In honor of the late Robbie Robertson, whose “Killers of the Flower Moon” score was his final work, Martin Scorsese hosted a private tribute concert Wednesday in Los Angeles that had guests including Joni Mitchell, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone watching Jackson Browne and other musicians perform Robertson’s songs as well as score excerpts.
The tribute to Robertson — who died on Aug. 9 at age 80 — took place before 200 invited guests at the composer’s longtime recording-studio home, the Village Studios in West L.A. Among those joining Browne as performers were Rocco DeLuca, Citizen Cope, Angela McCluskey, Blake Mills, Jim Keltner and, briefly, Jason Isbell, who has a small role in “Killers.”
Jackson Browne and Jason Isbell at the Robbie Robertson Memorial Concert at The Village Studios on November 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Robertson was being doubly celebrated Wednesday night. Simultaneous with the tribute concert, he was being posthumously awarded...
The tribute to Robertson — who died on Aug. 9 at age 80 — took place before 200 invited guests at the composer’s longtime recording-studio home, the Village Studios in West L.A. Among those joining Browne as performers were Rocco DeLuca, Citizen Cope, Angela McCluskey, Blake Mills, Jim Keltner and, briefly, Jason Isbell, who has a small role in “Killers.”
Jackson Browne and Jason Isbell at the Robbie Robertson Memorial Concert at The Village Studios on November 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Robertson was being doubly celebrated Wednesday night. Simultaneous with the tribute concert, he was being posthumously awarded...
- 11/16/2023
- by Pamela Chelin
- Variety Film + TV
When Paul Cantelon was tapped by first-time feature director Harry Mavromichalis to score “Olympia,” the documentary on Academy Award-winning actress, Olympia Dukakis, he was more than prepared to craft music that underscored her Greek heritage.
When Cantelon’s preacher father met his first-chair trumpeter mother, their family life becomes one of traveling evangelical tent meetings with Cantelon growing up on couches in different people’s homes. A number of these homes belonged to Greek families where he heard Greek music that became part of his musical lexicon. Over 30 years ago, when Cantelon met his wife, vocalist Angela McCluskey, she had a great love for Greece and took him to that country, where Cantelon was immersed in the music.
“[Mavromichalis] has a lyrical sense for picture,” says Cantelon from his Nichols Canyon home studio in Los Angeles. “He was a dancer and he has a musical, rhythmic sense to the way he shoots and edits.
When Cantelon’s preacher father met his first-chair trumpeter mother, their family life becomes one of traveling evangelical tent meetings with Cantelon growing up on couches in different people’s homes. A number of these homes belonged to Greek families where he heard Greek music that became part of his musical lexicon. Over 30 years ago, when Cantelon met his wife, vocalist Angela McCluskey, she had a great love for Greece and took him to that country, where Cantelon was immersed in the music.
“[Mavromichalis] has a lyrical sense for picture,” says Cantelon from his Nichols Canyon home studio in Los Angeles. “He was a dancer and he has a musical, rhythmic sense to the way he shoots and edits.
- 7/10/2020
- by Lily Moayeri
- Variety Film + TV
Coming to theater on April 3rd is the film Effie Gray.
The film explores the fascinating, true story of the relationship between Victorian England’s greatest mind, John Ruskin, and his teenage bride, Euphemia “Effie” Gray, who leaves him for the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais.
Effie Gray is the first original screenplay written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Emma Thompson. In this impeccably crafted period drama, Thompson delicately and incisively probes the marital politics of the Victorian Era, and beyond.
Dakota Fanning stars as Effie Gray Ruskin. The cast includes Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Tom Sturridge, David Suchet, Greg Wise, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Sir Derek Jacobi and Robbie Coltrane.
The film is produced by Andreas Roald (Terrence Malick’s Voyage Of Time) and Donald Rosenfeld (Malick’s Tree Of Life and Voyage Of Time).
Producer Donald Rosenfeld spent 1987 to 1998 as President of Merchant Ivory Productions, in charge of the financing...
The film explores the fascinating, true story of the relationship between Victorian England’s greatest mind, John Ruskin, and his teenage bride, Euphemia “Effie” Gray, who leaves him for the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais.
Effie Gray is the first original screenplay written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Emma Thompson. In this impeccably crafted period drama, Thompson delicately and incisively probes the marital politics of the Victorian Era, and beyond.
Dakota Fanning stars as Effie Gray Ruskin. The cast includes Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Tom Sturridge, David Suchet, Greg Wise, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Sir Derek Jacobi and Robbie Coltrane.
The film is produced by Andreas Roald (Terrence Malick’s Voyage Of Time) and Donald Rosenfeld (Malick’s Tree Of Life and Voyage Of Time).
Producer Donald Rosenfeld spent 1987 to 1998 as President of Merchant Ivory Productions, in charge of the financing...
- 4/2/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Tim Grady and Jeff Lipsky’s New York-based Adopt Films has acquired Effie Gray, the period drama penned by Emma Thompson. Dakota Fanning stars as the eponymous character in the biopic of the 19th century Scotswoman who married critic and author John Ruskin as a teenager only to see their six-year relationship finally annulled with Gray still a virgin. She later wed celebrated pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. For Millais, Gray bore eight children and became his muse (along with her younger sister Sophie).
The company plans an early spring 2015 release.
Julie Walters plays Ruskin’s baleful, controlling mother, and David Suchet is Ruskin’s feckless, enabling father. Thompson, Tom Sturridge, Greg Wise, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Derek Jacobi and Robbie Coltrane round out the cast.
Richard Laxton (Burton & Taylor) directs from Thompson’s first original screenplay. (She won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for 1995’s Sense And Sensibility.
The company plans an early spring 2015 release.
Julie Walters plays Ruskin’s baleful, controlling mother, and David Suchet is Ruskin’s feckless, enabling father. Thompson, Tom Sturridge, Greg Wise, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Derek Jacobi and Robbie Coltrane round out the cast.
Richard Laxton (Burton & Taylor) directs from Thompson’s first original screenplay. (She won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for 1995’s Sense And Sensibility.
- 12/2/2014
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline
Exclusive: Metrodome to give wide UK release to period drama held up by legal disputes.
The long-running legal disputes holding back Emma Thompson’s period-drama Effie Gray would seem to be finally over, as the film is due for UK, Us and international release this autumn.
UK distributor Metrodome has struck a deal for a wide release in October while producers Donald Rosenfeld and Andreas Roald expect a November release in the Us.
Emma Thompson wrote and stars in the long-awaited period drama about the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.
The film’s cast includes Dakota Fanning as Effie, Thompson’s husband Greg Wise as Ruskin, Tom Sturridge as painter Everett Millais as well as David Suchet, Derek Jacobi, Robbie Coltrane, James Fox and Claudia Cardinale.
The UK deal was negotiated by Metrodome’s head of acquisitions Giles Edwards and Norwegian financier Roald of Sovereign Films.
Effie is based...
The long-running legal disputes holding back Emma Thompson’s period-drama Effie Gray would seem to be finally over, as the film is due for UK, Us and international release this autumn.
UK distributor Metrodome has struck a deal for a wide release in October while producers Donald Rosenfeld and Andreas Roald expect a November release in the Us.
Emma Thompson wrote and stars in the long-awaited period drama about the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.
The film’s cast includes Dakota Fanning as Effie, Thompson’s husband Greg Wise as Ruskin, Tom Sturridge as painter Everett Millais as well as David Suchet, Derek Jacobi, Robbie Coltrane, James Fox and Claudia Cardinale.
The UK deal was negotiated by Metrodome’s head of acquisitions Giles Edwards and Norwegian financier Roald of Sovereign Films.
Effie is based...
- 8/14/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Paul Cantelon is the composer of the upcoming drama Violet & Daisy. The movie is written and directed by Geoffrey Fletcher who won an Academy Award for his adapted screenplay for 2009′s Precious. Saoirse Ronan and Alexis Bledel are playing two teenage assassins who believe they’ve landed a straightforward assignment but soon find themselves thrown off their game when their latest target isn’t who they expected. James Gandolfini and Danny Trejo are co-starring. Fletcher is producing with Bonnie Timmermann and John Penotti (Awake). The project is the second movie scored by Cantelon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Other Boleyn Girl) to premiere this year following The Music Never Stopped, which debuted at Sundance. It was just announced that Violet & Daisy will be premiering at the Toronto Film Festival next month. No distribution deal and release date has been announced yet for the film.
- 8/16/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
Blu-ray Review
Conviction
Directed by: Tony Goldwyn
Cast: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell
Running Time: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: R
Due Out: February 1st, 2011
Plot: A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.
Who’S It For? Those who enjoy tales of “the little guy” overcoming daunting odds en route to successfully fighting “the system.”
Movie: I suppose it would be par for the movie-critic course, that I should rave here about how excited I was to see Swank in another meaty dramatic role, but after Amelia, Black Dhalia and even Million Dollar Baby (yes, I’m one of the rare few who didn’t like it) I can’t say that I was too terribly excited.
I was actually looking forward to seeing this film though,...
Conviction
Directed by: Tony Goldwyn
Cast: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell
Running Time: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: R
Due Out: February 1st, 2011
Plot: A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.
Who’S It For? Those who enjoy tales of “the little guy” overcoming daunting odds en route to successfully fighting “the system.”
Movie: I suppose it would be par for the movie-critic course, that I should rave here about how excited I was to see Swank in another meaty dramatic role, but after Amelia, Black Dhalia and even Million Dollar Baby (yes, I’m one of the rare few who didn’t like it) I can’t say that I was too terribly excited.
I was actually looking forward to seeing this film though,...
- 2/10/2011
- by Aaron Ruffcorn
- The Scorecard Review
“Imagination, Charm, Fantastical Delights” - Jeanette Catsoulis, New York Times
From the Producer of “The Joy Luck Club”
魚 年
Year Of The Fish
Featuring Rotoscoped Digital Painting
Debuts on DVD February 8, 2011 from Gigantic Pictures
Bonus Materials Include Audio Commentaries and Exclusive Footage
Overview: Year Of The Fish is a modern-day adaptation of Cinderella based on a 9th Century Chinese variant of the folk-tale, the oldest known version of the story, recorded some 800 years before the better-known European versions. Hailed by critics as “magical,” “refreshing,” and “shouldn’t be missed,” this award-winning independent feature film was written and directed by first time feature filmmaker David Kaplan and shot entirely on location in New York City’s Chinatown. Using a cutting-edge digital painting technique that transforms live-action video into a beautiful, evocative movie with an animated look and giving the aesthetic effect of a painting brought to life, this unforgettable film...
From the Producer of “The Joy Luck Club”
魚 年
Year Of The Fish
Featuring Rotoscoped Digital Painting
Debuts on DVD February 8, 2011 from Gigantic Pictures
Bonus Materials Include Audio Commentaries and Exclusive Footage
Overview: Year Of The Fish is a modern-day adaptation of Cinderella based on a 9th Century Chinese variant of the folk-tale, the oldest known version of the story, recorded some 800 years before the better-known European versions. Hailed by critics as “magical,” “refreshing,” and “shouldn’t be missed,” this award-winning independent feature film was written and directed by first time feature filmmaker David Kaplan and shot entirely on location in New York City’s Chinatown. Using a cutting-edge digital painting technique that transforms live-action video into a beautiful, evocative movie with an animated look and giving the aesthetic effect of a painting brought to life, this unforgettable film...
- 2/6/2011
- by brians
- GeekTyrant
This is the daily news vodcast from the London Film Festival on Pure Movies covering the gala screening of Conviction, based on a true story starring two time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Oscar nominee Minnie Driver, Oscar nominee Melissa Leo, Peter Gallagher, Ari Graynor, Loren Dean, Conor Donovan, Owen Campbell, Tobias Campbell, Bailee Madison, Clea DuVall, Karen Young, Talia Balsam, John Pyper-Ferguson and Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis. Directed by Tony Goldwyn and written by Pamela Gray, the film’s producers are Andrew Sugerman, Andrew S. Karsch and Tony Goldwyn. Executive Producers are Hilary Swank, Markus Barmettler, Alwyn Hight Kushner, James Smith, Anthony Callie and Myles Nestel. The production team includes director of photography Adriano Goldman, production designer Mark Ricker, edited by Jay Cassidy, A.C.E., costume designer Wendy Chuck and music by Paul Cantelon. Conviction is the inspirational true story of a sister’s unwavering devotion to her brother.
- 10/22/2010
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
Hitting movie theaters this weekend:
Jackass 3D – Johnny Knoxville and company
Red – Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren
Conviction – Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell (limited release)
Movie of the Week
Conviction
The Stars: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell
The Plot: A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.
The Buzz: I suppose I should rave here about how excited I am to see Swank in another meaty dramatic role, but after Amelia, Black Dhalia and even Million Dollar Baby (yes, I’m one of the rare few who didn’t like it) I can’t say that I’m too terribly excited. I am looking forward to this film though, if for nothing else than the presence of Sam Rockwell. His performance in Moon completely won me over.
Jackass 3D – Johnny Knoxville and company
Red – Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren
Conviction – Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell (limited release)
Movie of the Week
Conviction
The Stars: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell
The Plot: A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.
The Buzz: I suppose I should rave here about how excited I am to see Swank in another meaty dramatic role, but after Amelia, Black Dhalia and even Million Dollar Baby (yes, I’m one of the rare few who didn’t like it) I can’t say that I’m too terribly excited. I am looking forward to this film though, if for nothing else than the presence of Sam Rockwell. His performance in Moon completely won me over.
- 10/13/2010
- by Aaron Ruffcorn
- The Scorecard Review
This is the trailer for Conviction, based on a true story starring two time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Oscar® nominee Minnie Driver, Oscar nominee Melissa Leo, Peter Gallagher, Ari Graynor, Loren Dean, Conor Donovan, Owen Campbell, Tobias Campbell, Bailee Madison, Clea DuVall, Karen Young, Talia Balsam, John Pyper-Ferguson and Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis. Directed by Tony Goldwyn and written by Pamela Gray, the film’s producers are Andrew Sugerman, Andrew S. Karsch and Tony Goldwyn. Executive Producers are Hilary Swank, Markus Barmettler, Alwyn Hight Kushner, James Smith, Anthony Callie and Myles Nestel. The production team includes director of photography Adriano Goldman, production designer Mark Ricker, edited by Jay Cassidy, A.C.E., costume designer Wendy Chuck and music by Paul Cantelon. Conviction is the inspirational true story of a sister’s unwavering devotion to her brother. When Betty Anne Waters’ (two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank) older...
- 10/12/2010
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
French composer Paul Cantelon, who wrote the acclaimed score for The Other Boleyn Girl as well as Oliver Stone’s latest film, W., is doing the score for Betty Anne Waters, the new feature film from actor-turned-director Tony Goldwyn. The film, which is entitled Betty Anne Waters, stars Juliette Lewis, Sam Rockwell, Hilary Swank, Ari Graynor and Minnie Driver and it’s a drama about a mother who puts herself through law ...
- 9/25/2009
- by moviescore
- MovieScore Magazine
It’s been a weird ol’ ride for film composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard regarding their musical contribution to last year’s bat blockbuster The Dark Knight. There have been highs – the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, the 2008 World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year for Howard and a BAFTA Award nomination, and lows – snubbed by the Oscars (they didn’t even score a nomination), but their journey could soon be taking another upswing as the celebrated duo’s soundtrack has been featured on the shortlist for the Soundtrack of the Year Award at this year’s Classical Brit Awards.
Bizarrely Howard will be competing against himself in the category, his work on Will Smith flick I Am Legend joining Paul Cantelon’s period romp The Other Boleyn Girl on the list of three. Howard is a popular choice, having...
Bizarrely Howard will be competing against himself in the category, his work on Will Smith flick I Am Legend joining Paul Cantelon’s period romp The Other Boleyn Girl on the list of three. Howard is a popular choice, having...
- 4/22/2009
- Boxwish.com
I don't believe I have ever reported the nominees for the International Film Music Critics Association before, but in the spirit of covering more award season news than is probably necessary I figured, "What the hell?" The nominees listed below make up the fifth annual International Film Music Critics Association Awards for Excellence with Wall-e receiving the most nominations including Film Score of the Year, Best Score for an Animated Film, Best Film Composition (for "Define Dancing") and Composer of the Year for Thomas Newman. The other big nominee is Danny Elfman who received the most individual nominations this year with seven: Composer of the Year; Film Score of the Year and Best Documentary Score for Standard Operating Procedure; Best Drama Score for Milk; Best Action/Adventure Score and Best Individual Cue for Wanted ("Success Montage"); and Best Fantasy/Science Fiction Score for Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The International...
- 1/17/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Oliver Stone's upcoming political satire about president George W. Bush, W., gets an original score by French composer Paul Cantelon, who recently wrote the acclaimed score for costume drama The Other Boleyn Girl. The film is sure to cause some controversy, as it chronicles the life of George W. Bush with a lot of A-list actors portraying the politicians surrounding him: Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney, Scott Glenn as Donald Rumsfeld, Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell, Ioan Gruffudd as Tony Blair... the part as Bush himself is played by Josh Brolin, and his father is done by James Cromwell. The screenplay is by Stanley Weiser, a regular Stone collaborator who previously wrote the script for Wall Street. Paul Cantelon got his big break with the French art house movie The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in 2007 and also wrote the music for the 2005 independent hit Everything Is Illuminated. W.
- 7/28/2008
- by noreply@blogger.com (Mikael Carlsson)
- MovieScore Magazine
PARK CITY -- Before Miramax brought independent film to the multiplex and Sundance made it a national sport, American independent cinema was about regional filmmaking. Small, well-told stories rooted in a specific time and place. A rocky coming-of-age tale set along the Maryland coast, "Swimmers" is that kind of film. Mature audiences looking for a deeply-felt, human-scale story should be given the chance to enjoy this one in theaters.
More than anything, "Swimmers" is a realistic and loving portrait of a twelve-year-old girl's inner life. Emma Tyler Tara Devon Gallagher) is, in her father's words, a peeler--a young crab that is shedding its shell before moving on to the next stage of growth. Unfortunately, Emma's serene if not particularly joyful life hits a snag when she develops an ear problem that calls for a costly operation.
Living off the water in the Chesapeake Bay is at best a precarious business. Emma's father Will (Robert Knott) fishes for crabs and oysters but changing economics and environmental conditions make it a losing proposition. A strong, silent type, he is predictably driven to drink by his shortcomings, which leaves the work of keeping the family together and finding money to the matriarch Julia (Cherry Jones).
Perhaps because it's a region that has not been seen a lot on film, it is easy to feel the beauty as well as the hardship of life here. As her family situation worsens, Emma makes friends with Merrill (Sarah Paulson), a highly strung young woman with a troubled past who has just returned to town. The two form a bond based on old suffering and new respect. Sarah is the kind of strange presence we meet in movies who comes into someone's life and leaves. Dark and given to manic bouts of depression, Sarah is an intriguing character who could have used a bit more backstory.
The complications of the plot are not surprising and almost besides the point. Emma's brother Clyde (Sean Hatosy) falls for Sarah; that doesn't work out. There's bad blood between Clyde and Emma's other brother Mike (Michael Mosley) and the two come to blows. And Julia and Will's marriage is threatened. Emma's one sanctuary had always been her love of swimming, but now with her ear problem, she can't even do that. In one way or another, everyone's life here is dependent on the water.
What really makes "Swimmers" special are the small touches rather than the big dramatic flourishes. Writer/director Doug Sadler somehow gets inside the head of a twelve-year-old girl and manages to communicate her dreams and fears. And it's the wonderful performances that make these people come alive. Gallagher, in her film debut, is soulful without being sappy, and Jones as her mother turns in her usual nuanced work. She can show more with a crease of the brow than most actors can with a page of dialogue. Veteran character actor Knott captures the darkness and light and quicksilver personality of a man at his wit's end. Beautiful work all around.
These are not just characters who were plopped down in an unusual location because someone thought it would be an interesting place to shoot a movie. They belong here and their lives are part of the environment. Rodney Taylor's sensitive photography captures the uniqueness of the place but also the harshness as seen through a young girl's eyes. Although the story is familiar, the specifics make you feel like you've been taken someplace new.
SWIMMERS
Damage Control Filmproduction, Horizon Global Productions, Quasiworld Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Doug Sadler
Writer: Sadler
Producers: Melanie Backer, David W. Leitner, Michael Yanko
Executive producer: Ophira Dagan, Lisa Green
Director of photography: Rodney Taylor
Production designer: Mark White
Music: Paul Cantelon, David Darling
Co-producer: Daniel Bickel
Costume designer: Ane Crabtree
Editors: Lilah Bankier, Affonso Goncalves, Susan Korda.
Cast:
Emma: Tara Devon Gallagher
Julia: Cherry Jones
Will: Robert Knott
Clyde: Shawn Hatosy
Merrill: Sarah Paulson
Mike: Michael Mosley
Shellie: Kate Goehring
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 90 minutes...
More than anything, "Swimmers" is a realistic and loving portrait of a twelve-year-old girl's inner life. Emma Tyler Tara Devon Gallagher) is, in her father's words, a peeler--a young crab that is shedding its shell before moving on to the next stage of growth. Unfortunately, Emma's serene if not particularly joyful life hits a snag when she develops an ear problem that calls for a costly operation.
Living off the water in the Chesapeake Bay is at best a precarious business. Emma's father Will (Robert Knott) fishes for crabs and oysters but changing economics and environmental conditions make it a losing proposition. A strong, silent type, he is predictably driven to drink by his shortcomings, which leaves the work of keeping the family together and finding money to the matriarch Julia (Cherry Jones).
Perhaps because it's a region that has not been seen a lot on film, it is easy to feel the beauty as well as the hardship of life here. As her family situation worsens, Emma makes friends with Merrill (Sarah Paulson), a highly strung young woman with a troubled past who has just returned to town. The two form a bond based on old suffering and new respect. Sarah is the kind of strange presence we meet in movies who comes into someone's life and leaves. Dark and given to manic bouts of depression, Sarah is an intriguing character who could have used a bit more backstory.
The complications of the plot are not surprising and almost besides the point. Emma's brother Clyde (Sean Hatosy) falls for Sarah; that doesn't work out. There's bad blood between Clyde and Emma's other brother Mike (Michael Mosley) and the two come to blows. And Julia and Will's marriage is threatened. Emma's one sanctuary had always been her love of swimming, but now with her ear problem, she can't even do that. In one way or another, everyone's life here is dependent on the water.
What really makes "Swimmers" special are the small touches rather than the big dramatic flourishes. Writer/director Doug Sadler somehow gets inside the head of a twelve-year-old girl and manages to communicate her dreams and fears. And it's the wonderful performances that make these people come alive. Gallagher, in her film debut, is soulful without being sappy, and Jones as her mother turns in her usual nuanced work. She can show more with a crease of the brow than most actors can with a page of dialogue. Veteran character actor Knott captures the darkness and light and quicksilver personality of a man at his wit's end. Beautiful work all around.
These are not just characters who were plopped down in an unusual location because someone thought it would be an interesting place to shoot a movie. They belong here and their lives are part of the environment. Rodney Taylor's sensitive photography captures the uniqueness of the place but also the harshness as seen through a young girl's eyes. Although the story is familiar, the specifics make you feel like you've been taken someplace new.
SWIMMERS
Damage Control Filmproduction, Horizon Global Productions, Quasiworld Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Doug Sadler
Writer: Sadler
Producers: Melanie Backer, David W. Leitner, Michael Yanko
Executive producer: Ophira Dagan, Lisa Green
Director of photography: Rodney Taylor
Production designer: Mark White
Music: Paul Cantelon, David Darling
Co-producer: Daniel Bickel
Costume designer: Ane Crabtree
Editors: Lilah Bankier, Affonso Goncalves, Susan Korda.
Cast:
Emma: Tara Devon Gallagher
Julia: Cherry Jones
Will: Robert Knott
Clyde: Shawn Hatosy
Merrill: Sarah Paulson
Mike: Michael Mosley
Shellie: Kate Goehring
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 90 minutes...
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