Eddie award winner Palm Springs
After a big win at the SAG Awards earlier this month, The Trial Of The Chicago 7 has scored another hit at the Golden Eddies, proving itself to be a film that filmmakers can really get behind. Palm Springs, meanwhile, took home the award for Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy).
In a ceremony with contributions from Jodie Foster, Riz Ahmed, Carey Mulligan and more, there was also a special tribute to Spike Lee, led by Leslie Odom Jr. The 64-year-old director was awarded the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year award for his contributions to cinema.
Those film award winners in full:-
Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) The Trial Of The Chicago 7 - Alan Baumgarten, Ace
Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy) Palm Springs - Matthew Friedman, Ace and Andrew Dickler
Best Edited Animated Feature Film Soul - Kevin Nolting, Ace
Best Edited Documentary (Feature...
After a big win at the SAG Awards earlier this month, The Trial Of The Chicago 7 has scored another hit at the Golden Eddies, proving itself to be a film that filmmakers can really get behind. Palm Springs, meanwhile, took home the award for Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy).
In a ceremony with contributions from Jodie Foster, Riz Ahmed, Carey Mulligan and more, there was also a special tribute to Spike Lee, led by Leslie Odom Jr. The 64-year-old director was awarded the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year award for his contributions to cinema.
Those film award winners in full:-
Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) The Trial Of The Chicago 7 - Alan Baumgarten, Ace
Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy) Palm Springs - Matthew Friedman, Ace and Andrew Dickler
Best Edited Animated Feature Film Soul - Kevin Nolting, Ace
Best Edited Documentary (Feature...
- 4/18/2021
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” got a big boost in its bid for Best Editing at the Oscars with a win at the Ace Golden Eddie Awards on April 17. It prevailed in the drama race at these awards bestowed by American Cinema Editors over two of its Oscar rivals — “Nomadland” and “Sound of Metal” — as well as “Mank” and “Minari.”
Another of the Oscar nominees, “Promising Young Woman,” lost the comedy/musical category to “Palm Springs.” The other contenders in that race were “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “I Care a Lot” and “On the Rocks.”
Oscar watchers were sure to be watching Saturday’s virtual ceremony. These kudos have previewed of the 18 out of the last 30 Best Picture winners and a whopping 22 of the last 30 Film Editing Oscar champs. Not surprisingly, the Golden Eddies are also prescient when it comes to predicting the five Film Editing Oscar slots. Four of...
Another of the Oscar nominees, “Promising Young Woman,” lost the comedy/musical category to “Palm Springs.” The other contenders in that race were “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “I Care a Lot” and “On the Rocks.”
Oscar watchers were sure to be watching Saturday’s virtual ceremony. These kudos have previewed of the 18 out of the last 30 Best Picture winners and a whopping 22 of the last 30 Film Editing Oscar champs. Not surprisingly, the Golden Eddies are also prescient when it comes to predicting the five Film Editing Oscar slots. Four of...
- 4/17/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
With just eight days to go before the Academy Awards, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” took the top prize at the Ace Eddie Awards, winning Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic), for acclaimed editor Alan Baumgarten Matthew Friedman and Andrew Dickler won Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy) for “Palm Springs,” which did not receive any nominations for the 93rd Oscars, unlike “The Trial of the Chicago 7” with its six. But in two other categories, the likely Oscar winners gained steam: “Soul” won Best Edited Animated Feature Film and “My Octopus Teacher” Best Edited Documentary (Feature), solidifying both of those films as the frontrunners in the Oscars’ Animated Feature and Documentary Feature categories.
On the TV front, “Schitt’s Creek,” which won’t even be eligible for Emmy consideration this year following its series finale in early 2020, won Best Edited Comedy Series for Commercial Television, with “Ted Lasso” winning in the Comedy category for Non-Commercial Television.
On the TV front, “Schitt’s Creek,” which won’t even be eligible for Emmy consideration this year following its series finale in early 2020, won Best Edited Comedy Series for Commercial Television, with “Ted Lasso” winning in the Comedy category for Non-Commercial Television.
- 4/17/2021
- by Christian Blauvelt and Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Editor Alan Baumgarten’s work on Aaron Sorkin’s drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7″ topped the American Cinema Editors Awards in a virtual ceremony.
Baumgarten beat out competition from “Sound of Metal,” “Mank,” “Minari” and “Nomadland.”
In other categories, Pixar’s “Soul” continued to collect awards, winning best edited animated feature, while “Palm Springs” won best edited feature film comedy. The Oscar-nominated documentary “My Octopus Teacher” won best edited documentary feature.
Director Spike Lee was honored with the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. Editors and co-stars who had collaborated with Lee over the years including Barry Alexander Brown, Ace; Adam Gough, Ace; Nancy Novak, Ace, Jodie Foster, Riz Ahmed and Sam Pollard all celebrated Lee in a tribute video.
Double Oscar nominee Leslie Odom Jr. shared: “When I was a little boy,...
Baumgarten beat out competition from “Sound of Metal,” “Mank,” “Minari” and “Nomadland.”
In other categories, Pixar’s “Soul” continued to collect awards, winning best edited animated feature, while “Palm Springs” won best edited feature film comedy. The Oscar-nominated documentary “My Octopus Teacher” won best edited documentary feature.
Director Spike Lee was honored with the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. Editors and co-stars who had collaborated with Lee over the years including Barry Alexander Brown, Ace; Adam Gough, Ace; Nancy Novak, Ace, Jodie Foster, Riz Ahmed and Sam Pollard all celebrated Lee in a tribute video.
Double Oscar nominee Leslie Odom Jr. shared: “When I was a little boy,...
- 4/17/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Updated with full list of winners: Netflix’s Aaron Sorkin drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 won the marquee Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) honor Saturday to cap the American Cinema Editors’ 71st annual Ace Eddie Awards.
Alan Baumgarten, Ace, edited the pic, about the unrest around the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It puts him and the film in frontrunner status in the Best Film Editing Oscar race, where it is competing against fellow Ace nominees Nomadland and Sound of Metal along with Promising Young Woman and The Father.
Baumgarten in his virtual acceptance speech thanked Sorkin for his “enthusiasm for editing — it was a pleasure to collaborate with you.” He also thanks his wife, with a nod to the pandemic: “I think myself, and as everybody understands, I brought the work home literally — thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Chicago 7 is up for six Oscars this year including Best Picture.
Alan Baumgarten, Ace, edited the pic, about the unrest around the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It puts him and the film in frontrunner status in the Best Film Editing Oscar race, where it is competing against fellow Ace nominees Nomadland and Sound of Metal along with Promising Young Woman and The Father.
Baumgarten in his virtual acceptance speech thanked Sorkin for his “enthusiasm for editing — it was a pleasure to collaborate with you.” He also thanks his wife, with a nod to the pandemic: “I think myself, and as everybody understands, I brought the work home literally — thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Chicago 7 is up for six Oscars this year including Best Picture.
- 4/17/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Palm Springs” have been named the best-edited films of 2020 by the American Cinema Editors, whose 71st annual Ace Eddie Awards took place in a virtual ceremony on Saturday afternoon.
“Chicago 7,” which is nominated for the film-editing Oscar along with “The Father,” “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman” and “Sound of Metal,” won in the Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) category. “Palm Springs” won in the comedy category.
Since 2000, when Ace splits its film award into separate drama and comedy categories, one of its winners has gone on to win the Oscar for Best Film Editing 15 times in 21 years. All but one of those wins have come in the drama category.
“Soul” won the award for animated film, while “My Octopus Teacher” took the prize in the documentary category.
In the television categories, winners included “Schitt’s Creek,” “Ted Lasso,” “Better Call Saul,” “Ozark” and “The Queen’s Gambit.
“Chicago 7,” which is nominated for the film-editing Oscar along with “The Father,” “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman” and “Sound of Metal,” won in the Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) category. “Palm Springs” won in the comedy category.
Since 2000, when Ace splits its film award into separate drama and comedy categories, one of its winners has gone on to win the Oscar for Best Film Editing 15 times in 21 years. All but one of those wins have come in the drama category.
“Soul” won the award for animated film, while “My Octopus Teacher” took the prize in the documentary category.
In the television categories, winners included “Schitt’s Creek,” “Ted Lasso,” “Better Call Saul,” “Ozark” and “The Queen’s Gambit.
- 4/17/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Trial of the Chicago 7 editor Alan Baumgarten topped the dramatic feature editing category of American Cinema Editors’s 71st Ace Eddie Awards, while Palm Springs’s Matthew Friedman and Andrew Dickler won the category for best edited comedic feature, during Saturday’s virtual ceremony.
This is the third Ace Award for Baumgarten, who also accepted Eddies for American Hustle in 2014 and Recount in 2009. It was the first Eddie and second Ace nomination for Friedman, who was also nominated a year ago for The Farewell; and the first Eddie and first nomination for Dickler.
Trial — Aaron Sorkin’s Netflix courtroom drama about events ...
This is the third Ace Award for Baumgarten, who also accepted Eddies for American Hustle in 2014 and Recount in 2009. It was the first Eddie and second Ace nomination for Friedman, who was also nominated a year ago for The Farewell; and the first Eddie and first nomination for Dickler.
Trial — Aaron Sorkin’s Netflix courtroom drama about events ...
- 4/17/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The Trial of the Chicago 7 editor Alan Baumgarten topped the dramatic feature editing category of American Cinema Editors’s 71st Ace Eddie Awards, while Palm Springs’s Matthew Friedman and Andrew Dickler won the category for best edited comedic feature, during Saturday’s virtual ceremony.
This is the third Ace Award for Baumgarten, who also accepted Eddies for American Hustle in 2014 and Recount in 2009. It was the first Eddie and second Ace nomination for Friedman, who was also nominated a year ago for The Farewell; and the first Eddie and first nomination for Dickler.
Trial — Aaron Sorkin’s Netflix courtroom drama about events ...
This is the third Ace Award for Baumgarten, who also accepted Eddies for American Hustle in 2014 and Recount in 2009. It was the first Eddie and second Ace nomination for Friedman, who was also nominated a year ago for The Farewell; and the first Eddie and first nomination for Dickler.
Trial — Aaron Sorkin’s Netflix courtroom drama about events ...
- 4/17/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The American Cinema Editors guild, which hands out its awards on April 17, has a good track record as a preview of the Oscar winner for Best Picture (18 out of the last 30) and a great one for forecasting who will win the Film Editing Oscar (22 of the last 30). Not surprisingly, it is also fairly prescient when it comes to predicting the five Film Editing Oscar slots. Four of this year’s Academy Awards nominees contend for this cutting prize; “The Father” was snubbed by the American Cinema Editors.
The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals. Oscar nominees “Nomadland,” “Sound of Metal and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “Mank” and “Minari.” Facing off on the comedy side against Oscar nominee “Promising Young Woman” are “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “I Care a Lot,” “On the Rocks” and “Palm Springs.
The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals. Oscar nominees “Nomadland,” “Sound of Metal and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “Mank” and “Minari.” Facing off on the comedy side against Oscar nominee “Promising Young Woman” are “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “I Care a Lot,” “On the Rocks” and “Palm Springs.
- 4/16/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The nominations for the 2021 Ace Eddie Awards announced on Thursday (March 11) include our Oscar frontrunner for Best Film Editing, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” along with three of the other four films we’re predicting to reap bids in that race: “Mank,” “Nomadland” and “Sound of Metal.” While “The Father” was snubbed by the American Cinema Editors we expect it to be the fifth Academy Awards contender.
The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals. “Mank,” “Nomadland,” “Sound of Metal and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “Minari.” Facing off on the comedy side are “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “I Care a Lot,” “On the Rocks,” “Palm Springs” and “Promising Young Woman.”
In 1992, the Eddies went from three to five nominees (matching that of the Oscars) and in 2000 it split the award in two,...
The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals. “Mank,” “Nomadland,” “Sound of Metal and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “Minari.” Facing off on the comedy side are “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “I Care a Lot,” “On the Rocks,” “Palm Springs” and “Promising Young Woman.”
In 1992, the Eddies went from three to five nominees (matching that of the Oscars) and in 2000 it split the award in two,...
- 3/11/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
“Mank,” “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “Sound of Metal” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” have been nominated in the dramatic-film category at the American Cinema Editors’ 71st annual Ace Eddie Awards, which honors the best in film and television editing.
In the comedy film category, the nominees are “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “I Care a Lot,” “On the Rocks,” “Palm Springs” and “Promising Young Woman.”
The films that were bypassed in the Ace nominations include “Tenet,” “News of the World,” “The Father,” “Da 5 Bloods” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Over the past decade, 90% of the Oscar nominees for Best Film Editing have first been nominated by the American Cinema Editors. The Oscar nominees are heavily weighted toward the Ace dramatic category, with 34 nominees coming from that category since 2010, as opposed to 11 nominees from the comedy category.
The Ace Eddies’ animated feature nominations went to “The Croods: A New Age,” “Onward,” “Over the Moon,...
In the comedy film category, the nominees are “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “I Care a Lot,” “On the Rocks,” “Palm Springs” and “Promising Young Woman.”
The films that were bypassed in the Ace nominations include “Tenet,” “News of the World,” “The Father,” “Da 5 Bloods” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Over the past decade, 90% of the Oscar nominees for Best Film Editing have first been nominated by the American Cinema Editors. The Oscar nominees are heavily weighted toward the Ace dramatic category, with 34 nominees coming from that category since 2010, as opposed to 11 nominees from the comedy category.
The Ace Eddies’ animated feature nominations went to “The Croods: A New Age,” “Onward,” “Over the Moon,...
- 3/11/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
This year’s American Cinema Editors (Ace) nominations include “Nomadland,” “Mank,” “Minari,” “Sound of Metal” and “The Trial of Chicago 7.”
The guild, which will hand out its awards in a virtual ceremony on April 17, has a good track record forecasting the Oscar best picture winner — it has predicted 18 out of the last 29 winners. Last year, best edited feature film – dramatic went to “Parasite’s” Yang Jin-mo, and the film went on to win best picture at the Oscars. It also has a good record for predicting who wins the best editing Oscar — 23 out of the last 29 winners.
Nominees in comedy feature include “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “I Care a Lot,” “On The Rocks” “Palm Springs” and “Promising Young Woman.”
As previously announced, Spike Lee will receive the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. Editors Lynzee Klingman...
The guild, which will hand out its awards in a virtual ceremony on April 17, has a good track record forecasting the Oscar best picture winner — it has predicted 18 out of the last 29 winners. Last year, best edited feature film – dramatic went to “Parasite’s” Yang Jin-mo, and the film went on to win best picture at the Oscars. It also has a good record for predicting who wins the best editing Oscar — 23 out of the last 29 winners.
Nominees in comedy feature include “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “I Care a Lot,” “On The Rocks” “Palm Springs” and “Promising Young Woman.”
As previously announced, Spike Lee will receive the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. Editors Lynzee Klingman...
- 3/11/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Editors on films ranging from Amazon’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm to Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 have been nominated for the 71st annual Ace Eddie Awards, presented by the American Cinema Editors to recognize the year’s best in picture editing in 14 film, TV and documentary categories.
Winners will be announced during a virtual awards ceremony April 17, where Spike Lee will receive the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award and Lynzee Klingman and Sidney Wolinsky will receive the group’s Career Achievement Awards.
As for today’s nominees, the marquee film categories are split into Dramatic and Comedy. The former features Chicago 7 along with Netflix’s Mank, A24’s Minari, Searchlight’s Nomadland (edited by writer-director Chloé Zhao) and Amazon’s Sound of Metal. The comedy nominees include Borat, Netflix’s I Care a Lot, Apple’s On the Rocks, Neon/Hulu’s Palm Springs...
Winners will be announced during a virtual awards ceremony April 17, where Spike Lee will receive the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award and Lynzee Klingman and Sidney Wolinsky will receive the group’s Career Achievement Awards.
As for today’s nominees, the marquee film categories are split into Dramatic and Comedy. The former features Chicago 7 along with Netflix’s Mank, A24’s Minari, Searchlight’s Nomadland (edited by writer-director Chloé Zhao) and Amazon’s Sound of Metal. The comedy nominees include Borat, Netflix’s I Care a Lot, Apple’s On the Rocks, Neon/Hulu’s Palm Springs...
- 3/11/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Nominees for the 71st annual Ace Eddie Awards include such Best Picture contenders as Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” David Fincher’s monochromatic “Mank,” Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari,” Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” (as a comedy), and Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal.”
The awards show will be held live on April 17 at 11:00 a.m. Pt.
Overlooked, though, were “News of the World” (edited by “Argo” Oscar-winner William Goldenberg) and “Tenet,” as well as three Black-led dramas, “Da 5 Bloods,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and “One Night in Miami.” However, there’s still the possibility of one or two of these making the final Oscar nominations, along with the buzzy “Minari” and “Promising Young Woman.”
In terms of using the Editing win as an Oscar bellwether for predicting Best Picture, the last time the winners coincided was “Argo” in...
The awards show will be held live on April 17 at 11:00 a.m. Pt.
Overlooked, though, were “News of the World” (edited by “Argo” Oscar-winner William Goldenberg) and “Tenet,” as well as three Black-led dramas, “Da 5 Bloods,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and “One Night in Miami.” However, there’s still the possibility of one or two of these making the final Oscar nominations, along with the buzzy “Minari” and “Promising Young Woman.”
In terms of using the Editing win as an Oscar bellwether for predicting Best Picture, the last time the winners coincided was “Argo” in...
- 3/11/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The American Cinema Editors announced the nominees for the 71st Ace Eddie Awards, which will be presented during a virtual ceremony on April 17 at 11 a.m. Pt.
The nominees for best edited dramatic feature are Kirk Baxter for Mank, Harry Yoon for Minari, Chloé Zhao for Nomadland, Mikkel E. G. Nielsen for Sound of Metal and Alan Baumgarten for The Trial of the Chicago 7.
In the best edited comedic feature category, Ace nominated James Thomas, Craig Alpert and Mike Giambra for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; Mark Eckersley for I Care A Lot; Sarah Flack for On The Rocks; Matthew Friedman and Andrew Dickler for Palm Springs; and Frédéric Thoraval for Promising ...
The nominees for best edited dramatic feature are Kirk Baxter for Mank, Harry Yoon for Minari, Chloé Zhao for Nomadland, Mikkel E. G. Nielsen for Sound of Metal and Alan Baumgarten for The Trial of the Chicago 7.
In the best edited comedic feature category, Ace nominated James Thomas, Craig Alpert and Mike Giambra for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; Mark Eckersley for I Care A Lot; Sarah Flack for On The Rocks; Matthew Friedman and Andrew Dickler for Palm Springs; and Frédéric Thoraval for Promising ...
- 3/11/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The American Cinema Editors announced the nominees for the 71st Ace Eddie Awards, which will be presented during a virtual ceremony on April 17 at 11 a.m. Pt.
The nominees for best edited dramatic feature are Kirk Baxter for Mank, Harry Yoon for Minari, Chloé Zhao for Nomadland, Mikkel E. G. Nielsen for Sound of Metal and Alan Baumgarten for The Trial of the Chicago 7.
In the best edited comedic feature category, Ace nominated James Thomas, Craig Alpert and Mike Giambra for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; Mark Eckersley for I Care A Lot; Sarah Flack for On The Rocks; Matthew Friedman and Andrew Dickler for Palm Springs; and Frédéric Thoraval for Promising ...
The nominees for best edited dramatic feature are Kirk Baxter for Mank, Harry Yoon for Minari, Chloé Zhao for Nomadland, Mikkel E. G. Nielsen for Sound of Metal and Alan Baumgarten for The Trial of the Chicago 7.
In the best edited comedic feature category, Ace nominated James Thomas, Craig Alpert and Mike Giambra for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; Mark Eckersley for I Care A Lot; Sarah Flack for On The Rocks; Matthew Friedman and Andrew Dickler for Palm Springs; and Frédéric Thoraval for Promising ...
- 3/11/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
When it comes to predicting the Oscar winner for Best Film Editing, you can’t go wrong by looking for the movie with the most cuts. Past winners “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2008), “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2016) and “Ford v Ferrari” (2020) included high-octane action sequences with frenetic cutting. And a slew of other champs — including “Saving Private Ryan” in 1999, “Black Hawk Down” (2002), “The Hurt Locker” (2010), “Hacksaw Ridge” (2017) and “Dunkirk” (2018) — have been war pictures. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscar predictions for Best Film Editing.)
Oscar voters also embrace film editors who skillfully juggle multiple storylines, as was the case with “Traffic” (2001) and “Crash” (2006). And they like films that expertly inter-cut music with images, such as “Cabaret” (1973), “Chicago” (2003), “Whiplash” (2015) and “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2019). Special effects extravaganzas like “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004) and “Gravity” (2014) won by deftly blurring the lines between the real and the fantastic.
Historically, a...
Oscar voters also embrace film editors who skillfully juggle multiple storylines, as was the case with “Traffic” (2001) and “Crash” (2006). And they like films that expertly inter-cut music with images, such as “Cabaret” (1973), “Chicago” (2003), “Whiplash” (2015) and “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2019). Special effects extravaganzas like “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004) and “Gravity” (2014) won by deftly blurring the lines between the real and the fantastic.
Historically, a...
- 3/4/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
It's been quite a week. It started in Utah, for the Sundance Film Festival, where, in three days, I saw seven great films, a pop up performance by Eddie Izzard and 30 inches of snow. Then Sunday, to Miami, via Dallas, for Natpe (the annual conference and sales market for Producers and TV Execs), where I participated on a panel called The Economics of Comedy, and met TV people from all over the planet who debated the future of television over spicy margaritas. All accomplished, by the way, with only one carry-on suit case.
This wacky cultural mash-up -- Utah and Miami; Indie Film and Format Television -- created a strange brew in my mind. The juxtaposition of two ends of the show biz spectrum, along with the fascinating overlap of their populations (it's weird how many people make the same whirlwind trip), forced me to consider each medium in context of each other,...
This wacky cultural mash-up -- Utah and Miami; Indie Film and Format Television -- created a strange brew in my mind. The juxtaposition of two ends of the show biz spectrum, along with the fascinating overlap of their populations (it's weird how many people make the same whirlwind trip), forced me to consider each medium in context of each other,...
- 1/27/2012
- by Evan Shapiro
- Aol TV.
Aside from its provocative title, Douchebag doesn’t offer a whole lot besides the usual catalog of character quirks found in so many budgetless slacker comedies. The mumblecore-style road trip about a pair of estranged brothers, one boorish and the other just boring, is an amiable enough indie that sports some good acting but is short on laughs and long on low-key meandering. Writer-director Drake Doremus’s film has its moments but the two leads aren’t people I would want to spend time with in real life, so I can hardly recommend that anyone spend their money to see Douchebag.
Douchebag is a sort of buddy flick laced with hostility. Andrew Dickler plays Sam, the douchebag of the title, a scrawny, bushy-bearded vegetarian who thinks he’s hilarious but is really the kind of guy who never thinks before he speaks and lacks humility and self-awareness. Ben York Jones...
Douchebag is a sort of buddy flick laced with hostility. Andrew Dickler plays Sam, the douchebag of the title, a scrawny, bushy-bearded vegetarian who thinks he’s hilarious but is really the kind of guy who never thinks before he speaks and lacks humility and self-awareness. Ben York Jones...
- 10/29/2010
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Sundance pick, Douchebag, is seeing its theatrical release this week and, in celebration of that, I give you the trailer! Well, not just yet, let’s talk about it a bit first. Douchebag (or, for the more polite out there, D-bag) comes to us from Drake Doremus, who directed the film, along with writing it with Lindsay Stidham, Jonathan Schwartz, and Andrew Dickler.
Read more on Trailer for Douchebag…...
Read more on Trailer for Douchebag…...
- 10/7/2010
- by Kate Erbland
- GordonandtheWhale
Director: Drake Doremus Writer(s): Andrew Dickler, Drake Doremus, Jonathan Schwartz, Lindsay Stidham Starring: Andrew Dickler, Marguerite Moreau, Ben York Jones, Nicole Vicius, Amy Ferguson Sam (Andrew Dickler) is only a handful of days away from tying the knot with Steph (Marguerite Moreau), a beautiful woman who is head over heels for him despite his propensity for being a douchebag. The final arrangements for the wedding are being made and Steph begins questioning Sam about why his estranged brother Thomas (Ben York Jones) is not attending the ceremony (and why are they estranged?).
- 10/6/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
It takes some serious stones to make a movie called "Douchebag" -- the title doesn't exactly scream mass-audience appeal -- but that didn't deter director Drake Doremus from doing just that.
"Douchebag," Doremus' second foray into feature filmmaking after last year's "Spooner," is quite accomplished for a movie that was shot on a shoestring budget, is based off a 30-page outline, was mostly improvised and features two unknown leads. It was a hit with audiences at this year's Sundance Film Festival and is now looking to make a dent in theaters... despite a title that doesn't truly convey the movie's surprising poignancy.
"Originally, the movie was called 'Mary Barger,' but we didn't think that was going to get any attention," Doremus tells MTV News. "To be honest, with a small movie like this you kind of have to have something that's attention-grabbing. That was a big reason for it.
"Douchebag," Doremus' second foray into feature filmmaking after last year's "Spooner," is quite accomplished for a movie that was shot on a shoestring budget, is based off a 30-page outline, was mostly improvised and features two unknown leads. It was a hit with audiences at this year's Sundance Film Festival and is now looking to make a dent in theaters... despite a title that doesn't truly convey the movie's surprising poignancy.
"Originally, the movie was called 'Mary Barger,' but we didn't think that was going to get any attention," Doremus tells MTV News. "To be honest, with a small movie like this you kind of have to have something that's attention-grabbing. That was a big reason for it.
- 10/3/2010
- by Tom DiChiara
- MTV Movies Blog
Drake Doremus' Douchebag is set to open in theaters on October 1st -- and to make sure you're up to speed on this quirky indie comedy, we're bringing you a look at the film's newest full trailer.
A story of estranged brothers, Douchebag follows Sam (Andrew Dickler) and Tom (Ben York Jones) as they seek out Tom's fifth grade girlfriend in the days leading up to Sam's wedding. What starts as a quest to find Tom's one true love soon becomes more about uber-douchey Sam as he uses the trip as an excuse to sow the last of his wild oats.
Our own Erik Davis wrote a review of the film after seeing it at Sundance this past January and felt that Douchebag " is short -- and maybe a little too short -- but it definitely packs a punch and creeps into those personal places you might not want it to explore.
A story of estranged brothers, Douchebag follows Sam (Andrew Dickler) and Tom (Ben York Jones) as they seek out Tom's fifth grade girlfriend in the days leading up to Sam's wedding. What starts as a quest to find Tom's one true love soon becomes more about uber-douchey Sam as he uses the trip as an excuse to sow the last of his wild oats.
Our own Erik Davis wrote a review of the film after seeing it at Sundance this past January and felt that Douchebag " is short -- and maybe a little too short -- but it definitely packs a punch and creeps into those personal places you might not want it to explore.
- 9/13/2010
- by Alison Nastasi
- Cinematical
“Douchebag,” is a nasty, glib hipster road movie. The titular douchebag, Sam (Andrew Dickler, a co-writer), thinks himself an iconoclast, when he’s really just an ass. (This isn’t a lovable schlub as played by Adam Sandler.) His fiancée, Steph (Marguerite Moreau), who is way out of his league emotionally and physically, is bothered by the fact that Sam’s brother, Tom (Ben York Jones), is not attending their wedding due to a falling out, so she rounds up Tom to surprise Sam. Neither brother is very happy to see the other, but they make nice for Steph’s sake. When Sam decides that Tom needs to find his schoolyard crush to be his date at the wedding, the two take off around Southern California on a creepy journey to find her. Naturally, the guys end up bonding and working through their issues, though it’s not believable and...
- 8/10/2010
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Red Dragon Independent Film Co. has picked up the independent comedy "Douchebag" for U.S. distribution. A September release date is planned via Paladin. "Douchebag" debuted in competition at the Sundance Film Festival this year. The film marks the sophomore feature for helmer Drake Doremus after "Spooner." Super Crispy Entertainment's Jonathan Schwartz produced. Andrew Dickler and Ben York Jones star as brothers whose reluctant reunion after years of estrangement takes them on a pre-wedding road trip. Red Dragon will partner with Cassian Elwes and Mark Urman from Paladin to produce.
- 5/18/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
D–chebag, the film with the best title from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will finally receive its theatrical release. Red Dragon Independent Film Company has partnered with industry vets Cassian Elwes and Mark Urman to debut the comedy theatrically this September. Our critic Owen Gleiberman was a fan of the movie from director Drake Doremus (Spooner), which chronicles two brothers’ reluctant reunion, which leads to a road trip. Andrew Dickler and Ben York Jones star as the brothers. (Read Owen’s review here.)
The real question: Will those distributors have to change the title and, if not, how...
The real question: Will those distributors have to change the title and, if not, how...
- 5/17/2010
- by Nicole Sperling
- EW - Inside Movies
The past few years have certainly been eventful for independent producer Jim Young. Since forming his production company Animus Films three years ago, Young has worked tirelessly to make his mark in the industry. An alumnus of Film Independent's Producers Lab (2008), where he received the Alfred P. Sloan Producers Grant, Young has served as producer and executive producer for projects at Showtime, HBO, and Fox Sports; has projects in development with companies including Benderspink, Relativity, National Geographic, and Untitled; and has two fully produced features, Homecoming (2009) starring Mischa Barton and the upcoming Don McKay, a comic-thriller about a high school janitor who returns to his hometown after twenty-five years to rekindle a romance with his dying ex-girlfriend only to discover that his trip home had more in store for him than he thought, starring Thomas Haden Church, Elizabeth Shue, and Melissa Leo.
Jim shared his experience on Don McKay...
Jim shared his experience on Don McKay...
- 4/1/2010
- Film Independent
link: http://makingof.com/posts/watch/1272/douchebag-director-cast-interview
Director Drake Doremus made his Sundance debut with the film "Douchebag." While at the festival, he dropped by the MakingOf House with editor turned actor Andrew Dickler and actors Marguerite Moreau and Ben York Jones to discuss how the independent movie was cast, where the storyline of reconnecting with a 5th grade girlfriend sprung from and the role improv played on-set. In this interview, the team also talks about their shared desire to "make it real" and how they started each day of shooting with a scripted dialogue that eventually evolved into improved conversation.
The film tells the story of Sam Nussbaum who is about to be married, but his fiancee questions why his only brother, Tom, isn't coming to the wedding. Unsatisfied with his lame reply, she surprises him by bringing the two brothers together. Sam and Tom then embark on a...
Director Drake Doremus made his Sundance debut with the film "Douchebag." While at the festival, he dropped by the MakingOf House with editor turned actor Andrew Dickler and actors Marguerite Moreau and Ben York Jones to discuss how the independent movie was cast, where the storyline of reconnecting with a 5th grade girlfriend sprung from and the role improv played on-set. In this interview, the team also talks about their shared desire to "make it real" and how they started each day of shooting with a scripted dialogue that eventually evolved into improved conversation.
The film tells the story of Sam Nussbaum who is about to be married, but his fiancee questions why his only brother, Tom, isn't coming to the wedding. Unsatisfied with his lame reply, she surprises him by bringing the two brothers together. Sam and Tom then embark on a...
- 2/9/2010
- Makingof.com
What sort of background do you need to be an actor? These days, it's not exactly required that you graduate from the Actors Studio (or from anywhere else), but when I look up the credits of even the lamest supporting actors in bad Hollywood comedies, they tend to come with a long string of professional experience ("After a four-year run on the popular Nickelodeon series, Allegra made her big-screen debut in She's All That and went on to co-star in..."). As for indie-film actors, they often bounce back and forth between no-paycheck Sundance movies and big-paycheck schlock. So I was...
- 1/26/2010
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW.com - The Movie Critics
The good news is that a handful of films that I predicted that would be at the fest and that I wanted to see (Blue Valentine, Happythankyoumoreplease, Hesher, Howl, Sympathy for Delicious and Winter's Bone) have indeed been selected. - The good news is that a handful of films that I predicted that would be at the fest and that I wanted to see (Blue Valentine, Hesher, Howl, Happythankyoumoreplease, Sympathy for Delicious and Winter's Bone) have indeed been selected. Then there is a film in Zeina Durra's The Imperialists Are Still Alive! (see pic) that I had wanted to mention because of the delicious trailer, but didn't think would secure a spot. And then there there are a bunch of films flying so low on the radar that'll be a pleasure to discover what and who there all about (Drake Doremus's Douchebag, Ryan Piers Williams' The Dry Land,...
- 12/13/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Sundance released their slate for 2010. It includes:43 documentaries on the Middle East12 films about friends who 'discover' something33 movies about people you've never heard about1 comedyHopefully the lineup this year is strong but it doesn't look that way compared to last year. Last year we had Push (Precious), that Lil Wayne documentary that never went anywhere, Mystery Team which might make my top ten, Moon, Mike Tyson documentary, Cold Souls. Just so much last January that was excellent. I hope I don't go out therer and freeze my tail off just to see...I don't know, a documentary about a former Pakistani prime minister or something silly like that.Here's the lineup so far: Premieres To showcase the diversity to contemporary independent cinema, the Sundance Film Festival Premieres section offers the latest work from American and international directors as well as world premieres of highly anticipated films. Presented by Entertainment Weekly.
- 12/3/2009
- LRMonline.com
I feel a special bond with the Sundance Film Festival. Not because I’ve been there, but because the guy in charge of it this year, John Cooper, shares my name. Because we share this bond, I feel that I’m able to take license in referring to the man as Coop for the rest of this article.
For the annual event held in Park City, Utah from January 21-31, thousands of films are submitted and screened — this year, 3,724 films were viewed by the festival’s ten programmers. I wonder when they slept.
Coop has high hopes for the festival as a whole:
“We may even be going into a golden age for independent films, in that the technology will make it possible for the films to be made and for audiences to see them. The industry is going through a major evolutionary stage right now, there’s no doubt about that,...
For the annual event held in Park City, Utah from January 21-31, thousands of films are submitted and screened — this year, 3,724 films were viewed by the festival’s ten programmers. I wonder when they slept.
Coop has high hopes for the festival as a whole:
“We may even be going into a golden age for independent films, in that the technology will make it possible for the films to be made and for audiences to see them. The industry is going through a major evolutionary stage right now, there’s no doubt about that,...
- 12/3/2009
- by John Cooper
- ReelLoop.com
Sundance released their slate for 2010. It includes:43 documentaries on the Middle East12 films about friends who 'discover' something33 movies about people you've never heard about1 comedyHopefully the lineup this year is strong but it doesn't look that way compared to last year. Last year we had Push (Precious), that Lil Wayne documentary that never went anywhere, Mystery Team which might make my top ten, Moon, Mike Tyson documentary, Cold Souls. Just so much last January that was excellent. I hope I don't go out therer and freeze my tail off just to see...I don't know, a documentary about a former Pakistani prime minister or something silly like that.Here's the lineup so far: U.S. Documentary Competition This year’s 16 films were selected from 862 submissions. Each film is a world premiere. Bhutto(Directors: Jessica Hernandez and Johnny O'Hara; Screenwriter: Johnny O'Hara)—A riveting journey through the life and work of recently assassinated Benazir Bhutto,...
- 12/3/2009
- LRMonline.com
The Sundance Film Festival has unveiled the lineup of films playing in competition from January 21 through January 31, 2010. The early fest typically debuts some of the best films the year has to offer, like 2009’s Precious, (500) Days of Summer, and Moon.
I’m bummed I won’t be in Park City, Utah next month because the lineup looks great, and these are just the films playing in competition. Here’s a few that stood out to me:
The Allen Ginsberg trial film Howl starring James Franco, a documentary by Alex Gibney (a truly great filmmaker) on Jack Abramoff, Mark Ruffalo’s directorial debut Sympathy for Delicious, a doc about Joan Rivers, the directorial debut of “How I Met Your Mother” star Josh Radnor titled Happythankyoumoreplease (I wrote a glowing script review of it here), Hesher with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman, and Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.
I...
I’m bummed I won’t be in Park City, Utah next month because the lineup looks great, and these are just the films playing in competition. Here’s a few that stood out to me:
The Allen Ginsberg trial film Howl starring James Franco, a documentary by Alex Gibney (a truly great filmmaker) on Jack Abramoff, Mark Ruffalo’s directorial debut Sympathy for Delicious, a doc about Joan Rivers, the directorial debut of “How I Met Your Mother” star Josh Radnor titled Happythankyoumoreplease (I wrote a glowing script review of it here), Hesher with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman, and Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.
I...
- 12/3/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
Sundance Film Festival 2010 is a little over a month away and that means we can now bring you a list of the competition films that will be playing. Here you go boys and girls… enjoy!
Documentary Competition
“Blue Valentine” – Directed by Derek Cianfrance, written by Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis, a portrait of an American marriage that charts the evolution of a relationship over time. With Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman. “Douchebag” – Directed by Drake Doremus, written by Lindsay Stidham, Doremus, Jonathan Schwartz and Andrew Dickler, in which a man about to be married takes his younger brother on a wild goose chase to find the latter’s fifth-grade girlfriend. Features Dickler, Ben York Jones, Marguerite Moreau, Nicole Vicius, Amy Ferguson, Wendi McClendon-Covey. “The Dry Land” – Directed and written by Ryan Piers Williams, in which a returning U.S. soldier tries to reconcile his experiences overseas with his life in Texas.
Documentary Competition
“Blue Valentine” – Directed by Derek Cianfrance, written by Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis, a portrait of an American marriage that charts the evolution of a relationship over time. With Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman. “Douchebag” – Directed by Drake Doremus, written by Lindsay Stidham, Doremus, Jonathan Schwartz and Andrew Dickler, in which a man about to be married takes his younger brother on a wild goose chase to find the latter’s fifth-grade girlfriend. Features Dickler, Ben York Jones, Marguerite Moreau, Nicole Vicius, Amy Ferguson, Wendi McClendon-Covey. “The Dry Land” – Directed and written by Ryan Piers Williams, in which a returning U.S. soldier tries to reconcile his experiences overseas with his life in Texas.
- 12/3/2009
- by Scott
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Photo: Sundance Today the Sundance Institute announced the films that will be in competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in both the U.S. and International dramatic and documentary categories. The festival will run from January 21-31 in Park City, Utah. There are a few changes this year as there will be no opening-night picture and the festival will take select festival films to eight cities during as the fest plays out.
Last year notable films such as this year's major Oscar contenders Precious and An Education debuted at Sundance 2009 as did audience and critical favorite (500) Days of Summer.
As for this year's crop I have highlighted a few titles among the list below in red, but I have primarily done so considering the names attached to the pictures not necessarily based on any advanced buzz I've heard around any of the films. Names to look out for include Ryan Gosling,...
Last year notable films such as this year's major Oscar contenders Precious and An Education debuted at Sundance 2009 as did audience and critical favorite (500) Days of Summer.
As for this year's crop I have highlighted a few titles among the list below in red, but I have primarily done so considering the names attached to the pictures not necessarily based on any advanced buzz I've heard around any of the films. Names to look out for include Ryan Gosling,...
- 12/2/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
And the first announcement is upon us and includes quite a few movies we've already reported on.. What does that include?
The incredible looking Estonian drama The Temptation of St. Tony for which we got the exclusive trailer on a while ago. It's by Veiko Õunpuu who did the incredible Sügisball and I'm greatly looking forward to seeing this.
From Spencer Susser, the director of the incredible zombie short I love Sarah Jane comes Hesher, his first feature which stars Jgl!
David Michôd's Australian thriller Animal Kingdom which stars Guy Pearce.
From Taiki Waititi, director of Eagle vs Shark comes Boy which we previously reported on, but then it was known as The Volcano.
Full list after the break!
U.S. Documentary Competition
This year’s 16 films were selected from 862 submissions. Each film is a world premiere.
Bhutto (Directors: Jessica Hernandez and Johnny O'Hara; Screenwriter: Johnny O'Hara)—A riveting...
The incredible looking Estonian drama The Temptation of St. Tony for which we got the exclusive trailer on a while ago. It's by Veiko Õunpuu who did the incredible Sügisball and I'm greatly looking forward to seeing this.
From Spencer Susser, the director of the incredible zombie short I love Sarah Jane comes Hesher, his first feature which stars Jgl!
David Michôd's Australian thriller Animal Kingdom which stars Guy Pearce.
From Taiki Waititi, director of Eagle vs Shark comes Boy which we previously reported on, but then it was known as The Volcano.
Full list after the break!
U.S. Documentary Competition
This year’s 16 films were selected from 862 submissions. Each film is a world premiere.
Bhutto (Directors: Jessica Hernandez and Johnny O'Hara; Screenwriter: Johnny O'Hara)—A riveting...
- 12/2/2009
- QuietEarth.us
Although the Sundance Film Festival might have tried to wring some extra sunshine from its selections last year, the 2010 lineup looks to be back to its typical mirthless self. One could say it has gone from "You gotta give 'em hope" to "You gotta give 'em mope."
"That's our filmmakers," festival director John Cooper said with an amused mix of pride and resignation. "There's some lightness in here somewhere."
Yes, it's wedged back behind the assassinations, political corruption, war carnage, crumbling educational system and Khmer Rouge revelations. The fest, which runs Jan. 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah, might start to feel like 11 Days of Glummer.
But perhaps that's to be expected. The implosion of the independent distribution system amid the ever-present threats of a maimed economy and two wars has provided festival organizers and filmmakers an opportunity to cut loose and follow their probing passions,...
"That's our filmmakers," festival director John Cooper said with an amused mix of pride and resignation. "There's some lightness in here somewhere."
Yes, it's wedged back behind the assassinations, political corruption, war carnage, crumbling educational system and Khmer Rouge revelations. The fest, which runs Jan. 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah, might start to feel like 11 Days of Glummer.
But perhaps that's to be expected. The implosion of the independent distribution system amid the ever-present threats of a maimed economy and two wars has provided festival organizers and filmmakers an opportunity to cut loose and follow their probing passions,...
- 12/2/2009
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This review was written for the theatrical release of "What Love Is".If you're searching for "What Love Is", you won't find answers in this self-proclaimed "romantic comedy for men. You'll get locker/powder room chatter about fornication and all the strategies and methodologies of those anxious to go belly-to-belly with the nearest potential candidate. But this produces only heat, no light.
This is a discouragingly bad indie film. The discouragement comes from the fact that an Outside of Hollywood filmmaker, Mars Callahan, had the balls to take a huge gamble: raise enough coin to hire such name actors as Cuba Gooding Jr., Sean Astin, Gina Gershon, Anne Heche and Matthew Lillard for one week. Then slam-bang through a mostly one-set, 87-minute screenplay with multiple cameras covering the action so that no moment is wasted. You want such a movie to succeed.
The problem is that if Callahan spent even a week writing this script, he wasted four good days. The dialogue, characters and situations are distressingly bad. So despite its name actors, the film's theatrical prospects are dimmer than the intelligence of most of his characters. The film may play marginally better on cable and DVD.
It's Valentine's Day, and Tom (Gooding) means to pop the question to his lady of three years. He drops into a neighborhood bar for a shot of liquid courage, then invites his pals back to his place in a half-hour to help him celebrate his girlfriend's expected answer.
Now stop right there. If you plan to spend a night proposing and getting cozy with your girl, would you invite a bunch of drunks back to your house? No wonder when he arrives home, Sarah has left her packed bags by the door and a note saying adios.
One by one, his buddies drop in. Anyway, each guy represents a different point of view on matters sexual. Womanizing Sal (Lillard), who packs a gun and coincidentally got dumped this day too, is a virulent sexist. Upstairs neighbor Ken (Callahan) is happily married. George (Astin) is a "tree hugger," whatever that implies in terms of romance. And Wayne (Andrew Daly) is flamboyantly gay, which gives him the outsider's view.
Everyone voices his views, often in monologues delivered at breakneck speed. (When you've only got a week, time is money.) Points of view are extreme and usually chauvinistic.
Then the doorbell rings. Sarah? No, someone invited five striking young women from the bar to a Valentine's party. After a divertissement, in which the five males simultaneously fantasize that five girls strip and pole dance in Tom's living room, the actual women enter and head straight into very large and surprisingly feminine bathroom.
Now it's the girls' turn to gossip and talk dirty about sex and guys. Is it a compliment or a rebuke to say they are as crude as the men?
Finally, in Act III as it were, the boys and girls regroup in the living room. They drink, flirt and flaunt their cynicism about sex and love. By the time Sarah does ring the bell, you will not care what happens to her and Tom.
With all that footage rolling out of four cameras, screenwriter/director/co-star Callahan chooses to jump from one angle to another every three to six seconds, creating a jarring rhythm that yanks you right out of the movie. Concentration on what is being said is further stymied by the rat-a-tat-tat delivery of the lines.
The actors who fare the worst are Lillard, who has an impossibly nasty and cranky character to play, and Gooding, who looks simply lost. Then again, he's been looking that way for years.
WHAT LOVE IS
Big Sky Motion Pictures
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Mars Callahan
Producers: George Bours, John Hermansen, Mars Callahan
Executive producer: Rand Chortkoff
Director of photography: David Stump
Production designer: Jaymes Hinkle
Co-producers: Joy Czerwonky, David Pritchard
Costume designer: Roger Forker
Editors: Andrew Dickler, Joe Plenys
Cast:
George: Sean Astin
Ken: Mars Callahan
Rachel: Gina Gershon
Tom: Cuba Gooding Jr.
Laura: Anne Heche
Katherine: Tamala Jones
Sal: Matthew Lillard
Amy: Judy Tylor
Debbie: Shiri Appleby
Wayne: Andrew Daly
Running time -- 87 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
This is a discouragingly bad indie film. The discouragement comes from the fact that an Outside of Hollywood filmmaker, Mars Callahan, had the balls to take a huge gamble: raise enough coin to hire such name actors as Cuba Gooding Jr., Sean Astin, Gina Gershon, Anne Heche and Matthew Lillard for one week. Then slam-bang through a mostly one-set, 87-minute screenplay with multiple cameras covering the action so that no moment is wasted. You want such a movie to succeed.
The problem is that if Callahan spent even a week writing this script, he wasted four good days. The dialogue, characters and situations are distressingly bad. So despite its name actors, the film's theatrical prospects are dimmer than the intelligence of most of his characters. The film may play marginally better on cable and DVD.
It's Valentine's Day, and Tom (Gooding) means to pop the question to his lady of three years. He drops into a neighborhood bar for a shot of liquid courage, then invites his pals back to his place in a half-hour to help him celebrate his girlfriend's expected answer.
Now stop right there. If you plan to spend a night proposing and getting cozy with your girl, would you invite a bunch of drunks back to your house? No wonder when he arrives home, Sarah has left her packed bags by the door and a note saying adios.
One by one, his buddies drop in. Anyway, each guy represents a different point of view on matters sexual. Womanizing Sal (Lillard), who packs a gun and coincidentally got dumped this day too, is a virulent sexist. Upstairs neighbor Ken (Callahan) is happily married. George (Astin) is a "tree hugger," whatever that implies in terms of romance. And Wayne (Andrew Daly) is flamboyantly gay, which gives him the outsider's view.
Everyone voices his views, often in monologues delivered at breakneck speed. (When you've only got a week, time is money.) Points of view are extreme and usually chauvinistic.
Then the doorbell rings. Sarah? No, someone invited five striking young women from the bar to a Valentine's party. After a divertissement, in which the five males simultaneously fantasize that five girls strip and pole dance in Tom's living room, the actual women enter and head straight into very large and surprisingly feminine bathroom.
Now it's the girls' turn to gossip and talk dirty about sex and guys. Is it a compliment or a rebuke to say they are as crude as the men?
Finally, in Act III as it were, the boys and girls regroup in the living room. They drink, flirt and flaunt their cynicism about sex and love. By the time Sarah does ring the bell, you will not care what happens to her and Tom.
With all that footage rolling out of four cameras, screenwriter/director/co-star Callahan chooses to jump from one angle to another every three to six seconds, creating a jarring rhythm that yanks you right out of the movie. Concentration on what is being said is further stymied by the rat-a-tat-tat delivery of the lines.
The actors who fare the worst are Lillard, who has an impossibly nasty and cranky character to play, and Gooding, who looks simply lost. Then again, he's been looking that way for years.
WHAT LOVE IS
Big Sky Motion Pictures
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Mars Callahan
Producers: George Bours, John Hermansen, Mars Callahan
Executive producer: Rand Chortkoff
Director of photography: David Stump
Production designer: Jaymes Hinkle
Co-producers: Joy Czerwonky, David Pritchard
Costume designer: Roger Forker
Editors: Andrew Dickler, Joe Plenys
Cast:
George: Sean Astin
Ken: Mars Callahan
Rachel: Gina Gershon
Tom: Cuba Gooding Jr.
Laura: Anne Heche
Katherine: Tamala Jones
Sal: Matthew Lillard
Amy: Judy Tylor
Debbie: Shiri Appleby
Wayne: Andrew Daly
Running time -- 87 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 3/23/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.