Screened
Toronto International Film Festival
"The School of Rock" rocks. This audience-pleaser comes from writer Mike White and director Richard Linklater, names usually associated with independent filmmaking. For that matter, the moviemakers have fun with their own filmography as the movie does comic riffs on the world of slackers, disaffected outsiders and other anti-Establishment types. White and Linklater team up with actor-musician Jack Black to create a high-energy comedy that takes its hero seriously when he declares, "I serve society by rocking!" Paramount has a winner in this Scott Rudin production.
"The School of Rock" gets going slowly as the film's first 20 minutes let Black go over the top to establish his slacker credentials. A hapless and aging rocker with no record deal or even next month's rent to show for years devoted to rock 'n' roll, Black's Dewey Finn is in a bad way. On the same day, he gets fired from his own band and receives a none-too-subtle eviction notice from roommate Ned White), egged on by Ned's exasperated girlfriend, Patty (Sarah Silverman).
Desperate to earn some bread, Dewey pretends to be Ned, who works as a substitute schoolteacher. Dewey takes a job for several weeks at a snooty private elementary school run by anal principal Rosalie Mullins (Joan Cusack). Dewey is content to institute daylong recess until he hears his youngsters play in orchestra class. Impulsively, he decides to mold these musical prodigies into a rock band. He junks the curriculum in favor of rock history, rock music appreciation and a pledge of allegiance that gives him "creative control" of the band.
Watching Black's deadbeat rocker teach a class of uniformed, rigidly disciplined youngsters how to adopt nonconformist, antisocial attitudes proves a rich source of comedy. Watching Dewey teach the theory and practice of rock, we realize this guy really does have an instinct for teaching -- as long as the subject inspires his passion. Soon his kids start acting like kids, not miniature adults, and Dewey dons the mantle of adult responsibility for the first time.
The filmmakers threw out a wide casting net to snare talented young musicians and singers to play the preteens in Dewey's high-voltage rock band, kids who can musically "kick ass" and "melt some faces." The young performers all prove up to their acting chores as well. They create forceful personalities, ranging from Joey Gaydos Jr.'s Zack, who really loosens up to get into the physicality of being a lead guitar player, to Maryam Hassan's Tomika, whose rich voice helps her overcome shyness and insecurity, and Miranda Cosgrove's Summer, the band's manager, who switches from books on geometry to those dealing with the economics of music and the career of David Geffen.
The film hits another comic mother lode in the byplay between Black and Cusack when he persuades her to agree to a class "field trip" by playing her favorite rock music in a grunge tavern.
Where this is all headed is imminently predictable, but getting there is no less fun. The climatic debut of the school band, which the youngsters name the School of Rock, is the film's highlight. Black's own rock talents contribute to the socko finish.
Good rock music runs throughout the movie. Some songs were written by Black and White. (Hey, that's a catchy name for a songwriting duo.) The New York band Mooney Suzuki wrote the fictional band's signature song, "School of Rock".
Shot in New York and New Jersey, "The School of Rock" benefits from Rogier Stoffers' fluid cinematography, Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer's theatrical lighting design for the final number and Karen Patch's amusing costumes that transform school uniforms into outlaw garb.
THE SCHOOL OF ROCK
Paramount Pictures
A Scott Rudin production
Credits:
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriter: Mike White
Producer: Scott Rudin
Executive producers: Steve Nicolaides, Scott Aversano
Director of photography: Rogier Stoffers
Production designer: Jeremy Conway
Music: Craig Wedren
Costume designer: Karen Patch
Editor: Sandra Adair
Cast:
Dewey Finn: Jack Black
Rosalie Mullins: Joan Cusack
Ned Schneebly: Mike White
Patty: Sarah Silverman
Zack: Joey Gaydos Jr.
Tomika: Maryam Hassan
Freddy: Kevin Clark
Katie: Rebecca Brown
Lawrence: Robert Tsai
Running time -- 108 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Toronto International Film Festival
"The School of Rock" rocks. This audience-pleaser comes from writer Mike White and director Richard Linklater, names usually associated with independent filmmaking. For that matter, the moviemakers have fun with their own filmography as the movie does comic riffs on the world of slackers, disaffected outsiders and other anti-Establishment types. White and Linklater team up with actor-musician Jack Black to create a high-energy comedy that takes its hero seriously when he declares, "I serve society by rocking!" Paramount has a winner in this Scott Rudin production.
"The School of Rock" gets going slowly as the film's first 20 minutes let Black go over the top to establish his slacker credentials. A hapless and aging rocker with no record deal or even next month's rent to show for years devoted to rock 'n' roll, Black's Dewey Finn is in a bad way. On the same day, he gets fired from his own band and receives a none-too-subtle eviction notice from roommate Ned White), egged on by Ned's exasperated girlfriend, Patty (Sarah Silverman).
Desperate to earn some bread, Dewey pretends to be Ned, who works as a substitute schoolteacher. Dewey takes a job for several weeks at a snooty private elementary school run by anal principal Rosalie Mullins (Joan Cusack). Dewey is content to institute daylong recess until he hears his youngsters play in orchestra class. Impulsively, he decides to mold these musical prodigies into a rock band. He junks the curriculum in favor of rock history, rock music appreciation and a pledge of allegiance that gives him "creative control" of the band.
Watching Black's deadbeat rocker teach a class of uniformed, rigidly disciplined youngsters how to adopt nonconformist, antisocial attitudes proves a rich source of comedy. Watching Dewey teach the theory and practice of rock, we realize this guy really does have an instinct for teaching -- as long as the subject inspires his passion. Soon his kids start acting like kids, not miniature adults, and Dewey dons the mantle of adult responsibility for the first time.
The filmmakers threw out a wide casting net to snare talented young musicians and singers to play the preteens in Dewey's high-voltage rock band, kids who can musically "kick ass" and "melt some faces." The young performers all prove up to their acting chores as well. They create forceful personalities, ranging from Joey Gaydos Jr.'s Zack, who really loosens up to get into the physicality of being a lead guitar player, to Maryam Hassan's Tomika, whose rich voice helps her overcome shyness and insecurity, and Miranda Cosgrove's Summer, the band's manager, who switches from books on geometry to those dealing with the economics of music and the career of David Geffen.
The film hits another comic mother lode in the byplay between Black and Cusack when he persuades her to agree to a class "field trip" by playing her favorite rock music in a grunge tavern.
Where this is all headed is imminently predictable, but getting there is no less fun. The climatic debut of the school band, which the youngsters name the School of Rock, is the film's highlight. Black's own rock talents contribute to the socko finish.
Good rock music runs throughout the movie. Some songs were written by Black and White. (Hey, that's a catchy name for a songwriting duo.) The New York band Mooney Suzuki wrote the fictional band's signature song, "School of Rock".
Shot in New York and New Jersey, "The School of Rock" benefits from Rogier Stoffers' fluid cinematography, Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer's theatrical lighting design for the final number and Karen Patch's amusing costumes that transform school uniforms into outlaw garb.
THE SCHOOL OF ROCK
Paramount Pictures
A Scott Rudin production
Credits:
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriter: Mike White
Producer: Scott Rudin
Executive producers: Steve Nicolaides, Scott Aversano
Director of photography: Rogier Stoffers
Production designer: Jeremy Conway
Music: Craig Wedren
Costume designer: Karen Patch
Editor: Sandra Adair
Cast:
Dewey Finn: Jack Black
Rosalie Mullins: Joan Cusack
Ned Schneebly: Mike White
Patty: Sarah Silverman
Zack: Joey Gaydos Jr.
Tomika: Maryam Hassan
Freddy: Kevin Clark
Katie: Rebecca Brown
Lawrence: Robert Tsai
Running time -- 108 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 10/23/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Richard Attenborough, who has concentrated largely on true-life biographical dramas during his directing career, has chosen one of his more quirky and intriguing subjects with his latest effort, about a famous 1930s Canadian half-breed Indian trapper, hunter, writer and environmentalist who, it was revealed after his death, was actually a full Englishman.
Although "Grey Owl" ultimately fails to fully mine the myriad possible resonances of its often fascinating tale, it is always an interesting and beautifully crafted film that deserves to be seen. Recently released in Canada, it is still awaiting U.S. distribution, despite having Pierce Brosnan in the starring role. The film recently served as the opening-night attraction at the 14th Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) International Film Festival.
The story, told in flashback, begins with the title character being confronted by a reporter about his identity as he is about to make one of his celebrated live appearances. It seems that several years earlier, Grey Owl was a trapper and hunter content to live an isolated experience in the rugged terrain of Northern Ontario. His life changes with the arrival of Anahareo, or Pony (Annie Galipeau), a beautiful young Mohawk who desperately wants him to acquaint her with traditional Indian ways. Although highly resistant at first, Grey Owl falls victim to her charms, and soon the pair are living together, their romantic bond sealed when he dramatically rescues her after a scary plunge into an icy lake.
Although Grey Owl has spent his life killing animals, he has a sudden epiphany, thanks to the tenderhearted Pony and the arrival of an adorable pair of baby beavers, orphaned thanks to one of his traps. Soon, the reticent Indian, who has previously dabbled in magazine writing, changes his life completely, devoting himself to championing the preservation of the environment and becoming a best-selling author. Dubbed a "modern Hiawatha," Grey Owl becomes a literary sensation and the best-known Indian in the world. But, as the film ultimately reveals, he is not an Indian at all, but rather Archie Belaney, an Englishman who was raised by his two loving aunts and decided to remake himself and assume a completely new identity.
His secret was not revealed until after his death in 1938.
Although there are some beautifully written scenes, such as the ineffably touching reunion between Archie and his now elderly aunts, the screenplay by William Nicholson ("Shadowlands") doesn't fully convey all of the complexities of this curious story. And its concentration on the love affair between Grey Owl and Pony is a bit of a miscalculation, especially since Galipeau, lovely as she is, isn't quite up to carrying so much of the film. But Attenborough is certainly successful in depicting the details of Grey Owl's lifestyle and the beauty of the landscape he worked so hard to preserve, and Roger Pratt's widescreen lensing of the rugged locations is consistently gorgeous.
Brosnan takes more than a little getting used to as the title character, though his performance, if not his physicality, is ultimately quite credible. It's hard not to think, though, that the actor was cast more for his international boxoffice appeal than for his suitability. Galipeau tries hard and brings a lissome physicality to her role, but her limited acting abilities and irritating vocal inflections prove distracting.
GREY OWL
Largo Entertainment
Credits: Director: Richard Attenborough; Screenplay: William Nicholson; Producers:Richard Attenborough, Jake Eberts, Claude Leger; Co-producer: Diana Hawkins; Executive producer: Lenny Young; Director of photography: Roger Pratt; Production designer: Anthony Pratt; Editor: Lesley Walker; Music: George Fenton. Cast: Grey Owl/Archie Belaney: Pierce Brosnan; Anahareo (Pony): Annie Galipeau; Ned White Bear: Nathaniel Arcand; Walter Perry: Charles Powell; Ada Belaney: Stephanie Cole; Carrie Belaney: Renee Asherson. MPAA rating: PG-13. Color/stereo. Running time -- 115 minutes.
Although "Grey Owl" ultimately fails to fully mine the myriad possible resonances of its often fascinating tale, it is always an interesting and beautifully crafted film that deserves to be seen. Recently released in Canada, it is still awaiting U.S. distribution, despite having Pierce Brosnan in the starring role. The film recently served as the opening-night attraction at the 14th Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) International Film Festival.
The story, told in flashback, begins with the title character being confronted by a reporter about his identity as he is about to make one of his celebrated live appearances. It seems that several years earlier, Grey Owl was a trapper and hunter content to live an isolated experience in the rugged terrain of Northern Ontario. His life changes with the arrival of Anahareo, or Pony (Annie Galipeau), a beautiful young Mohawk who desperately wants him to acquaint her with traditional Indian ways. Although highly resistant at first, Grey Owl falls victim to her charms, and soon the pair are living together, their romantic bond sealed when he dramatically rescues her after a scary plunge into an icy lake.
Although Grey Owl has spent his life killing animals, he has a sudden epiphany, thanks to the tenderhearted Pony and the arrival of an adorable pair of baby beavers, orphaned thanks to one of his traps. Soon, the reticent Indian, who has previously dabbled in magazine writing, changes his life completely, devoting himself to championing the preservation of the environment and becoming a best-selling author. Dubbed a "modern Hiawatha," Grey Owl becomes a literary sensation and the best-known Indian in the world. But, as the film ultimately reveals, he is not an Indian at all, but rather Archie Belaney, an Englishman who was raised by his two loving aunts and decided to remake himself and assume a completely new identity.
His secret was not revealed until after his death in 1938.
Although there are some beautifully written scenes, such as the ineffably touching reunion between Archie and his now elderly aunts, the screenplay by William Nicholson ("Shadowlands") doesn't fully convey all of the complexities of this curious story. And its concentration on the love affair between Grey Owl and Pony is a bit of a miscalculation, especially since Galipeau, lovely as she is, isn't quite up to carrying so much of the film. But Attenborough is certainly successful in depicting the details of Grey Owl's lifestyle and the beauty of the landscape he worked so hard to preserve, and Roger Pratt's widescreen lensing of the rugged locations is consistently gorgeous.
Brosnan takes more than a little getting used to as the title character, though his performance, if not his physicality, is ultimately quite credible. It's hard not to think, though, that the actor was cast more for his international boxoffice appeal than for his suitability. Galipeau tries hard and brings a lissome physicality to her role, but her limited acting abilities and irritating vocal inflections prove distracting.
GREY OWL
Largo Entertainment
Credits: Director: Richard Attenborough; Screenplay: William Nicholson; Producers:Richard Attenborough, Jake Eberts, Claude Leger; Co-producer: Diana Hawkins; Executive producer: Lenny Young; Director of photography: Roger Pratt; Production designer: Anthony Pratt; Editor: Lesley Walker; Music: George Fenton. Cast: Grey Owl/Archie Belaney: Pierce Brosnan; Anahareo (Pony): Annie Galipeau; Ned White Bear: Nathaniel Arcand; Walter Perry: Charles Powell; Ada Belaney: Stephanie Cole; Carrie Belaney: Renee Asherson. MPAA rating: PG-13. Color/stereo. Running time -- 115 minutes.
- 11/16/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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