Leslie A. Pope, an Oscar-nominated set decorator who worked on several Marvel movies, has died at 65 in Venice, Calif., according to her friend, Trish Gallaher Glenn.
Pope had heart surgery in February and was still recovering when she died, Glenn said.
She moved to New York in 1979 to begin her career in the film industry, and later moved to Venice in 1997. In her 40-year career, she worked on more than 50 films as a set decorator.
Pope received an Oscar nomination for “Seabiscuit” in 2003 for best art direction along with Jeannine Oppewall. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” would go on to win the category.
She also worked on several movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most recently the blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame.” Her other superhero film credits include “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Ant-Man,” “Spider-Man 3” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
The Art Directors Guild awarded Pope the...
Pope had heart surgery in February and was still recovering when she died, Glenn said.
She moved to New York in 1979 to begin her career in the film industry, and later moved to Venice in 1997. In her 40-year career, she worked on more than 50 films as a set decorator.
Pope received an Oscar nomination for “Seabiscuit” in 2003 for best art direction along with Jeannine Oppewall. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” would go on to win the category.
She also worked on several movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most recently the blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame.” Her other superhero film credits include “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Ant-Man,” “Spider-Man 3” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
The Art Directors Guild awarded Pope the...
- 5/10/2020
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Leslie A. Pope, an in-demand set decorator who received an Oscar nomination for her work on Seabiscuit, has died. She was 65.
Pope, who was recovering from heart surgery in February, died Wednesday at her home in Venice, her friend Trish Gallaher Glenn announced.
Pope won Excellence in Production Design Awards from the Art Directors Guild for Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) and was nominated for Django Unchained (2012) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) as well.
She shared her Oscar nom for best art direction-set decoration on Seabiscuit (2003) with Jeannine Oppewall and ...
Pope, who was recovering from heart surgery in February, died Wednesday at her home in Venice, her friend Trish Gallaher Glenn announced.
Pope won Excellence in Production Design Awards from the Art Directors Guild for Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) and was nominated for Django Unchained (2012) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) as well.
She shared her Oscar nom for best art direction-set decoration on Seabiscuit (2003) with Jeannine Oppewall and ...
Leslie A. Pope, an in-demand set decorator who received an Oscar nomination for her work on Seabiscuit, has died. She was 65.
Pope, who was recovering from heart surgery in February, died Wednesday at her home in Venice, her friend Trish Gallaher Glenn announced.
Pope won Excellence in Production Design Awards from the Art Directors Guild for Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) and was nominated for Django Unchained (2012) and Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014) as well.
She shared her Oscar nom for best art direction-set decoration on Seabiscuit (2003) with Jeannine Oppewall and ...
Pope, who was recovering from heart surgery in February, died Wednesday at her home in Venice, her friend Trish Gallaher Glenn announced.
Pope won Excellence in Production Design Awards from the Art Directors Guild for Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) and was nominated for Django Unchained (2012) and Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014) as well.
She shared her Oscar nom for best art direction-set decoration on Seabiscuit (2003) with Jeannine Oppewall and ...
The trophies for the 23rd Annual Art Directors Guild Awards were handed out on Saturday night at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown with two of the most game-changing inclusive films of the year Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians taking home awards for film and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Handmaid’s Tale winning for TV.
Hosted by David Alan Grier, the annual award ceremony honors excellence in production design in film and television. Among the special honorees were Academy Award-winning filmmaker Rob Marshall who received the Adg Cinematic Imagery Award as well as Lifetime Achievement Award recipients that included Production Designer Jeannine Oppewall, Senior Illustrator and Production Designer Ed Verreaux, Scenic Artist Jim Fiorito and Set Designer and Art Director William F. Matthews.
Amanda N’Duka was on the scene at the ceremony. The night was light and not weighed down with the usual stress and political-driven speeches from regular award ceremonies.
Hosted by David Alan Grier, the annual award ceremony honors excellence in production design in film and television. Among the special honorees were Academy Award-winning filmmaker Rob Marshall who received the Adg Cinematic Imagery Award as well as Lifetime Achievement Award recipients that included Production Designer Jeannine Oppewall, Senior Illustrator and Production Designer Ed Verreaux, Scenic Artist Jim Fiorito and Set Designer and Art Director William F. Matthews.
Amanda N’Duka was on the scene at the ceremony. The night was light and not weighed down with the usual stress and political-driven speeches from regular award ceremonies.
- 2/3/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos and Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Favourite,” “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians” walked away with top film honors at the 23rd annual Art Directors Guild Awards Saturday night.
“This journey started six years ago with ‘Fruitvale Station’ and a very awkward Skype interview,” Hannach Beachler, production designer of “Black Panther,” said in thanking director Ryan Coogler. “This journey has altered my life … Just learning about who I am and what I want this film to be, and really pushing the idea that design is not just brick and mortar. It’s not just wax, it’s not just paint. It’s your heart, it’s your soul, it’s everything we do every single day.”
In the TV fields, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Glow” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” were among the winners.
Oscar-nominated production designer Jeannine Oppewall and Adg-nominated production designer Ed Verreaux (“Jurassic Park”) received lifetime achievement awards from the organization.
“I...
“This journey started six years ago with ‘Fruitvale Station’ and a very awkward Skype interview,” Hannach Beachler, production designer of “Black Panther,” said in thanking director Ryan Coogler. “This journey has altered my life … Just learning about who I am and what I want this film to be, and really pushing the idea that design is not just brick and mortar. It’s not just wax, it’s not just paint. It’s your heart, it’s your soul, it’s everything we do every single day.”
In the TV fields, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Glow” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” were among the winners.
Oscar-nominated production designer Jeannine Oppewall and Adg-nominated production designer Ed Verreaux (“Jurassic Park”) received lifetime achievement awards from the organization.
“I...
- 2/3/2019
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
If Jeannine Oppewall were designing this year's Art Directors Guild's Excellence in Production Design Awards, she might have created a setting that looked like the Santa Anita racetrack during the Great Depression (as she did for 2003's Seabiscuit) or the Formosa Cafe circa 1950 (as she did for 1997's L.A. Confidential) or maybe even turn the whole thing into black and white (as she did for 1998's Pleasantville). But instead, on Feb. 2, the four-time Oscar nominee will be picking up her lifetime achievement award on a ballroom stage at the Intercontinental in downtown L.A....
If Jeannine Oppewall were designing this year's Art Directors Guild's Excellence in Production Design Awards, she might have created a setting that looked like the Santa Anita racetrack during the Great Depression (as she did for 2003's Seabiscuit) or the Formosa Cafe circa 1950 (as she did for 1997's L.A. Confidential) or maybe even turn the whole thing into black and white (as she did for 1998's Pleasantville). But instead, on Feb. 2, the four-time Oscar nominee will be picking up her lifetime achievement award on a ballroom stage at the Intercontinental in downtown L.A....
Actor and comedian David Alan Grier will host the 23rd Annual Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Awards on Saturday, Feb. 2 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
The announcement was made today by Adg Awards producer Scott Moses, Adg. Grier is a three-time Tony and Grammy nominee, and was included on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.
Grier currently stars in the new Fox comedy series The Cool Kids. His other TV credits include The Carmichael Show and the Emmy-winning In Living Color. He starred in Dag and Life with Bonnie, which earned him Image Award and Golden Satellite Award nominations. In 2015, Grier combined live theater and television when he played the Cowardly Lion in Broadway’s award-winning musical The Wiz Live! on NBC.
In film, Grier will next be seen in the indie drama Sprinter, produced by Will Smith. He...
The announcement was made today by Adg Awards producer Scott Moses, Adg. Grier is a three-time Tony and Grammy nominee, and was included on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.
Grier currently stars in the new Fox comedy series The Cool Kids. His other TV credits include The Carmichael Show and the Emmy-winning In Living Color. He starred in Dag and Life with Bonnie, which earned him Image Award and Golden Satellite Award nominations. In 2015, Grier combined live theater and television when he played the Cowardly Lion in Broadway’s award-winning musical The Wiz Live! on NBC.
In film, Grier will next be seen in the indie drama Sprinter, produced by Will Smith. He...
- 1/18/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The Art Directors Guild has announced nominations for the 23rd Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards in film, TV, commercials, videos and animation features. Among the candidates: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Favourite and Roma, and, on the TV side, Sharp Objects and Glow.
Winners will be honored Saturday, February 2 in Los Angeles. The nominees were announced today by Adg President Nelson Coates, Adg, and Awards Producer Scott Moses, Adg. A tie in the Short Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial category resulted in six nominees this year.
As previously announced, the Adg Cinematic Imagery Award will be handed out to director Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns) and both Anthony Masters (2001: A Space Odyssey) and Benjamin Carré will be inducted into the Adg Hall of Fame. Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Jeannine Oppewall,...
Winners will be honored Saturday, February 2 in Los Angeles. The nominees were announced today by Adg President Nelson Coates, Adg, and Awards Producer Scott Moses, Adg. A tie in the Short Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial category resulted in six nominees this year.
As previously announced, the Adg Cinematic Imagery Award will be handed out to director Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns) and both Anthony Masters (2001: A Space Odyssey) and Benjamin Carré will be inducted into the Adg Hall of Fame. Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Jeannine Oppewall,...
- 1/7/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Buster Scruggs,’ ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Haunting of Hill House’ Nominated for Art Directors Guild Awards
The Art Directors Guild has announced nominees for excellence in production design in feature film and television for 2018.
Among the film nominees in three categories — period, fantasy, and contemporary — were the Coen brothers’ Western anthology “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” hit Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Marvel blockbuster “Black Panther,” and Tom Cruise spectacle “Mission: Impossible — Fallout.”
On the television side, nominees included Netflix’s latter-year smash “The Haunting of Hill House,” Hulu’s Stephen King-inspired “Castle Rock,” HBO’s “Sharp Objects” with Amy Adams, and FX’s acclaimed episode of “Atlanta,” “Teddy Perkins.”
Previously announced, “Mary Poppins Returns” director Rob Marshall will receive the Adg’s cinematic imagery award. Slated for Hall of Fame inductions are British production designer and set decorator Anthony Masters (“2001: A Space Odyssey”) and Benjamin Carre. Lifetime achievement awards will also be presented to production designer Jeannine Oppewall, senior illustrator and production designer Ed Verreaux,...
Among the film nominees in three categories — period, fantasy, and contemporary — were the Coen brothers’ Western anthology “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” hit Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Marvel blockbuster “Black Panther,” and Tom Cruise spectacle “Mission: Impossible — Fallout.”
On the television side, nominees included Netflix’s latter-year smash “The Haunting of Hill House,” Hulu’s Stephen King-inspired “Castle Rock,” HBO’s “Sharp Objects” with Amy Adams, and FX’s acclaimed episode of “Atlanta,” “Teddy Perkins.”
Previously announced, “Mary Poppins Returns” director Rob Marshall will receive the Adg’s cinematic imagery award. Slated for Hall of Fame inductions are British production designer and set decorator Anthony Masters (“2001: A Space Odyssey”) and Benjamin Carre. Lifetime achievement awards will also be presented to production designer Jeannine Oppewall, senior illustrator and production designer Ed Verreaux,...
- 1/7/2019
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
“The Favourite,” “Roma,” “First Man,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” on Monday all nabbed nominations for the Art Directors Guild Awards’ period-film category, the Adg category that most closely corresponds to the Academy Award for Best Production Design.
In the Adg fantasy-film category, which typically supplies one or two Oscar nominees, the guild singled out “Black Panther,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “The House With a Clock in its Walls,” “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Ready Player One.”
Nominees in the contemporary-film category are “A Quiet Place,” “A Star Is Born,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and “Welcome to Marwen.”
Also Read: Producers Guild Awards Nominations Include 'Roma,' 'Black Panther,' 'A Star Is Born' - and Also 'Crazy Rich Asians'
Animated-film nominees are “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch,” “The Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
In the Adg fantasy-film category, which typically supplies one or two Oscar nominees, the guild singled out “Black Panther,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “The House With a Clock in its Walls,” “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Ready Player One.”
Nominees in the contemporary-film category are “A Quiet Place,” “A Star Is Born,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and “Welcome to Marwen.”
Also Read: Producers Guild Awards Nominations Include 'Roma,' 'Black Panther,' 'A Star Is Born' - and Also 'Crazy Rich Asians'
Animated-film nominees are “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch,” “The Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
- 1/7/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
In today’s film news roundup, medieval horror movie “The Head” gets distribution, Matt Leonetti becomes head of physical production for Lionsgate and the Art Directors Guild honors three longtime members.
Acquisition
Vertical Entertainment has acquired worldwide distribution rights to medieval horror movie “The Head” and will launch international sales at the American Film Market, which opens Oct. 31 in Santa Monica, Calif.
The independent feature, which premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain, is produced, directed and written by Jordan Downey (“ThanksKilling”). Kevin Stewart (“Unfriended: Dark Web”) co-wrote and produced along with Ricky Fosheim (“Uneasy Lies the Mind”).
“The Head” follows a bounty hunter who seeks vengeance on the monster that slayed his only daughter. It was shoot almost entirely in Portugal and is the film debut of Christopher Rygh. The deal was negotiated by Josh Spector on behalf of Vertical Entertainment and Ricky Fosheim of Detention Films on behalf of the filmmakers.
Acquisition
Vertical Entertainment has acquired worldwide distribution rights to medieval horror movie “The Head” and will launch international sales at the American Film Market, which opens Oct. 31 in Santa Monica, Calif.
The independent feature, which premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain, is produced, directed and written by Jordan Downey (“ThanksKilling”). Kevin Stewart (“Unfriended: Dark Web”) co-wrote and produced along with Ricky Fosheim (“Uneasy Lies the Mind”).
“The Head” follows a bounty hunter who seeks vengeance on the monster that slayed his only daughter. It was shoot almost entirely in Portugal and is the film debut of Christopher Rygh. The deal was negotiated by Josh Spector on behalf of Vertical Entertainment and Ricky Fosheim of Detention Films on behalf of the filmmakers.
- 10/26/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The Art Directors Guild said today that production designer Ed Verreaux, scenic artist Jim Fiorito and art director William F. Matthews will join previously announced production designer Jeannine Oppewall as recipients of the guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The four will be honored at the 23rd Annual Adg Excellence in Production Design Awards at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown in the Wilshire Grand Ballroom on Saturday, February 2, 2019.
Verreaux, Senior Illustrator and Production Designer, began his film career working for the legendary animation director Chuck Jones, later joined Robert Abel & Associates where he was assigned as one of the earliest designers on the Star Trek project, and then worked on many Steven Spielberg films including Jurassic Park lll, Jurassic World, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Poltergeist, Empire of the Sun, The Color Purple and E.T. He’s worked with Clint Eastwood and Robert Zemeckis, and other credits include George Miller’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdrome,...
Verreaux, Senior Illustrator and Production Designer, began his film career working for the legendary animation director Chuck Jones, later joined Robert Abel & Associates where he was assigned as one of the earliest designers on the Star Trek project, and then worked on many Steven Spielberg films including Jurassic Park lll, Jurassic World, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Poltergeist, Empire of the Sun, The Color Purple and E.T. He’s worked with Clint Eastwood and Robert Zemeckis, and other credits include George Miller’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdrome,...
- 10/25/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Art Directors Guild will honor senior illustrator and production designer Ed Verreaux, scenic artist Jim Fiorito and set designer and art director William F. Matthews.
They, along with Oscar-nominated production designer Jeannine Oppewall, who was previously announced as an honoree, will each receive a lifetime achievement award during the 23rd Adg Excellence in Production Design Awards on Feb. 2 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Verreaux began his film career working for animation director Chuck Jones. His credits include Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire of the Sun, Back to the Future Part ll and Part lll, and most recently Jurassic ...
They, along with Oscar-nominated production designer Jeannine Oppewall, who was previously announced as an honoree, will each receive a lifetime achievement award during the 23rd Adg Excellence in Production Design Awards on Feb. 2 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Verreaux began his film career working for animation director Chuck Jones. His credits include Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire of the Sun, Back to the Future Part ll and Part lll, and most recently Jurassic ...
- 10/25/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The Art Directors Guild will honor senior illustrator and production designer Ed Verreaux, scenic artist Jim Fiorito and set designer and art director William F. Matthews.
They, along with Oscar-nominated production designer Jeannine Oppewall, who was previously announced as an honoree, will each receive a lifetime achievement award during the 23rd Adg Excellence in Production Design Awards on Feb. 2 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Verreaux began his film career working for animation director Chuck Jones. His credits include Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire of the Sun, Back to the Future Part ll and Part lll, and most recently Jurassic ...
They, along with Oscar-nominated production designer Jeannine Oppewall, who was previously announced as an honoree, will each receive a lifetime achievement award during the 23rd Adg Excellence in Production Design Awards on Feb. 2 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Verreaux began his film career working for animation director Chuck Jones. His credits include Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire of the Sun, Back to the Future Part ll and Part lll, and most recently Jurassic ...
- 10/25/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jeannine Oppewall, a four-time Oscar-nominated production designer whose credits include L.A. Confidential and Pleasantville, has been selected to receive the Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor will be presented February 2 at during guild’s 23rd annual Adg Awards ceremony at the Wilshire Grand Ballroom.
Oppewall’s four Oscar noms came for L.A. Confidential, Pleasantville, Seabiscuit and most recently for 2007’s The Good Shepherd. Her production designer career began with 1983’s Tender Mercies, and her credits include Wonder Boys, Rules Don.t Apply, Snow Falling on Cedars, Catch Me if You Can and Bridges of Madison County.
.Jeannine is one of our most treasured Production Designers whose 40-year career continues to flourish, right up to the current Best of Enemies,” said Nelson Coates, president of the Adg, in announcing the honor. “She is a most deserving recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award. We are proud to honor her outstanding career and cinematic contributions.
Oppewall’s four Oscar noms came for L.A. Confidential, Pleasantville, Seabiscuit and most recently for 2007’s The Good Shepherd. Her production designer career began with 1983’s Tender Mercies, and her credits include Wonder Boys, Rules Don.t Apply, Snow Falling on Cedars, Catch Me if You Can and Bridges of Madison County.
.Jeannine is one of our most treasured Production Designers whose 40-year career continues to flourish, right up to the current Best of Enemies,” said Nelson Coates, president of the Adg, in announcing the honor. “She is a most deserving recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award. We are proud to honor her outstanding career and cinematic contributions.
- 10/18/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul Schrader's Light Sleeper (1992) is showing June 9 - July 9, 2018 in the United States.Light SleeperPopularly known as the screenwriter of Taxi Driver (1976), Paul Schrader’s work in cinema extends well beyond this seminal collaboration with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, from his beginnings as a film critic to his continued career as a director. When asked how his background as a critic influenced his work as a filmmaker he uses a telling example to outline the two modes of approaching the cinematic medium. Responding cautiously, he explains that for him the analytical impulses of the critic may be"as much for good as bad, maybe in fact more for bad. Because a critic in many ways is like a medical examiner. You know, you open up the cadaver, and you want to see how and why it lived. And a writer, a filmmaker, is, on the other hand,...
- 7/6/2018
- MUBI
Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture: Screenwriting Lesson of the Day: Lessons from the Screenplay uses the script for The Avengers to show how to define an act: Film Studies Lesson of the Day: The Academy helps us understand one of its Oscar categories in this video of four-time nominee Jeannine Oppewall (L.A. Confidential) explaining production design: Fake Trailer of the Day: There's another spot for the fake Crocodile Dundee sequel with Danny McBride and Chris Hemsworth re-creating a classic scene from the original: Reworked Trailer of the Day: One of Timothee Chalamet's biggest fans changed the audio of the Lady Bird trailer so it's just...
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- 1/27/2018
- by Christopher Campbell
- Movies.com
By 1985 Hollywood had still only dabbled in movies about the ‘shame that cannot speak its name,’ and in every case the verdict for the transgressors was regret and misery, if not death. Donna Deitch’s brilliant drama achieves exactly what she wanted, to do make a movie about a lesbian relationship that doesn’t end in a tragedy.
Desert Hearts
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 902
1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 96 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 14, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Andra Akers, Gwen Welles, Dean Butler, James Staley, Katie La Bourdette, Alex McArthur, Tyler Tyhurst, Denise Crosby, Antony Ponzini, Brenda Beck, Jeffrey Tambor.
Cinematography: Robert Elswit
Film Editor: Robert Estrin
Production Design: Jeannine Oppewall
Written by Natalie Cooper from the novel by Jane Rule
Produced and Directed by Donna Deitch
Desert Hearts is a fine movie that’s also one of the first features ever about a lesbian romance,...
Desert Hearts
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 902
1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 96 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 14, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Andra Akers, Gwen Welles, Dean Butler, James Staley, Katie La Bourdette, Alex McArthur, Tyler Tyhurst, Denise Crosby, Antony Ponzini, Brenda Beck, Jeffrey Tambor.
Cinematography: Robert Elswit
Film Editor: Robert Estrin
Production Design: Jeannine Oppewall
Written by Natalie Cooper from the novel by Jane Rule
Produced and Directed by Donna Deitch
Desert Hearts is a fine movie that’s also one of the first features ever about a lesbian romance,...
- 11/7/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Todd Garbarini
Curtis Hanson’s Academy Award-nominated film, L.A. Confidential (1997), celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and is the subject of an exclusive screening at Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre. The 138-minute film, which stars Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kim Basinger, will be screened on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 7:30 pm.
Please Note: Actress Kim Basinger, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, in addition to the Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild Award for her role as Lynn Bracken, is scheduled to appear in person for a Q & A following the screening.
From the press release:
Part of our Anniversary Classics series. For details, visit: laemmle.com/ac.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
20th Anniversary Screening and Tribute to Oscar-winning writer-director Curtis Hanson
Q & A with Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger
Tuesday, May 9, at 7:30 Pm at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Laemmle Theatres...
Curtis Hanson’s Academy Award-nominated film, L.A. Confidential (1997), celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and is the subject of an exclusive screening at Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre. The 138-minute film, which stars Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kim Basinger, will be screened on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 7:30 pm.
Please Note: Actress Kim Basinger, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, in addition to the Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild Award for her role as Lynn Bracken, is scheduled to appear in person for a Q & A following the screening.
From the press release:
Part of our Anniversary Classics series. For details, visit: laemmle.com/ac.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
20th Anniversary Screening and Tribute to Oscar-winning writer-director Curtis Hanson
Q & A with Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger
Tuesday, May 9, at 7:30 Pm at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Laemmle Theatres...
- 5/8/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The 2017 Sundance Film Festival is coming to a close with tonight’s awards ceremony. While we’ll have our personal favorites coming early this week, the jury and audience have responded with theirs, topped by Macon Blair‘s I don’t feel at home in this world anymore., which will arrive on Netflix in late February, and the documentary Dina. Check out the full list of winners below see our complete coverage here.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented by Larry Wilmore to:
Dina / U.S.A. (Directors: Dan Sickles, Antonio Santini) — An eccentric suburban woman and a Walmart door-greeter navigate their evolving relationship in this unconventional love story.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented by Peter Dinklage to:
I don’t feel at home in this world anymore. / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Macon Blair) — When a depressed woman is burglarized, she...
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented by Larry Wilmore to:
Dina / U.S.A. (Directors: Dan Sickles, Antonio Santini) — An eccentric suburban woman and a Walmart door-greeter navigate their evolving relationship in this unconventional love story.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented by Peter Dinklage to:
I don’t feel at home in this world anymore. / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Macon Blair) — When a depressed woman is burglarized, she...
- 1/29/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Each year, the Sundance Film Festival rolls out an enviable lineup of jury members — billed as “experts in film, art, culture and science” — to dole out awards to the feature-length works shown at the festival. In total, 28 prizes (and sometimes more!) will be announced at a ceremony on January 28 (as ever, Short Film Awards will be announced at a separate ceremony on January 24). The festival has now announced this year’s various jury members, including actors, filmmakers, producers, writers and other luminaries (and, yes, plenty of Sundance alums pop up amongst their ranks).
Additionally, the festival has also announced that actress, comedian, correspondent and podcast host Jessica Williams will host the annual awards. Jones seems poised to have a very busy Sundance indeed, as she also toplines James Strouse’s premiere “The Incredible Jessica James,” which will close out the festival the night before.
The awards, which recognize standout artistic and story elements,...
Additionally, the festival has also announced that actress, comedian, correspondent and podcast host Jessica Williams will host the annual awards. Jones seems poised to have a very busy Sundance indeed, as she also toplines James Strouse’s premiere “The Incredible Jessica James,” which will close out the festival the night before.
The awards, which recognize standout artistic and story elements,...
- 1/11/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its 2017 jury members, and Peter Dinklage, Patton Oswalt, Larry Wilmore, Gael Garcia Bernal and producer Julie Goldman are among those taking part.
The fest will award 28 prizes for feature-length films at a live-streamed ceremony held Jan. 28 and hosted by Jessica Williams. Awards for short films will be announced at a live-streamed ceremony on Jan. 24.
The U.S. Dramatic Jury features Bernal, Dinklage (whose next film Rememory will screen at the fest), writer-director Jody Hill, AFI Fest director Jacqueline Lyanga and production designer Jeannine Oppewall.
Oswalt, director David Lowery and costume designer Shirley Kurata are...
The fest will award 28 prizes for feature-length films at a live-streamed ceremony held Jan. 28 and hosted by Jessica Williams. Awards for short films will be announced at a live-streamed ceremony on Jan. 24.
The U.S. Dramatic Jury features Bernal, Dinklage (whose next film Rememory will screen at the fest), writer-director Jody Hill, AFI Fest director Jacqueline Lyanga and production designer Jeannine Oppewall.
Oswalt, director David Lowery and costume designer Shirley Kurata are...
- 1/11/2017
- by Ashley Lee
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warren Beatty likes to call his creative collaboration a dialectic and, if a recent roundtable discussion about “Rules Don’t Apply” is any indication, he inspired personal reflection from cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, costume designer Albert Wolsky, production designer Jeannine Oppewall and composer Eddie Arkin.
Which was important for this historically-inspired romcom, in which legendary producer-tycoon Howard Hughes plays cupid in late ’50s Hollywood to a young couple played by Alden Ehrenreich and Lily Collins. Beatty and his key collaborators really dug into the retro vibe.
“I never identified with Howard Hughes,” insisted Beatty, who never met the reclusive billionaire but was amused by his Garbo-like secrecy and the eccentric way he wielded power. That’s why he spent nearly 30 years trying to make a movie about Hughes, attracted like a moth to the flame.
See more Warren Beatty Talks Hollywood Legends, Humanizing Howard Hughes and More in Career-Spanning IndieWire Interview
“If I identified with somebody,...
Which was important for this historically-inspired romcom, in which legendary producer-tycoon Howard Hughes plays cupid in late ’50s Hollywood to a young couple played by Alden Ehrenreich and Lily Collins. Beatty and his key collaborators really dug into the retro vibe.
“I never identified with Howard Hughes,” insisted Beatty, who never met the reclusive billionaire but was amused by his Garbo-like secrecy and the eccentric way he wielded power. That’s why he spent nearly 30 years trying to make a movie about Hughes, attracted like a moth to the flame.
See more Warren Beatty Talks Hollywood Legends, Humanizing Howard Hughes and More in Career-Spanning IndieWire Interview
“If I identified with somebody,...
- 11/25/2016
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
As the daughter of a pop legend like Phil Collins, one imagines that actress Lily Collins has had to work extra hard to get out from under her father’s shadow, and she’s done that by starring in films like Tarsem’s Mirror Mirror, The Blind Side and genre films Priest and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bone.
None of those roles could have prepared her for playing Marla Mabrey in Warren Beatty’s new movie Rules Don’t Apply. Marla is a virginal Christian ingénue that’s been brought to Hollywood by the enigmatic Howard Hughes (Beatty) but before she has a chance at meeting her benefactor, Marla ends up bonding with her driver Frank, as played by Alden Ehrenreich (aka the new Han Solo). It creates a strange triangle between the three of them and their relationship to Hughes, but it’s a great return for Beatty...
None of those roles could have prepared her for playing Marla Mabrey in Warren Beatty’s new movie Rules Don’t Apply. Marla is a virginal Christian ingénue that’s been brought to Hollywood by the enigmatic Howard Hughes (Beatty) but before she has a chance at meeting her benefactor, Marla ends up bonding with her driver Frank, as played by Alden Ehrenreich (aka the new Han Solo). It creates a strange triangle between the three of them and their relationship to Hughes, but it’s a great return for Beatty...
- 11/21/2016
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Last month, Warren Beatty hosted an Academy screening on the Fox lot for his new film, “Rules Don’t Apply.” The actor and Oscar-winning director cheerfully greeted new arrivals, but when he introduced his movie it was in his typically controlling fashion: “It’s not a Howard Hughes biopic!”
People can be forgiven for the mistake. Beatty, 79, has wanted to make a movie about the neurotic aerospace and movie mogul since 1973, when he noticed during a stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel that a room was always occupied by two crewcut men in dark suits. The self-protective movie star thought the hotel was spying on him, but a manager told Beatty that the men worked for Howard Hughes, who at the time reserved seven rooms, plus five private bungalows for his girls.
At the time, Beatty was working with Robert Towne on the Oscar-nominated script of “Shampoo” (1975). Hal Ashby directed...
People can be forgiven for the mistake. Beatty, 79, has wanted to make a movie about the neurotic aerospace and movie mogul since 1973, when he noticed during a stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel that a room was always occupied by two crewcut men in dark suits. The self-protective movie star thought the hotel was spying on him, but a manager told Beatty that the men worked for Howard Hughes, who at the time reserved seven rooms, plus five private bungalows for his girls.
At the time, Beatty was working with Robert Towne on the Oscar-nominated script of “Shampoo” (1975). Hal Ashby directed...
- 11/16/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Last month, Warren Beatty hosted an Academy screening on the Fox lot for his new film, “Rules Don’t Apply.” The actor and Oscar-winning director cheerfully greeted new arrivals, but when he introduced his movie it was in his typically controlling fashion: “It’s not a Howard Hughes biopic!”
People can be forgiven for the mistake. Beatty, 79, has wanted to make a movie about the neurotic aerospace and movie mogul since 1973, when he noticed during a stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel that a room was always occupied by two crewcut men in dark suits. The self-protective movie star thought the hotel was spying on him, but a manager told Beatty that the men worked for Howard Hughes, who at the time reserved seven rooms, plus five private bungalows for his girls.
At the time, Beatty was working with Robert Towne on the Oscar-nominated script of “Shampoo” (1975). Hal Ashby directed...
People can be forgiven for the mistake. Beatty, 79, has wanted to make a movie about the neurotic aerospace and movie mogul since 1973, when he noticed during a stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel that a room was always occupied by two crewcut men in dark suits. The self-protective movie star thought the hotel was spying on him, but a manager told Beatty that the men worked for Howard Hughes, who at the time reserved seven rooms, plus five private bungalows for his girls.
At the time, Beatty was working with Robert Towne on the Oscar-nominated script of “Shampoo” (1975). Hal Ashby directed...
- 11/16/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Birdman, Fury and Leviathan among main competition titles; Roland Joffé to preside over main jury.
Alejandro G Ińárritu, Yimou Zhang, Mike Leigh and Jean-Marc Vallée are among the directors with films screening in competition at the 22nd Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography.
The main competition at the festival, held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, comprises:
Alejandro G Ińárritu’s Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki
Yimou Zhang’s Coming Home (Gui lai); China, 2014; Cinematographer: Zhao Xiaoding
Richard Raymond’s Desert Dancer; UK, 2014; Cinematographer: Carlos Catalán Alucha
Lech J. Majewski’s Field of Dogs - Onirica (Onirica - Psie pole); Poland, 2014; Cinematographers: Paweł Tybora and Lech J. Majewski
Krzysztof Zanussi’s Foreign Body (Obce cialo); Poland, Italy, Russia, 2014; Cinematographer: Piotr Niemyjski
David Ayer’s Fury; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Roman Vasyanov
Tate Taylor’s Get on Up; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Stephen Goldblatt
Łukasz Palkowski’s Gods (Bogowie); Poland, 2014; Cinematographer:...
Alejandro G Ińárritu, Yimou Zhang, Mike Leigh and Jean-Marc Vallée are among the directors with films screening in competition at the 22nd Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography.
The main competition at the festival, held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, comprises:
Alejandro G Ińárritu’s Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki
Yimou Zhang’s Coming Home (Gui lai); China, 2014; Cinematographer: Zhao Xiaoding
Richard Raymond’s Desert Dancer; UK, 2014; Cinematographer: Carlos Catalán Alucha
Lech J. Majewski’s Field of Dogs - Onirica (Onirica - Psie pole); Poland, 2014; Cinematographers: Paweł Tybora and Lech J. Majewski
Krzysztof Zanussi’s Foreign Body (Obce cialo); Poland, Italy, Russia, 2014; Cinematographer: Piotr Niemyjski
David Ayer’s Fury; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Roman Vasyanov
Tate Taylor’s Get on Up; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Stephen Goldblatt
Łukasz Palkowski’s Gods (Bogowie); Poland, 2014; Cinematographer:...
- 10/31/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Polish film festival sets competition juries; Roland Joffe to preside over main competition.
Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, has set an impressive roster of jurors for its various competition categories.
The Killing Fields director Roland Joffe will preside over the main competition jury, which incldues cinematographers Christian Berger and Manuel Alberto Claro.
Caleb Deschanel has been appointed president of the Polish Films Competition.
The full list of jurors is below.
Main Competition
Roland Joffé – Jury President (director, producer; The Killing Fields, The Mission, Vatel)
Christian Berger (cinematographer; The Piano Teacher, Hidden, The White Ribbon)
Ryszard Bugajski (director, screenwriter; Interrogation, General Nil, The Closed Circuit)
Ryszard Horowitz (photographer)
David Gropman (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Life of Pi)
Arthur Reinhart (cinematographer, producer; Crows, Tristan + Isolde, Venice)
Oliver Stapleton (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Pay It Forward, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark)
Manuel Alberto Claro (cinematographer; Reconstruction, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac...
Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, has set an impressive roster of jurors for its various competition categories.
The Killing Fields director Roland Joffe will preside over the main competition jury, which incldues cinematographers Christian Berger and Manuel Alberto Claro.
Caleb Deschanel has been appointed president of the Polish Films Competition.
The full list of jurors is below.
Main Competition
Roland Joffé – Jury President (director, producer; The Killing Fields, The Mission, Vatel)
Christian Berger (cinematographer; The Piano Teacher, Hidden, The White Ribbon)
Ryszard Bugajski (director, screenwriter; Interrogation, General Nil, The Closed Circuit)
Ryszard Horowitz (photographer)
David Gropman (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Life of Pi)
Arthur Reinhart (cinematographer, producer; Crows, Tristan + Isolde, Venice)
Oliver Stapleton (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Pay It Forward, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark)
Manuel Alberto Claro (cinematographer; Reconstruction, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac...
- 10/31/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Everybody knows Oscar, but they may not know his whole story.
That background is explored when Turner Classic Movies launches its annual "31 Days of Oscar" festival - consisting of films that either have won or been nominated for Academy Awards - with a new documentary titled "And the Oscar Goes to ..." Saturday, Feb. 1. Rare footage is a highlight of the program, including clips from some of the earliest ceremonies to honor a year's achievements in cinema.
Expectedly since the program is on TCM, and also since he's a longtime documenter of Hollywood whose book "85 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards" was published recently, main channel host Robert Osborne is among the interviewees.
"There's footage in this that people haven't seen for years, so it's going to be great fun for them, I think," Osborne, who was the official greeter of celebrities on the Oscar red carpet for several years,...
That background is explored when Turner Classic Movies launches its annual "31 Days of Oscar" festival - consisting of films that either have won or been nominated for Academy Awards - with a new documentary titled "And the Oscar Goes to ..." Saturday, Feb. 1. Rare footage is a highlight of the program, including clips from some of the earliest ceremonies to honor a year's achievements in cinema.
Expectedly since the program is on TCM, and also since he's a longtime documenter of Hollywood whose book "85 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards" was published recently, main channel host Robert Osborne is among the interviewees.
"There's footage in this that people haven't seen for years, so it's going to be great fun for them, I think," Osborne, who was the official greeter of celebrities on the Oscar red carpet for several years,...
- 2/1/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
When Turner Classic Movies (TCM) kicks off 31 Days of Oscar®, the network’s annual celebration of the Academy Awards® in February, it will be embarking on one of the most ambitious and comprehensive editions of the month-long festival yet.
Each night’s primetime lineup from Feb. 1 through March 3 will be devoted to showcasing all the movies nominated in a particular category in a given year. Meanwhile, daytime programming will focus on specific categories, with winners and nominees from multiple years.
TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar is one of several events celebrating the network’s 20th year as a leading authority in classic film. Making the 2014 edition of 31 Days of Oscar even more spectacular will be the world premiere of And the Oscar® Goes To…, a brand-new documentary tracing the history of the Academy Awards, slated to premiere Saturday, Feb. 1, at 8 p.m. (Et/Pt). CNN Films will encore the documentary onThursday,...
Each night’s primetime lineup from Feb. 1 through March 3 will be devoted to showcasing all the movies nominated in a particular category in a given year. Meanwhile, daytime programming will focus on specific categories, with winners and nominees from multiple years.
TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar is one of several events celebrating the network’s 20th year as a leading authority in classic film. Making the 2014 edition of 31 Days of Oscar even more spectacular will be the world premiere of And the Oscar® Goes To…, a brand-new documentary tracing the history of the Academy Awards, slated to premiere Saturday, Feb. 1, at 8 p.m. (Et/Pt). CNN Films will encore the documentary onThursday,...
- 1/15/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is gearing up to celebrate the Academy Awards® in a very special way next year. As part of TCM’s annual 31 Days of Oscar® showcase in February 2014, the network will present the world premiere of Oscar, a brand-new documentary tracing the history of the Academy Awards. Produced by Telling Pictures, Inc., in association with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Academy) and Hollywood Newsreel, this fascinating special will take movie lovers on a journey through Hollywood history as it tells its story of the little statuette that became the industry’s most coveted prize.
Oscar is set to have its world television premiere on TCM Saturday, Feb. 1, the opening night of the 2014 edition of 31 Days of Oscar. With the new documentary as its centerpiece, 31 Days of Oscar will be themed around the history of the Academy Awards.
Featuring more than 300 Oscar-winning and nominated films,...
Oscar is set to have its world television premiere on TCM Saturday, Feb. 1, the opening night of the 2014 edition of 31 Days of Oscar. With the new documentary as its centerpiece, 31 Days of Oscar will be themed around the history of the Academy Awards.
Featuring more than 300 Oscar-winning and nominated films,...
- 9/30/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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
Photo Credit: Dale Robinette, Courtesy of Mockingbird Pictures Ed Harris and Annette Bening star in Arie Posin’s Look Of Love.
Academy Award-nominated actors Annette Bening and Ed Harris, Academy Award-winner Robin Williams, Amy Brenneman and Jess Weixler star in Arie Posin.s romantic drama Look Of Love. Posin is directing the project that he co-wrote with scribe Matthew McDuffie. Mockingbird Pictures. Julie Lynn and Bonnie Curtis are producers. Principal photography is currently shooting in Los Angeles.
Curtis and Lynn are the producers of the critically acclaimed Albert Nobbs, which earned three Academy Award nominations this past season including Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Glenn Close.
Look Of Love is the story of a widow named Nikki (Bening) who, several years after the loss of her husband Garrett, meets a man named Tom (Harris) who looks exactly like her deceased spouse. Suddenly, a flood of...
Academy Award-nominated actors Annette Bening and Ed Harris, Academy Award-winner Robin Williams, Amy Brenneman and Jess Weixler star in Arie Posin.s romantic drama Look Of Love. Posin is directing the project that he co-wrote with scribe Matthew McDuffie. Mockingbird Pictures. Julie Lynn and Bonnie Curtis are producers. Principal photography is currently shooting in Los Angeles.
Curtis and Lynn are the producers of the critically acclaimed Albert Nobbs, which earned three Academy Award nominations this past season including Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Glenn Close.
Look Of Love is the story of a widow named Nikki (Bening) who, several years after the loss of her husband Garrett, meets a man named Tom (Harris) who looks exactly like her deceased spouse. Suddenly, a flood of...
- 5/10/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Academy Award-nominated actors Annette Bening and Ed Harris, and Academy Award-winner Robin Williams will be joined by Amy Brenneman and Jess Weixler in Arie Posin.s romantic drama Look Of Love. Posin is directing the project that he co-wrote with scribe Matthew McDuffie. Mockingbird Pictures. Julie Lynn and Bonnie Curtis are producers. Principal photography begins shooting in Los Angeles on April 9.
The majority of financing for the project was found in Dallas, Texas, where Curtis and Lynn previously sourced funds for the critically acclaimed Albert Nobbs, which earned three Academy Award nominations this past season including Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Glenn Close.
Look Of Love is the story of a widow named Nikki (Bening) who, several years after the loss of her husband Garrett, meets a man named Tom (Harris) who looks exactly like her deceased spouse. Suddenly, a flood of old feelings rush...
The majority of financing for the project was found in Dallas, Texas, where Curtis and Lynn previously sourced funds for the critically acclaimed Albert Nobbs, which earned three Academy Award nominations this past season including Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Glenn Close.
Look Of Love is the story of a widow named Nikki (Bening) who, several years after the loss of her husband Garrett, meets a man named Tom (Harris) who looks exactly like her deceased spouse. Suddenly, a flood of old feelings rush...
- 4/5/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Martin Scorsese's Hugo (period film), David Yates' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (fantasy film), and David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (contemporary film) were the feature-film winners at the Art Directors Guild's 16th Excellence in Production Design Awards, held this evening at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. The respective production design winners were Dante Ferretti (photo), Stuart Craig, and Donald Graham Burt. [Full list of 2012 Art Directors Guild winners and nominees.] Both Ferretti (with frequent collaborator/set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo) and Craig (with set decorator Stephenie McMillan ) are in the running for the Best Art Direction Academy Award. Their competitors are Laurence Bennett and set decorator Robert Gould for Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist, Anne Seibel and set decorator Hélène Dubreuil for Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, and Rick Carter and set decorator Lee Sandales for Steven Spielberg's War Horse. Among the...
- 2/5/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Hugo, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo took the Art Directors Guild Awards for period, fantasy and contemporary movies tonight in ceremonies hosted by Paula Poundstone at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Production Designer Tony Walton received the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Hall of Fame inductees were Robert Boyle, William Darling, and Alfred Junge. Teams from the Harry Potter films were recognized for Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery: Executive Producer David Heyman, Producer David Barron; directors Christopher Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, and David Yates; creator and author J.K. Rowling; screenwriters Steve Kloves and Michael Goldenberg; production designer Stuart Craig; art director Neil Lamont and set decorator Stephenie McMillan. The Guild also screened two short films by Cindy Peters. The first was a behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the show. The second, 75 Years of Inspirational Design: A Personal Reflection in Eight Chapters featured production designers Albert Brenner,...
- 2/5/2012
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
HollywoodNews.com:The Art Directors Guild (Adg announced winners of its 16th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards in nine categories of film, television, commercials and music videos during black-tie ceremonies at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. The awards took place before an audience of more than 700, including guild members, industry executives, studio heads and press. Adg President Thomas A. Walsh presided over the awards ceremony with Paula Poundstone serving as host for the third consecutive year. Ben Vereen performed as a special musical guest. Production Designer Tony Walton was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Hall of Fame inductees were Robert Boyle, William Darling, and Alfred Junge. The team from the Harry Potter films, including Executive Producer David Heyman, Producer David Barron; directors Christopher Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, and David Yates; creator and author J.K. Rowling; screenwriters Steve Kloves and Michael Goldenberg...
- 2/5/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
Beverly Hills, CA – The differences between production design for animation and live action will be explored in detail during the first installment of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. series .Evolution or Revolution? Production Design in the 21st Century,. on Monday, April 25, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Academy.s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.
.Production Design in the 21st Century. will be hosted by two of the Academy.s Art Directors Branch governors, production designer Jim Bissell (.300,. .Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.) and set decorator Rosemary Brandenburg (.Unstoppable,. .Public Enemies.). Special guests for the first evening will be production designers Kathy Altieri (.How to Train Your Dragon,. .Over the Hedge.), Scott Chambliss (.Salt,. .Star Trek.), Harley Jessup (.Ratatouille,. .Monsters, Inc..) and Lilly Kilvert (.Valkyrie,. .The Last Samurai.), as well as set decorator Karen O.Hara (.Alice in Wonderland,. .Disney.s A Christmas Carol.). The session will feature...
.Production Design in the 21st Century. will be hosted by two of the Academy.s Art Directors Branch governors, production designer Jim Bissell (.300,. .Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.) and set decorator Rosemary Brandenburg (.Unstoppable,. .Public Enemies.). Special guests for the first evening will be production designers Kathy Altieri (.How to Train Your Dragon,. .Over the Hedge.), Scott Chambliss (.Salt,. .Star Trek.), Harley Jessup (.Ratatouille,. .Monsters, Inc..) and Lilly Kilvert (.Valkyrie,. .The Last Samurai.), as well as set decorator Karen O.Hara (.Alice in Wonderland,. .Disney.s A Christmas Carol.). The session will feature...
- 4/20/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Annette Bening has become the new face on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The actresss -- a three-time Oscar nominee for her performances in "The Grifters," "American Beauty" and "Being Julia" and who next stars as the gossipy Sylvia Fowler in "The Women" -- has been elected as a governor of the actors branch.
As the Academy set about filling three-year terms in 14 of its 15 branches, it also welcomed back five filmmakers who served previous stints on the board but had been away for at least a year, and it re-elected eight incumbent governors.
Those returning to the board after a hiatus are Jeffrey Kurland, in the art directors branch; Martha Coolidge, directors; Arthur Hamilton, music; and Phil Robinson, writers. Don Hall was elected to the sound branch to fill the seat left vacant when J. Paul Huntsman died in February.
Incumbent governors re-elected to another term are Owen Roizman, cinematographers; Michael Apted, documentary; Robert Rehme, executives; Donn Cambern, film editors; Kathleen Kennedy, producers; Sid Ganis, public relations; John Lasseter, short films and feature animation; and Craig Barron, visual effects.
Ganis also serves as the Academy's president.
Fourteen of the Academy's 15 branches are represented by three governors who may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms. Terms are staggered so that each branch elects or re-elects one governor each year. The makeup branch is represented by a single governor, currently Leonard Engelman, whose seat was not part of this election cycle.
Governors who were not up for re-election and who continue on the board are Ed Begley Jr. and Henry Winkler, actors; Rosemary Brandenburg and Jeannine Oppewall, art directors; Caleb Deschanel and Vilmos Zsigmond, cinematographers; Curtis Hanson and Paul Mazursky, directors; Rob Epstein and Richard Pearce, documentary; Jim Gianopulos and Tom Sherak, executives; Dede Allen and Mark Goldblatt, film editors; Bruce Broughton and Charles Fox, music; Mark Johnson and Hawk Koch, producers; Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Marvin Levy, public relations; Carl Bell and Jon Bloom, short films and feature animation; Curt Behlmer and Kevin O'Connell, sound; Richard Edlund and Bill Taylor, visual effects; and James L. Brooks and Frank Pierson, writers.
The actresss -- a three-time Oscar nominee for her performances in "The Grifters," "American Beauty" and "Being Julia" and who next stars as the gossipy Sylvia Fowler in "The Women" -- has been elected as a governor of the actors branch.
As the Academy set about filling three-year terms in 14 of its 15 branches, it also welcomed back five filmmakers who served previous stints on the board but had been away for at least a year, and it re-elected eight incumbent governors.
Those returning to the board after a hiatus are Jeffrey Kurland, in the art directors branch; Martha Coolidge, directors; Arthur Hamilton, music; and Phil Robinson, writers. Don Hall was elected to the sound branch to fill the seat left vacant when J. Paul Huntsman died in February.
Incumbent governors re-elected to another term are Owen Roizman, cinematographers; Michael Apted, documentary; Robert Rehme, executives; Donn Cambern, film editors; Kathleen Kennedy, producers; Sid Ganis, public relations; John Lasseter, short films and feature animation; and Craig Barron, visual effects.
Ganis also serves as the Academy's president.
Fourteen of the Academy's 15 branches are represented by three governors who may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms. Terms are staggered so that each branch elects or re-elects one governor each year. The makeup branch is represented by a single governor, currently Leonard Engelman, whose seat was not part of this election cycle.
Governors who were not up for re-election and who continue on the board are Ed Begley Jr. and Henry Winkler, actors; Rosemary Brandenburg and Jeannine Oppewall, art directors; Caleb Deschanel and Vilmos Zsigmond, cinematographers; Curtis Hanson and Paul Mazursky, directors; Rob Epstein and Richard Pearce, documentary; Jim Gianopulos and Tom Sherak, executives; Dede Allen and Mark Goldblatt, film editors; Bruce Broughton and Charles Fox, music; Mark Johnson and Hawk Koch, producers; Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Marvin Levy, public relations; Carl Bell and Jon Bloom, short films and feature animation; Curt Behlmer and Kevin O'Connell, sound; Richard Edlund and Bill Taylor, visual effects; and James L. Brooks and Frank Pierson, writers.
- 7/7/2008
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This review was written for the festival screening of "The Good Shepherd".
Who knew Robert De Niro has such a keen fascination for foreign policy and espionage? "The Good Shepherd", his first directorial effort since his debut feature, "A Bronx Tale" (1993), is a thoroughly knowledgeable, carefully researched account of the founding and development of the CIA from World War II through the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961. While a bit unwieldy at nearly three hours and at times slow going, the film is absolutely fascinating for anyone who shares De Niro's passions.
To attract moviegoers beyond the foreign-policy crowd, he has recruited stars and top actors led by Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie and borrowed the trappings of spy thrillers, though the film certainly leans more toward John Le Carre than Ian Fleming. The problem with marketing the film centers on the problem of the film itself. De Niro and writer Eric Roth are never clear on their intentions: Is this a thriller with a historical background or history with dollops of intrigue and adventurism?
In this film as well as last year's "Munich", Roth seems to be operating between the genre cracks with political films in the mode of early Costa Gavras that deploy Hitchcockian techniques without romantic characters or situations.
The movie follows the spy career of Edward Wilson (Damon), a privileged male of the white patrician class. The character is modeled, right down to his interest in poetry, on James Angleton, who co-founded the CIA. It's accurate in most things but has the patina of fiction, which allows the filmmakers to imagine and speculate about things that perhaps will always remain secret.
At Yale in 1939, Wilson joins the clandestine Skull and Bones society, a brotherhood meant to incubate future American leadership. (The 2004 Republican and Democratic presidential candidates belong.) Roth makes Crystal Clear that the penchant for utter secrecy and sense of entitlement fostered by the Skull and Bones carry over into its members' work in government.
At the behest of an Army general (De Niro), Wilson joins the Office of Strategic Services during WWII. This sends him to London, where his mentor, Dr. Fredericks (Michael Gambon), teaches him the fine art of counterintelligence. Yet his last piece of advice to Wilson before Fredericks is murdered -- "Get out while you still have a soul" -- goes unheeded.
The movie unfolds in flashbacks from the Bay of Pigs incident, which severely compromises the CIA and Wilson's career. While diligently trying to ferret out the turncoat who relayed invasion plans to the Cubans, Wilson reflects back on his life. What is clear to the viewer, but not to Wilson himself, is how paranoia rules his actions and how self-righteousness blinds him to opinions and desires of others, including his family.
He weds Margaret "Clover" Russell (Jolie), the sister and daughter of a fellow Skull and Bonesmen, in a polite shotgun marriage. The union proves loveless right from the start since Wilson has thrown over his true soulmate (Tammy Blanchard). He doesn't meet his son Edward Jr. until age 6 when he returns home from Europe. The son consequently will wish to win his father's love by emulating him -- with disastrous consequences.
The OSS gets transformed into the CIA with the onset of the Cold War. At work, Wilson's obsessions with double agents and a mole within Langley dominate his relationships with people there, including CIA director Philip Allen (William Hurt); Sam Murach (Alec Baldwin), the rough-and-tumble agent who first recruited him; his blue-collar assistant Ray Brocco (John Turturro); and British spy Arch Cummings (Billy Crudup), whose Cambridge-upper-class heritage mirrors the backgrounds of the good old boys of the CIA.
Wilson's secret weapon is silence. He watches and listens but reveals little. Yet he has one outburst in the movie in an interview with a Mafia don (Joe Pesci), when Wilson says the USA belongs to the WASPs, and everyone else -- Italians, Jews, Irish and blacks -- are mere visitors. While Wilson probably would never say such a thing aloud, it captures the mind-set perfectly.
The sum of the parts might not add up to a great movie, but "Good Shepherd" is a pretty good one. Some scenes hit you with the impact of a bullet. And it probably took an actor of De Niro's caliber to get his stars to tone down their onscreen personas to play genuine roles.
Damon here is not Jason Bourne. No one bothers to age his character, which becomes a distraction when he looks like a drinking buddy to his own son, but this character is a ruthless, insufferable bastard who buried his emotions when his father committed suicide.
Jolie here is not Lara Croft or Mrs. Smith but the once-sassy, now long-suffering wife of a spook. And so it goes through the cast, with only Gambon playing what you might call a fictional movie character, but it fits the role to a T.
Designer Jeannine Oppewall and costume designer Ann Roth bring to life the shadowy world of espionage both in Europe and the East Coast. Cinematographer Robert Richardson gives the film a moodiness and edginess that the score by Marcelo Zarvos and Bruce Fowler --with overtones of Philip Glass -- highlight.
Who knew Robert De Niro has such a keen fascination for foreign policy and espionage? "The Good Shepherd", his first directorial effort since his debut feature, "A Bronx Tale" (1993), is a thoroughly knowledgeable, carefully researched account of the founding and development of the CIA from World War II through the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961. While a bit unwieldy at nearly three hours and at times slow going, the film is absolutely fascinating for anyone who shares De Niro's passions.
To attract moviegoers beyond the foreign-policy crowd, he has recruited stars and top actors led by Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie and borrowed the trappings of spy thrillers, though the film certainly leans more toward John Le Carre than Ian Fleming. The problem with marketing the film centers on the problem of the film itself. De Niro and writer Eric Roth are never clear on their intentions: Is this a thriller with a historical background or history with dollops of intrigue and adventurism?
In this film as well as last year's "Munich", Roth seems to be operating between the genre cracks with political films in the mode of early Costa Gavras that deploy Hitchcockian techniques without romantic characters or situations.
The movie follows the spy career of Edward Wilson (Damon), a privileged male of the white patrician class. The character is modeled, right down to his interest in poetry, on James Angleton, who co-founded the CIA. It's accurate in most things but has the patina of fiction, which allows the filmmakers to imagine and speculate about things that perhaps will always remain secret.
At Yale in 1939, Wilson joins the clandestine Skull and Bones society, a brotherhood meant to incubate future American leadership. (The 2004 Republican and Democratic presidential candidates belong.) Roth makes Crystal Clear that the penchant for utter secrecy and sense of entitlement fostered by the Skull and Bones carry over into its members' work in government.
At the behest of an Army general (De Niro), Wilson joins the Office of Strategic Services during WWII. This sends him to London, where his mentor, Dr. Fredericks (Michael Gambon), teaches him the fine art of counterintelligence. Yet his last piece of advice to Wilson before Fredericks is murdered -- "Get out while you still have a soul" -- goes unheeded.
The movie unfolds in flashbacks from the Bay of Pigs incident, which severely compromises the CIA and Wilson's career. While diligently trying to ferret out the turncoat who relayed invasion plans to the Cubans, Wilson reflects back on his life. What is clear to the viewer, but not to Wilson himself, is how paranoia rules his actions and how self-righteousness blinds him to opinions and desires of others, including his family.
He weds Margaret "Clover" Russell (Jolie), the sister and daughter of a fellow Skull and Bonesmen, in a polite shotgun marriage. The union proves loveless right from the start since Wilson has thrown over his true soulmate (Tammy Blanchard). He doesn't meet his son Edward Jr. until age 6 when he returns home from Europe. The son consequently will wish to win his father's love by emulating him -- with disastrous consequences.
The OSS gets transformed into the CIA with the onset of the Cold War. At work, Wilson's obsessions with double agents and a mole within Langley dominate his relationships with people there, including CIA director Philip Allen (William Hurt); Sam Murach (Alec Baldwin), the rough-and-tumble agent who first recruited him; his blue-collar assistant Ray Brocco (John Turturro); and British spy Arch Cummings (Billy Crudup), whose Cambridge-upper-class heritage mirrors the backgrounds of the good old boys of the CIA.
Wilson's secret weapon is silence. He watches and listens but reveals little. Yet he has one outburst in the movie in an interview with a Mafia don (Joe Pesci), when Wilson says the USA belongs to the WASPs, and everyone else -- Italians, Jews, Irish and blacks -- are mere visitors. While Wilson probably would never say such a thing aloud, it captures the mind-set perfectly.
The sum of the parts might not add up to a great movie, but "Good Shepherd" is a pretty good one. Some scenes hit you with the impact of a bullet. And it probably took an actor of De Niro's caliber to get his stars to tone down their onscreen personas to play genuine roles.
Damon here is not Jason Bourne. No one bothers to age his character, which becomes a distraction when he looks like a drinking buddy to his own son, but this character is a ruthless, insufferable bastard who buried his emotions when his father committed suicide.
Jolie here is not Lara Croft or Mrs. Smith but the once-sassy, now long-suffering wife of a spook. And so it goes through the cast, with only Gambon playing what you might call a fictional movie character, but it fits the role to a T.
Designer Jeannine Oppewall and costume designer Ann Roth bring to life the shadowy world of espionage both in Europe and the East Coast. Cinematographer Robert Richardson gives the film a moodiness and edginess that the score by Marcelo Zarvos and Bruce Fowler --with overtones of Philip Glass -- highlight.
- 12/11/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Who knew Robert De Niro has such a keen fascination for foreign policy and espionage? The Good Shepherd, his first directorial effort since his debut feature, A Bronx Tale (1993), is a thoroughly knowledgeable, carefully researched account of the founding and development of the CIA from World War II through the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961. While a bit unwieldy at nearly three hours and at times slow going, the film is absolutely fascinating for anyone who shares De Niro's passions.
To attract moviegoers beyond the foreign-policy crowd, he has recruited stars and top actors led by Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie and borrowed the trappings of spy thrillers, though the film certainly leans more toward John le Carre than Ian Fleming. The problem with marketing the film centers on the problem of the film itself. De Niro and writer Eric Roth are never clear on their intentions: Is this a thriller with a historical background or history with dollops of intrigue and adventurism?
In this film as well as last year's Munich, Roth seems to be operating between the genre cracks with political films in the mode of early Costa Gavras that deploy Hitchcockian techniques without romantic characters or situations.
The movie follows the spy career of Edward Wilson (Damon), a privileged male of the white patrician class. The character is modeled, right down to his interest in poetry, on James Angleton, who co-founded the CIA. It's accurate in most things but has the patina of fiction, which allows the filmmakers to imagine and speculate about things that perhaps will always remain secret.
At Yale in 1939, Wilson joins the clandestine Skull and Bones society, a brotherhood meant to incubate future American leadership. (The 2004 Republican and Democratic presidential candidates belong.) Roth makes Crystal Clear that the penchant for utter secrecy and sense of entitlement fostered by the Skull and Bones carry over into its members' work in government.
At the behest of an Army general (De Niro), Wilson joins the Office of Strategic Services during WWII. This sends him to London, where his mentor, Dr. Fredericks (Michael Gambon), teaches him the fine art of counterintelligence. Yet his last piece of advice to Wilson before Fredericks is murdered -- "Get out while you still have a soul" -- goes unheeded.
The movie unfolds in flashbacks from the Bay of Pigs incident, which severely compromises the CIA and Wilson's career. While diligently trying to ferret out the turncoat who relayed invasion plans to the Cubans, Wilson reflects back on his life. What is clear to the viewer, but not to Wilson himself, is how paranoia rules his actions and how self-righteousness blinds him to opinions and desires of others, including his family.
He weds Margaret Clover Russell (Jolie), the sister and daughter of a fellow Skull and Bonesmen, in a polite shotgun marriage. The union proves loveless right from the start since Wilson has thrown over his true soulmate (Tammy Blanchard). He doesn't meet his son Edward Jr. until age 6 when he returns home from Europe. The son consequently will wish to win his father's love by emulating him -- with disastrous consequences.
The OSS gets transformed into the CIA with the onset of the Cold War. At work, Wilson's obsessions with double agents and a mole within Langley dominate his relationships with people there, including CIA director Philip Allen (William Hurt); Sam Murach (Alec Baldwin), the rough-and-tumble agent who first recruited him; his blue-collar assistant Ray Brocco (John Turturro); and British spy Arch Cummings (Billy Crudup), whose Cambridge-upper-class heritage mirrors the backgrounds of the good old boys of the CIA.
Wilson's secret weapon is silence. He watches and listens but reveals little. Yet he has one outburst in the movie in an interview with a Mafia don (Joe Pesci), when Wilson says the USA belongs to the WASPs, and everyone else -- Italians, Jews, Irish and blacks -- are mere visitors. While Wilson probably would never say such a thing aloud, it captures the mind-set perfectly.
The sum of the parts might not add up to a great movie, but Good Shepherd is a pretty good one. Some scenes hit you with the impact of a bullet. And it probably took an actor of De Niro's caliber to get his stars to tone down their onscreen personas to play genuine roles.
Damon here is not Jason Bourne. No one bothers to age his character, which becomes a distraction when he looks like a drinking buddy to his own son, but this character is a ruthless, insufferable bastard who buried his emotions when his father committed suicide.
Jolie here is not Lara Croft or Mrs. Smith but the once-sassy, now long-suffering wife of a spook. And so it goes through the cast, with only Gambon playing what you might call a fictional movie character, but it fits the role to a T.
Designer Jeannine Oppewall and costume designer Ann Roth bring to life the shadowy world of espionage both in Europe and the East Coast. Cinematographer Robert Richardson gives the film a moodiness and edginess that the score by Marcelo Zarvos and Bruce Fowler --with overtones of Philip Glass -- highlight.
To attract moviegoers beyond the foreign-policy crowd, he has recruited stars and top actors led by Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie and borrowed the trappings of spy thrillers, though the film certainly leans more toward John le Carre than Ian Fleming. The problem with marketing the film centers on the problem of the film itself. De Niro and writer Eric Roth are never clear on their intentions: Is this a thriller with a historical background or history with dollops of intrigue and adventurism?
In this film as well as last year's Munich, Roth seems to be operating between the genre cracks with political films in the mode of early Costa Gavras that deploy Hitchcockian techniques without romantic characters or situations.
The movie follows the spy career of Edward Wilson (Damon), a privileged male of the white patrician class. The character is modeled, right down to his interest in poetry, on James Angleton, who co-founded the CIA. It's accurate in most things but has the patina of fiction, which allows the filmmakers to imagine and speculate about things that perhaps will always remain secret.
At Yale in 1939, Wilson joins the clandestine Skull and Bones society, a brotherhood meant to incubate future American leadership. (The 2004 Republican and Democratic presidential candidates belong.) Roth makes Crystal Clear that the penchant for utter secrecy and sense of entitlement fostered by the Skull and Bones carry over into its members' work in government.
At the behest of an Army general (De Niro), Wilson joins the Office of Strategic Services during WWII. This sends him to London, where his mentor, Dr. Fredericks (Michael Gambon), teaches him the fine art of counterintelligence. Yet his last piece of advice to Wilson before Fredericks is murdered -- "Get out while you still have a soul" -- goes unheeded.
The movie unfolds in flashbacks from the Bay of Pigs incident, which severely compromises the CIA and Wilson's career. While diligently trying to ferret out the turncoat who relayed invasion plans to the Cubans, Wilson reflects back on his life. What is clear to the viewer, but not to Wilson himself, is how paranoia rules his actions and how self-righteousness blinds him to opinions and desires of others, including his family.
He weds Margaret Clover Russell (Jolie), the sister and daughter of a fellow Skull and Bonesmen, in a polite shotgun marriage. The union proves loveless right from the start since Wilson has thrown over his true soulmate (Tammy Blanchard). He doesn't meet his son Edward Jr. until age 6 when he returns home from Europe. The son consequently will wish to win his father's love by emulating him -- with disastrous consequences.
The OSS gets transformed into the CIA with the onset of the Cold War. At work, Wilson's obsessions with double agents and a mole within Langley dominate his relationships with people there, including CIA director Philip Allen (William Hurt); Sam Murach (Alec Baldwin), the rough-and-tumble agent who first recruited him; his blue-collar assistant Ray Brocco (John Turturro); and British spy Arch Cummings (Billy Crudup), whose Cambridge-upper-class heritage mirrors the backgrounds of the good old boys of the CIA.
Wilson's secret weapon is silence. He watches and listens but reveals little. Yet he has one outburst in the movie in an interview with a Mafia don (Joe Pesci), when Wilson says the USA belongs to the WASPs, and everyone else -- Italians, Jews, Irish and blacks -- are mere visitors. While Wilson probably would never say such a thing aloud, it captures the mind-set perfectly.
The sum of the parts might not add up to a great movie, but Good Shepherd is a pretty good one. Some scenes hit you with the impact of a bullet. And it probably took an actor of De Niro's caliber to get his stars to tone down their onscreen personas to play genuine roles.
Damon here is not Jason Bourne. No one bothers to age his character, which becomes a distraction when he looks like a drinking buddy to his own son, but this character is a ruthless, insufferable bastard who buried his emotions when his father committed suicide.
Jolie here is not Lara Croft or Mrs. Smith but the once-sassy, now long-suffering wife of a spook. And so it goes through the cast, with only Gambon playing what you might call a fictional movie character, but it fits the role to a T.
Designer Jeannine Oppewall and costume designer Ann Roth bring to life the shadowy world of espionage both in Europe and the East Coast. Cinematographer Robert Richardson gives the film a moodiness and edginess that the score by Marcelo Zarvos and Bruce Fowler --with overtones of Philip Glass -- highlight.
- 12/11/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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