November 20th, 2009
Colin Firth stars as “A Single Man” in Tom Ford’s first film which opens next month. The cast includes Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode and Nicholas Hoult.
Bill Nighy reveals to Patrick Barkham of The Guardian that “I am not suddenly the greatest actor in the world.”
Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, Brad Dourif and Michael Shannon appear in Werner Herzog’s “My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done.” Inspired by a true crime event, the film reaches theaters in North America beginning next month.
Min Lee of The Associate Press writes about Lou Ye and his latest film, “Spring Fever” as “Banned director brings romance film to Hong Kong.” Strand Releasing will present the film in the United States.
One Film Wonder: The exceedingly influential French director Jean Vigo had a brief film career totaling only four projects. He directed his first short film, “À propos de Nice” at the age of 25 in 1930. The following year he shot an experimental film recording the movements of French swimming sensation Jean Taris in the water. In 1933, he made “Zero for Conduct,” a 41-minute boarding school drama. The next year, he released his only feature-length film, “L’Atalante,” the cinematically important tale of a jealous canal barge captain and his new bride. (The film’s cinematographer was Boris Kaufman, who twenty years later would begin a Hollywood career which included filming “On the Waterfront,” “12 Angry Men,” and “The Pawnbroker.”) In October 1934, a month after the release of “L’Atalante,” Vigo died, aged 29, of complications from tuberculosis. Both France and Spain bestow annual directing awards in his name. In France, the Prix Jean Vigo has been given to directors such as Alain Resnais, Jean-Luc Godard and Olivier Assayas.
Posted in Beyond the Reel |
Tagged 12 Angry Men, À propos de Nice, A Single Man, Alain Resnais, Bill Nighy, Boris Kaufman, Brad Dourif, Chloë Sevigny, Colin Firth, Jean Vigo, Jean-Luc Godard, Julianne Moore, L'Atalante, Lou Ye, Matthew Goode, Michael Shannon, Min Lee, My Son My Son What Have Ye Done, Nicholas Hoult, Olivier Assayas, On the Waterfront, One Film Wonder, Patrick Barkham, Spring Fever, Strand Releasing, The Associated Press, The Guardian, The Pawnbroker, Tom Ford, Werner Herzog, Willem Dafoe, Zero for Conduct |
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June 12th, 2009
Zaire. 1974. The Rumble in the Jungle. James Brown. “Soul Power.” Opens next month.
Despite word this week that Senator Distribution will be folding, the company will still release a few of its remaining projects, including “Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts,” starring Vincent Cassel in a César-winning performance as a notorious French mobster. Jason Solomons of The Guardian chatted to France’s Most Wanted earlier this year.
With “The Boat That Rocked,” writer-director Richard Curtis boards a pirate radio ship frolicking in international waters under government threat. Coming in August, the film set in 1966 features an ensemble cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Nick Frost, “Mad Men”’s January Jones and “The IT Crowd”’s Chris O’Dowd.
After popping up at Sundance, “Cold Souls” has been travelling the festival circuit before an anticipated August release date in the United States. The debut film from Sophie Barthes finds Paul Giamatti becoming a patient of Dr. Flinstein, a soul extractionist, played by David Strathairn (a graduate of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown College). Barthes chatted with Coming Soon about the film which is being widely compared to the works of Charlie Kaufman.
One Film Wonder: Jaye Davidson reportedly left the film industry long ago. He appeared in a mere three movies, with his last appearance in 1994’s “Stargate.” But before he returned to the fashion world, Davidson mesmerized audiences in his 1992 debut with a seductively sweet Oscar-nominated turn as Dil in Neil Jordan’s “The Crying Game.” It’s a performance which incidentally includes one of the most gasp-inducing and talked-about surprises in movie history.
Posted in Beyond the Reel |
Tagged Bill Nighy, Charlie Kaufman, Chris O'Dowd, Cold Souls, ComingSoon.net, David Strathairn, Emma Thompson, James Brown, January Jones, Jason Solomons, Jaye Davidson, Kenneth Branagh, Mad Men, Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts, Nick Frost, One Film Wonder, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Curtis, Senator Distribution, Sophie Barthes, Soul Power, Stargate, The Boat That Rocked, The Crying Game, The IT Crowd, Vincent Cassel |
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