How’s this for a pairing? Nicolai Fuglsig has lined found two leads in Michael Shannon and Chris Hemsworth for his directorial debut, Deadline reports. Jerry Bruckheimer and Black Label Media will produce the film, which is titled Horse Soldiers. Based on a true story and adapted by Peter Craig and Ted Tally from a book penned by Dough Staton, Horse Soldiers follows a U.S. special forces team sent to Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11, led by a captain untested in the field. The team was tasked with joining forces with a local Warload to drive out the Taliban, an effort that proved much harder than anticipated. Bruckheimer stated his excitement over the project, saying “I am so happy that we’re finally getting this great project off the ground with wonderful leading actors, Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon. It’s also great to be partnered with Molly Smith,...
- 10/3/2016
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Plus: Tribeca Interactive roster unveiled; Ifp Film Week moves to Brooklyn; Cinema Libre to distribute Vaxxed; and more…
Disney/Pixar have announced that Idris Elba, Bill Hader and Diane Keaton are among the voice cast on Finding Dory, which is scheduled to open on June 17.
Ellen DeGeneres returns as Dory, Albert Brooks plays Marlin, and Hayden Rolence Nemo, while Keaton and Eugene Levy play Dory’s parents,
Elba and Dominic West portray sea lions Fluke and Rudder, Stanton and Bennett Dammann are the turtles Crush and his son Squirt, and Hader and Kate McKinnon play a fish couple whom Dory meets on her adventure.
Bob Peterson is the reef teacher Mr. Ray, Torbin Bullock plays Becky, Ed O’Neill is the octopus Hank, Kaitlin Olson plays whale shark Destiny, and Ty Burrell is beluga whale Bailey.
Ifp Film Week is moving to Brooklyn after 37 years in Manhattan. The event will set up shop in Dumbo anchored in its...
Disney/Pixar have announced that Idris Elba, Bill Hader and Diane Keaton are among the voice cast on Finding Dory, which is scheduled to open on June 17.
Ellen DeGeneres returns as Dory, Albert Brooks plays Marlin, and Hayden Rolence Nemo, while Keaton and Eugene Levy play Dory’s parents,
Elba and Dominic West portray sea lions Fluke and Rudder, Stanton and Bennett Dammann are the turtles Crush and his son Squirt, and Hader and Kate McKinnon play a fish couple whom Dory meets on her adventure.
Bob Peterson is the reef teacher Mr. Ray, Torbin Bullock plays Becky, Ed O’Neill is the octopus Hank, Kaitlin Olson plays whale shark Destiny, and Ty Burrell is beluga whale Bailey.
Ifp Film Week is moving to Brooklyn after 37 years in Manhattan. The event will set up shop in Dumbo anchored in its...
- 3/30/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Plus: Gravitas Ventures acquires My Father’s Vietnam; and more…
Susan Sarandon will receive the Cinema Icon Award at the National Association Of Theatre Owners (Nato) convention on April 14.
Sarandon will next be seen in The Meddler, which opens on April 22 via Spc, and her credits include Thelma And Louise, The Witches Of Eastwick, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Lorenzo’s Oil, and Dead Man Walking, for which she won the lead actress Oscar in 1996. CinemaCon is set to run at Caesars Palace from April 11-14.
Gravitas Ventures has picked up VOD and home video rights from Circus Road Films to Soren Sorensen’s My Father’s Vietnam. The documentary will debut on May 24.Aeg and Regal have partnered with Barco to announce a multi-year, strategic partnership to create Regal L.A. Live: A Barco Innovation Center. The current Regal Cinemas L.A. Live, owned by Aeg, will transform into a creative hub for all of Barco...
Susan Sarandon will receive the Cinema Icon Award at the National Association Of Theatre Owners (Nato) convention on April 14.
Sarandon will next be seen in The Meddler, which opens on April 22 via Spc, and her credits include Thelma And Louise, The Witches Of Eastwick, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Lorenzo’s Oil, and Dead Man Walking, for which she won the lead actress Oscar in 1996. CinemaCon is set to run at Caesars Palace from April 11-14.
Gravitas Ventures has picked up VOD and home video rights from Circus Road Films to Soren Sorensen’s My Father’s Vietnam. The documentary will debut on May 24.Aeg and Regal have partnered with Barco to announce a multi-year, strategic partnership to create Regal L.A. Live: A Barco Innovation Center. The current Regal Cinemas L.A. Live, owned by Aeg, will transform into a creative hub for all of Barco...
- 3/21/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Amasia Entertainment and American Films are teaming on Reaper, the script written a decade ago by Gary Whitta, the Book Of Eli scribe who was just set to script a Star Wars film. Reaper is the stylish, neo-noir story of Virgil, a private investigator searching for his kidnapped daughter. The hauntingly beautiful and mysterious Delia recruits him to a surreal underworld where the boundaries between life and death become blurred. Bradley Gallo and Michael Helfant are producing for Amasia, Stewart Hall and Devin Cutler for American Films, and Circle of Confusion’s David Alpert also is producing. American Films’ Lynne Murphy is exec producer. Lotus Entertainment is attached to handle foreign sales. It gives new life to what has been considered one of those scripts where you say, ‘Why hasn’t anyone made this?’ Said Whitta: “I’m so thrilled to see Reaper back on a track toward production with...
- 6/4/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
[Updating this post with today's news that Phase 4 films have pre-bought all Us rights to the film. It aint made yet but we know who'll be releasing it when it is.]
I declare my bias on this one right up front: Xyz Films - the La company that I'm a partner in - are serving as executive producers on this one and the lead producer - Hawaii International Film Festival programmer Anderson Le - is a long time friend. Do with that what you will. What I do with it is toss it all aside as irrelevant because with the talent attached to this script - which I've read and is fantastic - this is going to be a fantastic film by any measure.
Mma star Cung Le - recently seen on screen fighting Donnie Yen in Hong Kong action drama Bodyguards and Assassins - will take the lead in Journey From The Fall director Ham Tran's English language martial arts film Breaking Point. Producing are Xyz Films, Media 8 Entertainment and Vietnam-based Chanh Phuong Films. For those unfamiliar with the name,...
I declare my bias on this one right up front: Xyz Films - the La company that I'm a partner in - are serving as executive producers on this one and the lead producer - Hawaii International Film Festival programmer Anderson Le - is a long time friend. Do with that what you will. What I do with it is toss it all aside as irrelevant because with the talent attached to this script - which I've read and is fantastic - this is going to be a fantastic film by any measure.
Mma star Cung Le - recently seen on screen fighting Donnie Yen in Hong Kong action drama Bodyguards and Assassins - will take the lead in Journey From The Fall director Ham Tran's English language martial arts film Breaking Point. Producing are Xyz Films, Media 8 Entertainment and Vietnam-based Chanh Phuong Films. For those unfamiliar with the name,...
- 11/6/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Media 8 Entertainment, a leading film entertainment company engaged in the production, financing, acquisition, and worldwide licensing of theatrical feature films, and producer of Academy Award winner Monster, announced today that Kurt Russell is attached to play the lead in Undying (formerly known as Reaper), a supernatural thriller written by Gary Whitta (writer of Warner Bros’ recent hit film Book of Eli).
Media 8 Entertainment is producing and financing the film, and also handling worldwide sales and is bringing the project to buyers at the Cannes Market.
“We needed the right actor to bring this material to the screen, and Kurt Russell is perfect for this role,” said Stewart Hall. “Kurt is one of Hollywood’s most iconic leading men – from his work starring in legendary films like Escape From New York, Stargate, and Big Trouble in Little China, he is truly one of the few actors who audiences continually embrace as a real hero.
Media 8 Entertainment is producing and financing the film, and also handling worldwide sales and is bringing the project to buyers at the Cannes Market.
“We needed the right actor to bring this material to the screen, and Kurt Russell is perfect for this role,” said Stewart Hall. “Kurt is one of Hollywood’s most iconic leading men – from his work starring in legendary films like Escape From New York, Stargate, and Big Trouble in Little China, he is truly one of the few actors who audiences continually embrace as a real hero.
- 5/16/2010
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
Media 8 Entertainment announced today that Kurt Russell is attached to play the lead in "Undying" (formerly known as "Reaper"), a supernatural thriller written by Gary Whitta (writer of Warner Bros.' recent hit film "The Book Of Eli"). Media 8 Entertainment is producing and financing the film, and also handling worldwide sales. The announcement was made today by Media 8 Entertainment President Stewart Hall. Media 8 Entertainment is producing the film along with Los Angeles based production company Circle of Confusion. Stewart Hall serves as producer along with Circle of Confusion's David Alpert and Lawrence Mattis. Cynthia Stafford's Queen Nefertari Productions and London/La-based E-Motion are financing the film with Media 8. Cynthia Stafford, Lanre Idewu and Jeff Kalligheri of Queen...
- 5/14/2010
- www.ohmygore.com/
Media 8 Entertainment, a leading film entertainment company engaged in the production, financing, acquisition, and worldwide licensing of theatrical feature films, and producer of Academy Award winner Monster, announced today that Kurt Russell is attached to play the lead in Undying (formerly known as Reaper), a supernatural thriller written by Gary Whitta (writer of Warner Bros’ recent hit film Book of Eli).
Media 8 Entertainment is producing and financing the film, and also handling worldwide sales and is bringing the project to buyers at the Cannes Market.
“We needed the right actor to bring this material to the screen, and Kurt Russell is perfect for this role,” said Stewart Hall. “Kurt is one of Hollywood’s most iconic leading men – from his work starring in legendary films like Escape From New York, Stargate, and Big Trouble in Little China, he is truly one of the few actors who audiences continually embrace as a real hero.
Media 8 Entertainment is producing and financing the film, and also handling worldwide sales and is bringing the project to buyers at the Cannes Market.
“We needed the right actor to bring this material to the screen, and Kurt Russell is perfect for this role,” said Stewart Hall. “Kurt is one of Hollywood’s most iconic leading men – from his work starring in legendary films like Escape From New York, Stargate, and Big Trouble in Little China, he is truly one of the few actors who audiences continually embrace as a real hero.
- 5/13/2010
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
Neo-noir supernatural thriller Undying has grabbed itself a leading man in Kurt Russell. Written by Book Of Eli’s Gary Whitta, and originally going by the name Reaper, the flick follows private investigator Virgil Lone, who is hired by a woman named Delia and finds himself sucked into a strange underworld. "Kurt Russell is perfect for this role," said Media 8 Entertainment’s Stewart Hall. "He is truly one of the few actors who audiences continually embrace as a real hero." Filming is set to...
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- 5/13/2010
- by Josh Winning
- TotalFilm
How awesome is Kurt Russell? He's so awesome I had to dedicate two articles on how manly he is and how his movies have been some the greatest cult classics to ever hit the big screen. We haven't seen Kurt in a few years since he played Stuntman Mike in Death Proof. I had thought that maybe he had retired from acting so he could slap his daughter around for sleeping with A-Rod, but it appears as if Kurt is coming back after all to star in a supernatural thriller called "Undying".THR has more:cannes -- Media 8 Entertainment has recruited Kurt Russell to star in its supernatural thriller "Undying."The neo-noir creeper, penned by "Book of Eli" scribe Gary Whitta and originally titled "Reaper," tells the story of private investigator Virgil Lone, who gets pulled into a surreal underworld when he is hired by the mysterious Delia. Production is...
- 5/12/2010
- LRMonline.com
Gary Whitta has come a long way in a few years. Once the editor of PC Gamer magazine, Whitta wrote The Book of Eli and at least one draft of the live-action Akira movie(s). Now another script of his, Reaper, has been given a new title, Undying, and found a star in Kurt Russell. THR describes the story as a 'neo-noir creeper' and says it "tells the story of private investigator Virgil Lone, who gets pulled into a surreal underworld when he is hired by the mysterious Delia." No director is yet on board. We don't know much more about the story, but there's the suggestion that Russell's role won't be ambiguous in any way, thanks to a quote from producer Stewart Hall: "Kurt Russell is perfect for this role...He is truly one of the few actors who audiences continually embrace as a real hero." That quote sorta forgets Death Proof,...
- 5/12/2010
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Media 8 Entertainment ( Monster ) announced today that Kurt Russell is attached to play the lead in Undying (formerly known as "Reaper"), a supernatural thriller written by Gary Whitta (writer of Warner Bros.' recent hit film The Book of Eli ). Media 8 Entertainment is producing and financing the film, and also handling worldwide sales. The announcement was made today by Media 8 Entertainment President Stewart Hall. Media 8 Entertainment is producing the film along with Los Angeles based production company Circle of Confusion. Stewart Hall serves as producer along with Circle of Confusion's David Alpert and Lawrence Mattis. Cynthia Stafford's Queen Nefertari Productions and London/La-based E-Motion are financing the film with Media 8. Cynthia Stafford, Lanre Idewu and...
- 5/12/2010
- Comingsoon.net
Cannes -- Media 8 Entertainment has recruited Kurt Russell to star in its supernatural thriller "Undying."
The neo-noir creeper, penned by "Book of Eli" scribe Gary Whitta and originally titled "Reaper," tells the story of private investigator Virgil Lone, who gets pulled into a surreal underworld when he is hired by the mysterious Delia. Production is scheduled to begin in the fall.
Circle of Confusion ("Saint John of Las Vegas") is producing with Media 8 ("Monster"), which is financing the film along with E-Motion and Queen Nefertari Prods. ("The Inheritance").
Media 8 president Stewart Hall is producing along with Circle of Confusion's David Alpert and Lawrence Mattis and Queen Nefertari's Cynthia Stafford, Lanre Idewu and Jeff Kalligheri. E-Motion principals Karl Richards and Peter Bevan are executive producers.
"Kurt Russell is perfect for this role," Hall said. "He is truly one of the few actors who audiences continually embrace as a real hero.
The neo-noir creeper, penned by "Book of Eli" scribe Gary Whitta and originally titled "Reaper," tells the story of private investigator Virgil Lone, who gets pulled into a surreal underworld when he is hired by the mysterious Delia. Production is scheduled to begin in the fall.
Circle of Confusion ("Saint John of Las Vegas") is producing with Media 8 ("Monster"), which is financing the film along with E-Motion and Queen Nefertari Prods. ("The Inheritance").
Media 8 president Stewart Hall is producing along with Circle of Confusion's David Alpert and Lawrence Mattis and Queen Nefertari's Cynthia Stafford, Lanre Idewu and Jeff Kalligheri. E-Motion principals Karl Richards and Peter Bevan are executive producers.
"Kurt Russell is perfect for this role," Hall said. "He is truly one of the few actors who audiences continually embrace as a real hero.
- 5/12/2010
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kurt Russell has been cast in Media 8 Entertainment's "Undying" supernatural thriller. Written by Gary Whitta ("The Book of Eli"), the story tells of private investigator Virgil Lone who is hired by the mysterious Delia and is sucked into a surreal underworld. Production is said to start this fall with Circle of Confusion ("Saint John of Las Vegas") producing alogn with Media 8 ("Monster"). Stewart Hall, president of Media 8, will produce with Circle of Confusion's David Alpert and Lawrence Mattis and Cynthia Stafford, Lanre Idewu and Jeff Kalligheri of Queen Nefertari. "Kurt Russell is perfect for this role," Hall said. "He is truly one of the few actors who audiences continually embrace as a real hero."...
- 5/12/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
I declare my bias on this one right up front: Xyz Films - the La company that I'm a partner in - are serving as executive producers on this one and the lead producer - Hawaii International Film Festival programmer Anderson Le - is a long time friend. Do with that what you will. What I do with it is toss it all aside as irrelevant because with the talent attached to this script - which I've read and is fantastic - this is going to be a fantastic film by any measure.
Mma star Cung Le - recently seen on screen fighting Donnie Yen in Hong Kong action drama Bodyguards and Assassins - will take the lead in Journey From The Fall director Ham Tran's English language martial arts film Breaking Point. Producing are Xyz Films, Media 8 Entertainment and Vietnam-based Chanh Phuong Films. For those unfamiliar with the name,...
Mma star Cung Le - recently seen on screen fighting Donnie Yen in Hong Kong action drama Bodyguards and Assassins - will take the lead in Journey From The Fall director Ham Tran's English language martial arts film Breaking Point. Producing are Xyz Films, Media 8 Entertainment and Vietnam-based Chanh Phuong Films. For those unfamiliar with the name,...
- 5/10/2010
- Screen Anarchy
A film that is flying off the radar is Media 8's Reaper. A film penned by Gary Whitta the story involves the supernatural, death, life and passion. Very few other details are available, other than the first movie poster from the film as seen left and a short synopsis, which can be found below. Enjoy the mystery that is Reaper.
Writer: Gary Whitta.
"A stylish supernatural thriller, neo-noir, Reaper tells the story of Virgil, a private investigator who finds himself recruited by the darkly beautiful and mysterious Delia. As he begins to work for Delia, Virgil finds himself suddenly immersed in a surreal underworld, one where the boundaries of life and death, as well as right and wrong, are completely blurred. This unlikely journey also reveals the harrowing answers to the fate of Virgil's own daughter (Media 8)."
Status: Slated to move into production shortly.
Genre: Supernatural, thriller.
Producers: David Alpert,...
Writer: Gary Whitta.
"A stylish supernatural thriller, neo-noir, Reaper tells the story of Virgil, a private investigator who finds himself recruited by the darkly beautiful and mysterious Delia. As he begins to work for Delia, Virgil finds himself suddenly immersed in a surreal underworld, one where the boundaries of life and death, as well as right and wrong, are completely blurred. This unlikely journey also reveals the harrowing answers to the fate of Virgil's own daughter (Media 8)."
Status: Slated to move into production shortly.
Genre: Supernatural, thriller.
Producers: David Alpert,...
- 11/15/2009
- by Michael Ross Allen
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Berlin -- The global economic crisis has been a buzzkill during this year's European Film Market. And the barrage of movies whose themes deal with the perversions of globalization on economics and ecosystems have only added to the air of doom and gloom.
As buyers begin looking to exit and sellers wind down activity, the consensus seems to be relief that there has been any meaningful activity at all.
"We're just glad that buyers from the major territories such as Germany are here and buying," one U.S. seller said. "Coming into the market, we were slightly nervous that coming here wouldn't be justified."
Consensus is that well-cast and well-made projects didn't have problems finding suitors. Magnolia Pictures snapped up U.S. rights to the Thai martial arts epic "Ong Bak 2," from Thailand's Sahamongkol Film International.
"People don't want pipe filler," one high-profile U.S. seller-producer said.
As buyers begin looking to exit and sellers wind down activity, the consensus seems to be relief that there has been any meaningful activity at all.
"We're just glad that buyers from the major territories such as Germany are here and buying," one U.S. seller said. "Coming into the market, we were slightly nervous that coming here wouldn't be justified."
Consensus is that well-cast and well-made projects didn't have problems finding suitors. Magnolia Pictures snapped up U.S. rights to the Thai martial arts epic "Ong Bak 2," from Thailand's Sahamongkol Film International.
"People don't want pipe filler," one high-profile U.S. seller-producer said.
- 2/10/2009
- by By Stuart Kemp and Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TORONTO -- Canadian movie producer M8 Entertainment has shaken up its boardroom, announcing the resignation of company chairman Sammy Lee and fellow director Antony Chui.
Montreal-based M8, formerly known as MDP Worldwide Entertainment, said Friday that Devin Cutler, vp of finance, has been named to the board of directors. In addition, Montreal-based Louis Gascon, who resigned as a director last January, is returning to the board.
Those additions come as Lee and Chui, both Hong Kong-based investors who joined the M8 Entertainment boardroom in 2002, offered their resignations.
The Canadian producer said that the management post of chairman, which Lee assumed in 2004, will not be filled. In addition, Stewart Hall, president of M8 Entertainment, will now sit in the company's boardroom alongside Cutler and Gascon.
"We wish to thank Mr. Lee and Mr. Chiu for their dedicated service to M8 Entertainment and its shareholders, and we wish them all of the best in their future endeavors," Cutler said in a statement.
Montreal-based M8, formerly known as MDP Worldwide Entertainment, said Friday that Devin Cutler, vp of finance, has been named to the board of directors. In addition, Montreal-based Louis Gascon, who resigned as a director last January, is returning to the board.
Those additions come as Lee and Chui, both Hong Kong-based investors who joined the M8 Entertainment boardroom in 2002, offered their resignations.
The Canadian producer said that the management post of chairman, which Lee assumed in 2004, will not be filled. In addition, Stewart Hall, president of M8 Entertainment, will now sit in the company's boardroom alongside Cutler and Gascon.
"We wish to thank Mr. Lee and Mr. Chiu for their dedicated service to M8 Entertainment and its shareholders, and we wish them all of the best in their future endeavors," Cutler said in a statement.
- 9/22/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Related to the 1986 Billy Crystal-Gregory Hines buddy cop movie in name only, "Running Scared" marks "The Cooler" director Wayne Kramer's brazen march into Tarantino territory, but the concussive, hyper-violent results would have benefited from a lot less pulp and better fiction.
To be more accurate, there also are hints of Doug Liman and Tony Scott to be found in this hopped-up, bullet-riddled crime thriller, but while certain sequences pack an admitted visceral kick, the prevailing effect is one of utter overkill.
Even though Paul Walker, currently occupying the boxoffice top spot with "Eight Below", commands a loyal fan base and there isn't much in the way of fresh competition arriving this weekend, this New Line release probably won't scare up imposing overall numbers, but it likely will do better in certain overseas markets.
Set in a gritty version of New Jersey (industriously played by Prague), the story follows a very long night in the life of Joey Gazelle (Walker), a bottom-tier player in an Italian mob who finds himself in a whole mess of trouble when he fails to properly dispose of a gun used in the fatal shooting of a corrupt cop during a botched drug deal.
That easily identifiable snub-nosed firearm falls into the hands of his son Nicky's (Alex Neuberger) best friend Oleg (Cameron Bright) -- who uses it to fend off his abusive, John Wayne-obsessed, crystal meth-making Russian stepfather, and Joey finds himself feverishly embarking on a wild gun chase, before his angry mob and a dirty, hot-on-his-heels cop (Chazz Palminteri) get there first.
Along the way, Oleg leads Joey down a tricked-out rabbit hole and through a nocturnal freak show populated by sick yuppie kiddie pornographers, cartoonish pimps and strutting Latina hookers.
By the time this Malice in Wonderland reaches an inevitable crescendo, it's enough to make one want to hurry home and soak in a vat of Purell.
Kramer's well-received debut, "The Cooler", had pockets of explosive violence (not to mention that terrific Alec Baldwin-Bill Macy-Maria Bello ensemble), but they were all the more powerful because that film wasn't all adrenaline all the time.
Here, all the self-conscious fancy footwork and jarringly tinny dialogue constantly do battle with the performances. It's left up to the ever-resilient Vera Farmiga to blow the rest of them away as Walker's take-charge wife who single-handedly disposes of those nasty smut-mongers to crowd-pleasing approval.
Working with his "Cooler" cinematographer James Whitaker and editor Arthur Coburn, Kramer does pull off some swell set pieces, most notably a confession-by-repeated-slapshot-to-the-face sequence staged on a glow-in-the-dark hockey rink that likely would turn Quentin phosphorescent with envy.
Running Scared
New Line Cinema
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Wayne Kramer
Producers: Michael Pierce, Brett Ratner, Sammy Lee
Executive producers: Andrew Pfeffer, Stewart Hall, Andreas Grosch, Andreas Schmid, Matt Luber
Director of photography: James Whitaker
Production designer: Toby Corbett
Editor: Arthur Coburn
Costume designer: Kristin Burke
Music: Mark Isham
Cast:
Joey Gazelle: Paul Walker
Oleg Yugorsky: Cameron Bright
Teresa Gazelle: Vera Famiga
Anzor ?DukeE Yugorsky: Karel Roden
Tommy "Tombs" Perello: Johnny Messner
Mila: Ivana Milcevic
Detective Rydell: Chazz Palminteri
Nicky Gazelle: Alex Neuberger
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 119 minutes...
To be more accurate, there also are hints of Doug Liman and Tony Scott to be found in this hopped-up, bullet-riddled crime thriller, but while certain sequences pack an admitted visceral kick, the prevailing effect is one of utter overkill.
Even though Paul Walker, currently occupying the boxoffice top spot with "Eight Below", commands a loyal fan base and there isn't much in the way of fresh competition arriving this weekend, this New Line release probably won't scare up imposing overall numbers, but it likely will do better in certain overseas markets.
Set in a gritty version of New Jersey (industriously played by Prague), the story follows a very long night in the life of Joey Gazelle (Walker), a bottom-tier player in an Italian mob who finds himself in a whole mess of trouble when he fails to properly dispose of a gun used in the fatal shooting of a corrupt cop during a botched drug deal.
That easily identifiable snub-nosed firearm falls into the hands of his son Nicky's (Alex Neuberger) best friend Oleg (Cameron Bright) -- who uses it to fend off his abusive, John Wayne-obsessed, crystal meth-making Russian stepfather, and Joey finds himself feverishly embarking on a wild gun chase, before his angry mob and a dirty, hot-on-his-heels cop (Chazz Palminteri) get there first.
Along the way, Oleg leads Joey down a tricked-out rabbit hole and through a nocturnal freak show populated by sick yuppie kiddie pornographers, cartoonish pimps and strutting Latina hookers.
By the time this Malice in Wonderland reaches an inevitable crescendo, it's enough to make one want to hurry home and soak in a vat of Purell.
Kramer's well-received debut, "The Cooler", had pockets of explosive violence (not to mention that terrific Alec Baldwin-Bill Macy-Maria Bello ensemble), but they were all the more powerful because that film wasn't all adrenaline all the time.
Here, all the self-conscious fancy footwork and jarringly tinny dialogue constantly do battle with the performances. It's left up to the ever-resilient Vera Farmiga to blow the rest of them away as Walker's take-charge wife who single-handedly disposes of those nasty smut-mongers to crowd-pleasing approval.
Working with his "Cooler" cinematographer James Whitaker and editor Arthur Coburn, Kramer does pull off some swell set pieces, most notably a confession-by-repeated-slapshot-to-the-face sequence staged on a glow-in-the-dark hockey rink that likely would turn Quentin phosphorescent with envy.
Running Scared
New Line Cinema
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Wayne Kramer
Producers: Michael Pierce, Brett Ratner, Sammy Lee
Executive producers: Andrew Pfeffer, Stewart Hall, Andreas Grosch, Andreas Schmid, Matt Luber
Director of photography: James Whitaker
Production designer: Toby Corbett
Editor: Arthur Coburn
Costume designer: Kristin Burke
Music: Mark Isham
Cast:
Joey Gazelle: Paul Walker
Oleg Yugorsky: Cameron Bright
Teresa Gazelle: Vera Famiga
Anzor ?DukeE Yugorsky: Karel Roden
Tommy "Tombs" Perello: Johnny Messner
Mila: Ivana Milcevic
Detective Rydell: Chazz Palminteri
Nicky Gazelle: Alex Neuberger
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 119 minutes...
PARK CITY -- Not an easy thing, finding mirth in rage and drunkenness. Yet writer-director Mike Binder's examination of the ups and downs -- mostly downs -- of a wife and mother abandoned by her husband locates genuine humor in her pain.
If Binder had chosen an actress other than Joan Allen to play the angry woman, who knows how "The Upside of Anger" would have turned out. Even Allen must wrestle with this devil of a role -- a woman who is constantly mad or drunk and usually both. But Allen turns the character into a tour de force that unleashes an unexpected comedy about compassion and self-loathing.
The film beautifully pairs Allen and Kevin Costner as two people who find momentarily solace in the bottle and each other. It then surrounds them with the aura of intoxicating femininity in Allen's four beautiful teenage daughters played by Erika Christensen, Keri Russell, Alicia Witt and Evan Rachel Wood. When released in March, the New Line comedy could cross over from adult venues into the mainstream to earn solid boxoffice coin.
The story spans three years and is set almost exclusively in the woodsy suburbs of Detroit. Things begin on a note of high drama -- dad's gone and mom's drunk -- and the movie never really climbs down from those stress levels. You must take it on faith that, as youngest daughter Popeye (Wood) says in a voice-over narration, her mom, Terry Wolfmeyer (Allen), was the sweetest, nicest person ever.
When her husband, who has been fooling around with his Swedish secretary and has lost his job, disappears at the same time as the secretary, a dark malignancy of unholy wrath settles in her bowels. The eldest daughter, Hadley (Witt), who blames her mother as much as her dad, can escape the suddenly poisonous household for college. Meanwhile, Andy (Christensen), who wants to be a journalist, and Emily Russell), who wants to be a dancer so she doesn't see much point in eating, take over the kitchen while mom hits the sauce. In her upstairs room, Popeye puts together a video on her laptop that explores the nature of anger and violence.
Surprisingly, there is one person in whose company Terry regains her equilibrium and sense of normalcy. This is their neighbor, Denny Davies (Costner), an ex-baseball star who is nearly as big a drunk as Terry. Denny makes his living as a radio talk-show deejay along with making paid personal appearances and autographing baseballs.
That Denny insinuates himself so easily into the family and into mom's bedroom is a bit of a stretch. Yet over time the daughters accept his presence. He even gets Andy a job at the station, where his producer (played by Binder himself), a smarmy fellow with a thing for girls half his age, all too willingly takes her under his wing.
Binder ably juggles the twists and turns of the tumultuous relationship between Terry and Denny with plot lines involving all the daughters. Terry is a Loose Cannon from the opening scene, so the threat of an emotional outburst hovers over most of the film. The movie never lets on whether this is the real Terry -- the one suppressed during her marriage by all that false niceness and sweetness -- or something that happened to her after her husband's betrayal. Nor does Binder see any need to explain Denny's drinking. You feel that if something better came along he might tone it down, and then you realize that Terry might just be that "something better."
The film has a bit of a trick ending that underscores Binder's point about the futility of endless rage yet adds an unfortunate fictional feel to a film that wants you to relate to the commonality of divorce and broken homes.
The actors tune in to their individual characters perfectly, but this is Allen's show. Her raging, desperate housewife is a tigress trapped in a suburban hell, who takes refuge in her primal instincts and lacerating wit.
Tech credits are excellent, especially Richard Greatrex's cinematography, which features moodier lighting than one expects from a comedy. But then "The Upside of Anger" is not quite a comedy.
THE UPSIDE OF ANGER
New Line Cinema in association with Media 8 Entertainment presents a VIP Medienfonds 2/VIP Medienfonds 3/ MDP Filmproduktion co-production of a Sunlight production
Credits:
Writer/director: Mike Binder
Producers: Alex Gartner, Jack Binder, Sammy Lee
Executive producers: Mark Damon, Stewart Hall, Andreas Grosch, Andreas Schmid
Director of photography: Richard Greatrex
Production designer: Chris Roope
Music: Alexandre Desplat
Costumes: Deborah Scott
Editors: Steve Edwards, Robin Sales
Cast:
Terry Wolfmeyer: Joan Allen
Denny Davies: Kevin Costner
Andy: Erika Christensen
Emily: Keri Russell
Hadley: Alicia Witt
Popeye: Evan Rachel Wood
Shep: Mike Binder
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 116 minutes...
If Binder had chosen an actress other than Joan Allen to play the angry woman, who knows how "The Upside of Anger" would have turned out. Even Allen must wrestle with this devil of a role -- a woman who is constantly mad or drunk and usually both. But Allen turns the character into a tour de force that unleashes an unexpected comedy about compassion and self-loathing.
The film beautifully pairs Allen and Kevin Costner as two people who find momentarily solace in the bottle and each other. It then surrounds them with the aura of intoxicating femininity in Allen's four beautiful teenage daughters played by Erika Christensen, Keri Russell, Alicia Witt and Evan Rachel Wood. When released in March, the New Line comedy could cross over from adult venues into the mainstream to earn solid boxoffice coin.
The story spans three years and is set almost exclusively in the woodsy suburbs of Detroit. Things begin on a note of high drama -- dad's gone and mom's drunk -- and the movie never really climbs down from those stress levels. You must take it on faith that, as youngest daughter Popeye (Wood) says in a voice-over narration, her mom, Terry Wolfmeyer (Allen), was the sweetest, nicest person ever.
When her husband, who has been fooling around with his Swedish secretary and has lost his job, disappears at the same time as the secretary, a dark malignancy of unholy wrath settles in her bowels. The eldest daughter, Hadley (Witt), who blames her mother as much as her dad, can escape the suddenly poisonous household for college. Meanwhile, Andy (Christensen), who wants to be a journalist, and Emily Russell), who wants to be a dancer so she doesn't see much point in eating, take over the kitchen while mom hits the sauce. In her upstairs room, Popeye puts together a video on her laptop that explores the nature of anger and violence.
Surprisingly, there is one person in whose company Terry regains her equilibrium and sense of normalcy. This is their neighbor, Denny Davies (Costner), an ex-baseball star who is nearly as big a drunk as Terry. Denny makes his living as a radio talk-show deejay along with making paid personal appearances and autographing baseballs.
That Denny insinuates himself so easily into the family and into mom's bedroom is a bit of a stretch. Yet over time the daughters accept his presence. He even gets Andy a job at the station, where his producer (played by Binder himself), a smarmy fellow with a thing for girls half his age, all too willingly takes her under his wing.
Binder ably juggles the twists and turns of the tumultuous relationship between Terry and Denny with plot lines involving all the daughters. Terry is a Loose Cannon from the opening scene, so the threat of an emotional outburst hovers over most of the film. The movie never lets on whether this is the real Terry -- the one suppressed during her marriage by all that false niceness and sweetness -- or something that happened to her after her husband's betrayal. Nor does Binder see any need to explain Denny's drinking. You feel that if something better came along he might tone it down, and then you realize that Terry might just be that "something better."
The film has a bit of a trick ending that underscores Binder's point about the futility of endless rage yet adds an unfortunate fictional feel to a film that wants you to relate to the commonality of divorce and broken homes.
The actors tune in to their individual characters perfectly, but this is Allen's show. Her raging, desperate housewife is a tigress trapped in a suburban hell, who takes refuge in her primal instincts and lacerating wit.
Tech credits are excellent, especially Richard Greatrex's cinematography, which features moodier lighting than one expects from a comedy. But then "The Upside of Anger" is not quite a comedy.
THE UPSIDE OF ANGER
New Line Cinema in association with Media 8 Entertainment presents a VIP Medienfonds 2/VIP Medienfonds 3/ MDP Filmproduktion co-production of a Sunlight production
Credits:
Writer/director: Mike Binder
Producers: Alex Gartner, Jack Binder, Sammy Lee
Executive producers: Mark Damon, Stewart Hall, Andreas Grosch, Andreas Schmid
Director of photography: Richard Greatrex
Production designer: Chris Roope
Music: Alexandre Desplat
Costumes: Deborah Scott
Editors: Steve Edwards, Robin Sales
Cast:
Terry Wolfmeyer: Joan Allen
Denny Davies: Kevin Costner
Andy: Erika Christensen
Emily: Keri Russell
Hadley: Alicia Witt
Popeye: Evan Rachel Wood
Shep: Mike Binder
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 116 minutes...
- 1/21/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former The O.C. regular Chris Carmack is in negotiations to team with Amanda Bynes in the romantic comedy Lovewrecked for helmer Randal Kleiser. Media 8 Entertainment is producing along with the recently relaunched Bacon & Eggs from a script by Stephen Langford. Lovewrecked finds Bynes as Jenny, an 18-year-old who is ecstatic when she learns that her favorite rock star -- to be played by Carmack -- is a guest at the tropical resort where she is working for the summer. When they are both thrown overboard during a cruise, Jenny finds herself stranded alone with him on what they think is a remote beach. Media 8's Stewart Hall is producing with Bacon & Eggs' Joe Anderson and Wendy Thorlakson. Carmack is best known for his role as Luke Ward on the freshman year of Fox's hit series O.C. His other credits include a starring role opposite Dennis Hopper in the USA Network original telefilm The Last Ride. He is repped by Writers and Artists Group International, managers Ted Gekis and Daniel Ribera and attorney Matthew Thompson at Stroock, Stroock & Lavan.
- 6/22/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TORONTO -- M8 Entertainment said Friday it will produce and distribute "Lovewrecked", a teen comedy written by Stephen Langford and to be directed by Randal Kleiser. Montreal-based M8, formerly MDP Worldwide Entertainment, and Lance Bass' Bacon & Eggs will co-produce the comedy about a young girl who finds herself shipwrecked on a tropical island with her favorite rock star. There was no word on casting for the June shoot in the Caribbean. Nancy Nayor ("The Whole Nine Yards") is on board as casting director. Producer credits go to M8 Entertainment's Stewart Hall and Bacon & Eggs' Wendy Thorlakson and Joe Anderson. Other upcoming M8 Entertainment releases include the Mike Binder-directed "The Upside of Anger", to be handled by New Line Cinema in the United States, and "Santa's Slay", a horror-comedy featuring wrestler Bill Goldberg.
TORONTO -- MDP Worldwide Entertainment on Tuesday said New Line Cinema had picked up the U.S. rights to the Mike Binder family comedy The Upside of Anger, which stars Joan Allen and Kevin Costner. Written and directed by Binder (The Mind of the Married Man), The Upside of Anger is a co-production of Montreal-based MDP Worldwide and the German film financier VIP Medienfonds. Terms of the distribution deal were not disclosed. " 'The Upside of Anger' hits the perfect note of dramatic performances with hilarious moments, delivered by an incredibly talented cast," Rolf Mittweg, president and chief operating officer of New Line Worldwide Distribution and Marketing, said in a statement. The comedy portrays Terry, a single mother played by Joan Allen, and her four daughters in a comedic and dysfunctional relationship with a family friend, played by Kevin Costner. Also starring in The Upside of Anger is Evan Rachel Wood, Erika Christensen, Keri Russell and Alicia Witt. Producer credits on the project go to Alex Gartner, Jack Binder and Sammy Lee, with Stewart Hall, Andreas Grosch and Andreas Schmid sharing executive producer credits.
Screened
AFI Fest
"Monster" challenges audiences with an unrelieved portrait of self-destruction and horrific violence. American movies don't get much grimmer than this.
This challenge is made doubly hard by writer-director Patty Jenkins' decision to supply little in the way of back story or context for the title character's behavior. So this portrait of "America's first female serial killer," depressing and shocking under the best of circumstances, may baffle viewers unfamiliar with her case.
Publicity concerning Charlize Theron's remarkable physical transformation into Aileen Wuornos through makeup and weight gain may attract the curious, but boxoffice potential for this downbeat tale appears modest at best. The film opens in New York on Dec. 24 and in Los Angeles on Dec. 26.
Jenkins chooses to concentrate on a brief period in Aileen's life, from 1989-90, when the hitchhiking prostitute killed several male clients, crimes for which she was executed by the state of Florida last year. During this time, Aileen happened to meet Selby Wall (Christina Ricci). The two fell in love and began living together in cheap motels and then a rental unit.
Turning the tragic story of Aileen Wuornos into a love story between two misfits probably makes sense from a dramatic point of view, but it does distort the cruel life Aileen lived virtually from birth. From two documentaries by Nick Broomfield we know about the mother who deserted Aileen, the grandfather who beat her and how all her subsequent relationships ended in betrayal, making her a predictably paranoid person. Her life leading up to meeting Selby -- a life marred by rape, incest, abuse and abandonment -- is barely hinted at in Jenkins' script.
Selby represents a last hope for the woman. After meeting in a bar while in suicidal despair, Aileen reforms momentarily and seeks a legitimate job. When no one will hire a woman with no experience, degree or resume, Aileen returns to hooking. Then when a john turns violent, she shoots and kills him in self-defense. She steals his money and car but doesn't immediately tell Selby about the killing. When the money runs out, she proceeds to rob and shoot several other johns. The money supports her and her lover, while the murders allow her to act out her rage against men.
(It's worth noting that for all the film's gritty authenticity, even shooting at actual locations where Wuornos committed her crimes, these stagings are purely speculative. At her trial, Wuornos claimed self-defense in all the killings. In his documentaries, Broomfield was never able to get a clear picture of what happened. Before her execution, not realizing the camera was still rolling, Wuornos admitted she changed her story of self-defense to one of robbery and murder in order to hasten the execution, which after 12 years on death row she welcomed.)
Theron gives a gutsy and gritty performance as she uncannily slips into Aileen's mannerisms and rhythms of speech. But Aileen remains a remote figure. Ricci, in a more reactive role, nevertheless captures the somewhat exploitative element in their relationship, playing the young woman, for all her love of Aileen, as one who is in constant need of money and stimulus.
BT's nerve-jangling music keeps the viewer wary, while Steven Bernstein's sharp, controlled cinematography heightens the flesh-crawling reality of these sickening events. Yes, the story is an ugly one, but the actresses command our attention and demand we confront this unrepentant "monster" to examine her humanity.
MONSTER
Newmarket Films
Media 8 Entertainment/DEJ Prods. present a K/W Prods. and Denver & Delilah Films production in association with VIP Medienfonds 2/MDP Filmproduktion
Credits:
Writer-director: Patty Jenkins
Producers: Charlize Theron, Mark Damon, Clark Peterson, Donald Kushner, Brad Wyman
Executive producers: Sammy Lee, Meagan Riley-Grant, Stewart Hall, Andreas Grosch, Andreas Schmid
Director of photography: Steven Bernstein
Production designer: Edward T. McAvoy
Music: BT
Costume designer: Rhona Meyers
Editors: Jane Kurson, Arthur Coburn
Cast:
Aileen Wuornos: Charlize Theron
Selby Wall: Christina Ricci
Thomas: Bruce Dern
Horton: Scott Wilson
Donna Tentler: Annie Corley
Gene: Pruitt Taylor Vince
Running time -- 108 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
AFI Fest
"Monster" challenges audiences with an unrelieved portrait of self-destruction and horrific violence. American movies don't get much grimmer than this.
This challenge is made doubly hard by writer-director Patty Jenkins' decision to supply little in the way of back story or context for the title character's behavior. So this portrait of "America's first female serial killer," depressing and shocking under the best of circumstances, may baffle viewers unfamiliar with her case.
Publicity concerning Charlize Theron's remarkable physical transformation into Aileen Wuornos through makeup and weight gain may attract the curious, but boxoffice potential for this downbeat tale appears modest at best. The film opens in New York on Dec. 24 and in Los Angeles on Dec. 26.
Jenkins chooses to concentrate on a brief period in Aileen's life, from 1989-90, when the hitchhiking prostitute killed several male clients, crimes for which she was executed by the state of Florida last year. During this time, Aileen happened to meet Selby Wall (Christina Ricci). The two fell in love and began living together in cheap motels and then a rental unit.
Turning the tragic story of Aileen Wuornos into a love story between two misfits probably makes sense from a dramatic point of view, but it does distort the cruel life Aileen lived virtually from birth. From two documentaries by Nick Broomfield we know about the mother who deserted Aileen, the grandfather who beat her and how all her subsequent relationships ended in betrayal, making her a predictably paranoid person. Her life leading up to meeting Selby -- a life marred by rape, incest, abuse and abandonment -- is barely hinted at in Jenkins' script.
Selby represents a last hope for the woman. After meeting in a bar while in suicidal despair, Aileen reforms momentarily and seeks a legitimate job. When no one will hire a woman with no experience, degree or resume, Aileen returns to hooking. Then when a john turns violent, she shoots and kills him in self-defense. She steals his money and car but doesn't immediately tell Selby about the killing. When the money runs out, she proceeds to rob and shoot several other johns. The money supports her and her lover, while the murders allow her to act out her rage against men.
(It's worth noting that for all the film's gritty authenticity, even shooting at actual locations where Wuornos committed her crimes, these stagings are purely speculative. At her trial, Wuornos claimed self-defense in all the killings. In his documentaries, Broomfield was never able to get a clear picture of what happened. Before her execution, not realizing the camera was still rolling, Wuornos admitted she changed her story of self-defense to one of robbery and murder in order to hasten the execution, which after 12 years on death row she welcomed.)
Theron gives a gutsy and gritty performance as she uncannily slips into Aileen's mannerisms and rhythms of speech. But Aileen remains a remote figure. Ricci, in a more reactive role, nevertheless captures the somewhat exploitative element in their relationship, playing the young woman, for all her love of Aileen, as one who is in constant need of money and stimulus.
BT's nerve-jangling music keeps the viewer wary, while Steven Bernstein's sharp, controlled cinematography heightens the flesh-crawling reality of these sickening events. Yes, the story is an ugly one, but the actresses command our attention and demand we confront this unrepentant "monster" to examine her humanity.
MONSTER
Newmarket Films
Media 8 Entertainment/DEJ Prods. present a K/W Prods. and Denver & Delilah Films production in association with VIP Medienfonds 2/MDP Filmproduktion
Credits:
Writer-director: Patty Jenkins
Producers: Charlize Theron, Mark Damon, Clark Peterson, Donald Kushner, Brad Wyman
Executive producers: Sammy Lee, Meagan Riley-Grant, Stewart Hall, Andreas Grosch, Andreas Schmid
Director of photography: Steven Bernstein
Production designer: Edward T. McAvoy
Music: BT
Costume designer: Rhona Meyers
Editors: Jane Kurson, Arthur Coburn
Cast:
Aileen Wuornos: Charlize Theron
Selby Wall: Christina Ricci
Thomas: Bruce Dern
Horton: Scott Wilson
Donna Tentler: Annie Corley
Gene: Pruitt Taylor Vince
Running time -- 108 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 11/17/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screened
Hollywood International Film Festival
While an ungodly number of filmmakers have wasted far too much celluloid imitating Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs", Greg Marcks, a 26-year-old writer-director making his feature debut with "11:14", is the first to gain a foothold in territory that is Tarantino-esque with an original and boisterous work that stands on its own.
"11:14" has a demented sense of humor, and the cleverness of its taut narrative structure and misanthropic characterizations constantly surprises a viewer. The movie does what you wish more first-time features would do: tell a story economically with first-rate actors and no hint of self-consciousness.
"11:14" makes a perfect midnight movie and a great rental item as you constantly want to talk back to the screen to make rude comments on the sick, terminally stupid characters, none of whom is capable of carrying out the treachery that is in his or her heart.
The film is a study in compressed time. All the action takes place in about a half-hour one night with two terrifying accidents occurring simultaneously at 11:14 p.m. in the small town of Middleton, "the happiest place to live," according to a sign on the outskirts. Within this time frame, two people experience terrible deaths, a man is violently separated from his penis, a woman gets shot, three people are arrested by one very busy cop, and the only completely innocent figure is a large dog.
Marcks' strategy is to tell the story in pieces, recounting the night's events from various points of view, adding layers and characters to the intrigue until the final shot, where everything is finally made clear. There is certainly no one to warm up to, but all are strangely compelling.
Henry Thomas gets things started as an inebriated driver whose car may or may not have hit a pedestrian. Shawn Hatosy is strangely beguiling as an oaf looking for money for an emergency abortion. Hilary Swank (one of the exec producers), her teeth wrapped in braces, is a perplexed convenience-store clerk. Patrick Swayze and Barbara Hershey are the bewildered parents of Rachael Leigh Cook, the town sex kitten.
The film is shot mostly in available light and sometimes has garish colors that befit the story. Marcks' tone is one of bemused detachment as he observes frantic characters making really bad decisions under pressure. Certainly, everyone pays the price for his own stupidity. Even the music cues are playful as the score subtly plays up the increasingly bizarre behavior.
11:14
MDP Worldwide presents
a Firm Films production
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Greg Marcks
Producers: Beau Flynn, John Morissey
Executive producers: Hilary Swank, Mark Damon, Sammy Lee, Stewart Hall, Tripp Vinson, David Scott Rubin, Jeff Kwatinetz, Raju Patel
Director of photography: Shane Hurlbut
Production designer: Davorah Herbert
Music: Clint Mansell
Costume designer: Christopher Lawrence
Editors: Dan Lebental, Richard Nord
Cast:
Buzzy: Hilary Swank
Cherie: Rachael Leigh Cook
Jack: Henry Thomas
Frank: Patrick Swayze
Mark: Colin Hanks
Eddie: Ben Foster
Duffy: Shawn Hatosy
Running time -- 85 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Hollywood International Film Festival
While an ungodly number of filmmakers have wasted far too much celluloid imitating Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs", Greg Marcks, a 26-year-old writer-director making his feature debut with "11:14", is the first to gain a foothold in territory that is Tarantino-esque with an original and boisterous work that stands on its own.
"11:14" has a demented sense of humor, and the cleverness of its taut narrative structure and misanthropic characterizations constantly surprises a viewer. The movie does what you wish more first-time features would do: tell a story economically with first-rate actors and no hint of self-consciousness.
"11:14" makes a perfect midnight movie and a great rental item as you constantly want to talk back to the screen to make rude comments on the sick, terminally stupid characters, none of whom is capable of carrying out the treachery that is in his or her heart.
The film is a study in compressed time. All the action takes place in about a half-hour one night with two terrifying accidents occurring simultaneously at 11:14 p.m. in the small town of Middleton, "the happiest place to live," according to a sign on the outskirts. Within this time frame, two people experience terrible deaths, a man is violently separated from his penis, a woman gets shot, three people are arrested by one very busy cop, and the only completely innocent figure is a large dog.
Marcks' strategy is to tell the story in pieces, recounting the night's events from various points of view, adding layers and characters to the intrigue until the final shot, where everything is finally made clear. There is certainly no one to warm up to, but all are strangely compelling.
Henry Thomas gets things started as an inebriated driver whose car may or may not have hit a pedestrian. Shawn Hatosy is strangely beguiling as an oaf looking for money for an emergency abortion. Hilary Swank (one of the exec producers), her teeth wrapped in braces, is a perplexed convenience-store clerk. Patrick Swayze and Barbara Hershey are the bewildered parents of Rachael Leigh Cook, the town sex kitten.
The film is shot mostly in available light and sometimes has garish colors that befit the story. Marcks' tone is one of bemused detachment as he observes frantic characters making really bad decisions under pressure. Certainly, everyone pays the price for his own stupidity. Even the music cues are playful as the score subtly plays up the increasingly bizarre behavior.
11:14
MDP Worldwide presents
a Firm Films production
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Greg Marcks
Producers: Beau Flynn, John Morissey
Executive producers: Hilary Swank, Mark Damon, Sammy Lee, Stewart Hall, Tripp Vinson, David Scott Rubin, Jeff Kwatinetz, Raju Patel
Director of photography: Shane Hurlbut
Production designer: Davorah Herbert
Music: Clint Mansell
Costume designer: Christopher Lawrence
Editors: Dan Lebental, Richard Nord
Cast:
Buzzy: Hilary Swank
Cherie: Rachael Leigh Cook
Jack: Henry Thomas
Frank: Patrick Swayze
Mark: Colin Hanks
Eddie: Ben Foster
Duffy: Shawn Hatosy
Running time -- 85 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/21/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Evan Rachel Wood, who stars in the upcoming feature Thirteen, and Felicity's Keri Russell will star opposite Joan Allen and Kevin Costner in the MDP Worldwide feature The Upside of Anger for filmmaker Mike Binder. Production is set to begin this month with Erika Christensen and Alicia Witt also starring. Binder wrote and will direct the project, a family drama about a mother (Allen) and her four strong-willed daughters (Christensen, Witt, Russell and Wood) who must suddenly deal with life without a husband and father. Costner plays a former baseball player who is a friend of the family. Mandy Moore and Lauren Ambrose were previously in discussions to play two of the daughters but bowed out because of scheduling conflicts. Russell and Wood have now stepped in. Producing the project are Binder, former MGM executive Alex Gartner and Mark Damon. Stewart Hall and Sammy Lee are executive producing. Binder also will take a small role in the film. Wood, repped by ICM, recently wrapped shooting Revolution Studios' The Missing for director Ron Howard. Russell, repped by WMA and Joannie Burstein at the Burstein Co., is shooting the British indie feature Cabbages & Queens with Nathan Lane.
- 8/12/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Erika Christensen, Mandy Moore, Lauren Ambrose and Alicia Witt are in discussions to star opposite Joan Allen and Kevin Costner in the MDP Worldwide feature The Upside of Anger for filmmaker Mike Binder. Production is set to begin in late August or early September. Binder wrote and will direct the project, a family drama about a mother (Allen) and her four strong-willed daughters (Christensen, Moore, Ambrose and Witt) who must suddenly deal with life without a husband and father. Costner plays a former baseball player who is a friend of the family. Producing the project are Binder, former MGM executive Alex Gartner and Mark Damon. Stewart Hall and Sammy Lee are executive producing. Binder also will take a small role in the film. "When you start with a great piece of material, you're in a position to attract talented actors," Gartner said. "This group that we're putting together, including Kevin, Joan and the girls -- you just cannot do better." Christensen is repped by WMA, James/Levy/Jacobson and attorney Michael Fuller. Moore is repped by WMA and Jon Leshay at Storefront Entertainment. Ambrose is repped by UTA and Leverage Management. Witt is repped by ICM and Brillstein Grey. Binder is repped by Endeavor and 3 Arts Entertainment.
- 4/30/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Erika Christensen, Mandy Moore, Lauren Ambrose and Alicia Witt are in discussions to star opposite Joan Allen and Kevin Costner in the MDP Worldwide feature The Upside of Anger for filmmaker Mike Binder. Production is set to begin in late August or early September. Binder wrote and will direct the project, a family drama about a mother (Allen) and her four strong-willed daughters (Christensen, Moore, Ambrose and Witt) who must suddenly deal with life without a husband and father. Costner plays a former baseball player who is a friend of the family. Producing the project are Binder, former MGM executive Alex Gartner and Mark Damon. Stewart Hall and Sammy Lee are executive producing. Binder also will take a small role in the film. "When you start with a great piece of material, you're in a position to attract talented actors," Gartner said. "This group that we're putting together, including Kevin, Joan and the girls -- you just cannot do better." Christensen is repped by WMA, James/Levy/Jacobson and attorney Michael Fuller. Moore is repped by WMA and Jon Leshay at Storefront Entertainment. Ambrose is repped by UTA and Leverage Management. Witt is repped by ICM and Brillstein Grey. Binder is repped by Endeavor and 3 Arts Entertainment.
- 4/30/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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