Room 104 will soon close its door for good, but not before dropping its rather… transformative penultimate episode, which serves as the series’ first-ever animated story.
“Fur” (which airs Friday at 11/10c on HBO) was written and directed by executive producer Mel Eslyn. The official logline reads: “It’s 1987 and friends Finley and Grey crash Room 104 to celebrate their last summer before starting high school, but Grey’s insecurities flare up when popular jock John comes over.” The story that unfolds sees Grey preparing for a certain disruptive life change, and it’s not quite what you think.
More from TVLineMark...
“Fur” (which airs Friday at 11/10c on HBO) was written and directed by executive producer Mel Eslyn. The official logline reads: “It’s 1987 and friends Finley and Grey crash Room 104 to celebrate their last summer before starting high school, but Grey’s insecurities flare up when popular jock John comes over.” The story that unfolds sees Grey preparing for a certain disruptive life change, and it’s not quite what you think.
More from TVLineMark...
- 10/1/2020
- by Nick Caruso
- TVLine.com
Patricia Bosworth, an actress-turned-writer whose biographies of fellow Actors Studio alumni Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando and Jane Fonda were best-sellers and, certainly with the Clift book, definitive for their times, died Thursday of complications related to Covid-19. She was 86.
Bosworth’s stepdaughter Fia Hatsav told The New York Times that the author died of pneumonia brought on by the coronavirus.
More from DeadlineNotable Hollywood & Entertainment Industry Deaths In 2020: Photo GalleryPink Fully Recovered From Coronavirus, Donates $1M To Pandemic Relief Efforts"You Just Asked Your Question In A Very Nasty Tone": Donald Trump Lashes Out At CBS News Reporter's Query About Jared Kushner
Bosworth began her show business career as a model in the 1950s before enrolling in New York’s Actors Studio to study with Lee Strasberg. Classmates included Brando and Marilyn Monroe. She appeared on Broadway in,...
Bosworth’s stepdaughter Fia Hatsav told The New York Times that the author died of pneumonia brought on by the coronavirus.
More from DeadlineNotable Hollywood & Entertainment Industry Deaths In 2020: Photo GalleryPink Fully Recovered From Coronavirus, Donates $1M To Pandemic Relief Efforts"You Just Asked Your Question In A Very Nasty Tone": Donald Trump Lashes Out At CBS News Reporter's Query About Jared Kushner
Bosworth began her show business career as a model in the 1950s before enrolling in New York’s Actors Studio to study with Lee Strasberg. Classmates included Brando and Marilyn Monroe. She appeared on Broadway in,...
- 4/3/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The star and co-writer of the new film Banana Split walks us through some of her favorite comedies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Banana Split (2020)
Big (1988)
West Side Story (2020)
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982)
The ’Burbs (1989)
Back To The Future (1985)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Cape Fear (1991)
The Foot Fist Way (2006)
Best In Show (2000)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
The Hours (2002)
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
Black Mass (2015)
The Irishman (2019)
Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Zoolander (2001)
Knocked Up (2007)
Armageddon (1998)
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
The Room (2003)
The Disaster Artist (2017)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1997)
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970)
Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Bruce Almighty (2003)
Liar Liar (1997)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Obvious Child (2014)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Harold And Maude (1971)
Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Banana Split (2020)
Big (1988)
West Side Story (2020)
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982)
The ’Burbs (1989)
Back To The Future (1985)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Cape Fear (1991)
The Foot Fist Way (2006)
Best In Show (2000)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
The Hours (2002)
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
Black Mass (2015)
The Irishman (2019)
Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Zoolander (2001)
Knocked Up (2007)
Armageddon (1998)
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
The Room (2003)
The Disaster Artist (2017)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1997)
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970)
Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Bruce Almighty (2003)
Liar Liar (1997)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Obvious Child (2014)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Harold And Maude (1971)
Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans...
- 3/31/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Warning: This post contains a major spoiler from Wednesday’s The Masked Singer.
Pack your trunk, Elephant!
More from TVLinePopular Masked Singer Guess Goes on Record: 'I Ain't the Friggin' Taco'So You Think You Can Dance Renewed for Season 17 -- Which Judge Is Out?Masked Singer Recap: Fur and Away
Wednesday’s Masked Singer marked both the debut and departure of Elephant, whose rendition of a Cure classic wasn’t enough to keep him in the running for Season 3 glory. And when the pachyderm was unmasked, he was revealed to be professional skateboarder Tony Hawk. (Read a full recap here.
Pack your trunk, Elephant!
More from TVLinePopular Masked Singer Guess Goes on Record: 'I Ain't the Friggin' Taco'So You Think You Can Dance Renewed for Season 17 -- Which Judge Is Out?Masked Singer Recap: Fur and Away
Wednesday’s Masked Singer marked both the debut and departure of Elephant, whose rendition of a Cure classic wasn’t enough to keep him in the running for Season 3 glory. And when the pachyderm was unmasked, he was revealed to be professional skateboarder Tony Hawk. (Read a full recap here.
- 2/20/2020
- TVLine.com
Whilst some classic movies being remade is of no surprise, there is, every now and again, one that will take you by surprise. The latest to be added to the remake trend is Indecent Proposal from Paramount Players.
To give the remake that modern-day edge, The Girl on the Train scribe Erin Cressida Wilson has been set to re-write the original script. As it’s very early days of development, no other information is available at this time.
The original was released in 1993 and was an adaptation of Jack Engelhard’s novel. It was directed by Adrian Lyne and starred Robert Redford, Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson. The story follows David (Harrelson) and Diana Murphy (Moore), a loving couple with a bright future. David is a talented architect; Diana is a top-notch real estate agent. But when the recession hits, their finances take a nosedive. In a last-ditch effort to save their dream home,...
To give the remake that modern-day edge, The Girl on the Train scribe Erin Cressida Wilson has been set to re-write the original script. As it’s very early days of development, no other information is available at this time.
The original was released in 1993 and was an adaptation of Jack Engelhard’s novel. It was directed by Adrian Lyne and starred Robert Redford, Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson. The story follows David (Harrelson) and Diana Murphy (Moore), a loving couple with a bright future. David is a talented architect; Diana is a top-notch real estate agent. But when the recession hits, their finances take a nosedive. In a last-ditch effort to save their dream home,...
- 7/31/2018
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
If Steven Shainberg’s career as a director was helped by his Sundance breakthrough “Secretary,” it hasn’t been easy coasting since then. Shainberg followed that film up with the Nicole Kidman– and Robert Downey Jr.-starring “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus,” which, just like “Secretary,” has built up a loyal cult fanbase over the years.
Continue reading ‘Rupture’ With Noomi Rapace Places A Gripping Hold [Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Rupture’ With Noomi Rapace Places A Gripping Hold [Review] at The Playlist.
- 4/29/2017
- by Jordan Ruimy
- The Playlist
Plot: A single mother (Noomi Rapace) and her son are abducted, and she’s forced to endure a series of tests which her captors hope will unlock a secret within her DNA. Review: Steven Shainberg is an oddball choice to direct a genre film. Best-known for his S&M romance, Secretary, Shainberg, who followed that up with the lofty Fur: An Imaginary Portrait Of Diane Arbus (with Nicole Kidman... Read More...
- 4/28/2017
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Walking into Spiderwebs: Shainberg Returns with Characterless Genre Effort
A decade after the somewhat unwarranted critical drubbing of Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006), Steven Shainberg breaks the silence with his first bona fide genre effort to date, Rupture.
Continue reading...
A decade after the somewhat unwarranted critical drubbing of Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006), Steven Shainberg breaks the silence with his first bona fide genre effort to date, Rupture.
Continue reading...
- 4/27/2017
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
"Don't fight it. Let it happen. This confusion is all part of the process." This advice is repeated, often in a beatific manner, by the mysterious group of captors who are intent on, among other things, helping the audience navigate the actual film. It has been a decade since Seven Shainberg's previous film, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. He returns once again to defy expectations with Rupture, a tight indie horror picture that poses big questions in a claustrophobic package. Beleaguered single mom Renee is on the cusp of a get away from it all weekend, a skydiving trip with her girlfriend. After struggling with her son to get his homework done and drop him off at his father's house, on the cusp of her...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 4/27/2017
- Screen Anarchy
It’s taken ten years, but Secretary director Steven Shainberg has finally followed-up Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. The result is Rupture, a body horror-lite tale about a woman held captive as part of an experiment meant to unlock humanity’s hidden potential to evolve beyond our current state. Written by Brian Nelson (the two share story credit), its script seeks to mess with our expectations as it does its prisoner Renee (Noomi Rapace). We’re to cultivate a sense of paranoia with surveillance dominating the first act to a point where we must scratch our heads at act two’s distinct lack of it to facilitate Renee’s actions. Is this shift an unfortunate plot-hole or merely deflection to distract us? Is it hallucination or reality, trick or mistake?
These are the questions we should ask because they allow us to dig deeper into the events surrounding...
These are the questions we should ask because they allow us to dig deeper into the events surrounding...
- 4/27/2017
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
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 Nicole Kidman, who’s having something of a renaissance moment.
Bottom Line: Nicole Kidman is one of our most fearless actresses. She’s an Oscar perennial who constantly chases challenging material, edginess be damned. Yes, her most recent nomination stemmed from a very mild-mannered role as Dev Patel’s mother in the true-life Australian drama “Lion,” but for Kidman’s career it’s her exceptions that prove the rule.
She broadened her fanbase by producing, with Reese Witherspoon, the hugely popular and topical HBO drama series “Big Little Lies,” in which she co-starred as Celeste Wright, an elegant Monterey mom trapped in a sadomasochistic power struggle of spousal abuse with her husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgard). Critics’ raves and audience reaction will likely push Kidman to...
Bottom Line: Nicole Kidman is one of our most fearless actresses. She’s an Oscar perennial who constantly chases challenging material, edginess be damned. Yes, her most recent nomination stemmed from a very mild-mannered role as Dev Patel’s mother in the true-life Australian drama “Lion,” but for Kidman’s career it’s her exceptions that prove the rule.
She broadened her fanbase by producing, with Reese Witherspoon, the hugely popular and topical HBO drama series “Big Little Lies,” in which she co-starred as Celeste Wright, an elegant Monterey mom trapped in a sadomasochistic power struggle of spousal abuse with her husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgard). Critics’ raves and audience reaction will likely push Kidman to...
- 4/11/2017
- 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 Nicole Kidman, who’s having something of a renaissance moment.
Bottom Line: Nicole Kidman is one of our most fearless actresses. She’s an Oscar perennial who constantly chases challenging material, edginess be damned. Yes, her most recent nomination stemmed from a very mild-mannered role as Dev Patel’s mother in the true-life Australian drama “Lion,” but for Kidman’s career it’s her exceptions that prove the rule.
She broadened her fanbase by producing, with Reese Witherspoon, the hugely popular and topical HBO drama series “Big Little Lies,” in which she co-starred as Celeste Wright, an elegant Monterey mom trapped in a sadomasochistic power struggle of spousal abuse with her husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgard). Critics’ raves and audience reaction will likely push Kidman to...
Bottom Line: Nicole Kidman is one of our most fearless actresses. She’s an Oscar perennial who constantly chases challenging material, edginess be damned. Yes, her most recent nomination stemmed from a very mild-mannered role as Dev Patel’s mother in the true-life Australian drama “Lion,” but for Kidman’s career it’s her exceptions that prove the rule.
She broadened her fanbase by producing, with Reese Witherspoon, the hugely popular and topical HBO drama series “Big Little Lies,” in which she co-starred as Celeste Wright, an elegant Monterey mom trapped in a sadomasochistic power struggle of spousal abuse with her husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgard). Critics’ raves and audience reaction will likely push Kidman to...
- 4/11/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Sundance breakthrough “Secretary” kickstarted a career with a lot of potential for its writer-director Steven Shainberg, who followed up the kinky comedy/drama with the Nicole Kidman– and Robert Downey Jr.-starring biopic “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait Of Diane Arbus.” That film, just like “Secretary,” built up a cult fanbase over the years, but then Shainberg left the spotlight.
Continue reading Steven Shainberg Talks ‘Rupture,’ Personal Transformation, And More at The Playlist.
Continue reading Steven Shainberg Talks ‘Rupture,’ Personal Transformation, And More at The Playlist.
- 4/11/2017
- by Jordan Ruimy
- The Playlist
Seth Metoyer,
MoreHorror.com
Writer/director Steven Shainberg became an award-winning indie film sensation with 2002's kink masterpiece Secretary and now he plans to spank viewers with the sci-fi thriller Rupture.
Ambi Media Group will release the sci-fi thriller Rupture in theaters and On Demand April 28, 2017. The film is currently available exclusively on DirecTV.
Check out the trailer below the official press details.
From The Press Release
"Secretary's Steven Shainberg tackles both sci-fi and horror with great success." - Birth.Movies.Death.
Ambi Media Group will release the sci-fi thriller Rupture in theaters and On Demand April 28, 2017. The film is currently available exclusively on DirecTV.
Rupture is directed by Steven Shainberg (Secretary, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus) from a script co-written by Shainberg and Brian Nelson (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night). The film stars Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Prometheus), Peter Stormare (The Big Lebowski,...
MoreHorror.com
Writer/director Steven Shainberg became an award-winning indie film sensation with 2002's kink masterpiece Secretary and now he plans to spank viewers with the sci-fi thriller Rupture.
Ambi Media Group will release the sci-fi thriller Rupture in theaters and On Demand April 28, 2017. The film is currently available exclusively on DirecTV.
Check out the trailer below the official press details.
From The Press Release
"Secretary's Steven Shainberg tackles both sci-fi and horror with great success." - Birth.Movies.Death.
Ambi Media Group will release the sci-fi thriller Rupture in theaters and On Demand April 28, 2017. The film is currently available exclusively on DirecTV.
Rupture is directed by Steven Shainberg (Secretary, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus) from a script co-written by Shainberg and Brian Nelson (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night). The film stars Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Prometheus), Peter Stormare (The Big Lebowski,...
- 4/8/2017
- by admin
- MoreHorror
"Don't fight it. Let it happen." Vertical Entertainment has revealed an official Us trailer for the release of the psychological horror-thriller Rupture, from director Steven Shainberg (of the film Secretary over a decade ago, as well as Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus). Swedish actress Noomi Rapace plays an "ordinary woman" and mother of a boy who is randomly abducted on a highway. She wakes up strapped to an operating table and is forced to undergo a series of terrifying psychological experiments. The film also stars Peter Stormare, Kerry Bishé, Michael Chiklis, Ari Millen, Lesley Manville, Percy Hynes White and Morgan Kelly. This definitely does look very freaky, I just want to know what the big twist is. Here's the official Us trailer (+ new poster) for Steven Shainberg's Rupture, direct from YouTube: You can also still watch the original UK trailer for Rupture here, to see even more footage from this film.
- 3/26/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Ambi Media Group will release the sci-fi thriller Rupture exclusively on DirecTV March 30th, and in theaters, VOD and Digital HD on April 28th. Written and directed by Steven Shainberg (Secretary, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus), the film stars Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Prometheus), Peter Stormare (The Big Lebowski, Fargo), Kerry …
The post Ambi Media Group will release the sci-fi thriller Rupture first appeared on Hnn | Horrornews.net 2017 - Official Horror News Site...
The post Ambi Media Group will release the sci-fi thriller Rupture first appeared on Hnn | Horrornews.net 2017 - Official Horror News Site...
- 3/19/2017
- by Horrornews.net
- Horror News
Director Steven Shainberg fails to replicate the success of Secretary with an unconvincing thriller about a single mom kidnapped by an extreme-terror cult
Steven Shainberg is the director who gave us the fascinating Bdsm satire Secretary and the flawed but interesting drama Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. Now, sadly, he has directed and co-written this unrewarding adventure in torture-porn horror.
Continue reading...
Steven Shainberg is the director who gave us the fascinating Bdsm satire Secretary and the flawed but interesting drama Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. Now, sadly, he has directed and co-written this unrewarding adventure in torture-porn horror.
Continue reading...
- 11/3/2016
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The Girl on the Train shows us Emily Blunt as we’ve never seen her before. In so many of her films, the Brit is poised and eloquent, a queen, ballerina, or high-level secretary, and her more recent turns in action flicks and sci-fi movies have had her playing badass, very capable women. Soon she’ll play the practically perfect in every way Mary Poppins. So it’s a bit of a shock to see Blunt looking rather pathetic as The Girl on the Train’s Rachel, who is far from perfect. A deeply unhappy divorcée, Rachel commutes back and forth from the suburbs to the city each day, usually in varying states of intoxication. She slurs her words and leans in too close as she tries to talk with the mother and baby in the seat next to her on the train. Sunken into the train seat swathed in her wool scarf and jacket,...
- 10/7/2016
- by Emily Rome
- Hitfix
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present and future.
Screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson didn’t have many expectations when she signed on to adapt Paula Hawkins’ best-selling debut novel “The Girl on the Train” back in 2014. After all, Wilson received the manuscript for the book before it was even published – by coincidence, she turned in her first pass at the screenplay the same week Hawkins’ novel hit shelves – which allowed her to imagine the world of the story, free of expectations. And that’s exactly what Cressida is interested in these days: Freedom.
Directed by Tate Taylor, “The Girl on the Train” follows the twisted track of Hawkins’ novel, mostly centered around Rachel Watson (played in the film by Emily Blunt), a drunk divorcee who projects a lot of her hopes and fears on the people she passes by on her daily commute (by train,...
Screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson didn’t have many expectations when she signed on to adapt Paula Hawkins’ best-selling debut novel “The Girl on the Train” back in 2014. After all, Wilson received the manuscript for the book before it was even published – by coincidence, she turned in her first pass at the screenplay the same week Hawkins’ novel hit shelves – which allowed her to imagine the world of the story, free of expectations. And that’s exactly what Cressida is interested in these days: Freedom.
Directed by Tate Taylor, “The Girl on the Train” follows the twisted track of Hawkins’ novel, mostly centered around Rachel Watson (played in the film by Emily Blunt), a drunk divorcee who projects a lot of her hopes and fears on the people she passes by on her daily commute (by train,...
- 10/6/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Indie writer-director Steven Shainberg has never been one to stick to a single genre, hopping from crime thriller (1998's Hit Me) to kinky dark comedy (2002's criminally under-appreciated Secretary) to biographical drama (2006's Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus). Now, ten years after his last feature, Shainberg tries his hand at science fiction/horror with Rupture, a solid abduction thriller starring Noomi Rapace (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Michael Chiklis (Fantastic Four), and Peter Stormare (Fantasia Festival favorite Bad Milo).
Rapace plays single mother Renee Morgan, whose teenaged son is prone to emotional and angry outbursts. As the audience watches them prepare for their day, we notice that, oddly, some of what we’re [Continued ...]...
Rapace plays single mother Renee Morgan, whose teenaged son is prone to emotional and angry outbursts. As the audience watches them prepare for their day, we notice that, oddly, some of what we’re [Continued ...]...
- 7/19/2016
- QuietEarth.us
Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Allison Janney, Edgar Ramirez, Lisa Kudrow and Laura Prepon star in DreamWorks Pictures’ The Girl On The Train, from director Tate Taylor (The Help, Get on Up) and producer Marc Platt (Bridge of Spies, Into the Woods).
The new trailer and poster for the upcoming film has debuted. Check out the latest preview below.
In the thriller, Rachel (Blunt), who is devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.
Based on Paula Hawkins’ bestselling novel, The Girl on the Train is adapted for the screen by Erin Cressida Wilson.
Wilson wrote and produced on the first season of HBO’s Martin Scorsese/Mick Jagger series,...
The new trailer and poster for the upcoming film has debuted. Check out the latest preview below.
In the thriller, Rachel (Blunt), who is devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.
Based on Paula Hawkins’ bestselling novel, The Girl on the Train is adapted for the screen by Erin Cressida Wilson.
Wilson wrote and produced on the first season of HBO’s Martin Scorsese/Mick Jagger series,...
- 7/18/2016
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Montreal — If Steven Shainberg’s career as a director was helped by his Sundance breakthrough “Secretary,” it hasn’t been easy coasting since then. Shainberg followed that film up with the Nicole Kidman– and Robert Downey Jr.-starring “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus,” which, just like “Secretary,” has built up a loyal cult fanbase over the […]
The post ‘Secretary’ Director Steven Shainberg Goes Genre With Mixed Results In ‘Rupture’ Starring Noomi Rapace [Review] appeared first on The Playlist.
The post ‘Secretary’ Director Steven Shainberg Goes Genre With Mixed Results In ‘Rupture’ Starring Noomi Rapace [Review] appeared first on The Playlist.
- 7/17/2016
- by Jordan Ruimy
- The Playlist
"Don't fight it. Let it happen. This confusion is all part of the process." This advice is repeated, often in a beatific manner, by the mysterious group of captors who are intent on, among other things, helping the audience navigate the actual film. It has been a decade since Seven Shainberg's previous film, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. He returns once again to defy expectations with, Rupture, a tight indie horror picture that poses big questions in a claustrophobic package. Beleaguered single mom Renee is on the cusp of a get away from it all weekend, a skydiving trip with her girlfriend. After struggling with her son to get his homework done and drop him off at his father's house, on the cusp of...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/16/2016
- Screen Anarchy
The first programming has been revealed for the 20th annual Fantasia International Film Festival. Taking place from July 14th–August 2nd in Montreal, this year’s Fantasia will honor Guillermo del Toro with the Cheval Noir Award, and the newly revealed first wave of programming includes screenings of Lights Out, Abattoir, In a Valley of Violence, Under the Shadow, Trash Fire, Teenage Cocktail, and more:
Press Release: Montreal, May 26, 2016 – The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary in Montreal this summer, taking place from July 14-August 2, with its Frontiéres international co-production market and Industry Rendez-Vous weekend being held July 21-24. The full lineup of over 130 feature films will be announced July 5th. In the meantime, the festival is excited to announce a selected first wave of titles, along with several special happenings.
For Fantasia’s 2016 poster, the festival has once again turned to award-winning Quebec visual artist Donald Caron.
Press Release: Montreal, May 26, 2016 – The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary in Montreal this summer, taking place from July 14-August 2, with its Frontiéres international co-production market and Industry Rendez-Vous weekend being held July 21-24. The full lineup of over 130 feature films will be announced July 5th. In the meantime, the festival is excited to announce a selected first wave of titles, along with several special happenings.
For Fantasia’s 2016 poster, the festival has once again turned to award-winning Quebec visual artist Donald Caron.
- 5/26/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Director Steven Shainberg hasn.t directed a movie since 2006.s Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, but his latest feature, The Big Shoe is quickly starting to put its pieces together. It was previously announced that Jim Sturgess is set to play the film.s protagonist, and now two more actors have come to join him. Vareity has learned that both Kristen Stewart and Elizabeth Banks have signed on for roles in the quirky comedy. Sturgess stars as a gifted young shoe designer with an exploitative family that wants to mass-produce his greatest shoe designs to make a fast buck. When he makes the choice to break away from the family they hire .a muse (Stewart) and a psychotherapist (Banks). to try and get him to come back. The trade says that the director will be a mixture of .eroticism and humor. similar to 2002.s Secretary (which he also...
- 2/7/2013
- cinemablend.com
Steven Shainberg made a name for himself back in 2002 at the helm of Secretary, the brilliant film led by Maggie Gyllenhaal and David Spader. He went on to direct Robert Downey, Jr. and Nicole Kidman in 2006’s Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. And now he’s returning behind the helm once more to bring us The Big Shoe.
Announced at the Berlinale 2013, Kristen Stewart and Elizabeth Banks have now come on board, joining Jim Sturgess for Shainberg’s next feature.
“Sturgess plays a gifted shoe designer forced to break free from a family who wants to turn his designs into mass-produced knock-offs. The family hires psychotherapist Mary Kay (Banks) and muse Delphi (Stewart) to lure him back to work.”
Shainberg will be directing from a script he co-wrote with newcomer Mickey Birnbaum.
Andrew Lazar (Get Smart, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) will be producing through his Mad Chance Productions.
Announced at the Berlinale 2013, Kristen Stewart and Elizabeth Banks have now come on board, joining Jim Sturgess for Shainberg’s next feature.
“Sturgess plays a gifted shoe designer forced to break free from a family who wants to turn his designs into mass-produced knock-offs. The family hires psychotherapist Mary Kay (Banks) and muse Delphi (Stewart) to lure him back to work.”
Shainberg will be directing from a script he co-wrote with newcomer Mickey Birnbaum.
Andrew Lazar (Get Smart, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) will be producing through his Mad Chance Productions.
- 2/7/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Cannes -- Steven Shainberg is returning to the director's chair for sexy comedic drama The Big Shoe, starring Jim Sturgess and Susan Sarandon. The Big Shoe -- featuring footwear designed for the film by England's Georgina Goodman -- will be financed by a new $150 million equity film fund announced this week by AngelWorld Entertainment. Shainberg (Secretary, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus) is set to start shooting this fall from a script he co-wrote with Mickey Birnbaum. The project reteams Sarandon and Sturgess, who will be seen in Focus Features' Cloud Atlas, from Tom Tykwer, Andy and Lana Wachowski. Videos: Cannes 2012:
read more...
read more...
- 5/20/2012
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Already co-starring in the On the Road, Viggo Mortensen and Amy Adams are in early talks to share the screen again this time in The Big Shoe. No word on what roles are currently available and how accurate this info is, but Steven Shainberg will be directing the dramedy (which he co-wrote with Mickey Birnbaum) about a shoe designer with a foot fetish. Already cast to star is Joaquin Phoenix, who is pegged to play the designer and also attached we find Mia Wasikowska whose toes will most likely end up being the object of this kooky designers’ affection. Gist: The story centers on a male shoe designer, who happens to have a career-crippling foot fetish. Worth Noting: It seems Shainberg has a fetish for fetishes. His indie film Secretary, a sadomasochistic love story between a lawyer and his new typist, stole our hearts back in 2002. The film won several...
- 3/24/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Whether you are heading to this year’s Sundance Film Festival – which begins on Thursday in Park City, Utah – or following every happening from the comfort of your own home, it sounds like the Sundance Channel is ramping up its coverage to bring most of the fest to you.
For the first time in the channel’s history, Sundance Channel is officially setting up an on-site headquarters – located at 692 Main Street – which will play host to an all-access, multimedia experience for Sundance Film Festival patrons.
“All eyes are on the Sundance Film Festival every year, and no wonder: it’s a one-of-kind event on the film calendar, a place to get early indications of what’s next in our culture. We’re proud to share the Sundance name and it’s only fitting that we create an exciting media event on all of our...
Hollywoodnews.com: Whether you are heading to this year’s Sundance Film Festival – which begins on Thursday in Park City, Utah – or following every happening from the comfort of your own home, it sounds like the Sundance Channel is ramping up its coverage to bring most of the fest to you.
For the first time in the channel’s history, Sundance Channel is officially setting up an on-site headquarters – located at 692 Main Street – which will play host to an all-access, multimedia experience for Sundance Film Festival patrons.
“All eyes are on the Sundance Film Festival every year, and no wonder: it’s a one-of-kind event on the film calendar, a place to get early indications of what’s next in our culture. We’re proud to share the Sundance name and it’s only fitting that we create an exciting media event on all of our...
- 1/19/2011
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
Nicole Kidman is a 43-year-old wife and mother of four who also happens to be one of the biggest movie stars in the world and one of the most respected actresses of her generation. Therefore, as you can imagine, it was a great privilege and thrill for me to be granted a half-hour one-on-one interview with her last Saturday — the day between the Critics Choice and the Golden Globe awards, both of which she attended as a best actress nominee for her performance as a mother grieving over the death of her child in the critically-acclaimed low-budget indie “Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, PG-13, trailer) — and pick her brain about a wide-range of topics. We met on the second floor of Siren Studios, a sparsely decorated building used by professional photographers for photoshoots like the one that Kidman was to be a subject of following our conversation. The corner where we sat...
- 1/19/2011
- by Scott Feinberg
- Scott Feinberg
And here we have it - the top twenty acquisition titles that will be made available at the 2010 Toronto Int. Film Festival --- and that's only from the titles that are actually being shown. Looking at the list below, there is a little something for everyone: feel good films, offbeat comedies, specialty genre items, fact based thrillers and then probable award mention stuff that take up the top four spots. Redford, Dan Rush and Dustin Lance Black's directorial debuts and my number one pick below should see a swarm of interest, but no title comes into the fest with the kind of "mega hype" of say, The Wrestler from a couple of years back, and that one was actually shown in Venice and fairly quickly. Here's the breakdown once again: 20. Justin Chadwick - The First Grader 19. The Bang Bang Club (Steven Silver) 18. John Carpenter's The Ward (John Carpenter...
- 8/30/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
From his rise to fame in the 90s to his action movie stardom of recent years, we celebrate the work of versatile, unique actor Robert Downey Jr...
It is about time I took to my soapbox and declared to the world my unadulterated love for Robert Downey Jr., and with his long awaited return to comedy in this year's Due Date (out in November), what better time to cast a retrospective eye over what makes him one of the most talked about, talented and often overlooked actors of our generation?
It is probably best to make a she-geek disclaimer at this point, before all the warm blooded males stop reading, for fear that what lies ahead is a girly drool fest about his eyes, chiselled good looks or endearing charm (please don't get me wrong, though, none of these facets have gone unnoticed). However, with the deserved success of the...
It is about time I took to my soapbox and declared to the world my unadulterated love for Robert Downey Jr., and with his long awaited return to comedy in this year's Due Date (out in November), what better time to cast a retrospective eye over what makes him one of the most talked about, talented and often overlooked actors of our generation?
It is probably best to make a she-geek disclaimer at this point, before all the warm blooded males stop reading, for fear that what lies ahead is a girly drool fest about his eyes, chiselled good looks or endearing charm (please don't get me wrong, though, none of these facets have gone unnoticed). However, with the deserved success of the...
- 8/4/2010
- Den of Geek
Robert Downey, Jr. has pulled off an incredible feat in his career, going from nearly less than zero for around 25 years to box office hero in the last two. Aside from supporting roles in a few popular movies, Mr. Downey could have been labeled box office poison for most of his career, better known for the poisons he was putting into his system than for his movies. But despite so many commercial strikes, Hollywood kept letting him play, and it finally paid off in 2008. Following supporting work in movies like Back to School and Weird Science, Robert Downey, Jr.'s first at-bat as a leading man was The Pick-Up Artist in 1987, playing a womanizer opposite Molly Ringwald. The comedy wasn't disastrous in its first September weekend, grossing $4.5 million at 1,129 theaters, but it was overshadowed by the debut of Fatal Attraction that same weekend and fizzled out rapidly by the era's standards,...
- 6/10/2010
- by Brandon Gray <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
- Box Office Mojo
With its embrace of genre and slick production values, "Chloe" represents director Atom Egoyan ("The Sweet Hereafter") and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson's ("Secretary" and "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus") most mainstream efforts to date. Cue the "not there's anything wrong with that." In fact, in many ways this chilly romantic thriller does provide a welcome break from Wilson's standard envelope-pushing head-scratchers. The problem is that her queasy sexual politics remain front and center.
"Chloe" is based upon the 2003 French film "Nathalie...," and its premise is pretty much the stuff of which French films are made. When music professor David Stewart (Liam Neeson) misses the surprise birthday thrown by his wife, gynecologist Catherine (Julianne Moore), she hires Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), a hotel prostitute, to test his fidelity. Naturally, she finds out more than she really wants to know, and develops a mutual obsession with Chloe that escalates into...
"Chloe" is based upon the 2003 French film "Nathalie...," and its premise is pretty much the stuff of which French films are made. When music professor David Stewart (Liam Neeson) misses the surprise birthday thrown by his wife, gynecologist Catherine (Julianne Moore), she hires Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), a hotel prostitute, to test his fidelity. Naturally, she finds out more than she really wants to know, and develops a mutual obsession with Chloe that escalates into...
- 3/24/2010
- by Lisa Rosman
- ifc.com
Atom Egoyan is known for his dramas about intimacy and the nature of truth, whether familial or sexual. Films like The Sweet Hereafter and Adoration feature young people teetering on the edge of becoming adults and facing up to the effects of their actions, whether that might be lying, in the case of Adoration, or the pressures of telling the truth, as in The Sweet Hereafter. Egoyan's films, which often feature the themes of voyeurism and its intersection with technology, also deal frankly with sexuality, as in 1994's Exotica, which is centered around a strip club. In Chloe, which was adapted from the French Anne Fontaine movie Nathalie... by Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus), Amanda Seyfried plays the title character, a glossy young prostitute in Toronto. A chance meeting in the bathroom of an expensive restaurant leads to a strange relationship between Chloe and Catherine,...
- 3/24/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
Romance is in the air! And this time brought to you by an Australian angel, Nicole Kidman.
We all know this lady didn’t have much luck lately, and we could call her current phase something like ’series of flops’.
On the other hand, she’s dealing with some critics out there that say Kidman should definitely try to find some good role that would bring her reputation back. Can The Wedding Doctor be Nicole’s big comeback?
That’s exactly the title of the new movie that already sounded like some female version of well-known Hitch.
In the film, Kidman would play a relationship analyst who advises couples on their interpersonal dynamics before they marry. But after she meets her latest clients, the doc decides she’d actually be a better match for the groom-to-be, triggering a showdown with his fiancée.
But as we said, nobody was very interested in details about the movie,...
We all know this lady didn’t have much luck lately, and we could call her current phase something like ’series of flops’.
On the other hand, she’s dealing with some critics out there that say Kidman should definitely try to find some good role that would bring her reputation back. Can The Wedding Doctor be Nicole’s big comeback?
That’s exactly the title of the new movie that already sounded like some female version of well-known Hitch.
In the film, Kidman would play a relationship analyst who advises couples on their interpersonal dynamics before they marry. But after she meets her latest clients, the doc decides she’d actually be a better match for the groom-to-be, triggering a showdown with his fiancée.
But as we said, nobody was very interested in details about the movie,...
- 3/10/2010
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
It looks like Oprah is trading in her Angel Network for something a bit more seedy. The media mogul is teaming with HBO to executive produce the pilot for a series described by Variety as “a sexually charged hour-long series pilot about a woman who leaves her seemingly perfect marriage and children in Santa Monica for the underbelly of L.A., where she indulges her secret fantasies and desires.”
The pilot will be written by Erin Cressida Wilson, the genius behind 2002’s Secretary, in which Maggie Gyllenhaal was hired on as James Spader's sexually submissive office worker. For those of you who haven’t seen it, rent it. Of course, be forewarned that anything starring James Spader within the last 10 to 15 years will most certainly be twisted.
Erin Cressida Wilson
Erin has also written for Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus and Chloe.
Oprah’s right-hand woman over at Harpo Films,...
The pilot will be written by Erin Cressida Wilson, the genius behind 2002’s Secretary, in which Maggie Gyllenhaal was hired on as James Spader's sexually submissive office worker. For those of you who haven’t seen it, rent it. Of course, be forewarned that anything starring James Spader within the last 10 to 15 years will most certainly be twisted.
Erin Cressida Wilson
Erin has also written for Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus and Chloe.
Oprah’s right-hand woman over at Harpo Films,...
- 11/24/2009
- by Stubbs
- AfterEllen.com
Poor Will Ferrell. The popular comedic actor and proven boxoffice draw has taken a big risk with Stranger Than Fiction. Playing against type as Harold Crick, a sad sack who hears voices in his head, Ferrell has received high marks in early reviews, as have co-stars Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman. But a little movie called Borat is likely to steal the thunder from Ferrell and Fiction. 20th Century Fox's Borat -- on its way to becoming a comedic phenomenon considering its stellar opening bow of $26 million from just 837 theaters -- has created something of a black hole for all other films bowing this weekend.
Expanding to 2,566 theaters today, Borat also is likely to eat up some of the grosses that would have gone to Fox's new entry, Ridley Scott's A Good Year, starring Russell Crowe. Industry insiders are pegging the second-week grosses for Borat in the $30 million range. Coming off a phenomenal first-weekend bow that saw a per-theater average of $31,607, the R-rated film surely will dominate the boxoffice. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, who has been likened to a modern-day combination of Peter Sellers and Andy Kaufman, Borat's midweek numbers have remained strong, averaging
$3 million each day.
That's not to say that Sony Pictures isn't trying with Fiction. Directed by Marc Forster and based on a screenplay by Zach Helm, the film won early accolades at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Bowing in 2,264 theaters, the PG-13 film centers on Crick, an IRS auditor who suddenly finds that his thoughts and actions are being narrated by a voice in his head. Praised for its smart script and strong performances, the film could open decently and hold on through a crowded end-of-year moviegoing season. Insiders are predicting the film will bow in the $8 million-$10 million range but could get into the low teens.
That's about the same number many are predicting for A Good Year. Crowe also plays against type as a romantic lead in the PG-13 drama set in Provence, France. Opening in 2,066 theaters, the Fox 2000 film centers on a high-powered British trader (Crowe) who learns that his uncle has left him a vineyard in France. Year, which co-stars Albert Finney, Freddie Highmore and Archie Panjabi, is based on the novel written by Scott's friend and Provence neighbor Peter Mayle. It evokes similar themes to Buena Vista's Under the Tuscan Sun, which bowed to $9.7 million in 2003. Expect similar numbers for the beautifully photographed Year.
Focus Features will open Rogue Pictures' The Return in 1,986 theaters. Starring horror queen Sarah Michelle Gellar, the PG-13 film from Asif Kapadia (The Warrior) centers on a woman who is troubled by vivid nightmares about the murder of a woman she has never met. It is expected to bow to single-digit millions.
MGM is going to be busy this weekend. The distributor will open Bauer Martinez's Harsh Times in 956 theaters. A high-profile acquisition out of last year's Toronto fest, the film comes from Training Day screenwriter David Ayer, making his directorial debut, and stars Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez. The gritty, R-rated drama centers on an Iraq War vet (Bale) who, upon being turned down for a job with the LAPD, recruits his childhood friend (Rodriguez) for a joyride through Los Angeles. Eva Longoria co-stars.
MGM also will open Copying Beethoven in limited release. The PG-13 film, from Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, stars Ed Harris as the composer in the last year of his life. Agnieszka Holland directs, and Diane Kruger co-stars.
Picturehouse will open Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus on four screens in Los Angeles and New York. The film from director Steven Shainberg (Secretary) stars Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr.
Expanding to 2,566 theaters today, Borat also is likely to eat up some of the grosses that would have gone to Fox's new entry, Ridley Scott's A Good Year, starring Russell Crowe. Industry insiders are pegging the second-week grosses for Borat in the $30 million range. Coming off a phenomenal first-weekend bow that saw a per-theater average of $31,607, the R-rated film surely will dominate the boxoffice. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, who has been likened to a modern-day combination of Peter Sellers and Andy Kaufman, Borat's midweek numbers have remained strong, averaging
$3 million each day.
That's not to say that Sony Pictures isn't trying with Fiction. Directed by Marc Forster and based on a screenplay by Zach Helm, the film won early accolades at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Bowing in 2,264 theaters, the PG-13 film centers on Crick, an IRS auditor who suddenly finds that his thoughts and actions are being narrated by a voice in his head. Praised for its smart script and strong performances, the film could open decently and hold on through a crowded end-of-year moviegoing season. Insiders are predicting the film will bow in the $8 million-$10 million range but could get into the low teens.
That's about the same number many are predicting for A Good Year. Crowe also plays against type as a romantic lead in the PG-13 drama set in Provence, France. Opening in 2,066 theaters, the Fox 2000 film centers on a high-powered British trader (Crowe) who learns that his uncle has left him a vineyard in France. Year, which co-stars Albert Finney, Freddie Highmore and Archie Panjabi, is based on the novel written by Scott's friend and Provence neighbor Peter Mayle. It evokes similar themes to Buena Vista's Under the Tuscan Sun, which bowed to $9.7 million in 2003. Expect similar numbers for the beautifully photographed Year.
Focus Features will open Rogue Pictures' The Return in 1,986 theaters. Starring horror queen Sarah Michelle Gellar, the PG-13 film from Asif Kapadia (The Warrior) centers on a woman who is troubled by vivid nightmares about the murder of a woman she has never met. It is expected to bow to single-digit millions.
MGM is going to be busy this weekend. The distributor will open Bauer Martinez's Harsh Times in 956 theaters. A high-profile acquisition out of last year's Toronto fest, the film comes from Training Day screenwriter David Ayer, making his directorial debut, and stars Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez. The gritty, R-rated drama centers on an Iraq War vet (Bale) who, upon being turned down for a job with the LAPD, recruits his childhood friend (Rodriguez) for a joyride through Los Angeles. Eva Longoria co-stars.
MGM also will open Copying Beethoven in limited release. The PG-13 film, from Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, stars Ed Harris as the composer in the last year of his life. Agnieszka Holland directs, and Diane Kruger co-stars.
Picturehouse will open Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus on four screens in Los Angeles and New York. The film from director Steven Shainberg (Secretary) stars Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr.
- 11/10/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nicole Kidman is canceling appearances to promote her new film Fur, to avoid talking about new husband Keith Urban's decision to check himself into a rehab facility. The pair have been married since June and Urban announced last week that he was seeking treatment for alcohol abuse. Kidman skipped a mini-screening of her film at the Museum of Modern Art on Wednesday night in New York City, which was followed by a posh dinner hosted by the film's executive producer Ed Pressman. According to Fox News, she has also cancelled her appearance at the high-profile New York City premiere on Sunday night, leaving co-star Robert Downey, Jr. and director Steve Shainberg to promote the film. Kidman stars in the film as famed American photographer Diane Arbus, who was noted for her portraits of people on the fringes of society. The Moulin Rouge star has returned to London where she is filming His Dark Materials The Golden Compass:, while Urban remains in rehab in Nashville, Tennessee.
- 11/3/2006
- WENN
ROME -- The inaugural RomaCinemaFest came into being Friday amid the sound of popping flashbulbs and the cheering of fans as Australia Oscar winner Nicole Kidman became the first big-name star to walk the event's pristine red carpet. Kidman came to Rome to promote her biographical movie Fur, the first of 95 films, documentaries and shorts on tap during the nine-day festival. The atmosphere on the red carpet was festive, but behind the scenes it was colored by news of the death of innovative Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo, who passed away late Thursday at the age of 86. Pontecorvo is best known for the film La Battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers), which earned him a Best Director Oscar nomination in 1969.
- 10/13/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ROME -- The inaugural RomaCinemaFest came into being Friday amid the sound of popping flashbulbs and the cheering of fans as Australia Oscar winner Nicole Kidman became the first big-name star to walk the event's pristine red carpet. Kidman came to Rome to promote her biographical movie Fur, the first of 95 films, documentaries and shorts on tap during the nine-day festival. The atmosphere on the red carpet was festive, but behind the scenes it was colored by news of the death of innovative Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo, who passed away late Thursday at the age of 86. Pontecorvo is best known for the film La Battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers), which earned him a Best Director Oscar nomination in 1969.
- 10/13/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus announces itself as a biography by another means. This portrait of visionary artist-photographer Diane Arbus (1923-1971) is a fairy tale that, as opening titles proclaim, "invents characters and situations that reach beyond reality to express what might have been Arbus' inner experience on her extraordinary path." Thus, Arbus' startling discovery of her rich imagination becomes a metaphorical Alice in Wonderland adventure in which she falls not down a rabbit hole but up a stairway into the strange abode of a beguiling fellow tenant in a New York apartment building in 1958. It sounds more interesting than it is.
The conceit by director Steven Shainberg and writer Erin Cressida Wilson is infected by the extremely banal notion that the photographer's famous fascination with outsiders -- transvestites, circus performers, people with physical or psychological abnormalities -- means that "Fur" must be a freak show. While Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. give brave performances in this insular and slow-moving tale, their marquee value will not expand "Fur" beyond urban art houses.
The filmmakers take known facts about Diane Arbus and load these into a fictional character called Diane Arbus. She is the privileged, obedient, repressed daughter of a wealthy New York furrier and his wife -- Harris Yulin and Jane Alexander, pitch perfect as nose-in-the-air snobs. Married with two daughters, Diane has achieved success in the fashion world, with her husband, Allan (Ty Burrell), acting as photographer and she as his stylist.
The arrival of a new tenant in the flat above the Arbus' home and photography studio intrigues Diane. At first sight, he looks like H.G. Wells' Invisible Man, bundled in a hat and coat and wearing a mask. When she eventually ventures up the stairs she learns why. Lionel Sweeney (Downey) has a rare condition that covers his entire body in fur. This is the first of the movie's blatant jokes: Furrier's daughter meets the Fur Man.
Fascinated, Diane all but abandons family life to enter into the Fur Man's world. He takes her on an outing to watch a dominatrix entertain a client and to parties with circus "freak" pals. She invites Lionel to supper with her stunned family. Allan, correctly sizing up Lionel as a rival for his wife's favors, immediately grows a beard.
The movie depicts Lionel's half-hidden, half-forbidden world as a secret, superior society where art, imagination and dark obsessions can flourish. You wish that filmmakers who spent years developing a film and reportedly months in the editing room struggling to find their picture would acknowledge that real art springs from hard work and sweat, not secret societies.
Kidman gives Diane a wide-eyed yet tentative demeanor as she moves through this wonderland. The role is rather reactive for a title heroine and contains nary a hint that this woman one day will kill herself. Downey, looking a bit like Jean Marais' furry anti-hero in Jean Cocteau's 1946 Beauty and the Beast, delivers a smart, scene-stealing performance with his voice and eyes.
But "Fur" is a misfire by the talented people who four years ago gave us Secretary, whose tongue-in-cheek approach might have served this film better, taking the edge off much of its pretensions. Bill Pope's resourceful camera and Amy Danger's upstairs/downstairs contrasting quarters cannot disguise the fact that we seldom venture from these tiresome flats.
FUR: AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANE ARBUS
Picturehouse
Picturehouse and River Road Entertainment present an Edward R. Pressman Film Corp./Bonnie Timmermann/Iron Films'Vox3 production
Credits:
Director: Steven Shainberg
Screenwriter: Erin Cressida Wilson
Inspired by the book by: Patricia Bosworth
Producers: William Pohlad, Laura Bickford, Bonnie Timmermann, Andrew Fierberg: Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, Alessandro Camon, Michael Roban
Director of photography: Bill Pope
Production designer: Amy Danger
Music: Carter Burwell
Co-producers: Gary Robert Bryne, Mary Jane Skalski, Patricia Bosworth, Vincent Farrell III
Costume designer: Mark Bridges
Editors: Keilo Deguchi, Kristina Boden
Cast:
Diane Arbus: Nicole Kidman
Lionel Sweeney: Robert Downey Jr.
Allan Arbus: Ty Burell
David Nemerov: Harris Yulin
Gertrude Nemerov: Jane Alexander
Grace Arbus: Emmy Clarke
Sophie Arbus: Genevieve McCarthy
Running time -- 121 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
The conceit by director Steven Shainberg and writer Erin Cressida Wilson is infected by the extremely banal notion that the photographer's famous fascination with outsiders -- transvestites, circus performers, people with physical or psychological abnormalities -- means that "Fur" must be a freak show. While Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. give brave performances in this insular and slow-moving tale, their marquee value will not expand "Fur" beyond urban art houses.
The filmmakers take known facts about Diane Arbus and load these into a fictional character called Diane Arbus. She is the privileged, obedient, repressed daughter of a wealthy New York furrier and his wife -- Harris Yulin and Jane Alexander, pitch perfect as nose-in-the-air snobs. Married with two daughters, Diane has achieved success in the fashion world, with her husband, Allan (Ty Burrell), acting as photographer and she as his stylist.
The arrival of a new tenant in the flat above the Arbus' home and photography studio intrigues Diane. At first sight, he looks like H.G. Wells' Invisible Man, bundled in a hat and coat and wearing a mask. When she eventually ventures up the stairs she learns why. Lionel Sweeney (Downey) has a rare condition that covers his entire body in fur. This is the first of the movie's blatant jokes: Furrier's daughter meets the Fur Man.
Fascinated, Diane all but abandons family life to enter into the Fur Man's world. He takes her on an outing to watch a dominatrix entertain a client and to parties with circus "freak" pals. She invites Lionel to supper with her stunned family. Allan, correctly sizing up Lionel as a rival for his wife's favors, immediately grows a beard.
The movie depicts Lionel's half-hidden, half-forbidden world as a secret, superior society where art, imagination and dark obsessions can flourish. You wish that filmmakers who spent years developing a film and reportedly months in the editing room struggling to find their picture would acknowledge that real art springs from hard work and sweat, not secret societies.
Kidman gives Diane a wide-eyed yet tentative demeanor as she moves through this wonderland. The role is rather reactive for a title heroine and contains nary a hint that this woman one day will kill herself. Downey, looking a bit like Jean Marais' furry anti-hero in Jean Cocteau's 1946 Beauty and the Beast, delivers a smart, scene-stealing performance with his voice and eyes.
But "Fur" is a misfire by the talented people who four years ago gave us Secretary, whose tongue-in-cheek approach might have served this film better, taking the edge off much of its pretensions. Bill Pope's resourceful camera and Amy Danger's upstairs/downstairs contrasting quarters cannot disguise the fact that we seldom venture from these tiresome flats.
FUR: AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANE ARBUS
Picturehouse
Picturehouse and River Road Entertainment present an Edward R. Pressman Film Corp./Bonnie Timmermann/Iron Films'Vox3 production
Credits:
Director: Steven Shainberg
Screenwriter: Erin Cressida Wilson
Inspired by the book by: Patricia Bosworth
Producers: William Pohlad, Laura Bickford, Bonnie Timmermann, Andrew Fierberg: Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, Alessandro Camon, Michael Roban
Director of photography: Bill Pope
Production designer: Amy Danger
Music: Carter Burwell
Co-producers: Gary Robert Bryne, Mary Jane Skalski, Patricia Bosworth, Vincent Farrell III
Costume designer: Mark Bridges
Editors: Keilo Deguchi, Kristina Boden
Cast:
Diane Arbus: Nicole Kidman
Lionel Sweeney: Robert Downey Jr.
Allan Arbus: Ty Burell
David Nemerov: Harris Yulin
Gertrude Nemerov: Jane Alexander
Grace Arbus: Emmy Clarke
Sophie Arbus: Genevieve McCarthy
Running time -- 121 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/12/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Vox3, the company behind the Nicole Kidman starrer Fur, has picked up the rights to Peter Alson's memoir Confessions of an Ivy League Bookie. Alson and David Greenwald are writing the screenplay, which Greenwald will direct. Jonathan Kesselman will produce under his newly formed production banner the Worldwide Media Conspiracy, along with Vox3 principals Andrew Fierberg, Christina Weiss Lurie and Steven Shainberg. Bookie centers on Alson when he was a down-and-out Harvard graduate who gets his real education while working as a bookie in Greenwich Village.
- 9/11/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TELLURIDE, Colo. -- Such Oscar hopefuls as Volver, Babel, Little Children, The Last King of Scotland, Infamous and Fur had cinephiles buzzing at the 33rd annual Telluride Film Festival. But the big surprise came on the third day of the four-day festival over Labor Day weekend, when Bill Pence, the fest's co-founder and co-director, and his wife, Stella, who administrates the festival, announced they were stepping down from their roles after 33 years. Gary Meyer, a San Francisco exhibitor and co-founder of Landmark Theatres as well as eight-year Telluride resident curator, is taking over as co-director with the fest's other co-director, producer Tom Luddy. "We didn't want it to dominate the discussion at the beginning of the festival," Luddy said. "We wanted the festival to survive us. We discussed who the best person was to take over, and we both came up with one name: Gary Meyer."...
The 33rd Telluride Film Festival, which gets under way Friday, will spotlight such Oscar hopefuls as Douglas McGrath's Infamous, the second Truman Capote biopic in two years; Todd Field's Little Children, the director's follow-up to In the Bedroom; Kevin Macdonald's The Last King of Scotland, starring Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin; and Steven Shainberg's Diane Arbus biopic Fur, starring Nicole Kidman. Festival directors Bill Pence and Tom Luddy, who always keep the details of their four days of programming under wraps until the last possible minute, unveiled this year's lineup Thursday. Like last year's edition, which debuted eventual Oscar winners Capote, Brokeback Mountain and Walk the Line, this year's program boasts a bevy of "unofficial" world premieres. Movies including Fur, Infamous and Scotland are holding their official premieres at festivals in Venice, Toronto and Rome, but Luddy has developed cordial relationships with programmers at the other fests, allowing him to preview the pics. However, he did steer clear of such films as The Black Dahlia and The Queen, which are opening in Venice and the New York Film Festival, respectively.
ROME -- Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman has been tapped to officially open the inaugural RomaCinemaFest. Organizers said Friday that Kidman will preside over the Oct. 13 grand-opening gala at the festival, which concludes Oct. 21. The gala will be held at Rome's famous Santa Cecilia Hall at the Parco della Musica. Kidman's opening turn is the first official confirmation of the inclusion of Steven Shainburg's Diane Arbus biopic Fur, which will have its world premiere in Rome. The film, which co-stars Kidman alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Ty Burrell, tells the story of the iconic portrait photographer who committed suicide in 1971.
- 8/25/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- So here they are ioncinema.com’s Top 50 most anticipated films for the year of 2006. Remember there are plenty of unexpected titles to be announced – but we’ve done a good job at looking in all the corners. We’ll count the top ten in reverse order just to make you folks work harder. 10. Fur When: Picturehouse Films are banking on this one to wow critics and filmgoers – probably in the Fall coinciding with one of the fests in late August/early September. Who: Steven Shainberg What: This is about the life of photographer Diane Arbus. Arbus is considered one of the greatest American photographers of the 20th century, known for creating images that were often bizarre or disturbing. She committed suicide in 1971. Why: Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. in top form is a recipe for successful translation of what’s on paper. Shainberg’s follow-up
- 1/15/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
- A is for: Aja, Alexandre. His High Tension didn’t perform too well, and the story itself had some flaws. But the directing was quite stunning and remarkable. Let’s hope his 2006 titles (The Hills Have Eyes and The Waiting ) live up to the expectations… B is for: Burton, Tim. In a few months he smashed the box office twice with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Corpse Bride. All while still being faithful to his own vision… C is for: Carpenter, John. With remakes of The Fog and Assault on Precinct 13 falling flat and The Thing miniseries in production, we want back, behind the camera, the author of Halloween, They Live and In the Mouth of Madness. Give us back one of the most influential and underestimated American filmmakers. D is for: Downey Jr., Robert. After years of scandals and bad movies, he’s finally back on track!
- 12/28/2005
- IONCINEMA.com
NEW YORK -- Film and television projects taking advantage of the Made in NY tax-incentive program credit have brought $300 million to the city and employed 6,000 locals since January, the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater & Broadcasting said Tuesday. In a statement, the MOFTB listed several films that have been "lured" to New York because of the tax incentive, including the Nicole Kidman starrer Fur, Martin Scorsese's The Departed and the WB Network's Bedford Diaries series, which recently was picked up. Although a MOFTB spokesperson calls the $300 million a "major increase" from last year, no official numbers are available for comparison "because there was no tax incentive last year."...
- 5/25/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The new theatrical distribution company, born in March out of a joint venture between HBO and New Line Cinema, and headed by Bob Berney, was officially christened Friday -- it's to be called Picturehouse. Already off and running, Picturehouse has acquired worldwide rights to Fur, which focuses on famed photographer Diane Arbus, played by Nicole Kidman. The project, which Berney said is "not a traditional biopic, very sexy, very erotic," has begun filming in New York City. It is being directed by Steven Shainberg and also stars Robert Downey Jr. Picturehouse also has acquired North American rights to The Thing About My Folks, which stars Peter Falk and Paul Reiser in a semi-autobiographical film written by Reiser and directed by Raymond De Felitta.
- 5/13/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.