Despite the postmortems for Darren Aronofsky’s critically-polarizing and commercially disastrous “mother!,” there’s no denying the power of the extraordinary Victorian house at its center. It’s a pivotal character that pits Him (Javier Bardem) against Mother (Jennifer Lawrence) in the allegorical battle for the planet’s survival.
For production designer Philip Messina (“The Hunger Games”), creating the octagonal house offered the most unique experience in world building. “What was amazing to me was how, more than any other film, it was a symbiotic relationship between camera moves and set,” said Messina, who collaborated closely with Aronofsky’s long-time cinematographer Matthew Libatique.
“I’ve never done theater, but it reminded me how the staging of actors and sets worked,” Messina added. “This was all one environment and I knew what the camera would be doing.”
The Meaning of “mother!”
However, even though Aronofsky has been open with the press in describing “mother!
For production designer Philip Messina (“The Hunger Games”), creating the octagonal house offered the most unique experience in world building. “What was amazing to me was how, more than any other film, it was a symbiotic relationship between camera moves and set,” said Messina, who collaborated closely with Aronofsky’s long-time cinematographer Matthew Libatique.
“I’ve never done theater, but it reminded me how the staging of actors and sets worked,” Messina added. “This was all one environment and I knew what the camera would be doing.”
The Meaning of “mother!”
However, even though Aronofsky has been open with the press in describing “mother!
- 9/21/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
There’s no easy way to describe Darren Aronofsky’s latest film, the appropriately titled mother! (appropriate once the pieces start crashing into place). It’s oppressively heavy on symbolism, it’s profoundly unsettling, it’s guaranteed to piss off practically audience member in one way or another. To be blunt: it’s pure Aronofsky and, if its reception from both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals to the scathingly polarizing reaction its had in its first weekend of release are any indicator, it’s going to cement itself with ease as one of the most thoroughly debated experiences of the 21st century. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is up to you.
In a beautiful countryside manor amidst lush fields and the warmest sunsets (all beautifully brought to life by regular Aronofsky Dp Matthew Libatique and production designer Philip Messina) lives a couple – given no names in the story,...
In a beautiful countryside manor amidst lush fields and the warmest sunsets (all beautifully brought to life by regular Aronofsky Dp Matthew Libatique and production designer Philip Messina) lives a couple – given no names in the story,...
- 9/20/2017
- by William Coffey
- Age of the Nerd
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland, Liam Hemsworth, Willow Shields, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Natalie Dormer and Jeffrey Wright, along with director Francis Lawrence, production designer Philip Messina, makeup designer Ve Neill and producer Nina Jacobson, discuss the phenomenon that is The Hunger Games in this in-depth featurette.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 now brings the franchise to its powerful final chapter in which Katniss Everdeen Jennifer Lawrence realizes the stakes are no longer just for survival – they are for the future.
With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale, Finnick, and Peeta – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to liberate the citizens of Panem, and stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 now brings the franchise to its powerful final chapter in which Katniss Everdeen Jennifer Lawrence realizes the stakes are no longer just for survival – they are for the future.
With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale, Finnick, and Peeta – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to liberate the citizens of Panem, and stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her.
- 11/17/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Saturday, July 26 The Simpsons - 10am – Ballroom 20 Celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Simpsons-no gifts please-with creator Matt Groening, executive producer Al Jean, supervising director Mike Anderson, and director for life David Silverman. Topics include the new Treehouse of Horror, Simpsorama, a visit from Homer Simpson and much, much more. The Production Designer: Architect of Imagination – 10am – Room 23Abc The production designer opens the script, reads, and literally dreams up the most perfect of all possible worlds in which to tell the tale-whether the story is set in the mythic past, the here and now, or any imaginable future. And then the designer must gather and lead the army of artists who, over months or years, in plaster or in pixels, will actually make the design real. Four top production designers-Patrick Tatopoulos(Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, 300: Rise of an Empire), Philip Messina (The Hunger Games...
- 7/12/2014
- ComicBookMovie.com
This year’s Saturn Award nominations have been announced and include a number of horror movie and TV releases, such as The Conjuring and The Walking Dead:
“Los Angeles – February, 2014 – Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity and Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug both received 8 nominations as the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films today announced nominations for the 40th Annual Saturn Awards, which will be presented in June.
Other major contenders that packed a real punch were The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, Star Trek into Darkness, The Book Thief, Her, Oz The Great and Powerful and Ron Howard’s Rush. Also making a strong showing was the folk musical fable Inside Llewyn Davis, which proves that the Coen Brothers are a genre onto their own. And Scarlett Johansson was the first Best Supporting Actress to be nominated for her captivating...
“Los Angeles – February, 2014 – Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity and Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug both received 8 nominations as the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films today announced nominations for the 40th Annual Saturn Awards, which will be presented in June.
Other major contenders that packed a real punch were The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, Star Trek into Darkness, The Book Thief, Her, Oz The Great and Powerful and Ron Howard’s Rush. Also making a strong showing was the folk musical fable Inside Llewyn Davis, which proves that the Coen Brothers are a genre onto their own. And Scarlett Johansson was the first Best Supporting Actress to be nominated for her captivating...
- 2/26/2014
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
The second big-screen installment of Suzanne Collins' Ya trilogy sees Jennifer Lawrence return as the heroic Katniss Everdeen with new faces Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright and Sam Claflin joining the franchise.
As faithful as Argos or Old Yeller, Snowy or Hachiko, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire runs no risk of disappointing its absolutely ravenous target audience. Serving up everything from Suzanne Collins' eventful second installment in her trilogy about teenage warrior and rebel Katniss Everdeen that fans could possibly want to see, this is a safe, serviceable, carefully crafted action drama in which the subversive seeds planted in the first story take welcome root. As before, Jennifer Lawrence is the superb center of it all and the massive success of this Lionsgate release is as certain as the turning of the Earth.
At this point, the franchise's clout is likely mightier than it was 20 months ago,...
As faithful as Argos or Old Yeller, Snowy or Hachiko, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire runs no risk of disappointing its absolutely ravenous target audience. Serving up everything from Suzanne Collins' eventful second installment in her trilogy about teenage warrior and rebel Katniss Everdeen that fans could possibly want to see, this is a safe, serviceable, carefully crafted action drama in which the subversive seeds planted in the first story take welcome root. As before, Jennifer Lawrence is the superb center of it all and the massive success of this Lionsgate release is as certain as the turning of the Earth.
At this point, the franchise's clout is likely mightier than it was 20 months ago,...
- 11/12/2013
- by Todd McCarthy
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Hunger Games
Directed by Gary Ross
Screenplay by Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray
2012, USA
In a dystopian future, the Capitol of the nation of Panem randomly selects twenty four of the country’s youngest inhabitants to fight to the death in a yearly event titled The Hunger Games. The film’s tagline – “The World Will Be Watching” – refers to the televised titular contest, which the government uses to maintain order.
Two “tributes” from each of twelves districts, a boy and a girl, must participate until only one is left standing. Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) of District 12 (the coal mining district that fuels the Capitol) volunteers in her younger sister’s place, and is left to rely upon her sharp instincts and the mentorship of drunken former Hunger Games victor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) . If she is ever to return home, Katniss must make impossible...
Directed by Gary Ross
Screenplay by Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray
2012, USA
In a dystopian future, the Capitol of the nation of Panem randomly selects twenty four of the country’s youngest inhabitants to fight to the death in a yearly event titled The Hunger Games. The film’s tagline – “The World Will Be Watching” – refers to the televised titular contest, which the government uses to maintain order.
Two “tributes” from each of twelves districts, a boy and a girl, must participate until only one is left standing. Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) of District 12 (the coal mining district that fuels the Capitol) volunteers in her younger sister’s place, and is left to rely upon her sharp instincts and the mentorship of drunken former Hunger Games victor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) . If she is ever to return home, Katniss must make impossible...
- 3/20/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
'The dress [had] a very big chance of coming off as cheesy,' Judianna Makovsky says of Katniss' interview frock.
By Amy Wilkinson
Jennifer Lawrence in the girl on fire costume in "Hunger Games"
Photo: Lionsgate
Costume designer Judianna Makovsky has been a member of Gary Ross' cinematic glam squad for years. That's why when "The Hunger Games" director was piecing together a pitch as to why he should helm the dystopian drama, he made a late-night call to his trusted colleague. The thrice-Oscar-nominated designer has collaborated with Ross on a number of his films, including "Pleasantville" and "Seabiscuit," and now the duo may be working on their highest-profile project yet — one in which wild wigs, garish gowns and flame-licked jumpsuits are just another day at the office.
In anticipation of the March 23 release of "The Hunger Games," MTV News put in a call to Makovsky to talk about the...
By Amy Wilkinson
Jennifer Lawrence in the girl on fire costume in "Hunger Games"
Photo: Lionsgate
Costume designer Judianna Makovsky has been a member of Gary Ross' cinematic glam squad for years. That's why when "The Hunger Games" director was piecing together a pitch as to why he should helm the dystopian drama, he made a late-night call to his trusted colleague. The thrice-Oscar-nominated designer has collaborated with Ross on a number of his films, including "Pleasantville" and "Seabiscuit," and now the duo may be working on their highest-profile project yet — one in which wild wigs, garish gowns and flame-licked jumpsuits are just another day at the office.
In anticipation of the March 23 release of "The Hunger Games," MTV News put in a call to Makovsky to talk about the...
- 3/19/2012
- MTV Movie News
'The dress [had] a very big chance of coming off as cheesy,' Judianna Makovsky says of Katniss' interview frock.
By Amy Wilkinson
Jennifer Lawrence in the girl on fire costume in "Hunger Games"
Photo: Lionsgate
Costume designer Judianna Makovsky has been a member of Gary Ross' cinematic glam squad for years. That's why when "The Hunger Games" director was piecing together a pitch as to why he should helm the dystopian drama, he made a late-night call to his trusted colleague. The thrice-Oscar-nominated designer has collaborated with Ross on a number of his films, including "Pleasantville" and "Seabiscuit," and now the duo may be working on their highest-profile project yet — one in which wild wigs, garish gowns and flame-licked jumpsuits are just another day at the office.
In anticipation of the March 23 release of "The Hunger Games," MTV News put in a call to Makovsky to talk about the...
By Amy Wilkinson
Jennifer Lawrence in the girl on fire costume in "Hunger Games"
Photo: Lionsgate
Costume designer Judianna Makovsky has been a member of Gary Ross' cinematic glam squad for years. That's why when "The Hunger Games" director was piecing together a pitch as to why he should helm the dystopian drama, he made a late-night call to his trusted colleague. The thrice-Oscar-nominated designer has collaborated with Ross on a number of his films, including "Pleasantville" and "Seabiscuit," and now the duo may be working on their highest-profile project yet — one in which wild wigs, garish gowns and flame-licked jumpsuits are just another day at the office.
In anticipation of the March 23 release of "The Hunger Games," MTV News put in a call to Makovsky to talk about the...
- 3/19/2012
- MTV Music News
In Relativity Media’s Machine Gun Preacher, when ex-biker-gang member Sam Childers (Butler) makes the life-changing decision to go to East Africa to help repair homes destroyed by civil war, he is outraged by the unspeakable horrors faced by the region.s vulnerable populace, especially the children. Ignoring the warnings of more experienced aide workers, Sam breaks ground for an orphanage where it.s most needed.in the middle of territory controlled by the brutal Lord.s Resistance Army (Lra), a renegade militia that forces children to become soldiers before they even reach their teens.
But for Sam, it is not enough to shelter the Lra.s intended victims. Determined to save as many as possible, he leads armed missions deep into enemy territory to retrieve kidnapped children, restoring peace to their lives.and eventually his own. Wamg is giving away passes to an advanced screening of Machine Gun Preacher on Tuesday,...
But for Sam, it is not enough to shelter the Lra.s intended victims. Determined to save as many as possible, he leads armed missions deep into enemy territory to retrieve kidnapped children, restoring peace to their lives.and eventually his own. Wamg is giving away passes to an advanced screening of Machine Gun Preacher on Tuesday,...
- 9/27/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Gerard Butler, stars as “Sam Childers,” the impassioned founder of Angels of East Africa rescue organization, brings hope where there is none to hundreds of children in Relativity Media’s release Machine Gun Preacher.
Relativity Media has released these new images and poster from Machine Gun Preacher - the inspirational true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds his unexpected calling as the savior of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children in war-torn Sudan. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers, the impassioned founder of the Angels of East Africa rescue organization in Golden Globe®-nominated director Marc Forster.s (Monster.s Ball, The Kite Runner) moving story of violence and redemption.
Michelle Monaghan and Gerard Butler star as husband and wife in the inspirational true story of Sam Childers. A former drug-dealing criminal Sam (Butler) makes the life-changing decision to...
Relativity Media has released these new images and poster from Machine Gun Preacher - the inspirational true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds his unexpected calling as the savior of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children in war-torn Sudan. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers, the impassioned founder of the Angels of East Africa rescue organization in Golden Globe®-nominated director Marc Forster.s (Monster.s Ball, The Kite Runner) moving story of violence and redemption.
Michelle Monaghan and Gerard Butler star as husband and wife in the inspirational true story of Sam Childers. A former drug-dealing criminal Sam (Butler) makes the life-changing decision to...
- 9/10/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Earlier this month, the seemingly odd news broke [1] that Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh was directing the second unit on Gary Ross' film The Hunger Games. At the time, Russ wrote [2]: This might seem strange at first, but Steven Soderbergh and Gary Ross have a friendship that goes back some years, and The Hunger Games production designer Phil Messina is also a frequent Soderbergh collaborator. Combine those factors with the fact that the film is shooting very quickly — the release date is only about seven months out — and for Gary Ross having someone in charge of the second unit who is both a long-time confidante and a notoriously fast worker probably seems like a tremendous gift. Bingo. After the jump, read exactly what Soderbergh did, and how much of it, in his own words. In an interview with Moviefone [3] to promote Contagion, Soderbergh said the following, clearing up any confusion.
- 9/2/2011
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
Unless you're a fan of the trilogy of novels on which they're based, or happen to have a weird thing for any of the seemingly dozens of young thespians cast in the film, you might not have been paying too much attention to news about next spring's "The Hunger Games." But that may very well change when you hear who's directing the film's second unit: Steven Soderbergh.
The news first broke over Twitter, and was pieced together yesterday by The Playlist. A couple different people involved with the film, including production designer Eddie Mills and electrician Chrys Blackstone spoke out about the director's involvement, saying "Soderbergh in the house this weekend!!! Very exciting!" and "Holy sh*t! Just found out that Steven Soderbergh is coming to the #hungergames to direct 2nd Unit. I am so excited this is getting good!" Both tweets, however, have since been deleted.
While Soderbergh's involvement might seem odd at first,...
The news first broke over Twitter, and was pieced together yesterday by The Playlist. A couple different people involved with the film, including production designer Eddie Mills and electrician Chrys Blackstone spoke out about the director's involvement, saying "Soderbergh in the house this weekend!!! Very exciting!" and "Holy sh*t! Just found out that Steven Soderbergh is coming to the #hungergames to direct 2nd Unit. I am so excited this is getting good!" Both tweets, however, have since been deleted.
While Soderbergh's involvement might seem odd at first,...
- 8/5/2011
- by Aubrey Sitterson
- ifc.com
Steven Soderbergh is directing the second unit of The Hunger Games, The Playlist reports. Recently the Contagion director has been seen on the set of the feature adaptation of the young adult novel by Gary Ross. Production designer, Eddie Mils tweeted, “Soderbergh in the house this weekend!!! very exciting!” Another tweet came from electrician Chrys Blackstone, who posted, “Holy shit! Just found out that Steven Soderbergh is coming to the #hungergames to direct 2nd Unit. I am so excited this is getting good!”
This may sound odd to some, but apparently Ross and Soderbergh have been friends for years. Soderbergh produced Pleasantville, while Ross has often taken a look at Soderbergh’s scripts. Phil Messina, a production designer on Hunger Games who has also worked on Soderbergh’s Erin Brockovich, Traffic, Solaris, The Good German, Che: Part Two and the ‘Ocean’s’ trilogy. Playlist reports that Ross merely had to assk Soderbergh to come aboard.
This may sound odd to some, but apparently Ross and Soderbergh have been friends for years. Soderbergh produced Pleasantville, while Ross has often taken a look at Soderbergh’s scripts. Phil Messina, a production designer on Hunger Games who has also worked on Soderbergh’s Erin Brockovich, Traffic, Solaris, The Good German, Che: Part Two and the ‘Ocean’s’ trilogy. Playlist reports that Ross merely had to assk Soderbergh to come aboard.
- 8/5/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Wait, really? Yea, apparently it's true. Our friends over at The Playlist deserve all the credit for uncovering this, as they followed some intriguing tweets over the weekend from crew members working on Gary Ross' adaptation of The Hunger Games. "Holy shit! Just found out that Steven Soderbergh is coming to the #hungergames to direct 2nd Unit," one of them (since deleted) said. It is true but it's not as surprising as we're all—obviously—making this out to be. "Ross and Soderbergh have actually been friends for years," Playlist's Kevin Jagernauth says. Still, it's kind of awesome to know Soderbergh will have his hands in this. Soderbergh produced Gary Ross' Pleasantville, and the two often look at each others' scripts. They also have a connection in a common production designer, the one currently working on Hunger Games, named Phil Messina. Honestly, this is only the second time...
- 8/5/2011
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The question of retirement lingers around Steven Soderbergh, who says he will retire [1] after making a few more films, even if he might not do so in quite the short order once detailed [2] by Matt Damon. This fall he'll shoot Magic Mike, the film informed [3] by Channing Tatum's early days as a male stripper, and will eventually make a Liberace biopic as well as a couple other possible films. Prior to that, the prolific director has two films scheduled for the next six months, Contagion and Haywire. And, as it turns out, he'll also have his name on a big franchise film. Thanks to Twitter, we now know that Soderbergh is directing second unit on the Gary Ross adaptation of The Hunger Games. The Playlist [4] points to crew tweets announcing Soderbergh's involvement, and verified that they are correct. (The tweets include, "Holy shit! Just found out that Steven Soderbergh...
- 8/4/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
You can now check out a clip of the Fire Nation approaching in writer/director M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender, which opening in 3D and 2D theaters on July 1st.
Dev Patel (Zuko) and Shaun Toub (Uncle Iroh), The Last Airbender
The world is engulfed by the fires of war, and no one has the power to stop the inevitable destruction…until now.
For nearly a century, the Fire Nation has waged its deadly campaign for global domination over its fellow tribal nations of Air, Water and Earth. They offer but one choice to the tribes who fall to their might–complete surrender, or complete annihilation.
As the villagers vainly attempt to defend themselves, they stand behind the chosen few who can command their nation’s element and ‘bend’ it to their will. Backed by enormous armies and weapons of destruction, however, the firebenders have already eliminated every...
Dev Patel (Zuko) and Shaun Toub (Uncle Iroh), The Last Airbender
The world is engulfed by the fires of war, and no one has the power to stop the inevitable destruction…until now.
For nearly a century, the Fire Nation has waged its deadly campaign for global domination over its fellow tribal nations of Air, Water and Earth. They offer but one choice to the tribes who fall to their might–complete surrender, or complete annihilation.
As the villagers vainly attempt to defend themselves, they stand behind the chosen few who can command their nation’s element and ‘bend’ it to their will. Backed by enormous armies and weapons of destruction, however, the firebenders have already eliminated every...
- 6/25/2010
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- Only one of the three episodes of the anthology film Eros delivers on the title's promise. Three world-class directors -- Wong Kar-wai, Steven Soderbergh and the seemingly ageless master himself, Michelangelo Antonioni -- take a crack at making a short film about eroticism and desire. That and the title should create considerable excitement in art houses for Warner Independent Pictures. But the disappointment caused by two-thirds of the film may cut into the boxoffice.
The first and most successful short belongs to Wong. The Hand, the story of a Hong Kong tailor's (Chang Chen) longtime obsession with a beautiful prostitute (Gong Li) for whom he crafts many fine garments, is like the writer-director's recent features -- a moody and intimate story told in close shots in almost claustrophobic rooms.
Eroticism hangs heavily in the air, and the two actors ably convey the passage of years and ebb and flow of a life where a certain kind of love can never be requited.
Soderbergh's Equilibrium is an amusing sketch set in a psychiatrist's office in 1955 between a shrink (Alan Arkin) and a very anxious patient (Robert Downey Jr.). All but the patient's recurring dream is shot in stylish black-and-white.
The dream itself does feature flashes of female nudity, but any short that revolves around the invention of the snooze alarm clock cannot consider itself erotic. Equilibrium is clever but emotionally flat.
For many cineastes the world over, the great Italian director Antonioni can do no wrong. So this free-form series of images revolving around a quarreling married couple and their individual encounters with a free-spirited woman may trigger all sorts of suggestions and provocations. Indeed, they will have to because on the surface, the short suffers from emotional and cinematic banality.
A couple (Christopher Buchholz and Regina Nemni) bicker in stilted, poorly delivered dialogue. They visit a restaurant, and he spots a young woman (Luisa Ranieri). When they angrily separate, the husband pursues the girl and makes love to her. Some time later, in early winter, the estranged wife goes to the beach, takes off her clothes and then encounters the same girl, who is also naked. Who takes their clothes off at the beach in wintertime?
Technical credits vary, but for the most part are top-notch.
EROS
Warner Independent
Roissy Films/Block 2 Pictures/Jet Tone Films Production/IpsoFacto/Solaris/Cite Films Productions/Fandango/Delux
Credits:
Directors: Wong Kar-wai, Steven Soderbergh, Michelangelo Antonioni
Writers: Wong Kar-wai, Steven Soderbergh, Tonino Guerra
Producers: Jacky Pang Yee Wah, Gregory Jacobs, Stephane Tchal Gadjieff, Raphael Berdujgo, Jacques Bar, Domenico Procacci
Executive producers: Chang Ye Cheng, Danielle Rosencranz
Directors of photoghraphy: Christopher Doyle, Peter Andrews, Marco Pontecorvo
Production designer: William Chang, Philip Messina, Stefano Luci
Costumes: William Chang
Milena Canonero Carin Berger,
Music: Peer Rabin
Enrica Antonioni, Vinicio MalaniOnly
Editors: William Chang Suk Ping, Mary Ann Bernard, Claudio di Mauro.
Cast: Miss Hua: Gong Li
Zhang: Chang Chen
Nick: Robert Downey Jr.
Dr. Pearl: Alan Arkin
Christopher: Christopher Bucholtz
Cloe: Regina Nemni
Luisa Ranieri
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 104 minutes...
TORONTO -- Only one of the three episodes of the anthology film Eros delivers on the title's promise. Three world-class directors -- Wong Kar-wai, Steven Soderbergh and the seemingly ageless master himself, Michelangelo Antonioni -- take a crack at making a short film about eroticism and desire. That and the title should create considerable excitement in art houses for Warner Independent Pictures. But the disappointment caused by two-thirds of the film may cut into the boxoffice.
The first and most successful short belongs to Wong. The Hand, the story of a Hong Kong tailor's (Chang Chen) longtime obsession with a beautiful prostitute (Gong Li) for whom he crafts many fine garments, is like the writer-director's recent features -- a moody and intimate story told in close shots in almost claustrophobic rooms.
Eroticism hangs heavily in the air, and the two actors ably convey the passage of years and ebb and flow of a life where a certain kind of love can never be requited.
Soderbergh's Equilibrium is an amusing sketch set in a psychiatrist's office in 1955 between a shrink (Alan Arkin) and a very anxious patient (Robert Downey Jr.). All but the patient's recurring dream is shot in stylish black-and-white.
The dream itself does feature flashes of female nudity, but any short that revolves around the invention of the snooze alarm clock cannot consider itself erotic. Equilibrium is clever but emotionally flat.
For many cineastes the world over, the great Italian director Antonioni can do no wrong. So this free-form series of images revolving around a quarreling married couple and their individual encounters with a free-spirited woman may trigger all sorts of suggestions and provocations. Indeed, they will have to because on the surface, the short suffers from emotional and cinematic banality.
A couple (Christopher Buchholz and Regina Nemni) bicker in stilted, poorly delivered dialogue. They visit a restaurant, and he spots a young woman (Luisa Ranieri). When they angrily separate, the husband pursues the girl and makes love to her. Some time later, in early winter, the estranged wife goes to the beach, takes off her clothes and then encounters the same girl, who is also naked. Who takes their clothes off at the beach in wintertime?
Technical credits vary, but for the most part are top-notch.
EROS
Warner Independent
Roissy Films/Block 2 Pictures/Jet Tone Films Production/IpsoFacto/Solaris/Cite Films Productions/Fandango/Delux
Credits:
Directors: Wong Kar-wai, Steven Soderbergh, Michelangelo Antonioni
Writers: Wong Kar-wai, Steven Soderbergh, Tonino Guerra
Producers: Jacky Pang Yee Wah, Gregory Jacobs, Stephane Tchal Gadjieff, Raphael Berdujgo, Jacques Bar, Domenico Procacci
Executive producers: Chang Ye Cheng, Danielle Rosencranz
Directors of photoghraphy: Christopher Doyle, Peter Andrews, Marco Pontecorvo
Production designer: William Chang, Philip Messina, Stefano Luci
Costumes: William Chang
Milena Canonero Carin Berger,
Music: Peer Rabin
Enrica Antonioni, Vinicio MalaniOnly
Editors: William Chang Suk Ping, Mary Ann Bernard, Claudio di Mauro.
Cast: Miss Hua: Gong Li
Zhang: Chang Chen
Nick: Robert Downey Jr.
Dr. Pearl: Alan Arkin
Christopher: Christopher Bucholtz
Cloe: Regina Nemni
Luisa Ranieri
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 104 minutes...
- 9/16/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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