Based on Brock Yates' book "Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine," Michael Mann's new biopic "Ferrari" follows the famous Italian car maker through a significant four-month portion of his life wherein his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz) learns about a secret mistress (Shailene Woodley) and son that he had been hiding for years. His company is also on the brink of bankruptcy and a Ferrari vehicle will have to win the 1957 Mille Miglia, a notable Italian car race, to put the company back on the map. In Mann's usual style, "Ferrari" is terse and distant, and the title character, played by Adam Driver, comes across as aloof and robotic; it's hard to imagine this man being passionate enough to maintain one marriage, let alone an entire secret secondary family.
Mann could have made "Ferrari" into a more traditional biopic that followed its subject from birth to...
Mann could have made "Ferrari" into a more traditional biopic that followed its subject from birth to...
- 12/20/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Pain Hustlers is a crime drama film directed by David Yates, from a screenplay by Wells Tower and Evan Hughes. The Netflix film follows the story of a single mother Liza, who joins the sales team of a bankrupt pharmaceutical company after losing her and because of her, the sales go through the roof. This helps her to reach the high life but what she doesn’t know is that she is putting herself right in the middle of a federal conspiracy. Pain Hustler stars Emily Blunt and Chris Evans in the lead roles with Andy García and Catherine O’Hara starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the Netflix film here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Thank You For Smoking (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Fox Searchlight Pictures
Synopsis: Based on Christopher Buckley’s acclaimed 1994 novel of the same title and adapted for the screen by Jason Reitman,...
Thank You For Smoking (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Fox Searchlight Pictures
Synopsis: Based on Christopher Buckley’s acclaimed 1994 novel of the same title and adapted for the screen by Jason Reitman,...
- 10/27/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Undoubtedly, Al Pacino claims the top spot among Hollywood’s greatest dramatic actors of all time.
Spanning over five remarkable decades, Pacino’s illustrious career has been marked by his delivery of iconic performances, leading him to garner multiple Emmy and Tony Awards, in addition to an Oscar for Best Actor.
Related: Top 10 Richest Actors in the World [2022]
In the gangster movie genre, Pacino stands tall alongside legends like Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
Pacino’s breakthrough as Michael Corleone made him the ultimate choice for crime-related narratives, excelling in roles on both sides of the law in iconic crime dramas. His filmography boasts a consistent pattern of partnering with acclaimed directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Mann, and Sidney Lumet, ensuring a continuous elevation of the art of storytelling in his chosen projects.
Despite having received a modest number of wins, Pacino’s impact on the silver screen remains immeasurable,...
Spanning over five remarkable decades, Pacino’s illustrious career has been marked by his delivery of iconic performances, leading him to garner multiple Emmy and Tony Awards, in addition to an Oscar for Best Actor.
Related: Top 10 Richest Actors in the World [2022]
In the gangster movie genre, Pacino stands tall alongside legends like Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
Pacino’s breakthrough as Michael Corleone made him the ultimate choice for crime-related narratives, excelling in roles on both sides of the law in iconic crime dramas. His filmography boasts a consistent pattern of partnering with acclaimed directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Mann, and Sidney Lumet, ensuring a continuous elevation of the art of storytelling in his chosen projects.
Despite having received a modest number of wins, Pacino’s impact on the silver screen remains immeasurable,...
- 5/31/2023
- by Dee Gambit
- buddytv.com
The 57th Karlovy Vary Film Festival is highlighting two of the biggest stars of the 2000s, announcing Friday that Russell Crowe will receive the 2023 lifetime achievement honor, the Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema, and securing Johnny Depp to feature in this year’s festival trailer.
Crowe will also show off his musical chops at the Czech festival, taking the stage to perform with his band Indoor Garden Party at the Karlovy Vary opening night concert on June 30.
Since his breakthrough performance as an Australian skinhead in Geoffrey Wright’s Romper Stomper in 1992, Crowe has been unavoidable on the global film scene. His iconic turns as rough cop Bud White in Curtis Hanson’s L. A. Confidential (1997), as Big Tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand in Michael Mann’s The Insider (1999), as Roman general Maximus in Ridley Scott’s sword-and-sandals epic Gladiator (2000), and as mentally-ill mathematical genius John Nash...
Crowe will also show off his musical chops at the Czech festival, taking the stage to perform with his band Indoor Garden Party at the Karlovy Vary opening night concert on June 30.
Since his breakthrough performance as an Australian skinhead in Geoffrey Wright’s Romper Stomper in 1992, Crowe has been unavoidable on the global film scene. His iconic turns as rough cop Bud White in Curtis Hanson’s L. A. Confidential (1997), as Big Tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand in Michael Mann’s The Insider (1999), as Roman general Maximus in Ridley Scott’s sword-and-sandals epic Gladiator (2000), and as mentally-ill mathematical genius John Nash...
- 5/5/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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From “The Godfather,” to “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Serpico,” and “Scarface,” Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors to ever grace the silver screen. He’s worked with prolific directors, received nine Oscars nominations — though he’s only won once, and fashioned the kind of acting career that’s worth celebrating over and over again.
In honor of the acting legend’s birthday, we put together a list of some of the many classic Pacino films that you can buy on Blu-ray, and stream on HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and other platforms. And because it’s never too early to start thinking about Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts, feel free...
From “The Godfather,” to “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Serpico,” and “Scarface,” Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors to ever grace the silver screen. He’s worked with prolific directors, received nine Oscars nominations — though he’s only won once, and fashioned the kind of acting career that’s worth celebrating over and over again.
In honor of the acting legend’s birthday, we put together a list of some of the many classic Pacino films that you can buy on Blu-ray, and stream on HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and other platforms. And because it’s never too early to start thinking about Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts, feel free...
- 4/25/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
Welcome to Career Watch, a vocational checkup of top actors and directors, and those who hope to get there. In this edition we take on Down Under actor Russell Crowe, who embodies road rage to terrifying effect in the first big movie to hit theaters in five months, “Unhinged.”
Bottom Line: Well past his movie-star prime, New Zealand-born Crowe, 56, is still chewing up screens in juicy character roles that show his range as an actor, from relentless Inspector Javert in Tom Hooper’s live musical “Les Miserables” (2012) to his Golden-Globe-winning turn as Fox News czar Roger Ailes in Showtime limited series “The Loudest Voice” (2019).
While Crowe is an exquisitely sensitive actor, his penchant for off-stage fisticuffs forged a bad-boy image that’s been hard to shake, merging with his most memorable action roles. “I am rage past the point of reason,” he promises in his promo clip, below. The risk...
Bottom Line: Well past his movie-star prime, New Zealand-born Crowe, 56, is still chewing up screens in juicy character roles that show his range as an actor, from relentless Inspector Javert in Tom Hooper’s live musical “Les Miserables” (2012) to his Golden-Globe-winning turn as Fox News czar Roger Ailes in Showtime limited series “The Loudest Voice” (2019).
While Crowe is an exquisitely sensitive actor, his penchant for off-stage fisticuffs forged a bad-boy image that’s been hard to shake, merging with his most memorable action roles. “I am rage past the point of reason,” he promises in his promo clip, below. The risk...
- 8/25/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Welcome to Career Watch, a vocational checkup of top actors and directors, and those who hope to get there. In this edition we take on Down Under actor Russell Crowe, who embodies road rage to terrifying effect in the first big movie to hit theaters in five months, “Unhinged.”
Bottom Line: Well past his movie-star prime, New Zealand-born Crowe, 56, is still chewing up screens in juicy character roles that show his range as an actor, from relentless Inspector Javert in Tom Hooper’s live musical “Les Miserables” (2012) to his Golden-Globe-winning turn as Fox News czar Roger Ailes in Showtime limited series “The Loudest Voice” (2019).
While Crowe is an exquisitely sensitive actor, his penchant for off-stage fisticuffs forged a bad-boy image that’s been hard to shake, merging with his most memorable action roles. “I am rage past the point of reason,” he promises in his promo clip, below. The risk...
Bottom Line: Well past his movie-star prime, New Zealand-born Crowe, 56, is still chewing up screens in juicy character roles that show his range as an actor, from relentless Inspector Javert in Tom Hooper’s live musical “Les Miserables” (2012) to his Golden-Globe-winning turn as Fox News czar Roger Ailes in Showtime limited series “The Loudest Voice” (2019).
While Crowe is an exquisitely sensitive actor, his penchant for off-stage fisticuffs forged a bad-boy image that’s been hard to shake, merging with his most memorable action roles. “I am rage past the point of reason,” he promises in his promo clip, below. The risk...
- 8/25/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Read more from Variety’s Directors on Directors, in which filmmakers praise their favorite movies of the year, here.
Scott Z. Burns’ “The Report” tells the story of the Herculean efforts of Daniel J. Jones to make sure that the Senate Intelligence Committee report on torture saw the light of day.
Its powerful resonance with “right now” is because it makes us imagine how many thousands of unseen Daniel J. Joneses — mid-range white-collar workers with normal values and decent character — in government are leaving in droves from Justice, State, Fda, Epa, DEA … etc.
Dan Jones is a whistleblower in the tradition of Mark Felt, Karen Silkwood and Jeffrey Wigand; and Scott’s film fully earns its place at the table alongside the iconic pictures of Alan J. Pakula, Sidney Lumet and Mike Nichols, not just because “The Report” is similarly grounded in Washington and government, but because Scott perfectly conveys...
Scott Z. Burns’ “The Report” tells the story of the Herculean efforts of Daniel J. Jones to make sure that the Senate Intelligence Committee report on torture saw the light of day.
Its powerful resonance with “right now” is because it makes us imagine how many thousands of unseen Daniel J. Joneses — mid-range white-collar workers with normal values and decent character — in government are leaving in droves from Justice, State, Fda, Epa, DEA … etc.
Dan Jones is a whistleblower in the tradition of Mark Felt, Karen Silkwood and Jeffrey Wigand; and Scott’s film fully earns its place at the table alongside the iconic pictures of Alan J. Pakula, Sidney Lumet and Mike Nichols, not just because “The Report” is similarly grounded in Washington and government, but because Scott perfectly conveys...
- 12/18/2019
- by Michael Mann
- Variety Film + TV
Directed by Avi Belkin, Mike Wallace Is Here is a fascinating look at a television personality etched in a different time. Though he died in 2012–long after the advent of cable and the slow fade of network dominance–Wallace made his name on asking hard questions to tough subjects on the TV magazine show “60 Minutes,” his pieces dominating the conversation of the moment more than a few times over many, many years.
The film is comprised completely of archival footage and interviews, some in which Wallace is the interviewer, some in which Wallace is the interviewee. There is a diligence to the research here that demands respect. Belkin does not shy away from every angle of the newsman, who in one clip admits to being a “not very good” father and in another set of clips reveals himself to be something of a hypocrite: in one instance Wallace reacts...
The film is comprised completely of archival footage and interviews, some in which Wallace is the interviewer, some in which Wallace is the interviewee. There is a diligence to the research here that demands respect. Belkin does not shy away from every angle of the newsman, who in one clip admits to being a “not very good” father and in another set of clips reveals himself to be something of a hypocrite: in one instance Wallace reacts...
- 7/26/2019
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
“You’re a dinosaur,” Bill O’Reilly insists to veteran “60 Minutes” journalist Mike Wallace in the opening scene of Avi Belkin’s documentary “Mike Wallace is Here.” Then O’Reilly says something worse: “I’m your son.”
Illegitimate, maybe. Both TV anchors made their bones asking confrontational — even rude — questions. The difference is Wallace wanted to hear the answers. In the clip, Wallace is so irritated by O’Reilly’s analogy, and his politicized grandstanding, that the then-octogenarian snaps, “That’s not an interview, that’s a lecture.”
Still, Wallace, who died in 2012 at the age of 93, was a killer. In a world of softball televised sit-downs, his inquisitions were more like high-wire jousts. Over his seven-decade career, he challenged the Imperial Wizard of the Kkk on his claims of being non-violent, prodded mobster Mickey Cohen to count how many people he killed, grilled Vladimir Putin if Russia was really a democracy,...
Illegitimate, maybe. Both TV anchors made their bones asking confrontational — even rude — questions. The difference is Wallace wanted to hear the answers. In the clip, Wallace is so irritated by O’Reilly’s analogy, and his politicized grandstanding, that the then-octogenarian snaps, “That’s not an interview, that’s a lecture.”
Still, Wallace, who died in 2012 at the age of 93, was a killer. In a world of softball televised sit-downs, his inquisitions were more like high-wire jousts. Over his seven-decade career, he challenged the Imperial Wizard of the Kkk on his claims of being non-violent, prodded mobster Mickey Cohen to count how many people he killed, grilled Vladimir Putin if Russia was really a democracy,...
- 1/27/2019
- by Amy Nicholson
- Variety Film + TV
There are few people in show business with such enviable careers as Thomas McCarthy. As an actor, he’s worked with everyone from Peter Jackson and Clint Eastwood to Lukas Moodysson and Mike White, in addition to his pivotal turn on HBO’s The Wire. As a writer-director, McCarthy’s output, starting with his debut feature The Station Agent, rarely fails to captivate audiences. Even McCarthy’s critical missteps, such as his comedic fairy tale The Cobbler, are equally compelling for their flaws and miscalculations.
His newest film, Spotlight, has already garnered an immensely positive critical reception, including our review from Venice. The drama is based on the true story of the journalists at the Boston Globe who discovered a child molestation scandal and cover-up within the walls of the Catholic Church.
If you’re interested in thematically-similar films, focusing on journalism, courtroom drama, and David and Goliath battles of moral sacrifice,...
His newest film, Spotlight, has already garnered an immensely positive critical reception, including our review from Venice. The drama is based on the true story of the journalists at the Boston Globe who discovered a child molestation scandal and cover-up within the walls of the Catholic Church.
If you’re interested in thematically-similar films, focusing on journalism, courtroom drama, and David and Goliath battles of moral sacrifice,...
- 11/5/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
'The Insider' movie: Al Pacino and Russell Crowe 'The Insider' movie: 1999 exposé of CBS news show barks, but doesn't bite Michael Mann's 1999 movie The Insider quote exchange: "It's old news. ... We'll be ok," says Don Hewitt (Philip Baker Hall), the creator of the CBS news show 60 Minutes. "These things have a half-life of 15 minutes." "No, that's fame," replies 60 Minutes anchor Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer). "Fame has a 15-minute half-life. Infamy lasts a little longer." The infamous "things" referred to by Hewitt and Wallace are the series of scandals that erupted in early 1996, when it was revealed that CBS had refused to air an interview with a tobacco company whistleblower because the network feared the (financial) consequences. What Freedom of the Press? Based on Marie Brenner's Vanity Fair article about the events that led up to that embarrassing – and disturbing – incident, The Insider tells the story of scientist Jeffrey Wigand...
- 5/14/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Wamg has your free passes to the advance screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Water Diviner.
Academy Award winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator) makes his directorial debut on The Water Diviner, an epic and inspiring tale of one man’s life-changing journey of discovery.
Crowe also stars in the film as Australian farmer Joshua Connor, who, in 1919, goes in search of his three missing sons, last known to have fought against the Turks in the bloody Battle of Gallipoli. Arriving in Istanbul, he is thrust into a vastly different world, where he encounters others who have suffered their own losses in the conflict: Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), a strikingly beautiful but guarded hotelier raising a child alone; her young, spirited son, Orhan (Dylan Georgiades), who finds a friend in Connor; and Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdoğan), a Turkish officer who fought against Connor’s boys and who may be this father’s only hope.
Academy Award winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator) makes his directorial debut on The Water Diviner, an epic and inspiring tale of one man’s life-changing journey of discovery.
Crowe also stars in the film as Australian farmer Joshua Connor, who, in 1919, goes in search of his three missing sons, last known to have fought against the Turks in the bloody Battle of Gallipoli. Arriving in Istanbul, he is thrust into a vastly different world, where he encounters others who have suffered their own losses in the conflict: Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), a strikingly beautiful but guarded hotelier raising a child alone; her young, spirited son, Orhan (Dylan Georgiades), who finds a friend in Connor; and Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdoğan), a Turkish officer who fought against Connor’s boys and who may be this father’s only hope.
- 4/13/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
15 years ago today, Michael Mann's "The Insider" arrived in theaters, and while there's no doubt it received a plethora of critical acclaim, it's staggering to think it was nominated for seven Oscars and won nothing. But time hasn't dampened the intensity of the film, and we figured it was good time to take a look back at "The Insider" and the people who inspired and made it. But first, a bit of context. In 1996, Jeffrey Wigand, who worked in research and development at Brown & Williamson, appeared on "60 Minutes" and made the explosive claim that Big Tobacco had, among other things, knowingly increased the amount of nicotine in their cigarettes. What followed nearly tore Wigand's life apart and provided the dramatic backbone of Mann's film, but it's easy to forget how eye-opening the original report was. Watch it in full right here. As we noted in our Michael Mann retrospective,...
- 11/5/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Conspiracy films can captivate an audience in surprising ways, and Hollywood has a long tradition of bringing these theories to life. In the upcoming film Pioneer, director Erik Skjoldbjærg explores a real life Norwegian big oil cover-up that includes murder, extortion, and diving in the North Sea.
In celebration of Pioneer‘s release today, we are counting down six of the best conspiracy thrillers.
5. Shutter Island (2010)
Perhaps better known for violent-gangster films than conspiracy theories, Martin Scorsese teamed up with Leonardo DiCaprio for the fourth time to stunning effects. Using conspiracy-theory tropes unapologetically, Shutter Island turns the genre on its head and questions the nature of conspiracy theorists within our society.
4. The Insider (1999)
Focused solely on their shareholders, corporations will often go to morally extreme lengths to maximize profits. There is perhaps no better instance of this than within the cigarette industry, where companies denied the harmful effects of cigarettes for years,...
In celebration of Pioneer‘s release today, we are counting down six of the best conspiracy thrillers.
5. Shutter Island (2010)
Perhaps better known for violent-gangster films than conspiracy theories, Martin Scorsese teamed up with Leonardo DiCaprio for the fourth time to stunning effects. Using conspiracy-theory tropes unapologetically, Shutter Island turns the genre on its head and questions the nature of conspiracy theorists within our society.
4. The Insider (1999)
Focused solely on their shareholders, corporations will often go to morally extreme lengths to maximize profits. There is perhaps no better instance of this than within the cigarette industry, where companies denied the harmful effects of cigarettes for years,...
- 4/11/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 21 Nov 2013 - 05:51
The underappreciated films of 1999 are the focus in our last list of 90s overlooked greats...
The year 1999 was a significant year for film in many ways. Apart from being the year that George Lucas began his Star Wars prequels with The Phantom Menace, it also saw the release of The Blair Witch Project, a horror film which became one of the first to use the internet as a marketing tool, resulting in a massive hit. The Matrix ushered in a new age of special effects filmmaking, arguably paving the way for the superhero blockbusters crowding into multiplexes today.
Mainly, though, 1999 was simply a brilliant year for film. Justly lauded movies like Fight Club, The Green Mile and Eyes Wide Shut aside, there were a huge number of films that didn't get the critical or financial success they deserved - so many,...
The underappreciated films of 1999 are the focus in our last list of 90s overlooked greats...
The year 1999 was a significant year for film in many ways. Apart from being the year that George Lucas began his Star Wars prequels with The Phantom Menace, it also saw the release of The Blair Witch Project, a horror film which became one of the first to use the internet as a marketing tool, resulting in a massive hit. The Matrix ushered in a new age of special effects filmmaking, arguably paving the way for the superhero blockbusters crowding into multiplexes today.
Mainly, though, 1999 was simply a brilliant year for film. Justly lauded movies like Fight Club, The Green Mile and Eyes Wide Shut aside, there were a huge number of films that didn't get the critical or financial success they deserved - so many,...
- 11/20/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Greenwald's latest doc exposes war against those who bring to light the U.S. government's dirty deeds If you want a good example of how the lofty intensions of a new president inevitably give way to the bitter realities of an intractably crooked and selfish world, here’s an old quote in regard to whistleblowing from the web site of the U.S.'s current commander-in-chief: Barack Obama will strengthen whistleblower laws to protect federal workers who expose waste, fraud, and abuse of authority in government. Obama will ensure that federal agencies expedite the process for reviewing whistleblower claims and whistleblowers have full access to courts and due process. Pictured above: a stifled Lady Justice. Some of that statement is true. Mostly the prepositions. The rest, as director Robert Greenwald tells us in his latest documentary, War on Whistleblowers: Free Press and the National Security State, has been forgotten as...
- 4/13/2013
- by Gary Lloyd
- Alt Film Guide
Chicago – There are still a stunning number of films from the ’90s and ’00s not on Blu-ray but Bvhe recently corrected one of those oversights by releasing the stellar “The Insider,” one of the best films of arguably the best year for cinema in the last two decades — 1999. In a year that included “Magnolia,” “American Beauty,” “The Matrix,” “Three Kings,” “Fight Club,” “Toy Story 2,” “The Iron Giant.” “All About My Mother,” “Princess Mononoke,” “Election,” “Being John Malkovich,” and many more, “The Insider” went overlooked by too many people and certainly by history. With perfect technical elements, stunning performances, and perfect direction by the great Michael Mann, this is a spectacular film.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
The film has actually been digitally restored, not just transferred to the HD form, and it looks great. I forgot how detailed Dante Spinotti’s Oscar-nominated work was here or how tight William Goldenberg’s editing (he...
Rating: 4.5/5.0
The film has actually been digitally restored, not just transferred to the HD form, and it looks great. I forgot how detailed Dante Spinotti’s Oscar-nominated work was here or how tight William Goldenberg’s editing (he...
- 2/27/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Cinelinx gets the truth from the new Blu-ray for Michael Mann's The Insider.
The Set-up
A tobacco executive (Russell Crowe) has his life turned upside down when he exposes the dirty secrets of cigarette companies to a 60 Minutes producer (Al Pacino) and Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer). Based on true events.
Directed by Michael Mann
The Delivery
Michael Mann's account of Dr. Jeffrey Wigand's efforts to expose big tobacco earned seven Oscar nominations in 1999, including Best Picture, but didn't win a single one. American Beauty may have been the big winner that year, but The Insider deserves much more credit than it received.
It has been a number of years since I sat down and watched my DVD of The Insider, but after five minutes of popping in the Blu-ray, I remembered why I bought the movie in the first place. This is an outstanding film that hasn't...
The Set-up
A tobacco executive (Russell Crowe) has his life turned upside down when he exposes the dirty secrets of cigarette companies to a 60 Minutes producer (Al Pacino) and Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer). Based on true events.
Directed by Michael Mann
The Delivery
Michael Mann's account of Dr. Jeffrey Wigand's efforts to expose big tobacco earned seven Oscar nominations in 1999, including Best Picture, but didn't win a single one. American Beauty may have been the big winner that year, but The Insider deserves much more credit than it received.
It has been a number of years since I sat down and watched my DVD of The Insider, but after five minutes of popping in the Blu-ray, I remembered why I bought the movie in the first place. This is an outstanding film that hasn't...
- 2/26/2013
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Victor Medina)
- Cinelinx
Welcome to another preview of some great upcoming Blu-Ray releases! This week, the much-talked about Argo hits store shelves, Sinister will convince you to never watch home movies again, and Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome lands on Blu-Ray with some science-fiction style.
Ready for this week’s Blu-Ray releases? Then read on.
Argo
Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Clea DuVall, and Chris Messina.
Director: Ben Affleck
An American thriller film directed by Ben Affleck and based on the true story of a 1979 CIA operation. The film has won a number of awards and is nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Alan Arkin).
Plot: During the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, a CIA ‘exfiltration’ specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.
My Thoughts:...
Ready for this week’s Blu-Ray releases? Then read on.
Argo
Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Clea DuVall, and Chris Messina.
Director: Ben Affleck
An American thriller film directed by Ben Affleck and based on the true story of a 1979 CIA operation. The film has won a number of awards and is nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Alan Arkin).
Plot: During the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, a CIA ‘exfiltration’ specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.
My Thoughts:...
- 2/15/2013
- by C.P. Howells
- We Got This Covered
The Internet may be taking its toll on print journalism, but war photography is alive and well. Last week, Michael Mann (The Insider, Ali, Heat) and documentary director David Frankham launched a four-part documentary series on HBO called Witness, which follows seasoned war photographers through some of the most dangerous conflict zones on earth. Eros Hoagland, whose father was killed during his own work as a war photographer, takes viewers to Juarez, Mexico, and the favelas of Rio de Janeiro; French photojournalist Veronique de Viguerie, notorious for embedding with the Taliban, leads us through the jungles of South Sudan; and Michael Christopher Brown,...
- 11/12/2012
- by Josh Stillman
- EW - Inside TV
Russell Crowe is going in all different directions as he reengages in film starring roles. He’s playing Noah for Darren Aronofsky, is a corrupt ruthless mayor in Broken City and sings as Javert in Les Miserables. Perhaps no Crowe choice left people scratching their heads more than The Man With The Iron Fists, a kung-fu flick for Universal that stars RZA. I’m always hoping to see Crowe play characters as memorable as Bud White in L.A. Confidential, or Maximus in Gladiator, or Jeffrey Wigand in The Insider or John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. His turn as Jack Knife in Iron Fists seems more in line with his role in The Quick And The Dead, but it is certainly good to see Crowe slimming down and going after it again. There are few actors who bring such intensity and testosterone to the screen.
- 10/18/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
As Michael Mann has ventured into digital territory—or, in some cases, into a hybrid of digital and celluloid—there has been an unexpected and unusual compositional focus on the ear. Mann doesn’t so much glamorize the cosmetics of the ear but rather makes it an intractable fact of life in so many of his images. It’s almost always there on the edge of the frame in both dialogue scenes and set pieces, either just barely out of reach of the lens’ focal length or indeed the lone focal point, a stray ear in an expansive frame. Due to Mann’s increasingly regular use of wide-angle lenses at atypical moments—a tendency that cuts across his collaborations with various Dp’s (Dante Spinotti, Dion Beebe, Paul Cameron, Emmanuel Lubezki, Lukas Strebel)—there’s a heightened awareness towards objects in close proximity to the camera (and thus an uncanny...
- 9/3/2012
- MUBI
Mike Wallace hated Michael Mann's "The Insider" complaining that the film took too many dramatic liberties with the story of CBS' decision not to air a "60 Minutes" segment on tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand over fears of a lawsuit. Lowell Bergman, the producer on the Wigand segment and a consultant on Mann's film, tells TheWrap that what bothered Wallace the most was that the movie pulled back the curtain and revealed that the people behind the camera, and not the legendary newsman, did the bulk of the dirt digging on "60...
- 5/15/2012
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
It turns out Christopher Plummer was not the first choice to play Mike Wallace in "The Insider." Michael Mann, the director of the Oscar-nominated 1999 drama, wanted the legendary "60 Minutes" correspondent to play himself in the film about his interview with tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand, according to Lowell Bergman. Bergman, a former producer on the CBS news program, told TheWrap that before filming took place he arranged for Mann to meet Wallace at the Beverly Wilshire hotel to discuss taking the part. However, the conversation never happened and Wallace left the hotel before...
- 5/15/2012
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
Longtime "60 Minutes" anchor Mike Wallace passed away over the weekend at the age of 93. He died surrounded by family in a care facility in New Haven, Conn. Saturday evening (April 7) and his death was announced on "Face the Nation" Sunday morning.
CBS has put up videos of some of Wallace's most memorable interviews. Above is the very first "60 Minutes" broadcast, which aired Sept. 24, 1968. Below are the Ronald Reagan interviews that Wallace did between 1975-1989; the interview with Secret Service agent No. 9 (Clint Hill, the agent who jumped onto the back of President Kennedy's limo that day in Dallas), which Wallace has called the saddest interview of his career, because Hill was so full of grief over what happened.
Below that is Wallace's 1996 interview with Jeffrey Wigand, the whistle-blower on big tobacco and the subject of the 1999 Russell Crowe movie "The Insider," and Wallace's 2008 interview with former baseball player Roger Clemens.
CBS has put up videos of some of Wallace's most memorable interviews. Above is the very first "60 Minutes" broadcast, which aired Sept. 24, 1968. Below are the Ronald Reagan interviews that Wallace did between 1975-1989; the interview with Secret Service agent No. 9 (Clint Hill, the agent who jumped onto the back of President Kennedy's limo that day in Dallas), which Wallace has called the saddest interview of his career, because Hill was so full of grief over what happened.
Below that is Wallace's 1996 interview with Jeffrey Wigand, the whistle-blower on big tobacco and the subject of the 1999 Russell Crowe movie "The Insider," and Wallace's 2008 interview with former baseball player Roger Clemens.
- 4/9/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
'60 Minutes' correspondent was known for his hard-hitting interview style.
By Gil Kaufman
Mike Wallace
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
Veteran TV reporter and longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace died on Saturday at the age of 93. Over 50 years as a journalist Wallace developed a reputation as a dogged interrogator unafraid to ask his subjects hard, uncomfortable questions, which he often set up with the soft-touch phrase, "forgive me."
Wallace, who was one of the founding hosts of pioneering TV news magazine "60 Minutes," retired in 2006, occasionally returning to the show to do interviews with the likes of Mitt Romney and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He underwent triple bypass heart surgery in 2008 and died after what was described as a long illness in New Haven, Connecticut, on Saturday.
"All of us at CBS News and particularly at '60 Minutes' owe so much to Mike," said Jeff Fager, chairman of CBS News and...
By Gil Kaufman
Mike Wallace
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
Veteran TV reporter and longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace died on Saturday at the age of 93. Over 50 years as a journalist Wallace developed a reputation as a dogged interrogator unafraid to ask his subjects hard, uncomfortable questions, which he often set up with the soft-touch phrase, "forgive me."
Wallace, who was one of the founding hosts of pioneering TV news magazine "60 Minutes," retired in 2006, occasionally returning to the show to do interviews with the likes of Mitt Romney and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He underwent triple bypass heart surgery in 2008 and died after what was described as a long illness in New Haven, Connecticut, on Saturday.
"All of us at CBS News and particularly at '60 Minutes' owe so much to Mike," said Jeff Fager, chairman of CBS News and...
- 4/9/2012
- MTV Music News
CBS News announced that it will air a special program next Sunday, April 15 dedicated to 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace, who passed away on Saturday, April 7, at the age of 93.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we mark the passing of Mike Wallace. His extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is immeasurable and he has been a force within the television industry throughout its existence. His loss will be felt by all of us at CBS,” Leslie Moonves, president and CEO, CBS Corporation, says in the statement.
Read the entire statement from CBS News below:
“60 Minutes” Icon Mike Wallace Dies At 93
CBS News legend Mike Wallace,...
“It is with tremendous sadness that we mark the passing of Mike Wallace. His extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is immeasurable and he has been a force within the television industry throughout its existence. His loss will be felt by all of us at CBS,” Leslie Moonves, president and CEO, CBS Corporation, says in the statement.
Read the entire statement from CBS News below:
“60 Minutes” Icon Mike Wallace Dies At 93
CBS News legend Mike Wallace,...
- 4/8/2012
- by Nuzhat Naoreen
- EW - Inside TV
"CBS newsman Mike Wallace, the dogged, merciless reporter and interviewer who took on politicians, celebrities and other public figures in a 60-year career highlighted by the on-air confrontations that helped make 60 Minutes the most successful primetime television news program ever, has died," reports the AP. He was 93. "His late colleague Harry Reasoner once said, 'There is one thing that Mike can do better than anybody else: With an angelic smile, he can ask a question that would get anyone else smashed in the face.' … Wallace himself became a dramatic character in several projects, from the stage version of Frost/Nixon, when he was played by Stephen Rowe, to the 1999 film The Insider, based in part on a 1995 60 Minutes story about tobacco industry whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand, who accused Brown & Williamson of intentionally adding nicotine to cigarettes. Christopher Plummer starred as Wallace and Russell Crowe as Wigand. Wallace was unhappy with the film,...
- 4/8/2012
- MUBI
The new motion picture Addiction Incorporated is part of a unique group of documentaries in that it’s essentially a small budget prequel to a big studio prestige docudrama of several years ago : Michael Mann’s The Insider. The multi-Oscar nominated flick told the true tale of whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand ( he’s involved in this new film, too ) who revealed to network news producers ( CBS’s ” 60 Minutes ” to be exact ) that tobacco companies were using special additives to cigarettes to make them more addictive ( the film referred to ‘ spiking ‘ ). After viewing the Al Pacino/ Russell Crowe work, you may have wondered how ‘ big tobacco ‘ happened upon this formula. Well wonder no more! Film maker Charles Evans, Jr. has given us all the facts, figures, numbers, and testimonies anchored by one man’s desire to deliver the facts.
That man is scientist Victor DeNoble and most of this film chronicles...
That man is scientist Victor DeNoble and most of this film chronicles...
- 3/22/2012
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The films of Michael Mann
Photo: Universal Pictures Ranking the Films of Michael Mann In advance of this Wednesday's release of Public Enemies I thought it was only fitting to take a look back at the films from director Michael Mann and see how they would sort themselves out in a quick ranking session and what a wild last few days it has been. On Thursday, last week, I saw Public Enemies, later that night I watched Manhunter, the next day I watched Thief and The Last of the Mohicans -- then the weekend arrived. In a matter of 48 hours I watched Heat, The Insider, Ali, Miami Vice and Collateral all in an attempt to make sure my mind was completely refreshed and ready to sort things out. You will notice I am only ranking nine films since I have never seen The Keep (1983) and it wasn't available through Netflix...
Photo: Universal Pictures Ranking the Films of Michael Mann In advance of this Wednesday's release of Public Enemies I thought it was only fitting to take a look back at the films from director Michael Mann and see how they would sort themselves out in a quick ranking session and what a wild last few days it has been. On Thursday, last week, I saw Public Enemies, later that night I watched Manhunter, the next day I watched Thief and The Last of the Mohicans -- then the weekend arrived. In a matter of 48 hours I watched Heat, The Insider, Ali, Miami Vice and Collateral all in an attempt to make sure my mind was completely refreshed and ready to sort things out. You will notice I am only ranking nine films since I have never seen The Keep (1983) and it wasn't available through Netflix...
- 6/29/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Having played one of the "60 Minutes" producers who helped bust Big Tobacco in "The Insider," Debi Mazar was red-faced this week after the film's real-life hero dressed her down for lighting up. During a live interview on BlogTalkRadio, host Olivia Wilder asked Mazar, "Are you a smoker?" "I don't have to answer that question. It's irrelevant," the actress replied. In the next breath, she admitted, "I smoke from time to time, but I got the facts and I don't smoke in front of my children." Jeffrey Wigand - the fired...
- 12/16/2008
- NYPost.com
Cast: Russell Crowe (Jeffrey Wigand), Al Pacino (Lowell Bergman)
Written by: Eric Roth and Michael Mann
Based on the Vanity Fair article ‘The man who knew too much’ by Marie Brenner
Directed by: Michael Mann
Release date: November 1999
Jeffrey Wigand was a top executive in one of the largest tobacco companies in the Us. The head of research, a member of the board of directors. He knew certain things about the company’s products and policies. Things you wouldn’t find mentioned in the annual report. Or discussed at the shareholders’ meeting. He was supposed to know those things. Lots of other people working there...
(more...)...
Written by: Eric Roth and Michael Mann
Based on the Vanity Fair article ‘The man who knew too much’ by Marie Brenner
Directed by: Michael Mann
Release date: November 1999
Jeffrey Wigand was a top executive in one of the largest tobacco companies in the Us. The head of research, a member of the board of directors. He knew certain things about the company’s products and policies. Things you wouldn’t find mentioned in the annual report. Or discussed at the shareholders’ meeting. He was supposed to know those things. Lots of other people working there...
(more...)...
- 10/26/2008
- by Priyankar
- ReelSuave.com
Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) finds a message in his mailbox
Photo: Touchstone Pictures It's strange to think The Insider was released just shy of ten years ago and was based on a 12-year-old "Vanity Fair" article and yet the tobacco industry seems just as strong as it has always been. Sure, smoking in bars and other public situations has been barred in a lot of places, but that hasn't stopped people from firing up a death stick. The absence of Joe Camel billboards doesn't stop me from seeing cigarettes everywhere. As The Insider gives us a mildly exaggerated look at just how far the tobacco industry will actually go to keep a lid on their secrets and to realize it is still legal for them to operate and sell their cancer is astounding. Billed heavily on Al Pacino's shoulders, The Insider is probably best remembered as Russell Crowe's break out role (this or L.
Photo: Touchstone Pictures It's strange to think The Insider was released just shy of ten years ago and was based on a 12-year-old "Vanity Fair" article and yet the tobacco industry seems just as strong as it has always been. Sure, smoking in bars and other public situations has been barred in a lot of places, but that hasn't stopped people from firing up a death stick. The absence of Joe Camel billboards doesn't stop me from seeing cigarettes everywhere. As The Insider gives us a mildly exaggerated look at just how far the tobacco industry will actually go to keep a lid on their secrets and to realize it is still legal for them to operate and sell their cancer is astounding. Billed heavily on Al Pacino's shoulders, The Insider is probably best remembered as Russell Crowe's break out role (this or L.
- 10/12/2008
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
You know who shouldn't be allowed to use a southern accent? Russell Crowe. He got an Oscar nomination for A Beautiful Mind, which was a bad accent, and it's on proud display again in the new trailer for Body of Lies.
This trailer, of course, is one of the three hitting screens with The Dark Knight this weekend, along with Watchmen and Terminator Salvation. We had the Terminator teaser for you yesterday, and Watchmen...well, I guess they're holding on to that one for now.
I like a lot of the parts in Body of Lies, but I don't much love the trailer. It's a Ridley Scott movie, although this feels like a trailer for a Tony Scott movie (and I even like Tony...just not as much as his brother). The script is from Departed writer William Monahan. Leonardo DiCaprio is great, as we know, and Crowe can be...
This trailer, of course, is one of the three hitting screens with The Dark Knight this weekend, along with Watchmen and Terminator Salvation. We had the Terminator teaser for you yesterday, and Watchmen...well, I guess they're holding on to that one for now.
I like a lot of the parts in Body of Lies, but I don't much love the trailer. It's a Ridley Scott movie, although this feels like a trailer for a Tony Scott movie (and I even like Tony...just not as much as his brother). The script is from Departed writer William Monahan. Leonardo DiCaprio is great, as we know, and Crowe can be...
- 7/17/2008
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
Journalism hasn't looked this glamorous since "All the President's Men". "The Insider" is Michael Mann's film version of the scramble by the mighty "60 Minutes" to tell the story of tobacco industry whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand. And like all of Mann's films, it comes at the viewer with sledge-hammer intensity, pumped with startling, bold images, feverish acting and an exquisite soundtrack ranging from a melancholy mandolin to eerie vocals.
While undoubtedly a distortion of the journalistic process and, quite possibly, of the salient facts in this particular tale of a news organization's humiliating retreat on a major story, the film is undeniably entertaining. The trick for Buena Vista will be to come up with a campaign to convince serious-minded moviegoers that a story about big tobacco and a TV news producer can actually create tensions worthy of a Cold War spy thriller.
One helpful element is that news articles debating the veracity and issues in this film are as likely to wind up on op-ed as on entertainment pages. And edgy, mesmerizing performances by Al Pacino and Russell Crowe add luster to this extremely well-made film.
Wigand, a fired Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co. executive, earned headlines about four years ago when he alleged that tobacco execs lied for years about their knowledge of the dangerous health effects of cigarette smoking and the addictive nature of nicotine.
"60 Minutes" taped an interview with Wigand for a Mike Wallace segment on the perfidy of the tobacco industry. But a CBS lawyer argued strongly against including the interview in the segment. Wigand, as "60 Minutes" knew, had signed a confidentiality agreement with Brown & Willamson as part of his severance package. If CBS induced him to break that agreement, the network could be liable for significant monetary damages.
"60 Minutes" was forced to broadcast a story that essentially explained why the show was unable to run the interview with Wigand, who was not mentioned by name. Three months later, after the Wall Street Journal repeated Wigand's allegations, "60 Minutes" did air the entire segment.
The movie -- following the lead of a 1996 Vanity Fair article about Wigand upon which Eric Roth and Mann's screenplay is based -- tells this story through two individuals. One, of course, is Wigand (Crowe). The other is Lowell Bergman, a "60 Minutes" producer who worked with Wallace for 14 years.
With Pacino as Bergman, the producer has been transformed into a hard-charging hero, an amalgamation of an investigative journalist, spy, father confessor and legal counsel. He meets people in dark bars and shadowy street corners, makes surreptitious calls from phone booths and has the ability to sweet-talk a Hezbollah leader into giving an interview to a "Zionist-controlled" American TV network.
The movie opens with Bergman riding blindfolded in a car in Lebanon to meet with this Hezbollah leader. The message is clear: This man lives a life of danger while Wallace grandly follows in his wake to do the on-camera interviews and grab the glory.
The movie, based entirely on Bergman's point of view, portrays Wallace and Don Hewitt, "60 Minutes'" creator and exec producer, as chicken-hearts who bow to management on the film's key ethical issue and leave a source to hang in the wind. Pacino's fiery Bergman is the segment's lone champion.
This makes for excellent drama and a dandy case of righteous indignation. But given that these are real people, the viewer has the right to wonder about the accuracy of this dramatization. Wallace is known to be outraged by the suggestion that he didn't fight to air the entire segment.
Fortunately, the story's real hero, Wigand, manages not to get lost in the Pacino/Bergman heroics, largely because of a riveting performance by Crowe. The man's life falls apart because of his decision to tell tales. His wife leaves him along with their two daughters; he's harassed by his former employers; he receives death threats; and even the FBI treats him with suspicion.
The weakest element in the script is that it never really explains why Wigand agreed to the interview. But Crowe lets you feel Wigand's emotional deterioration as he clings to his sanity despite bouts of paranoia, hallucinations and heavy drinking.
The film is gifted with a number of excellent performances: Christopher Plummer perfectly catches Mike Wallace's manner and speech cadences. Philip Baker Hall's Hewitt, Gina Gershon as a CBS attorney, Stephen Tobolowsky as a corporate biggie and Lindsay Crouse as Bergman's understanding wife are all vivid characters who make striking impressions in their brief time on screen.
A major contributor to this movie is composer Lisa Gerrard who, working with partner Pieter Bourke, draws upon medieval and Middle Eastern motifs to create eerie musical passages that Mann juxtaposes with cinematographer Dante Spinotti's strong, dark images.
Some of Gerrard and Bourke's music, originally written for the keyboard, is performed by an entire string section, giving an almost acoustical sound.
All of which makes "The Insider" a sleek, hard-not-to-like package.
THE INSIDER
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Producers: Michael Mann, Pieter Jan Brugge
Director: Michael Mann
Writers: Eric Roth, Michael Mann
Director of photography: Dante Spinotti
Production designer: Brian Morris
Music: Lisa Gerrard, Pieter Bourke
Co-producer: Michael Waxman
Costume designer: Anna Sheppard
Editors: William Goldenberg, Paul Rubell
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lowell Bergman: Al Pacino
Jeffrey Wigand: Russell Crowe
Mike Wallace: Christopher Plummer
Liane Wigand: Diane Venora
Don Hewitt: Philip Baker Hall
Sharon Tiller: Lindsay Crouse
Debbie De Luca: Debi Mazar
Eric Kluster: Stephen Tobolowsky
Running time -- 155 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
While undoubtedly a distortion of the journalistic process and, quite possibly, of the salient facts in this particular tale of a news organization's humiliating retreat on a major story, the film is undeniably entertaining. The trick for Buena Vista will be to come up with a campaign to convince serious-minded moviegoers that a story about big tobacco and a TV news producer can actually create tensions worthy of a Cold War spy thriller.
One helpful element is that news articles debating the veracity and issues in this film are as likely to wind up on op-ed as on entertainment pages. And edgy, mesmerizing performances by Al Pacino and Russell Crowe add luster to this extremely well-made film.
Wigand, a fired Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co. executive, earned headlines about four years ago when he alleged that tobacco execs lied for years about their knowledge of the dangerous health effects of cigarette smoking and the addictive nature of nicotine.
"60 Minutes" taped an interview with Wigand for a Mike Wallace segment on the perfidy of the tobacco industry. But a CBS lawyer argued strongly against including the interview in the segment. Wigand, as "60 Minutes" knew, had signed a confidentiality agreement with Brown & Willamson as part of his severance package. If CBS induced him to break that agreement, the network could be liable for significant monetary damages.
"60 Minutes" was forced to broadcast a story that essentially explained why the show was unable to run the interview with Wigand, who was not mentioned by name. Three months later, after the Wall Street Journal repeated Wigand's allegations, "60 Minutes" did air the entire segment.
The movie -- following the lead of a 1996 Vanity Fair article about Wigand upon which Eric Roth and Mann's screenplay is based -- tells this story through two individuals. One, of course, is Wigand (Crowe). The other is Lowell Bergman, a "60 Minutes" producer who worked with Wallace for 14 years.
With Pacino as Bergman, the producer has been transformed into a hard-charging hero, an amalgamation of an investigative journalist, spy, father confessor and legal counsel. He meets people in dark bars and shadowy street corners, makes surreptitious calls from phone booths and has the ability to sweet-talk a Hezbollah leader into giving an interview to a "Zionist-controlled" American TV network.
The movie opens with Bergman riding blindfolded in a car in Lebanon to meet with this Hezbollah leader. The message is clear: This man lives a life of danger while Wallace grandly follows in his wake to do the on-camera interviews and grab the glory.
The movie, based entirely on Bergman's point of view, portrays Wallace and Don Hewitt, "60 Minutes'" creator and exec producer, as chicken-hearts who bow to management on the film's key ethical issue and leave a source to hang in the wind. Pacino's fiery Bergman is the segment's lone champion.
This makes for excellent drama and a dandy case of righteous indignation. But given that these are real people, the viewer has the right to wonder about the accuracy of this dramatization. Wallace is known to be outraged by the suggestion that he didn't fight to air the entire segment.
Fortunately, the story's real hero, Wigand, manages not to get lost in the Pacino/Bergman heroics, largely because of a riveting performance by Crowe. The man's life falls apart because of his decision to tell tales. His wife leaves him along with their two daughters; he's harassed by his former employers; he receives death threats; and even the FBI treats him with suspicion.
The weakest element in the script is that it never really explains why Wigand agreed to the interview. But Crowe lets you feel Wigand's emotional deterioration as he clings to his sanity despite bouts of paranoia, hallucinations and heavy drinking.
The film is gifted with a number of excellent performances: Christopher Plummer perfectly catches Mike Wallace's manner and speech cadences. Philip Baker Hall's Hewitt, Gina Gershon as a CBS attorney, Stephen Tobolowsky as a corporate biggie and Lindsay Crouse as Bergman's understanding wife are all vivid characters who make striking impressions in their brief time on screen.
A major contributor to this movie is composer Lisa Gerrard who, working with partner Pieter Bourke, draws upon medieval and Middle Eastern motifs to create eerie musical passages that Mann juxtaposes with cinematographer Dante Spinotti's strong, dark images.
Some of Gerrard and Bourke's music, originally written for the keyboard, is performed by an entire string section, giving an almost acoustical sound.
All of which makes "The Insider" a sleek, hard-not-to-like package.
THE INSIDER
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Producers: Michael Mann, Pieter Jan Brugge
Director: Michael Mann
Writers: Eric Roth, Michael Mann
Director of photography: Dante Spinotti
Production designer: Brian Morris
Music: Lisa Gerrard, Pieter Bourke
Co-producer: Michael Waxman
Costume designer: Anna Sheppard
Editors: William Goldenberg, Paul Rubell
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lowell Bergman: Al Pacino
Jeffrey Wigand: Russell Crowe
Mike Wallace: Christopher Plummer
Liane Wigand: Diane Venora
Don Hewitt: Philip Baker Hall
Sharon Tiller: Lindsay Crouse
Debbie De Luca: Debi Mazar
Eric Kluster: Stephen Tobolowsky
Running time -- 155 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/4/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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