution – 12 to 15 new films are released every week – and that gives her films more of a chance to succeed as well.
France also has, after 3 years of discussion, finally, in one year made all its theaters digital. The cost to convert is 1 million Euros. 30% of that is paid by Cnc, the government fund made up of a percentage of box office receipts. The digital norm is 2K and the Vpf (Virtual Print Fee is 5,000 Euros. All distributors must pay this first the first time showing for 4 weeks and then, there are not more VPFs.
When she asks Americans for DCPs, she is surprised to learn that they don’t have them. Even Harvey Weinstein who had a retrospective at the Festival did not have digital prints and he said that to use Blu-Ray or HD was all right with him.
Why Harvey?
Everyone loves a good Harvey story. We had heard that he did not want to travel and I was curious how she had such good luck to get him to Paris. Apparently he flew in, appeared, and flew out again.
“The opening night, with the tribute paid to American producer Harvey Weinstein who accepted, with modesty and as a film enthusiast, a trophy was presented by Sophie Dulac, in the presence of VIP guests: Virginie Ledoyen, Deborah François, Audrey Dana, Thomas Langmann, Olivier Nackache and Eric Toledan.”
What he said at this opening event was that Sophie’s brother is the godfather of his son. And when the Godfather makes a request, he cannot refuse to honor it.
So ended my interview with Sophie. As we all struck out to continue the day, Matthew Akers of Marina Abramovic said, “See you in Sarajevo”. And Sophie responded, “How chic!”...
"And I work with another real blond and her name is Isabelle” [Svanda, General Manager], she adds.
Champs Elysees Film Festival
We are sitting in the outdoor restaurant of Fouquet’s Barriere Hotel, Paris. Also with us are Astrid de Beauregard who has handled all the 50 industry-ites converging on the festival to view four well curated U.S. indie films for the second edition of U.S. in Progress. Maxine Leonard, the festival's publicist and Matthew Akers, the director and cinematographer of Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present are also present. Little did I know he was going to win the Audience Prize for a feature length film from the U.S.
The Festival ended for me with current French resident, with white hair and beard, Donald Sutherland presenting Klute by Alan J. Pakula and starring Jane Fonda, and then giving a A Hollywood Conversation in his American accented but fluent French in a good humored atmosphere. I could write an entire blog on what that film and all that he and Jane meant to me at the very beginning of my career in the film business, but I won’t do that here. He was subsequently post-film appointed Commandeur des Arts & Lettres by Frédéric Mitterrand.
My interview with Sophie is the summit of my experience so far as a "blogger". After all I am not a journalist, nor do I pal around with the glitterati or the “elite” folks in the film business. I knew I was entering a rare atmosphere strolling everyday along the Rue de Montaigne to the Champs Elysees. And now, I was going to talk to the granddaughter of one of France's most illustrious citizens. (and no slouch herself! What a truly lovely, amazing woman!!)
U.S. in Progress
The night before, we, the jury of 9, presented the winners of the 2nd edition of U.S. in Progress with their prizes of post production services. First Prize went to a film worthy of a Cannes slot in Un Certain Regard or Fortnight or Critics Week, A Teacher by Hannah Fidell ♀, whose about-to-turn-thirty protagonist is forced to acknowledge her sin of having an affair with a student. The film's affect upon us women was overwhelmingly cathartic. Receiving an Honorable Mention, I Am I, a Sundance-worthy film, well executed very interesting story, well acted by the extremely professional first-time director Joceyln Towne ♀ with additional casting by Ronnie Yeskel ♀, one of the top indie film casting agents. Julie Bergeron, one of the nine-member jury loved Desert Cathedral, a man's quest for peace after an increasing estrangement from his life. She liked its combination of documentary depiction of the desert and the fictional story about a contemporary and universal dilemma faced by too many people today. I want to see more of the three actors, Lee Tergesen is a young and handsome William Macy type and Chaske Spencer, a charismatic First Nation descendant of Lakota (Sioux) Nation, and Petra Wright. The fourth film Michael Bartlett's House Of Last Things is Bonnie Darko meets Twin Peaks, a paean to the Maestro, David Lynch. More than 50 distributors and sales agent watched these films with us.
As part of the selection, the winner of U.S. in Progress from the 1st edition in Wroclaw, Poland last November, Not Waving But Drowning directed by Devyn Waitt and produced by Nicole Emanuele was also showing and Nicole was accompanied by the star, her boyfriend Steven Farneth from Cinetic, the godmother of the movie and other "family" members. Nicole is now working with Google and YouTube in Content Partnerships, Film/ TV while contemplating her next moves in the business.
Created by Sophie Dulac, the Festival programmed some 50 films enabling Parisian audiences to discover the variety of productions available from France and the United States, in the 5 cinema theaters of the Champs Elysees, the most beautiful avenue in the world: the normally rival cinemas Le Balzac and Le Lincoln, the rivals Gaumont Champs-Elysées and Ugc George V, and the Publicis Cinéma.
This success was thanks to an inquiring public which appreciated the simplicity of organization, the fact that projections started on time, and also the quality of programming, with a special heartfelt interest for the 10 independent films from the U.S. in the official selection.
What Makes Sophie Run?
One night at an extraordinary dinner at the Renault Restaurant on the Champs Elysees, where we sat with Julie Bergeron (of Cannes Marche prominence), Pascal Diot (former Paris based sales agent and now organizer in chief of both Venice and Dubai Ff’s Markets), Adeline Monzier (founder of U.S. in Progress and Europa Distribution), and Producer Christophe Bruncher (whose latest film, If We All Lived Together stars Jane Fonda), I learned about Sophie’s grandfather, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet,who founded Publicis in 1926 and in effect, invented modern advertising in much the same way that Lucien Barriere invented the resort and the casino. Today Publicis is a French multinational advertising and communications company, headquartered in Paris, France and one of the world's three largest advertising holding companies holding among others, Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett Worldwide. The company conducts its operations in over 200 cities in 104 countries and has a strategic alliance with Dentsu, Inc. He began it as a young man and the Nazis confiscated it as Jewish property. He fled and fought with The Free French...and worked in the Resistance under the name of Blanchet. When he returned to France, he got back his advertising agency and continued doing the sort of pioneering work he loved the best. He also added Blanchet onto his surname. Publicis' current president is Maurice Lévy who was just in the news for having called for higher taxes on the wealthy and now objecting to France’s new President's pledging that he would tax the rich 75% of their income. Read more about the company here.
One more boast about this family: One of Bleustein-Blanchet’s daughters was a legislator and is responsible for abolishing capital punishment in France.
Aside from being totally impressed by all I was hearing, I was beginning to see what informed the personality of the festival and of Sophie herself who was there and everywhere, meeting and mixing with us all. As Maxine said, in effect, Sophie is a mensch. She is the real thing, feet planted firmly on the ground and real. And yet she seems so idealistic in the choices she makes. To this remark of mine, she responded, that in fact, she is very pragmatic, but one must take pleasure in life.
Her grandfather and grandmother raised her and her brother and half brother after their 27 year old mother died in an automobile accident. Sophie was eight years old at the time.
Her grandfather told her that when he began Publicis as a teenager, he never thought about the money he might make. He did it for pleasure. He thought of how best to do what he loved to do the most. For her too, life is about innovation and being happy. She hopes that in ten years the festival and her film business will continue to inspire and motivate her.
Sophie has three children and she tells them to do whatever they want as she would advise everyone: Do what is inside of you, even if it is not what you end up doing. It will make you a better person. Her first son, whom she had when she was 17 and who is now 24, lived one year in Australia and another year in Canada. He is now working with her at the festival. Her 22 year old daughter whom she had when she was 19, lives in London, and the 19 year old, following in his brother’s footsteps, is spending a year in Australia, alone and exploring on his own.
If she succeeds in the movie business, it is because she was not born into films. She has been in the business of Arthouse film production, distribution and exhibition for ten years. Before that she was a practicing psycho graphologist, counseling people from 16 to 60 years old, male and female. You can know a person totally through the handwriting she says. She also did a stint in PR which she hated, before going into film. Her father was a writer and told her to read and so she can talk of many things, not only of business. At the end of the day, she closes her door and business does not exist (unless of course there is a problem at one of her theaters which she does drop in on on Sundays when she is not expected.) She has no scripts at home and does not watch movies for work at home. She has a well rounded education and is proud not to be 100% business.
Today she is also a sort of guardian of Israeli films in France as well. She even wears a small gold Jewish star.
Film Career
She began her film career in 2003 producing a documentary DÉCryptage which examined the French media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflictand concludes that the media's presentation of the Arab–Israeli conflict in France is consistently skewed against Israel and may be responsible for exacerbating anti-semitism. That documentary was very successful in France, drawing some 300,000 viewers and it caught the attention of Israeli filmmakers.
Famed Israeli actress Ronit Elkabetz, ♀a friend of hers, suggested she help her produce a film she wrote and wanted to direct and she agreed to make Rendre Femme (aka To Take A Wife ♀ produced by Marek Rozenbaum. When Ronit asked her to produce The Band’S Visit, she did not know what to make of the script. But when she saw the footage, she recognized its great potential and stepped in as producer. Unfortunately it could not qualify for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film because it was filmed in Hebrew, Egyptian and English. She went on to produce My Father My Lord an implicit critique of ultra-Orthodox dogma by a filmmaker who grew up in a Hasidic community but abandoned it when he was 25 to study film.
Sophie produces other world films, including her second American film Benny And The Kids (Go Get Some Rosemary), Argentina’s Little Sky and The Camera Obscura both by Maria Victoria Menis ♀ and others including French films like the upcoming film by Jacques Douvenne.
In Cannes this year, she acquired Room 514 (Isa: Docs & Film) de Sharon Bar-Ziv ♀ which played in l'Acid in Cannes and Les Voisins De Dieu (God’S Neighbors) (Isa: Rezo) de Meni Yaesh which played in La Semaine de la Critique in Cannes as well as Directors’ Fortnight entry Le Repenti and Bence Fliegauf’s Berlin competition entry Just The Wind.
She sees festivals as a place where people can discover new films. Theaters need new ideas, directors, and distributors can take risks only if they own theaters. The triangle of festivals, distributors and exhibitors are complimentary and she finds that having all three allows her to keep selected films longer in theaters or allows for changing theaters (she owns 5 theaters including the famous St. Germain arthouse Harlequin). She recognizes that France has so many subsidies for production and distribution – 12 to 15 new films are released every week – and that gives her films more of a chance to succeed as well.
France also has, after 3 years of discussion, finally, in one year made all its theaters digital. The cost to convert is 1 million Euros. 30% of that is paid by Cnc, the government fund made up of a percentage of box office receipts. The digital norm is 2K and the Vpf (Virtual Print Fee is 5,000 Euros. All distributors must pay this first the first time showing for 4 weeks and then, there are not more VPFs.
When she asks Americans for DCPs, she is surprised to learn that they don’t have them. Even Harvey Weinstein who had a retrospective at the Festival did not have digital prints and he said that to use Blu-Ray or HD was all right with him.
Why Harvey?
Everyone loves a good Harvey story. We had heard that he did not want to travel and I was curious how she had such good luck to get him to Paris. Apparently he flew in, appeared, and flew out again.
“The opening night, with the tribute paid to American producer Harvey Weinstein who accepted, with modesty and as a film enthusiast, a trophy was presented by Sophie Dulac, in the presence of VIP guests: Virginie Ledoyen, Deborah François, Audrey Dana, Thomas Langmann, Olivier Nackache and Eric Toledan.”
What he said at this opening event was that Sophie’s brother is the godfather of his son. And when the Godfather makes a request, he cannot refuse to honor it.
So ended my interview with Sophie. As we all struck out to continue the day, Matthew Akers of Marina Abramovic said, “See you in Sarajevo”. And Sophie responded, “How chic!”...
- 6/19/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Reservoir Dogs was the first independent film I ever saw, and I remember being completely blown away by it. I think I was around 15 years old when I watched the movie on VHS. I watched it over at a friend's house, and we couldn't believe what we were seeing. I loved this film, and to this day, I still enjoy watching it. The film was released in 1992, and it took movies to a new level. The movie was not only incredibly cool, but at the time it seemed to break the rules of conventional storytelling.
This tribute includes footage for the film and interviews with people such as Scott Aukerman, Q. Allan Brocka, Edward Bunker, Kevin Eastman, F.X. Feeney, Richard Gladstein, Chris Hardwick, Monte Hellman, Michael Jace, Tad Lumpkin, Christopher McDonald, Drew McWeeny, Gregory Nicotero, Brett Ratner, Andrea Savage, Rob Schmidt, Julie Strain, SuicideGirls, Quentin Tarantino, Judy Tenuta, Steven Wright,...
This tribute includes footage for the film and interviews with people such as Scott Aukerman, Q. Allan Brocka, Edward Bunker, Kevin Eastman, F.X. Feeney, Richard Gladstein, Chris Hardwick, Monte Hellman, Michael Jace, Tad Lumpkin, Christopher McDonald, Drew McWeeny, Gregory Nicotero, Brett Ratner, Andrea Savage, Rob Schmidt, Julie Strain, SuicideGirls, Quentin Tarantino, Judy Tenuta, Steven Wright,...
- 3/7/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Lisa Soltau was living in Seattle when her friend Bonnie Gillespie sent her a book she had written called "Casting Qs," a compilation of interviews with casting directors. "I read it and I absolutely loved all the aspects of the job," says Soltau. "I loved the entertainment industry and movies and television. The process of casting sounded wonderful."She called one of the two casting offices in Seattle and ended up working as an intern there for about six months. But the CD told her she should move to New York or Los Angeles if she really wanted to pursue a career in casting. "I picked L.A. because I had lived there once for about three years and I thought it would be easier to acclimate there," Soltau says. "Plus I wanted to work on 'Six Feet Under,' which was airing at the time.
- 10/20/2010
- backstage.com
In "Permanent Midnight", based on the autobiographical Jerry Stahl book of the same name, Ben Stiller plays a permanently strung-out Hollywood TV writer wallowing in a wildly destructive love-hate relationship with heroin.
Call it "Leaving Los Angeles".
While the picture sees itself as a black comedy, there's a tiresome, self-absorbed smugness coursing through its needle-punctured veins. Not that there isn't a place for another addiction movie, but there's a been-there, done-that feel to writer-director David Veloz's approach that will likely have audiences turning elsewhere for their entertainment fix.
For his third big-screen appearance of the summer (after "There's Something About Mary" and "Your Friends & Neighbors"), Stiller turns in a committed if somewhat one-note performance as Stahl's alter-ego. Missing is any tangible trace of warmth or likability that would keep viewers' sympathies in tow despite his constant, self-indulgent screw-ups.
Instead, one watches with growing disinterest as Jerry sabotages his career (as a writer on a thinly veiled version of "ALF"), his marriage of convenience to his British wife (Elizabeth Hurley) and his relationship with their newborn child.
To further erode the involvement factor, first-time director Veloz, who shared screenwriting credits on "Natural Born Killers", structures Stahl's odyssey as one big flashback, restlessly moving back and forth in time as he spins the story of his life to Kitty (Maria Bello), a fellow user and potential love interest, from their cheap hotel room. Again, any willingness to connect with the film is thwarted by all the intrusive shifting and narration.
Despite the liabilities, "Permanent Midnight" is not without a few inspired sequences, including one speed-induced scene during which Jerry and his dealer constantly slam their bodies against a high-rise plate glass window. In another surreal instance, he's pulled over by a perplexed cop for going what looks like 5 mph down an empty street in a seriously drugged-up state, oblivious to the baby, in a day-old diaper, at his side.
The supporting cast also have their moments. Hurley is convincing as Jerry's green-card bride who nevertheless falls in love with him and initially tries to help him overcome his problems. Also good are Liz Torres as another of his drug buddies and Janeane Garofalo as an agent who's a fan of his work. The real Stahl pops up in a cameo as a jaded doctor.
On the other end of the camera, cinematographer Robert Yeoman, who effectively evoked heroin's purple haze in Gus Van Sant's "Drugstore Cowboy", does yeoman work here. And aural contributions from the likes of Prodigy, Moby and Morcheeba add an appropriately wired texture to composer Daniel Licht's trippy score.
PERMANENT MIDNIGHT
Artisan Entertainment
Director-screenwriter: David Veloz
Producers: Jane Hamsher, Don Murphy
Based on the book by: Jerry Stahl
Executive producer: Yalda Yehranian
Director of photography: Robert Yeoman
Production designer: Jerry Fleming
Editors: Steven Weisberg, Cara Silverman
Costume designers: Louise Mingenbach,
Lori Eskowitz
Music composer: Daniel Licht
Music supervisor: Jeff Rabhan
Casting: Ronnie Yeskel, Richard Hicks
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jerry: Ben Stiller
Sandra: Elizabeth Hurley
Jana: Janeane Garofalo
Kitty: Maria Bello
Nicky: Owen C. Wilson
Vola: Lourdes Benedicto
Craig Ziffer: Fred Willard
Dita: Liz Torres
Running time -- 97 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Call it "Leaving Los Angeles".
While the picture sees itself as a black comedy, there's a tiresome, self-absorbed smugness coursing through its needle-punctured veins. Not that there isn't a place for another addiction movie, but there's a been-there, done-that feel to writer-director David Veloz's approach that will likely have audiences turning elsewhere for their entertainment fix.
For his third big-screen appearance of the summer (after "There's Something About Mary" and "Your Friends & Neighbors"), Stiller turns in a committed if somewhat one-note performance as Stahl's alter-ego. Missing is any tangible trace of warmth or likability that would keep viewers' sympathies in tow despite his constant, self-indulgent screw-ups.
Instead, one watches with growing disinterest as Jerry sabotages his career (as a writer on a thinly veiled version of "ALF"), his marriage of convenience to his British wife (Elizabeth Hurley) and his relationship with their newborn child.
To further erode the involvement factor, first-time director Veloz, who shared screenwriting credits on "Natural Born Killers", structures Stahl's odyssey as one big flashback, restlessly moving back and forth in time as he spins the story of his life to Kitty (Maria Bello), a fellow user and potential love interest, from their cheap hotel room. Again, any willingness to connect with the film is thwarted by all the intrusive shifting and narration.
Despite the liabilities, "Permanent Midnight" is not without a few inspired sequences, including one speed-induced scene during which Jerry and his dealer constantly slam their bodies against a high-rise plate glass window. In another surreal instance, he's pulled over by a perplexed cop for going what looks like 5 mph down an empty street in a seriously drugged-up state, oblivious to the baby, in a day-old diaper, at his side.
The supporting cast also have their moments. Hurley is convincing as Jerry's green-card bride who nevertheless falls in love with him and initially tries to help him overcome his problems. Also good are Liz Torres as another of his drug buddies and Janeane Garofalo as an agent who's a fan of his work. The real Stahl pops up in a cameo as a jaded doctor.
On the other end of the camera, cinematographer Robert Yeoman, who effectively evoked heroin's purple haze in Gus Van Sant's "Drugstore Cowboy", does yeoman work here. And aural contributions from the likes of Prodigy, Moby and Morcheeba add an appropriately wired texture to composer Daniel Licht's trippy score.
PERMANENT MIDNIGHT
Artisan Entertainment
Director-screenwriter: David Veloz
Producers: Jane Hamsher, Don Murphy
Based on the book by: Jerry Stahl
Executive producer: Yalda Yehranian
Director of photography: Robert Yeoman
Production designer: Jerry Fleming
Editors: Steven Weisberg, Cara Silverman
Costume designers: Louise Mingenbach,
Lori Eskowitz
Music composer: Daniel Licht
Music supervisor: Jeff Rabhan
Casting: Ronnie Yeskel, Richard Hicks
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jerry: Ben Stiller
Sandra: Elizabeth Hurley
Jana: Janeane Garofalo
Kitty: Maria Bello
Nicky: Owen C. Wilson
Vola: Lourdes Benedicto
Craig Ziffer: Fred Willard
Dita: Liz Torres
Running time -- 97 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/14/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
as mother and daughter in Fox's 'chick flick'
By Michael Rechtshaffen
The ever-complex mother-daughter relationship is at the emotional core of "Hope Floats", a tenderly rendered chick flick with Sandra Bullock and Gena Rowlands creating the tricky dynamic.
Making good on the feature directorial promise of "Waiting to Exhale", Forest Whitaker deftly handles the dramatic and comedic elements of Steven Rogers' neatly unencumbered script, allowing the cast ample opportunity to shine.
Receiving an added boost from strong advance airplay for its theme song (a Garth Brooks cover of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love"), "Hope Floats" should generate buoyant boxoffice for Fox.
After her best friend informs her during an appearance on the trashy "Toni Post Show" that she has been having an affair with her husband, Bullock's Birdee Pruitt grabs her daughter Bernice (Mae Whitman) and seeks solace in her hometown of Smithville, Texas, where she was a three-time beauty queen.
But maybe moving back in with her mom, Ramona (Rowlands), wasn't such a great idea. In possession of a somewhat forceful personality and long considered the town eccentric (a reputation not exactly unearned considering her hobby of dressing up her taxidermist husband's handiwork and giving it names like Scaredy-Cat), Ramona refuses to watch her self-deflated daughter wallow in self-pity.
Much to Birdee's protest, Ramona attempts to set her up with her old high school crush, Justin Matisse (OK, so the names are just a little precious), played with trademark gee-whiz likability by Harry Connick Jr. But Birdee and her bespectacled daughter still haven't come to terms with the fact that Mr. Pruitt (Michael Pare) isn't going to come crawling back to them.
Playing opposite the always-exquisite Rowlands gives Bullock a chance to stretch and reach for higher emotional stakes, and she admirably rises to the challenge, helping to break some comfortable habits that threatened to border on shtick in recent outings.
The structure and pacing aren't always as effective as they could be, but credit Whitaker for coaxing fine, understated performances from not only his adult cast but also impressive child actors Whitman ("One Fine Day") and Cameron Finley ("Leave It to Beaver"), who are never less than completely natural in their demanding emoting.
Fine also is the resonant cinematography (courtesy of frequent Oscar nominee Caleb Deschanel) and Dave Grusin's light-touch score. Not quite so subtle is the song selection assembled by Whitaker and Don Was, which -- while featuring some nice work by Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and Lyle Lovett -- can be a little too literal in underscoring the on-screen moods.
HOPE FLOATS
20th Century Fox
A Lynda Obst production
in association with Fortis Films
A Forest Whitaker film
Credits: Director: Forest Whitaker; Producer: Lynda Obst; Screenwriter: Steven Rogers; Executive producers: Mary McLaglen, Sandra Bullock; Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel; Production designer: Larry Fulton; Editor: Richard Chew; Costume designer: Susie DeSanto; Music: Dave Grusin; Executive soundtrack producers: Don Was, Forest Whitaker; Casting: Ronnie Yeskel. Cast: Birdee Pruitt: Sandra Bullock; Justin Matisse: Harry Connick Jr.; Ramona Calvert: Gena Rowlands; Bernice Pruitt: Mae Whitman; Travis: Cameron Finley; Bill Pruitt: Michael Pare; Harry Calvert: James N. Harrell. MPAA rating: PG-13. Color/stereo. Running time -- 110 minutes...
By Michael Rechtshaffen
The ever-complex mother-daughter relationship is at the emotional core of "Hope Floats", a tenderly rendered chick flick with Sandra Bullock and Gena Rowlands creating the tricky dynamic.
Making good on the feature directorial promise of "Waiting to Exhale", Forest Whitaker deftly handles the dramatic and comedic elements of Steven Rogers' neatly unencumbered script, allowing the cast ample opportunity to shine.
Receiving an added boost from strong advance airplay for its theme song (a Garth Brooks cover of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love"), "Hope Floats" should generate buoyant boxoffice for Fox.
After her best friend informs her during an appearance on the trashy "Toni Post Show" that she has been having an affair with her husband, Bullock's Birdee Pruitt grabs her daughter Bernice (Mae Whitman) and seeks solace in her hometown of Smithville, Texas, where she was a three-time beauty queen.
But maybe moving back in with her mom, Ramona (Rowlands), wasn't such a great idea. In possession of a somewhat forceful personality and long considered the town eccentric (a reputation not exactly unearned considering her hobby of dressing up her taxidermist husband's handiwork and giving it names like Scaredy-Cat), Ramona refuses to watch her self-deflated daughter wallow in self-pity.
Much to Birdee's protest, Ramona attempts to set her up with her old high school crush, Justin Matisse (OK, so the names are just a little precious), played with trademark gee-whiz likability by Harry Connick Jr. But Birdee and her bespectacled daughter still haven't come to terms with the fact that Mr. Pruitt (Michael Pare) isn't going to come crawling back to them.
Playing opposite the always-exquisite Rowlands gives Bullock a chance to stretch and reach for higher emotional stakes, and she admirably rises to the challenge, helping to break some comfortable habits that threatened to border on shtick in recent outings.
The structure and pacing aren't always as effective as they could be, but credit Whitaker for coaxing fine, understated performances from not only his adult cast but also impressive child actors Whitman ("One Fine Day") and Cameron Finley ("Leave It to Beaver"), who are never less than completely natural in their demanding emoting.
Fine also is the resonant cinematography (courtesy of frequent Oscar nominee Caleb Deschanel) and Dave Grusin's light-touch score. Not quite so subtle is the song selection assembled by Whitaker and Don Was, which -- while featuring some nice work by Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and Lyle Lovett -- can be a little too literal in underscoring the on-screen moods.
HOPE FLOATS
20th Century Fox
A Lynda Obst production
in association with Fortis Films
A Forest Whitaker film
Credits: Director: Forest Whitaker; Producer: Lynda Obst; Screenwriter: Steven Rogers; Executive producers: Mary McLaglen, Sandra Bullock; Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel; Production designer: Larry Fulton; Editor: Richard Chew; Costume designer: Susie DeSanto; Music: Dave Grusin; Executive soundtrack producers: Don Was, Forest Whitaker; Casting: Ronnie Yeskel. Cast: Birdee Pruitt: Sandra Bullock; Justin Matisse: Harry Connick Jr.; Ramona Calvert: Gena Rowlands; Bernice Pruitt: Mae Whitman; Travis: Cameron Finley; Bill Pruitt: Michael Pare; Harry Calvert: James N. Harrell. MPAA rating: PG-13. Color/stereo. Running time -- 110 minutes...
- 5/26/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Having already conquered half the moviegoing world, "Bean" is finally ready to take on fickle American audiences.
Given the gales of laughter that rocked a recent preview screening, expect an immediate and unprecedented surrender.
Simply put, "Bean" is the hands-down funniest picture in recent years -- an all-ages blast that will keep Gramercy bean counters beaming for weeks to come.
That probably won't be news to those who have already been Beaned by Rowan Atkinson's side-splitting series of small-screen adventures, but even so, the transition to features could have been a tricky one. Fortunately, with "Mr. Bean" co-creator Richard Curtis ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") and fellow series writer Robin Driscoll on board along with director Mel Curtis ("The Tall Guy"), the move couldn't have gone more smoothly.
Of course, Atkinson deserves most of the credit. His Mr. Bean is an irresistible combination of wide-eyed troublemaker and eternal naif. He's a man of few words and fewer social graces whose every movement has young and old alike screaming with giddy laughter.
Not that he really needs one, but the plot concerns itself with London's National Art Gallery sending "Whistler's Mother" to the Los Angeles gallery that has just purchased it. Accompanying the masterpiece is none other than the British gallery's shiftless employee, Mr. Bean, who the board members, eager to be rid of him, pass off as an esteemed art expert.
The charade doesn't exactly go without a hitch. Initially flattered to have the newly dubbed Dr. Bean staying at his home, Grierson Gallery curator David Langley (Peter MacNicol) ultimately loses his family and a good chunk of his mind when his guest's antics culminate in the devastating (and hilarious) destruction of one of the most recognizable works in American art history.
While the film itself dips a little in the middle, Atkinson's brilliant, seemingly effortless brand of physical comedy sustains the buoyant pace. And although the concept of supporting performances would appear to be superfluous here, MacNicol more than holds his own as Bean's quietly flappable host, as does Pamela Reed as MacNicol's no-nonsense wife.
Also fun in a smaller part is Burt Reynolds as the gung-ho Gen. Newton, a man who admits to knowing nothing about art but realizes the patriotic value of reclaiming American property from "the Frenchies."
BEAN
Gramercy Pictures
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
presents A Working Title production
in association with Tiger Aspect Films
A film by Mel Smith
Director: Mel Smith
Producers: Peter Bennett-Jones,
Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan
Screenwriters: Richard Curtis, Robin Driscoll
Executive producer: Richard Curtis
Director of photography: Francis Kenny
Production designer: Peter Larkin
Editor: Christopher Blunden
Costume designer: Hope Hanafin
Music: Howard Goodall
Casting: Ronnie Yeskel
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mr. Bean: Rowan Atkinson
David Langley: Peter MacNicol
Alison Langley: Pamela Reed
George Grierson: Harris Yulin
Stingo: Johnny Galecki
Kevin Langley: Andrew J. Lawrence
Jennifer Langley: Tricia Vessey
Gen. Newton: Burt Reynolds
Running time -- 87 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Given the gales of laughter that rocked a recent preview screening, expect an immediate and unprecedented surrender.
Simply put, "Bean" is the hands-down funniest picture in recent years -- an all-ages blast that will keep Gramercy bean counters beaming for weeks to come.
That probably won't be news to those who have already been Beaned by Rowan Atkinson's side-splitting series of small-screen adventures, but even so, the transition to features could have been a tricky one. Fortunately, with "Mr. Bean" co-creator Richard Curtis ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") and fellow series writer Robin Driscoll on board along with director Mel Curtis ("The Tall Guy"), the move couldn't have gone more smoothly.
Of course, Atkinson deserves most of the credit. His Mr. Bean is an irresistible combination of wide-eyed troublemaker and eternal naif. He's a man of few words and fewer social graces whose every movement has young and old alike screaming with giddy laughter.
Not that he really needs one, but the plot concerns itself with London's National Art Gallery sending "Whistler's Mother" to the Los Angeles gallery that has just purchased it. Accompanying the masterpiece is none other than the British gallery's shiftless employee, Mr. Bean, who the board members, eager to be rid of him, pass off as an esteemed art expert.
The charade doesn't exactly go without a hitch. Initially flattered to have the newly dubbed Dr. Bean staying at his home, Grierson Gallery curator David Langley (Peter MacNicol) ultimately loses his family and a good chunk of his mind when his guest's antics culminate in the devastating (and hilarious) destruction of one of the most recognizable works in American art history.
While the film itself dips a little in the middle, Atkinson's brilliant, seemingly effortless brand of physical comedy sustains the buoyant pace. And although the concept of supporting performances would appear to be superfluous here, MacNicol more than holds his own as Bean's quietly flappable host, as does Pamela Reed as MacNicol's no-nonsense wife.
Also fun in a smaller part is Burt Reynolds as the gung-ho Gen. Newton, a man who admits to knowing nothing about art but realizes the patriotic value of reclaiming American property from "the Frenchies."
BEAN
Gramercy Pictures
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
presents A Working Title production
in association with Tiger Aspect Films
A film by Mel Smith
Director: Mel Smith
Producers: Peter Bennett-Jones,
Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan
Screenwriters: Richard Curtis, Robin Driscoll
Executive producer: Richard Curtis
Director of photography: Francis Kenny
Production designer: Peter Larkin
Editor: Christopher Blunden
Costume designer: Hope Hanafin
Music: Howard Goodall
Casting: Ronnie Yeskel
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mr. Bean: Rowan Atkinson
David Langley: Peter MacNicol
Alison Langley: Pamela Reed
George Grierson: Harris Yulin
Stingo: Johnny Galecki
Kevin Langley: Andrew J. Lawrence
Jennifer Langley: Tricia Vessey
Gen. Newton: Burt Reynolds
Running time -- 87 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 11/5/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the hallowed tradition of quest movies comes "Booty Call". While Indiana Jones may have quested for the Lost Ark and Jason quested for the Golden Fleece, Bunz and Rushon quest for a latex condom. Given the fine and foxy ladies they're on a mission for, modern-day urban audiences might consider Bunz and Rushon's quest much more important than the mere retrieval of old religious arcana.
Accordingly, there should be considerable first-weekend box-office booty for Sony from black, teen audiences, and, to boot, "Booty" should call up some nifty cash from the frat-boy crowd and MTV-heads everywhere.
A risque romp centered around a double date, this Columbia movie is a bawdy blend of hormones laced over with pseudo-sociological sermonizing about the necessity for safe sex. The comic carnality centers around Rushon (Tommy Davidson) and Nikki (Tamala Jones). Rushon and Nikki have gone together for what passes for a long time by today's romantic standards -- seven weeks. Both are upwardly mobile and somewhat strait-laced, but both feel the urge to "do it."
These feelings are fired up by their two libidinous, good-time friends: Womanizer Bunz (Jamie Foxx) goads Rushon to quit jerking around and get Nikki in bed, while Nikki's gal-pal Lysterine (Vivica A. Fox) doesn't believe in holding out for more than 30 minutes.
Unabashedly crude and lewd, "Booty Call" is, especially in its first 45 minutes, a hoot. A strong dose of sexual slapstick lathered up with safe-sex strictures, "Booty" sashays as a first-rate farce. Screenwriters Takashi Bufford and Bootsie have smartly wadded up a batch of sexual frustration, crammed it together with opposite character types, and then massaged it with some tried-and-true comic pleasers like a feisty pet, a hyper Chinese waiter (Gedde Watanabe) and two Punjabi convenience clerks.
Indeed, there's not a lot of correctness gunking up the hilarity and, as you might expect, the subject matter does not hold up throughout, even at 77 minutes.
Not dilly-dallying around with much aesthetic foreplay, director Jeff Pollack keeps things tight and light, but it's the four lead performances that are this callipygean carnality's most alluring charms. Davidson is finely cast as the well-meaning but frustrated Rushon, while Foxx is perfect as a dreadlocked, 'hood rat.
On the distaff side, Jones is a perfect blend of sweetness and sexiness as good-girl Nikki, while Fox smolders as the highly charged Lysterine. Watanabe is terrific as an addled Chinese waiter, a perfect reactive character for the sexual shenanigans.
BOOTY CALL
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
A Turman/Morrissey Co. production
A film by Jeff Pollack
Producer John Morrissey
Director Jeff Pollack
Screenwriters Takashi Bufford, Bootsie
Director of photography Ron Orieux
Production designer Sandra Kybartas
Editor Christopher Greenbury
Costume designer Vicki Graef
Music Robert Folk
Co-producer John M. Eckert
Casting Mary Vernieu, Ronnie Yeskel
Sound mixer Douglas Ganton
Color/stereo
Cast:
Bunz Jamie Foxx
Rushon Tommy Davidson
Lysterine Vivica A. Fox
Nikki Tamala Jones
Chan Gedde Watanabe
Akmed Art Malik
Singh Scott LaRose
Running time -- 77 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Accordingly, there should be considerable first-weekend box-office booty for Sony from black, teen audiences, and, to boot, "Booty" should call up some nifty cash from the frat-boy crowd and MTV-heads everywhere.
A risque romp centered around a double date, this Columbia movie is a bawdy blend of hormones laced over with pseudo-sociological sermonizing about the necessity for safe sex. The comic carnality centers around Rushon (Tommy Davidson) and Nikki (Tamala Jones). Rushon and Nikki have gone together for what passes for a long time by today's romantic standards -- seven weeks. Both are upwardly mobile and somewhat strait-laced, but both feel the urge to "do it."
These feelings are fired up by their two libidinous, good-time friends: Womanizer Bunz (Jamie Foxx) goads Rushon to quit jerking around and get Nikki in bed, while Nikki's gal-pal Lysterine (Vivica A. Fox) doesn't believe in holding out for more than 30 minutes.
Unabashedly crude and lewd, "Booty Call" is, especially in its first 45 minutes, a hoot. A strong dose of sexual slapstick lathered up with safe-sex strictures, "Booty" sashays as a first-rate farce. Screenwriters Takashi Bufford and Bootsie have smartly wadded up a batch of sexual frustration, crammed it together with opposite character types, and then massaged it with some tried-and-true comic pleasers like a feisty pet, a hyper Chinese waiter (Gedde Watanabe) and two Punjabi convenience clerks.
Indeed, there's not a lot of correctness gunking up the hilarity and, as you might expect, the subject matter does not hold up throughout, even at 77 minutes.
Not dilly-dallying around with much aesthetic foreplay, director Jeff Pollack keeps things tight and light, but it's the four lead performances that are this callipygean carnality's most alluring charms. Davidson is finely cast as the well-meaning but frustrated Rushon, while Foxx is perfect as a dreadlocked, 'hood rat.
On the distaff side, Jones is a perfect blend of sweetness and sexiness as good-girl Nikki, while Fox smolders as the highly charged Lysterine. Watanabe is terrific as an addled Chinese waiter, a perfect reactive character for the sexual shenanigans.
BOOTY CALL
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
A Turman/Morrissey Co. production
A film by Jeff Pollack
Producer John Morrissey
Director Jeff Pollack
Screenwriters Takashi Bufford, Bootsie
Director of photography Ron Orieux
Production designer Sandra Kybartas
Editor Christopher Greenbury
Costume designer Vicki Graef
Music Robert Folk
Co-producer John M. Eckert
Casting Mary Vernieu, Ronnie Yeskel
Sound mixer Douglas Ganton
Color/stereo
Cast:
Bunz Jamie Foxx
Rushon Tommy Davidson
Lysterine Vivica A. Fox
Nikki Tamala Jones
Chan Gedde Watanabe
Akmed Art Malik
Singh Scott LaRose
Running time -- 77 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 2/24/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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