AFI Fest 2007 has taken to the web help promote its forthcoming slate, filming a number of short, tongue-in-cheek viral promo videos. This one, for the in-competition documentary 1000 Journals, finds press and publicity manager John Wildman sheepishly copping to director Andrea Kreuzhage that he’s been hording a couple of the titular tomes; this one, meanwhile, finds programming director Shaz Bennett seeking autmotive help from Big Rig director Doug Pray and his daughter. For more information on the festival, which kicks off November 1, click here. More updates to follow.
Monthly Archives: October 2007
Lust, Caution
Lust, Caution is a wartime story of espionage and intrigue, but to call it a thriller would be misleading. The constraints of modern moviegoers’ attention spans don’t concern director Ang Lee, as anyone who either loved or hated 2003’s Hulk can attest. Similarly, though the movie is rated a libidinous NC-17 (and deservedly so), neither does it flaunt its eroticism for cathartic release. No, instead, Lust, Caution is a lushly photographed, exacting, slightly overlong but still mostly involving drama about the clash of disparate forces and ethics — beauty and cruelty, desire and fidelity, personal awakening and patriotic duty. It’s also (ironically, in these tabloid times) a movie about a little girl lost, and how she finds identity, if not solace, in acting. meets fellow student Kuang Yu Min (Wang Leehom), who’s drummed up a drama society to shore up patriotism and feed the burgeoning student resistance movement. As the theater troupe’s new leading lady, Wong realizes that she has found her calling. Shedding her shyness, she finds liberation in the ability to move and inspire audiences.<BR><BR>Quickly, though, Kuang and his company’s <B>quaint, bourgeois rebellion</B> — a symbolically-infused production of Henrik Ibsen’s <EM>A Doll’s House</EM> — gives way to a much more radical plot: to assassinate a top Japanese collaborator, Mr. Yee (Tony Leung, above left), regarded as a traitor. To do so, they slowly infiltrate his social circle. The scenario proceeds as scripted, until an unexpectedly fatal twist collapses the plot. Several years later, with still no end in sight for the occupation, Wong reunites with Kuang, now part of a more organized resistance. Returning to her role of in a revival of the plot to kill the paranoid Yee — who, as head of the collaborationist secret service, has become an even more key part of the puppet government — <B>Wong finishes her off seduction, striking up a torrid affair with the brutal Yee, who proves himself a sadistic lover</B>.<BR><BR>Gorgeously designed and lensed, <EM>Lust, Caution</EM> summons forth the intrigue and quiet scheming of behind-enemy-lines dramas like <A href=)
Charlotte Gray, and also (just a bit) the personal duplicity and plotting on display in something like Steven Soderbergh’s The Good German, which also (figuratively and literally) dealt in shades of occupied grey. If, as the saying goes, one ultimately becomes the things that they do, war has a way of forcing interesting choices upon even a civilian populace, and thus perverting individual will in not entirely explainable ways. Maybe the most interesting film that Lust, Caution tangentially reminded me of, though, is actually Mike Newell’s superlative Donnie Brasco. Like that movie, Lust, Caution is about the slippery slope of identity, and how one can lose oneself in the extreme pursuit of even-handedness or justice.
Lee’s film eventually plays the love card, but given that it’s a love born out of extreme cruelty and maltreatment, one can never be sure how sincere this change of heart is, versus the possibility of merely “Stockholm Syndrome” identification. Clearly, Lee believes that Wong’s journey is one of an awakening of sorts, but while Wei gives a performance of deftly modulated indecision, Lust, Caution never fully convinced me of love’s bloom, just that war alters everything, at home as well on far-flung battlefields. For the full review, from Reelz, click here. (Focus, NC-17, 158 minutes)
Tim Roth Says Something About The Incredible Hulk
At a press day on Friday chatting up his turn in Francis Ford Coppola‘s Youth Without Youth, Tim Roth also found time to briefly mention The Incredible Hulk, in which he plays heavy Emil Blonsky opposite Edward Norton, for director Louis Leterrier.
“It’s fun, it’s a kids’ movie,” says Roth nonchalantly, with a smile and wave of the hand. “I did it for my kids, it’s really good fun. We’re still shooting it, so that’s why I can’t talk about all of it. I know when actors say, ‘It’s fun,’ it’s usually just bullshit for journalists, but it really is — I mean, I’m running around going ‘Grrrrr…’ with guns. Hopefully my kids think I’m going to be cool when they see it.” The Incredible Hulk is slated for release next summer, June 13, from Universal.
Francis Ford Coppola on Tetro
Chatting with Francis Ford Coppola at a press day today for Youth Without Youth, the legendary filmmaker also talked some about his next project behind the camera, Tetro. “It’s the name of a character. It’s very personal, kind of my Tennessee
Williams period,” he says. “I want to make a passionate story about brothers and
fathers and all of that different tumult that I’ve seen at different
times in my life — a little bit stuff I’ve seen in my family, but it’s
totally fictional.”
Confirming the casting of Matt Dillon and Maribel Verdu, Coppola also says that Javier Bardem’s role is “not that big,” and that the film — previously scheduled to start shooting next month — will now begin lensing in Buenos Aires immediately after Christmas. “I’ve used Youth Without Youth
as a crutch to get into a world of personal filmmaking, where I’m not
subject to the notes of studios. I get the notes from my colleagues,”
says Coppola. “It’s not that I don’t want notes — I do. But I don’t
want too many notes, to (the point) that they start contradicting themselves, or that
they start turning it into one of the typical movies that comes out
every Friday.” If Youth Without Youth is any indication of his new direction, Coppola needn’t worry about that.
The Stendhal Syndrome
An overlong and wildly uneven film and yet still in some ways one of the more brutally effective films of horror maestro Dario
Argento’s latter-day canon, The Stendhal
Syndrome stars the director’s daughter, Asia Argento, as a policewoman
tracking down a violent serial killer and rapist. While trading chiefly in procedural
elements not typically a part of Argento’s more explicit zombie horror flicks,
the film still manages to showcase the filmmaker’s sensory flair and great touch
in eliciting queasiness through stabbing shock.
, a beautiful<br />
detective following the bloody trail of a sophisticated serial criminal (<i style=)
The Pianist’s Thomas Kretschmann)
through the streets of
Along the way, she falls victim to a strange, hallucinatory phenomenon which
causes her to lose her mind and memory in front of powerful works of art (above).
Trapped in this twilight realm, Anna plunges deeper and deeper into sexual
psychosis, until she comes to know the killer’s madness more intimately than
she ever imagined.
The Stendhal Syndrome
takes what might be characterized as a few Hitchcockian elements — an imperiled
woman, a strange psychological impairment, psychosexual perversion and mirrored
identities — and places them in a blender. It’s obvious that the movie wants to
also summon forth, in its own way, elements of The Silence of the Lambs and the mid-1980s oeuvre of Shannon Tweed,
but the execution here is merely so-so for vast swatches of the movie’s
two-hour running time, and the fairer Argento, just 20 when The Stendhal Syndrome was filmed over a
decade ago, is a bit too young to pull off the necessary gravitas of a seasoned
police inspector. Anna’s hallucination sequences employ some relatively low-tech
digital effects work, but it works in a way that’s not entirely corny. That said, there’s too much wild overreaching for parallelism here for things to cohere on a structural level. Yet while it doesn’t measure up to Suspiria or Inferno, moments in the film retain papa Argento’s visceral pop
and effectiveness, so much so that certain scenes from The Stendahl Syndrome stuck with me in lingering fashion long
after its initial viewing.
Spread out over two discs and housed in a clear Amray case
with cardboard slipcover, the movie is presented in 1.66:1 widescreen, enhanced
for 16×9 televisions. There are five audio options, three in English (6.1 DTS-ES,
which requires a DTS decoder, as well as Dolby surround 2.0 and Dolby digital 5.1
surround EX.
including interviews with Argento, special effects director Sergio Stivaletti, assistant
director Luigi Cozzi, production designer Massimo Antonello Geleng and “psychological
consultant” Graziella Magherini, whose book on the titular condition inspired
Argento to tackle the film.
To purchase the movie via Amazon, click here. C+ (Movie) B (Disc)
A Moment of Self-Tout…
For what it’s worth, should one desire to confirm that I conform to the saddest stereotypes of a film critic (i.e., a white guy with glasses), I appear on the second episode of That Indie Film Show, discussing Gone Baby Gone, Lars and the Real Girl and Lust, Caution. It’s about halfway through the show, which can be accessed on IKlipz.com or by simply clicking here.
Kevin Costner Reads Blog About Himself
It’s been brought to my attention that If I Blog It They Will Come has experienced success in their quest to get Kevin Costner to visit a blog about himself, and take pictures of said Internet visit. (And with such a happy-time grin, too!) I’d heard about this site — very earnest and reverential in their entreaties — but not the culmination of their efforts, so congrats to them. I wonder if Costner opted for the dangled promise of a free T-shirt. Now on the clock for the site’s second mission: Robin Williams, who according to writer-director Phil Alden Robinson was actually Universal’s first choice for Field of Dreams, believe it or not.
Nine Lives, Not of the Feline Variety
Not to be confused with writer-director Rodrigo Garcia’s 2006 film of the same name, or the 2004 horror flick co-starring Paris Hilton, or even John August’s The Nines, starring Ryan Reynolds, from just earlier this fall, The Nines is a provocative film debut from writer-director Dean Howell
and pioneer activist Michael Kearns (Intimacies,
T-Cells & Sympathy). Based on
play Complications, it’s a film about
love, loss and the hopes and fears we all share, focusing, as the title would
suggest, on nine individuals whose lives intersect emotionally, sexually and
dangerously over the course of a single day.
An ensemble piece with heartfelt performances from a talented
cast, The Nines begins with Ronnie (
an over-the-top and just about over-the-hill, HIV-positive man recalling his
love affairs, both past and present. Next is Mikey (Chariots of Fire’s Dennis Christopher), an introspective drug
dealer who has a casual infatuation with sexy hustler Bo (John Ganun), while
at the same time trying to provide for his mentally challenged younger brother. A threesome
between television producer Daniel (Nick Salamone), his hunky boyfriend
Corey (Steve Callahan) and their pool boy Carlos (Eric Turic) threatens their
relationship. And then there’s Lisa (Mad
TV’s Debra Wilson) and her perpetually late husband, Ralph (William
Christian), who fret as they prepare for their first child.
Shocking for its graphic sexuality, but tender in its
execution, Nine Lives is a
thought-provoking and candid look into the lives of these characters and how
they are all interconnected. It teaches a universal message of hope — no matter
how difficult life may be, we are never alone. DVD special features on the
widescreen presentation include a group audio commentary track with director Howell,
Kearns, Callahan, Christopher and Wilson, among
others, as well as a collection of deleted scenes and outtakes. To view the movie’s trailer, click here; to purchase the film via Amazon, click here.
The Universe Expands…
Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe, starring Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood, goes wide this week, and in many ways it’s still something worth checking out, even if it’s a tailor-made suit that doesn’t hang perfectly on the rack. The film lost me for significant swatches in the theater, but it’s bold and nervy — something too many movies decidedly aren’t — and a good portion of its music of course sticks with you, even if you’re not a hardcore Beatles maniac. Also opening this week are Michael Clayton and Lars and the Real Girl, along with Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Sleuth and We Own the Night. More on most of these soon, though I’ll be waiting to catch Elizabeth later, having had to see 30 Days of Night last night, instead of the former’s all-media screening…
Michael Caine on The Dark Knight
While recently chatting up Sleuth, Michael Caine also found time to touch upon The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated sequel to Batman Begins. “I’ve seen all the Batman (movies), and I think by a long way Christian is the best Batman I’ve ever seen,” says Caine. “He’s certainly the best actor — a wonderful actor, as he’s proven in Yuma now,
and (even) The Machinist.”
“Batman Begins I thought was the best Batman ever,” Caine continues, “and this one will
be better. And the big surprise out of this one… although it’s called The Dark Knight, with a
K-N, [is] the Joker. There you’ve got the shadow of Jack Nicholson
looming over you, which is incredible performance. But we’ve got Heath
Ledger, who’s gone in a completely and terrifyingly different direction. He’s
extraordinary, he’ll be the big surprise. He’ll frighten the life out
of you. He did me, the first time I saw him, because we did a rehearsal on the
first day, and we hadn’t met or anything, and he had to come up on an elevator
to Batman’s home. And I think I’m letting friends in, but instead he’s killed
them all and he’s coming up in the lift. So on the first rehearsal, he’s coming
up, and he has like seven dwarves with him — like Snow White, only it’s not
like that. When the bloody door opened on the lift, he came tearing out, and I
forgot every line I had.”
Michael Clayton
Films are repeatedly referenced as a visual medium, and certainly the release schedule of any given summer slate would bear that notion out. George Clooney’s new film, Michael Clayton, though, opens with a very theatrical torrent of words — a panicked narration about a chrysalis and rebirth. This shouldn’t be too surprising, given that the movie is the directorial debut of Tony Gilroy, the writer behind The Devil’s Advocate, Proof of Life and, most notably and directly responsible for this opportunity, the three Bourne action flicks.
Still, the degree to which Michael Clayton remains an exercise in linguistics — personal combat, gymnastics, avoidance and parsing — all while still pursuing its separate narrative threads is fairly impressive, and certainly refreshing and interesting. A loose white-collar thriller in the vein of The Firm, it’s The Insider remade and rechristened with all the coiled, white-hot intensity of a crime thriller like Heat. In fact, the specifics of its plot are almost incidental; Michael Clayton is about how dollar-chasing desperation corrodes character. It’s a study of mid-life crisis and moral awakening filtered through the rubric of a class action legal drama, and as such, the film reminds one of just how devalued language has become, both in life, but certainly on screen.
Clooney) works at one of the largest corporate law firms in New York City, Kenner, Bach & Ledeen, as their in-house “fixer,” a one-man velvet hammer. The movie opens at night, with him being summoned to a private residence after a client has committed a hit-and-run. Soon much bigger problems loom on the horizon for the firm, though. KB&L’s top litigator, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson, above left), has had an apparent breakdown during a Milwaukee deposition in a $3 billion class action suit centering on a carcinogenic field agent.
Making matters worse, it appears Edens has had a come-to-Jesus ethical conversion, and started taking steps to actually aide the case against KB&L’s client, agro-chemical company U-North, and sabotage his longtime employer. The career of in-house U-North chief counsel Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton) rests on her ability to keep certain nasty matters from bubbling to the surface, and brokering a settlement on a case that’s been heretofore purposefully dragged out for more than six years. Meanwhile, the firm’s co-founder, Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack), sends Clayton into the breach to tackle this unprecedented disaster. In doing so, Clayton must face down the harsh reality of the notion that we become the things we do. For the full review, from FilmStew, click here. (Warner Bros., R, 120 minutes)
A Quick Allison Burnett Q&A
Dylan Calaghan has an interview with Feast of Love screenwriter Allison Burnett (who’s a dude, for the record) up on the Writers Guild of America site, and while they don’t talk about the Fame remake he’s currently penning, they do get into the business of adaptations versus spec script grappling, as well as the art of capturing screen romance without getting sappy. For those looking for insights on those matters, it’s a solid, extremely brisk read.
The Lair Offers Up Fang Bang Fun
Following the success of Dante’s Cove, here!,
America’s premium gay television network, jumps into more soapy, blended horror
and tongue-in-cheek melodrama with the spin-off The Lair, which unapologetically sprinkles tropes of the vampire subgenre
with some GLBT pixie dust and just the right balance of camp and sex appeal.
gruesome wounds on their necks. The mysterious murders draw the attention of
Thom (David Moretti), a young journalist who decides to investigate, much to
the dismay of his jealous boyfriend. Thom’s search leads him to a private
gentlemen’s club called The Lair, where even the darkest of desires are
fulfilled. While closing in on the truth, Thom is captured by Damian (Shortbus’ Peter Stickles), the leader of
the titular club, and his legion of vampires. Thom soon realizes that his quest
to solve these murders may lead to his own demise.
Co-starring Colton Ford (Naked
Fame) and Beverly Lynne,
among others, The Lair: The Complete
First Season is directed by Fred Olen Ray, the man behind of such cult
films as Prison Ship, Terminal Force, Bad Girls From Mars, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers
and Bikini Chain Gang. Available for the first time on DVD through Genius
Products, Liberation Entertainment and here! just in time for Halloween, the
two-disc, widescreen set includes all six episodes of the show, a backlot featurette, bloopers, a racy photo
gallery (hint: shirts quite optional) and a couple trailers for the show. To
take a sample bite, click here, and select The Lair under “Watch It” on the
home page.
On Dogs Sensing Vampires
It’s not really that big of a deal in 30 Days of Night, as they get dispatched early on, but I just returned from a screening of that film tonight, and it made me wonder — is there a vampire or ghost movie where dogs don’t sense the otherworldly creatures? You know, in either a legit genre flick or some sort of Scary Movie parody thing that I’m forgetting? Because that would be a great reversal of expectation…
AFI Fest Sets Slate
AFI Fest 2007 has finalized its full slate. The festival, which kicks off November 1 with Robert Redford’s Lions for Lambs and runs through November 11, includes seven world premieres, 18 North American premieres, and tributes to legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve and America’s own Laura Linney. Deneuve will receive her tribute before the screening of Marjane
Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s beautifully animated Persepolis, to
which she lent her voice. Linney’s tribute comes before Tamara
Jenkins’s The Savages, in which she plays a woman who has to care for
her sick father along with her brother (Philip Seymour Hoffman).
The lineup of films at this year’s AFI Fest is as diverse as
the cultures of the 37 countries represented at the festival. The 148
films cover everything from the current political climate,
international events and cultural revolution to well-made and
entertaining dramas, comedies and horror films. For more information, click here.
Kevin Costner, Wonderfully Zonked
I was breezing through a working Word file last night and stumbled across this pulled, set-aside tidbit below from Kevin Costner, from the press day for this summer’s Mr. Brooks. His response is to a question about whether he thinks there’s a “killer gene,” or a predisposition to
serial killing that is passed on from parent to child. What’s notable, really, and got me laughing, is that in a straight reading of the quote Costner almost sounds bat-shit crazy, but I distinctly remember it not coming off as such. To wit, though, his reply:
You hear of alcoholism being passed on in genes and stuff like that. I think we’re
the generation that’s just learning about what gets passed on. I mean, our eyes
are opening every day as to what… We go, ‘Oh my God’ …I mean, just about the
time we think a protein diet is the right one, somebody goes, ‘So wrong! So
wrong!’ I mean, every diet, everything’s got something — somebody goes, ‘Wrong!’ you know, four years later. What’s clear is people live under enormous pressure.
There’s too many of us in the city. There’s too many of us… Look, it’s weird
out there, it’s weird out there. I mean, we’re all like some number, you know?
One out of every somebody gets assaulted, and women have it worse. It’s like, ‘What
the fuck?’ I mean, we’re like a percentage of something going bad somewhere. It’s
terrible.”
LA Femme: The Fairer Festival
The third annual LA Femme International Film Festival kicks off in Beverly Hills
this Thursday, October 11, and concludes with star-studded closing ceremonies on
Sunday, October 14, hosted by Melissa Rivers at the Fine Arts Theatre, with a cocktail
reception following immediately afterward at Nirvana.
Founded by Leslie LaPage, LA Femme is dedicated to
creating and inspiring talented female artists who desire to create
entertainment for the masses. Exhibiting the diverse talents of emerging
artists to wider audiences by showcasing new work to industry professionals, up-and-coming
filmmakers and film fans alike, the festival will unfold at two theaters — the
Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, at 8556 Wilshire Blvd. and the Wilshire
Screening Room, at 8670 Wilshire Blvd. “After more than a decade of working as
a producer in the industry, I have seen women filmmakers rise to the top, and I
wanted to create a specific forum in which our stars of tomorrow could be
championed,” says LaPage.
LA Femme includes film screenings, seminars with industry
experts, networking events, an awards ceremony and a benefit gala. Panels
topics include “How to Write Genre Films and Get Produced,” “Film Financing: How
to Get the Money” and “Marketing and Distribution: How to Get Your Film Sold.”
Festival winners will receive prizes including merchandise valued at over $1,500,
as well as priceless exposure for their films. The festival is open to the
general public and tickets, a full screening schedule and more information are
available online, by clicking here,
or by calling (310) 441-1645.
On Creativity’s Restlessness
An interesting, if unexpected, juxtaposition occurred yesterday when I caught long-lead screenings of Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth Without Youth (Sony Pictures Classics, December 14) and Andrew Wagner’s Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions, November 23) in back-to-back fashion. Each film is, in its own way, about the struggle of a brilliant man to reconcile within himself the fact that he may not have it in him to finish his final piece of work.
 shaken up when a graduate student (Lauren Ambrose) invades his solitude to mine his life for her thesis work about his out-of-print novels.</p>
<p>They’re very different works — and one is much more successful than the other; more to soon follow on this — but <b>each film tries to tap into the parallel aspiration of artistic and intellectual pursuit — how such devotion compels action but also stunts other behaviors</b>. Artists, writers, academicians and the like are frequently and not always wrongly knocked as selfish, a less-than-venal sin for which the characters here certainly don’t get off free and easy. But <b>there’s a necessity to such self-motivation, which feeds thought and spurs invention as much as salves the soul of the creator</b>. Or at least that’s the justification one peddles…</p>
<div class=)
Kenneth Branagh on Valkyrie
While recently chatting up Sleuth, his directorial effort starring Michael Caine and Jude Law, Kenneth Branagh also found time to touch upon Bryan Singer’s Valkyrie, his latest acting gig. “Chris McQuarrie, of The
Usual Suspects fame, wrote it with Nathan Alexander, and it’s about an
assassination attempt on Hitler that was attempted by Claus von Stauffenberg,
played by Tom Cruise, and recruited by my character, Henning von Tresckow,” says Branagh of the film, currently in production and slated for release next year.
“It’s a really brilliantly put together thriller. It’s incredible when you are
completely aware of the outcome; they didn’t succeed, but it nevertheless is this
spine-tingler. The nearness to changing the entire course of 20th century history,” Branagh continues, gesturing for emphasis, an act
“that was averted by where a briefcase was put on either side of the wooden
leg of a table at the end of another series of quite incredible near misses and
coincidences was great. And Tom Cruise is brilliantly cast. He looks quite like (von Stauffenberg)
just by the by, the historical character. I have high hopes of the film.”
The Brontë Collection
High-toned, well-read femininity is on the rebound, as the recent theatrical
release of Becoming Jane and The Jane Austen Book Club both showcase.
And two of literature’s favorite sisters are reunited with WGBH Boston Video’s
release of the superb The Brontë
Collection, a special DVD packaging of two classic romances produced for
the award-winning Masterpiece Theatre series.
Kicking things off is a lavish version of Charlotte Brontë’s
classic novel, Jane Eyre. After a
wretched childhood that leaves her yearning for new experiences and wider
vistas, both figuratively and literally, the orphaned title character (newcomer
Ruth Wilson, delivering a fantastic performance) accepts a governess position
at Thornfield Hall, where she tutors a lively French girl named Adele (Cosima
Littlewood). Jane soon finds herself falling in love with the brooding master
of the house, the passionate Edward Rochester (Toby Stephens, of Die Another Day), and though she gradually
wins his heart, they must overcome the dark secrets of her past before they can
find happiness.
When Jane saves
from an eerie fire, she begins to suspect that there are many mysteries behind
the walls of Thornfield Hall. Her fears are confirmed when
own secret past is revealed, destroying her chance for happiness, and forcing
Jane to flee Thornfield. Penniless and hungry, she finds shelter and friendship
in the form of a kind clergyman and his family. Costarring Francesca Annis (Wives and Daughters), Lorraine
Ashbourne, Andrew Buchan and Arthur Cox, among others, this sensual new version
of Brontë’s classic novel is modern and moody — nicely directed by Susanna
White, who previously brought a deft touch to 2005’s serial Bleak House and scored a deserved Emmy
nomination here for her efforts.
Sister Emily Brontë’s
tale, read in high schools across the country. This 1998 production, helmed by David
Skynner, breaks new ground by covering the complete story of a love so powerful
that it reaches beyond the grave. Orla Brady stars as one of literature’s most
controversial heroines, the spirited but tragic Cathy. Robert Cavanah plays
Heathcliff, the dark stranger whose love for Cathy leads him to take terrible
revenge on anyone who comes between them.
Nothing is known of Heathcliff’s mysterious past when kindly
Mr. Earnshaw (Matthew Macfayden) adopts him into his family, but his daughter
Cathy sees in him a soul very much like her own. They are divided by birth,
class and Cathy’s jealous brother, but nothing can break the bond between them —
not even when Cathy marries the wealthy gentleman Edgar Linton (Crispin
Bonham-Carter, cousin of
McKay’s adaptation captures all of the windswept love and foreboding of the source
text, and Brady and Cavanah deliver riveting performances.
Presented in full-screen, both
turn jointly housed in an attractive, single cardboard slipcase. Jane Eyre’s bonus features include interviews
with the cast and crew, a small collection of deleted scenes, hour-long audio
commentaries for two of the episodes, and trailers from the program’s original
British broadcast on BBC. To order any DVD release from WGBH Boston Video,
including The Brontë Collection, phone
(800) 949-8670 or simply click here. B+ (Movies) B- (Disc)
Happy Birthday, Kristanna Loken
It’s a happy birthday to erstwhile Terminator 3 hottie Kristanna Loken, who turns 28 today and can be glimpsed in fine form here. While the world anxiously awaits her re-teaming with director Uwe Boll, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, Loken keeps on keeping on, cracking back on the writers of The L Word and flashing the sort of steely, hot-chick glare that inspires the likes of Mike Skinner.
Robert Benton Surrenders to Love
Robert Benton is no stranger to exploring the inner workings of the
human heart. A humanist to his core, it’s the propensity for
disappointment and rebound — both forced and embraced — that seems to
most fascinate him. As the co-writer of 1967’s groundbreaking Bonnie & Clyde and the Oscar-honored filmmaker behind the seminal Kramer Vs. Kramer, as well as Billy Bathgate, Nobody’s Fool, 1982’s noirish Still of the Night and the equally tangled films Nadine and Twilight,
Benton is an ace chronicler of heartache. To varying degrees, his films
often focus on desire, and busted or turbulent relationships; he shines
a light on how love is jointly a fuel and an accelerant, driving us
ever forward but also making certain inherently sticky situations even
more combustible.
Feast of Love, is a culmination of sorts of
the mining of this theme. Adapted by Allison Burnett from Charles
Baxter’s novel of the same name, the Portland-set movie is a richly
sketched ensemble drama with light grace notes of comedy. Like certain
cinema of the 1970s, it’s a film that deals in frank terms with adult
problems (and sexuality), yet retains a general sheen of positivity
entirely of this era.
To capture in more realistic tones the full breadth of romance, both
blooming and fading, Benton stripped away a lot of the artificialities
usually found in Hollywood movies, from coyly placed bedsheets (one
vehement argument in the film unfolds entirely in the nude) to swelling
strings. While Benton goes out of his way to praise the work of
composer Stephen Trask, in a lot of Feast of Love, there is no score at all. “We didn’t ever want to underline moments of love,” he explains in a recent in-person chat.
“They’re very delicate and fragile and almost unseen, but they’re
there. And yet if you point at them, then I think you do them a
disservice. I think that the audience is so used to having emotions
really shoved in their face, that when you see it and there’s no
underscore, or minimal underscore, it allows you to more truly be a
part of that scene.” For the full interview feature, from FilmStew, click here.
What About Brian
From the producers of Lost and Alias, and the screenwriter of City
of Angels and For Love of the Game
comes a contemporary, air-quote heartwarming ensemble about a group of
supportive friends in various stages of romantic relationships and friendships,
this time set in
sludginess ensues, with lots of attractively made-up people to gaze dreamily upon.
7th Heaven’s Barry Watson), the only
unattached member of his clique. Around him are the newly married Nicole and
Angelo, the seemingly happily married Dave and Deena and the recently engaged
Marjorie and Adam. But what gives with Brian? Of this close-knit group of
friends, everyone else has paired off, while he’s the last bachelor standing.
At 34, regardless of his run of bad luck in matters of the heart, Brian still
holds out hope that one day he’ll open the door and be blinded by love. However
questions about his fate have been popping up more frequently in his head. The
most pressing question is — one that only he can answer — whether all of his
problems could stem from the fact that he’s harboring a secret crush on the
picture-perfect Marjorie (Sarah Lancaster), his best friend’s girl? Lawyer Adam
(Matthew Davis), Brian’s best friend since childhood, was going to break up
with Marjorie, a pediatric surgeon, but found himself proposing to her instead.
Their busy lifestyles leave them little time to plan their upcoming wedding
and, oddly enough, that seems to have given them more time to re-evaluate
whether they’re indeed doing the right thing.
Meanwhile, Brian’s fortysomething sister, Nicole (Rosanna
Arquette), and her boy-toy husband Angelo Varzi (Raoul Bova) are trying hard to
start a family, but something’s not right. Nic’s high-stress work as a record
executive and Angelo’s fledgling acting career have created some anxiety in the
marriage. Now they’re torn between conceiving a child the old-fashioned way or
using modern medicine to speed up the process. Dave (Rick Gomez), who runs a
videogame business with Brian called Zap Monkey, is married to stay-at-home mom
Deena (Amanda Detmer); they’ve been together for 13 years, have three little
girls and a lackluster sex life. This prompts the frustrated and unconventional
Deena to suggest to the more content Dave that they consider having an open
marriage. Like seemingly all married people with their single friends, Deena
and Dave can’t wait for Brian to join their “club,” though they’re not exactly
sure why.
What About Brian
puts forth a premise in which the details are everything, but there’s not a
strong enough, singular creative vision behind the show to give it any extra “oomph,”
something that’s apparent from listening to one of creator and show runner Dana
Stevens’ audio commentary tracks, in which mention is made of three different
versions of the pilot episode. These problems abate and lay dormant for a
while, but never completely disappear; certain plot strands, like Dave and Deena’s open marriage, seem just flat-out stupid. Tone becomes an issue again particularly
in the second season, which careens all over the place. The first season finds
Brian holding out for true love, and pining over Marjorie to such a degree that
you wonder why he doesn’t just walk around with a boom-box, blasting “Layla.” The
show’s aborted second season finds Brian heading down an altogether different
road, no doubt courtesy of some get-on-with-it-already studio notes: life in
the dating fast-lane. A lot of characters wander in for small episode arcs — also
starring are Tiffani Thiessen (she ditched the Amber), Jason George, Krista Allen, Amanda
Foreman, Jessica Szohr, Marguerite Moreau and even Stacy Keibler,
among others — but the ploy reads like desperation, really, throwing diversionary
character strands at a wall hoping something will stick.
A nicely packaged set, What
About Brian: The Complete Series contains 24 one-hour episodes (one of
which was never domestically aired) spread out over five DVDs. It’s presented
in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, with a Dolby digital 5.1 surround sound audio
track, and optional French and Spanish subtitles. Supplemental extras come in
the form of the aforementioned audio commentary track, plus cast interviews and
behind-the-scenes footage that speculates as to what would have happened to the
series’ characters in a third season. C (Series) B (Disc)
P2 Trailer Goes Down
The trailer for P2, a little thriller of containment starring Wes Bentley and Rachel Nichols (aka the hot babysitter from The Amityville Horror) slated to hit theaters November 9, has dropped, and though it’s complete boilerplate, I confess a little tinge of arch-browed curiosity, mainly from trying to figure out if the movie has any sort of twist or not.
, the film<o:p></o:p> marks the directorial debut of collaborator Franck Khalfoun. Set on Christmas Eve, it stars Nichols as Angela Bridges, an ambitious young white collar-type who’s stuck working late before she<br />
leaves for her family’s holiday party. When she gets down to the parking<br />
garage, she discovers that her car won’t start. The garage is deserted, and her<br />
cell phone doesn’t get a signal underground. When Thomas (Bentley), a friendly security guard, comes along and offers to help, Angela<br />
nervously accepts his gesture of goodwill. When he invites her to stay and share a small Christmas dinner, she initially laughs it off, not knowing that Thomas has been watching her<br />
closely for months, and that his dinner invitation is not optional.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Though I really want to go with <b>the heaving-bosom picture of Nichols in a negligee and handcuffs</b>, I’ll save that one for a later date, maybe pegged to the film’s release. Speaking of which, <b>has there been any young actor of recent memory who’s traded away his heat quite like Bentley?</b> In the span of just several years, he’s gone from a spoof-worthy co-star (in <i>Scary Movie</i>) of the Oscar-nominated <i>American Beauty</i> to almost completely anonymous. His post-<i>Beauty</i> choices — <i>The Claim</i>, <i>Soul Survivors</i>, <i>Four Feathers</i> and <i>The Miracle Match</i> — represent one heck of a craptacular parlay. I’m sure his agents had to both put a gun to his head and twist some studio arms to get him cast in <a href=)
Ghost Rider, but how did that work out, exactly? Does anyone actually remember him in the movie? Actually, maybe I’m not giving the handlers enough credit… maybe that was the point all along.
Richard Shepard on The Linguini Incident
I met with Richard Shepard recently to talk about his latest film, the quite fun The Hunting Party, but amongst other topics we touched on was his first movie, 1991’s The Linguini Incident, still commercially unavailable… and blissfully so, according to Shepard. “You know, it’s funny, because I’m not particularly proud of
that movie. I was 24 and it’s not the movie that I meant it to be on any level,” he says of the caper flick, starring Rosanna Arquette, Marlee Matlin, David Bowie, Maura Tierney and Buck Henry.
“But I think about it often. I think, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I could somehow
track down the negative to that movie, re-cut it, re-score it and re-do it,
because there was a good movie that we shot, I just didn’t edit it correctly.”
“One of the things that I learned from that experience is that you have to
test your movie,” Shepard continues. “First-time filmmakers get terrified and paranoid that their
film is going to get ruined by showing it too much, but that also comes from
insecurity. You have tons of insecurity when you’re a first-time filmmaker, but now I try to
show my movie every week that I’m cutting, and really try to get feedback — not
that I listen to everything that everyone says, but if people are bored, then
they’re bored. You can’t fake that, and certain lines of mine, some people find
funny, some don’t. And if there’s a group of people watching and a few people
laugh but not everyone, that’s good, that’s fine. But if no one laughs? That’s
interesting. You might say, ‘Oh, that one’s missing.’ One day maybe I’ll be rich
enough to hire someone to track that down and go back to it.”