Click here to read the full article.
I spent two years fighting the complications of desperately wanting to recommend AMC’s delightfully weird dramedy Lodge 49 and being generally unable to even describe the show. A slice of surfer noir by way of Thomas Pynchon, like Terriers without the gumshoe trappings, Lodge 49 probably never would have been a mainstream smash, but I don’t think it ever came close to maxing out on the audience that would have fallen for its laconic, philosophical noodling and its abundant, low-key charms.
AMC+’s new series Moonhaven isn’t really a lunar Lodge 49, but hailing from Lodge 49 showrunner Peter Ocko and boasting Lodge 49 creator Jim Gavin as writer and producer, Moonhaven has some of that elusive DNA. Even if one can sense Ocko and company trying to at least give AMC+ a promotable hook, Moonhaven is a show that...
I spent two years fighting the complications of desperately wanting to recommend AMC’s delightfully weird dramedy Lodge 49 and being generally unable to even describe the show. A slice of surfer noir by way of Thomas Pynchon, like Terriers without the gumshoe trappings, Lodge 49 probably never would have been a mainstream smash, but I don’t think it ever came close to maxing out on the audience that would have fallen for its laconic, philosophical noodling and its abundant, low-key charms.
AMC+’s new series Moonhaven isn’t really a lunar Lodge 49, but hailing from Lodge 49 showrunner Peter Ocko and boasting Lodge 49 creator Jim Gavin as writer and producer, Moonhaven has some of that elusive DNA. Even if one can sense Ocko and company trying to at least give AMC+ a promotable hook, Moonhaven is a show that...
- 7/6/2022
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
King of the second-unit cinematographers, Rexford Metz is second to none when it comes to getting shots on the ground, in water or high in the sky.
He operated the camera during the famed 10-minute chase sequence in “Bullitt” on the streets of San Francisco in 1968, and it was his coverage of muscle cars — and stuntman Bud Ekins’ motorcycle slide — that viewers could feel on the seat of their pants.
Metz was born in Los Angeles in 1937 to Glen and Mildred Metz. His dad built race car engines, and Metz graduated from Fairfax High School in 1955 with knowledge of two things: fast cars and using his 4×5 Graflex camera to photograph them.
On “Bullitt,” Ekins, who raced motorcycles with Metz, introduced his friend to star Steve McQueen, who got him hired on the film as a background actor. But after Metz shared his passion for cameras with Dp Bill Fraker, the cinematographer helped him change jobs.
He operated the camera during the famed 10-minute chase sequence in “Bullitt” on the streets of San Francisco in 1968, and it was his coverage of muscle cars — and stuntman Bud Ekins’ motorcycle slide — that viewers could feel on the seat of their pants.
Metz was born in Los Angeles in 1937 to Glen and Mildred Metz. His dad built race car engines, and Metz graduated from Fairfax High School in 1955 with knowledge of two things: fast cars and using his 4×5 Graflex camera to photograph them.
On “Bullitt,” Ekins, who raced motorcycles with Metz, introduced his friend to star Steve McQueen, who got him hired on the film as a background actor. But after Metz shared his passion for cameras with Dp Bill Fraker, the cinematographer helped him change jobs.
- 9/27/2019
- by James C. Udel
- Variety Film + TV
The shock of seeing so much delightfully knowing technique on screen could win the film both some enthusiastic reviews and good word-of-mouth, giving it some sleeper possibilities.
The title hostelry is a courtyard setup in Anaheim, Calif., managed by the snooping Mr. Perry (Paul Bartel). It's the late '50s, and around the motel's impossibly blue swimming pool, four period stereotypes meet: salesman Chester DeSoto (Whip Hubley), locked in eternal bickering with his sexy wife Bridey (Sherilyn Fenn); "Deadpan'' Winchester (David Hewlett), a goateed beatnik who's been institutionalized for criminal psychosis; and sleazy Auggie March (David Johansen), who is simultaneously blackmailing Chester and sleeping with Bridey.
"Deadpan'' has been hired by a suspicious Chester to spy on Bridey, which is only the first move in a strategy of mistrust, betrayal and two-timing that engages the four principals. The chicanery unfolds mostly from Bridey's perspective, which is tough for the audience since she suffers from two separate bouts of amnesia.
However, though the wild complications are part of the send-up, the film never plays fast-and-loose with them, and there is a crazy logic to the plot progressions.
However, it's the look that really sells the picture. The color evokes the overripe Technicolor of the period, while the compositions and preoccupation with female anatomy harken back to '50s fashion and advertising photography. Movement within the frame is similarly stylized, with rhyming elements constantly in motion.
The soundtrack is full of cocktail lounge jukebox melodies, a la Julie London, while costumes and production design are also dead-on.
On the down side, there's no one to root for here; everyone is either a bastard or a fall guy, and the film's icy detachment toward its characters may turn some off. The most sympathetic character ends up undone, an indication of misanthropy lurking under the dazzling surface.
DESIRE & HELL AT SUNSET MOTEL
TWO MOOON RELEASING
Heron Communications and Image Organization present a Donal P. Borchers Production
Writer-director Alien Castle
Producer Donald P. Borchers
Production designer Michael Clausen
Editor James Gavin Bedford
Director of photography Jamie Thompson
Music Alien Castle, Doug Walter
Color
Bridey DeSoto Sherilyn Fenn
Chester DeSoto Whip Hubley
"Deadpan" Winchester David Hewlett
Auggie March David Johansen
Mr. Perry Paul Bartel
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
The title hostelry is a courtyard setup in Anaheim, Calif., managed by the snooping Mr. Perry (Paul Bartel). It's the late '50s, and around the motel's impossibly blue swimming pool, four period stereotypes meet: salesman Chester DeSoto (Whip Hubley), locked in eternal bickering with his sexy wife Bridey (Sherilyn Fenn); "Deadpan'' Winchester (David Hewlett), a goateed beatnik who's been institutionalized for criminal psychosis; and sleazy Auggie March (David Johansen), who is simultaneously blackmailing Chester and sleeping with Bridey.
"Deadpan'' has been hired by a suspicious Chester to spy on Bridey, which is only the first move in a strategy of mistrust, betrayal and two-timing that engages the four principals. The chicanery unfolds mostly from Bridey's perspective, which is tough for the audience since she suffers from two separate bouts of amnesia.
However, though the wild complications are part of the send-up, the film never plays fast-and-loose with them, and there is a crazy logic to the plot progressions.
However, it's the look that really sells the picture. The color evokes the overripe Technicolor of the period, while the compositions and preoccupation with female anatomy harken back to '50s fashion and advertising photography. Movement within the frame is similarly stylized, with rhyming elements constantly in motion.
The soundtrack is full of cocktail lounge jukebox melodies, a la Julie London, while costumes and production design are also dead-on.
On the down side, there's no one to root for here; everyone is either a bastard or a fall guy, and the film's icy detachment toward its characters may turn some off. The most sympathetic character ends up undone, an indication of misanthropy lurking under the dazzling surface.
DESIRE & HELL AT SUNSET MOTEL
TWO MOOON RELEASING
Heron Communications and Image Organization present a Donal P. Borchers Production
Writer-director Alien Castle
Producer Donald P. Borchers
Production designer Michael Clausen
Editor James Gavin Bedford
Director of photography Jamie Thompson
Music Alien Castle, Doug Walter
Color
Bridey DeSoto Sherilyn Fenn
Chester DeSoto Whip Hubley
"Deadpan" Winchester David Hewlett
Auggie March David Johansen
Mr. Perry Paul Bartel
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.