In today’s Global Bulletin, U.K.’s National Theatre filmed plays to stream on Amazon Prime Video in the U.K. and Ireland; Mubi boards U.K., Ireland rights for Paul Verhoeven’s Cannes title “Benedetta”; Anton Corbijn directs Sergei Polunin ballet documentary “Dancer II”; Banff sets indigenous screen industry summit; Bild Studios and Lux Machina form Virtual Production partnership; and the third season of International Emmy-winning series “Bluey” will premiere globally on Disney.
Four stage productions filmed by the U.K.’s National Theatre will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the U.K. and Ireland from June 11.
The productions include “Frankenstein,” directed by Danny Boyle and written by Nick Dear, in which joint Olivier Award winners Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternate the roles of the creature and Victor Frankenstein; “Fleabag,” written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge; and “Hamlet” with Benedict Cumberbatch, directed by Lyndsey Turner.
Four stage productions filmed by the U.K.’s National Theatre will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the U.K. and Ireland from June 11.
The productions include “Frankenstein,” directed by Danny Boyle and written by Nick Dear, in which joint Olivier Award winners Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternate the roles of the creature and Victor Frankenstein; “Fleabag,” written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge; and “Hamlet” with Benedict Cumberbatch, directed by Lyndsey Turner.
- 5/25/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Control filmmaker Anton Corbijn has boarded Dancer II, a follow-up to the documentary Dancer again starring ballet superstar Sergei Polunin.
The second film will be a visual exploration of dance and will include multiple extended performance sequences as well as an intimate look into how those are crafted.
Producers are Gabrielle Tana (Dancer) in association with WestEnd Films with Maya Amsellem and Sharon Harel serving as executive producers. WestEnd is handling sales and the project is in production.
Today, the companies have released a first clip of the film, with Cobijn directing Polunin performing to Depeche Mode’s In Your Room. The clip, which you can watch below, was produced by Merman and choreographed by Ross Freddie Ray.
“It was a delight to work with Sergei on this piece by Depeche Mode who I have a very long history with. He brought out the inner struggle of the song so...
The second film will be a visual exploration of dance and will include multiple extended performance sequences as well as an intimate look into how those are crafted.
Producers are Gabrielle Tana (Dancer) in association with WestEnd Films with Maya Amsellem and Sharon Harel serving as executive producers. WestEnd is handling sales and the project is in production.
Today, the companies have released a first clip of the film, with Cobijn directing Polunin performing to Depeche Mode’s In Your Room. The clip, which you can watch below, was produced by Merman and choreographed by Ross Freddie Ray.
“It was a delight to work with Sergei on this piece by Depeche Mode who I have a very long history with. He brought out the inner struggle of the song so...
- 5/25/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Production is under way on Israel’s biggest-budget TV drama series, Valley Of Tears, we can reveal.
The ambitious, under-the-radar project set against the 1973 Yom Kippur War, stars Israeli mega-star Lior Ashkenazi (Foxtrot) and comes from in-demand Israeli writers Ron Leshem (Euphoria) and Amit Cohen (False Flag).
Directed and co-created by Yaron Zilberman (A Late Quartet), and based on true events, the Hebrew-language, eight-part miniseries shepherded by WestEnd Films depicts the 1973 Yom Kippur War through the eyes of young combatants. It will follow the stories of three individuals swept away by the ravages of war, and culminates in a climactic battle. We understand each episode will cost in the region of $1M.
Valley of Tears stars Footnote and Big Bad Wolves actor Ashkenazi, Aviv Alush (The Shack), Lee Biran, Shahar Tavoch, Joy Rieger and Ofer Hayoun (Euphoria). A handful of Israel’s most prominent novelists reportedly took part in...
The ambitious, under-the-radar project set against the 1973 Yom Kippur War, stars Israeli mega-star Lior Ashkenazi (Foxtrot) and comes from in-demand Israeli writers Ron Leshem (Euphoria) and Amit Cohen (False Flag).
Directed and co-created by Yaron Zilberman (A Late Quartet), and based on true events, the Hebrew-language, eight-part miniseries shepherded by WestEnd Films depicts the 1973 Yom Kippur War through the eyes of young combatants. It will follow the stories of three individuals swept away by the ravages of war, and culminates in a climactic battle. We understand each episode will cost in the region of $1M.
Valley of Tears stars Footnote and Big Bad Wolves actor Ashkenazi, Aviv Alush (The Shack), Lee Biran, Shahar Tavoch, Joy Rieger and Ofer Hayoun (Euphoria). A handful of Israel’s most prominent novelists reportedly took part in...
- 7/25/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Anna Nemes and Laszlo Csuja’s female body building drama won award worth $50,000.
Hungarian writer-directors Anna Nemes and Laszlo Csuja’s female body building drama Gentle Monster has scooped the top prize $50,000 prize at the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel International Film Lab (Jsfl).Beauty of the Beast (2022)[/link]
A total of 12 feature projects hailing from Brazil, Ghana, Hungary, Ireland, Georgia and Israel participated in the eighth edition of the eight-month lab.
The awards were handed out at the end of a final wrap up session in Jerusalem, running July 4-8, at which participants pitched their projects to a jury of industry professionals.
Gentle Monster revolves around...
Hungarian writer-directors Anna Nemes and Laszlo Csuja’s female body building drama Gentle Monster has scooped the top prize $50,000 prize at the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel International Film Lab (Jsfl).Beauty of the Beast (2022)[/link]
A total of 12 feature projects hailing from Brazil, Ghana, Hungary, Ireland, Georgia and Israel participated in the eighth edition of the eight-month lab.
The awards were handed out at the end of a final wrap up session in Jerusalem, running July 4-8, at which participants pitched their projects to a jury of industry professionals.
Gentle Monster revolves around...
- 7/10/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Michael Barker, the lauded co-president and co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics, was celebrated with an honorary career tribute in Jerusalem as part of the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab.
Barker, who made his first trip to Israel to attend the event, received the Force-of-Nature in Filmmaking Award. Founded by Renen Schorr and run by producer Lior Sasson, the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab praised Barker as a “major cinematic master-builder” for the pivotal role he played in distributing Israeli films such as “Waltz With Bashir,” “The Band’s Visit,” “Footnote” and “The Gate Keepers,” and leading them to the Academy Awards.
Barker has also distributed critically acclaimed international films such as “Call Me by Your Name,” “Whiplash,” “Talk to Her” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Aside from the tribute to Barker, the film lab gave the top award of its eighth edition to “Gentle Monster,” a project from the Hungarian...
Barker, who made his first trip to Israel to attend the event, received the Force-of-Nature in Filmmaking Award. Founded by Renen Schorr and run by producer Lior Sasson, the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab praised Barker as a “major cinematic master-builder” for the pivotal role he played in distributing Israeli films such as “Waltz With Bashir,” “The Band’s Visit,” “Footnote” and “The Gate Keepers,” and leading them to the Academy Awards.
Barker has also distributed critically acclaimed international films such as “Call Me by Your Name,” “Whiplash,” “Talk to Her” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Aside from the tribute to Barker, the film lab gave the top award of its eighth edition to “Gentle Monster,” a project from the Hungarian...
- 7/9/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Noomi Rapace will star as Mossad’s most famous female agent in “Sylvia,” an action movie from Vicky Jewson, who developed the project with WestEnd Films under the company’s female-skewed WeLove banner. London-based WestEnd will handle sales and will be talking to buyers at Cannes.
The project reunites “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” star Rapace, Jewson and WestEnd after their successful collaboration on action picture “Close.” Netflix took global rights to that picture and launched it in January.
In “Sylvia,” Rapace will play Sylvia Rafael, a South African-born agent who rose to prominence in Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. She was noted for her intelligence work in locating Ali Hassan Salameh, the leader of Palestine’s Black September organization and the figure behind the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. But the mission led to her involvement in the infamous Lillehammer affair, in which an innocent Moroccan...
The project reunites “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” star Rapace, Jewson and WestEnd after their successful collaboration on action picture “Close.” Netflix took global rights to that picture and launched it in January.
In “Sylvia,” Rapace will play Sylvia Rafael, a South African-born agent who rose to prominence in Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. She was noted for her intelligence work in locating Ali Hassan Salameh, the leader of Palestine’s Black September organization and the figure behind the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. But the mission led to her involvement in the infamous Lillehammer affair, in which an innocent Moroccan...
- 5/16/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Neves will join in time for the European Film Market at the Berlinale (Feb 11-19).
Sofia Neves has joined international sales and film financing outfit WestEnd Films as its new director of sales.
Neves previously worked with WestEnd’s managing directors Schoukroun and Maya Amsellem during her time at Capitol Films.
She began her career with producer Paulo Branco before joining Capitol, run by Jane Barclay and Sharon Harel, in 2005.
Neves then moved to HanWay Films, run by Jeremy Thomas and Tim Haslam, in 2008 as the company’s director of sales and distribution.
Throughout her career she has handled titles including Nick Cassavettes’ Alpha Dog, Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion, John Maybury’s The Edge Of Love, Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Nowhere Boy, and Steve McQueen’s Shame
WestEnd’s managing director Maya Amsellem said of the appointment: “We’re delighted to welcome Sofia to the...
Sofia Neves has joined international sales and film financing outfit WestEnd Films as its new director of sales.
Neves previously worked with WestEnd’s managing directors Schoukroun and Maya Amsellem during her time at Capitol Films.
She began her career with producer Paulo Branco before joining Capitol, run by Jane Barclay and Sharon Harel, in 2005.
Neves then moved to HanWay Films, run by Jeremy Thomas and Tim Haslam, in 2008 as the company’s director of sales and distribution.
Throughout her career she has handled titles including Nick Cassavettes’ Alpha Dog, Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion, John Maybury’s The Edge Of Love, Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Nowhere Boy, and Steve McQueen’s Shame
WestEnd’s managing director Maya Amsellem said of the appointment: “We’re delighted to welcome Sofia to the...
- 1/14/2016
- ScreenDaily
Sundance has always been a great launching pad for new breakout talents. Rooney Mara saw her first major part in film was as a supporting player in James C. Strouse’s The Winning Season which premiered at the fest, and veteran actor Ben Mendelsohn had his true breakout moment in Park City for David Michod’s Animal Kingdom. Perhaps the stars will for this highly anticipated directorial debut from an already established talent. First-time director Benedict Andrews is award-winning Australian theatre director who works out of Iceland and London, and judging from his body of work likely made the comfortable leap to this new set of damaged characters with Una – (formerly Blackbird) a screenplay by playwright David Harrower. Principal photography took place this past summer and the film is definitely in the editing phase. There is a small window of opportunity for a feature that will surely yield some emotionally...
- 11/25/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Relationship drama to shoot for five weeks in the UK.
Principal photography has begun on Benedict Andrews’ Blackbird andwill shoot for five weeks across the south of England.
Rooney Mara, who won Best Actress at Cannes last month for her role in Carol, will star opposite Ben Mendelsohn (Starred Up) in the relationship drama.
Based on playwright David Harrower’s Olivier Award-winning play of the same name, it tells the story of Ray (Mendelsohn) who is confronted with his past when Una (Mara) arrives unannounced at his office.
Fifteen years earlier, the two had an illicit affair, for which Ray was arrested and imprisoned. He has since built a new life for himself; she is looking for answers.
Andrews said: “I am relishing the opportunity to bring this vital, highly-charged story to the screen. David has written a beautiful, brutal script and I have two outstanding actors in the roles of Ray and Una.
“The fragility...
Principal photography has begun on Benedict Andrews’ Blackbird andwill shoot for five weeks across the south of England.
Rooney Mara, who won Best Actress at Cannes last month for her role in Carol, will star opposite Ben Mendelsohn (Starred Up) in the relationship drama.
Based on playwright David Harrower’s Olivier Award-winning play of the same name, it tells the story of Ray (Mendelsohn) who is confronted with his past when Una (Mara) arrives unannounced at his office.
Fifteen years earlier, the two had an illicit affair, for which Ray was arrested and imprisoned. He has since built a new life for himself; she is looking for answers.
Andrews said: “I am relishing the opportunity to bring this vital, highly-charged story to the screen. David has written a beautiful, brutal script and I have two outstanding actors in the roles of Ray and Una.
“The fragility...
- 6/17/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Music giant to rep rights to Pulse’s originally commissioned film and TV music, TV shows in the works.
Sony/Atv Music Publishing has inked a deal to administer Pulse Films’ originally-commissioned film and TV music.
The rights tie-up between buzzed-about London-based outfit Pulse – producers of Gael Garcia Bernal doc Who is Dayani Cristal? and upcoming Nick Cave doc 20,000 Days on Earth – and music kingpin Sony/Atv, will include soundtrack rights to Pulse’s upcoming C4 First Cuts doc Payday directed by Fred Scott and Nick Davies (Fred & Nick), who made the Take That doc Look Back, Don’t Stare, and the score for a primetime series for a UK broadcaster, due to air next year.
At Sony/Atv, James Carslake and Jon Pugh will look to grow Pulse’s music publishing catalogue, and find creative opportunities for the company’s artists across their projects.
Pulse’s roster of directors includes Shut Up and Play the Hits and No Distance Left to Run...
Sony/Atv Music Publishing has inked a deal to administer Pulse Films’ originally-commissioned film and TV music.
The rights tie-up between buzzed-about London-based outfit Pulse – producers of Gael Garcia Bernal doc Who is Dayani Cristal? and upcoming Nick Cave doc 20,000 Days on Earth – and music kingpin Sony/Atv, will include soundtrack rights to Pulse’s upcoming C4 First Cuts doc Payday directed by Fred Scott and Nick Davies (Fred & Nick), who made the Take That doc Look Back, Don’t Stare, and the score for a primetime series for a UK broadcaster, due to air next year.
At Sony/Atv, James Carslake and Jon Pugh will look to grow Pulse’s music publishing catalogue, and find creative opportunities for the company’s artists across their projects.
Pulse’s roster of directors includes Shut Up and Play the Hits and No Distance Left to Run...
- 11/18/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Film is about French artist Jr’s huge participatory art project of the same name.
London-based WestEnd Films has taken international rights to Inside Out: The People’s Art Project, a feature documentary about participants in French artist Jr’s worldwide art project of the same name.
Alastair Siddons’ film follows some of the 150,000 (and counting) participants in the ongoing ‘worldwide art adventure.’ Ordinary citizens are encouraged to express what they stand for.
Producers are Emile Abinal and WestEnd’s Sharon Harel-Cohen. Executive producers are Marco Berrebi, Leo Haidar, Sol Guy and Jane Rosenthal.
The film, a UK-France co-production, premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. WestEnd Films starts sales in Toronto.
Jr, whose full identity remains anonymous, won the Ted Prize in 2011. He was granted initial funding to start the world’s largest participatory art project, inspired by his large-format street ‘pastings.’
The film tracks the evolution of the project as Jr travels the globe...
London-based WestEnd Films has taken international rights to Inside Out: The People’s Art Project, a feature documentary about participants in French artist Jr’s worldwide art project of the same name.
Alastair Siddons’ film follows some of the 150,000 (and counting) participants in the ongoing ‘worldwide art adventure.’ Ordinary citizens are encouraged to express what they stand for.
Producers are Emile Abinal and WestEnd’s Sharon Harel-Cohen. Executive producers are Marco Berrebi, Leo Haidar, Sol Guy and Jane Rosenthal.
The film, a UK-France co-production, premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. WestEnd Films starts sales in Toronto.
Jr, whose full identity remains anonymous, won the Ted Prize in 2011. He was granted initial funding to start the world’s largest participatory art project, inspired by his large-format street ‘pastings.’
The film tracks the evolution of the project as Jr travels the globe...
- 9/5/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
This story first appeared in the August 24 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. When Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Shia Labeouf and Mia Wasikowska arrived at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival for the world premiere of John Hillcoat's Prohibition-era gangster movie Lawless, they were the toast of the Croisette. First, venture capital magnate Ronald Cohen and his wife, Sharon Harel, a movie producer, threw an intimate dinner for the cast at their historic villa, Les Glaieuls. Then there was the lunch aboard Russia-born billionaire Len Blavatnik's super-yacht, Odessa, with Harvey Weinstein, whose company is releasing Lawless in
read more...
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- 8/15/2012
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York (May 13, 2011) -- Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all North American and Latin American rights to Joseph Cedar’s Footnote from WestEnd Films. The film is a contender for the 2011 Cannes Film Festival Palme D’Or. Cedar’s last film Beaufort was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 2008. Footnote follows a great rivalry between a father and his son, their need for each other and their need for respect and recognition in the world. The film stars Shlomo Bar Aba and Lior Ashkenazi, and was produced by David Mandill (Beaufort, Campfire) and United King (Lebanon, Walk On Water). “Sony Pictures Classics represents the best in world cinema,” explained WestEnd chairman and co-founder Sharon Harel. “They are the perfect home for this wonderful film and very special director.” “When we met Joseph Cedar a few years ago, we knew he was a director of extraordinary talent.
- 5/13/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Sneak Peek the new UK quad poster, supporting Momentum Pictures' upcoming comedy feature "Tamara Drewe", directed by Stephen Frears ("Prick Up Your Ears").
"...Once a shy and unattractive teenager from a small rural idyll, Tamara’s past catches up with her when she returns to her old village and has to face an old flame. With a rock star boyfriend back in London she gets caught in a love triangle and becomes the focus of gossiping locals..."
The live action feature adapts author Posy Simmonds' graphic novel "Tamara Drewe" for Sony Pictures Classics, starring actress Gemma Arterton ("Quantum Of Solace") as 'Drewe'.
Cast also includes Dominic Cooper, Roger Allam, Luke Evans, Bill Camp and Tamsin Greig.
"Tamara Drewe", was originally a collection of comics published in UK newspaper the "Guardian", reimagining author Thomas Hardy's literary classic "Far From the Madding Crowd."
The new film, with a screenplay by Moira Buffini,...
"...Once a shy and unattractive teenager from a small rural idyll, Tamara’s past catches up with her when she returns to her old village and has to face an old flame. With a rock star boyfriend back in London she gets caught in a love triangle and becomes the focus of gossiping locals..."
The live action feature adapts author Posy Simmonds' graphic novel "Tamara Drewe" for Sony Pictures Classics, starring actress Gemma Arterton ("Quantum Of Solace") as 'Drewe'.
Cast also includes Dominic Cooper, Roger Allam, Luke Evans, Bill Camp and Tamsin Greig.
"Tamara Drewe", was originally a collection of comics published in UK newspaper the "Guardian", reimagining author Thomas Hardy's literary classic "Far From the Madding Crowd."
The new film, with a screenplay by Moira Buffini,...
- 7/29/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sneak Peek a new international (French) poster supporting Momentum Pictures' upcoming comedy feature "Tamara Drewe", directed by Stephen Frears ("Prick Up Your Ears").
"...Once a shy and unattractive teenager from a small rural idyll, Tamara’s past catches up with her when she returns to her old village and has to face an old flame. With a rock star boyfriend back in London she gets caught in a love triangle and becomes the focus of gossiping locals..."
The live action feature adapts author Posy Simmonds' graphic novel "Tamara Drewe" for Sony Pictures Classics, starring actress Gemma Arterton ("Quantum Of Solace") as 'Drewe'.
Cast also includes Dominic Cooper, Roger Allam, Luke Evans, Bill Camp and Tamsin Greig.
"Tamara Drewe", was originally a collection of comics published in UK newspaper the "Guardian", reimagining author Thomas Hardy's literary classic "Far From the Madding Crowd."
The new film, with a screenplay by Moira Buffini,...
"...Once a shy and unattractive teenager from a small rural idyll, Tamara’s past catches up with her when she returns to her old village and has to face an old flame. With a rock star boyfriend back in London she gets caught in a love triangle and becomes the focus of gossiping locals..."
The live action feature adapts author Posy Simmonds' graphic novel "Tamara Drewe" for Sony Pictures Classics, starring actress Gemma Arterton ("Quantum Of Solace") as 'Drewe'.
Cast also includes Dominic Cooper, Roger Allam, Luke Evans, Bill Camp and Tamsin Greig.
"Tamara Drewe", was originally a collection of comics published in UK newspaper the "Guardian", reimagining author Thomas Hardy's literary classic "Far From the Madding Crowd."
The new film, with a screenplay by Moira Buffini,...
- 6/21/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
London based Westend Films was founded by Eve Schoukroun and Maya Amsellem with backing from Sharon Harel. This executive team has broad experience ranging from production and financing to international distribution. Westend has 2 films in the festival, Ch@troom by Hideo Nakata in Un Certain Regard. Chatroom is a result of a 20% increased budget by Channel 4 for standalone filmmaking division Film4. Film4's other film is the Cannes Competition favorite thus far, Mike Leigh's Another Year. Film4's reincarnation is derived from…...
- 5/18/2010
- Sydney's Buzz
British director Stephen "Cheri" Frears will direct a live-action feature adaptation of creator Posy Simmonds' graphic novel Tamara Drewe for Sony Pictures Classics, starring actress Gemma "Quantum Of Solace" Arterton as 'Drewe', a writer who returns to her country village only to stir up 'dark passions' among the villagers. Cast will also include actors Dominic Cooper, Roger Allam, Luke Evans, Bill Camp and Tamsin Greig. Tamara Drewe, was originally published in the UK newspaper the "Guardian", reimagining author Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd." The new film will be based on an adapted screenplay by Moira Buffini, for Ruby Films, BBC Films and West End films. Alison Owen will produce the feature with Tracey "The Queen" Seaward, for executive producers Paul Trijbits, Scott Rudin, Sharon Harel and BBC Films' Christine Langan. Lensing started today (Sept. 21) @ the UK's Pinewood Studios. Click on the images to enlarge...
- 9/21/2009
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
To the readers: It helps if you have subscriptions to IMDbPro and Cinando as most of the links are to these two sites. Please let me know if you are not subscribers and I will try to vary the sources more broadly.
26 Films licensed "Keep It Together" to Splendid for German speaking territories.
Absurda - A David Lynch Company has licensed "My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done?" to Kinowelt for German speaking territories. Unified has U.S. and Ws has Canada.
Alliance licensed its entire library to Talat Captaan for the Middle East including Iran. It will serve as the basis for Captaan's reentering the sales business.
American World Pictures licensed "Parasomnia" to KMY Films for Cambodia.
Bavaria’s "Van Dieman’s Land" went to U.K. (High Fliers). "Bad Day To Go Fishing" went to Greece (Pcv). "Everyone Else" aka "Alle Anderen" went to Cis (Russian Report). "Let The Right One In" went to Turkey(Bir), Hong Kong (Edko), Colombia (Cinecolombia). "Troubled Water" went to Taiwan (Khan).
Beta licensed "North Face" to Music Box Films for U.S.
26 Films licensed "Keep It Together" to Splendid for German speaking territories.
Absurda - A David Lynch Company has licensed "My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done?" to Kinowelt for German speaking territories. Unified has U.S. and Ws has Canada.
Alliance licensed its entire library to Talat Captaan for the Middle East including Iran. It will serve as the basis for Captaan's reentering the sales business.
American World Pictures licensed "Parasomnia" to KMY Films for Cambodia.
Bavaria’s "Van Dieman’s Land" went to U.K. (High Fliers). "Bad Day To Go Fishing" went to Greece (Pcv). "Everyone Else" aka "Alle Anderen" went to Cis (Russian Report). "Let The Right One In" went to Turkey(Bir), Hong Kong (Edko), Colombia (Cinecolombia). "Troubled Water" went to Taiwan (Khan).
Beta licensed "North Face" to Music Box Films for U.S.
- 5/16/2009
- by sydneyjlevine@gmail.com (Sydney)
- Sydney's Buzz
LONDON -- Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs David Bergstein and Ronald Tutor have snapped up U.K. movie sales and finance house Capitol Films for an undisclosed sum, the parties said Sunday. The deal saw the three owners of Capitol Films -- Sharon Harel, Jane Barclay and Hannah Leader -- sell the company to Bergstein and Tutor, who will center Capitol in an entertainment group with interests in production, postproduction, library management and sales. Capitol will retain its London office and staff, while Barclay, Leader and co-managing director Nick Hill will continue to manage the affairs of the company, a deal statement said.
- 1/23/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs David Bergstein and Ronald Tutor have snapped up U.K. movie sales and finance house Capitol Films for an undisclosed sum, the parties said Sunday. The deal saw the three owners of Capitol Films -- Sharon Harel, Jane Barclay and Hannah Leader -- sell the company to Bergstein and Tutor, who will center Capitol in an entertainment group with interests in production, postproduction, library management and sales. Capitol will retain its London office and staff, while Barclay, Leader and co-managing director Nick Hill will continue to manage the affairs of the company, a deal statement said.
- 1/23/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- U.K. sales and finance house Capitol Films has hired Nick Hill, the former CEO of Icon Entertainment, as its joint managing director, Capitol said Tuesday. Hill joins Capitol as joint managing director alongside existing managing director Jane Barclay. Co-founder and current co-managing director Sharon Harel is stepping down from the day-to-day running of the business, making way for Hill's appointment. Said Harel in a statement: "I have decided from the New Year to take a less active role in the day-to-day running of Capitol although I remain the principal shareholder and co-chair of the board. I know that Nick Hill) will take over the mantel of day-to-day control with Jane Barclay) and Hannah Leader) bringing a fresh enthusiasm and much experience." Added Hill: "I'm very pleased to be joining Capitol. I have known Sharon, Jane and Hannah for many years and have always admired the way they have built their company."...
- 11/15/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
AUSTIN -- On paper, it sounds like a carbon copy of "Fargo": A desperate man in a snow-packed small town turns to crime in an effort to avoid bankruptcy; his plan is thwarted by bad luck, oddball goons and an investigator who simply won't quit.
The similarities multiply from there, as "The Big White" also traffics in black humor leavened by a very un-noirlike sympathy for its protagonists. There are even some funny accents, though this film's sense of place is a good deal shakier than that of its predecessor. Where the Coen brothers' film was sure-footed in its odd blend of tones, "The Big White" never completely finds its balance.
The film is screening at the Fantastic Fest in Austin.
Leading an unusually strong indie cast, Robin Williams plays Paul Barnell, a travel agent whose wife, Margaret (Holly Hunter), suffers from some behavioral problem (possibly Tourette Syndrome) that the couple's health insurance won't cover. When he finds a dead body in a dumpster, Paul tries to pass it off as his long-lost brother and collect on a million-dollar life-insurance policy.
Naturally, Paul's brother chooses this moment to end his five-year absence, while the criminals who stashed the body to begin with track it to Paul. Both parties make Paul's life terribly awkward while a suspicious claims adjuster (Giovanni Ribisi, looking a bit like a corpse himself) sniffs around.
The film shows its nasty sense of humor early on, as Paul brutalizes the cadaver to fit it into a refrigerator. Soon the violence spreads to living victims, with beatings dished out at one point or another to much of the cast. The most successful bit of slapstick comes from Margaret, who bewilders an intruder with a barrage of unexpected projectiles.
(The screenplay is littered with suggestions that Margaret's illness is imaginary, but this is never resolved. Whatever the case, Hunter is always active with some sort of business, whether cursing at a friendly neighborhood kid or bunny-hopping from room to room.)
Like so much of the film, the production design is deliberately quirky -- from an all-white insurance company office to the tacky '70s decor in the Barnell home. The look doesn't quite ring true, and neither do many of the screenplay's little curveballs: the kidnapper who frets over the meals he cooks for his hostage, the girlfriend who works for a psychic hotline, the old-lady neighbor who wields a Ted Nugent-sized bowhunting rig. Strangely, one of the film's most conventional elements is its score, which was penned by Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh.
At heart, the film wants to be about a husband who loves his wife so much that he'll do bad, stupid things to provide for her. But the mainstream audiences who most would identify with this theme are likely to be alienated by the movie's violence and quirks, while the indie/art house market might not see anything here they haven't seen done better elsewhere. Distributors might lure a crowd with big names and slapstick, but few viewers will recommend "The Big White" to friends with much enthusiasm.
THE BIG WHITE
Ascendant Pictures
Credits: Director: Mark Mylod; Screenwriter: Collin Friesen; Producers: Christopher Eberts, David Faigenblum, Chris Roberts; Executive producers: Michael Birnbaum, Andreas Grosch, Sharon Harel, Kia Jam, Hannah Leader, John Schimmel, Andreas Schmid; Director of photography: James Glennon; Production designer: Jon Billington; Music: Mark Mothersbaugh; Co-producer: Elaine Dysinger; Costumes: Darena Snowe; Editor: Julie Monroe. Cast: Paul Barnell: Robin Williams; Margaret Barnell: Holly Hunter; Ted: Giovanni Ribisi; Tiffany: Alison Lohman; Gary: Tim Blake Nelson; Jimbo: W. Earl Brown; Raymond: Woody Harrelson.
MPAA rating R, running time 104 minutes.
The similarities multiply from there, as "The Big White" also traffics in black humor leavened by a very un-noirlike sympathy for its protagonists. There are even some funny accents, though this film's sense of place is a good deal shakier than that of its predecessor. Where the Coen brothers' film was sure-footed in its odd blend of tones, "The Big White" never completely finds its balance.
The film is screening at the Fantastic Fest in Austin.
Leading an unusually strong indie cast, Robin Williams plays Paul Barnell, a travel agent whose wife, Margaret (Holly Hunter), suffers from some behavioral problem (possibly Tourette Syndrome) that the couple's health insurance won't cover. When he finds a dead body in a dumpster, Paul tries to pass it off as his long-lost brother and collect on a million-dollar life-insurance policy.
Naturally, Paul's brother chooses this moment to end his five-year absence, while the criminals who stashed the body to begin with track it to Paul. Both parties make Paul's life terribly awkward while a suspicious claims adjuster (Giovanni Ribisi, looking a bit like a corpse himself) sniffs around.
The film shows its nasty sense of humor early on, as Paul brutalizes the cadaver to fit it into a refrigerator. Soon the violence spreads to living victims, with beatings dished out at one point or another to much of the cast. The most successful bit of slapstick comes from Margaret, who bewilders an intruder with a barrage of unexpected projectiles.
(The screenplay is littered with suggestions that Margaret's illness is imaginary, but this is never resolved. Whatever the case, Hunter is always active with some sort of business, whether cursing at a friendly neighborhood kid or bunny-hopping from room to room.)
Like so much of the film, the production design is deliberately quirky -- from an all-white insurance company office to the tacky '70s decor in the Barnell home. The look doesn't quite ring true, and neither do many of the screenplay's little curveballs: the kidnapper who frets over the meals he cooks for his hostage, the girlfriend who works for a psychic hotline, the old-lady neighbor who wields a Ted Nugent-sized bowhunting rig. Strangely, one of the film's most conventional elements is its score, which was penned by Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh.
At heart, the film wants to be about a husband who loves his wife so much that he'll do bad, stupid things to provide for her. But the mainstream audiences who most would identify with this theme are likely to be alienated by the movie's violence and quirks, while the indie/art house market might not see anything here they haven't seen done better elsewhere. Distributors might lure a crowd with big names and slapstick, but few viewers will recommend "The Big White" to friends with much enthusiasm.
THE BIG WHITE
Ascendant Pictures
Credits: Director: Mark Mylod; Screenwriter: Collin Friesen; Producers: Christopher Eberts, David Faigenblum, Chris Roberts; Executive producers: Michael Birnbaum, Andreas Grosch, Sharon Harel, Kia Jam, Hannah Leader, John Schimmel, Andreas Schmid; Director of photography: James Glennon; Production designer: Jon Billington; Music: Mark Mothersbaugh; Co-producer: Elaine Dysinger; Costumes: Darena Snowe; Editor: Julie Monroe. Cast: Paul Barnell: Robin Williams; Margaret Barnell: Holly Hunter; Ted: Giovanni Ribisi; Tiffany: Alison Lohman; Gary: Tim Blake Nelson; Jimbo: W. Earl Brown; Raymond: Woody Harrelson.
MPAA rating R, running time 104 minutes.
- 10/10/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Woody Harrelson has stepped aboard Ascendant Pictures/VIP Medienfonds' dark comedy The Big White. Harrelson is replacing James Woods, who had to drop out because of a scheduling conflict. In the film, a destitute Alaskan travel agent (Robin Williams) thinks he has found the answer to his financial problems in the form of a frozen body, which he tries to pass off as his long-lost brother (Harrelson) for the insurance money. The agent's plans are thwarted by a claims adjuster (Giovanni Ribisi) and two aspiring hitmen (Earl Brown and Tim Blake Nelson). Holly Hunter and Alison Lohman round out the cast. Ascendant's Christopher Eberts and Chris Roberts and Concept Entertainment's David Faigenblum are producing. VIP's Andreas Schmid and Andreas Grosch and Capitol Films' Sharon Harel and Hannah Leader are executive producing. Capitol is handling foreign rights. Harrelson's recent features include Jack Tucker, Trucker, After the Sunset and She Hate Me. Harrelson is repped by CAA.
- 4/16/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screened
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- "The Company" is Robert Altman's valentine to the challenging world of ballet and its world-class dancers. Eschewing the high drama of a dance film like "The Turning Point", Altman and his collaborators go for documentary-like realism, which scrutinizes company rehearsals, quick repairs to bruised and calloused bodies, arguments over choreography and the performances themselves, all lovingly photographed by Andrew Dunn. Altman and screenwriter Barbara Turner impose little narration on the film. Instead, they let the drama emerge from the daily routines of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago.
After the rousing critical and boxoffice success of his previous film, "Gosford Park", "The Company" may strike some as a minor work from the iconoclastic director. This also may translate into a limited, though highly appreciative, audience for the Sony Pictures Classics release. Yet the glories of the Joffrey Ballet and Dunn's luminescent cinematography, shooting in high-definition video to give us views from outside the proscenium, in the wings and overhead, make "The Company" a wonderfully vivid and engaging theatrical experience.
The genesis of the film lies with actress Neve Campbell, a fine dancer who studied with the National Ballet of Canada before embarking on an acting career. Campbell wrote the story with Turner and is the only actor in the film to participate with the Joffrey corps, doing all her own dances while playing the role of Ry, a company member on the verge of becoming a principal dancer. Realizing this project not only represents the fulfillment of a longtime dream but also a smart move as an actress. This film should get Campbell out of the "Scream" business and into classier movies and roles.
The other actor to command the screen is Malcolm McDowell, who plays Alberto Antonelli, the ballet's autocratic director. Alberto roams through rehearsal halls and company offices, wearing a series of dapper scarves and bringing the full weight of his demanding personality into every room he visits. He refers to the dancers as "my babies" and insists that they think beyond their own movements to the concept of the ballet itself. (Alberto is loosely based on Joffrey head Gerald Arpino.) It is indicative of Altman's determination to keep things real that an underling, summoning the boss to tend to another crisis elsewhere in the building, interrupts any moment involving Alberto that threatens to become dramatic.
The movie has little plot. An injury creates an opportunity for Ry to perform a pas de deux in an outdoor theater during a thunderstorm. (This is perhaps the movie's most visually exciting sequence.) She is a great success, but Alberto's promise to create dances around her fades, much to the annoyance of her pushy mother (Marilyn Dodds Frank).
Ry breaks up with a boyfriend in the company, then takes up with Josh James Franco), an affable sous chef. A veteran dancer snaps her Achilles tendon, a male dancer is replaced the week before a major ballet and threatens legal action, and dancers and choreographers occasionally clash over movements. That's about it for drama.
The real drama evolves out of the daily lives of the company. Altman, Turner and Campbell prefer to let simple observation demonstrate the battle a dancer must wage to stay on top of his or her game. We are surprised to see Ry forced to work as a cocktail waitress to make ends meet. We witness how dancers' careers are always at the disposal of the company's determined director. We understand the role injuries play.
Such is Altman's love for this brave world that he glides by its darker sides. The impact of AIDS is mentioned only in passing, and nothing at all is said about dancers' constant battle to keep their weight down.
The time period is not always clear, either. We sometimes go from rehearsal to performance in a single cut. One night Ry meets Josh in a saloon, and soon he has her apartment key. Are we experiencing a single season here or several years? Hard to say.
But the film does sweep us up into the lives of ballet dancers in ways no other film ever has. Altman also takes the time to stage and film several individual ballets nearly completely. And the costumes, makeup and design both of the film and the dance performances are magnificent.
THE COMPANY
Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics presents in association with CP Medien and Capitol Films a Killer Films/John Wells production in association with First Snow Prods. and Sand Castle 5 Prods.
Credits:
Director: Robert Altman
Screenwriter: Barbara Turner
Based on a story by: Neve Campbell, Barbara Turner
Producers: David Levy, Joshua Astrachan, Neve Campbell, Christine Vachon, Robert Altman, Pamela Koffler
Executive producers: Jane Barclay, Sharon Harel, Hannah Leader, John Wells, Roland Pellegrino, Dieter Meyer
Director of photography: Andrew Dunn
Production designer: Gary Baugh
Music: Van Dyke Parks
Costume designer: Susan Kaufman
Editor: Geraldine Peroni
Cast:
Ry: Neve Campbell
Alberto Antonelli: Malcolm McDowell
Josh: James Franco
Harriet: Barbara Robertson
Edouard: William Dick
Susie: Susie Cusack
Ry's mother: Marilyn Dodds Frank
Ry's father: John Lordan
Running time -- 112 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- "The Company" is Robert Altman's valentine to the challenging world of ballet and its world-class dancers. Eschewing the high drama of a dance film like "The Turning Point", Altman and his collaborators go for documentary-like realism, which scrutinizes company rehearsals, quick repairs to bruised and calloused bodies, arguments over choreography and the performances themselves, all lovingly photographed by Andrew Dunn. Altman and screenwriter Barbara Turner impose little narration on the film. Instead, they let the drama emerge from the daily routines of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago.
After the rousing critical and boxoffice success of his previous film, "Gosford Park", "The Company" may strike some as a minor work from the iconoclastic director. This also may translate into a limited, though highly appreciative, audience for the Sony Pictures Classics release. Yet the glories of the Joffrey Ballet and Dunn's luminescent cinematography, shooting in high-definition video to give us views from outside the proscenium, in the wings and overhead, make "The Company" a wonderfully vivid and engaging theatrical experience.
The genesis of the film lies with actress Neve Campbell, a fine dancer who studied with the National Ballet of Canada before embarking on an acting career. Campbell wrote the story with Turner and is the only actor in the film to participate with the Joffrey corps, doing all her own dances while playing the role of Ry, a company member on the verge of becoming a principal dancer. Realizing this project not only represents the fulfillment of a longtime dream but also a smart move as an actress. This film should get Campbell out of the "Scream" business and into classier movies and roles.
The other actor to command the screen is Malcolm McDowell, who plays Alberto Antonelli, the ballet's autocratic director. Alberto roams through rehearsal halls and company offices, wearing a series of dapper scarves and bringing the full weight of his demanding personality into every room he visits. He refers to the dancers as "my babies" and insists that they think beyond their own movements to the concept of the ballet itself. (Alberto is loosely based on Joffrey head Gerald Arpino.) It is indicative of Altman's determination to keep things real that an underling, summoning the boss to tend to another crisis elsewhere in the building, interrupts any moment involving Alberto that threatens to become dramatic.
The movie has little plot. An injury creates an opportunity for Ry to perform a pas de deux in an outdoor theater during a thunderstorm. (This is perhaps the movie's most visually exciting sequence.) She is a great success, but Alberto's promise to create dances around her fades, much to the annoyance of her pushy mother (Marilyn Dodds Frank).
Ry breaks up with a boyfriend in the company, then takes up with Josh James Franco), an affable sous chef. A veteran dancer snaps her Achilles tendon, a male dancer is replaced the week before a major ballet and threatens legal action, and dancers and choreographers occasionally clash over movements. That's about it for drama.
The real drama evolves out of the daily lives of the company. Altman, Turner and Campbell prefer to let simple observation demonstrate the battle a dancer must wage to stay on top of his or her game. We are surprised to see Ry forced to work as a cocktail waitress to make ends meet. We witness how dancers' careers are always at the disposal of the company's determined director. We understand the role injuries play.
Such is Altman's love for this brave world that he glides by its darker sides. The impact of AIDS is mentioned only in passing, and nothing at all is said about dancers' constant battle to keep their weight down.
The time period is not always clear, either. We sometimes go from rehearsal to performance in a single cut. One night Ry meets Josh in a saloon, and soon he has her apartment key. Are we experiencing a single season here or several years? Hard to say.
But the film does sweep us up into the lives of ballet dancers in ways no other film ever has. Altman also takes the time to stage and film several individual ballets nearly completely. And the costumes, makeup and design both of the film and the dance performances are magnificent.
THE COMPANY
Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics presents in association with CP Medien and Capitol Films a Killer Films/John Wells production in association with First Snow Prods. and Sand Castle 5 Prods.
Credits:
Director: Robert Altman
Screenwriter: Barbara Turner
Based on a story by: Neve Campbell, Barbara Turner
Producers: David Levy, Joshua Astrachan, Neve Campbell, Christine Vachon, Robert Altman, Pamela Koffler
Executive producers: Jane Barclay, Sharon Harel, Hannah Leader, John Wells, Roland Pellegrino, Dieter Meyer
Director of photography: Andrew Dunn
Production designer: Gary Baugh
Music: Van Dyke Parks
Costume designer: Susan Kaufman
Editor: Geraldine Peroni
Cast:
Ry: Neve Campbell
Alberto Antonelli: Malcolm McDowell
Josh: James Franco
Harriet: Barbara Robertson
Edouard: William Dick
Susie: Susie Cusack
Ry's mother: Marilyn Dodds Frank
Ry's father: John Lordan
Running time -- 112 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/11/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Lulu on the Bridge" is "LaLa" on the beach here at the 51st Cannes International Film Festival. An indecipherable indie starring Harvey Keitel as a wounded jazz player, "Lulu" is likely to leave no one gaga, even on the art house circuit.
When the opening shot is of Keitel standing at a urinal taking a whiz, you know you're going to be in for some overwrought filmmaking, even by the lax and pretentious standards of the independent film oeuvre. Written and directed by Paul Auster, who previously teamed with Wayne Wang and Keitel on Miramax's sly and supple story about a streetcorner cigar store, this offering is, unfortunately, all smoke and little flavor.
A mixed blend of philosophizing, psychologizing and mystifying, "Lulu" follows the uneven trajectory of alto sax jazzman, Izzy (Keitel), who is struck by a random bullet one night while whaling away at a session. The bullet has rendered his left lung unworkable -- with no lung capacity, Izzy's career as a saxophonist has ended. In its initial development, "Lulu" charts his recovery as he copes with his essentially life-ending predicament.
Unfortunately, this psychological charting is largely a series of billowing blather, a cadenza of platitudes -- "I'm much younger than I was", "I'm finally connecting", etc. -- that obscures rather than amplifies Izzy's plight. Even worse, Auster goes off on all sorts of distended dramatic riffs, most of them so overwritten and structurally cute that one surmises that this screenplay went through rigorous development at a university writing lab.
While the film's structure stretches for philosophizing, the plotting and narrative flow are characterized by huge open gaps and flip philosophical discourses, and the visual direction is similarly undisciplined. Auster gropes for meaning in his shots -- lingering, say, on the Statue of Liberty after an otherwise desultory camera movement.
In short, "Lulu" is all puff and piffle -- its characters drawn in shorthand and its philosophizing written in gruelingly tedious longhand. In particular, a philosophical discussion about a turd is so pretentious and sophomoric that one supposes this film was penned by a graduate student.
As the wounded saxophonist, Keitel brings a credible weariness to his role, while Mira Sorvino is well-cast as an actress/waitress who meets him under mysterious circumstances. Willem Dafoe does an amusing serpentine turn as some sort of thug/inquisitor, while Vanessa Redgrave oozes presence as a dithery director.
Technical contributions are solid, particularly Alik Sakharov's dark and shaded compositions; however, Graeme Revell's dour score drains "Lulu" of even the little life it has as a human story.
LULU ON THE BRIDGE
Capitol Films presents
a Paul Auster film
CREDITS:
Producers: Peter Newman, Greg Johnson, Amy J. Kaufman
Screenwriter-director: Paul Auster
Executive producers: Sharon Harel, Jane Barclay, Ira Deutchman
Director of photography: Alik Sakharov
Editor: Tim Squyres
Production designer: Kalina Ivanov
Costume designer: Adelle Lutz
Music: Graeme Revell
Katmandu CD music by: John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards
Music supervisor: Susan Jacobs
Sound mixer: Michael Barosky
Casting: Heidi Levitt, Ann Goulder
CAST:
Izzy Maurer: Harvey Keitel
Celia Burns: Mira Sorvino
Dr. Van Horn: Willem Dafoe
Hannah: Gina Gershon
Philip Kleinman: Mandy Patinkin
Catherine Moore: Vanessa Redgrave
Tyrone Lord: Don Byron
Dave Reilly: Richard Edson
Pierre: Victor Argo
Running Time: 103 minutes...
When the opening shot is of Keitel standing at a urinal taking a whiz, you know you're going to be in for some overwrought filmmaking, even by the lax and pretentious standards of the independent film oeuvre. Written and directed by Paul Auster, who previously teamed with Wayne Wang and Keitel on Miramax's sly and supple story about a streetcorner cigar store, this offering is, unfortunately, all smoke and little flavor.
A mixed blend of philosophizing, psychologizing and mystifying, "Lulu" follows the uneven trajectory of alto sax jazzman, Izzy (Keitel), who is struck by a random bullet one night while whaling away at a session. The bullet has rendered his left lung unworkable -- with no lung capacity, Izzy's career as a saxophonist has ended. In its initial development, "Lulu" charts his recovery as he copes with his essentially life-ending predicament.
Unfortunately, this psychological charting is largely a series of billowing blather, a cadenza of platitudes -- "I'm much younger than I was", "I'm finally connecting", etc. -- that obscures rather than amplifies Izzy's plight. Even worse, Auster goes off on all sorts of distended dramatic riffs, most of them so overwritten and structurally cute that one surmises that this screenplay went through rigorous development at a university writing lab.
While the film's structure stretches for philosophizing, the plotting and narrative flow are characterized by huge open gaps and flip philosophical discourses, and the visual direction is similarly undisciplined. Auster gropes for meaning in his shots -- lingering, say, on the Statue of Liberty after an otherwise desultory camera movement.
In short, "Lulu" is all puff and piffle -- its characters drawn in shorthand and its philosophizing written in gruelingly tedious longhand. In particular, a philosophical discussion about a turd is so pretentious and sophomoric that one supposes this film was penned by a graduate student.
As the wounded saxophonist, Keitel brings a credible weariness to his role, while Mira Sorvino is well-cast as an actress/waitress who meets him under mysterious circumstances. Willem Dafoe does an amusing serpentine turn as some sort of thug/inquisitor, while Vanessa Redgrave oozes presence as a dithery director.
Technical contributions are solid, particularly Alik Sakharov's dark and shaded compositions; however, Graeme Revell's dour score drains "Lulu" of even the little life it has as a human story.
LULU ON THE BRIDGE
Capitol Films presents
a Paul Auster film
CREDITS:
Producers: Peter Newman, Greg Johnson, Amy J. Kaufman
Screenwriter-director: Paul Auster
Executive producers: Sharon Harel, Jane Barclay, Ira Deutchman
Director of photography: Alik Sakharov
Editor: Tim Squyres
Production designer: Kalina Ivanov
Costume designer: Adelle Lutz
Music: Graeme Revell
Katmandu CD music by: John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards
Music supervisor: Susan Jacobs
Sound mixer: Michael Barosky
Casting: Heidi Levitt, Ann Goulder
CAST:
Izzy Maurer: Harvey Keitel
Celia Burns: Mira Sorvino
Dr. Van Horn: Willem Dafoe
Hannah: Gina Gershon
Philip Kleinman: Mandy Patinkin
Catherine Moore: Vanessa Redgrave
Tyrone Lord: Don Byron
Dave Reilly: Richard Edson
Pierre: Victor Argo
Running Time: 103 minutes...
- 5/15/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
An affable comedy of manners about a Bronx pizza-maker who follows his thespian dreams to the West Village, "Kiss Me, Guido" serves as a light but promising mainstream entry for first-time writer-director Tony Vitale.
Screened this year at Sundance in the out-of-competition American Spectrum program, the picture serves up a good-natured skewering of gay and straight cultural stereotypes that makes up in warmth what it may lack in subtlety.
While definitely not your average Paramount fare, careful handling and enthusiastic word-of-mouth should take "Guido" beyond its specialized audience base.
Nick Scotti provides the right blend of Tony Manero machismo and gentle naivete as Italian-American Frankie Zito, a DeNiro/Pacino/Pesci-quoting wannabe who answers a Village Voice ad for a "GWM" roommate, believing the abbreviation to stand for "guy with money."
The GWM in question turns out to be Warren (Anthony Barrile), a Soho actor-choreographer recently dumped by his boyfriend who is having a little trouble making the rent. The mistaken-identity situation leads to the inevitable cultural clash, but ultimately, Frankie and Warren form a growing bond, cemented by the mutually respected power of disco music and the fact that Warren starred in one of Frankie's favorite martial arts movies.
Scotti, a former model making his feature film debut following a recurring role in a daytime soap, brings a light comic likability to the part. There's a sweetness to his swagger. Barrile, meanwhile, comes across as a low-key Nathan Lane in his portrayal of Scotti's perpetually sad-sack gay foil.
Also effective are Molly Price as Barrile's unlucky-in-love landlord, Meryl; Christopher Lawford as Warren's weasely ex-boyfriend, Dakota; and Domenick Lombardozzi as Scotti's faithful Bronx buddy, Joey Chips, who brings over the rest of Scotti's stuff, carefully folded in pizza boxes.
Writer-director Vitale, a New York Film Production veteran, admittedly employs a broad stroke here -- the "La Cage Aux Folles" influence is unmistakable -- and his across-the-board style of cultural parody will undoubtedly raise the ire of PC police, but he fills the story with enough clever bits to freshen up the farce.
Production values on this low-budgeter are solid, making good use of the Little Italy/Soho backdrops.
Music supervisor Randall Poster, meanwhile, plays deejay, helping to keep things moving with a nonstop disco mix.
KISS ME, GUIDO
Paramount
Director-screenwriter Tony Vitale
Producers Ira Deutchman, Christine Vachon
Executive producers Jane Barclay,
Tom Carouso, Sharon Harel,
Christopher Lawford
Director of photography Claudia Raschke
Production designer Jeffrey Rathaus
Editor Alexander Hall
Costume designer Victoria Farrell
Music supervisor Randall Poster
Casting Hopkins, Smith and Barden
Color/stereo
Cast:
Frankie Nick Scotti
Warren Anthony Barrile
Pino Anthony DeSando
Terry Craig Chester
Joey Chips Domenick Lombardozzi
Dakota Christopher Lawford
Meryl Molly Price
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Screened this year at Sundance in the out-of-competition American Spectrum program, the picture serves up a good-natured skewering of gay and straight cultural stereotypes that makes up in warmth what it may lack in subtlety.
While definitely not your average Paramount fare, careful handling and enthusiastic word-of-mouth should take "Guido" beyond its specialized audience base.
Nick Scotti provides the right blend of Tony Manero machismo and gentle naivete as Italian-American Frankie Zito, a DeNiro/Pacino/Pesci-quoting wannabe who answers a Village Voice ad for a "GWM" roommate, believing the abbreviation to stand for "guy with money."
The GWM in question turns out to be Warren (Anthony Barrile), a Soho actor-choreographer recently dumped by his boyfriend who is having a little trouble making the rent. The mistaken-identity situation leads to the inevitable cultural clash, but ultimately, Frankie and Warren form a growing bond, cemented by the mutually respected power of disco music and the fact that Warren starred in one of Frankie's favorite martial arts movies.
Scotti, a former model making his feature film debut following a recurring role in a daytime soap, brings a light comic likability to the part. There's a sweetness to his swagger. Barrile, meanwhile, comes across as a low-key Nathan Lane in his portrayal of Scotti's perpetually sad-sack gay foil.
Also effective are Molly Price as Barrile's unlucky-in-love landlord, Meryl; Christopher Lawford as Warren's weasely ex-boyfriend, Dakota; and Domenick Lombardozzi as Scotti's faithful Bronx buddy, Joey Chips, who brings over the rest of Scotti's stuff, carefully folded in pizza boxes.
Writer-director Vitale, a New York Film Production veteran, admittedly employs a broad stroke here -- the "La Cage Aux Folles" influence is unmistakable -- and his across-the-board style of cultural parody will undoubtedly raise the ire of PC police, but he fills the story with enough clever bits to freshen up the farce.
Production values on this low-budgeter are solid, making good use of the Little Italy/Soho backdrops.
Music supervisor Randall Poster, meanwhile, plays deejay, helping to keep things moving with a nonstop disco mix.
KISS ME, GUIDO
Paramount
Director-screenwriter Tony Vitale
Producers Ira Deutchman, Christine Vachon
Executive producers Jane Barclay,
Tom Carouso, Sharon Harel,
Christopher Lawford
Director of photography Claudia Raschke
Production designer Jeffrey Rathaus
Editor Alexander Hall
Costume designer Victoria Farrell
Music supervisor Randall Poster
Casting Hopkins, Smith and Barden
Color/stereo
Cast:
Frankie Nick Scotti
Warren Anthony Barrile
Pino Anthony DeSando
Terry Craig Chester
Joey Chips Domenick Lombardozzi
Dakota Christopher Lawford
Meryl Molly Price
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 7/18/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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