TORONTO -- John Malkovich, Evangeline Lilly and Romain Duris have joined the cast of French helmer Gilles Bourdos' supernatural thriller Afterwards, the film's producers said Friday.
A co-production of France's Fidelite Films and Canada's Christal Film Prods., Afterwards will shoot in New York and Montreal during 45 days beginning June 4.
The screenplay, from Bourdos (Inquietudes) and Michel Spinosa, is based on the Guillaume Musso novel Et apres ....
In the feature, Duris will portray a workaholic lawyer drifting away from his ex-wife (Lilly) and daughter, who meets a mysterious doctor (Malkovich) who claims to have the power to predict people's deaths.
The project marks the feature film debut for Canadian-born Lilly. Also on board for Afterwards is Taiwanese cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bin (In the Mood for Love) and Montreal-based production designer Anne Pritchard. Producer credits go to Marc Missonnier and Olivier Delbosc for Fidelite Films and Christian Larouche and Christian Gagne for Christal Films Prods.
Christal plans a 2008 Canadian theatrical release for the film.
A co-production of France's Fidelite Films and Canada's Christal Film Prods., Afterwards will shoot in New York and Montreal during 45 days beginning June 4.
The screenplay, from Bourdos (Inquietudes) and Michel Spinosa, is based on the Guillaume Musso novel Et apres ....
In the feature, Duris will portray a workaholic lawyer drifting away from his ex-wife (Lilly) and daughter, who meets a mysterious doctor (Malkovich) who claims to have the power to predict people's deaths.
The project marks the feature film debut for Canadian-born Lilly. Also on board for Afterwards is Taiwanese cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bin (In the Mood for Love) and Montreal-based production designer Anne Pritchard. Producer credits go to Marc Missonnier and Olivier Delbosc for Fidelite Films and Christian Larouche and Christian Gagne for Christal Films Prods.
Christal plans a 2008 Canadian theatrical release for the film.
- 4/14/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Brian De Palma brings his impressive bag of technical tricks to the craps table for "Snake Eyes", an otherwise unremarkable, decidedly ungripping suspense thriller set against the sleazy backdrop of Atlantic City gambling.
While the veteran filmmaker is in fine form, all the visual dazzle in the world can't gloss over the spoken drivel that pours from the picture's hackneyed script, even with actors as good as Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinise attempting to breathe some life into the tired cliches.
Given Cage's current hit streak, "Snake Eyes" should draw some initial business but likely will not emerge as a boxoffice high roller.
Things kick off promisingly enough with an extended set-up sequence orchestrated as a continuous Steadicam shot following wheeler-dealer Atlantic City detective-on-the-take Rick Santoro (Cage) making the rounds before a pay-per-view heavyweight boxing match.
Joining him is his old buddy, naval Cmdr. Kevin Dunne (Sinise), a seeming pillar of virtue who in his current job is responsible for the security of the Secretary of Defense (Joel Fabiani), who's attending the bout.
The inevitable shots ring out, the defense secretary is assassinated and the arena is sealed as 14,000 fans become possible suspects and witnesses.
Dunne becomes discredited and Santoro takes charge of the subsequent investigation. Slowly, he begins to unravel the tangle of evidence, presented in multiple-viewpoint "Rashomon" style, that points to a nasty little conspiracy.
The trademark De Palma touches abound -- the continuous, painstakingly choreographed shots, the split-screen sequences, the visual Hitchcock quotes, the scantily-clad females -- with a few fresh flourishes added to the mix. The impressive opening aside, there's also a clever overhead pan of the interiors of adjoining hotel rooms that neatly evokes the surreal artificiality of the whole casino environment.
But as much as he attempts to dress up David Koepp's script, De Palma still can't take it anywhere. Koepp, who collaborated with De Palma on "Mission: Impossible" and "Carlito's Way", contributes more of a blueprint for De Palma's fancy footwork than a three-dimensional screenplay. Everything feels warmed-over and lazily derivative. The characters seem to be there only to spout plot exposition rather than to exchange any actual, personality-defining dialogue.
As a result, most efforts made by the actors to elevate the material end up taking them very close to over-the-top, particularly Cage and Sinise.
Most of De Palma's assembled technical staff have worked together many times, including director of photography Stephen H. Burum and editor Bill Pankow. Their work here, along with production designer Anne Pritchard and costume designer Odette Gadoury, is, as usual, undeniably eye-catching.
SNAKE EYES
Paramount Pictures
A DeBart production
A Brian De Palma film
Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: David Koepp
Story: Brian De Palma & David Koepp
Executive producer: Louis A. Stroller
Director of photography: Stephen H. Burum
Production designer: Anne Pritchard
Editor: Bill Pankow
Costume designer: Odette Gadoury
Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Casting: Mary Colquhoun
Color/stereo
Cast:
Rick: Nicolas Cage
Kevin: Gary Sinise
Julia Costello: Carla Gugino
Gilbert Powell: John Heard
Lincoln Tyler: Stan Shaw
Lou Logan: Kevin Dunn
Jimmy George: Michael Rispoli
Charles Kirkland: Joel Fabiani
Ned Campbell: David Anthony Higgins
Mickey Alter: Chip Zien
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
While the veteran filmmaker is in fine form, all the visual dazzle in the world can't gloss over the spoken drivel that pours from the picture's hackneyed script, even with actors as good as Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinise attempting to breathe some life into the tired cliches.
Given Cage's current hit streak, "Snake Eyes" should draw some initial business but likely will not emerge as a boxoffice high roller.
Things kick off promisingly enough with an extended set-up sequence orchestrated as a continuous Steadicam shot following wheeler-dealer Atlantic City detective-on-the-take Rick Santoro (Cage) making the rounds before a pay-per-view heavyweight boxing match.
Joining him is his old buddy, naval Cmdr. Kevin Dunne (Sinise), a seeming pillar of virtue who in his current job is responsible for the security of the Secretary of Defense (Joel Fabiani), who's attending the bout.
The inevitable shots ring out, the defense secretary is assassinated and the arena is sealed as 14,000 fans become possible suspects and witnesses.
Dunne becomes discredited and Santoro takes charge of the subsequent investigation. Slowly, he begins to unravel the tangle of evidence, presented in multiple-viewpoint "Rashomon" style, that points to a nasty little conspiracy.
The trademark De Palma touches abound -- the continuous, painstakingly choreographed shots, the split-screen sequences, the visual Hitchcock quotes, the scantily-clad females -- with a few fresh flourishes added to the mix. The impressive opening aside, there's also a clever overhead pan of the interiors of adjoining hotel rooms that neatly evokes the surreal artificiality of the whole casino environment.
But as much as he attempts to dress up David Koepp's script, De Palma still can't take it anywhere. Koepp, who collaborated with De Palma on "Mission: Impossible" and "Carlito's Way", contributes more of a blueprint for De Palma's fancy footwork than a three-dimensional screenplay. Everything feels warmed-over and lazily derivative. The characters seem to be there only to spout plot exposition rather than to exchange any actual, personality-defining dialogue.
As a result, most efforts made by the actors to elevate the material end up taking them very close to over-the-top, particularly Cage and Sinise.
Most of De Palma's assembled technical staff have worked together many times, including director of photography Stephen H. Burum and editor Bill Pankow. Their work here, along with production designer Anne Pritchard and costume designer Odette Gadoury, is, as usual, undeniably eye-catching.
SNAKE EYES
Paramount Pictures
A DeBart production
A Brian De Palma film
Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: David Koepp
Story: Brian De Palma & David Koepp
Executive producer: Louis A. Stroller
Director of photography: Stephen H. Burum
Production designer: Anne Pritchard
Editor: Bill Pankow
Costume designer: Odette Gadoury
Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Casting: Mary Colquhoun
Color/stereo
Cast:
Rick: Nicolas Cage
Kevin: Gary Sinise
Julia Costello: Carla Gugino
Gilbert Powell: John Heard
Lincoln Tyler: Stan Shaw
Lou Logan: Kevin Dunn
Jimmy George: Michael Rispoli
Charles Kirkland: Joel Fabiani
Ned Campbell: David Anthony Higgins
Mickey Alter: Chip Zien
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
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