To the average listener hearing Jessica Pratt for the first time, it’s possible to mistake her for an artist from a different era. Her music sounds decades old, like an obscure artist unearthed from the dusty bin of a Midwestern antique shop. But this is not the Langley Schools Music Project, and Pratt is no Connie Converse. Born in 1987, the Los Angeles musician has been surprising people with her otherworldly indie folk since 2012. And now she’s returned with her fourth album, Here in the Pitch, out May 3 via Mexican Summer.
- 5/1/2024
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
Titans of the faith-based filmmaking industrial complex they helped to create, Kingdom Story Company founders Andrew and Jon Erwin built their brand on the Christian rock biopics “I Still Believe” and “I Can Only Imagine,” ultra-benign stories of faith, loss, and profit that rely on powerful songwriting to compensate for sermon-like storytelling, and frame their subject’s artistic success as both a testament to their faith and a megaphone for the word of Jesus Christ. Absent the rigor or artistry of secular comps like “Love & Mercy” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (but also absent the Wikipedia-driven ghoulishness of more recent examples like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”), these movies are happy to function as feature-length commercials for the musicians they were made to honor, just as they’re happy to offer halos to the people who inspired them.
That’s a key feature of cinematic evangelism,...
That’s a key feature of cinematic evangelism,...
- 4/25/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The story of iconic band The Beach Boys is being told in a new feature length documentary for Disney+, here’s the trailer.
The Beach Boys have released some of the most iconic songs in the history of popular music, with the 1966 Pet Sounds album breaking new ground in music production.
The life of singer and songwriter Brian Wilson was previously dramatised in Bill Pohland’s terrific 2016 drama Love and Mercy, which saw Paul Dano and John Cusack share the lead role. Wilson’s life was further explored in documentaries like 1995 film Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times and 2021 film Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road.
The Beach Boys is a feature length documentary which will explore the history of the band. The synopsis reads as follows:
The Beach Boys movie is a celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound...
The Beach Boys have released some of the most iconic songs in the history of popular music, with the 1966 Pet Sounds album breaking new ground in music production.
The life of singer and songwriter Brian Wilson was previously dramatised in Bill Pohland’s terrific 2016 drama Love and Mercy, which saw Paul Dano and John Cusack share the lead role. Wilson’s life was further explored in documentaries like 1995 film Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times and 2021 film Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road.
The Beach Boys is a feature length documentary which will explore the history of the band. The synopsis reads as follows:
The Beach Boys movie is a celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound...
- 4/11/2024
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
Disney announced on Tuesday that its new documentary The Beach Boys, on the iconic California band of the same name, will begin streaming on Disney+ on May 24.
Directed by Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny, the film is described as a celebration of the band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations to come. The documentary traces the band from humble family beginnings and features never-before-seen footage and all-new interviews with The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks and Bruce Johnston, plus other luminaries in the music business, including Lindsey Buckingham, Janelle Monáe, Ryan Tedder, and Don Was.
Viewers will also hear from the group’s Carl and Dennis Wilson in their own words, plus view a new interview with Blondie Chaplin and hear audio from Ricky Fataar.
Founded in Hawthorne, California in 1961, The...
Directed by Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny, the film is described as a celebration of the band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations to come. The documentary traces the band from humble family beginnings and features never-before-seen footage and all-new interviews with The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks and Bruce Johnston, plus other luminaries in the music business, including Lindsey Buckingham, Janelle Monáe, Ryan Tedder, and Don Was.
Viewers will also hear from the group’s Carl and Dennis Wilson in their own words, plus view a new interview with Blondie Chaplin and hear audio from Ricky Fataar.
Founded in Hawthorne, California in 1961, The...
- 3/26/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert Pattinson impressed the DC fans with his Bruce Wayne/Batman portrayal in The Batman. Challenging him in the movie was the Caped Crusader’s old rival, The Riddler, which Paul Dano portrayed. Given that it garnered positive acclaim amid a time when many were going through superhero fatigue, the latter seems to have a definite answer.
Robert Pattinson as Batman in The Batman (2022)
In a new interview, he talked about how the 2022 movie became a critical and commercial success, unlike the recent Marvel films.
Paul Dano Commented on Why The Batman Was Successful Paul Dano as Riddler in The Batman (2022)
Paul Dano has already cemented a great legacy in Hollywood with his acclaimed projects like Prisoners (2013) and Love & Mercy (2014). He also took serious roles like a convicted murderer in Escape at Dannemora miniseries and The Riddler opposite Robert Pattinson in The Batman.
SUGGESTEDMichael B. Jordan To Paul Dano:...
Robert Pattinson as Batman in The Batman (2022)
In a new interview, he talked about how the 2022 movie became a critical and commercial success, unlike the recent Marvel films.
Paul Dano Commented on Why The Batman Was Successful Paul Dano as Riddler in The Batman (2022)
Paul Dano has already cemented a great legacy in Hollywood with his acclaimed projects like Prisoners (2013) and Love & Mercy (2014). He also took serious roles like a convicted murderer in Escape at Dannemora miniseries and The Riddler opposite Robert Pattinson in The Batman.
SUGGESTEDMichael B. Jordan To Paul Dano:...
- 3/2/2024
- by Priya Sharma
- FandomWire
Elizabeth Banks has honored Melinda Ledbetter, the late wife of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, whom she played in the 2014 film Love & Mercy.
The Pitch Perfect star posted on Instagram. “What an honor to know her, to be invited into her life with Brian,” Banks wrote. “She was a force. She gave me such great advice – on parenting, which house to buy, being an artist. We laughed. She had a good laugh.
“I was just thinking of her the other day when I passed the deli we used to visit,” Banks continued. “This is a reminder to reach out to people you enjoy. Tell them. Her family was her world and my heart and prayers are with them.”
Brian Wilson announced his wife’s passing on social media on Tuesday. “My heart is broken,” he wrote. “Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning. Our five children...
The Pitch Perfect star posted on Instagram. “What an honor to know her, to be invited into her life with Brian,” Banks wrote. “She was a force. She gave me such great advice – on parenting, which house to buy, being an artist. We laughed. She had a good laugh.
“I was just thinking of her the other day when I passed the deli we used to visit,” Banks continued. “This is a reminder to reach out to people you enjoy. Tell them. Her family was her world and my heart and prayers are with them.”
Brian Wilson announced his wife’s passing on social media on Tuesday. “My heart is broken,” he wrote. “Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning. Our five children...
- 2/2/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, the wife of Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson for nearly three decades, passed away at 77.
Brian Wilson, the musician and husband, confirmed Melinda’s death in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
Expressing his grief, he mentioned that his “heart is broken” over the loss of his “beloved wife.”
In the tribute, Brian did not disclose the cause of Melinda’s death.
The post included a set of throwback photos of Melinda, and Brian expressed deep sorrow, stating, “Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost.”
Brian emphasized Melinda’s profound impact on his life, describing her as more than a wife. He called her his savior, anchor, and source of emotional security.
The post concluded with a request for prayers and the message, “Love and Mercy Brian.” The couple’s children also shared that Melinda passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday morning.
Brian Wilson, the musician and husband, confirmed Melinda’s death in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
Expressing his grief, he mentioned that his “heart is broken” over the loss of his “beloved wife.”
In the tribute, Brian did not disclose the cause of Melinda’s death.
The post included a set of throwback photos of Melinda, and Brian expressed deep sorrow, stating, “Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost.”
Brian emphasized Melinda’s profound impact on his life, describing her as more than a wife. He called her his savior, anchor, and source of emotional security.
The post concluded with a request for prayers and the message, “Love and Mercy Brian.” The couple’s children also shared that Melinda passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday morning.
- 1/31/2024
- by Frank Yemi
- Monsters and Critics
Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, wife of Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson, has died. She was 77.
Brian shared the news on his social media Tuesday, writing, “My heart is broken. Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning.” No cause of death was immediately available.
He continued, alongside two photos of his wife, “Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost. Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us. Please say a prayer for her. Love and Mercy Brian.”
Brian and Melinda initially met in 1986, while she was working at a car dealership, and they went on to date for three years. Then in 1992, they rekindled their relationship and got married a few years later,...
Brian shared the news on his social media Tuesday, writing, “My heart is broken. Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning.” No cause of death was immediately available.
He continued, alongside two photos of his wife, “Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost. Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us. Please say a prayer for her. Love and Mercy Brian.”
Brian and Melinda initially met in 1986, while she was working at a car dealership, and they went on to date for three years. Then in 1992, they rekindled their relationship and got married a few years later,...
- 1/31/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, the longtime wife of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson who helped guide his personal and career resurgence and was played by Elizabeth Banks in the 2014 biopic Love & Mercy, died Tuesday. She was 77. Her husband revealed the news in a touching social media post.
“My heart is broken,” Wilson wrote. “Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost. Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career.” He added in a subsequent post: “She was my anchor. She was everything for us.”
She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us. Please say a prayer for her.
Love and Mercy Brian
— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) January 30, 2024
Born on October 3, 1946, in Pueblo, Co, Ledbetter Wilson had a long career...
“My heart is broken,” Wilson wrote. “Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost. Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career.” He added in a subsequent post: “She was my anchor. She was everything for us.”
She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us. Please say a prayer for her.
Love and Mercy Brian
— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) January 30, 2024
Born on October 3, 1946, in Pueblo, Co, Ledbetter Wilson had a long career...
- 1/31/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson shared Tuesday that his longtime wife Melinda Ledbetter has died. She was 77.
Wilson announced the news in an Instagram post, jointly captioned with his five children, in which he detailed the emotional battle he and his family are fighting.
“My heart is broken. Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning. Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost,” Wilson wrote.
In a second portion of the post, which was coupled with images of Wilson and a solo photo of Ledbetter, Ledbetter’s children shared their thoughts about their mother.
“It is with a heavy heart that we let everyone know that our mom, Melinda Kay Ledbetter Wilson, passed away peacefully this morning at home,” the post read. “She was a force of nature and one of the strongest women you could come by. She was not only a model,...
Wilson announced the news in an Instagram post, jointly captioned with his five children, in which he detailed the emotional battle he and his family are fighting.
“My heart is broken. Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning. Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost,” Wilson wrote.
In a second portion of the post, which was coupled with images of Wilson and a solo photo of Ledbetter, Ledbetter’s children shared their thoughts about their mother.
“It is with a heavy heart that we let everyone know that our mom, Melinda Kay Ledbetter Wilson, passed away peacefully this morning at home,” the post read. “She was a force of nature and one of the strongest women you could come by. She was not only a model,...
- 1/30/2024
- by Raquel 'Rocky' Harris
- The Wrap
Melinda Wilson, wife of Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, mother of his five youngest children, and the key architect of his comeback, died Tuesday of unknown causes. She was 77.
“My heart is broken,” Brian Wilson wrote in a statement. “Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost. Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us.
“My heart is broken,” Brian Wilson wrote in a statement. “Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost. Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us.
- 1/30/2024
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
The Hollywood biographical drama — or biopic, to use the word that always makes it sound like a dental instrument — is enjoying its mega-moment. “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan’s three-hour epic about the father of the atomic bomb, proved that a story-of-a-life movie could be as big and coruscating as the cosmos; not so incidentally, it’s garnered Nolan the most ecstatic reviews of his career. Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” has also won audiences and acclaim. In telling the story of Priscilla Presley, who met Elvis when she was 14 and spent six years married to a slowly dissolving mirage, the film takes us through the looking glass of pop-music fame. In Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” the lives of Leonard Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre, become a rapturous study in love, sexuality, bigotry, creativity and the mysteries of marriage. And “Ferrari,” Michael Mann’s upcoming drama about the Italian automaker, is a...
- 11/30/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Denise Gough and Keira Knightley in Colette Photo: Bleeker Street Colette, 11.15pm, BBC2, Monday, November 20
Wash Westmoreland's film about the Belle Époque writer follows her on her journey to liberation from her naive provincial upbringing. She begins to blossom as her books about saucy schoolgirl Claudine - sold under the name of her husband Willy (Dominic West) start to fly off the shelves. There's an engaging complexity to the relationship between Willy and Colette which twists as the film progresses. Denise Gough also puts in a scene-stealing supporting performance as Missy, with whom Colette engages in a same-sex relationship. Beyond the impressive performances, the period is beautifully rendered and despite the film's consideration of ownership, oppression and control ultimately plays like a celebration of freedom of thought. Read what Westmoreland had to say about the influence of Max Ophüls, La Belle Époque and on the relationships in Colette.
Love & Mercy,...
Wash Westmoreland's film about the Belle Époque writer follows her on her journey to liberation from her naive provincial upbringing. She begins to blossom as her books about saucy schoolgirl Claudine - sold under the name of her husband Willy (Dominic West) start to fly off the shelves. There's an engaging complexity to the relationship between Willy and Colette which twists as the film progresses. Denise Gough also puts in a scene-stealing supporting performance as Missy, with whom Colette engages in a same-sex relationship. Beyond the impressive performances, the period is beautifully rendered and despite the film's consideration of ownership, oppression and control ultimately plays like a celebration of freedom of thought. Read what Westmoreland had to say about the influence of Max Ophüls, La Belle Époque and on the relationships in Colette.
Love & Mercy,...
- 11/20/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Paul Giamatti turned in one of the best performances of 2004 in Alexander Payne‘s “Sideways.” He played Miles, a depressed writer who takes a trip to Santa Barbara County to celebrate his friend’s (Thomas Haden Church) engagement. He reap bids at the Critics Choice, SAG and Golden Globes awards. It was shock when he was snubbed at the Oscars in favor of eventual winner Jamie Foxx (“Ray”) plus Don Cheadle (“Hotel Rwanda”), Johnny Depp (“Finding Neverland”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Aviator”), and Clint Eastwood (“Million Dollar Baby”).
The academy can finally rectify that oversight as Giamatti and Payne have reunited for “The Holdovers,” which Focus Features is releasing on Oct. 27. Giamatti is a curmudgeon of a teacher forced to stay behind and look after students staying at his school throughout the holiday period. Dominic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph are great in supporting roles but it’s Giamatti who is the star of the picture.
The academy can finally rectify that oversight as Giamatti and Payne have reunited for “The Holdovers,” which Focus Features is releasing on Oct. 27. Giamatti is a curmudgeon of a teacher forced to stay behind and look after students staying at his school throughout the holiday period. Dominic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph are great in supporting roles but it’s Giamatti who is the star of the picture.
- 10/18/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Fans of America’s most idiosyncratic director are in luck: Wes Anderson’s second film of the year is now just a few clicks away. It seems almost guaranteed to earn him an Oscar nomination, and it’s the movie on this list that’s likeliest to break through in any category.
The contender to watch this week: “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar“
Big-name directors could monopolize Best Live Action Short Film at next year’s Oscars, with Pedro Almodóvar and Wes Anderson having each made movies that clock in under 40 minutes. “Henry Sugar” is the first of four Roald Dahl adaptations Anderson has shepherded for Netflix, this one starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a wealthy 1930s gambler who finds a fantastical way to cheat. It’s dense, delightful, and arguably a more impactful distillation of Anderson’s style than his other 2023 movie, “Asteroid City.” Three other shorts, including “The Swan...
The contender to watch this week: “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar“
Big-name directors could monopolize Best Live Action Short Film at next year’s Oscars, with Pedro Almodóvar and Wes Anderson having each made movies that clock in under 40 minutes. “Henry Sugar” is the first of four Roald Dahl adaptations Anderson has shepherded for Netflix, this one starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a wealthy 1930s gambler who finds a fantastical way to cheat. It’s dense, delightful, and arguably a more impactful distillation of Anderson’s style than his other 2023 movie, “Asteroid City.” Three other shorts, including “The Swan...
- 9/30/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
Paul Dano was determined to make the Riddler seem as real as possible for Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.”
Dano starred opposite Robert Pattinson in the 2022 Warner Bros. superhero film. “It’s always been hard for me to lie,” Dano told The Guardian of his approach to acting. “I’ve got to believe in what I’m doing. And then I’m going have to talk about it afterwards. That’s pretty painful if you don’t like it. Then you’d feel like a politician or a salesman.”
The “Dumb Money” star added, “As an actor, you’re always looking for anything to grab on to. What’s behind that door? What’s under that rock? Anything that’ll help.”
Writer-director Reeves recalled Dano doing “70 or 80 takes” opposite Pattinson across two days of production for the final scene between the Riddler and Batman.
“Paul loves doing a lot of takes,...
Dano starred opposite Robert Pattinson in the 2022 Warner Bros. superhero film. “It’s always been hard for me to lie,” Dano told The Guardian of his approach to acting. “I’ve got to believe in what I’m doing. And then I’m going have to talk about it afterwards. That’s pretty painful if you don’t like it. Then you’d feel like a politician or a salesman.”
The “Dumb Money” star added, “As an actor, you’re always looking for anything to grab on to. What’s behind that door? What’s under that rock? Anything that’ll help.”
Writer-director Reeves recalled Dano doing “70 or 80 takes” opposite Pattinson across two days of production for the final scene between the Riddler and Batman.
“Paul loves doing a lot of takes,...
- 9/18/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
With the release of his new film Dumb Money, the endlessly versatile actor talks about turning his back on blockbusters, struggling to lie – and exploring his dark side
There is versatility in acting and then there is Paul Dano. No sooner had he been seen last year as the masked, panting, clingfilm-wrapped Riddler, who dispatches his victims with hammers and bombs in The Batman, than he turned up as the placid, moon-faced parent based on Steven Spielberg’s own father in The Fabelmans.
Dano has more than two decades of full-blooded, often deranged performances behind him, such as the wheedling preacher in There Will Be Blood and a suspected child abductor in Prisoners. He has also been fragile and huggable as the silent, surly teen in Little Miss Sunshine, the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy, and Pierre in the BBC’s War and Peace where, as historian Simon Schama put it,...
There is versatility in acting and then there is Paul Dano. No sooner had he been seen last year as the masked, panting, clingfilm-wrapped Riddler, who dispatches his victims with hammers and bombs in The Batman, than he turned up as the placid, moon-faced parent based on Steven Spielberg’s own father in The Fabelmans.
Dano has more than two decades of full-blooded, often deranged performances behind him, such as the wheedling preacher in There Will Be Blood and a suspected child abductor in Prisoners. He has also been fragile and huggable as the silent, surly teen in Little Miss Sunshine, the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy, and Pierre in the BBC’s War and Peace where, as historian Simon Schama put it,...
- 9/15/2023
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Jimmy Buffett, who died Friday, was remembered today by his famous friends as the quintessential songwriter, an artist whose work ran deeper than the popular images of lazy days on the beach.
Kenny Chesney, who had Buffett join him on a remake of Buffett’s “Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season” on Chesney’s 2018 album, Songs for the Saints, posted a video Saturday morning. He remembered Buffett with a rendition from the beach in Key West, Florida, singing Buffett’s song A Pirate Looks at Forty” on Instagram.
“So goodbye Jimmy. Thanks for your friendship and the songs I will carry in my heart forever. Sail On Sailor...
Kenny Chesney, who had Buffett join him on a remake of Buffett’s “Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season” on Chesney’s 2018 album, Songs for the Saints, posted a video Saturday morning. He remembered Buffett with a rendition from the beach in Key West, Florida, singing Buffett’s song A Pirate Looks at Forty” on Instagram.
“So goodbye Jimmy. Thanks for your friendship and the songs I will carry in my heart forever. Sail On Sailor...
- 9/2/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar-nominated producer Bill Pohlad has a long history of aligning himself with auteurs on award-winning fare—from Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain to Terrence Malick on the Palme d’Or winning The Tree of Life to Steve McQueen’s Oscar Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave, and getting financially behind them with his River Road Entertainment banner. We talk with Pohlad on Crew Call today about his third career feature as director, Dreamin’ Wild, based on the New York Times Steven Kurutz article about the Fruitland, Wa-based Emerson brothers whose dad literally bet the farm (mortgaging it to the tune of $100K) on the duo’s singing talents in the 1970s, and built them a studio. They didn’t make it initially — not until 2008 when the album they made some near 40 years prior, “Dreamin’ Wild,” was discovered by a record collector in Spokane, Jack Fleischer, and championed fervently. The...
- 8/9/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Festivals past are populating a busy specialty market this weekend with films from Sundance and Venice. Sony Pictures Classics is giving Randall Park’s Shortcomings a substantial 400+ screen release. See Deadline review. Mubi is out with Passages in New York and LA – both premiered to critical acclaim in Park City.
There’s been some drama around the latter after the MPA gave the Ira Sachs film an Nc-17 rating, which Mubi “officially rejected.” The distributor/streamer/producer said it “remains committed to releasing Passages nationwide in its original version as the filmmaker intended, with our full backing, unrated and uncut.” Rates a 94% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, Deadline review here.
Casey Affleck and Noah Jupe-starring Dreamin’ Wild from Roadside Attractions on 400 screens follows the life of singer-musician brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson. Deadline review. Magnolia’s A Compassionate Spy, coming in the wake of blockbuster Oppenheimer, is an espionage...
There’s been some drama around the latter after the MPA gave the Ira Sachs film an Nc-17 rating, which Mubi “officially rejected.” The distributor/streamer/producer said it “remains committed to releasing Passages nationwide in its original version as the filmmaker intended, with our full backing, unrated and uncut.” Rates a 94% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, Deadline review here.
Casey Affleck and Noah Jupe-starring Dreamin’ Wild from Roadside Attractions on 400 screens follows the life of singer-musician brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson. Deadline review. Magnolia’s A Compassionate Spy, coming in the wake of blockbuster Oppenheimer, is an espionage...
- 8/4/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The true story of the late-blooming musical duo, Emerson Brothers, at the heart of Bill Pohlad’s elegiac yet bizarrely dull “Dreamin’ Wild” goes a bit like that of Rodriguez, the Michigan-based musician followed in the Oscar-winning documentary, “Searching for Sugarman.”
Growing up amid modest means at their hardworking family’s Washington State farm, Donnie and Joe Emerson were two teenagers in love with making music. A real talent often charges family-wide operations of this sort—in the Emerson clan that was Donnie, a gifted songwriter on his guitar and an expressive soloist to boot, with boundless aspirations for the future of his still young life.
On the drums was his older sibling Joe, for whom music had never been an all-or-nothing pursuit. Through much sacrifice and support from their caring family the two released their only record, “Dreamin’ Wild,” in the late ’70s, a soulful, genuinely beautiful album doomed with the dead-end,...
Growing up amid modest means at their hardworking family’s Washington State farm, Donnie and Joe Emerson were two teenagers in love with making music. A real talent often charges family-wide operations of this sort—in the Emerson clan that was Donnie, a gifted songwriter on his guitar and an expressive soloist to boot, with boundless aspirations for the future of his still young life.
On the drums was his older sibling Joe, for whom music had never been an all-or-nothing pursuit. Through much sacrifice and support from their caring family the two released their only record, “Dreamin’ Wild,” in the late ’70s, a soulful, genuinely beautiful album doomed with the dead-end,...
- 8/2/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- The Wrap
In some ways, August is a month of endings, at least on television. Both Billions and Archer begin their final seasons as does a great, unusual comedy covered below. But as melancholy as that sounds, there’s plenty of new stuff on the horizon, too, including everything from a new take on (part of) Dracula and an ambitious miniseries about the opioid crisis. We’ll kick things off with a fresh take on an old favorite. Here’s everything you should watch in theaters, plus more on Prime Video, Hulu,...
- 8/1/2023
- by Keith Phipps
- Rollingstone.com
Writer-director Bill Pohlad’s Dreamin’ Wild movingly dramatizes the real-life story of Donnie (Casey Affleck) and Joe Emerson (Walton Goggins), two unassuming, blue-collar brothers from Fruitland, Washington, and their winding road to success. In 1979, the teenaged Emersons recorded the titular album in a studio built by their supportive father, Don Sr. (Beau Bridges). It was quickly forgotten, but in the early 2010s, after the rediscovery of the LP in an antique store, the brothers become underground cult heroes.
Pohlad is uninterested in turning the film into a checklist of the escalating milestones and setbacks in the Emerson brothers’ history, as evidenced by the fact that we mostly get a sense of these events via offhand comments and off-screen background chatter. And yet, we still get a profound sense of how those events shape the experiences of the Emerson brothers.
That much is clear from a number of wonderfully crafted moments,...
Pohlad is uninterested in turning the film into a checklist of the escalating milestones and setbacks in the Emerson brothers’ history, as evidenced by the fact that we mostly get a sense of these events via offhand comments and off-screen background chatter. And yet, we still get a profound sense of how those events shape the experiences of the Emerson brothers.
That much is clear from a number of wonderfully crafted moments,...
- 7/30/2023
- by Wes Greene
- Slant Magazine
After producing such movies as The Tree of Life, 12 Years a Slave, Brokeback Mountain, A Prairie Home Companion, and Into the Wild, Bill Pohlad returned to the director’s chat with his Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy. He’s now back with his next feature, which finds him returning to the world of music.
Starring Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins, Chris Messina, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Beau Bridges, Dreamin’ Wild tells the story of music duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, whose work in the 1970s was only discovered and appreciated three decades later. Ahead of an August 4 release, the first trailer has now arrived.
Featuring the original music from Donnie Emerson, the official synopsis notes, “While the album’s rediscovery brings hopes of second chances, it also brings long-buried emotions as Donnie, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, and father Don Sr. come to terms with the past and their newly found fame.
Starring Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins, Chris Messina, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Beau Bridges, Dreamin’ Wild tells the story of music duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, whose work in the 1970s was only discovered and appreciated three decades later. Ahead of an August 4 release, the first trailer has now arrived.
Featuring the original music from Donnie Emerson, the official synopsis notes, “While the album’s rediscovery brings hopes of second chances, it also brings long-buried emotions as Donnie, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, and father Don Sr. come to terms with the past and their newly found fame.
- 7/3/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Donnie and Joe Emerson were teenage wannabe pop star brothers when they recorded Dreamin’ Wild, a 1979 album that fell into obscurity until Light in the Attic Records gave it a second chance. Their story is the basis of the upcoming biopic Dreamin’ Wild, which comes out Aug. 4.
The trailer depicts the bothers both as teens, figuring out how to make an album with their father’s encouragement, as well as grownups when Light in the Attic convinced them that re-releasing the album would be a good idea. The two-and-a-half–minute...
The trailer depicts the bothers both as teens, figuring out how to make an album with their father’s encouragement, as well as grownups when Light in the Attic convinced them that re-releasing the album would be a good idea. The two-and-a-half–minute...
- 6/30/2023
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Roadside Attractions has dropped a trailer for “Dreamin’ Wild,” Bill Pohlad’s follow-up to 2015’s “Love & Mercy.” The film stars Oscar winner Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”) and Emmy nominee Walton Goggins (“The Hateful Eight”) as brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson, musicians who unexpectedly find success when the owner of a boutique label (“Air’s” Chris Messina) wants to revive an incomplete album they self-released three decades earlier. This bittersweet stroke of luck dredges up a painful past but also provides the opportunity for closure. Noah Jupe (“A Quiet Place”) and Jack Dylan Grazer (“It”) portray the pair as teens. Beau Bridges co-stars as their father, and Zooey Deschanel plays Donnie’s wife, singer Nancy Sophia.
The film, based on a longform essay by New York Times reporter Steven Kurutz titled “Fruitland,” premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, where Marshall Shaffer (The Playlist) wrote, “‘Dreamin’ Wild’ amounts to...
The film, based on a longform essay by New York Times reporter Steven Kurutz titled “Fruitland,” premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, where Marshall Shaffer (The Playlist) wrote, “‘Dreamin’ Wild’ amounts to...
- 6/30/2023
- by Ronald Meyer
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Following the successful theatrical run of her latest directorial effort Cocaine Bear, a Uni horror comedy that grossed over $87M worldwide, Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect franchise) has been set to topline Skincare, a new film from Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment and producers Jonathan Schwartz and Logan Lerman, which wrapped production prior to the writers’ strike.
Starring alongside Banks are Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose), Luis Gerardo Méndez (The Resort) and Nathan Fillion (The Rookie).
Directed by Austin Peters, Skincare is described as a vanity thriller set in Hollywood, though specifics as to its plot are under wraps. Peters wrote the script with Deering Regan and Sam Freilich. The film is the third on which Schwartz and Lerman have collaborated on as producers following A24’s The Vanishing of Sidney Hall and Cj Enm’s Press Play. Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi financed and produced...
Starring alongside Banks are Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose), Luis Gerardo Méndez (The Resort) and Nathan Fillion (The Rookie).
Directed by Austin Peters, Skincare is described as a vanity thriller set in Hollywood, though specifics as to its plot are under wraps. Peters wrote the script with Deering Regan and Sam Freilich. The film is the third on which Schwartz and Lerman have collaborated on as producers following A24’s The Vanishing of Sidney Hall and Cj Enm’s Press Play. Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi financed and produced...
- 6/26/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Most film fans in the ‘80s got their first glimpse of John Cusack on the big screen as one of Anthony Michael Hall’s buddies who placed a bet that requires that their pal to secure a pair of Molly Ringwald’s panties in the John Hughes teen comedy “Sixteen Candles.” Hey, everyone has to start somewhere. Consider that his sister Joan was reduced to playing “Geek Girl” with an awkward brace around neck.
It was uphill from there as Cusack, with his ironically humorous takes on leading manhood, became one of the more in-demand male stars for the next two decades, working with such top-notch directors as John Sayles, Rob Reiner, Cameron Crowe, Stephen Frears, Spike Jonze, Woody Allen, Terrence Malick and Mike Newell. Somehow, Cusack has been under the radar when it comes to be nominated for major awards as a performer. But he has made considerable contributions...
It was uphill from there as Cusack, with his ironically humorous takes on leading manhood, became one of the more in-demand male stars for the next two decades, working with such top-notch directors as John Sayles, Rob Reiner, Cameron Crowe, Stephen Frears, Spike Jonze, Woody Allen, Terrence Malick and Mike Newell. Somehow, Cusack has been under the radar when it comes to be nominated for major awards as a performer. But he has made considerable contributions...
- 6/24/2023
- by Susan Wloszczyna, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: The Exchange has added Bill Pohlad’s Dreamin’ Wild starring Casey Affleck, Noah Jupe and Zooey Deschanel to its Cannes slate.
Roadside Attractions, which snapped up North American rights for the film following its Out of Competition Venice premiere, will release the film theatrically on August 4.
Dreamin’ Wild is the third film from Pohlad, who is also known for his Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated work as a producer including 12 Years A Slave, The Tree Of Life and A Monster Calls.
The drama is inspired by the real-life story of Donnie and Joe Emerson, two brothers living in the Washington State rural town of Fruitland, who were catapulted to fame in the 2010s after an album they self-recorded in the 1970s was re-discovered by music critics.
Oscar-winning Manchester By The Sea actor Affleck plays Donnie, a working dad who tries to keep his dreams of rock stardom alive...
Roadside Attractions, which snapped up North American rights for the film following its Out of Competition Venice premiere, will release the film theatrically on August 4.
Dreamin’ Wild is the third film from Pohlad, who is also known for his Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated work as a producer including 12 Years A Slave, The Tree Of Life and A Monster Calls.
The drama is inspired by the real-life story of Donnie and Joe Emerson, two brothers living in the Washington State rural town of Fruitland, who were catapulted to fame in the 2010s after an album they self-recorded in the 1970s was re-discovered by music critics.
Oscar-winning Manchester By The Sea actor Affleck plays Donnie, a working dad who tries to keep his dreams of rock stardom alive...
- 5/12/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s the age of the biopic, and many filmmakers are turning to classic rock artists as their subjects. It makes sense — their music has moved people for decades, and their lives are usually full of enough intrigue to fill at least one film. As news of the new Bob Dylan biopic continues to trickle out and we not-so-patiently await a Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac movie, here are six classic rock biopics to watch.
The Beatles | Central Press/Getty Images ‘Love & Mercy’
The 2014 film Love & Mercy stars Paul Dano and John Cusack as The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. The film alternates between the 1960s, as Wilson works on the seminal Pet Sounds, and the 1980s, as he grapples with his mental health and begins a new relationship. Wilson himself said that upon watching the film, he was astonished by both portrayals of him, particularly Dano’s.
“Well, he looked...
The Beatles | Central Press/Getty Images ‘Love & Mercy’
The 2014 film Love & Mercy stars Paul Dano and John Cusack as The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. The film alternates between the 1960s, as Wilson works on the seminal Pet Sounds, and the 1980s, as he grapples with his mental health and begins a new relationship. Wilson himself said that upon watching the film, he was astonished by both portrayals of him, particularly Dano’s.
“Well, he looked...
- 4/13/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
“Love & Mercy” director Bill Pohlad is back with another offbeat musician biopic called “Dreamin’ Wild,” which was just acquired by Roadside Pictures (who also released “Love & Mercy”).
This time around Pohland is charting the life of Donnie and Joe Emerson, who recorded an album called “Dreamin’ Wild” in the late 1970s at a state-of-the-art studio built by their father on the family’s 1600-acre farm in rural Washington. The album didn’t do anything and Donnie embarked on an equally obscure solo career. But in 2012, the album was rediscovered as a lost classic and re-released by hip Seattle-based record label Light in the Attic Records. (Ariel Pink also covered a song from the album around that time.)
“While the album’s rediscovery brings hopes of second chances, it also brings long-buried emotions as Donnie, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, and father Don Sr. come to terms with the...
This time around Pohland is charting the life of Donnie and Joe Emerson, who recorded an album called “Dreamin’ Wild” in the late 1970s at a state-of-the-art studio built by their father on the family’s 1600-acre farm in rural Washington. The album didn’t do anything and Donnie embarked on an equally obscure solo career. But in 2012, the album was rediscovered as a lost classic and re-released by hip Seattle-based record label Light in the Attic Records. (Ariel Pink also covered a song from the album around that time.)
“While the album’s rediscovery brings hopes of second chances, it also brings long-buried emotions as Donnie, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, and father Don Sr. come to terms with the...
- 3/30/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Roadside Attractions has picked up the North American rights to Dreamin’ Wild, the Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel-starring music biopic that debuted in Venice.
Bill Pohlad directed the film that is set to hit theaters Aug. 4. Roadside released Pohlad’s 2014 feature Love & Mercy, a portrait of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys that marked his feature directorial debut.
Dreamin’ Wild captures the real-life story of musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, whose family leveraged their farm in the 1970s to produce the brothers’ record Dreamin’ Wild. The album languished until it was rediscovered nearly 30 years after its release, creating an unexpected music career for the Emerson brothers.
“I’m honored to be back with Roadside Attractions for my next film since Love & Mercy. I’m hoping that audiences will connect with this family’s heart-felt story as much as with Donnie’s extraordinary music,” Pohlad said in a statement on Thursday.
Bill Pohlad directed the film that is set to hit theaters Aug. 4. Roadside released Pohlad’s 2014 feature Love & Mercy, a portrait of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys that marked his feature directorial debut.
Dreamin’ Wild captures the real-life story of musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, whose family leveraged their farm in the 1970s to produce the brothers’ record Dreamin’ Wild. The album languished until it was rediscovered nearly 30 years after its release, creating an unexpected music career for the Emerson brothers.
“I’m honored to be back with Roadside Attractions for my next film since Love & Mercy. I’m hoping that audiences will connect with this family’s heart-felt story as much as with Donnie’s extraordinary music,” Pohlad said in a statement on Thursday.
- 3/30/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Roadside Attractions has acquired North American rights to “Dreamin’ Wild,” a drama about the rediscovery of singer and songwriter Donnie Emerson after years spent in obscurity. The film, which was directed by Bill Pohlad, a filmmaker who unearthed gold from another music industry saga with his 2014 Brian Wilson film “Love & Mercy,” premiered at Venice. “Dreamin’ Wild,” a reference to an album that Donnie released with his brother Joe Emerson, will open nationwide only in theaters on Aug. 4.
Roadside previously released “Love & Mercy,” making this a reunion for the filmmaker and distributor. The film centers on the critical reevaluation of “Dreamin’ Wild,” and the impact that second chance has on Donnie, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, and father Don Sr. as they must come to terms their new fame. Pohlad uses two different actors to explore the real-life characters in different time periods, just as he did in “Love & Mercy...
Roadside previously released “Love & Mercy,” making this a reunion for the filmmaker and distributor. The film centers on the critical reevaluation of “Dreamin’ Wild,” and the impact that second chance has on Donnie, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, and father Don Sr. as they must come to terms their new fame. Pohlad uses two different actors to explore the real-life characters in different time periods, just as he did in “Love & Mercy...
- 3/30/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Roadside Attractions has nabbed North American rights to the drama Dreamin’ Wild, telling the true story of musician brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson, slating it for release in theaters nationwide on August 4th.
Related Story Venice Review: Casey Affleck In ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ Related Story Sundance Prize Winner 'The Pod Generation' Starring Emilia Clarke & Chiwetel Ejiofor Set For Release By Roadside Attractions & Vertical Related Story Michael Stuhlbarg Joins Matt Damon And Casey Affleck In 'The Instigators'
The film starring Academy Award winner Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Noah Jupe (Honey Boy) and Emmy and Golden Globe nom Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer) puts Oscar- and Emmy-nominated writer-director Bill Pohlad back in business with Roadside, which with Lionsgate released his last acclaimed film Love & Mercy on Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson.
Its central question is, what if a childhood dream suddenly came true — but 30 years later? That...
Related Story Venice Review: Casey Affleck In ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ Related Story Sundance Prize Winner 'The Pod Generation' Starring Emilia Clarke & Chiwetel Ejiofor Set For Release By Roadside Attractions & Vertical Related Story Michael Stuhlbarg Joins Matt Damon And Casey Affleck In 'The Instigators'
The film starring Academy Award winner Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Noah Jupe (Honey Boy) and Emmy and Golden Globe nom Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer) puts Oscar- and Emmy-nominated writer-director Bill Pohlad back in business with Roadside, which with Lionsgate released his last acclaimed film Love & Mercy on Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson.
Its central question is, what if a childhood dream suddenly came true — but 30 years later? That...
- 3/30/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
I have been tracking producer Sol Bondy since 2016 when co-production The Happiest Day in the Life of Ölli Mäki won the Un Certain Regard Grand Prize and the European Film Award for Best Debut. He and Fred Burle have been developing The Girl from Köln (aka Köln 75) with writer-director Ido Fluk, the filmmaker behind 2016 Tribeca selection The Ticket since 2019. "This project has been very close to our hearts in the last few years and we're very excited with the way it's been shaped so far," said Bondy, a Variety Producer to Watch in 2018. "It's been such a joy working with Ido on this exciting story and we're thrilled to have put an amazing team together," added Burle, Brazilian born producer who was just made a partner in One Two Films, alongside co-founders Sol Bondy and Christoph Lange. Burle joined One Two in January 2017, having graduated from the German Film and Television Academy (dffb) the previous year. He has previously worked as a film critic, at The Match Factory, and as curator of the inaugural dffb film festival. One Two Films has produced and co-produced award-winning films such as Holy Spider (Read my blog about it here), Vadim Perelman's Persian Lessons (Read my blog about it here), Jennifer Fox's Sundance breakout The Tale, Isabel Coixet's The Bookshop and Juho Kuosmanen's The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki.Other titles in the pipeline include Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson's dark comedy Northern Comfort, which premieres in SXSW later this month, Annemarie Jacir's survival drama The Oblivion Theory, Sarah Arnold's debut feature Wild Encounters and Michiel ten Horn's romantic comedy Any Other Night. In Berlin this year it was announced that Bankside would be The Girl from Köln's international sales agent and was launching sales. Alamode Film already has German-speaking territories and is a coproducer, who have very recently secured funding through the Fff, the local fund in Bavaria. It is in early pre-production and will shoot this year in Poland and Germany. The Girl from Köln tells the little-known story of Vera Brandes, who, in 1975, at the age of 17, staged the famous Köln Concert by jazz musician Keith Jarrett, which became the top-selling jazz solo album of all time. With Polish Film Institute backing, Oscar-winning Polish producer Ewa Puszczynska (Ida, Cold War) of Extreme Emotions is co-producing along with Annegret Weitkämper-Krug of Germany's Gretchenfilm (Seneca). Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Oren Moverman (Love & Mercy, Bad Education) serves as executive producer. Moverman also produced Fluk's previous feature, The Ticket. The Tale writer-director Jennifer Fox also serves as executive producer. Stephen Kelliher and Sophie Green executive produce for Bankside. It stars Mala Emde (Skin Deep, And Tomorrow the Entire World) in the lead role, alongside John Magaro (Past Lives) as Jarrett. Magaro was also in Cannes last year with Kelly Reichardt's competition title Showing Up.Other cast attached include Alexander Scheer (Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush), Ulrich Tukur (The Life of Others), Susanne Wolff (Sisi & I, Styx), Jördis Triebel (Dark), Jan Bülow (Lindenberg) and Marie-Lou Sellem (Tar, Exit Marrakesh). The NYU-graduate Fluk was dubbed "a talent to watch" by Variety following his feature debut Never Too Late, the first crowd-sourced Israeli film ever made. His American debut, the Tribeca competition selection, The Ticket, starred Dan Stevens and Malin Akerman. Upcoming projects include 24 Hours in June, a retelling of the final day in the life of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union, to be produced by Academy Award winner James Schamus (Brokeback Mountain) and Joe Pirro (Driveways). Fluk is repped by Amotz Zakai, Amy Schiffman, and Kegan Schell at Echo Lake Entertainment. He is also created the recently-announced HBO series Empty Mansions for Fremantle with director Joe Wright (Atonement, Darkest Hour) attached to direct the pilot. "From the moment I heard Vera's story, about how as a high school teenager she organized one of the greatest concerts in history, I knew her story had to be told," said Fluk. "We were immediately exhilarated by Vera Brandes' remarkable female empowerment story. Her strength, courage and sheer belief in herself and the music of Keith Jarrett will entertain and inspire audiences around the world," added Kelliher.
- 3/5/2023
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: John Cusack has signed with APA for representation after less than half a year with Gersh.
The signing of the iconic actor, writer and producer continues the agency’s momentum under the leadership of President Jim Osborne and Head of Global Talent Andrew Rogers, who came to APA from ICM Partners after the latter’s acquisition by CAA. APA has, in the last month alone, signed such notable talents as William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Donnie Yen and Grown-ish star Trevor Jackson. Big signings in the second half of 2022 included Regina Hall, Ken Jeong, Nathalie Emmanuel, Marc Maron, Michael Rainey Jr., Russell Hornsby and Michael Cera.
Cusack is a Golden Globe, WGA and BAFTA Award nominee who over the course of around four decades, has worked with a who’s who of directors including Rob Reiner, Spike Lee, Cameron Crowe, James Mangold, Lee Daniels, Clint Eastwood, Spike Jonze, Woody Allen,...
The signing of the iconic actor, writer and producer continues the agency’s momentum under the leadership of President Jim Osborne and Head of Global Talent Andrew Rogers, who came to APA from ICM Partners after the latter’s acquisition by CAA. APA has, in the last month alone, signed such notable talents as William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Donnie Yen and Grown-ish star Trevor Jackson. Big signings in the second half of 2022 included Regina Hall, Ken Jeong, Nathalie Emmanuel, Marc Maron, Michael Rainey Jr., Russell Hornsby and Michael Cera.
Cusack is a Golden Globe, WGA and BAFTA Award nominee who over the course of around four decades, has worked with a who’s who of directors including Rob Reiner, Spike Lee, Cameron Crowe, James Mangold, Lee Daniels, Clint Eastwood, Spike Jonze, Woody Allen,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Willie Nelson is many things – he’s a country music legend, a Texas icon, an outspoken activist and one of history’s most famous tax evaders. At 89, Nelson’s life so far has been colorful and gloriously overstuffed that it probably wouldn’t fit into a single documentary. That’s why “Willie Nelson & Family,” which just premiered at Sundance, isn’t a movie exactly, but an episodic independent series about his singular life and his music. TheWrap spoke to the series’ directors Tom Zimny and Oren Moverman at Sundance about how the film came together and finding their groove as filmmakers. “It was a great journey,” said Zimny.
Zimny, who has directed a number of Bruce Springsteen films, including 2019’s theatrical release “Western Stars,” and Moverman had never worked together (but Zimny had stuck him in the audience of one of the Springsteen movies) but it is clear from...
Zimny, who has directed a number of Bruce Springsteen films, including 2019’s theatrical release “Western Stars,” and Moverman had never worked together (but Zimny had stuck him in the audience of one of the Springsteen movies) but it is clear from...
- 1/25/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
These days everything and everyone is “iconic.” But here, at the center of five rich and unrushed episodes, is the real deal. As he approaches his 90th birthday, the composer of such immortal numbers as “Crazy,” “Night Life” and “On the Road Again” is still writing songs, still playing to concert crowds. Delving into the incomparable songbook, directors Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman show how Willie Nelson broke the country mold and transcended genre boxes, again and again. Their authorized biography — the musician’s wife and his manager are executive producers — is a love letter, to be sure, and like Nelson himself it doesn’t dwell on negativity, but there’s nothing simplistic or naive about it. Willie Nelson & Family is a portrait of a man who has made music and lived life on his own terms, in good times and bad.
The series is a reminder to the casual...
The series is a reminder to the casual...
- 1/25/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The nominations for the 95th Academy Awards were unveiled this morning, and while for some like Everything Everywhere All At Once, All Quiet On The Western Front and The Banshees of Inisherin the race to Oscar glory is on, there are some who never made it off the starting line.
Related Story Oscar Nominations: The Complete List Of Nominees Related Story Female Directors Shut Out Of This Year's Oscar Nominations Related Story Can 'Avatar: The Way of Water' & 'Top Gun: Maverick' Save The Oscars From A Ratings Slump?
Announced in the pre-dawn hours in Los Angeles by self-described “over caffeinated” past Oscar winner Riz Ahmed and M3gan star Allison Williams, the nominations covered a lot of ground with the blockbusters, streamer offerings and traditional dramas in the mix this year. However, not every contender made it into that nominations mix in the end.
Take a look...
Related Story Oscar Nominations: The Complete List Of Nominees Related Story Female Directors Shut Out Of This Year's Oscar Nominations Related Story Can 'Avatar: The Way of Water' & 'Top Gun: Maverick' Save The Oscars From A Ratings Slump?
Announced in the pre-dawn hours in Los Angeles by self-described “over caffeinated” past Oscar winner Riz Ahmed and M3gan star Allison Williams, the nominations covered a lot of ground with the blockbusters, streamer offerings and traditional dramas in the mix this year. However, not every contender made it into that nominations mix in the end.
Take a look...
- 1/24/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Not many films hit an emotional crescendo around the publication of a Pitchfork review, but Bill Pohlad’s “Dreamin’ Wild” is sufficiently sincere and embedded in musical nerdery to make it work. As onetime brother act Donnie and Joe Emerson huddle with their family around a 30-years-late evaluation of the album they recorded as teenagers, one particular critical reference sends them giddily reeling: “To twist a Brian Wilson phrase,” it reads, “[the album] is a godlike symphony to teenhood.” For fortysomething Donnie, who has spent his whole adult life scrambling for anyone to listen to his music — let alone love it — the mere mention of his musical hero in relation to his work is a crowning triumph: Donnie, as played by a typically disheveled, downcast Casey Affleck, looks briefly, guardedly happy for a moment, and this often melancholic film is suddenly suffused with well-being.
For those who remember Pohlad’s last film,...
For those who remember Pohlad’s last film,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The Emersons are modest people. Running a farm, along with raising children to be decent, God-fearing and hard-working, is an all-day, all-week business; there isn’t much time for pretension. Even among the rustling pine trees in their little bit of Washington state, however, teenage boys may pick at guitars, noodle out a few songs that sound a bit like the Eagles, imagine rock stardom and dream of being discovered. The true story of the Emerson brothers would be like thousands of others, except for the fact that they were discovered. And that they were discovered, thanks to the internet, 30 years too late.
Venice Film Festival 2022 Photos
Donnie Emerson had taught himself to play most instruments and was writing and arranging songs by the time he hit his middle teens; the family rated him a genius. His older brother Joe played just-about-adequate drums, which meant they had a band. The...
Venice Film Festival 2022 Photos
Donnie Emerson had taught himself to play most instruments and was writing and arranging songs by the time he hit his middle teens; the family rated him a genius. His older brother Joe played just-about-adequate drums, which meant they had a band. The...
- 9/7/2022
- by Stephanie Bunbury
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
It may have been music critic Robert Christgau who once observed that the hardest works to write about are the ones that earn a B+, or are just on the cusp of A-. Mind you, that might have been said by Roger Ebert or a critic for The Hollywood Reporter or any reviewer since the beginning of time. The point is, it’s the imperceptible flaws that curb enthusiasm which are almost as impossible to define as whatever makes something extraordinary. What is the ineffable deficit between very good and great?
In a sense, Dreamin’ Wild is about that margin of error. Based on a true story recounted in a work of journalism called Fruitland by Steven Kurutz, it’s a tale of two musician brothers, Don and Joe Emerson (Casey Affleck and Walton Goggins, respectively). In the early 1980s as teenagers, the boys made an album,...
It may have been music critic Robert Christgau who once observed that the hardest works to write about are the ones that earn a B+, or are just on the cusp of A-. Mind you, that might have been said by Roger Ebert or a critic for The Hollywood Reporter or any reviewer since the beginning of time. The point is, it’s the imperceptible flaws that curb enthusiasm which are almost as impossible to define as whatever makes something extraordinary. What is the ineffable deficit between very good and great?
In a sense, Dreamin’ Wild is about that margin of error. Based on a true story recounted in a work of journalism called Fruitland by Steven Kurutz, it’s a tale of two musician brothers, Don and Joe Emerson (Casey Affleck and Walton Goggins, respectively). In the early 1980s as teenagers, the boys made an album,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lightning strikes twice for filmmaker Bill Pohlad in his sophomore feature “Dreamin’ Wild.” The producer-turned-writer-director follows up the promise of his bifurcated Brian Wilson biopic “Love & Mercy” with another moving tale of personal and artistic redemption. His recounting of Donnie and Joe Emerson’s resurgence over three decades after the release of their only album captures not just musicians but also something of the quality of the music itself.
Continue reading ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ Review: Bill Pohlad’s Emerson Brothers Tale Is The Cure For The Conventional Music Biopic [Venice] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ Review: Bill Pohlad’s Emerson Brothers Tale Is The Cure For The Conventional Music Biopic [Venice] at The Playlist.
- 9/7/2022
- by Marshall Shaffer
- The Playlist
Casey Affleck is taking time to reflect.
The actor, who settled two lawsuits in 2010 accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of Joaquin Phoenix’s mockumentary film “I’m Still Here,” harnessed his “more personal failures” to transform into musician Donnie Emerson for musical biopic “Dreamin’ Wild.”
The film, which premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, is written and directed by Bill Pohlad (“Love & Mercy”) and tells the story of musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson after their 1979 self-recorded album is re-discovered decades later. The film also stars Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins, Chris Messina, Noah Jupe, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Beau Bridges.
“I’ve experienced my share of failure so far, dashed hopes and collapsed dreams,” Affleck said during the Venice press conference, via Deadline. “These aren’t the worst of them, but I’ve been in a lot of movies that I thought would be great and they...
The actor, who settled two lawsuits in 2010 accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of Joaquin Phoenix’s mockumentary film “I’m Still Here,” harnessed his “more personal failures” to transform into musician Donnie Emerson for musical biopic “Dreamin’ Wild.”
The film, which premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, is written and directed by Bill Pohlad (“Love & Mercy”) and tells the story of musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson after their 1979 self-recorded album is re-discovered decades later. The film also stars Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins, Chris Messina, Noah Jupe, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Beau Bridges.
“I’ve experienced my share of failure so far, dashed hopes and collapsed dreams,” Affleck said during the Venice press conference, via Deadline. “These aren’t the worst of them, but I’ve been in a lot of movies that I thought would be great and they...
- 9/7/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Casey Affleck heaped praise on Andrew Dominik’s forthcoming Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde during a press conference for his latest film Dreamin’ Wild at the Venice Film Festival Wednesday.
“I’ve seen Blonde and it’s incredible,” Affleck told press corps. “I’ve seen a couple of versions of Blonde and it’s taken him [Dominik] a long time to get it out into the world. But that’s just how he is. He’s so slow with it. And it’s an amazing, beautiful film.”
Affleck began discussing the Nc-17-rated flick after he was asked about his relationship with the film’s director Andrew Dominik whom he worked with on The Assassination of Jesse James, which also debuted in Venice.
Later during the presser, Affleck continued to discuss his work with Dominik on The Assassination of Jesse James when he was asked about his personal regrets and how they...
“I’ve seen Blonde and it’s incredible,” Affleck told press corps. “I’ve seen a couple of versions of Blonde and it’s taken him [Dominik] a long time to get it out into the world. But that’s just how he is. He’s so slow with it. And it’s an amazing, beautiful film.”
Affleck began discussing the Nc-17-rated flick after he was asked about his relationship with the film’s director Andrew Dominik whom he worked with on The Assassination of Jesse James, which also debuted in Venice.
Later during the presser, Affleck continued to discuss his work with Dominik on The Assassination of Jesse James when he was asked about his personal regrets and how they...
- 9/7/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Stalwart indie filmmaker Bill Pohlad today premeres in Venice Dreamin’ Wild. His directing follow up to the critically acclaimed Brian Wilson film Love & Mercy also follows a music story, though one far less familiar. Casey Affleck, Noah Jupe, Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins and Beau Bridges star. When Donnie Emerson (played by Affleck and Jupe) was a teenager growing up on his father’s farm in Fruitland, Washington (population 791) he spent his days writing music and dreaming of becoming a music star. And everyone in the family became invested in that dream, including his brother Joe (Goggins) who became his drummer, and especially his father, Don Sr (Bridges). He mortgaged his farm to build a 100,000 recording studio, and more to help Donnie make and release his first record. It went nowhere and the bulk of the farm had to be sold when the loan came due. But 30 years later, the...
- 9/7/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
For the 79th Venice Film Festival, artistic director Alberto Barbera has put together one of the most well-curated lineups of his career. Both studios and streamers are well represented.
Netflix scored an opening-night coup with Noah Baumbach’s White Noise, with buzz promising that it’ll wow the Lido, alongside Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe biopic, Blonde, with Ana de Armas; Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Mexican epic Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths; and Romain Gavras’ French action thriller Athena.
Studio fare is well represented by Warner Bros.’ Don’t Worry Darling from director Olivia Wilde; Focus has Todd Field’s Tár with Cate Blanchett and Mark Strong; MGM will debut Luca Guadagnino’s Timothée Chalamet-Taylor Russell starrer Bones and All; Searchlight presents The Banshees of Inisherin from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri director Martin McDonagh; and Sony Pictures Classics will be...
For the 79th Venice Film Festival, artistic director Alberto Barbera has put together one of the most well-curated lineups of his career. Both studios and streamers are well represented.
Netflix scored an opening-night coup with Noah Baumbach’s White Noise, with buzz promising that it’ll wow the Lido, alongside Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe biopic, Blonde, with Ana de Armas; Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Mexican epic Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths; and Romain Gavras’ French action thriller Athena.
Studio fare is well represented by Warner Bros.’ Don’t Worry Darling from director Olivia Wilde; Focus has Todd Field’s Tár with Cate Blanchett and Mark Strong; MGM will debut Luca Guadagnino’s Timothée Chalamet-Taylor Russell starrer Bones and All; Searchlight presents The Banshees of Inisherin from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri director Martin McDonagh; and Sony Pictures Classics will be...
- 8/30/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Golden Globe, WGA and BAFTA Award nominee John Cusack has signed with Gersh for representation in all areas.
Cusack is an actor, writer and producer who, over the course of his career, has worked with such top-tier directors as Rob Reiner, Cameron Crowe, John Hughes, Stephen Frears, John Sayles, Spike Jonze, Terrence Malick, David Cronenberg, Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Lee Daniels and Roland Emmerich. His three decades of acclaimed film work includes starring roles in such classics as Say Anything, The Grifters, The Sure Thing, Eight Men Out, Bullets Over Broadway, Being John Malkovich and High Fidelity, which he also co-wrote and co-produced, as well as Grosse Point Blank, Love & Mercy, Maps to the Stars, Chi-Raq, The Paperboy, The Raven, 2012 and The Thin Red Line.
Cusack’s WGA and BAFTA Award nominations came for his contributions to the screenplay of Frears’ High Fidelity, with his Golden Globe nom...
Cusack is an actor, writer and producer who, over the course of his career, has worked with such top-tier directors as Rob Reiner, Cameron Crowe, John Hughes, Stephen Frears, John Sayles, Spike Jonze, Terrence Malick, David Cronenberg, Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Lee Daniels and Roland Emmerich. His three decades of acclaimed film work includes starring roles in such classics as Say Anything, The Grifters, The Sure Thing, Eight Men Out, Bullets Over Broadway, Being John Malkovich and High Fidelity, which he also co-wrote and co-produced, as well as Grosse Point Blank, Love & Mercy, Maps to the Stars, Chi-Raq, The Paperboy, The Raven, 2012 and The Thin Red Line.
Cusack’s WGA and BAFTA Award nominations came for his contributions to the screenplay of Frears’ High Fidelity, with his Golden Globe nom...
- 7/26/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Michaela Coel, John Turturro, and Paul Dano are joining in the “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” series at Amazon, Variety has learned exclusively.
The trio join previously announced series leads Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, who will star in the title roles. Exact character details for the other three actors are being kept under wraps, aside from the fact they will appear in guest star roles. John (Glover) and Jane (Erskine) as they are hired by a mysterious spy agency, venturing into espionage, marriage, and learning to intimately navigate both.
The castings represents a reunion of sorts for Turturro and Dano, who both starred in the hit DC film “The Batman,” though they did not share any scenes.
Coel is best known for the limited series “I May Destroy You. Coel created, directed, and executive produced the critically-acclaimed show in addition to starring in the lead role. She received four Emmy nominations for her work,...
The trio join previously announced series leads Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, who will star in the title roles. Exact character details for the other three actors are being kept under wraps, aside from the fact they will appear in guest star roles. John (Glover) and Jane (Erskine) as they are hired by a mysterious spy agency, venturing into espionage, marriage, and learning to intimately navigate both.
The castings represents a reunion of sorts for Turturro and Dano, who both starred in the hit DC film “The Batman,” though they did not share any scenes.
Coel is best known for the limited series “I May Destroy You. Coel created, directed, and executive produced the critically-acclaimed show in addition to starring in the lead role. She received four Emmy nominations for her work,...
- 6/29/2022
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – In 2015, I got the call that I would get an opportunity to interview legendary songwriter and pop artist Brian Wilson of the 1960s supergroup The Beach Boys. He was at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago introducing the bio-film “Love & Mercy.” Today (June 20th) is Brian Wilson’s 80th Birthday, and the interview is reprinted below.
Brian Douglas Wilson was a baby boomer born in California, the epicenter for his later pop song dreams. He grew up in an “authoritarian” household, run by his father Murry, which included his brothers – and future bandmates – Carl and Dennis Wilson. Blessed with a musical talent, Brian was pushed into the pop/rock scene of the early 1960s. The Beach Boys blazed onto the scene in 1961, with their first hit “Surfin’,” and followed it up with a string of hits that defined summer through the mid-1960s. The hits include “Surfin’ USA,...
Brian Douglas Wilson was a baby boomer born in California, the epicenter for his later pop song dreams. He grew up in an “authoritarian” household, run by his father Murry, which included his brothers – and future bandmates – Carl and Dennis Wilson. Blessed with a musical talent, Brian was pushed into the pop/rock scene of the early 1960s. The Beach Boys blazed onto the scene in 1961, with their first hit “Surfin’,” and followed it up with a string of hits that defined summer through the mid-1960s. The hits include “Surfin’ USA,...
- 6/20/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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