“Dune” has been named the best-shot film of 2021 by the American Society of Cinematographers, which held its annual awards show on Sunday evening in Los Angeles.
Cinematographer Greig Fraser won the award over a field that included fellow Oscar nominees “The Power of the Dog,” “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and “Nightmare Alley,” as well as “Belfast.”
In the first 35 years of its existence, the ASC winner has gone on to take the Oscar for Best Cinematography less than half the time, although that percentage has improved recently. “Dune” is considered one of the front runners for this year’s cinematography Oscar, with Fraser seemingly in a close with Ari Wegner for “The Power of the Dog,” who could be the first woman ever to win in the category.
Other feature-film awards went to Jessica Beshir for “Faya Dayi” in the documentary category and Pat Scola for “Pig” in the spotlight category,...
Cinematographer Greig Fraser won the award over a field that included fellow Oscar nominees “The Power of the Dog,” “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and “Nightmare Alley,” as well as “Belfast.”
In the first 35 years of its existence, the ASC winner has gone on to take the Oscar for Best Cinematography less than half the time, although that percentage has improved recently. “Dune” is considered one of the front runners for this year’s cinematography Oscar, with Fraser seemingly in a close with Ari Wegner for “The Power of the Dog,” who could be the first woman ever to win in the category.
Other feature-film awards went to Jessica Beshir for “Faya Dayi” in the documentary category and Pat Scola for “Pig” in the spotlight category,...
- 3/21/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Dune‘s Greig Fraser won the top film prize at the American Society of Cinematographers’ 36th annual ASC Awards, which were handed out tonight in Hollywood.
Denis Villeneuve’s epic based on the classic Frank Herbert novel was one of the two films coming into tonight with the most momentum, having won the cinematography prize at the BAFTA Film Awards last week. It beat out The Power of the Dog, which fetched the Critics Choice Award that same day.
Katelin Arizmendi, the second unit Dp on Dune, accepted the award for Fraser, who recently tested positive for Covid and was unable to attend the ceremony. Arizmendi read a speech from Fraser, who ASC win for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases was his second after 2017’s Lion.
The other nominees for the marquee film prize were Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog, Bruno Delbonnel for The Tragedy of Macbeth,...
Denis Villeneuve’s epic based on the classic Frank Herbert novel was one of the two films coming into tonight with the most momentum, having won the cinematography prize at the BAFTA Film Awards last week. It beat out The Power of the Dog, which fetched the Critics Choice Award that same day.
Katelin Arizmendi, the second unit Dp on Dune, accepted the award for Fraser, who recently tested positive for Covid and was unable to attend the ceremony. Arizmendi read a speech from Fraser, who ASC win for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases was his second after 2017’s Lion.
The other nominees for the marquee film prize were Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog, Bruno Delbonnel for The Tragedy of Macbeth,...
- 3/21/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The American Society of Cinematographers on Tuesday unveiled nominations for its 36th annual ASC Awards, honoring the year’s best in feature film, documentary and television cinematography.
The society’s marquee Feature Film nominees include Bruno Delbonnel for The Tragedy of Macbeth, Greig Fraser for Dune, Dan Laustsen for Nightmare Alley, Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog and Haris Zambarloukos for Belfast.
Last year, the ASC awarded Mank‘s Erik Messerschmidt with the Feature Film trophy, on his way to winning the Cinematography Oscar for the black-and-white film. This year, Belfast and Macbeth are also both black and white, along with for that matter Guillermo del Toro’s alt-version of Nightmare Alley.
The ASC film winner historically goes on to win the Oscar about half the time — 16 times in the past 35 years.
In TV, there were no repeats from last year’s shows on today’s list. Jon Joffin,...
The society’s marquee Feature Film nominees include Bruno Delbonnel for The Tragedy of Macbeth, Greig Fraser for Dune, Dan Laustsen for Nightmare Alley, Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog and Haris Zambarloukos for Belfast.
Last year, the ASC awarded Mank‘s Erik Messerschmidt with the Feature Film trophy, on his way to winning the Cinematography Oscar for the black-and-white film. This year, Belfast and Macbeth are also both black and white, along with for that matter Guillermo del Toro’s alt-version of Nightmare Alley.
The ASC film winner historically goes on to win the Oscar about half the time — 16 times in the past 35 years.
In TV, there were no repeats from last year’s shows on today’s list. Jon Joffin,...
- 1/25/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
“Dune,” “Belfast,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and “The Power of the Dog” are among the films nominated by the American Society of Cinematographers in the feature film category.
The ASC nominees for feature film, documentary and television cinematography represent the organization’s picks for the most compelling visual filmmaking. Last year’s ASC feature film winner was “Mank” cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt who upset “Nomadland” Dp Joshua James Richards, the Oscar favorite. Messerschmidt went on to win the Best Cinematography Oscar.
Cinematographer Ari Wegner was nominated in the theatrical film category for her work on Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog,” becoming the second woman ever nominated by the guild, after Rachel Morrison for Dee Rees’ “Mudbound” (2017).
“Power of the Dog” director Jane Campion made history almost 30 years ago when she became the second woman ever to be nominated for best director for “The Piano” (1993) after Lina Wertmüller...
The ASC nominees for feature film, documentary and television cinematography represent the organization’s picks for the most compelling visual filmmaking. Last year’s ASC feature film winner was “Mank” cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt who upset “Nomadland” Dp Joshua James Richards, the Oscar favorite. Messerschmidt went on to win the Best Cinematography Oscar.
Cinematographer Ari Wegner was nominated in the theatrical film category for her work on Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog,” becoming the second woman ever nominated by the guild, after Rachel Morrison for Dee Rees’ “Mudbound” (2017).
“Power of the Dog” director Jane Campion made history almost 30 years ago when she became the second woman ever to be nominated for best director for “The Piano” (1993) after Lina Wertmüller...
- 1/25/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay and Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Harvey Keitel takes center stage as a double-crossed crook goes for blood after a major jewel heist turns sour — and bloody. Timothy Hutton and Stephen Dorff are in on the split for one late- ’90s crime caper that’s not a stylistic hijack of Quentin Tarantino. Directed by John Irvin.
City of Industry
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1997 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date October 3, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff, Timothy Hutton, Famke Janssen, Wade Dominguez, Michael Jai White, Lucy Alexis Liu, Reno Wilson, Dana Barron, Tamara Clatterbuck, Elliott Gould.
Cinematography: Thomas Burstyn
Film Editor: Mark Conte
Special Effects: Joe Lombardi
Original Music: Stephen Endelman
Written by Ken Solarz
Produced by Evzen Kolar, Ken Solarz
Directed by John Irvin
Director John Irvin earned his right to crow early on with TV’s ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and the excellent action film about mercenaries The Dogs of War.
City of Industry
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1997 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date October 3, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff, Timothy Hutton, Famke Janssen, Wade Dominguez, Michael Jai White, Lucy Alexis Liu, Reno Wilson, Dana Barron, Tamara Clatterbuck, Elliott Gould.
Cinematography: Thomas Burstyn
Film Editor: Mark Conte
Special Effects: Joe Lombardi
Original Music: Stephen Endelman
Written by Ken Solarz
Produced by Evzen Kolar, Ken Solarz
Directed by John Irvin
Director John Irvin earned his right to crow early on with TV’s ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and the excellent action film about mercenaries The Dogs of War.
- 10/21/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
- 5/6/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will kick off Part Two of its 30th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” screening series with the 2010 Oscar®-nominated feature “Exit through the Gift Shop” and “Catfish” on Wednesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission to all screenings in the series is free.
“Exit through the Gift Shop” follows a videographer named Thierry Guetta, who attempts to document the work of some of the world’s best-known guerrilla street artists. When the artist known only as Banksy questions Guetta’s intentions, however, and seizes control of the film, the roles of filmmaker and subject are reversed. Directed by Banksy and produced by Jaimie D’Cruz, “Exit through the Gift Shop” earned an Academy Award® nomination for Documentary Feature.
In late 2007, filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost began to film the life of Ariel’s brother, Nev. They had no idea that their project,...
“Exit through the Gift Shop” follows a videographer named Thierry Guetta, who attempts to document the work of some of the world’s best-known guerrilla street artists. When the artist known only as Banksy questions Guetta’s intentions, however, and seizes control of the film, the roles of filmmaker and subject are reversed. Directed by Banksy and produced by Jaimie D’Cruz, “Exit through the Gift Shop” earned an Academy Award® nomination for Documentary Feature.
In late 2007, filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost began to film the life of Ariel’s brother, Nev. They had no idea that their project,...
- 3/16/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The 8th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival — which is still going on as of this writing in Missoula, Montana — has announced their list of award winners, giving prizes to seven films out of the dozens that screened this year. Plus, if you’re in Missoula and you’ve missed any of the winning films, there will be a repeat screening of them on the fest’s last two days on Feb. 19 & 20.
The big winner of the fest is the film This Way of Life, directed by Thomas Burstyn, which takes home the Best Feature Award. In addition to the honor, Burstyn will also be taking home $1000 in prize money. (The rest of the winners get $500 each, courtesy of The Documentary Channel.) This Way of Life chronicles the struggles of a New Zealand family as they try to hold onto their passion for raising and caring for horses.
The other...
The big winner of the fest is the film This Way of Life, directed by Thomas Burstyn, which takes home the Best Feature Award. In addition to the honor, Burstyn will also be taking home $1000 in prize money. (The rest of the winners get $500 each, courtesy of The Documentary Channel.) This Way of Life chronicles the struggles of a New Zealand family as they try to hold onto their passion for raising and caring for horses.
The other...
- 2/18/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 8th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is all set to run for ten days this Feb. 11-20 in Missoula, Montana. This year, the fest will have a whopping 140 film programs, a growth that necessitates an expansion from its regular home at the Historic Wilma Theatre — where it will occupy two screens — to also feature screenings at the former Pipestone Mountaineering store.
Special events at the fest include a free opening night screening of How to Die in Oregon sponsored by HBO Documentary Films. The film, directed by Peter D. Richardson, examines the impact the legalization of physician-assisted suicide has had on the state. (In 1994, Oregon was the first state to legalize the practice.)
Also, indie rock band Yo La Tengo will perform their acclaimed live score of the films of pioneering French underwater documentary film director Jean Painlevé, something they have done for other film festivals all over the world.
Special events at the fest include a free opening night screening of How to Die in Oregon sponsored by HBO Documentary Films. The film, directed by Peter D. Richardson, examines the impact the legalization of physician-assisted suicide has had on the state. (In 1994, Oregon was the first state to legalize the practice.)
Also, indie rock band Yo La Tengo will perform their acclaimed live score of the films of pioneering French underwater documentary film director Jean Painlevé, something they have done for other film festivals all over the world.
- 1/15/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Canadian cinematographer Thomas Burstyn makes his feature debut as a director along with his wife Sumner as his writer and producer with this lush documentary set in New Zealand's rugged Ruahine Mountains. This Way of Life is about the Karena family -- a family that would make plenty others envious. They have no material wealth but what they do have is a unique lifestyle with their six beautiful children and an entourage of wild horses that brings them so close to the nature that it's as far from materialistic world as you can get. While the parents suffer from the pressures of family and the society, the kids live a happy existence close to the nature and close to another. The Burstyns choose the right family and story to tell how much we've lost over the past century -- a direct connection with nature. Yama Rahimi: How did this project came about?...
- 1/5/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
Chicago – Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences reveals their short list for the Oscar for Best Documentary and every year there’s a notable snub or two that makes one question the process. Last year, “Anvil: The Story of Anvil,” one of the most-beloved films of the year, didn’t make the cut. This year, “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work” failed to make the cut, continuing a pattern in which films not deemed “serious enough” by Academy members can’t get past the first round.
The Tillman Story
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company
Luckily, a number of the best documentaries of 2010 were serious enough to pass Academy muster including several films about the economy, a few about the war in Iraq, and a pair of controversial docs about the failures of our current educational system. It should be an interesting battle for the final five in this category.
The Tillman Story
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company
Luckily, a number of the best documentaries of 2010 were serious enough to pass Academy muster including several films about the economy, a few about the war in Iraq, and a pair of controversial docs about the failures of our current educational system. It should be an interesting battle for the final five in this category.
- 11/28/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has whittled down qualified films for the Best Documentary Feature category. Originally, 101 films qualified in the category, and now, there are only 15 movies left standing. These films will advance in the voting process for the 83rd Academy Awards.
The 15 films are (alphabetically):
* .Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer. Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC)
* .Enemies of the People. Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
* .Exit through the Gift Shop. Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
* .Gasland. Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
* .Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould. Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors
(White Pine Pictures)
* .Inside Job. Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
* .The Lottery. Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)
* .Precious Life. Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions) .Megamind.
* .Quest for Honor. Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions)
* .Restrepo. Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger,...
The 15 films are (alphabetically):
* .Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer. Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC)
* .Enemies of the People. Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
* .Exit through the Gift Shop. Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
* .Gasland. Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
* .Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould. Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors
(White Pine Pictures)
* .Inside Job. Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
* .The Lottery. Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)
* .Precious Life. Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions) .Megamind.
* .Quest for Honor. Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions)
* .Restrepo. Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger,...
- 11/19/2010
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The shortlist for the Documentary Feature category of the 2011 Academy Awards has been announced and has been met with equal amounts of pleasant surprise and puzzled scratching of heads. The joyous bemusement in reaction to the inclusion of Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop, which many of us were convinced would be this year’s Anvil, and the shock that Laura Poitas' The Oath was notably absent. It’s particularly refreshing to see the inclusion of Exit given the general view that the Academy only saw the more "worthy"-subject based documentaries as genuine contenders, and that more populist fare never stood a chance. As documentaries don't compete within other filmmaking categories such as editing and cinematography (of which Armadillo would certainly deserve to be listed) the Documentary Feature category has always felt that it has to be an award based on overall filmmaking achievement, rather than subject, impact or agenda.
- 11/19/2010
- by Charlotte
- FilmJunk
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed today the 15 films that have made their shortlist for the Best Feature Documentary category in the 83rd Academy Awards.
They include:
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC)
Enemies of the People, Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
Exit through the Gift Shop, Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
Gasland, Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould, Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors (White Pine Pictures)
Inside Job, Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
The Lottery, Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)
Precious Life, Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions)
Quest for Honor, Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions)
Restrepo, Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films)
This Way of Life, Thomas Burstyn, director (Cloud South Films)
The Tillman Story, Amir Bar-Lev, director… Read...
They include:
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC)
Enemies of the People, Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
Exit through the Gift Shop, Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
Gasland, Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould, Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors (White Pine Pictures)
Inside Job, Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
The Lottery, Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)
Precious Life, Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions)
Quest for Honor, Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions)
Restrepo, Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films)
This Way of Life, Thomas Burstyn, director (Cloud South Films)
The Tillman Story, Amir Bar-Lev, director… Read...
- 11/19/2010
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
HollywoodNews.com: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 83rd Academy Awards®. One hundred-one pictures had originally qualified in the category.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:
“Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer,” Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC)
“Enemies of the People,” Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
“Exit through the Gift Shop,” Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
“Gasland,” Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
“Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould,” Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors (White Pine Pictures)
“Inside Job,” Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
“The Lottery,” Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)
“Precious Life,” Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions)
“Quest for Honor,” Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions)
“Restrepo,” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger,...
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:
“Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer,” Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC)
“Enemies of the People,” Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
“Exit through the Gift Shop,” Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
“Gasland,” Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
“Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould,” Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors (White Pine Pictures)
“Inside Job,” Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
“The Lottery,” Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)
“Precious Life,” Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions)
“Quest for Honor,” Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions)
“Restrepo,” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger,...
- 11/18/2010
- by Linny Lum
- Hollywoodnews.com
Do you want answers? Do you believe you’re entitled to them? Do you want the truth? Can you, in fact, handle the truth? The 15 documentaries competing for Oscar have been selected.
Check out the list below [via Oscars.org]:
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC) Enemies of the People Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films) Exit through the Gift Shop Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures) Gasland Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC) Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors
(White Pine Pictures) Inside Job Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures) The Lottery Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films) Precious Life Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions) “Megamind” Quest for Honor Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions) Restrepo Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films) This Way of Life Thomas Burstyn, director (Cloud South Films...
Check out the list below [via Oscars.org]:
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC) Enemies of the People Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films) Exit through the Gift Shop Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures) Gasland Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC) Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors
(White Pine Pictures) Inside Job Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures) The Lottery Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films) Precious Life Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions) “Megamind” Quest for Honor Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions) Restrepo Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films) This Way of Life Thomas Burstyn, director (Cloud South Films...
- 11/18/2010
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
The Academy announced today the 15 Documentary Features eligible for an Oscar and In Contention’s Guy Lodge cleverly quips on who did and didn’t make the shortlist:
“…judging from the Twitter reaction, this year.s most-mourned snubee is the Chinese critical darling .Last Train Home.. (I.d join the pitchfork-wielders, but I haven.t had an opportunity to see the film yet.) More surprising, however, is the omission of such widely fancied contenders as .The Oath. and .A Film Unfinished. . yes, folks, hell is experiencing a cold snap and the Academy snubbed a Holocaust documentary.”
Because as we all know with AMPAS voters, Holocaust films notoriously trump all comers. Too bad Joan Rivers’ A Piece Of Work didn’t make the cut. It’s a fascinating look into her life.
AMPAS Press Release:
Beverly Hills, CA . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in...
“…judging from the Twitter reaction, this year.s most-mourned snubee is the Chinese critical darling .Last Train Home.. (I.d join the pitchfork-wielders, but I haven.t had an opportunity to see the film yet.) More surprising, however, is the omission of such widely fancied contenders as .The Oath. and .A Film Unfinished. . yes, folks, hell is experiencing a cold snap and the Academy snubbed a Holocaust documentary.”
Because as we all know with AMPAS voters, Holocaust films notoriously trump all comers. Too bad Joan Rivers’ A Piece Of Work didn’t make the cut. It’s a fascinating look into her life.
AMPAS Press Release:
Beverly Hills, CA . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in...
- 11/18/2010
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Weinstein Company / Paramount
You know what we love? A good, old-fashioned documentary. Sometimes, that’s really the stuff.
And this year there’s been an exceptionally strong batch of documentary features, which explains why more than 100 of them were submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for this year’s Oscars. Now, though, the suits at the Academy have trimmed the field to just 15 finalists… and the controversial “Catfish” and crowd-pleasing “Babies” are nowhere to be seen.
“Catfish,” of course, purported to be a doc about a guy who falls for a Facebook friend only to find out that his new internet love is (spoiler!) a lying liar who lies. Some people felt it was probably about as real in documentary terms as “Paranormal Activity 2,” however, which may explain why it didn’t make the cut.
“Babies,” the much-buzzed about feature showing how infants in wildly...
You know what we love? A good, old-fashioned documentary. Sometimes, that’s really the stuff.
And this year there’s been an exceptionally strong batch of documentary features, which explains why more than 100 of them were submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for this year’s Oscars. Now, though, the suits at the Academy have trimmed the field to just 15 finalists… and the controversial “Catfish” and crowd-pleasing “Babies” are nowhere to be seen.
“Catfish,” of course, purported to be a doc about a guy who falls for a Facebook friend only to find out that his new internet love is (spoiler!) a lying liar who lies. Some people felt it was probably about as real in documentary terms as “Paranormal Activity 2,” however, which may explain why it didn’t make the cut.
“Babies,” the much-buzzed about feature showing how infants in wildly...
- 11/18/2010
- by Scott Harris
- NextMovie
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced the shortlist of fifteen films now vying for the five “Best Documentary” nominations. The organization will unveil the final five at the announcement ceremony on January 25, 2011, just over a month before the Oscar telecast on February 27. A record-breaking 101 films qualified for the award before the line-up was narrowed to these fifteen:
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC)
Enemies of the People, Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
Exit through the Gift Shop, Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
Gasland, Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould, Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors (White Pine Pictures)
Inside Job, Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
The Lottery, Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)
Precious Life, Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions)
Quest for Honor, Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions)
Restrepo,...
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC)
Enemies of the People, Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
Exit through the Gift Shop, Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
Gasland, Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould, Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors (White Pine Pictures)
Inside Job, Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
The Lottery, Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)
Precious Life, Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions)
Quest for Honor, Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions)
Restrepo,...
- 11/18/2010
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
Not entirely sure why much lauded docs films that stuck out this year in Janus Metz's Armadilllo, Lixin Fan's Last Train Home, Michelangelo Frammartino's le quattro volte and Jeff Malmberg's Marwencol failed to make the grade (I'm not entirely sure how this works with the cut-off dates), but there are plenty on the list of 15 that have earned the right to be deemed among the best docs of the year. Shockingly, they included Exit through the Gift Shop and not surprisingly, this along with seven other docus if my count is good, first began their public life at the January launch-pad known as the Sundance Film Festival. The preliminary round of voting will determine five noms (announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. Pt) and the only one I can honestly say is a shoe-in for a top 5 nom spot is Charles Ferguson's Inside Job.
- 11/18/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
And it's a good-looking, diverse and hip slate -- at least until the final five nominees are announced, and inevitably three to four of them are the least watched, least known from this selection, making the race opaque to almost everyone. Interesting that two controversial pro-charter school docs, the better known "Waiting for 'Superman'" and the smaller "The Lottery" both made the cut, while the acclaimed "Last Train Home" did not. "The Oath," thought a possible frontrunner by some, also failed to make the snip. But nice to see the excellent "Enemies of the People" on there.
"Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer"
Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC)
"Enemies of the People"
Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
"Exit through the Gift Shop"
Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
"Gasland"
Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
"Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould"
Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont,...
"Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer"
Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC)
"Enemies of the People"
Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)
"Exit through the Gift Shop"
Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
"Gasland"
Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
"Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould"
Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont,...
- 11/18/2010
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
After viewing 101 contenders for Best Feature Documentary for the 83rd Academy Awards, the Documentary Branch has revealed the final 15 contenders shortlist for nomination consideration.
This list is in alphabetical order: Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC) Enemies of the People Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films) Exit through the Gift Shop Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures) Gasland Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC) Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors (White Pine Pictures) Inside Job Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures) The Lottery Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films) Precious Life Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions) Quest for Honor Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions) Restrepo Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films) This Way of Life Thomas Burstyn, director (Cloud South Films) The Tillman Story Amir Bar-Lev, director (Passion...
This list is in alphabetical order: Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer Alex Gibney, director (Es Productions LLC) Enemies of the People Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films) Exit through the Gift Shop Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures) Gasland Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC) Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors (White Pine Pictures) Inside Job Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures) The Lottery Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films) Precious Life Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions) Quest for Honor Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions) Restrepo Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films) This Way of Life Thomas Burstyn, director (Cloud South Films) The Tillman Story Amir Bar-Lev, director (Passion...
- 11/18/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The line-up for the 18th Raindance Film Festival was announced today at a press launch held at the May Fair Hotel in London. This years line-up includes 77 feature films, 69 UK premieres and 133 short films, special live events, exclusive Q&As and masterclasses.
The festival will run from September 29 – October 10.
Opening the festival on Wednesday 29th September is Jackboots On Whitehall – a satirical animation about an alternative history of World War II where the Nazis seize London and England must band together to prevent a full on invasion. Star voiceover cast includes: Ewan McGregor, Rosamund Pike,Richard E. Grant, Timothy Spall, Tom Wilkinson, Alan Cumming, Richard Griffiths, Stephen Merchant and Richard O’Brien. It will be followed by an after-party with live set from rising Us indie band stars Airborne Toxic Event and DJ set from one of the most influential DJs in the UK – Andrew Weatherall. The following day will...
The festival will run from September 29 – October 10.
Opening the festival on Wednesday 29th September is Jackboots On Whitehall – a satirical animation about an alternative history of World War II where the Nazis seize London and England must band together to prevent a full on invasion. Star voiceover cast includes: Ewan McGregor, Rosamund Pike,Richard E. Grant, Timothy Spall, Tom Wilkinson, Alan Cumming, Richard Griffiths, Stephen Merchant and Richard O’Brien. It will be followed by an after-party with live set from rising Us indie band stars Airborne Toxic Event and DJ set from one of the most influential DJs in the UK – Andrew Weatherall. The following day will...
- 9/7/2010
- by Jamie Neish
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A Family directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen which was in the Competition section won the Fipresci (the international film critics association) prize for Best Film in the 60th edition of the Berlinale.
According to Ians reports, after receiving the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) award Friday, the 27-year-old debutante director dedicated it "to the whole community of La Barra", a village on Colombia's northern coast where the filming took place. From the Panorama, the Fipresci award was given to Parade by Isao Yukisada and Crab Trap directed by Oscar Ruíz Navia from the Forum won this prize.
Generation K Plus awards were also announced on Saturday. Crystal Bear for the Best Film went to Shui Yuet Sun Tau (Hongkong / China) by Alex Law while This Way Of Life(New Zealand / Canada) by Thomas Burstyn won a special mention from the Jury.
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film went...
According to Ians reports, after receiving the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) award Friday, the 27-year-old debutante director dedicated it "to the whole community of La Barra", a village on Colombia's northern coast where the filming took place. From the Panorama, the Fipresci award was given to Parade by Isao Yukisada and Crab Trap directed by Oscar Ruíz Navia from the Forum won this prize.
Generation K Plus awards were also announced on Saturday. Crystal Bear for the Best Film went to Shui Yuet Sun Tau (Hongkong / China) by Alex Law while This Way Of Life(New Zealand / Canada) by Thomas Burstyn won a special mention from the Jury.
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film went...
- 2/20/2010
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Cologne, Germany -- "Youth in Revolt," Miguel Arteta's romantic comedy starring Michael Cera and Portia Doubleday, is one of the higher profile titles screening at Generation -- the Berlin Film Festival's youth cinema sidebar -- but the title could be used for the 2010 lineup as a whole. For its 33rd edition, Generation has decided to stir things up, mixing genres and styles, big names and unknowns.
Acclaimed Indian filmmaker Dev Benegal will open Generation's main 14plus competition with his latest off-Bollywood production "Road Movie." "Alamar," a docu-drama from Mexican director Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio kicks off the Generation Kplus section of younger-skewing titles.
No longer a ghetto for kid flicks, Generation has established itself as a strong brand and platform for launching films in its own right -- a fact illustrated by the ten world premieres this year. These range from "Last of the Line" from Finnish directors Anastasia Lapsui and Markku Lehmuskallio,...
Acclaimed Indian filmmaker Dev Benegal will open Generation's main 14plus competition with his latest off-Bollywood production "Road Movie." "Alamar," a docu-drama from Mexican director Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio kicks off the Generation Kplus section of younger-skewing titles.
No longer a ghetto for kid flicks, Generation has established itself as a strong brand and platform for launching films in its own right -- a fact illustrated by the ten world premieres this year. These range from "Last of the Line" from Finnish directors Anastasia Lapsui and Markku Lehmuskallio,...
- 1/13/2010
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 28th annual Vancouver International Film Festival (Viff) will be held October 1-16, 2009. Founded in 1982, Viff's mandate is "...to encourage the understanding of other nations through the art of cinema, to foster the art of cinema, to facilitate the meeting in British Columbia of cinema professionals from around the world and to stimulate the motion picture industry in British Columbia and Canada..." Over 150,000 people are expected to attend 640 screenings of 360 films from 80 countries. Here is an up-to-date list of directors, confirmed to attend Viff 2009, along with their films : "1428" Du Haibin "1999" Lenin Sivam "65_RedRoses" Philip Lyall & Nimisha Mukerji "Adelaide" Liliana Greenfield-Sanders "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector" Vikram Jayanti "Ana & Arthur" Larry Young "The Anchorage" Anders Edström & Curtis Winter "Antoine" Laura Bari "Argippo Resurrected" Dan Krames "The Art of Drowning" Diego Maclean "At Home By Myself... With You" Kris Booth "At The Edge Of The World" Dan Stone...
- 9/27/2009
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
Screened
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- "The Boys From County Clare" wraps a banal story of young love and old family quarrels in the lively sights and sounds of Ceili music. This most traditional of Irish dance or party music sweeps the characters up in its happy tunes, all emanating from bands that consist of several fiddles, a flute, piano, drum, some kind of accordion and perhaps a banjo or guitar.
The characters feel drawn from life, and the actors do their best to give them sass. Although the story ultimately lets them down, the movie does allow you to mingle in the rehearsal halls, pubs and a small village where the All Ireland Traditional Music Competition takes place. Directed by John Irvin, "Boys" makes an attractive light comedy-drama that is just offbeat enough to please adult audiences hankering for something a little different.
Nicholas Adams' story takes place during the '60s, when the Liverpool sound has conquered the pop world but not the world of Ceili music. (It's pronounced "KAY-lee".) The annual Ceili competition sets the stage for a reunion of two estranged brothers, who haven't seen each other in 20-odd years.
Dapper yet still driven Jimmy MacMahon (Colm Meaney), who left County Clare for success, fine threads and multiple wives in Liverpool, aims to return home with his English band to snatch the trophy away from a band headed by his older brother, John Joe Bernard Hill). A lifelong bachelor who stayed behind on the family farm, John Joe has no intention of letting this happen. Mind you, each brother is more than willing to stoop to sabotage to keep the other from attending.
Despite their worst intentions, both wind up in a small west Irish village that nearly doubles in size to accommodate all the bands and musicians. Some, such as the English lads and a hippie couple, pitch camp by the beach. When Jimmy's flute player, Teddy (Shaun Evans), falls in love at first sight with John Joe's fiddle player, Anne (Andrea Corr), all hell breaks loose.
Only now -- and rather implausibly -- does Anne's overprotective mother, Maisie (Charlotte Bradley), the Irish band's piano player, tell her daughter that Jimmy is her long-lost father. This is a shaky plot device that forces first-time screenwriter Adams to concoct a series of confrontations that will lead to snappy resolutions of a lifetime of grief and resentment. Fortunately, the music frequently interrupts the melodrama, and the romance between the two musicians keeps the movie cheerful.
Meaney and Hill play the feuding brothers as a study in contrasts -- one flashy and insincere and the other stolid and reserved. Yet each is passionate about the music. Corr, lead singer of Irish pop band the Corrs, has a charm and sweet gentleness onscreen, though the depth of her acting ability is hard to gauge from this role.
Bradley must play the same note of shrill bitterness throughout, which robs her of a complexity that might have made Maisie a more touching character. Evans is convincing in his puppy-dog devotion to his new love, just as Philip Barantini, playing his buddy Alex, is convincing in his pursuit of female contestants for recreational purposes.
Shot, interestingly enough, not in Ireland but Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, "Boys" benefits from cinematographer Thomas Burstyn's warm, romantic lighting and the true Irish grit supplied by designer Tom McCullagh, who makes the small town's narrow streets and crowded pubs brim with life as musicians celebrate the glory of their music. Composer Fiachra Trench and Scott Gorham, lead guitarist with the rock band Thin Lizzy, supply a spirited Irish score combined with music from the period.
THE BOYS FROM COUNTY CLARE
First Look Media presents a Studio Hamburg Worldwide Pictures production in association with the Isle of Mann Commission, TPC and Kolar/Rufus Isaacs
Credits:
Director: John Irvin
Screenwriter: Nicholas Adams
Producers: Evzen Kolar, Wolfgang Esenwein, Ellen Little
Executive producers: Anthony Rufus Isaacs, Martyn Auty, Steve Christian, David Korda, Jim Reeve, Dieter Stempnierwsky, Bill Kenwright
Director of photography: Thomas Burstyn
Production designer: Tom McCullagh
Music: Fiachra Trench
Costume designer: Hazel Webb-Crozier
Editor: Ian Crafford
Cast:
Jimmy: Colm Meaney
John Joe: Bernard Hill
Anne: Andrea Corr
Teddy: Shaun Evans
Alex: Philip Barantini
Maisie: Charlotte Bradley
Padjo: Patrick Bergin
Bernie: Catherine Byrne
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- "The Boys From County Clare" wraps a banal story of young love and old family quarrels in the lively sights and sounds of Ceili music. This most traditional of Irish dance or party music sweeps the characters up in its happy tunes, all emanating from bands that consist of several fiddles, a flute, piano, drum, some kind of accordion and perhaps a banjo or guitar.
The characters feel drawn from life, and the actors do their best to give them sass. Although the story ultimately lets them down, the movie does allow you to mingle in the rehearsal halls, pubs and a small village where the All Ireland Traditional Music Competition takes place. Directed by John Irvin, "Boys" makes an attractive light comedy-drama that is just offbeat enough to please adult audiences hankering for something a little different.
Nicholas Adams' story takes place during the '60s, when the Liverpool sound has conquered the pop world but not the world of Ceili music. (It's pronounced "KAY-lee".) The annual Ceili competition sets the stage for a reunion of two estranged brothers, who haven't seen each other in 20-odd years.
Dapper yet still driven Jimmy MacMahon (Colm Meaney), who left County Clare for success, fine threads and multiple wives in Liverpool, aims to return home with his English band to snatch the trophy away from a band headed by his older brother, John Joe Bernard Hill). A lifelong bachelor who stayed behind on the family farm, John Joe has no intention of letting this happen. Mind you, each brother is more than willing to stoop to sabotage to keep the other from attending.
Despite their worst intentions, both wind up in a small west Irish village that nearly doubles in size to accommodate all the bands and musicians. Some, such as the English lads and a hippie couple, pitch camp by the beach. When Jimmy's flute player, Teddy (Shaun Evans), falls in love at first sight with John Joe's fiddle player, Anne (Andrea Corr), all hell breaks loose.
Only now -- and rather implausibly -- does Anne's overprotective mother, Maisie (Charlotte Bradley), the Irish band's piano player, tell her daughter that Jimmy is her long-lost father. This is a shaky plot device that forces first-time screenwriter Adams to concoct a series of confrontations that will lead to snappy resolutions of a lifetime of grief and resentment. Fortunately, the music frequently interrupts the melodrama, and the romance between the two musicians keeps the movie cheerful.
Meaney and Hill play the feuding brothers as a study in contrasts -- one flashy and insincere and the other stolid and reserved. Yet each is passionate about the music. Corr, lead singer of Irish pop band the Corrs, has a charm and sweet gentleness onscreen, though the depth of her acting ability is hard to gauge from this role.
Bradley must play the same note of shrill bitterness throughout, which robs her of a complexity that might have made Maisie a more touching character. Evans is convincing in his puppy-dog devotion to his new love, just as Philip Barantini, playing his buddy Alex, is convincing in his pursuit of female contestants for recreational purposes.
Shot, interestingly enough, not in Ireland but Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, "Boys" benefits from cinematographer Thomas Burstyn's warm, romantic lighting and the true Irish grit supplied by designer Tom McCullagh, who makes the small town's narrow streets and crowded pubs brim with life as musicians celebrate the glory of their music. Composer Fiachra Trench and Scott Gorham, lead guitarist with the rock band Thin Lizzy, supply a spirited Irish score combined with music from the period.
THE BOYS FROM COUNTY CLARE
First Look Media presents a Studio Hamburg Worldwide Pictures production in association with the Isle of Mann Commission, TPC and Kolar/Rufus Isaacs
Credits:
Director: John Irvin
Screenwriter: Nicholas Adams
Producers: Evzen Kolar, Wolfgang Esenwein, Ellen Little
Executive producers: Anthony Rufus Isaacs, Martyn Auty, Steve Christian, David Korda, Jim Reeve, Dieter Stempnierwsky, Bill Kenwright
Director of photography: Thomas Burstyn
Production designer: Tom McCullagh
Music: Fiachra Trench
Costume designer: Hazel Webb-Crozier
Editor: Ian Crafford
Cast:
Jimmy: Colm Meaney
John Joe: Bernard Hill
Anne: Andrea Corr
Teddy: Shaun Evans
Alex: Philip Barantini
Maisie: Charlotte Bradley
Padjo: Patrick Bergin
Bernie: Catherine Byrne
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Screened
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- "The Boys From County Clare" wraps a banal story of young love and old family quarrels in the lively sights and sounds of Ceili music. This most traditional of Irish dance or party music sweeps the characters up in its happy tunes, all emanating from bands that consist of several fiddles, a flute, piano, drum, some kind of accordion and perhaps a banjo or guitar.
The characters feel drawn from life, and the actors do their best to give them sass. Although the story ultimately lets them down, the movie does allow you to mingle in the rehearsal halls, pubs and a small village where the All Ireland Traditional Music Competition takes place. Directed by John Irvin, "Boys" makes an attractive light comedy-drama that is just offbeat enough to please adult audiences hankering for something a little different.
Nicholas Adams' story takes place during the '60s, when the Liverpool sound has conquered the pop world but not the world of Ceili music. (It's pronounced "KAY-lee".) The annual Ceili competition sets the stage for a reunion of two estranged brothers, who haven't seen each other in 20-odd years.
Dapper yet still driven Jimmy MacMahon (Colm Meaney), who left County Clare for success, fine threads and multiple wives in Liverpool, aims to return home with his English band to snatch the trophy away from a band headed by his older brother, John Joe Bernard Hill). A lifelong bachelor who stayed behind on the family farm, John Joe has no intention of letting this happen. Mind you, each brother is more than willing to stoop to sabotage to keep the other from attending.
Despite their worst intentions, both wind up in a small west Irish village that nearly doubles in size to accommodate all the bands and musicians. Some, such as the English lads and a hippie couple, pitch camp by the beach. When Jimmy's flute player, Teddy (Shaun Evans), falls in love at first sight with John Joe's fiddle player, Anne (Andrea Corr), all hell breaks loose.
Only now -- and rather implausibly -- does Anne's overprotective mother, Maisie (Charlotte Bradley), the Irish band's piano player, tell her daughter that Jimmy is her long-lost father. This is a shaky plot device that forces first-time screenwriter Adams to concoct a series of confrontations that will lead to snappy resolutions of a lifetime of grief and resentment. Fortunately, the music frequently interrupts the melodrama, and the romance between the two musicians keeps the movie cheerful.
Meaney and Hill play the feuding brothers as a study in contrasts -- one flashy and insincere and the other stolid and reserved. Yet each is passionate about the music. Corr, lead singer of Irish pop band the Corrs, has a charm and sweet gentleness onscreen, though the depth of her acting ability is hard to gauge from this role.
Bradley must play the same note of shrill bitterness throughout, which robs her of a complexity that might have made Maisie a more touching character. Evans is convincing in his puppy-dog devotion to his new love, just as Philip Barantini, playing his buddy Alex, is convincing in his pursuit of female contestants for recreational purposes.
Shot, interestingly enough, not in Ireland but Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, "Boys" benefits from cinematographer Thomas Burstyn's warm, romantic lighting and the true Irish grit supplied by designer Tom McCullagh, who makes the small town's narrow streets and crowded pubs brim with life as musicians celebrate the glory of their music. Composer Fiachra Trench and Scott Gorham, lead guitarist with the rock band Thin Lizzy, supply a spirited Irish score combined with music from the period.
THE BOYS FROM COUNTY CLARE
First Look Media presents a Studio Hamburg Worldwide Pictures production in association with the Isle of Mann Commission, TPC and Kolar/Rufus Isaacs
Credits:
Director: John Irvin
Screenwriter: Nicholas Adams
Producers: Evzen Kolar, Wolfgang Esenwein, Ellen Little
Executive producers: Anthony Rufus Isaacs, Martyn Auty, Steve Christian, David Korda, Jim Reeve, Dieter Stempnierwsky, Bill Kenwright
Director of photography: Thomas Burstyn
Production designer: Tom McCullagh
Music: Fiachra Trench
Costume designer: Hazel Webb-Crozier
Editor: Ian Crafford
Cast:
Jimmy: Colm Meaney
John Joe: Bernard Hill
Anne: Andrea Corr
Teddy: Shaun Evans
Alex: Philip Barantini
Maisie: Charlotte Bradley
Padjo: Patrick Bergin
Bernie: Catherine Byrne
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- "The Boys From County Clare" wraps a banal story of young love and old family quarrels in the lively sights and sounds of Ceili music. This most traditional of Irish dance or party music sweeps the characters up in its happy tunes, all emanating from bands that consist of several fiddles, a flute, piano, drum, some kind of accordion and perhaps a banjo or guitar.
The characters feel drawn from life, and the actors do their best to give them sass. Although the story ultimately lets them down, the movie does allow you to mingle in the rehearsal halls, pubs and a small village where the All Ireland Traditional Music Competition takes place. Directed by John Irvin, "Boys" makes an attractive light comedy-drama that is just offbeat enough to please adult audiences hankering for something a little different.
Nicholas Adams' story takes place during the '60s, when the Liverpool sound has conquered the pop world but not the world of Ceili music. (It's pronounced "KAY-lee".) The annual Ceili competition sets the stage for a reunion of two estranged brothers, who haven't seen each other in 20-odd years.
Dapper yet still driven Jimmy MacMahon (Colm Meaney), who left County Clare for success, fine threads and multiple wives in Liverpool, aims to return home with his English band to snatch the trophy away from a band headed by his older brother, John Joe Bernard Hill). A lifelong bachelor who stayed behind on the family farm, John Joe has no intention of letting this happen. Mind you, each brother is more than willing to stoop to sabotage to keep the other from attending.
Despite their worst intentions, both wind up in a small west Irish village that nearly doubles in size to accommodate all the bands and musicians. Some, such as the English lads and a hippie couple, pitch camp by the beach. When Jimmy's flute player, Teddy (Shaun Evans), falls in love at first sight with John Joe's fiddle player, Anne (Andrea Corr), all hell breaks loose.
Only now -- and rather implausibly -- does Anne's overprotective mother, Maisie (Charlotte Bradley), the Irish band's piano player, tell her daughter that Jimmy is her long-lost father. This is a shaky plot device that forces first-time screenwriter Adams to concoct a series of confrontations that will lead to snappy resolutions of a lifetime of grief and resentment. Fortunately, the music frequently interrupts the melodrama, and the romance between the two musicians keeps the movie cheerful.
Meaney and Hill play the feuding brothers as a study in contrasts -- one flashy and insincere and the other stolid and reserved. Yet each is passionate about the music. Corr, lead singer of Irish pop band the Corrs, has a charm and sweet gentleness onscreen, though the depth of her acting ability is hard to gauge from this role.
Bradley must play the same note of shrill bitterness throughout, which robs her of a complexity that might have made Maisie a more touching character. Evans is convincing in his puppy-dog devotion to his new love, just as Philip Barantini, playing his buddy Alex, is convincing in his pursuit of female contestants for recreational purposes.
Shot, interestingly enough, not in Ireland but Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, "Boys" benefits from cinematographer Thomas Burstyn's warm, romantic lighting and the true Irish grit supplied by designer Tom McCullagh, who makes the small town's narrow streets and crowded pubs brim with life as musicians celebrate the glory of their music. Composer Fiachra Trench and Scott Gorham, lead guitarist with the rock band Thin Lizzy, supply a spirited Irish score combined with music from the period.
THE BOYS FROM COUNTY CLARE
First Look Media presents a Studio Hamburg Worldwide Pictures production in association with the Isle of Mann Commission, TPC and Kolar/Rufus Isaacs
Credits:
Director: John Irvin
Screenwriter: Nicholas Adams
Producers: Evzen Kolar, Wolfgang Esenwein, Ellen Little
Executive producers: Anthony Rufus Isaacs, Martyn Auty, Steve Christian, David Korda, Jim Reeve, Dieter Stempnierwsky, Bill Kenwright
Director of photography: Thomas Burstyn
Production designer: Tom McCullagh
Music: Fiachra Trench
Costume designer: Hazel Webb-Crozier
Editor: Ian Crafford
Cast:
Jimmy: Colm Meaney
John Joe: Bernard Hill
Anne: Andrea Corr
Teddy: Shaun Evans
Alex: Philip Barantini
Maisie: Charlotte Bradley
Padjo: Patrick Bergin
Bernie: Catherine Byrne
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/15/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Where the Money Is" has a cheerful, lighthearted personality that should win friends and influence moviegoers into spreading the word: Paul Newman's got a new caper movie, and it's a hoot.
Playing an aging bank robber in the Willie Sutton mode, Newman is not only in top acting form but exudes enough sexual charisma to put most of today's roster of movie heartthrobs to shame.
Where the money will have to go, though, is into marketing this small-scale film left over from the Gramercy Pictures days. If Universal and USA Films succeed in getting adults into theaters, then word-of-mouth should turn "Money" into a modest moneymaker.
Newman may be the best reason to see this comic caper but not the only one. There's stylish work by Linda Fiorentino and Dermot Mulroney as Newman's co-conspirators; a lively, witty screenplay by E. Max Frye and Topper Lilien & Carroll Cartwright; fast-paced yet subtle direction by Marek Kanievska; and sharp cinematography and production design.
As the story gets under way, it's clear that Newman's Henry Manning and Fiorentino's Carol Ann McKay are cut from the same cloth. He's a once-(in)famous bank robber, locked up nearly for the rest of his natural life, who figures he might as well "break out" of prison by feigning a stroke. She's an ex-prom queen who has grown weary of her stale life with husband Wayne (Mulroney), a high school sweetheart gone sour in the grind of a night-shift job.
When Henry arrives at the nursing home where Carol works, her instincts tell her he's faking his illness. Once she coaxes him out of his coma -- by pushing him into a lake -- she talks him into committing a robbery of their own. Almost as an afterthought, she includes her suddenly jealous hubby in the scheme.
The script, based on Frye's story, has the smarts to concentrate more on the characters than their caper. The mechanics of the heist, in which the trio take over an armored car's nighttime pickup schedule, are simple enough. This is certainly no high-tech crime such as those in "Entrapment", which were more baffling than intriguing.
The focus remains instead on the shifting dynamics among the triangle of characters, where Henry and Carol find that their views on life and larceny dovetail neatly, leaving Carol's soporific husband a definite odd man out.
The three actors attack their roles like hungry men at a banquet. Newman can do more with his eyes than most actors do with their entire bodies. One senses Henry's mental machinery ticking away at high speeds. Even in repose, there is no repose.
Fiorentino also lets the subtle turmoil of devious thoughts play across her face. Whether looking for ways to "arouse" the supposedly brain-damaged Henry or trying to plot the perfect crime, her methodical approach -- if that doesn't work, let's try this -- jives nicely with Henry's instinctual grasp of any situation.
Mulroney, on the other hand, can suggest blankness of reflection and ambition with deadpan hilarity. His varied looks of bewilderment make a perfect contrast to the personas of his cunning conspirators.
British director Kanievska, shooting in Montreal, skillfully evokes the atmosphere of small-town Americana. Designer Andre Chamberland and cinematographer Thomas Burstyn give this environment an unusually fanciful look, emphasizing saturated hues in the nursing home and vivid colors during the nighttime heist.
Despite the grit of its semi-rural setting, Kanievska never lets his movie escape its fantasy world. Even the old-age home is handled with much more humor than other Hollywood movies would ever permit.
"Where the Money Is" treats crime as its own life force and Newman's character as one of its most passionate practitioners.
WHERE THE MONEY IS
Universal/USA Films
Gramercy Pictures presents in association with Intermedia Films and Pacifica Film Distribution
a Scott Free/IMF production
Credits: Producers: Ridley Scott, Charles Weinstock, Chris Zarpas, Christopher Dorr; Director: Marek Kanievska; Screenwriters: E. Max Frye, Topper Lilien, Carroll Cartwright; Story by: E. Max Frye; Executive producers: Tony Scott, Guy East, Nigel Sinclair, Chris Sievernich; Director of photography: Thomas Burstyn; Production designer: Andre Chamberland; Music: Mark Isham; Co-producers: Beau E.L. Marks, Robert E. Norton; Costume designer: Francesca Chamberland; Editors: Sam Craven, Garth Graven, Dan Lebental. Cast: Henry: Paul Newman; Carol: Linda Fiorentino; Wayne: Dermot Mulroney; Mrs. Foster: Susan Barnes; Mrs. Tetlow: Anne Pitonaik; Karl: Bruce MacVittie. MPAA rating: PG-13. Color/stereo. Running time -- 89 minutes.
Playing an aging bank robber in the Willie Sutton mode, Newman is not only in top acting form but exudes enough sexual charisma to put most of today's roster of movie heartthrobs to shame.
Where the money will have to go, though, is into marketing this small-scale film left over from the Gramercy Pictures days. If Universal and USA Films succeed in getting adults into theaters, then word-of-mouth should turn "Money" into a modest moneymaker.
Newman may be the best reason to see this comic caper but not the only one. There's stylish work by Linda Fiorentino and Dermot Mulroney as Newman's co-conspirators; a lively, witty screenplay by E. Max Frye and Topper Lilien & Carroll Cartwright; fast-paced yet subtle direction by Marek Kanievska; and sharp cinematography and production design.
As the story gets under way, it's clear that Newman's Henry Manning and Fiorentino's Carol Ann McKay are cut from the same cloth. He's a once-(in)famous bank robber, locked up nearly for the rest of his natural life, who figures he might as well "break out" of prison by feigning a stroke. She's an ex-prom queen who has grown weary of her stale life with husband Wayne (Mulroney), a high school sweetheart gone sour in the grind of a night-shift job.
When Henry arrives at the nursing home where Carol works, her instincts tell her he's faking his illness. Once she coaxes him out of his coma -- by pushing him into a lake -- she talks him into committing a robbery of their own. Almost as an afterthought, she includes her suddenly jealous hubby in the scheme.
The script, based on Frye's story, has the smarts to concentrate more on the characters than their caper. The mechanics of the heist, in which the trio take over an armored car's nighttime pickup schedule, are simple enough. This is certainly no high-tech crime such as those in "Entrapment", which were more baffling than intriguing.
The focus remains instead on the shifting dynamics among the triangle of characters, where Henry and Carol find that their views on life and larceny dovetail neatly, leaving Carol's soporific husband a definite odd man out.
The three actors attack their roles like hungry men at a banquet. Newman can do more with his eyes than most actors do with their entire bodies. One senses Henry's mental machinery ticking away at high speeds. Even in repose, there is no repose.
Fiorentino also lets the subtle turmoil of devious thoughts play across her face. Whether looking for ways to "arouse" the supposedly brain-damaged Henry or trying to plot the perfect crime, her methodical approach -- if that doesn't work, let's try this -- jives nicely with Henry's instinctual grasp of any situation.
Mulroney, on the other hand, can suggest blankness of reflection and ambition with deadpan hilarity. His varied looks of bewilderment make a perfect contrast to the personas of his cunning conspirators.
British director Kanievska, shooting in Montreal, skillfully evokes the atmosphere of small-town Americana. Designer Andre Chamberland and cinematographer Thomas Burstyn give this environment an unusually fanciful look, emphasizing saturated hues in the nursing home and vivid colors during the nighttime heist.
Despite the grit of its semi-rural setting, Kanievska never lets his movie escape its fantasy world. Even the old-age home is handled with much more humor than other Hollywood movies would ever permit.
"Where the Money Is" treats crime as its own life force and Newman's character as one of its most passionate practitioners.
WHERE THE MONEY IS
Universal/USA Films
Gramercy Pictures presents in association with Intermedia Films and Pacifica Film Distribution
a Scott Free/IMF production
Credits: Producers: Ridley Scott, Charles Weinstock, Chris Zarpas, Christopher Dorr; Director: Marek Kanievska; Screenwriters: E. Max Frye, Topper Lilien, Carroll Cartwright; Story by: E. Max Frye; Executive producers: Tony Scott, Guy East, Nigel Sinclair, Chris Sievernich; Director of photography: Thomas Burstyn; Production designer: Andre Chamberland; Music: Mark Isham; Co-producers: Beau E.L. Marks, Robert E. Norton; Costume designer: Francesca Chamberland; Editors: Sam Craven, Garth Graven, Dan Lebental. Cast: Henry: Paul Newman; Carol: Linda Fiorentino; Wayne: Dermot Mulroney; Mrs. Foster: Susan Barnes; Mrs. Tetlow: Anne Pitonaik; Karl: Bruce MacVittie. MPAA rating: PG-13. Color/stereo. Running time -- 89 minutes.
- 4/11/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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