The historical drama stars Ben Foster, Sophie Lowe and Michael Caine.
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has picked up all rights for the UK and Ireland to Highland Film Group’s historical action drama Medieval.
Written and directed by Petr Jákl and inspired by the true story of a fifteenth century Czech warlord, the film stars Ben Foster, Sophie Lowe, Michael Caine, Til Schweiger, Roland Møller, Matthew Goode and William Moseley.
Jákl and Cassian Elwes are the producers. Executive producers are Martin J Barab, Kevin Bernhardt, Petr Jákl Sr, Pam Dixon, Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier, with Alena Jáklová and Daniel Jaros serving as associate producers.
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has picked up all rights for the UK and Ireland to Highland Film Group’s historical action drama Medieval.
Written and directed by Petr Jákl and inspired by the true story of a fifteenth century Czech warlord, the film stars Ben Foster, Sophie Lowe, Michael Caine, Til Schweiger, Roland Møller, Matthew Goode and William Moseley.
Jákl and Cassian Elwes are the producers. Executive producers are Martin J Barab, Kevin Bernhardt, Petr Jákl Sr, Pam Dixon, Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier, with Alena Jáklová and Daniel Jaros serving as associate producers.
- 5/16/2022
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
“Belfast,” “Coda,” “King Richard,” “House of Gucci,” “West Side Story” and “The Power of the Dog” are among the films nominated for the 37th Annual Artios Awards, presented by the Casting Society of America.
The awards honor casting directors’ contribution to film, television and theatre. Winners will be revealed on March 17 via a virtual ceremony.
Among the animated features nominated are “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Vivo.”
Lucy Bevan, Avy Kaufman, Carmen Cuba, Nina Gold and Cindy Tolan are just some of the casting directors who landed nominations. While the Academy has had a casting branch for the past eight years, it has yet to establish an Oscar for casting.
View the nominations in full below:
Animation
“Encanto” – Jamie Sparer Roberts, Grace C. Kim (Associate)
“Luca” – Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon, Kate Hansen-birnbaum (Associate)
“The Mitchells Vs The Machines” – Tamara Hunter
“Raya And The Last Dragon...
The awards honor casting directors’ contribution to film, television and theatre. Winners will be revealed on March 17 via a virtual ceremony.
Among the animated features nominated are “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Vivo.”
Lucy Bevan, Avy Kaufman, Carmen Cuba, Nina Gold and Cindy Tolan are just some of the casting directors who landed nominations. While the Academy has had a casting branch for the past eight years, it has yet to establish an Oscar for casting.
View the nominations in full below:
Animation
“Encanto” – Jamie Sparer Roberts, Grace C. Kim (Associate)
“Luca” – Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon, Kate Hansen-birnbaum (Associate)
“The Mitchells Vs The Machines” – Tamara Hunter
“Raya And The Last Dragon...
- 2/1/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
The 2021 auditions are over, and the Casting Society of America has unveiled the feature nominees for its 37th annual Artios Awards.
Music plays a huge role in several of this year’s hopefuls in the marquee categories including the musicals West Side Story and In the Heights, along with making-of-a-musical pic tick, tick…Boom! Also in the Artios mix are tune-filled toons Luca, Encanto and Vivo.
Winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony on March 17. See the full list of Artios Awards nominations below, and check out the TV, theater and short-film nominees here.
The casting crews for House of Gucci, King Richard, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick…Boom! and West Side Story will vie in the marquee Big Budget – Drama category. In the running for Big Budget – Comedy are Cruella, Don’t Look Up, The French Dispatch, In the Heights and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the...
Music plays a huge role in several of this year’s hopefuls in the marquee categories including the musicals West Side Story and In the Heights, along with making-of-a-musical pic tick, tick…Boom! Also in the Artios mix are tune-filled toons Luca, Encanto and Vivo.
Winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony on March 17. See the full list of Artios Awards nominations below, and check out the TV, theater and short-film nominees here.
The casting crews for House of Gucci, King Richard, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick…Boom! and West Side Story will vie in the marquee Big Budget – Drama category. In the running for Big Budget – Comedy are Cruella, Don’t Look Up, The French Dispatch, In the Heights and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the...
- 2/1/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The casting branch of the academy is only eight years old and doesn’t have an Oscar category of its own. However, the Casting Society of America has been handing out the Artios Awards for 37 years (“Artios” is from the ancient Greek meaning “perfectly fitted.”).
Nominees for feature films were announced on February 1 (the last day of Oscar nominations voting). Many of the leading Academy Awards contenders reaped bids across the various categories according to production cost. Winners will be revealed a virtual ceremony on March 17, which is the first day of final Oscar voting.
Last year’s big budget winners were the comedy “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and the drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7 ” while “The Forty-Year-Old Version” and “One Night in Miami” took the equivalent prizes in the independent division. “Minari” won the low budget and “The Surrogate” the micro budget prizes while “Soul” claimed the animation award.
Nominees for feature films were announced on February 1 (the last day of Oscar nominations voting). Many of the leading Academy Awards contenders reaped bids across the various categories according to production cost. Winners will be revealed a virtual ceremony on March 17, which is the first day of final Oscar voting.
Last year’s big budget winners were the comedy “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and the drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7 ” while “The Forty-Year-Old Version” and “One Night in Miami” took the equivalent prizes in the independent division. “Minari” won the low budget and “The Surrogate” the micro budget prizes while “Soul” claimed the animation award.
- 2/1/2022
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The Casting Society of America has nominated 100 casting directors for 39 different films for the 37th annual Artios Awards, which honor the work of casting directors in eight different feature categories.
“Don’t Look Up” and “The French Dispatch” were among the nominees in the Big Budget Comedy category, “King Richard” and “The Power of the Dog” for Big Budget Drama, “”The Tender Bar,” “Belfast” and “Coda” in the Studio or Independent categories and “The Humans” and “Shiva Baby” in Low Budget and Micro Budget.
With categories covering every genre and budget level, most of the top contenders for this year’s film awards were included, with the exception of “Dune,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “Being the Ricardos” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”
Winners will be announced on March 17, though the planned in-person ceremony has been canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The nominees:
Animation
Encanto - Jamie Sparer Roberts, Grace C. Kim...
“Don’t Look Up” and “The French Dispatch” were among the nominees in the Big Budget Comedy category, “King Richard” and “The Power of the Dog” for Big Budget Drama, “”The Tender Bar,” “Belfast” and “Coda” in the Studio or Independent categories and “The Humans” and “Shiva Baby” in Low Budget and Micro Budget.
With categories covering every genre and budget level, most of the top contenders for this year’s film awards were included, with the exception of “Dune,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “Being the Ricardos” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”
Winners will be announced on March 17, though the planned in-person ceremony has been canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The nominees:
Animation
Encanto - Jamie Sparer Roberts, Grace C. Kim...
- 2/1/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Joining virtually every other major awards ceremony, the Casting Society of America has moved the date of its annual awards ceremony, landing on April 15, 2021 for the first-ever virtual version of the Artios Awards.
That date puts the casting awards precisely 10 days before the 2021 Oscars, slated for April 25 as part of a large scale schedule shift necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic that completely disrupted the 2020 film release calendar.
Csa also announced the recipients of its three special honors. The Rosalie Joseph Humanitarian Award will go to The Actors Fund, the charitable organization that supports behind-the-scenes workers and has been especially necessary during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the 2021 Artios Awards will for the first time present the Hoyt Bowers Award to two recipients — Robi Reed and Tara Rubin.
“For the first time in our history, a virtual awards show allows Csa the opportunity to celebrate our craft, along with our membership and their contributions across the globe,...
That date puts the casting awards precisely 10 days before the 2021 Oscars, slated for April 25 as part of a large scale schedule shift necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic that completely disrupted the 2020 film release calendar.
Csa also announced the recipients of its three special honors. The Rosalie Joseph Humanitarian Award will go to The Actors Fund, the charitable organization that supports behind-the-scenes workers and has been especially necessary during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the 2021 Artios Awards will for the first time present the Hoyt Bowers Award to two recipients — Robi Reed and Tara Rubin.
“For the first time in our history, a virtual awards show allows Csa the opportunity to celebrate our craft, along with our membership and their contributions across the globe,...
- 11/19/2020
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
The Casting Society of America (Csa) today announced that the 36th Artios Awards will pivot to a virtual ceremony due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The ceremony will take place on April 15, 2021 where the Actors Fund will be honored with the Rosalie Joseph Humanitarian Award. The Hoyt Bowers Award will go to Robi Reed and Tara Rubin, the first time two casting directors will be honored for this award. It is given for excellence in casting and honors the recipient’s body of work and their outstanding contribution to the casting profession.
“For the first time in our history, a virtual awards show allows Csa the opportunity to celebrate our craft, along with our membership and their contributions across the globe, in one single event. And in a year that has presented a myriad of challenges, it is particularly rewarding to identify the people and organizations that are making a...
The ceremony will take place on April 15, 2021 where the Actors Fund will be honored with the Rosalie Joseph Humanitarian Award. The Hoyt Bowers Award will go to Robi Reed and Tara Rubin, the first time two casting directors will be honored for this award. It is given for excellence in casting and honors the recipient’s body of work and their outstanding contribution to the casting profession.
“For the first time in our history, a virtual awards show allows Csa the opportunity to celebrate our craft, along with our membership and their contributions across the globe, in one single event. And in a year that has presented a myriad of challenges, it is particularly rewarding to identify the people and organizations that are making a...
- 11/19/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Amy Hopper’s “Parents Inc.” took honors for best film at the sixth annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge Thursday night, in ceremonies held at the Sony Pictures lot.
Other winners were Carl Hansen, director for “I/O”; Nicole Evans, best actor for “Human Helper”; and “The Vanished,” which took home the awareness award, accepted by Melanie Waldman.
The program was hosted by Nic Novicki, who founded the Film Challenge to empower filmmakers (with or without disabilities) to tell unique stories while providing opportunities for inclusion and representation for people with disabilities (or Pwd). Novicki reminded the enthusiastic audience that Pwd represent about 20% of the population, but only account for 3% of onscreen depictions.
Participating teams had 55 hours to write, shoot and edit a three-to-five-minute short based on an assigned genre. This year, the genre was sci-fi. Their productions were created on the weekend of April 5-7, with more than 200 people with...
Other winners were Carl Hansen, director for “I/O”; Nicole Evans, best actor for “Human Helper”; and “The Vanished,” which took home the awareness award, accepted by Melanie Waldman.
The program was hosted by Nic Novicki, who founded the Film Challenge to empower filmmakers (with or without disabilities) to tell unique stories while providing opportunities for inclusion and representation for people with disabilities (or Pwd). Novicki reminded the enthusiastic audience that Pwd represent about 20% of the population, but only account for 3% of onscreen depictions.
Participating teams had 55 hours to write, shoot and edit a three-to-five-minute short based on an assigned genre. This year, the genre was sci-fi. Their productions were created on the weekend of April 5-7, with more than 200 people with...
- 5/10/2019
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Relax, it's just casting. You may not be able to picture The Craft with a different group of teen witches, but that was almost the case when putting the coven together. During an interview with The Huffington Post to celebrate the cult classic's 20th anniversary, casting director Pam Dixon and director Andrew Fleming revealed that the famous 1996 flick almost starred some now-huge A-listers, including Angelina Jolie, Alicia Silverstone and Scarlett Johansson. And they all went for the same part—Sarah, the lead role. "We did these tests and we tested a lot of girls, some of whom have become really well-known," Dixon shared. "We actually had a hold on somebody that we...
- 5/20/2016
- E! Online
“Lady Filmmakers has been so important as a venue in Los Angeles for women filmmakers to present and screen their work, and one of the most amazing things they do is Script 2 Screen where they are actually fostering and championing talent by finding interesting writers, staging readings, and then producing short films. What other festival does this? It’s incredible.” - Producer Cecillia Peck
The 7th Annual Lady Filmmakers Festival begins today and will run throughout the weekend. Lady Filmmakers screens a record number of films directed and filmed by women! The festival boasts 4 feature films and 42 short films with several World, Us, West Coast, and La Premieres in Beverly Hills, CA. The festival kicks off with a “Havana Nights” Opening Party at the Crescent Hotel featuring Live Latin Music and Cuban inspired cuisine.
Lady Filmmakers is a festival that recognizes and celebrates the tremendous contribution of women to film and the importance in the collaborative spirit amongst men and women,” says Disalvo Viayra. One goal of the festival is to screen high quality, entertaining independent Us and international films to show people that they can enjoy Indie films just as much as the big blockbusters. The fest promotes artists and musicians, recognizes and empowers lady filmmakers, artists, and musicians from all ethnic, religious, and Lgbt communities.
Lady Filmmakers Honors Marion Rosenberg, OBE for her leadership and tremendous contributions to film. She served as Executive Producer on Columbia’s Hollow Man. She was the Executive Producer of Revolutionary Road, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, directed by Sam Mendes for Dreamworks. Marion co-founded BAFTA La, and was its Co-Chair from 1987 to 1995. Until 2008, she served as Chair of the UK Film Council Us Advisory Board.
Lady Filmmakers is more than just a film festival. Under the new 501(c)(3) IRS Tax Exempt Charity Status, The very first Script 2 Screen Film produced by Lady Filmmakers, The Bay Laurel, written by Jan Militello, directed by Lis & Brenda Fies, premieres Sunday October 25th at 8:00 pm at the Laemmle’s Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills, CA. “The Bay Laurel” stars Emmy winner David Lagos.
The S2S Program is an extension of the writing contest where award-winning scripts are workshopped and given a Staged Reading in front of a live audience. The script “Pyne”, written by Ingrid Abrams, is in pre-production slated to shoot in November directed by Cecilia Peck. The film stars Adrian Pasdar, Sandra Seacat and Ajarae Coleman. This is just one of the new programs launched to create opportunities for women and diversity in film & the arts!
Special industry speakers confirmed are Ivy Kagan Bierman (Entertainment Lawyer), Tara Kole (Entertainment Lawyer), Andrew Sugerman (Premonition, Conviction), Louise Levison (The Blair Witch Project), Hammad Zaidi (Lonely Seal Releasing), Gil Cates Jr (Life After Tomorrow, Lucky, Job), Pam Dixon, Csa (Zorro, City Slickers, Gosford Park), Kerry Barden, Csa (Boys Don’t Cry, American Psycho).
This year's festival will screen films from Brazil, Norway, Spain, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Republic of Georgia, and Australia. Films will showcase up-and-coming as well as celebrity filmmakers and actors including Courteney Cox, Laura Dern, Rita Wilson, Anna Paquin, Sharon Stone, Maria Bello, Olivia Wilde, Chris Evans, Danny Glover, Glenn Close, James Brolin, and David Lynch.
Visit here for more information.
The 7th Annual Lady Filmmakers Festival begins today and will run throughout the weekend. Lady Filmmakers screens a record number of films directed and filmed by women! The festival boasts 4 feature films and 42 short films with several World, Us, West Coast, and La Premieres in Beverly Hills, CA. The festival kicks off with a “Havana Nights” Opening Party at the Crescent Hotel featuring Live Latin Music and Cuban inspired cuisine.
Lady Filmmakers is a festival that recognizes and celebrates the tremendous contribution of women to film and the importance in the collaborative spirit amongst men and women,” says Disalvo Viayra. One goal of the festival is to screen high quality, entertaining independent Us and international films to show people that they can enjoy Indie films just as much as the big blockbusters. The fest promotes artists and musicians, recognizes and empowers lady filmmakers, artists, and musicians from all ethnic, religious, and Lgbt communities.
Lady Filmmakers Honors Marion Rosenberg, OBE for her leadership and tremendous contributions to film. She served as Executive Producer on Columbia’s Hollow Man. She was the Executive Producer of Revolutionary Road, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, directed by Sam Mendes for Dreamworks. Marion co-founded BAFTA La, and was its Co-Chair from 1987 to 1995. Until 2008, she served as Chair of the UK Film Council Us Advisory Board.
Lady Filmmakers is more than just a film festival. Under the new 501(c)(3) IRS Tax Exempt Charity Status, The very first Script 2 Screen Film produced by Lady Filmmakers, The Bay Laurel, written by Jan Militello, directed by Lis & Brenda Fies, premieres Sunday October 25th at 8:00 pm at the Laemmle’s Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills, CA. “The Bay Laurel” stars Emmy winner David Lagos.
The S2S Program is an extension of the writing contest where award-winning scripts are workshopped and given a Staged Reading in front of a live audience. The script “Pyne”, written by Ingrid Abrams, is in pre-production slated to shoot in November directed by Cecilia Peck. The film stars Adrian Pasdar, Sandra Seacat and Ajarae Coleman. This is just one of the new programs launched to create opportunities for women and diversity in film & the arts!
Special industry speakers confirmed are Ivy Kagan Bierman (Entertainment Lawyer), Tara Kole (Entertainment Lawyer), Andrew Sugerman (Premonition, Conviction), Louise Levison (The Blair Witch Project), Hammad Zaidi (Lonely Seal Releasing), Gil Cates Jr (Life After Tomorrow, Lucky, Job), Pam Dixon, Csa (Zorro, City Slickers, Gosford Park), Kerry Barden, Csa (Boys Don’t Cry, American Psycho).
This year's festival will screen films from Brazil, Norway, Spain, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Republic of Georgia, and Australia. Films will showcase up-and-coming as well as celebrity filmmakers and actors including Courteney Cox, Laura Dern, Rita Wilson, Anna Paquin, Sharon Stone, Maria Bello, Olivia Wilde, Chris Evans, Danny Glover, Glenn Close, James Brolin, and David Lynch.
Visit here for more information.
- 10/23/2015
- by Erin Grover
- Sydney's Buzz
The Hollywood Film Awards® was founded in 1997 and honors excellence in filmmaking and traditionally signals the Official Launch of the Award Season®. The HFAs showcase to the public at large previews of quality films released during the calendar year. The first-ever Hollywood Film Awards® gala took place in October 1997 in the historic Blossom Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, in Hollywood. Kirk Douglas took home the inaugural “Hollywood Lifetime Achievement Award.” The Hollywood Film Awards launch the awards season. Over the past 18 years, prior honorees have gone on to garner many Oscar nominations and wins. With participating Hollywood insiders, our Advisory Team identifies and selects the recipients of our honors. Our winners are pre-selected to receive our awards. Our selection is based on their outstanding achievement and contribution to the art of cinema. They are not “nominees.” 2014 honorees included some of the biggest names in Hollywood such as Keira Knightley,...
- 10/2/2015
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Hollywood Film Awards honor established Hollywood artists. The criteria for these awards is based on the recipient’s body of work and/or a film that they have coming out this year. These awards are bestowed in all disciplines of filmmaking*: Career, Leadership, Producer, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Screenwriter, Cinematographer, Editor, Film Composer, Production Designer, Costume Designer, Animation, and Visual Effects. Our award/tribute recipients are selected by our Advisory Team which is comprised of a cross section of Hollywood professionals. To read more about the Hollywood Film Awards The selection process for our honorees takes multiple elements into consideration and involves attending pre-press private industry screenings, press screenings, festival screenings, and research. It also includes the support and participation of established entertainment industry executives, from agents, critics, directors, managers, producers, publicists, screenwriters and studio execs to members of the craft guilds. With participating Hollywood insiders,...
- 10/2/2015
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
This year's 6th annual Lady Filmmakers Festival will happen this Friday through Sunday in Beverly Hills. Lady Filmmakers Festival Extraordinary Women Honorees include Vivica A. Fox, LisaGay Hamilton, Neema Barnette, and Natasha Foster-Owens, Risa Bramon Garcia. Learn more about its exciting celebrity and film lineup below and learn how you can attend by visiting the festival website:
The festival will honor Natasha Foster-Owens, (Director, Production-hbo West Coast Production), with the 2014 Trailblazer Award, Actresses Vivica A. Fox and LisaGay Hamilton are in the Spotlight, Director Neema Barnette with the Moving Image Award, Risa Bramon Garcia with the Illumination Award. Ms. Foster-Owens, Ms. Garcia and Ms. Barnette speak on panels during the festival along with other distinguished industry experts in Television & Film. The festival boasts 6 feature films and 42 short films with several World, Us, West Coast, and La Premieres including “Night Vet” starring James Cromwell, Joanna Cassidy, Larry Miller & Irma P Hall; Opening Night Film “Redemption Trail” Starring LisaGay Hamilton, Lily Rabe, Jake Weber, and Hamish Linklater; “Today’s The Day” starring Danny Devito. Harvey Weinstein produced Operation Barn Owl. Special industry speakers confirmed so far are Joyce Cox (Avatar, Dark Knight, Great Gatsby, Men In Black III), Gary Sommerstein (Entertainment Lawyer), Elizabeth Bell, Andrew Sugerman (Premonition, Conviction), Louise Levison (The Blair Witch Project), Hammad Zaidi (Lonely Seal Releasing), Gil Cates Jr (Life After Tomorrow, Lucky, Job), Pam Dixon, Csa (Zorro, City Slickers, Gosford Park), Lance Still (The Golden Compass), Neema Barnette (Women Thou Art Loosed On The 7th Day, My Super Sweet 16 The Movie), Y. Shireen Razack (Rizzoli & Isles, Undercovers), Kerry Barden, Csa (Boys Don’t Cry, American Psycho), Natasha Foster-Owens (Director, Production-hbo West Coast Production), Sandra Avila (President of Avila Entertainment), Risa Bramon Garcia (Masters Of Sex, Twister, Speed). This year the festival will screen films from all over the world including the Czech Republic, India, Syria, UK, New Zealand, Sweden and Germany. 2009 - 2013 selected films were made by or showcased up-and-coming as well as celebrity filmmakers and actors including Courteney Cox, Laura Dern, Rita Wilson, Anna Paquin, Sharon Stone, Maria Bello, Olivia Wilde, Chris Evans, Bryce Dallas Howard, Danny Glover, Glenn Close, James Brolin, John Mahoney, Lilli Taylor, Barrie Osborne, David Lynch, Clancy Brown, Mel Rodriguez and Stephen Gyllenhaal, just to name a few.... Regardless of the films selected, one thing is certain -- this festival will highlight a variety of cultures and worldviews. "Lady Filmmakers is a festival where people of diverse backgrounds converge with common interests and goals. It’s a Film Festival that recognizes and celebrates the tremendous contribution of women to film and the importance in the collaborative spirit amongst men and women,” says Disalvo Viayra. One goal of the festival is to screen entertaining independent Us and international films to show people that they can enjoy Indie films just as much as the big blockbusters. The fest promotes artists and musicians, recognizes and empowers lady filmmakers, artists, and musicians from all ethnic, religious, and Lgbt communities. To qualify for the festival, films must have at least one woman in the role of writer, director, cinematographer, producer, editor, or production designer. . For more information on the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival, bios on the festival organizers, instructions for submitting films or to become a sponsor of the festival, please visit our website.
The festival will honor Natasha Foster-Owens, (Director, Production-hbo West Coast Production), with the 2014 Trailblazer Award, Actresses Vivica A. Fox and LisaGay Hamilton are in the Spotlight, Director Neema Barnette with the Moving Image Award, Risa Bramon Garcia with the Illumination Award. Ms. Foster-Owens, Ms. Garcia and Ms. Barnette speak on panels during the festival along with other distinguished industry experts in Television & Film. The festival boasts 6 feature films and 42 short films with several World, Us, West Coast, and La Premieres including “Night Vet” starring James Cromwell, Joanna Cassidy, Larry Miller & Irma P Hall; Opening Night Film “Redemption Trail” Starring LisaGay Hamilton, Lily Rabe, Jake Weber, and Hamish Linklater; “Today’s The Day” starring Danny Devito. Harvey Weinstein produced Operation Barn Owl. Special industry speakers confirmed so far are Joyce Cox (Avatar, Dark Knight, Great Gatsby, Men In Black III), Gary Sommerstein (Entertainment Lawyer), Elizabeth Bell, Andrew Sugerman (Premonition, Conviction), Louise Levison (The Blair Witch Project), Hammad Zaidi (Lonely Seal Releasing), Gil Cates Jr (Life After Tomorrow, Lucky, Job), Pam Dixon, Csa (Zorro, City Slickers, Gosford Park), Lance Still (The Golden Compass), Neema Barnette (Women Thou Art Loosed On The 7th Day, My Super Sweet 16 The Movie), Y. Shireen Razack (Rizzoli & Isles, Undercovers), Kerry Barden, Csa (Boys Don’t Cry, American Psycho), Natasha Foster-Owens (Director, Production-hbo West Coast Production), Sandra Avila (President of Avila Entertainment), Risa Bramon Garcia (Masters Of Sex, Twister, Speed). This year the festival will screen films from all over the world including the Czech Republic, India, Syria, UK, New Zealand, Sweden and Germany. 2009 - 2013 selected films were made by or showcased up-and-coming as well as celebrity filmmakers and actors including Courteney Cox, Laura Dern, Rita Wilson, Anna Paquin, Sharon Stone, Maria Bello, Olivia Wilde, Chris Evans, Bryce Dallas Howard, Danny Glover, Glenn Close, James Brolin, John Mahoney, Lilli Taylor, Barrie Osborne, David Lynch, Clancy Brown, Mel Rodriguez and Stephen Gyllenhaal, just to name a few.... Regardless of the films selected, one thing is certain -- this festival will highlight a variety of cultures and worldviews. "Lady Filmmakers is a festival where people of diverse backgrounds converge with common interests and goals. It’s a Film Festival that recognizes and celebrates the tremendous contribution of women to film and the importance in the collaborative spirit amongst men and women,” says Disalvo Viayra. One goal of the festival is to screen entertaining independent Us and international films to show people that they can enjoy Indie films just as much as the big blockbusters. The fest promotes artists and musicians, recognizes and empowers lady filmmakers, artists, and musicians from all ethnic, religious, and Lgbt communities. To qualify for the festival, films must have at least one woman in the role of writer, director, cinematographer, producer, editor, or production designer. . For more information on the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival, bios on the festival organizers, instructions for submitting films or to become a sponsor of the festival, please visit our website.
- 9/23/2014
- by Erin Grover
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Entertainment veteran Larry A. Thompson will receive the Lifetime Achievement award at the 12th Heller Awards held September 19 at the Beverly Hilton. The awards held by the Talent Managers Association honor talent representatives, managers, agents and casting directors who excel in their fields while upholding the Tma’s code of ethics and standards of practice. Thompson’s credits run deep in the industry: The film and television producer, personal manager, lawyer, book packager, author, Broadway producer, motivational speaker, and founder & President of next-generation La-based talent management, motion picture, TV, and new media production studio the Larry A. Thompson Organization has managed over 200 stars to date in addition to producing films, TV series, TV specials, and TV movies. Confirmed presenters at the awards ceremony include William Shatner, Joan Rivers, and Melissa Rivers. Here’s the full list of nominees: Heller Award for Lifetime Achievement in Talent Management Larry A. Thompson...
- 8/9/2013
- by JEN YAMATO
- Deadline TV
Richard Hicks has taken over for Pam Dixon as president of the Casting Society of America, Backstage has learned. The Csa is the primary advocacy organization for casting directors and associates working in film, television, and theater, and Hicks sees his role as helping “the organization maintain the standards of professionalism that we as a group stand for, and to be an advocate — to both the industry and to the public at large — on behalf of my fellow casting professionals, for whom I have such respect." Hicks’ term officially began on Jan 13th. This is his second time as president, having also served a two-year term from January 2004 to January 2006. Asked why he decided to return for another stint, Hicks said, “It's a community for which I have great affection, and I get real satisfaction from working with so many talented casting directors in the U.S. and around the world,...
- 1/22/2013
- backstage.com
Because of Hurricane Sandy, what was meant to be a bi-coastal event became a West Coast evening, when all of the winners of the 28th Annual Artios Awards were announced Oct. 29 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Presenters included Atticus Shaffer, Nat Faxon, Anna Kendrick, Armie Hammer, Cedric the Entertainer, and Jean Smart. Jeremy Renner and Michael Hoffman presented the Career Achievement and Hoyt Bowers Awards. The evening began with a video introduction to each of the nominees, finally putting faces to the names of notoriously camera-shy casting directors. Csa President Pam Dixon kicked off the ceremony, noting the Csa would continue to work towards adding casting awards to the Academy, Tony, and BAFTA ceremonies, and the plans to launch a new Csa website. After announcing this will be her final year as Csa President and thanking all her colleagues, she presented Gary Marsh with the first Csa Award of Recognition.
- 10/30/2012
- backstage.com
The Casting Society of America unveiled nominations for its 27th annual Artois Awards, recognizing the best in casting. The honors will be bestowed Sept. 26 in simultaneous ceremonies at the Beverly Hilton in L.A. and at District 36 in New York. The Csa also is giving lifetime achievement awards to Whoopi Goldberg (the New York Apple Award), Dick Wolf (the Career Achievement Award) and Meg Liberman (the Hoyt Bowers Award). Here's the full list of nominees: Big Budget Feature – Drama “The Fighter,” Sheila Jaffe, Angela Peri (Location Casting) “Inception,” John Papsidera “The Social Network,” Laray Mayfield “The Town,” Lora Kennedy, Carolyn Pickman (Location Casting) “True Grit,” Ellen Chenoweth, Rachel Tenner, JoEdna Boldin (Location Casting) Big Budget Feature – Comedy “How Do You Know,” Francine Maisler, Lynn Kressel (Location Casting) “Morning Glory,” Ellen Lewis * “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” Francine Maisler * “Red,” Deborah Aquila, Tricia Wood, Craig Fincannon (Location Casting), Lisa Mae Fincannon...
- 8/16/2011
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Last week, Latino Review was invited to the press junket day in Los Angeles for the “Green Lantern” press conference. Warner Brothers Pictures brought actors Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, and Mark Strong in attendance. In addition, director Martin Campbell, screenwriter Greg Berlanti, and Donald De Line were in attendance. The cast and others discussed the ways on bringing Green Lantern to life on the big screen, prosthetics of the characters, possible DVD extras and Carol Ferris as a strong leading character. Here is the official synopsis of the Green Lantern: In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens...
- 6/16/2011
- LRMonline.com
By Kim Palacios
hollywoodnews.com: “K-11” is the baby of Jules Mann-Stewart, writer/director of the film and mother of “Twilight” mega-star, Kristen. The film appeared to be building steam after Variety’s March announcement that the project had finally secured financing. Yet, several recent developments indicate that Stewart will not be starring in the film, as had originally been believed.
For months, IMDb Pro had “K-11” listed as a rumored project for Stewart, referencing her role as that of autistic transgender prison inmate Butterfly. Not only has IMDb Pro removed this listing from Stewart’s profile in recent weeks—it has kept listings of other rumored cast, such as Goran Visnjic and D.B. Sweeney.
Another indicator: actor-targeted computer app, Actsophia, posted a casting call announcement on its Facebook page on June 1st, announcing that “Pam Dixon is casting “K-11”” and mentioning role descriptions including this one: “Butterfly 19 Redhead Tiny...
hollywoodnews.com: “K-11” is the baby of Jules Mann-Stewart, writer/director of the film and mother of “Twilight” mega-star, Kristen. The film appeared to be building steam after Variety’s March announcement that the project had finally secured financing. Yet, several recent developments indicate that Stewart will not be starring in the film, as had originally been believed.
For months, IMDb Pro had “K-11” listed as a rumored project for Stewart, referencing her role as that of autistic transgender prison inmate Butterfly. Not only has IMDb Pro removed this listing from Stewart’s profile in recent weeks—it has kept listings of other rumored cast, such as Goran Visnjic and D.B. Sweeney.
Another indicator: actor-targeted computer app, Actsophia, posted a casting call announcement on its Facebook page on June 1st, announcing that “Pam Dixon is casting “K-11”” and mentioning role descriptions including this one: “Butterfly 19 Redhead Tiny...
- 6/12/2011
- by Kim Palacios
- Hollywoodnews.com
Troika Pictures produces and finances genre films mostly for a young audience, focusing on thrillers, comedies and action films – Joel Schumacher’s suspense thriller The Hive is certainly one of them.
Penned by Rich D’Ovidio (Exit Wounds), the story follows an emergency operator who must confront a killer from her past to save a young girl’s life.
Joel Schumacher jumps around in genres whether or not he succeeds, but among his best-known works are thrillers. He has struggled with no wins in the past few years to find the script – I am primarily referring to Twelve and Blood Creek – but his upcoming Trespass may not be the case; troubled Nicolas Cage is starring and it is set for release this September.
Other projects include contemporary love story Paradise Cove, with probably Kenny Ortega to direct; Ice Cube‘s Ten (Peter Cornwell is attached to direct), and rom-com One...
Penned by Rich D’Ovidio (Exit Wounds), the story follows an emergency operator who must confront a killer from her past to save a young girl’s life.
Joel Schumacher jumps around in genres whether or not he succeeds, but among his best-known works are thrillers. He has struggled with no wins in the past few years to find the script – I am primarily referring to Twelve and Blood Creek – but his upcoming Trespass may not be the case; troubled Nicolas Cage is starring and it is set for release this September.
Other projects include contemporary love story Paradise Cove, with probably Kenny Ortega to direct; Ice Cube‘s Ten (Peter Cornwell is attached to direct), and rom-com One...
- 4/26/2011
- by Nikola Mraovic
- Filmofilia
Christopher Nolan's "Inception" won the Hollywood Movie Award presented by Starz. 160,000 votes were cast via Yahoo! Movies. "Inception" beat other nominees such as .Alice in Wonderland,. .Despicable Me,. .The Expendables,. .How to Train Your Dragon,. .Inception,. .Iron Man 2,. .Salt,. .The Social Network,. .Shutter Island,. and .Toy Story 3..
Winners of the "Hollywood Discovery Awards were Tyler Langdon . favorite male actor and Ariel King . favorite female actor. The nominees for favorite male actor were: Eric Hulen, Tyler Langdon, Jose Morales, and Cameron Radice and the nominees for favorite female actor were: Zamara Jimenez, Sarah Joanou, Ariel King, Lauren Serrano, and Jessica Williams.
Here's the rest of the press release for the Hollywood Movie Awards. For more info, click here.
The winners of the festival.s film competition were announced Sunday night at the .Hollywood Discovery Awards® Presentation Ceremony at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. This year.s winners are: .Fort McCoy. by...
Winners of the "Hollywood Discovery Awards were Tyler Langdon . favorite male actor and Ariel King . favorite female actor. The nominees for favorite male actor were: Eric Hulen, Tyler Langdon, Jose Morales, and Cameron Radice and the nominees for favorite female actor were: Zamara Jimenez, Sarah Joanou, Ariel King, Lauren Serrano, and Jessica Williams.
Here's the rest of the press release for the Hollywood Movie Awards. For more info, click here.
The winners of the festival.s film competition were announced Sunday night at the .Hollywood Discovery Awards® Presentation Ceremony at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. This year.s winners are: .Fort McCoy. by...
- 10/27/2010
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Hollywoodnews.com: The 14th Annual Hollywood Film Festival’s “Hollywood Awards® Gala”ceremony was held last night before a standing-room-only audience of over 1,100 Hollywood Film Festival® attendees at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
“Inception” Photo Gallery
Leonardo DiCaprio ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 12
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Inception" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Grauman's Chinese Theatre - Hollywood, CA, USA
The festival and awards, presented by Starz, announced this year’s winner of the “Hollywood Movie Award” — Chrisopher Nolan’s “Inception” — which was chosen by the public voting online at the Yahoo! Movies website. The voting site received 20 million unique visitors and over 160,000 votes were cast. The nominees for the “Hollywood Movie Award” were: “Alice in Wonderland,” “Despicable Me,” “The Expendables,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Inception,” “Iron Man 2,” “Salt,” “The Social Network,” “Shutter Island,” and “Toy Story 3.” The festival and awards also announced winners of the “Hollywood Discovery Awards,...
“Inception” Photo Gallery
Leonardo DiCaprio ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 12
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Inception" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Grauman's Chinese Theatre - Hollywood, CA, USA
The festival and awards, presented by Starz, announced this year’s winner of the “Hollywood Movie Award” — Chrisopher Nolan’s “Inception” — which was chosen by the public voting online at the Yahoo! Movies website. The voting site received 20 million unique visitors and over 160,000 votes were cast. The nominees for the “Hollywood Movie Award” were: “Alice in Wonderland,” “Despicable Me,” “The Expendables,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Inception,” “Iron Man 2,” “Salt,” “The Social Network,” “Shutter Island,” and “Toy Story 3.” The festival and awards also announced winners of the “Hollywood Discovery Awards,...
- 10/26/2010
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
The "James Bond 007: Blood Stone" video game event in London this month had all the class and splash one would expect from the world's most elegant spy.
Guests sipped champagne in the historic former church venue One Marylebone and inspected pieces of Bond memorabilia including Oddjob's hat from "Goldfinger" and Jaws' famous teeth. The event even featured a video game Bond girl in a stunning black evening dress, the Brit songstress Joss Stone who belts out the game's theme song.
However impressive the Activision launch, big questions about the historic franchise loomed. Longtime Bond producer Michael G. Wilson touched on these unspoken questions from the podium.
"I wish we were launching a movie," he quipped, bringing laughter from the audience.
It was a rare public comment and an even rarer moment of mirth in the drawn-out James Bond-mgm saga, which has left the faithful feeling shaken. In April, Wilson...
Guests sipped champagne in the historic former church venue One Marylebone and inspected pieces of Bond memorabilia including Oddjob's hat from "Goldfinger" and Jaws' famous teeth. The event even featured a video game Bond girl in a stunning black evening dress, the Brit songstress Joss Stone who belts out the game's theme song.
However impressive the Activision launch, big questions about the historic franchise loomed. Longtime Bond producer Michael G. Wilson touched on these unspoken questions from the podium.
"I wish we were launching a movie," he quipped, bringing laughter from the audience.
It was a rare public comment and an even rarer moment of mirth in the drawn-out James Bond-mgm saga, which has left the faithful feeling shaken. In April, Wilson...
- 7/26/2010
- by By Bryan Alexander
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
HollywoodNews.com: The Casting Society of America (Csa), Hollywoodnews.com and Yahoo! Movies are teaming up with the Hollywood Film Festival® and the Hollywood Awards®, to present the Hollywood Discovery Awards®, a nationwide acting competition which will celebrate the talent and star quality of two lucky winners. A blue-ribbon panel of casting directors from the Casting Society of America will select ten finalists, and their audition videos will be posted on Yahoo! Movies, where the general public will vote online for their favorite.
“We are very excited and proud that Actorcast.com, Casting Society of America , Hollywoodnews.com, and Yahoo! Movies joined us in our quest to discover the next Hollywood Star,” stated festival founder and executive director Carlos de Abreu. “We want to ensure that we bridge the gap between established Hollywood and new talent during the 14th annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards®.”
The two winners will...
“We are very excited and proud that Actorcast.com, Casting Society of America , Hollywoodnews.com, and Yahoo! Movies joined us in our quest to discover the next Hollywood Star,” stated festival founder and executive director Carlos de Abreu. “We want to ensure that we bridge the gap between established Hollywood and new talent during the 14th annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards®.”
The two winners will...
- 6/23/2010
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
In today's fast-paced, global production environment, casting directors and executives are mobile and need instant access to information. This was at the core of the Casting Society of America's Casting Technology Expo, held May 15 at Siren Studios in Los Angeles. There, an estimated 150 casting directors, assistants, and associates examined entertainment technology trends, as well as myriad online casting and audition tools, databases, and communication and management software that were exhibited throughout the event.Keynote speaker Lori Schwartz, senior vice president and director of the Interpublic Emerging Media Lab, opened the expo by suggesting that this is a pivotal year for consumer electronics. "4G [the next-generation wireless standard] is rolling out in the U.S.," Schwartz said. "We'll be able to get more content faster than ever before. It is going to change the way we experience content.""Connected TV [TV with broadband connectivity] brings Web applications to the TV," she added, noting, for instance, that Skype can be used on select connected sets.
- 5/19/2010
- backstage.com
California has changed the way many casting directors do business in the state, leaving some scrambling to comply with a new law they don't yet fully understand.In January, the Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act went into effect. The bill—which garnered support from the Walt Disney Co., the Motion Picture Association of America, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Screen Actors Guild, and other industry players—was signed into law last year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger amid fanfare that it would help give prosecutors the tools they need to target talent-search scams disguised as auditions. Supporters emphasized that many such scams are aimed at young performers and their parents."Everyone thinks that their child is beautiful," Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian, the former state Assembly majority leader who authored the bill, told Back Stage in November. "Once a child's dreams are taken advantage of by one of these wrongdoers,...
- 5/12/2010
- backstage.com
Career advice is so ubiquitous and free on the Internet that it has virtually lost its value. Inexperienced "experts" regurgitate drivel and platitudes that can be found in myriad career books. Opportunistic Web sites go so far as to totally contradict their own message with nary a qualm. After all, it's all about getting more eyeballs and selling advertising. In today's job market, brazen opportunists in the career space make money delivering questionable advice to desperate consumers.
The attention spans of desperate job hunters are short. Many people will drop into a Web site, read a sound-bite of an article, and move on. They don't have time to test the site's integrity.
So I got really bugged when one of my readers recently pointed out a powerful--i think fatal--contradiction within one of the hottest Gen Y career sites--The Brazen Careerist.
Let's take a look at the Web site itself and...
The attention spans of desperate job hunters are short. Many people will drop into a Web site, read a sound-bite of an article, and move on. They don't have time to test the site's integrity.
So I got really bugged when one of my readers recently pointed out a powerful--i think fatal--contradiction within one of the hottest Gen Y career sites--The Brazen Careerist.
Let's take a look at the Web site itself and...
- 12/15/2009
- by Nick Corcodilos
- Fast Company
Kenneth Moraleda of the Australian comedy/drama "Lucky Miles" does a screen test for the role of Hal Jordan's side kick Tom Kalmaku. In the first draft of The Green Lantern script, which was leaked last year, the character served as comic relief. In this screen test footage Moraleda gives us two takes of Tom Kalmaku, one serious, the other comedic. The video was submitted to Green Lantern's casting director Pam Dixon.
- 7/6/2009
- ComicBookMovie.com
Chris Pine has Not been offered the role of the Green Lantern - and that comes directly from the man himself.
You might remember that I reported Pine had in fact been offered the role last month, based on the sources of other movie news sites. Of course, when reporting on "other people's news" as it were, you always run the risk that the goal posts may change later on.
According to Pine, who was recently interviewed by MTV:
“No, I had a meeting with [casting director] Pam Dixon and [executive producer] Donald De Line, but a meeting was all it was,” Pine told MTV News. “I have not been offered squat. I do not have the part and haven’t read a script.”Looking back on it, it was a tall order to expect Pine to appear in both Green Lantern and a Star Trek sequel which writers are already working on.
So,...
You might remember that I reported Pine had in fact been offered the role last month, based on the sources of other movie news sites. Of course, when reporting on "other people's news" as it were, you always run the risk that the goal posts may change later on.
According to Pine, who was recently interviewed by MTV:
“No, I had a meeting with [casting director] Pam Dixon and [executive producer] Donald De Line, but a meeting was all it was,” Pine told MTV News. “I have not been offered squat. I do not have the part and haven’t read a script.”Looking back on it, it was a tall order to expect Pine to appear in both Green Lantern and a Star Trek sequel which writers are already working on.
So,...
- 4/5/2009
- by info@originalsharpsays.com (Craig Sharp)
- FilmShaft.com
SciFi.Com has a brief interview up with Chris Pine, J.J. Abram's Star Trek's Captain Kirk, about those rumors he's in-line to play Hal Jordan in the soon-to-shoot Green Lantern movie.
And what do you know, there is actually some truth to the story:
I had a meeting with [casting director] Pam Dixon and [executive producer] Donald De Line, but a meeting was all it was," Pine told MTV News. "I have not been offered squat. I do not have the part and haven't read a script."
Hollywood interviews being the carefully controlled bits of warfare that they are, I can't help but think this really means "I'm waiting for them to make an offer; Warner's is waiting to see what the box office is for Trek."
Sometimes it's more advantageous for a studio to get a promising actor before he's had a successful movie (cheaper quote.) Sometimes it's more advantageous for...
And what do you know, there is actually some truth to the story:
I had a meeting with [casting director] Pam Dixon and [executive producer] Donald De Line, but a meeting was all it was," Pine told MTV News. "I have not been offered squat. I do not have the part and haven't read a script."
Hollywood interviews being the carefully controlled bits of warfare that they are, I can't help but think this really means "I'm waiting for them to make an offer; Warner's is waiting to see what the box office is for Trek."
Sometimes it's more advantageous for a studio to get a promising actor before he's had a successful movie (cheaper quote.) Sometimes it's more advantageous for...
- 4/4/2009
- doorQ.com
Chris Pine has played down speculation that he is being considered for the lead role in Green Lantern. According to IESB.net, the Star Trek actor is among the frontrunners to land the part of pilot-turned-superhero Hal Jordan in Martin Campbell's upcoming live-action adaptation. Speaking to MTV News, Pine said: "I had a meeting with [casting director] Pam Dixon and [executive producer] Donald De Line, but a meeting was all it was. I have not been offered squat. I do not have the part and haven’t read a script." He added: "I'm not a big comic (more)...
- 4/3/2009
- by By Lara Martin
- Digital Spy
Back in March we wrote about a rumor that Star Trek star Chris Pine was being considered for the role of Hal Jordan in the upcoming Green Lantern movie at Warner Brothers. Unfortunately, it turns out this rumor wasn't entirely true, or at least mostly unfounded. MTV talked with Pine recently, who said that "No, I had a meeting with [casting director] Pam Dixon and [executive producer] Donald De Line, but a meeting was all it was." And if you still think he might be dodging the news as best he can, just listen to what he said next. "I have not been offered squat. I do not have the part and haven't read a script." Well, there we go. Pine also said that, "I'm not a big comic book fan," and that he wasn't inherently interested because he hasn't read the script. "I'm a fan of stories, so if there's ...
- 4/3/2009
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Not too long ago, we reported that "Star Trek" star Chris Pine (James T Kirk) was on the short list to star as Hal Jordan in the upcoming "The Green Lantern" film. MTV News caught up with Pine to find out if there is any truth to the rumors. It turns out that discussions have taken place, but there is currently no deal. "I had a meeting with [casting director] Pam Dixon and [executive producer] Donald De Line, but a meeting was all it was," said Pine. "I have not been offered squat. I do not have the part and haven't read a script." Pine didn't eliminate the possibility that he still might be offered the Hal Jordan role, but if he accepts the part, it won't be for his love of comics. "I'm not a big comic book fan," he explained. "I'm a fan of stories. So if there's a story to be told,...
- 4/3/2009
- WorstPreviews.com
Becoming the center of conflicting "Green Lantern" rumors, Chris Pine finally set the record straight. Talking to MTV News, the star of the much awaited "Star Trek" put the brake on further speculation by confessing that discussions have indeed taken place, but no offer has been thrown.
"No, I had a meeting with [casting director] Pam Dixon and [executive producer] Donald De Line, but a meeting was all it was," the 28-year-old explained. Furthermore, the Jake Hardin of "Just My Luck" insisted that he never got the offer to play Hal Jordan, saying "I have not been offered squat. I do not have the part and haven't read a script."
While many would love to land a superhero role, Pine admitted that he is more interested in telling a story. "I'm not a big comic book fan.. I'm a fan of stories," he gushed. "So if there's a story to be told, I love to tell a good story.
"No, I had a meeting with [casting director] Pam Dixon and [executive producer] Donald De Line, but a meeting was all it was," the 28-year-old explained. Furthermore, the Jake Hardin of "Just My Luck" insisted that he never got the offer to play Hal Jordan, saying "I have not been offered squat. I do not have the part and haven't read a script."
While many would love to land a superhero role, Pine admitted that he is more interested in telling a story. "I'm not a big comic book fan.. I'm a fan of stories," he gushed. "So if there's a story to be told, I love to tell a good story.
- 4/3/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Like many of today's top casting directors, Victoria Burrows got her start when personal computers were nonexistent, FedEx was in its infancy, faxes and videotape machines were rare, and black-and-white glossies were everywhere. "It used to be hard-copy pictures, then sit down and meet an actor," says Burrows with little nostalgia. "Often, you wouldn't tape them; you would just read them and do callbacks. That's all gone because of computers."Now, working on such motion-capture films as Disney's A Christmas Carol and Mars Needs Moms!, she spends her days in casting sessions with partner Scot Boland, calculating how actors' performances will translate in neoprene wetsuits covered with white dots and subsequently rendered by 3-D animation software. The auditions are uploaded to a computer and stored with other information on the servers of Cast It, a popular database management system that allows them to be viewed instantly by anyone with a password to the company account,...
- 4/2/2009
- by Todd Longwell
- backstage.com
If this one had its title flip-flopped to "Fortune Cookie", its pleasing message to Sundance Film Festivalgoers might be that this festival is going to be a good one. The opening night film at this year's event, "Cookie's Fortune" is a down-home delight, a Southern-stirred fixing of small-town foibles, troubles and domestic drama. Cagily directed by Robert Altman, the film should similarly tantalize select-site audiences and win critical praises.
Sleepy has always been a misnomer when describing towns of the Deep South, for there's always something stirring beneath the placid, friendly surface. In this Mississippi-set yarn, there's not a lot happening in Holly Springs: Oh, there's the Church play coming up under the thumb of culture-vulture Camille (Glenn Close), and the town's bad girl (Liv Tyler) has come home to gut fish for the local fishmonger, but there's not much that would attract the attention of the law-abidin'/church-goin'/townfolk. Sure, Willis (Charles S. Dutton) still likes to take a nip or two, but he doesn't harm anyone, and the law enforcement troupe is, well, straight out of Mayberry, with a pragmatic sheriff (Ned Beatty) and his hyperactive subordinate (Chris O'Donnell).
As we said, there's not much going on -- on the surface. It's to retain this facade at all costs that sets forth the dramatic fixings as social-minded Camille finds that her aged aunt -- an old woman who yearned to join her husband in heaven -- has taken her life. Oh, the social approbation that could follow, Camille fears. So, in a fit befitting her highly dramatic approach to life, Camille swallows the suicide note and makes things look like murder.
The story simmers for a while in screenwriter Anne Rapp's folksy cauldron, all percolating around the sound dictum, "What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." Playfully combining humor, intrigue and a penetrating insight into social mores, "Cookie's Fortune" is a free-flowing, organically grown amusement. Credit Altman's wry and affectionate direction for the film's tangy flavors.
The cast is well-chosen, highlighted by Close's well considered performance as the tightly strung Camille and Dutton's jocular turn as the avuncular Willis. Beatty's grainy, good-ol'-boy performance hits all the right chords, and Donald Moffat adds a nifty patrician air to his role as the town lawyer.
Technical contributions are smart and expertly woven in this textured delight. In particular, Stephen Altman's atmospheric production design clues us to the mixed layers of this smartly scoped, Americana drama.
COOKIE'S FORTUNE
October Films
Producers: Robert Altman, Etchie Stroh
Director: Robert Altman
Screenwriter: Anne Rapp
Executive producer: Willi Baer
Director of photography: Toyomichi Kurita
Editor: Abraham Lim
Music: Dave Stewart
Costume designer: Dona Granata
Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Camille Dixon: Glenn Close
Cora Duvall: Julianne Moore
Emma Duvall: Liv Tyler
Jason Brown: Chris O'Donnell
Willis Richland : Charles S. Dutton
Jewel Mae "Cookie" Orcutt: Patricia Neal
Lester Boyle: Ned Beatty
Otis Tucker: Courtney B. Vance
Jack Palmer: Donald Moffat
Manny Hood: Lyle Lovett
Running time -- 117 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Sleepy has always been a misnomer when describing towns of the Deep South, for there's always something stirring beneath the placid, friendly surface. In this Mississippi-set yarn, there's not a lot happening in Holly Springs: Oh, there's the Church play coming up under the thumb of culture-vulture Camille (Glenn Close), and the town's bad girl (Liv Tyler) has come home to gut fish for the local fishmonger, but there's not much that would attract the attention of the law-abidin'/church-goin'/townfolk. Sure, Willis (Charles S. Dutton) still likes to take a nip or two, but he doesn't harm anyone, and the law enforcement troupe is, well, straight out of Mayberry, with a pragmatic sheriff (Ned Beatty) and his hyperactive subordinate (Chris O'Donnell).
As we said, there's not much going on -- on the surface. It's to retain this facade at all costs that sets forth the dramatic fixings as social-minded Camille finds that her aged aunt -- an old woman who yearned to join her husband in heaven -- has taken her life. Oh, the social approbation that could follow, Camille fears. So, in a fit befitting her highly dramatic approach to life, Camille swallows the suicide note and makes things look like murder.
The story simmers for a while in screenwriter Anne Rapp's folksy cauldron, all percolating around the sound dictum, "What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." Playfully combining humor, intrigue and a penetrating insight into social mores, "Cookie's Fortune" is a free-flowing, organically grown amusement. Credit Altman's wry and affectionate direction for the film's tangy flavors.
The cast is well-chosen, highlighted by Close's well considered performance as the tightly strung Camille and Dutton's jocular turn as the avuncular Willis. Beatty's grainy, good-ol'-boy performance hits all the right chords, and Donald Moffat adds a nifty patrician air to his role as the town lawyer.
Technical contributions are smart and expertly woven in this textured delight. In particular, Stephen Altman's atmospheric production design clues us to the mixed layers of this smartly scoped, Americana drama.
COOKIE'S FORTUNE
October Films
Producers: Robert Altman, Etchie Stroh
Director: Robert Altman
Screenwriter: Anne Rapp
Executive producer: Willi Baer
Director of photography: Toyomichi Kurita
Editor: Abraham Lim
Music: Dave Stewart
Costume designer: Dona Granata
Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Camille Dixon: Glenn Close
Cora Duvall: Julianne Moore
Emma Duvall: Liv Tyler
Jason Brown: Chris O'Donnell
Willis Richland : Charles S. Dutton
Jewel Mae "Cookie" Orcutt: Patricia Neal
Lester Boyle: Ned Beatty
Otis Tucker: Courtney B. Vance
Jack Palmer: Donald Moffat
Manny Hood: Lyle Lovett
Running time -- 117 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 1/21/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Strong Cup of 'Mighty Joe' / Buena Vista's ape call scores with solid story, sympathtic characters and that great gorilla
By Duane Byrge
This monkey shines. Buena Vista's "Mighty Joe Young", an amusing and good-hearted family film that follows the trials and tribulations of a massive gorilla amid the incursions of poachers and "imprisonment" in an American theme park, will win young hearts as well as the admiration of parents who appreciate a solidly told tale with sympathetic characters.
Joe here is truly a monkey man: He's got anthropomorphic qualities and feels things and perceives them very much like human beings. Only, he's more generous and trusting than your typical Homo sapien. In fact, he's the protector of a small African village. He's also the faithful servant and champion of a concerned and comely young woman, Jill (Charlize Theron), who shares a particular bond with Joe -- both their mothers were killed by poachers 20 years ago. It's this legacy that propels "Mighty Joe"'s plot line -- the same evil poacher (Rade Sherbedgia) has returned, and he realizes the commercial potential of Joe as an exhibit in today's theme-park world.
Basically, "Mighty Joe" is a person-in-distress story, the saga of a natural innocent whose resistance to the real world precludes him from being an effective protector of his natural habitat. It's a winning tale, and screenwriters Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner have kindly distilled it for family-fun dimension. The respect and friendship between Joe and Jill is particularly heartwarming.
Admittedly, "Mighty Joe" does get clogged somewhat in explication of the gorilla's heredity, and the plotting of the climax may seem derivative for even the youngest viewers. Still, director Ron Underwood has shaped the film to a towering dimension and propelled the schematic narrative to its fastest capacity.
Special praise to Theron for her sympathetic protector portrayal; unfortunately, Bill Paxton's performance as a explorational zoologist is decidedly flaccid, wavering in determination and motivation. Sherbedgia is aptly cunning as the arch villain.
The technical contributions are strong, particularly Rick Baker's creation of this extraordinary ape. It's both towering and appealing. Other tech contributions serve the story line well, especially directors of photography Don Peterman and Oliver Wood's expansive lensing.
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG
Buena Vista
Credits: Producers: Ted Hartley, Tom Jacobson; Director: Ron Underwood; Screenwriters: Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner; Executive producer: Gail Katz; Co-executive producers: Mark Lisson, Gary Stutman; Supervising producer: Ralph Winter; Directors of photography: Don Peterman, Oliver Wood; Production designer: Michael Corenblith; Editor: Paul Hirsch; Creature designed and produced by Rick Baker; Visual effects supervisor: Hotyt Yeatman; Music: James Horner; Costume designer: Molly Maginnis; Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson; Sound mixer: Richard Bryce Goodman; Based on a screenplay by Ruth Rose and a story by Merian C. Cooper from RKO Pictures' "Mighty Joe Young". Cast: Jill Young: Charlize Theron; Gregg O'Hara: Bill Paxton; Strasser: Rade Sherbedgia; Garth: Peter Firth; Harry Ruben: David Paymer; Cecily Banks: Regina King; Kweli: Robert Wisdom. MPAA rating: PG. Running time -- 115 minutes. Color/stereo.
By Duane Byrge
This monkey shines. Buena Vista's "Mighty Joe Young", an amusing and good-hearted family film that follows the trials and tribulations of a massive gorilla amid the incursions of poachers and "imprisonment" in an American theme park, will win young hearts as well as the admiration of parents who appreciate a solidly told tale with sympathetic characters.
Joe here is truly a monkey man: He's got anthropomorphic qualities and feels things and perceives them very much like human beings. Only, he's more generous and trusting than your typical Homo sapien. In fact, he's the protector of a small African village. He's also the faithful servant and champion of a concerned and comely young woman, Jill (Charlize Theron), who shares a particular bond with Joe -- both their mothers were killed by poachers 20 years ago. It's this legacy that propels "Mighty Joe"'s plot line -- the same evil poacher (Rade Sherbedgia) has returned, and he realizes the commercial potential of Joe as an exhibit in today's theme-park world.
Basically, "Mighty Joe" is a person-in-distress story, the saga of a natural innocent whose resistance to the real world precludes him from being an effective protector of his natural habitat. It's a winning tale, and screenwriters Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner have kindly distilled it for family-fun dimension. The respect and friendship between Joe and Jill is particularly heartwarming.
Admittedly, "Mighty Joe" does get clogged somewhat in explication of the gorilla's heredity, and the plotting of the climax may seem derivative for even the youngest viewers. Still, director Ron Underwood has shaped the film to a towering dimension and propelled the schematic narrative to its fastest capacity.
Special praise to Theron for her sympathetic protector portrayal; unfortunately, Bill Paxton's performance as a explorational zoologist is decidedly flaccid, wavering in determination and motivation. Sherbedgia is aptly cunning as the arch villain.
The technical contributions are strong, particularly Rick Baker's creation of this extraordinary ape. It's both towering and appealing. Other tech contributions serve the story line well, especially directors of photography Don Peterman and Oliver Wood's expansive lensing.
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG
Buena Vista
Credits: Producers: Ted Hartley, Tom Jacobson; Director: Ron Underwood; Screenwriters: Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner; Executive producer: Gail Katz; Co-executive producers: Mark Lisson, Gary Stutman; Supervising producer: Ralph Winter; Directors of photography: Don Peterman, Oliver Wood; Production designer: Michael Corenblith; Editor: Paul Hirsch; Creature designed and produced by Rick Baker; Visual effects supervisor: Hotyt Yeatman; Music: James Horner; Costume designer: Molly Maginnis; Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson; Sound mixer: Richard Bryce Goodman; Based on a screenplay by Ruth Rose and a story by Merian C. Cooper from RKO Pictures' "Mighty Joe Young". Cast: Jill Young: Charlize Theron; Gregg O'Hara: Bill Paxton; Strasser: Rade Sherbedgia; Garth: Peter Firth; Harry Ruben: David Paymer; Cecily Banks: Regina King; Kweli: Robert Wisdom. MPAA rating: PG. Running time -- 115 minutes. Color/stereo.
- 12/15/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Zzzzzzzz is for "Zorro".
Swashbuckling, slapstick, nostalgia, romance -- all set against a political backdrop. Amblin Entertainment's "The Mask of Zorro" has it all, including two Zorros, but its ambition and clear desire to please at all levels ultimately sticks itself.
Sony will undoubtedly fence solid early points with this men-in-black popcorner, but there is, alas, more corn than pop in this return to the thrilling days of legendary heroism, not to mention 1950s television.
Although pleasingly entertaining in segments, it's way too stiff and predictable for adult audiences and, perhaps, way too slow (not to mention gory) for the elementary-school set. Remember whose movie it was that launched the PG-13 rating? Save for those second-graders who yearn for a painstakingly exhaustive portrait of the harsh political realities of a past day and age, it's unlikely to win the hearts of grade schoolers. The moviegoing demographic "Zorro"'s most likely to please? The child-adult.
In this disappointingly cumbersome TriStar presentation, Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas limn the role of the latter-day swordsman who fought Spanish oppression in what is now known as California. In case you're wondering and confused, Hopkins plays Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro, the dashing rogue we all loved from the late '50s TV show, while Banderas is his new protege and successor. Those who relished Hopkins' thrashing, outdoorsman performance in his Bart the Bear movie (we can't recall the title) will relish, in the same vein, his sword-fighting.
As Zorro Emeritus, Hopkins not only imparts the wisdom of his dueling to his newly anointed successor but enhances it with the stentorian solemnity one usually finds only in the House of Commons.
We must, however, commend Hopkins' bravery in attacking the part; unfortunately, it's unlikely that kid viewers might be so charitable, especially since old Zorro's duels take up big swatches of the crucial climax. Indeed, indicative of our wandering attention when elder Zorro is either waxing or dueling away, we tend to look around for John Gielgud to jump in with sharpened blade and enter the fray.
Two words for the narrative: The kind word is "ambitious"; the nasty word is "mess." Suffice it to say there are three credited screenwriters as well as three credited story writers, and "The Mask of Zorro" basks in what appears to be a legal-sized list of "must" suggestions from an assembled story committee.
Fortunately, there's a lot of good stuff, including the mentor-fighter aspects of "The Karate Kid", but unfortunately "Zorro" is so packed with back story and historical exposition and so murkily plotted that one never really finds anyone to root for, including Zorro.
Although Zorro is charming, dashing and wears a zippy costume, we're never quite sure what he's in it for -- revenge, idealism, love of a lady, kicks? Admittedly, it's explained somewhere, but it's done in such a clinical, dry way that Zorro never captures our fancy or our fantasies. We never really root for him, other than in a passive good-guy vs. bad-guy mode. Still, "Zorro" is chock middling full with good old, matinee-movie moments: jumping on speeding horses from windows, swinging from chandeliers, flirting with beautiful women.
As the younger Zorro, Banderas is well-cast. His gleaming smile and elegant athleticism are well-suited for the character's glossy heroics. Newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones steals the show whenever she is on the screen: As Zorro 1's long-lost daughter, she's a comely catch and, natch, causes Zorro the Sequel to drop his swords. However, crankier boomers who loved the TV show and destroyed lots of furniture with their plastic, Piggly Wiggly-bought Zorro swords are going to wonder: Where's Sgt. Garcia, the great slapstick buffoon of the TV series?
Gazing at the credits, we see a Corp. Garcia. Maybe it was the same character before he got his comic stripes. In any event, that's the kind of crabby word-of-mouth "Zorro" is likely to cut among us old folks. Supporting players seem to be well-chosen, but under Martin Campbell's competent but painstakingly measured hand, the supporting characters are not very juicy, just common flavorings.
As one would expect from Amblin, the technical contributions are first-rate and stirringly realized. Cinematographer Phil Meheux's landscape compositions are picture-postcard proper, while costumer Graciela Mazon's clothing colorations bloom with character particulars. Composer James Horner's rousing horns give a thrilling, old-style tone to the movie, eloquently trumpeting its best intentions and traditions.
THE MASK OF ZORRO
Sony Pictures Releasing
TriStar Pictures
An Amblin Entertainment production
Producers: Doug Claybourne, David Foster
Director: Martin Campbell
Screenwriters: John Eskow,
Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Story: Ted Elliott,
Terry Rossio, Randall Jahnson
Executive producers: Steven Spielberg,
Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Director of photography: Phil Meheux
Production designer: Cecilia Montiel
Editor: Thom Noble
Costume designer: Graciela Mazon
Music: James Horner
Co-producer: John Gertz
Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Alejandro Murieta/Zorro: Antonio Banderas
Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro: Anthony Hopkins
Elena Montero: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Dan Rafael Montero: Stuart Wilson
Capt. Harrison Love: Matt Letscher
Running time -- 136 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Swashbuckling, slapstick, nostalgia, romance -- all set against a political backdrop. Amblin Entertainment's "The Mask of Zorro" has it all, including two Zorros, but its ambition and clear desire to please at all levels ultimately sticks itself.
Sony will undoubtedly fence solid early points with this men-in-black popcorner, but there is, alas, more corn than pop in this return to the thrilling days of legendary heroism, not to mention 1950s television.
Although pleasingly entertaining in segments, it's way too stiff and predictable for adult audiences and, perhaps, way too slow (not to mention gory) for the elementary-school set. Remember whose movie it was that launched the PG-13 rating? Save for those second-graders who yearn for a painstakingly exhaustive portrait of the harsh political realities of a past day and age, it's unlikely to win the hearts of grade schoolers. The moviegoing demographic "Zorro"'s most likely to please? The child-adult.
In this disappointingly cumbersome TriStar presentation, Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas limn the role of the latter-day swordsman who fought Spanish oppression in what is now known as California. In case you're wondering and confused, Hopkins plays Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro, the dashing rogue we all loved from the late '50s TV show, while Banderas is his new protege and successor. Those who relished Hopkins' thrashing, outdoorsman performance in his Bart the Bear movie (we can't recall the title) will relish, in the same vein, his sword-fighting.
As Zorro Emeritus, Hopkins not only imparts the wisdom of his dueling to his newly anointed successor but enhances it with the stentorian solemnity one usually finds only in the House of Commons.
We must, however, commend Hopkins' bravery in attacking the part; unfortunately, it's unlikely that kid viewers might be so charitable, especially since old Zorro's duels take up big swatches of the crucial climax. Indeed, indicative of our wandering attention when elder Zorro is either waxing or dueling away, we tend to look around for John Gielgud to jump in with sharpened blade and enter the fray.
Two words for the narrative: The kind word is "ambitious"; the nasty word is "mess." Suffice it to say there are three credited screenwriters as well as three credited story writers, and "The Mask of Zorro" basks in what appears to be a legal-sized list of "must" suggestions from an assembled story committee.
Fortunately, there's a lot of good stuff, including the mentor-fighter aspects of "The Karate Kid", but unfortunately "Zorro" is so packed with back story and historical exposition and so murkily plotted that one never really finds anyone to root for, including Zorro.
Although Zorro is charming, dashing and wears a zippy costume, we're never quite sure what he's in it for -- revenge, idealism, love of a lady, kicks? Admittedly, it's explained somewhere, but it's done in such a clinical, dry way that Zorro never captures our fancy or our fantasies. We never really root for him, other than in a passive good-guy vs. bad-guy mode. Still, "Zorro" is chock middling full with good old, matinee-movie moments: jumping on speeding horses from windows, swinging from chandeliers, flirting with beautiful women.
As the younger Zorro, Banderas is well-cast. His gleaming smile and elegant athleticism are well-suited for the character's glossy heroics. Newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones steals the show whenever she is on the screen: As Zorro 1's long-lost daughter, she's a comely catch and, natch, causes Zorro the Sequel to drop his swords. However, crankier boomers who loved the TV show and destroyed lots of furniture with their plastic, Piggly Wiggly-bought Zorro swords are going to wonder: Where's Sgt. Garcia, the great slapstick buffoon of the TV series?
Gazing at the credits, we see a Corp. Garcia. Maybe it was the same character before he got his comic stripes. In any event, that's the kind of crabby word-of-mouth "Zorro" is likely to cut among us old folks. Supporting players seem to be well-chosen, but under Martin Campbell's competent but painstakingly measured hand, the supporting characters are not very juicy, just common flavorings.
As one would expect from Amblin, the technical contributions are first-rate and stirringly realized. Cinematographer Phil Meheux's landscape compositions are picture-postcard proper, while costumer Graciela Mazon's clothing colorations bloom with character particulars. Composer James Horner's rousing horns give a thrilling, old-style tone to the movie, eloquently trumpeting its best intentions and traditions.
THE MASK OF ZORRO
Sony Pictures Releasing
TriStar Pictures
An Amblin Entertainment production
Producers: Doug Claybourne, David Foster
Director: Martin Campbell
Screenwriters: John Eskow,
Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Story: Ted Elliott,
Terry Rossio, Randall Jahnson
Executive producers: Steven Spielberg,
Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Director of photography: Phil Meheux
Production designer: Cecilia Montiel
Editor: Thom Noble
Costume designer: Graciela Mazon
Music: James Horner
Co-producer: John Gertz
Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Alejandro Murieta/Zorro: Antonio Banderas
Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro: Anthony Hopkins
Elena Montero: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Dan Rafael Montero: Stuart Wilson
Capt. Harrison Love: Matt Letscher
Running time -- 136 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 6/26/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Having written a pile of megahits for others, Jeb Stuart ("The Fugitive", "Die Hard") retains a piece of the action for his directorial debut, "SwitchBack".
Originally penned when Stuart was a student at Stanford, the sturdy crime thriller serves up clever construction and colorful characterizations, but when the intriguing parallel story lines ultimately intersect, the anticipated denouement is disappointingly anticlimactic and flatly generic.
Still, Paramount, which would like to see the picture pick up at the boxoffice where its "Kiss the Girls" is leaving off, should find "SwitchBack" making some respectable greenbacks, provided audiences look beyond the forgettably nondescript title.
Things get off to an involving start with the coldly efficient kidnapping of a boy and the fatal stabbing of his babysitter. Following this brief preamble, the action shifts to a multiple-murder scene at an Amarillo, Texas, motel, which is much to the frustration of Sheriff Buck Olmstead R. Lee Ermey), whose re-election bid is being challenged by a flashy young police chief.
To add to his political woes, the case has been picked up by FBI agent Frank LaCrosse (Dennis Quaid), who believes the murders to be the work of a nameless serial killer he has been tracking for a year; he disappeared after snatching LaCrosse's son.
Meanwhile, up in the Colorado Rockies, a gregarious former railroad man (Danny Glover) picks up a quiet hitchhiker (Jared Leto) in his 1977 Eldorado with an interior upholstered in girlie pictures.
As the two plot lines unfold, the identities of hunter and prey gradually become clearer, leading to the inevitable face-off.
Quaid does a passable Harrison Ford impression here but fails to nail the quiet heroism and human frailty crucial to the part.
In the is-he-or-isn't-he role, Glover gamely keeps us guessing, projecting an aura of easy, outgoing charm over a murky undercurrent. As the mysterious traveler, Leto delivers a similarly effective blend of low-key intelligence and enigmatic seriousness.
With that carefully layered buildup, it's a shame Stuart could not have come up with a more satisfying intersection of plot and character, instead of a speeding, train-top fight-to-the-finish that has been played out too many times.
In his first shot at directing, Stuart has a nice, kinetic feel for the thriller genre and receives some strong backup from cinematographer Oliver Wood and editor Conrad Buff.
SWITCHBACK
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures and Rysher Entertainment present a Pacific Western production
A Jeb Stuart film
Credits: Director-screenwriter: Jeb Stuart; Producer: Gale Anne Hurd; Executive producers: Keith Samples, Mel Efros, Jeb Stuart; Director of photography: Oliver Wood; Production designer: Jeff Howard; Editor: Conrad Buff; Costume designer: Betsy Heimann; Music: Basil Poledouris; Music supervisor: Ralph Sall; Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson. Cast: Bob Goodall: Danny Glover; Frank LaCrosse: Dennis Quaid; Lane Dixon: Jared Leto; Buck Olmstead: R. Lee Ermey; Jack McGinnis: William Fichtner; Nate Booker: Ted Levine; Color/stereo; Running time -- 118 minutes; MPAA rating: R...
Originally penned when Stuart was a student at Stanford, the sturdy crime thriller serves up clever construction and colorful characterizations, but when the intriguing parallel story lines ultimately intersect, the anticipated denouement is disappointingly anticlimactic and flatly generic.
Still, Paramount, which would like to see the picture pick up at the boxoffice where its "Kiss the Girls" is leaving off, should find "SwitchBack" making some respectable greenbacks, provided audiences look beyond the forgettably nondescript title.
Things get off to an involving start with the coldly efficient kidnapping of a boy and the fatal stabbing of his babysitter. Following this brief preamble, the action shifts to a multiple-murder scene at an Amarillo, Texas, motel, which is much to the frustration of Sheriff Buck Olmstead R. Lee Ermey), whose re-election bid is being challenged by a flashy young police chief.
To add to his political woes, the case has been picked up by FBI agent Frank LaCrosse (Dennis Quaid), who believes the murders to be the work of a nameless serial killer he has been tracking for a year; he disappeared after snatching LaCrosse's son.
Meanwhile, up in the Colorado Rockies, a gregarious former railroad man (Danny Glover) picks up a quiet hitchhiker (Jared Leto) in his 1977 Eldorado with an interior upholstered in girlie pictures.
As the two plot lines unfold, the identities of hunter and prey gradually become clearer, leading to the inevitable face-off.
Quaid does a passable Harrison Ford impression here but fails to nail the quiet heroism and human frailty crucial to the part.
In the is-he-or-isn't-he role, Glover gamely keeps us guessing, projecting an aura of easy, outgoing charm over a murky undercurrent. As the mysterious traveler, Leto delivers a similarly effective blend of low-key intelligence and enigmatic seriousness.
With that carefully layered buildup, it's a shame Stuart could not have come up with a more satisfying intersection of plot and character, instead of a speeding, train-top fight-to-the-finish that has been played out too many times.
In his first shot at directing, Stuart has a nice, kinetic feel for the thriller genre and receives some strong backup from cinematographer Oliver Wood and editor Conrad Buff.
SWITCHBACK
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures and Rysher Entertainment present a Pacific Western production
A Jeb Stuart film
Credits: Director-screenwriter: Jeb Stuart; Producer: Gale Anne Hurd; Executive producers: Keith Samples, Mel Efros, Jeb Stuart; Director of photography: Oliver Wood; Production designer: Jeff Howard; Editor: Conrad Buff; Costume designer: Betsy Heimann; Music: Basil Poledouris; Music supervisor: Ralph Sall; Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson. Cast: Bob Goodall: Danny Glover; Frank LaCrosse: Dennis Quaid; Lane Dixon: Jared Leto; Buck Olmstead: R. Lee Ermey; Jack McGinnis: William Fichtner; Nate Booker: Ted Levine; Color/stereo; Running time -- 118 minutes; MPAA rating: R...
- 10/28/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Having written a pile of megahits for others, Jeb Stuart ("The Fugitive", "Die Hard") retains a piece of the action for his directorial debut, "SwitchBack".
Originally penned when Stuart was a student at Stanford, the sturdy crime thriller serves up clever construction and colorful characterizations, but when the intriguing parallel storylines ultimately intersect, the anticipated denouement is disappointingly anticlimactic and flatly generic.
Still, Paramount, which would like to see the picture pick up at the boxoffice where its "Kiss the Girls" is leaving off, should find "SwitchBack" making some respectable greenbacks, provided audiences look beyond the forgettably nondescript title.
Things get off to an involving start with the coldly efficient kidnapping of a young boy and the fatal stabbing of his babysitter. Following this brief preamble, the action shifts to a multiple-murder scene at an Amarillo, Texas, motel, which is much to the frustration of sheriff Buck Olmstead R. Lee Ermey), whose re-election bid is being challenged by flashy young police chief.
To add to his political woes, the case has been picked up by FBI agent Frank LaCrosse (Dennis Quaid), who believes the murders to be the work of a nameless serial killer he has been tracking for the past year who abruptly disappeared after snatching LaCrosse's son.
Meanwhile, up in the Colorado Rockies, a gregarious former railroad man (Danny Glover) picks up a quiet hitchhiker (Jared Leto) in his white, 1977 Eldorado with an interior upholstered entirely in nude girlie pictures.
As the two plot lines unfold, the identities of both hunter and prey gradually become clearer, leading to the inevitable face-off.
Quaid does a passable Harrison Ford impression here, but fails to nail the quiet heroism and human frailty crucial to the part.
In the is-he-or-isn't-he role, Glover gamely keeps us guessing, projecting an aura of easy, outgoing charm over a murky, moody undercurrent.As the mysterious traveler, Leto delivers a similarly effective blend of low-key intelligence and enigmatic seriousness.
With that carefully layered build-up, it's a shame Stuart could not have come up with a more satisfying intersection of plot and character, instead of a speeding, train-top fight-to-the-finish that has been played out too many times before.
In his first shot at directing, Stuart has a nice, kinetic feel for the genre and receives some strong backup from cinematographer Oliver Wood and editor Conrad Buff.
Veteran composer Basil Poledouris contributes a taut, ambient score neatly in keeping with the picture's tightly wrapped emotions.
SWITCHBACK
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures and Rysher Entertainment present a Pacific Western production
A Jeb Stuart film
Director-screenwriter Jeb Stuart
Producer Gale Anne Hurd
Executive producers Keith Samples, Mel Efros,
Jeb Stuart
Director of photography Oliver Wood
Production designer Jeff Howard
Editor Conrad Buff
Costume designer Betsy Heimann
Music Basil Poledouris
Music supervisor Ralph Sall
Casting Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Bob Goodall Danny Glover
Frank LaCrosse Dennis Quaid
Lane Dixon Jared Leto
Buck Olmstead R. Lee Ermey
Jack McGinnis William Fichtner
Nate Booker Ted Levine
Running time -- 118 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Originally penned when Stuart was a student at Stanford, the sturdy crime thriller serves up clever construction and colorful characterizations, but when the intriguing parallel storylines ultimately intersect, the anticipated denouement is disappointingly anticlimactic and flatly generic.
Still, Paramount, which would like to see the picture pick up at the boxoffice where its "Kiss the Girls" is leaving off, should find "SwitchBack" making some respectable greenbacks, provided audiences look beyond the forgettably nondescript title.
Things get off to an involving start with the coldly efficient kidnapping of a young boy and the fatal stabbing of his babysitter. Following this brief preamble, the action shifts to a multiple-murder scene at an Amarillo, Texas, motel, which is much to the frustration of sheriff Buck Olmstead R. Lee Ermey), whose re-election bid is being challenged by flashy young police chief.
To add to his political woes, the case has been picked up by FBI agent Frank LaCrosse (Dennis Quaid), who believes the murders to be the work of a nameless serial killer he has been tracking for the past year who abruptly disappeared after snatching LaCrosse's son.
Meanwhile, up in the Colorado Rockies, a gregarious former railroad man (Danny Glover) picks up a quiet hitchhiker (Jared Leto) in his white, 1977 Eldorado with an interior upholstered entirely in nude girlie pictures.
As the two plot lines unfold, the identities of both hunter and prey gradually become clearer, leading to the inevitable face-off.
Quaid does a passable Harrison Ford impression here, but fails to nail the quiet heroism and human frailty crucial to the part.
In the is-he-or-isn't-he role, Glover gamely keeps us guessing, projecting an aura of easy, outgoing charm over a murky, moody undercurrent.As the mysterious traveler, Leto delivers a similarly effective blend of low-key intelligence and enigmatic seriousness.
With that carefully layered build-up, it's a shame Stuart could not have come up with a more satisfying intersection of plot and character, instead of a speeding, train-top fight-to-the-finish that has been played out too many times before.
In his first shot at directing, Stuart has a nice, kinetic feel for the genre and receives some strong backup from cinematographer Oliver Wood and editor Conrad Buff.
Veteran composer Basil Poledouris contributes a taut, ambient score neatly in keeping with the picture's tightly wrapped emotions.
SWITCHBACK
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures and Rysher Entertainment present a Pacific Western production
A Jeb Stuart film
Director-screenwriter Jeb Stuart
Producer Gale Anne Hurd
Executive producers Keith Samples, Mel Efros,
Jeb Stuart
Director of photography Oliver Wood
Production designer Jeff Howard
Editor Conrad Buff
Costume designer Betsy Heimann
Music Basil Poledouris
Music supervisor Ralph Sall
Casting Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Bob Goodall Danny Glover
Frank LaCrosse Dennis Quaid
Lane Dixon Jared Leto
Buck Olmstead R. Lee Ermey
Jack McGinnis William Fichtner
Nate Booker Ted Levine
Running time -- 118 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/27/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A nicely executed throwback to traditional family adventure films, with enough action and teen sex appeal to win over a respectable modern audience, "Wild America" has likeable animals and young heartthrobs to spare in a kind of "My Three Sons"-meets-"Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom".
Directed by William Dear ("Angels in the Outfield"), the Warner Bros. wide release stars the dynamic trio of Jonathan Taylor Thomas ("The Adventures of Pinocchio", TV's "Home Improvement"), Devon Sawa ("Casper") and Scott Bairstow ("White Fang 2") as real-life brothers who spend a summer traveling around the country with a 16mm camera.
Budding naturalists in search of endangered species, a legendary cave filled with sleeping bears and an escape from unadventuresome lives in Fort Smith, Ark., the three Stouffer boys -- Marshall Thomas), Mark (Sawa) and Marty (Bairstow) -- are decent but full of mischief. The leader of the group, narratively speaking, is the youngest shutterbug Marshall, who is often the subject of filmed stunts and other pranks by his competitive older bros.
With an amiable voice-over, the episodic scenario penned by playwright David Michael Wieger in his feature debut stays true to the mid-1960s rural south milieu. Barely touching on the political and cultural turmoil of the times, there is little romance, no references to "Star Trek" and no sporting activities except leader Mark and rebel Marty's inventive ways of putting daredevil Marshall in harm's way.
Their parents are sturdy salt-of-the-earth types, with Marty Sr. (Jamie Sheridan) running a carburetor shop and promising would-be flyer Marshall that one day he'll restore a World War II training plane. Dad, of course, wants his oldest to take over the family business someday, but when the trio of amateur filmmakers is given a professional camera they embark on a mission worthy of the ensemble war movies of the era.
Along with the predictable generational friction caused by pursuing a risky dream come such conventional maneuvers as Marshall stowing away and then winning approval from all concerned for the central road journey the brothers take to national parks and relatively far-flung locales. Encounters with gators, moose, snakes, bears, wild horses and a pair of English hippie girls await them.
Including Frances Fisher as the boys' protective but supportive mom, the performances are sturdy throughout, with the headliners achieving a winning chemistry.
A fun running gambit has Thomas' character devising ways to secretly get back at his brothers with befouled toothbrushes and canteens.
Even with co-producer Mark Stouffer on board, the film has a few unbelievable moments, but it's an entertaining and amiably paced tall tale. Evocatively filmed in wide-screen by David Burr ("The Phantom"), the production overall is first-rate. A special merit badge to animal trainer Senia Phillips for the many splendid scenes with tame and threatening creatures.
WILD AMERICA
Warner Bros.
James G. Robinson presents
a Morgan Creek production
in association with the Steve Tisch Company
A William Dear film
Director William Dear
Prodcuers James G. Robinson, Irby Smith,
Mark Stouffer
Writer David Michael Wieger
Executive producers Gary Barber, Steve Tisch,
Bill Todman Jr.
Director of photography David Burr
Production designer Steven Jordan
Editor O. Nicholas Brown
Music Joel McNeely
Costume designer Mary McLeod
Casting Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Marshall Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Mark Devon Sawa
Marty Scott Bairstow
Agnes Frances Fisher
Marty Sr. Jamie Sheridan
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Directed by William Dear ("Angels in the Outfield"), the Warner Bros. wide release stars the dynamic trio of Jonathan Taylor Thomas ("The Adventures of Pinocchio", TV's "Home Improvement"), Devon Sawa ("Casper") and Scott Bairstow ("White Fang 2") as real-life brothers who spend a summer traveling around the country with a 16mm camera.
Budding naturalists in search of endangered species, a legendary cave filled with sleeping bears and an escape from unadventuresome lives in Fort Smith, Ark., the three Stouffer boys -- Marshall Thomas), Mark (Sawa) and Marty (Bairstow) -- are decent but full of mischief. The leader of the group, narratively speaking, is the youngest shutterbug Marshall, who is often the subject of filmed stunts and other pranks by his competitive older bros.
With an amiable voice-over, the episodic scenario penned by playwright David Michael Wieger in his feature debut stays true to the mid-1960s rural south milieu. Barely touching on the political and cultural turmoil of the times, there is little romance, no references to "Star Trek" and no sporting activities except leader Mark and rebel Marty's inventive ways of putting daredevil Marshall in harm's way.
Their parents are sturdy salt-of-the-earth types, with Marty Sr. (Jamie Sheridan) running a carburetor shop and promising would-be flyer Marshall that one day he'll restore a World War II training plane. Dad, of course, wants his oldest to take over the family business someday, but when the trio of amateur filmmakers is given a professional camera they embark on a mission worthy of the ensemble war movies of the era.
Along with the predictable generational friction caused by pursuing a risky dream come such conventional maneuvers as Marshall stowing away and then winning approval from all concerned for the central road journey the brothers take to national parks and relatively far-flung locales. Encounters with gators, moose, snakes, bears, wild horses and a pair of English hippie girls await them.
Including Frances Fisher as the boys' protective but supportive mom, the performances are sturdy throughout, with the headliners achieving a winning chemistry.
A fun running gambit has Thomas' character devising ways to secretly get back at his brothers with befouled toothbrushes and canteens.
Even with co-producer Mark Stouffer on board, the film has a few unbelievable moments, but it's an entertaining and amiably paced tall tale. Evocatively filmed in wide-screen by David Burr ("The Phantom"), the production overall is first-rate. A special merit badge to animal trainer Senia Phillips for the many splendid scenes with tame and threatening creatures.
WILD AMERICA
Warner Bros.
James G. Robinson presents
a Morgan Creek production
in association with the Steve Tisch Company
A William Dear film
Director William Dear
Prodcuers James G. Robinson, Irby Smith,
Mark Stouffer
Writer David Michael Wieger
Executive producers Gary Barber, Steve Tisch,
Bill Todman Jr.
Director of photography David Burr
Production designer Steven Jordan
Editor O. Nicholas Brown
Music Joel McNeely
Costume designer Mary McLeod
Casting Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Marshall Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Mark Devon Sawa
Marty Scott Bairstow
Agnes Frances Fisher
Marty Sr. Jamie Sheridan
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
The first of two feature films about runner Steve Prefontaine to make it across the finish line, Hollywood Pictures' "Prefontaine" is both epic and intimate, not surprising considering the director/ co-writer is Steve James and the cinematographer/co-producer is Peter Gilbert (two-thirds of the team behind the outstanding 1994 documentary "Hoop Dreams").
One of the most profound, questioning sports films in recent years, "Prefontaine" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and opens commercially Friday. Although the film will earn only modest returns theatrically, its reputation should grow with time and prove to be a strong "kicker" in ancillary markets.
The true story of a phenomenal distance runner who watches U.S. Olympian Jim Ryun on TV as a teenager and amuses his parents by predicting he will compete in the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, "Prefontaine" has many documentary-like elements, including the liberal use of footage of the real "Pre" (as he was dubbed by friends and fans) as well as mock interviews with the principal players in his life.
A construction worker's son from Coos Bay, Ore., the cocky, sometimes arrogant lead is played splendidly by Jared Leto ("How to Make an American Quilt" and TV's "My So-Called Life"). A fast, even reckless driver, but otherwise decent and still in love with his high school sweetheart (Laurel Holloman), Pre cruises off to the University of Oregon and runs for coach Bill Bowerman (R. Lee Ermey).
Having set many national high school records, the kid from nowhere betters NCAA marks, although he initially is disappointed by being given the 3-mile race after Bowerman declares his "kick" not strong enough for the more glamorous mile and 1,500-meter events. As the '72 Olympics loom, he meets and falls for a coed runner (Amy Locane) and alienates one of his most talented teammates, discus thrower Mac Wilkins (Brian McGovern).
Flowing smoothly but lacking conventional dramatic punch, the film effectively evokes the 1968-75 time frame, with the filmmakers shooting in Super 16 to complement the archival footage of numerous races, antiwar protests and Munich, including the death of Israeli athletes at the hands of terrorists just before his big event.
Prefontaine's fourth-place finish in a race he brazenly predicted he'd win (at the unheard-of age of 21) against the world's best is the crucial moment. How he rebounds and maintains his amateur status for a planned rematch against Finland's Lasse Viren four years later is the final act in a life cut short sadly in a car wreck. The film makes a strong appeal that his legacy is one of championing the rights of athletes, as much as his underdog spirit and unfulfilled promise as an Olympian.
The supporting cast is terrific. The soundtrack is also a winner, with familiar songs by the Who and Stephen Stills.
PREFONTAINE
Buena Vista
Hollywood Pictures presents
An Irby Smith/Jon Lutz/Mark Doonan production
Director Steve James
Producers Irby Smith, Jon Lutz, Mark Doonan, Peter Gilbert
Writers Steve James, Eugene Corr
Co-producer Shelly Glasser
Director of photography Peter Gilbert
Production designer Carol Winstead Wood
Editor Peter Frank
Music Mason Daring
Costume designer Tom Bronson
Casting Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Steve Prefontaine Jared Leto
Bill Bowerman R. Lee Ermey
Bill Dellinger Ed O'Neill
Pat Tyson Breckin Meyer
Elfriede Prefontaine Lindsay Crouse
Nancy Alleman Amy Locane
Elaine Finley Laurel Holloman
Mac Wilkins Brian McGovern
Running time -- 106 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
One of the most profound, questioning sports films in recent years, "Prefontaine" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and opens commercially Friday. Although the film will earn only modest returns theatrically, its reputation should grow with time and prove to be a strong "kicker" in ancillary markets.
The true story of a phenomenal distance runner who watches U.S. Olympian Jim Ryun on TV as a teenager and amuses his parents by predicting he will compete in the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, "Prefontaine" has many documentary-like elements, including the liberal use of footage of the real "Pre" (as he was dubbed by friends and fans) as well as mock interviews with the principal players in his life.
A construction worker's son from Coos Bay, Ore., the cocky, sometimes arrogant lead is played splendidly by Jared Leto ("How to Make an American Quilt" and TV's "My So-Called Life"). A fast, even reckless driver, but otherwise decent and still in love with his high school sweetheart (Laurel Holloman), Pre cruises off to the University of Oregon and runs for coach Bill Bowerman (R. Lee Ermey).
Having set many national high school records, the kid from nowhere betters NCAA marks, although he initially is disappointed by being given the 3-mile race after Bowerman declares his "kick" not strong enough for the more glamorous mile and 1,500-meter events. As the '72 Olympics loom, he meets and falls for a coed runner (Amy Locane) and alienates one of his most talented teammates, discus thrower Mac Wilkins (Brian McGovern).
Flowing smoothly but lacking conventional dramatic punch, the film effectively evokes the 1968-75 time frame, with the filmmakers shooting in Super 16 to complement the archival footage of numerous races, antiwar protests and Munich, including the death of Israeli athletes at the hands of terrorists just before his big event.
Prefontaine's fourth-place finish in a race he brazenly predicted he'd win (at the unheard-of age of 21) against the world's best is the crucial moment. How he rebounds and maintains his amateur status for a planned rematch against Finland's Lasse Viren four years later is the final act in a life cut short sadly in a car wreck. The film makes a strong appeal that his legacy is one of championing the rights of athletes, as much as his underdog spirit and unfulfilled promise as an Olympian.
The supporting cast is terrific. The soundtrack is also a winner, with familiar songs by the Who and Stephen Stills.
PREFONTAINE
Buena Vista
Hollywood Pictures presents
An Irby Smith/Jon Lutz/Mark Doonan production
Director Steve James
Producers Irby Smith, Jon Lutz, Mark Doonan, Peter Gilbert
Writers Steve James, Eugene Corr
Co-producer Shelly Glasser
Director of photography Peter Gilbert
Production designer Carol Winstead Wood
Editor Peter Frank
Music Mason Daring
Costume designer Tom Bronson
Casting Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Steve Prefontaine Jared Leto
Bill Bowerman R. Lee Ermey
Bill Dellinger Ed O'Neill
Pat Tyson Breckin Meyer
Elfriede Prefontaine Lindsay Crouse
Nancy Alleman Amy Locane
Elaine Finley Laurel Holloman
Mac Wilkins Brian McGovern
Running time -- 106 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 1/23/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Penelope Ann Miller stars as Margaret Harwood, the half-American 28-year-old daughter of an upper-class London wine merchant (Ian Richardson). While examining an estate cellar in Scotland, she comes across a bottle from 1811 (the title year), and her father promptly sells it to an American millionaire (Shane Rimmer) who sends his good-looking, beer-loving troubleshooter, Oliver Plexico (Tim Daly).
Unluckily for Oliver and Margaret, the Scottish castle is also home to a threesome of evil scientists headed by the charmingly villainous Philippe Louis Jourdan), and when Oliver and Margaret stumble across a corpse in the wine cellar, they soon have the scientists after them.
This kind of farcical thriller needs more bad guys, of course, and gets them in the shape of a local thug and his dear old mom (Julia McCarthy) and another band of henchman headed by a smooth talker (Art Malik) working for another oenophile tycoon. However, the three different mobs, rather than meshing into a comic mess, ply their evil plans in polite, but not very funny order.
There's no sense of escalating chaos, although the film clearly counts on evoking that kind of hysteria.
The romantic relationship between Margaret and Oliver doesn't fare much better, going from bickering rivalry to cooing affection as if on autopilot.
Their early exchanges are not quite funny enough, the later ones not quite passionate enough.
The backgrounds, which include climactic chases on the Riviera, are fitfully integrated into the action. The aforementioned lake, the Castle Green's valley home and the French cliffsides play nice roles whenever they are allowed to, but too much of the action unfolds in anonymous suites and rooms.
YEAR OF THE COMET
A Columbia Pictures Release
Castle Rock Entertainment
in association with New Line Cinema
Producer Nigel Wooll
Director Peter Yates
Writer William Goldman
Director of photography Roger Pratt, B.S.C.
Editor Ray Lovejoy
Production designer Anthony Pratt
Casting Noel Davis, Jeremy Zimmerman, Pam Dixon C.S.A.
Music Hummie Mann
Color/Dolby
Cast:
Margaret Harwood Penelope Ann Miller
Oliver Plexico Tim Daly
Philippe Louis Jourdan
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Unluckily for Oliver and Margaret, the Scottish castle is also home to a threesome of evil scientists headed by the charmingly villainous Philippe Louis Jourdan), and when Oliver and Margaret stumble across a corpse in the wine cellar, they soon have the scientists after them.
This kind of farcical thriller needs more bad guys, of course, and gets them in the shape of a local thug and his dear old mom (Julia McCarthy) and another band of henchman headed by a smooth talker (Art Malik) working for another oenophile tycoon. However, the three different mobs, rather than meshing into a comic mess, ply their evil plans in polite, but not very funny order.
There's no sense of escalating chaos, although the film clearly counts on evoking that kind of hysteria.
The romantic relationship between Margaret and Oliver doesn't fare much better, going from bickering rivalry to cooing affection as if on autopilot.
Their early exchanges are not quite funny enough, the later ones not quite passionate enough.
The backgrounds, which include climactic chases on the Riviera, are fitfully integrated into the action. The aforementioned lake, the Castle Green's valley home and the French cliffsides play nice roles whenever they are allowed to, but too much of the action unfolds in anonymous suites and rooms.
YEAR OF THE COMET
A Columbia Pictures Release
Castle Rock Entertainment
in association with New Line Cinema
Producer Nigel Wooll
Director Peter Yates
Writer William Goldman
Director of photography Roger Pratt, B.S.C.
Editor Ray Lovejoy
Production designer Anthony Pratt
Casting Noel Davis, Jeremy Zimmerman, Pam Dixon C.S.A.
Music Hummie Mann
Color/Dolby
Cast:
Margaret Harwood Penelope Ann Miller
Oliver Plexico Tim Daly
Philippe Louis Jourdan
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
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