October 16th, 2009
Starring Michelle Monaghan, “Trucker,” the debut feature film from James Mottern, opens this month.
From the Reykjavik International Film Festival, Gerald Peary of The Boston Phoenix recently reported “back from Iceland amidst lamb hot dogs, and fish and chips.”
Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” appears in November.
Kevin Smith tells Jay Richardson of The Scotsman: “I’m the Forrest Gump of film.”
One Film Wonder: During 30 years and 4,531 “Tonight Show” broadcasts, the suave and sardonic Johnny Carson interviewed thousands of movie stars. He appeared in only one film, 1964’s “Looking for Love.” The musical romp starred Connie Francis and Jim Hutton, Timothy’s dad. When Carson left show business in 1992, he began the smoothest retirement in entertainment history.
Posted in Beyond the Reel |
Tagged Connie Francis, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Gerald Peary, James Mottern, Jay Richardson, Jim Hutton, Johnny Carson, Kevin Smith, Looking for Love, Michelle Monaghan, One Film Wonder, The Boston Phoenix, The Scotsman, The Tonight Show, Timothy Hutton, Trucker, Wes Anderson |
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June 19th, 2009
Swooped up after a frenetic bidding war at Sundance, the blaxploitation homage “Black Dynamite” arrives in theaters in September.
In August, First Independent Pictures will release “Big Fan,” the directorial debut from “The Wrestler” screenwriter Robert D. Siegel. Patton Oswalt plays Paul Aufiero, a 35-year-old parking-garage attendant from Staten Island and self-described “world’s biggest New York Giants fan.” Oswalt shared his Sundance Experience on his blog, with special lacerating wit unsheathed on the trolls of Axe.
The prodigious Woody Allen returns this month with “Whatever Works,” starring his curmudgeonly doppelganger, Larry David. It marks the 28th consecutive year that the 73-year-old director has released a film.
While helming his feature film debut, “Easier with Practice,” recent University of Miami film school grad Kyle Patrick Alvarez kept a behind-the-scenes blog journal detailing the creative process, from the earliest inklings of the story to the last moments of post-production. Based on a first-hand GQ article by Davy Rothbart, the film begins as a writer’s road trip but is interrupted by a random phone call from a stranger which unearths a new dimension of intimacy.
On his attractive blog, Alvarez includes in-depth descriptions of how he optioned the article, life on the set, and the making of the trailer. He even gives his mom a few posts. “Easier with Practice” had its world premiere at the CineVegas Film Festival last week and enjoys an international premiere this week at the Edinburgh Film Festival, where the film has already earned a strong nod from The Scotsman newspaper.
One Film Wonder: In 1966, Jocelyne LaGarde played Queen Malama in “Hawaii,” the highest grossing film of the year. She spoke only French and Tahitian so read her lines in English phonetically. LaGarde won the Best Supporting Actress accolade at the 1967 Golden Globes and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role. It was her only film appearance.
Posted in Beyond the Reel |
Tagged Big Fan, Black Dynamite, CineVegas Film Festival, Davy Rothbart, Easier with Practice, Edinburgh International Film Festival, First Independent Pictures, Hawaii, Jocelyne LaGarde, Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Larry David, One Film Wonder, Patton Oswalt, Robert D. Siegel, The Scotsman, The Wrestler, Whatever Works, Woody Allen |
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