Last year, and for more than four decades before that, if you’d said the words “Black Christmas movie,” a lot of people’s minds would have gone straight to Bob Clark’s sorority-house slasher flick “Black Christmas” — that’s how few holiday films Hollywood has made for and featuring African Americans. Writer-director David E. Talbert started to fix that problem with his more inclusive 2016 comedy “Almost Christmas,” but the real breakthrough is “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” an ambitious Yuletide tuner the prolific stage and screen creator has had up his sleeve for decades.
Now, Netflix has made Talbert’s musical a reality — the latest bauble in the streamer’s ever-expanding Christmas-movie catalog — and though the film foregrounds Black actors in nearly all its lead live-action roles, the audience needn’t be limited to one race. Talbert has crafted an upbeat eyeful, set in a Dickensian toy store where...
Now, Netflix has made Talbert’s musical a reality — the latest bauble in the streamer’s ever-expanding Christmas-movie catalog — and though the film foregrounds Black actors in nearly all its lead live-action roles, the audience needn’t be limited to one race. Talbert has crafted an upbeat eyeful, set in a Dickensian toy store where...
- 11/13/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
© 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Photo Credit: Chiabella James
The New Line Cinema drama The Good Liar pairs Oscar winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) and two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen on the big screen for the first time.
Bill Condon, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Gods and Monsters” directed and produced from a screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher (“Mr. Holmes”), based on the widely acclaimed book The Good Liar, by Nicholas Searle.
© 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Photo Credit: Chiabella James
Career con artist Roy Courtnay (McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.
The Good Liar also stars Russell Tovey (TV’s “Quantico”) and Jim Carter (TV’s “Downton Abbey”). Greg Yolen also served as producer,...
Photo Credit: Chiabella James
The New Line Cinema drama The Good Liar pairs Oscar winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) and two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen on the big screen for the first time.
Bill Condon, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Gods and Monsters” directed and produced from a screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher (“Mr. Holmes”), based on the widely acclaimed book The Good Liar, by Nicholas Searle.
© 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Photo Credit: Chiabella James
Career con artist Roy Courtnay (McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.
The Good Liar also stars Russell Tovey (TV’s “Quantico”) and Jim Carter (TV’s “Downton Abbey”). Greg Yolen also served as producer,...
- 1/18/2019
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This one's a keeper, a film that generates a meaningful emotional charge. Ian McKellen and director Bill Condon re-team for an intensely felt portrait of Sherlock Holmes in his sunset years, holding on to his intellectual capacities as he reappraises a tragic case from years before. Laura Linney is his housekeeper, who fears Holmes is a bad influence on her son -- but the relationship is mutually beneficial. Mr. Holmes Blu-ray + Digital HD Lionsgate/Miramax 2015 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date November 10, 2015 / 24.99 Starring Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker , Hiroyuki Sanada, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy, Roger Allam, Philip Davis, Frances de la Tour, Charles Maddox, Takako Akashi, Zak Shukor, John Sessions, Nicholas Rowe, Frances Barber, Colin Starkey, Sarah Crowden. Cinematography Tobias A. Schleisser Film Editor Virginia Katz Original Music Carter Burwell Written by Jeffrey Hatcher from a novel by Mitch Cullin from characters by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Produced by Iain Canning,...
- 11/14/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Photo credit: Giles Keyte
Roadside Attractions and Miramax announced on Wednesday that director Bill Condon’s Mr Holmes will be released Friday, July 17 in select Us theaters.
Mr Holmes is a new twist on the world’s most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it’s too late.
Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy,...
Roadside Attractions and Miramax announced on Wednesday that director Bill Condon’s Mr Holmes will be released Friday, July 17 in select Us theaters.
Mr Holmes is a new twist on the world’s most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it’s too late.
Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy,...
- 3/11/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
So, Candyman isn’t on Blu-ray yet, mostly because it’s a Sony title, and Twilight Time have had dibs on it for what seems like 3 years now. That’s not stopping Scream Factory from bringing us the sequel, however. Today they announced the street date, as well as the bonus content that would be included, in their Blu-ray release of Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, hitting store shelves on January 6th, 2015. Check out the press release below, for all of the disc specifics, and click here to pre-order your copy today.
Scream Factory™ Presents
A Film by Bill Condon and Executive Produced by Clive Barker
Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh
Starring Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan
Highly Anticipated Blu-ray™ Edition With New Extras
Arrives On Home Entertainment Shelves Everywhere January 6, 2015
Pre-Order This Definitive Edition Today!
His myth has endured for generations. His legacy is eternal rage. And now he’s back…...
Scream Factory™ Presents
A Film by Bill Condon and Executive Produced by Clive Barker
Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh
Starring Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan
Highly Anticipated Blu-ray™ Edition With New Extras
Arrives On Home Entertainment Shelves Everywhere January 6, 2015
Pre-Order This Definitive Edition Today!
His myth has endured for generations. His legacy is eternal rage. And now he’s back…...
- 11/7/2014
- by Shawn Savage
- The Liberal Dead
‘The Fifth Estate’ movie review: ‘Tasty’ but ‘opaque’ version of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange (photo: Daniel Brühl as Daniel Domscheit-Berg and Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange in ‘The Fifth Estate’) Late in the game during The Fifth Estate, Twilight director Bill Condon’s long-awaited return to helming real movies, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) glowers at close confidante Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl) and hisses, “How much time you can spend with a person and still have no idea who they are.” If only Condon knew we’d be wondering the same thing about the tasty, if opaque, version of Assange he’s asking us to consider. Condon and screenwriter Josh Singer (who adapted WikiLeaks books by Domscheit-Berg and The Guardian journalists Luke Harding and David Leigh) practically luxuriate in the mysterious and contradictory motives that make Assange such a fascinating character, until we realize all The Fifth Estate has to...
- 10/3/2013
- by Mark Keizer
- Alt Film Guide
In this episode of ABC’s “Behind the Ballot” interview series, former EW writer Adam B. Vary sits down with four successful film editors to talk about how cuts and transitions — what one refers to as “the final rewrite” of a film — can make or break its awards season potential.
“I think your mind kind of works like a puzzle,” says Pamela Martin, who has edited films like Hitchcock, The Fighter, and Little Miss Sunshine. “It’s finding the right pieces of performances and weaving all the elements together to make it seamless.”
Watch the full interview with Martin, Lynzee Klingman...
“I think your mind kind of works like a puzzle,” says Pamela Martin, who has edited films like Hitchcock, The Fighter, and Little Miss Sunshine. “It’s finding the right pieces of performances and weaving all the elements together to make it seamless.”
Watch the full interview with Martin, Lynzee Klingman...
- 2/16/2013
- by Grady Smith
- EW - Inside Movies
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) will present “Oscar’s Docs, 1955–2002: American Stories” from February 2 through February 14 at MoMA in New York City. This annual collaboration highlights Oscar®–winning and nominated short and feature-length documentary films that explore the history, culture and politics of the United States. All prints are from the Academy Film Archive’s collection. The filmmakers will be present at several screenings (visit MoMA.org for details).
The schedule is as follows:
Sat., Feb. 2, 2 p.m.
American Dream (1990)
Barbara Kopple. This stirring film depicts the effects of a mid-1980s strike by the workers of a Hormel meatpacking plant in Austin, Minnesota. 98 min.
Sat., Feb. 2, 8 p.m.
Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1994)
Freida Lee Mock. A profile of Maya Lin, the young artist who created the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and other politically motivated artistic creations.
The schedule is as follows:
Sat., Feb. 2, 2 p.m.
American Dream (1990)
Barbara Kopple. This stirring film depicts the effects of a mid-1980s strike by the workers of a Hormel meatpacking plant in Austin, Minnesota. 98 min.
Sat., Feb. 2, 8 p.m.
Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1994)
Freida Lee Mock. A profile of Maya Lin, the young artist who created the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and other politically motivated artistic creations.
- 1/29/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Related: Oscars: 85th Academy Award Nominations The six-part video series Behind The Ballot that launched today on Oscar.com features panels of experts breaking down what Oscar voters look for in contenders for Production Design, Cinematography, Makeup & Hairstyling, Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Costume Design. In the seemingly endless chatter about the marquee categories during an awards season that seems to get longer every year, it’s a refreshing initiative that shines a light on the behind-the-scenes folks that form the backbone of the year’s best movies. A new video will debut each week — the lead-off panel is Cinematography, which features a chat with DPs Daryn Okada, Theo van de Sande and Mandy Walker (check it out below). Here’s the full lineup announced today by the Academy: Production Design: Scott Chambliss, “Cowboys & Aliens,” “Star Trek,” “Mission: Impossible III” Alex McDowell, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Minority Report,...
- 1/24/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
For Oscar fans that just can’t seem to win their Oscar ballot pool because of that one craft category, Oscar.com today launched “Behind The Ballot,” a six-part video series that explores how Academy members view and ultimately determine who’ll win Oscars for Production Design, Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Costume Design. Hosted by Entertainment Weekly’s Geoff Boucher, Anthony Breznican and Adam Vary, each episode, shot in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Margaret Herrick Library, features a panel of experts discussing what it takes to be a strong contender in each category. A new video will debut each week for the next five weeks on www.oscar.com, as well as on the official Oscars app for iPhone, iPad, Android and Kindle Fire devices. Link to embeddable video file: http://oscar.go.com/video/PL55161146/_m_VD55266156 Expert...
- 1/24/2013
- by hnblog@hollywoodnews.com (Hollywood News Team)
- Hollywoodnews.com
Last night, the last few shots to be done on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 were completed, according to Jackson Rathbone ("Jasper Hale" in the Twilight Saga).
He, Peter Facinelli ("Carlisle Cullen"), Ashley Greene ("Alice Cullen"), and Kellan Lutz ("Emmett Cullen") all returned to Canada a few days ago to finish up their work with second unit production for the film(s), while Kristen Stewart ("Bella") and Robert Pattinson ("Edward Cullen") ventured to the Virgin Islands (new videos attached in the sidebar) to finish their last portion of filming for Breaking Dawn.
Now, they're all done (except, of course, for director Bill Condon, editor Virginia Katz, score composer Carter Burwell, the CGI team, and the rest of the post-production crew; they've no doubt got a long road ahead). Here's what some of the castmem ...
He, Peter Facinelli ("Carlisle Cullen"), Ashley Greene ("Alice Cullen"), and Kellan Lutz ("Emmett Cullen") all returned to Canada a few days ago to finish up their work with second unit production for the film(s), while Kristen Stewart ("Bella") and Robert Pattinson ("Edward Cullen") ventured to the Virgin Islands (new videos attached in the sidebar) to finish their last portion of filming for Breaking Dawn.
Now, they're all done (except, of course, for director Bill Condon, editor Virginia Katz, score composer Carter Burwell, the CGI team, and the rest of the post-production crew; they've no doubt got a long road ahead). Here's what some of the castmem ...
- 4/27/2011
- by thetwilightexaminer
- Twilight Examiner
Chicago – If a musical miscalculation as epic in ineptitude as Steve Antin’s “Burlesque” is considered eligible for a Best Musical or Comedy Award, then the Golden Globes are officially advised to a.) Retire the outdated category, or b.) Retire the entire hopelessly corrupt awards show. Either decision is guaranteed to prove beneficial in the long run.
“Burlesque” is the sort of turgid pop star vehicle that has its own built-in applause track. Characters repeatedly assure each other of their brilliance while lame gags are rewarded with extreme close-ups of audience members spitting up water into the lens. Every frame reeks of desperation, as glittery divas Cher and Christina Aguilera struggle to solidify their reputations as movie superstars. Yet while Cher has already earned her stripes as a gifted actress, the big-voiced, dead-eyed Aguilera has unwisely chosen this film to make her acting (if you can call it acting) debut.
“Burlesque” is the sort of turgid pop star vehicle that has its own built-in applause track. Characters repeatedly assure each other of their brilliance while lame gags are rewarded with extreme close-ups of audience members spitting up water into the lens. Every frame reeks of desperation, as glittery divas Cher and Christina Aguilera struggle to solidify their reputations as movie superstars. Yet while Cher has already earned her stripes as a gifted actress, the big-voiced, dead-eyed Aguilera has unwisely chosen this film to make her acting (if you can call it acting) debut.
- 3/15/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
"Babel" and "The Departed" were both named best edited feature film, drama, at the 57th Annual ACE Eddie Awards, held Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. It was only the second tie in the history of the awards, presented by the American Cinema Editors.
The previous tie occurred in 1989 when "Rain Man" tied with "Mississippi Burning".
"Babel" was edited by Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise, while "The Departed" was edited by Thelma Schoonmaker.
The best edited feature film, comedy or musical, winner was Virginia Katz for "Dreamgirls".
"An Inconvenient Truth", edited by Jay Cassidy and Dan Sweitlik, took best edited documentary honors.
Television winners included Dean Holland and David Rogers for "The Office"; Kate Sanford for "The Wire"; Conrad Gonzalez, Keith Henderson and Stephen Michael for "Friday Night Lights"; Trevor Waite for "Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act, Part 1" and Geoffrey Rowland, Eric Sears, Bryan Horne, David Handman, and Mitchell Danton for "The Path to 9/11: Part 2."
The Student Editing Competition winner was Alex Lamb of Chapman University.
Director Quentin Tarantino received the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year honor presented to him by Daryl Hannah.
The previous tie occurred in 1989 when "Rain Man" tied with "Mississippi Burning".
"Babel" was edited by Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise, while "The Departed" was edited by Thelma Schoonmaker.
The best edited feature film, comedy or musical, winner was Virginia Katz for "Dreamgirls".
"An Inconvenient Truth", edited by Jay Cassidy and Dan Sweitlik, took best edited documentary honors.
Television winners included Dean Holland and David Rogers for "The Office"; Kate Sanford for "The Wire"; Conrad Gonzalez, Keith Henderson and Stephen Michael for "Friday Night Lights"; Trevor Waite for "Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act, Part 1" and Geoffrey Rowland, Eric Sears, Bryan Horne, David Handman, and Mitchell Danton for "The Path to 9/11: Part 2."
The Student Editing Competition winner was Alex Lamb of Chapman University.
Director Quentin Tarantino received the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year honor presented to him by Daryl Hannah.
- 2/19/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Members of the American Cinema Editors have cut together an assembly of 10 nominees in two film categories for next month's 2007 Eddie Awards recognizing outstanding editing.
Making the dramatic feature film cut are Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise for Babel, Stuart Baird for Casino Royale, Thelma Schoonmaker for The Departed, Lucia Zucchetti for The Queen and the triumvirate of Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson for United 93.
In the comedy feature heat, the nominees are Mark Livolsi for The Devil Wears Prada, Virginia Katz for Dreamgirls, Pamela Martin for Little Miss Sunshine, Craig Wood and Stephen Rivkin for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," and Dana Glauberman for Thank You for Smoking.
In the documentary competition, the nominees are Jay Cassidy and Dan Swietlik for An Inconvenient Truth, Patrick McMahon and Carrie Goldman for Baghdad ER and Samuel D. Pollard for Part 1 of Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts."
The nominees for miniseries or motion picture for noncommercial television are Beverley Mills for HBO's Elizabeth I, Part 1, Curtiss Clayton and Lee Percy for HBO's Mrs. Harris, and Trevor Waite for A&E's "Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act, Part 1."
Best-edited miniseries or motion picture for commercial television earned nominations for Sue Blainey, Sarah Boyd and Stephen Semel for ABC's Lost: Live Together, Die Alone, Geoffrey Rowland, Eric Sears, Bryan Horne, David Handman and Mitchell Danton for ABC's "The Path to 9/11, Part Two," and Heather Persons for TNT's The Ron Clark Story.
In the half-hour series for television race, the contenders are Jon Corn for HBO's Entourage: Sorry Ari, Lance Luckey for NBC's My Name Is Earl: Number One, and Dean Holland and David Rogers for NBC's The Office: Casino Nights.
The one-hour series nominees for commercial television are Leon Ortiz-Gil for Fox's 24: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Conrad Gonzalez, Keith Henderson and Steve Michael for NBC's Friday Night Lights: Pilot, and Edward Ornelas for ABC's "Grey's Anatomy: It's the End of the World."
All eight film, television and documentary category winners will be disclosed during the editors' 57th annual awards ceremony Feb.
Making the dramatic feature film cut are Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise for Babel, Stuart Baird for Casino Royale, Thelma Schoonmaker for The Departed, Lucia Zucchetti for The Queen and the triumvirate of Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson for United 93.
In the comedy feature heat, the nominees are Mark Livolsi for The Devil Wears Prada, Virginia Katz for Dreamgirls, Pamela Martin for Little Miss Sunshine, Craig Wood and Stephen Rivkin for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," and Dana Glauberman for Thank You for Smoking.
In the documentary competition, the nominees are Jay Cassidy and Dan Swietlik for An Inconvenient Truth, Patrick McMahon and Carrie Goldman for Baghdad ER and Samuel D. Pollard for Part 1 of Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts."
The nominees for miniseries or motion picture for noncommercial television are Beverley Mills for HBO's Elizabeth I, Part 1, Curtiss Clayton and Lee Percy for HBO's Mrs. Harris, and Trevor Waite for A&E's "Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act, Part 1."
Best-edited miniseries or motion picture for commercial television earned nominations for Sue Blainey, Sarah Boyd and Stephen Semel for ABC's Lost: Live Together, Die Alone, Geoffrey Rowland, Eric Sears, Bryan Horne, David Handman and Mitchell Danton for ABC's "The Path to 9/11, Part Two," and Heather Persons for TNT's The Ron Clark Story.
In the half-hour series for television race, the contenders are Jon Corn for HBO's Entourage: Sorry Ari, Lance Luckey for NBC's My Name Is Earl: Number One, and Dean Holland and David Rogers for NBC's The Office: Casino Nights.
The one-hour series nominees for commercial television are Leon Ortiz-Gil for Fox's 24: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Conrad Gonzalez, Keith Henderson and Steve Michael for NBC's Friday Night Lights: Pilot, and Edward Ornelas for ABC's "Grey's Anatomy: It's the End of the World."
All eight film, television and documentary category winners will be disclosed during the editors' 57th annual awards ceremony Feb.
- 1/16/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Members of the American Cinema Editors have cut together an assembly of 10 nominees in two film categories for next month's 2007 Eddie Awards recognizing outstanding editing.
Making the dramatic feature film cut are Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise for Babel, Stuart Baird for Casino Royale, Thelma Schoonmaker for The Departed, Lucia Zucchetti for The Queen and the triumvirate of Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson for United 93.
In the comedy feature heat, the nominees are Mark Livolsi for The Devil Wears Prada, Virginia Katz for Dreamgirls, Pamela Martin for Little Miss Sunshine, Craig Wood and Stephen Rivkin for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," and Dana Glauberman for Thank You for Smoking.
In the documentary competition, the nominees are Jay Cassidy and Dan Swietlik for An Inconvenient Truth, Patrick McMahon and Carrie Goldman for Baghdad ER and Samuel D. Pollard for Part 1 of Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts."
The nominees for miniseries or motion picture for noncommercial television are Beverley Mills for HBO's Elizabeth I, Part 1, Curtiss Clayton and Lee Percy for HBO's Mrs. Harris, and Trevor Waite for A&E's "Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act, Part 1."
Best-edited miniseries or motion picture for commercial television earned nominations for Sue Blainey, Sarah Boyd and Stephen Semel for ABC's Lost: Live Together, Die Alone, Geoffrey Rowland, Eric Sears, Bryan Horne, David Handman and Mitchell Danton for ABC's "The Path to 9/11, Part Two," and Heather Persons for TNT's The Ron Clark Story.
In the half-hour series for television race, the contenders are Jon Corn for HBO's Entourage: Sorry Ari, Lance Luckey for NBC's My Name Is Earl: Number One, and Dean Holland and David Rogers for NBC's The Office: Casino Nights.
The one-hour series nominees for commercial television are Leon Ortiz-Gil for Fox's 24: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Conrad Gonzalez, Keith Henderson and Steve Michael for NBC's Friday Night Lights: Pilot, and Edward Ornelas for ABC's "Grey's Anatomy: It's the End of the World."
All eight film, television and documentary category winners will be disclosed during the editors' 57th annual awards ceremony Feb.
Making the dramatic feature film cut are Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise for Babel, Stuart Baird for Casino Royale, Thelma Schoonmaker for The Departed, Lucia Zucchetti for The Queen and the triumvirate of Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson for United 93.
In the comedy feature heat, the nominees are Mark Livolsi for The Devil Wears Prada, Virginia Katz for Dreamgirls, Pamela Martin for Little Miss Sunshine, Craig Wood and Stephen Rivkin for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," and Dana Glauberman for Thank You for Smoking.
In the documentary competition, the nominees are Jay Cassidy and Dan Swietlik for An Inconvenient Truth, Patrick McMahon and Carrie Goldman for Baghdad ER and Samuel D. Pollard for Part 1 of Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts."
The nominees for miniseries or motion picture for noncommercial television are Beverley Mills for HBO's Elizabeth I, Part 1, Curtiss Clayton and Lee Percy for HBO's Mrs. Harris, and Trevor Waite for A&E's "Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act, Part 1."
Best-edited miniseries or motion picture for commercial television earned nominations for Sue Blainey, Sarah Boyd and Stephen Semel for ABC's Lost: Live Together, Die Alone, Geoffrey Rowland, Eric Sears, Bryan Horne, David Handman and Mitchell Danton for ABC's "The Path to 9/11, Part Two," and Heather Persons for TNT's The Ron Clark Story.
In the half-hour series for television race, the contenders are Jon Corn for HBO's Entourage: Sorry Ari, Lance Luckey for NBC's My Name Is Earl: Number One, and Dean Holland and David Rogers for NBC's The Office: Casino Nights.
The one-hour series nominees for commercial television are Leon Ortiz-Gil for Fox's 24: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Conrad Gonzalez, Keith Henderson and Steve Michael for NBC's Friday Night Lights: Pilot, and Edward Ornelas for ABC's "Grey's Anatomy: It's the End of the World."
All eight film, television and documentary category winners will be disclosed during the editors' 57th annual awards ceremony Feb.
- 1/12/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This review was written for the festival screening of "Fearless".
SYDNEY -- Witty choreography juices the pedestrian plot of "Fearless", an earnest and technically accomplished biopic in which action star Jet Li flexes his limited dramatic muscles to portray kung fu master Huo Yuanjia.
"Fearless", reportedly the final film Li will make in the traditional wushu style, did excellent business when it opened earlier this year in East Asia, besting the opening weekends of "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". Western audiences less well-versed in the legend of the Chinese hero can't be expected to respond as well -- the film was originally slated to open Aug. 4 in the U.S. and changed to Sept. 22 -- and might be left frustrated by the shortcuts director Ronny Yu ("Freddy vs. Jason") takes in the telling of his tale.
Still, there is no shortage of bone-crunching brawls, expertly choreographed by the celebrated Yuen Wo Ping ("The Matrix" trilogy, "Kill Bill") in a spare, old-school style that makes the occasional use of wires and special effects look strangely incongruous. Who needs CGI when you've got Li dispensing with an adversary during a rain-soaked clash one-handed while clutching an umbrella?
The film opens in a beautifully realized turn-of-the-century China, where Huo -- famous for founding the Jingwu Sports Federation, the school Bruce Lee's character belonged to in the 1970s classic "Fist of Fury" -- is taking part in an inventively staged tournament to defend China's honor against foreigners who have labeled his countrymen "the weak men of Asia."
Huo squares off against four formidable opponents, representing the imperialist powers in China at the time, and the resulting death match is a dozy, with Wo Ping skillfully blending an array of fight styles and Li displaying an elegant mastery of both traditional weaponry and hand-to-hand combat.
Just as Huo prepares to face the final challenger, Tanaka (Nakamura Shidou, in a sadly underused role), the film flashes back to his childhood in Tianjin, where the seeds of a resolve to greatness are sown by the humiliation of his martial artist father (Collin Chou) in a public duel.
The keen kid grows into a cocksure and dissolute young man, mowing down opponents with punishing speed, despite the protestations of his restaurateur best friend Jinsun (Dong Yong) and against the advice of his mother (Paw Hee-ching), who cautions him against succumbing to hubris in the first of many fortune-cookie platitudes littering the script.
Tragedy almost inevitably strikes when Huo goes too far and kills a rival in a drunk rage (trashing Jinsun's eatery in the process). A vengeful disciple then slaughters Huo's family, leaving him so distraught that he wanders the countryside in a daze before winding up in a remote mountain village, where an old peasant lady and her beautiful blind granddaughter, Moon (Betty Sun), inspire him to use his powers for good.
Li ("The One", "Hero", "Unleashed") seems to welcome the chance to expand his emotional repertoire beyond a death-ray stare. Although his performance in the early scenes is aggressively theatrical, he grows into the role.
Most of the supporting players, however, are shortchanged. Moon, Tanaka and American strongman Hercules O'Brien (Nathan Jones) were seemingly created as plot devices rather than real characters, and Yu too often turns to cheap sentiment to replace emotional resonance.
Yu sliced 40 minutes, including all scenes featuring Michelle Yeoh, from the film just before its theatrical release, yet editor Virginia Katz keeps the pacing even. Production designer Kenneth Mak's elaborate sets suit the epic scale of the period piece, varying as the action shifts through visceral fight scenes to moments of quiet beauty in the mountains.
FEARLESS
Rogue Pictures
Wide River Investments and First Production Company China Film Group Corp. in collaboration with China Film Group Co-production Corp.
Credits:
Director: Ronny Yu
Assistant director: Yuen Wo Ping
Screenwriters: Chris Chow, Christine To
Producers: Bill Kong, Jet Li
Executive producers: Han Sanping, Jet Li
Director of photography: Poon Hang Sang
Production designer: Kenneth Mak
Music: Shigeru Umebayashi
Costume designer: Thomas Chong
Editor: Virginia Katz
Cast:
Huo Yuanjia: Jet Li
Moon: Betty Sun
Nong Jinsun: Dong Yong
Anno Tanaka: Nakamura Shidou
Huo's father: Collin Chou
Huo's mother: Paw Hee-ching
O'Brien: Nathan Jones
Mita: Masato Harada
Running time -- 110 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
SYDNEY -- Witty choreography juices the pedestrian plot of "Fearless", an earnest and technically accomplished biopic in which action star Jet Li flexes his limited dramatic muscles to portray kung fu master Huo Yuanjia.
"Fearless", reportedly the final film Li will make in the traditional wushu style, did excellent business when it opened earlier this year in East Asia, besting the opening weekends of "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". Western audiences less well-versed in the legend of the Chinese hero can't be expected to respond as well -- the film was originally slated to open Aug. 4 in the U.S. and changed to Sept. 22 -- and might be left frustrated by the shortcuts director Ronny Yu ("Freddy vs. Jason") takes in the telling of his tale.
Still, there is no shortage of bone-crunching brawls, expertly choreographed by the celebrated Yuen Wo Ping ("The Matrix" trilogy, "Kill Bill") in a spare, old-school style that makes the occasional use of wires and special effects look strangely incongruous. Who needs CGI when you've got Li dispensing with an adversary during a rain-soaked clash one-handed while clutching an umbrella?
The film opens in a beautifully realized turn-of-the-century China, where Huo -- famous for founding the Jingwu Sports Federation, the school Bruce Lee's character belonged to in the 1970s classic "Fist of Fury" -- is taking part in an inventively staged tournament to defend China's honor against foreigners who have labeled his countrymen "the weak men of Asia."
Huo squares off against four formidable opponents, representing the imperialist powers in China at the time, and the resulting death match is a dozy, with Wo Ping skillfully blending an array of fight styles and Li displaying an elegant mastery of both traditional weaponry and hand-to-hand combat.
Just as Huo prepares to face the final challenger, Tanaka (Nakamura Shidou, in a sadly underused role), the film flashes back to his childhood in Tianjin, where the seeds of a resolve to greatness are sown by the humiliation of his martial artist father (Collin Chou) in a public duel.
The keen kid grows into a cocksure and dissolute young man, mowing down opponents with punishing speed, despite the protestations of his restaurateur best friend Jinsun (Dong Yong) and against the advice of his mother (Paw Hee-ching), who cautions him against succumbing to hubris in the first of many fortune-cookie platitudes littering the script.
Tragedy almost inevitably strikes when Huo goes too far and kills a rival in a drunk rage (trashing Jinsun's eatery in the process). A vengeful disciple then slaughters Huo's family, leaving him so distraught that he wanders the countryside in a daze before winding up in a remote mountain village, where an old peasant lady and her beautiful blind granddaughter, Moon (Betty Sun), inspire him to use his powers for good.
Li ("The One", "Hero", "Unleashed") seems to welcome the chance to expand his emotional repertoire beyond a death-ray stare. Although his performance in the early scenes is aggressively theatrical, he grows into the role.
Most of the supporting players, however, are shortchanged. Moon, Tanaka and American strongman Hercules O'Brien (Nathan Jones) were seemingly created as plot devices rather than real characters, and Yu too often turns to cheap sentiment to replace emotional resonance.
Yu sliced 40 minutes, including all scenes featuring Michelle Yeoh, from the film just before its theatrical release, yet editor Virginia Katz keeps the pacing even. Production designer Kenneth Mak's elaborate sets suit the epic scale of the period piece, varying as the action shifts through visceral fight scenes to moments of quiet beauty in the mountains.
FEARLESS
Rogue Pictures
Wide River Investments and First Production Company China Film Group Corp. in collaboration with China Film Group Co-production Corp.
Credits:
Director: Ronny Yu
Assistant director: Yuen Wo Ping
Screenwriters: Chris Chow, Christine To
Producers: Bill Kong, Jet Li
Executive producers: Han Sanping, Jet Li
Director of photography: Poon Hang Sang
Production designer: Kenneth Mak
Music: Shigeru Umebayashi
Costume designer: Thomas Chong
Editor: Virginia Katz
Cast:
Huo Yuanjia: Jet Li
Moon: Betty Sun
Nong Jinsun: Dong Yong
Anno Tanaka: Nakamura Shidou
Huo's father: Collin Chou
Huo's mother: Paw Hee-ching
O'Brien: Nathan Jones
Mita: Masato Harada
Running time -- 110 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 9/21/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screened
Sydney Film Festival
SYDNEY -- Witty choreography juices the pedestrian plot of Fearless, an earnest and technically accomplished biopic in which action star Jet Li flexes his limited dramatic muscles to portray kung fu master Huo Yuanjia.
Fearless, reportedly the final film Li will make in the traditional wushu style, did excellent business when it opened earlier this year in East Asia, besting the opening weekends of Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Western audiences less well-versed in the legend of the Chinese hero can't be expected to respond as well -- the film is slated to open Aug. 4 in the U.S. -- and might be left frustrated by the shortcuts director Ronny Yu (Freddy vs. Jason) takes in the telling of his tale.
Still, there is no shortage of bone-crunching brawls, expertly choreographed by the celebrated Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix trilogy, Kill Bill) in a spare, old-school style that makes the occasional use of wires and special effects look strangely incongruous. Who needs CGI when you've got Li dispensing with an adversary during a rain-soaked clash one-handed while clutching an umbrella?
The film opens in a beautifully realized turn-of-the-century China, where Huo -- famous for founding the Jingwu Sports Federation, the school Bruce Lee's character belonged to in the 1970s classic Fist of Fury -- is taking part in an inventively staged tournament to defend China's honor against foreigners who have labeled his countrymen "the weak men of Asia."
Huo squares off against four formidable opponents, representing the imperialist powers in China at the time, and the resulting death match is a dozy, with Wo Ping skillfully blending an array of fight styles and Li displaying an elegant mastery of both traditional weaponry and hand-to-hand combat.
Just as Huo prepares to face the final challenger, Tanaka (Nakamura Shidou, in a sadly underused role), the film flashes back to his childhood in Tianjin, where the seeds of a resolve to greatness are sown by the humiliation of his martial artist father (Collin Chou) in a public duel.
The keen kid grows into a cocksure and dissolute young man, mowing down opponents with punishing speed, despite the protestations of his restaurateur best friend Jinsun (Dong Yong) and against the advice of his mother (Paw Hee-ching), who cautions him against succumbing to hubris in the first of many fortune-cookie platitudes littering the script.
Tragedy almost inevitably strikes when Huo goes too far and kills a rival in a drunk rage (trashing Jinsun's eatery in the process). A vengeful disciple then slaughters Huo's family, leaving him so distraught that he wanders the countryside in a daze before winding up in a remote mountain village, where an old peasant lady and her beautiful blind granddaughter, Moon (Betty Sun), inspire him to use his powers for good.
Li (The One, Hero, Unleashed) seems to welcome the chance to expand his emotional repertoire beyond a death-ray stare. Although his performance in the early scenes is aggressively theatrical, he grows into the role.
Most of the supporting players, however, are shortchanged. Moon, Tanaka and American strongman Hercules O'Brien (Nathan Jones) were seemingly created as plot devices rather than real characters, and Yu too often turns to cheap sentiment to replace emotional resonance.
Yu sliced 40 minutes, including all scenes featuring Michelle Yeoh, from the film just before its theatrical release, yet editor Virginia Katz keeps the pacing even. Production designer Kenneth Mak's elaborate sets suit the epic scale of the period piece, varying as the action shifts through visceral fight scenes to moments of quiet beauty in the mountains.
FEARLESS
Rogue Pictures
Wide River Investments and First Production Company China Film Group Corp. in collaboration with China Film Group Co-production Corp.
Credits:
Director: Ronny Yu
Assistant director: Yuen Wo Ping
Screenwriters: Chris Chow, Christine To
Producers: Bill Kong, Jet Li
Executive producers: Han Sanping, Jet Li
Director of photography: Poon Hang Sang
Production designer: Kenneth Mak
Music: Shigeru Umebayashi
Costume designer: Thomas Chong
Editor: Virginia Katz
Cast:
Huo Yuanjia: Jet Li
Moon: Betty Sun
Nong Jinsun: Dong Yong
Anno Tanaka: Nakamura Shidou
Huo's father: Collin Chou
Huo's mother: Paw Hee-ching
O'Brien: Nathan Jones
Mita: Masato Harada
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 110 minutes...
Sydney Film Festival
SYDNEY -- Witty choreography juices the pedestrian plot of Fearless, an earnest and technically accomplished biopic in which action star Jet Li flexes his limited dramatic muscles to portray kung fu master Huo Yuanjia.
Fearless, reportedly the final film Li will make in the traditional wushu style, did excellent business when it opened earlier this year in East Asia, besting the opening weekends of Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Western audiences less well-versed in the legend of the Chinese hero can't be expected to respond as well -- the film is slated to open Aug. 4 in the U.S. -- and might be left frustrated by the shortcuts director Ronny Yu (Freddy vs. Jason) takes in the telling of his tale.
Still, there is no shortage of bone-crunching brawls, expertly choreographed by the celebrated Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix trilogy, Kill Bill) in a spare, old-school style that makes the occasional use of wires and special effects look strangely incongruous. Who needs CGI when you've got Li dispensing with an adversary during a rain-soaked clash one-handed while clutching an umbrella?
The film opens in a beautifully realized turn-of-the-century China, where Huo -- famous for founding the Jingwu Sports Federation, the school Bruce Lee's character belonged to in the 1970s classic Fist of Fury -- is taking part in an inventively staged tournament to defend China's honor against foreigners who have labeled his countrymen "the weak men of Asia."
Huo squares off against four formidable opponents, representing the imperialist powers in China at the time, and the resulting death match is a dozy, with Wo Ping skillfully blending an array of fight styles and Li displaying an elegant mastery of both traditional weaponry and hand-to-hand combat.
Just as Huo prepares to face the final challenger, Tanaka (Nakamura Shidou, in a sadly underused role), the film flashes back to his childhood in Tianjin, where the seeds of a resolve to greatness are sown by the humiliation of his martial artist father (Collin Chou) in a public duel.
The keen kid grows into a cocksure and dissolute young man, mowing down opponents with punishing speed, despite the protestations of his restaurateur best friend Jinsun (Dong Yong) and against the advice of his mother (Paw Hee-ching), who cautions him against succumbing to hubris in the first of many fortune-cookie platitudes littering the script.
Tragedy almost inevitably strikes when Huo goes too far and kills a rival in a drunk rage (trashing Jinsun's eatery in the process). A vengeful disciple then slaughters Huo's family, leaving him so distraught that he wanders the countryside in a daze before winding up in a remote mountain village, where an old peasant lady and her beautiful blind granddaughter, Moon (Betty Sun), inspire him to use his powers for good.
Li (The One, Hero, Unleashed) seems to welcome the chance to expand his emotional repertoire beyond a death-ray stare. Although his performance in the early scenes is aggressively theatrical, he grows into the role.
Most of the supporting players, however, are shortchanged. Moon, Tanaka and American strongman Hercules O'Brien (Nathan Jones) were seemingly created as plot devices rather than real characters, and Yu too often turns to cheap sentiment to replace emotional resonance.
Yu sliced 40 minutes, including all scenes featuring Michelle Yeoh, from the film just before its theatrical release, yet editor Virginia Katz keeps the pacing even. Production designer Kenneth Mak's elaborate sets suit the epic scale of the period piece, varying as the action shifts through visceral fight scenes to moments of quiet beauty in the mountains.
FEARLESS
Rogue Pictures
Wide River Investments and First Production Company China Film Group Corp. in collaboration with China Film Group Co-production Corp.
Credits:
Director: Ronny Yu
Assistant director: Yuen Wo Ping
Screenwriters: Chris Chow, Christine To
Producers: Bill Kong, Jet Li
Executive producers: Han Sanping, Jet Li
Director of photography: Poon Hang Sang
Production designer: Kenneth Mak
Music: Shigeru Umebayashi
Costume designer: Thomas Chong
Editor: Virginia Katz
Cast:
Huo Yuanjia: Jet Li
Moon: Betty Sun
Nong Jinsun: Dong Yong
Anno Tanaka: Nakamura Shidou
Huo's father: Collin Chou
Huo's mother: Paw Hee-ching
O'Brien: Nathan Jones
Mita: Masato Harada
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 110 minutes...
- 6/16/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY -- A filmmaker enters Coen brothers territory at his own risk. Baltasar Kormakur, the Icelandic filmmaker whose "101 Reykjavik" (2000) was a festival circuit favorite, crosses that border in "A Little Trip to Heaven", a film with "Fargo" on its mind. Few filmmakers can get that right mix of mordant, dark humor and criminally prone characters behaving badly. Come to think of it, even the Coens don't always manage the trick. Kormakur, who directed and co-wrote the script with Edward Martin Weinman, falls short in the story department and even shorter in evoking the droll, twisted humor that must carry the day.
Kormakur has populated the marquee for his English-language film with known American actors in Forest Whitaker, Julia Stiles and Peter Coyote, but his film, which screened in Premieres, is unlikely to achieve more than an art house release domestically. Greater opportunities may lie in TV and home video.
The story is borrowed from the noir world of James M. Cain where sly, conniving characters dwell on both sides of a fraudulent insurance claim. Whitaker's Holt -- sporting an Irish accent for no apparent reason other than the actor has never done one before -- is introduced as an insurance claims adjuster who would cheat a starving widow out of every dime he can. He does at least frown as he does so.
When a $1 million life insurance policy comes due for collection, his demanding boss Frank (Coyote) immediately dispatches Holt. He even drags Holt from the scene of a bus crash so he can drive for several hours into the hinterlands, where police sleep in their car at the scene, waiting for this star insurance investigator. Nonsensical plot points like this place the story directly in the realm of fiction. How, pray tell, did the insurance company even know about the accident when no one has filed a claim?
Anyway, audiences already know the "accident" was in fact cold-blooded murder, performed in such a way that the body would be unrecognizable but all clues would point to the victim being a small-time scam artist whose sister, Isold (Stiles), is the sole beneficiary. The person seen performing the murder is her unstable husband, Fred (Jeremy Renner). Kormakur doesn't give viewers any moral high ground here. Holt is a creep, who launches his investigation by peeping at Isold through her bathroom window. Fred has blackness at his very core, and it's hard to feel sorry for Isold, who sticks with Fred thus endangering a son.
The family lives in a house that looks abandoned and even burned. Indeed, the entire landscape -- with Iceland subbing for northern Minnesota -- feels desolate and discarded, a vast, frigid wasteland of lonely roads running past tall polls and mean dwellings, all shot in a half-light that drains color from the barren land.
Kormakur never gains his footing in the pseudo-America as the tone is never quite right, tension never builds, dialogue feels unnatural and characters are underdeveloped. Stiles does a halfway decent job of creating a woman living on the edge of existence, but other performances are rote, and Whitaker's is a puzzle. What exactly is he playing as he slouches through these empty spaces?
Tech credits are solid, especially visually and aurally, in this film co-produced by Hollywood veteran Sigurjon Sighvatsson.
A LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN
Palomar Pictures/Blueeyes Prods./Pink Prods.
Credits:
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Screenwriters: Baltasar Kormakur, Edward Martin Weinman
Producers: Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Baltasar Kormakur
Executive producers: Jon Asgeir Johannesson, Lilja Palmadottir
Director of photography: Ottar Gudnason
Production designer: Karl Juliusson
Music: Mugison
Costume designer: Helga I. Stefansdottir
Editors: Virginia Katz, Richard Pearson
Cast:
Holt: Forest Whitaker
Isold: Julia Styles
Fred: Jeremy Renner
Frank: Peter Coyote
William: Philip Jackson
Martha: Anne Reid
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 90 minutes...
Kormakur has populated the marquee for his English-language film with known American actors in Forest Whitaker, Julia Stiles and Peter Coyote, but his film, which screened in Premieres, is unlikely to achieve more than an art house release domestically. Greater opportunities may lie in TV and home video.
The story is borrowed from the noir world of James M. Cain where sly, conniving characters dwell on both sides of a fraudulent insurance claim. Whitaker's Holt -- sporting an Irish accent for no apparent reason other than the actor has never done one before -- is introduced as an insurance claims adjuster who would cheat a starving widow out of every dime he can. He does at least frown as he does so.
When a $1 million life insurance policy comes due for collection, his demanding boss Frank (Coyote) immediately dispatches Holt. He even drags Holt from the scene of a bus crash so he can drive for several hours into the hinterlands, where police sleep in their car at the scene, waiting for this star insurance investigator. Nonsensical plot points like this place the story directly in the realm of fiction. How, pray tell, did the insurance company even know about the accident when no one has filed a claim?
Anyway, audiences already know the "accident" was in fact cold-blooded murder, performed in such a way that the body would be unrecognizable but all clues would point to the victim being a small-time scam artist whose sister, Isold (Stiles), is the sole beneficiary. The person seen performing the murder is her unstable husband, Fred (Jeremy Renner). Kormakur doesn't give viewers any moral high ground here. Holt is a creep, who launches his investigation by peeping at Isold through her bathroom window. Fred has blackness at his very core, and it's hard to feel sorry for Isold, who sticks with Fred thus endangering a son.
The family lives in a house that looks abandoned and even burned. Indeed, the entire landscape -- with Iceland subbing for northern Minnesota -- feels desolate and discarded, a vast, frigid wasteland of lonely roads running past tall polls and mean dwellings, all shot in a half-light that drains color from the barren land.
Kormakur never gains his footing in the pseudo-America as the tone is never quite right, tension never builds, dialogue feels unnatural and characters are underdeveloped. Stiles does a halfway decent job of creating a woman living on the edge of existence, but other performances are rote, and Whitaker's is a puzzle. What exactly is he playing as he slouches through these empty spaces?
Tech credits are solid, especially visually and aurally, in this film co-produced by Hollywood veteran Sigurjon Sighvatsson.
A LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN
Palomar Pictures/Blueeyes Prods./Pink Prods.
Credits:
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Screenwriters: Baltasar Kormakur, Edward Martin Weinman
Producers: Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Baltasar Kormakur
Executive producers: Jon Asgeir Johannesson, Lilja Palmadottir
Director of photography: Ottar Gudnason
Production designer: Karl Juliusson
Music: Mugison
Costume designer: Helga I. Stefansdottir
Editors: Virginia Katz, Richard Pearson
Cast:
Holt: Forest Whitaker
Isold: Julia Styles
Fred: Jeremy Renner
Frank: Peter Coyote
William: Philip Jackson
Martha: Anne Reid
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 90 minutes...
- 1/31/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY -- A filmmaker enters Coen brothers territory at his own risk. Baltasar Kormakur, the Icelandic filmmaker whose "101 Reykjavik" (2000) was a festival circuit favorite, crosses that border in "A Little Trip to Heaven", a film with "Fargo" on its mind. Few filmmakers can get that right mix of mordant, dark humor and criminally prone characters behaving badly. Come to think of it, even the Coens don't always manage the trick.
Kormakur, who directed and co-wrote the script with Edward Martin Weinman, falls short in the story department and even shorter in evoking the droll, twisted humor that must carry the day.
Kormakur has populated the marquee for his English-language film with known American actors in Forest Whitaker, Julia Stiles and Peter Coyote, but his film is unlikely to achive more than an art-house release domestically. Greater opportunities may lie in TV and home video.
The basic story is borrowed from the noir world of James M. Cain where sly, conniving characters dwell on both sides of a fraudulent insurance claim. Whitaker's Holt -- sporting an Irish accent for no apparently reason other than the actor has never done one before -- is introduced as an insurance claims adjustor who would cheat a starving widow out of every dime he can. He does at least frown as he does so.
When a $1 million life insurance policy comes due for collection, his demanding boss Frank (Coyote) immediately dispatches Holt. He even drags Holt from the scene of a bus wreck so he can drive for several hours into the hinterlands, where police sleep in their car at the scene, waiting for this star insurance investigator. Nonsensical plot points such as this place the story directly in the realm of fiction. How, pray tell, did the insurance company even know about the accident when no one has filed a claim?
Anyway, audiences already know the "accident" was in fact cold-blooded murder, performed in such a way that the body would be unrecognizable but all clues would point to the victim being a small-time scam artist whose sister, Isold (Stiles), is the sole beneficiary. The person seen performing the murder is her unstable husband Fred (Jeremy Renner).
Kormakur doesn't give viewers any moral high ground here. Holt is a creep, who launches his investigation by peeping at Isold through her bathroom window. Fred has blackness at his very core, and it's hard to feel sorry for Isold who sticks with Fred thus endangering a son.
The family lives in a house that looks abandoned and even burned. Indeed, the entire landscape -- with Iceland subbing for northern Minnesota -- feels desolate and discarded, a vast, frigid wasteland of lonely roads running past tall polls and mean dwellings, all shot in a half-light that drains color from the barren land.
Kormakur never gains his footing in the pseudo-America as the tone is never quite right, tension never builds, dialogue feels unnatural and characters are underdeveloped. Stiles does a halfway decent job of creating a woman living on the edge of existence, but other performances are rote and Whitakers' is a puzzle. What exactly is he playing as he slouches through these empty spaces?
Tech credits are solid, especially visually and aurally, in this film co-produced by Hollywood veteran Sigurjon Sighvatsson.
A LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN
Palomar Pictures/Blueeyes Prods./Pink Prods.
Credits:
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Writers: Baltasar Kormakur, Edward, Martin Weinman
Producers: Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Baltasar Kormakur
Executive producers: Jon Asgeir Johannesson, Lilja Palmadottir
Director of photography: Ottar Gudnason
Production designer: Karl Juliusson
Music: Mugison
Costumes: Helga I. Stefansdottir
Editors: Virginia Katz,
Richard Pearson
Cast:
Holt: Forest Whitaker
Isold: Julia Styles
Fred: Jeremy Renner
Frank: Peter Coyote
William: Philip Jackson
Martha: Anne Reid
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Kormakur, who directed and co-wrote the script with Edward Martin Weinman, falls short in the story department and even shorter in evoking the droll, twisted humor that must carry the day.
Kormakur has populated the marquee for his English-language film with known American actors in Forest Whitaker, Julia Stiles and Peter Coyote, but his film is unlikely to achive more than an art-house release domestically. Greater opportunities may lie in TV and home video.
The basic story is borrowed from the noir world of James M. Cain where sly, conniving characters dwell on both sides of a fraudulent insurance claim. Whitaker's Holt -- sporting an Irish accent for no apparently reason other than the actor has never done one before -- is introduced as an insurance claims adjustor who would cheat a starving widow out of every dime he can. He does at least frown as he does so.
When a $1 million life insurance policy comes due for collection, his demanding boss Frank (Coyote) immediately dispatches Holt. He even drags Holt from the scene of a bus wreck so he can drive for several hours into the hinterlands, where police sleep in their car at the scene, waiting for this star insurance investigator. Nonsensical plot points such as this place the story directly in the realm of fiction. How, pray tell, did the insurance company even know about the accident when no one has filed a claim?
Anyway, audiences already know the "accident" was in fact cold-blooded murder, performed in such a way that the body would be unrecognizable but all clues would point to the victim being a small-time scam artist whose sister, Isold (Stiles), is the sole beneficiary. The person seen performing the murder is her unstable husband Fred (Jeremy Renner).
Kormakur doesn't give viewers any moral high ground here. Holt is a creep, who launches his investigation by peeping at Isold through her bathroom window. Fred has blackness at his very core, and it's hard to feel sorry for Isold who sticks with Fred thus endangering a son.
The family lives in a house that looks abandoned and even burned. Indeed, the entire landscape -- with Iceland subbing for northern Minnesota -- feels desolate and discarded, a vast, frigid wasteland of lonely roads running past tall polls and mean dwellings, all shot in a half-light that drains color from the barren land.
Kormakur never gains his footing in the pseudo-America as the tone is never quite right, tension never builds, dialogue feels unnatural and characters are underdeveloped. Stiles does a halfway decent job of creating a woman living on the edge of existence, but other performances are rote and Whitakers' is a puzzle. What exactly is he playing as he slouches through these empty spaces?
Tech credits are solid, especially visually and aurally, in this film co-produced by Hollywood veteran Sigurjon Sighvatsson.
A LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN
Palomar Pictures/Blueeyes Prods./Pink Prods.
Credits:
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Writers: Baltasar Kormakur, Edward, Martin Weinman
Producers: Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Baltasar Kormakur
Executive producers: Jon Asgeir Johannesson, Lilja Palmadottir
Director of photography: Ottar Gudnason
Production designer: Karl Juliusson
Music: Mugison
Costumes: Helga I. Stefansdottir
Editors: Virginia Katz,
Richard Pearson
Cast:
Holt: Forest Whitaker
Isold: Julia Styles
Fred: Jeremy Renner
Frank: Peter Coyote
William: Philip Jackson
Martha: Anne Reid
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/30/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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