One cannot underestimate the enormity of Jerry Zucker's "Ghost" when it was released in 1990. In the film, Molly (Demi Moore) and Sam (Patrick Swayze) are a well-to-do couple in New York who are very, very much in love. Despite their closeness, not to mention their sexual chemistry, Sam cannot entirely commit, replying only with "ditto" when Molly says "I love you." When Sam is murdered by muggers, he returns to Molly as a ghost, using a medium named Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) to communicate. Can Sam figure out the rules of the afterlife in time to express his undying love for Molly?
"Ghost" was made for a modest $22 million, but made over half a billion dollars worldwide. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won Oscars for Whoopi Goldberg and Bruce Joel Rubin, its screenwriter. "Ghost" was a juggernaut, and it's unusual that it...
"Ghost" was made for a modest $22 million, but made over half a billion dollars worldwide. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won Oscars for Whoopi Goldberg and Bruce Joel Rubin, its screenwriter. "Ghost" was a juggernaut, and it's unusual that it...
- 4/29/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The Olitz spark between "Scandal"'s Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn is still going strong years after their TV reign. The duo's recent reunion for Washington's "Thicker Than Water" book tour, which kicked off in September, reminded Olivia Pope and Fitzgerald Grant fans everywhere that these haven't lost their magic one bit. In fact, their undeniable chemistry is just as convincing as it was during "Scandal"'s heyday. So much so that some fans have completely forgotten that the former costars are, indeed, married in real life (and not to each other).
Goldwyn has been with his wife, Jane Musky, since 1987, and they share two daughters. Washington, a mom of three young kids, meanwhile, tied the knot with NFL player-turned-actor Nnamdi Asomugha in 2013. So despite fan speculation, Washington and Goldwyn are just friends.
Between re-creating their iconic Olitz scenes and their many birthday tributes to each other on social...
Goldwyn has been with his wife, Jane Musky, since 1987, and they share two daughters. Washington, a mom of three young kids, meanwhile, tied the knot with NFL player-turned-actor Nnamdi Asomugha in 2013. So despite fan speculation, Washington and Goldwyn are just friends.
Between re-creating their iconic Olitz scenes and their many birthday tributes to each other on social...
- 10/17/2023
- by Njera Perkins
- Popsugar.com
Jane Musky may not be a familiar name to many TV and film audiences, but behind the scenes, she’s an artistic force whose creative brilliance has left an indelible mark on the world of film. With a career spanning decades, she has consistently demonstrated her extraordinary talent as a production designer and set decorator. Her work has graced some of the most iconic films in cinematic history, elevating visual storytelling to new heights. Musky represents a generation of heroes without capes who have worked tirelessly on movie sets but whose credits are left for inattentive audiences at the film’s end.
- 9/11/2023
- by Onyinye Izundu
- TVovermind.com
Stars Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Maluma and more take you behind the scenes of their glamorous new romance, Universal Pictures’ Marry Me, directed by Kat Coiro. In theaters and streaming only on Peacock this Valentine’s Day. https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-movies/marry-me
Packed with original songs by Jennifer Lopez and global Latin music star Maluma, Marry Me arrives next Valentine’s Day with Lopez starring as musical superstar Kat Valdez and Owen Wilson as Charlie Gilbert, a math teacher—total strangers who agree to marry and then get to know each other. An unlikely romance about two different people searching for something real in a world where value is based on likes and followers, Marry Me is a modern love story about celebrity, marriage and social media.
Kat Valdez (Lopez) is half of the sexiest celebrity power couple on Earth with hot new music supernova Bastian. As Kat and Bastian’s inescapable hit single,...
Packed with original songs by Jennifer Lopez and global Latin music star Maluma, Marry Me arrives next Valentine’s Day with Lopez starring as musical superstar Kat Valdez and Owen Wilson as Charlie Gilbert, a math teacher—total strangers who agree to marry and then get to know each other. An unlikely romance about two different people searching for something real in a world where value is based on likes and followers, Marry Me is a modern love story about celebrity, marriage and social media.
Kat Valdez (Lopez) is half of the sexiest celebrity power couple on Earth with hot new music supernova Bastian. As Kat and Bastian’s inescapable hit single,...
- 1/25/2022
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation announced today that it has raised more than $7.8 million dollars in contributions for its Covid-19 Relief Fund for SAG-AFTRA artists in dire need.
On March 16, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, along with the SAG-AFTRA Motion Picture Players’ Welfare Fund, launched a Covid-19 Relief Fund for SAG-AFTRA members. Since activating the Fund, the Foundation has already given over $5.1 million in emergency financial assistance to more than 5,484 SAG-AFTRA artists and their families with hundreds of applications still in process and thousands of performers still in need.
For over 35 years, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation has been a vital resource for SAG-AFTRA performers seeking emergency financial assistance. But due to what has amounted to a near industry-wide shutdown, thousands of performers have been unable to work, and many second and third survival jobs have also been eliminated during the crisis.
For the past several months, the Foundation has focused its efforts on raising significant...
On March 16, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, along with the SAG-AFTRA Motion Picture Players’ Welfare Fund, launched a Covid-19 Relief Fund for SAG-AFTRA members. Since activating the Fund, the Foundation has already given over $5.1 million in emergency financial assistance to more than 5,484 SAG-AFTRA artists and their families with hundreds of applications still in process and thousands of performers still in need.
For over 35 years, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation has been a vital resource for SAG-AFTRA performers seeking emergency financial assistance. But due to what has amounted to a near industry-wide shutdown, thousands of performers have been unable to work, and many second and third survival jobs have also been eliminated during the crisis.
For the past several months, the Foundation has focused its efforts on raising significant...
- 6/29/2020
- Look to the Stars
Tom Hanks, one of the first celebrities to contract the coronavirus, is urging his fellow actors to contribute to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Covid-19 Relief Fund, which said Monday it has raised more than $7.8 million in contributions to aid SAG-AFTRA members in dire financial need.
“The devastating effects of Covid-19 are in our own backyard, and we’re doing what we can for our colleagues and collaborators who need help,” said Hanks, a member of the foundation’s Actors’ Council who along with his wife, Rita Wilson, have played major roles in the fundraising efforts. Like Hanks, Wilson tested positive for the virus in March while he was filming Elvis, the Elvis Presley biopic, in Australia.
Others who serve on the Actors’ Council – including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Bryan Cranston – have joined Hanks in issuing statements calling on the acting community and industry leaders to continue their...
“The devastating effects of Covid-19 are in our own backyard, and we’re doing what we can for our colleagues and collaborators who need help,” said Hanks, a member of the foundation’s Actors’ Council who along with his wife, Rita Wilson, have played major roles in the fundraising efforts. Like Hanks, Wilson tested positive for the virus in March while he was filming Elvis, the Elvis Presley biopic, in Australia.
Others who serve on the Actors’ Council – including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Bryan Cranston – have joined Hanks in issuing statements calling on the acting community and industry leaders to continue their...
- 6/22/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
When Jane Musky signed on as production designer for “Hustlers,” she had the luxury of spending four weeks discussing the film with its director, Lorene Scafaria. The main challenge, she says, was “how do we let everyone know that this is not a story about girls stripping, even though they do strip?” Her goal was not to create a cliched world, one that had been seen in other such films.
“Hustlers” stars Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez as strippers working in a Manhattan club frequented by the wealthy men of Wall Street. When the economic crash of 2008 hits, Ramona (Lopez), Destiny (Wu) and the other women in the club take matters into their own hands and empower themselves through their hustle.
It’s a gritty and empowering film about strong women gaining the upper hand. Janet Jackson’s “Control” plays at the beginning of the film, underscoring that point.
The...
“Hustlers” stars Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez as strippers working in a Manhattan club frequented by the wealthy men of Wall Street. When the economic crash of 2008 hits, Ramona (Lopez), Destiny (Wu) and the other women in the club take matters into their own hands and empower themselves through their hustle.
It’s a gritty and empowering film about strong women gaining the upper hand. Janet Jackson’s “Control” plays at the beginning of the film, underscoring that point.
The...
- 12/10/2019
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
“Roma,” “Black Panther,” “A Quiet Place,” and Golden Globe winner “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” lead the nominees for the 23rd Annual Adg production design awards in the categories of period, fantasy, contemporary, and animated films. The awards will be held February 2 at the InterContinental.
“A Star Is Born” (Karen Murphy), “Crazy Rich Asians” (Nelson Coates), and “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (Peter Wenham) made the cut for contemporary. Other period nominees included “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (Jess Gonchor), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Aaron Haye), “First Man” (Nathan Crowley), and “The Favourite” (Fiona Crombie). “Green Book” and “If Beale Street Could Talk” were snubbed.
For fantasy, “Mary Poppins Returns” (John Myhre) joined “Ready Player One” (Adam Stockhausen), and Stockhausen was also a nominee for Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animated “Isle of Dogs,” sharing with co-production designer Paul Harrod.
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film:
1. Period Film
“The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs...
“A Star Is Born” (Karen Murphy), “Crazy Rich Asians” (Nelson Coates), and “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (Peter Wenham) made the cut for contemporary. Other period nominees included “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (Jess Gonchor), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Aaron Haye), “First Man” (Nathan Crowley), and “The Favourite” (Fiona Crombie). “Green Book” and “If Beale Street Could Talk” were snubbed.
For fantasy, “Mary Poppins Returns” (John Myhre) joined “Ready Player One” (Adam Stockhausen), and Stockhausen was also a nominee for Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animated “Isle of Dogs,” sharing with co-production designer Paul Harrod.
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film:
1. Period Film
“The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs...
- 1/7/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The Art Directors Guild has announced nominations for the 23rd Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards in film, TV, commercials, videos and animation features. Among the candidates: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Favourite and Roma, and, on the TV side, Sharp Objects and Glow.
Winners will be honored Saturday, February 2 in Los Angeles. The nominees were announced today by Adg President Nelson Coates, Adg, and Awards Producer Scott Moses, Adg. A tie in the Short Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial category resulted in six nominees this year.
As previously announced, the Adg Cinematic Imagery Award will be handed out to director Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns) and both Anthony Masters (2001: A Space Odyssey) and Benjamin Carré will be inducted into the Adg Hall of Fame. Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Jeannine Oppewall,...
Winners will be honored Saturday, February 2 in Los Angeles. The nominees were announced today by Adg President Nelson Coates, Adg, and Awards Producer Scott Moses, Adg. A tie in the Short Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial category resulted in six nominees this year.
As previously announced, the Adg Cinematic Imagery Award will be handed out to director Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns) and both Anthony Masters (2001: A Space Odyssey) and Benjamin Carré will be inducted into the Adg Hall of Fame. Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Jeannine Oppewall,...
- 1/7/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Buster Scruggs,’ ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Haunting of Hill House’ Nominated for Art Directors Guild Awards
The Art Directors Guild has announced nominees for excellence in production design in feature film and television for 2018.
Among the film nominees in three categories — period, fantasy, and contemporary — were the Coen brothers’ Western anthology “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” hit Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Marvel blockbuster “Black Panther,” and Tom Cruise spectacle “Mission: Impossible — Fallout.”
On the television side, nominees included Netflix’s latter-year smash “The Haunting of Hill House,” Hulu’s Stephen King-inspired “Castle Rock,” HBO’s “Sharp Objects” with Amy Adams, and FX’s acclaimed episode of “Atlanta,” “Teddy Perkins.”
Previously announced, “Mary Poppins Returns” director Rob Marshall will receive the Adg’s cinematic imagery award. Slated for Hall of Fame inductions are British production designer and set decorator Anthony Masters (“2001: A Space Odyssey”) and Benjamin Carre. Lifetime achievement awards will also be presented to production designer Jeannine Oppewall, senior illustrator and production designer Ed Verreaux,...
Among the film nominees in three categories — period, fantasy, and contemporary — were the Coen brothers’ Western anthology “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” hit Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Marvel blockbuster “Black Panther,” and Tom Cruise spectacle “Mission: Impossible — Fallout.”
On the television side, nominees included Netflix’s latter-year smash “The Haunting of Hill House,” Hulu’s Stephen King-inspired “Castle Rock,” HBO’s “Sharp Objects” with Amy Adams, and FX’s acclaimed episode of “Atlanta,” “Teddy Perkins.”
Previously announced, “Mary Poppins Returns” director Rob Marshall will receive the Adg’s cinematic imagery award. Slated for Hall of Fame inductions are British production designer and set decorator Anthony Masters (“2001: A Space Odyssey”) and Benjamin Carre. Lifetime achievement awards will also be presented to production designer Jeannine Oppewall, senior illustrator and production designer Ed Verreaux,...
- 1/7/2019
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
Television’s biggest night took place in Century City, CA Sunday, September 16th, where the entertainment industry came together for the 12th annual “Evening Before” party, benefitting Mptf (Motion Picture & Television Fund).
Stars Attend 12th Annual Evening Before
Credit/Copyright: Getty Images for Mptf
The television industry, from Emmy presenters and nominees, to other TV industry members, helped raise funds to support their industry colleagues and friends who benefit from Mptf’s charitable programs and services such as financial assistance, crisis counseling, care giving support and of course the legendary retirement facility in Woodland Hills that is “home” to television and film veterans alike.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the corporate sponsors and donors from the television community who came out to support the Evening Before. Their generosity enables Mptf to continue to serve industry workers and their families by providing financial assistance in tough times, subsidizing childcare, and offering...
Stars Attend 12th Annual Evening Before
Credit/Copyright: Getty Images for Mptf
The television industry, from Emmy presenters and nominees, to other TV industry members, helped raise funds to support their industry colleagues and friends who benefit from Mptf’s charitable programs and services such as financial assistance, crisis counseling, care giving support and of course the legendary retirement facility in Woodland Hills that is “home” to television and film veterans alike.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the corporate sponsors and donors from the television community who came out to support the Evening Before. Their generosity enables Mptf to continue to serve industry workers and their families by providing financial assistance in tough times, subsidizing childcare, and offering...
- 9/21/2018
- Look to the Stars
Michael Mayer's bountiful adaptation (with screenwriter Stephen Karam) of The Seagull stars Annette Bening, Saoirse Ronan, Elisabeth Moss, and Brian Dennehy with Corey Stoll, Billy Howle, Jon Tenney, Michael Zegen, Glenn Fleshler, and Mare Winningham Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
On the morning of the theatrical première in New York, Michael Mayer joined me for a conversation on The Seagull. He explained producer Tom Hulce's role, their meeting with Annette Bening, that Saoirse Ronan was in-between starring in John Crowley's adaptation of Colm Tóibín's Brooklyn and being cast in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, and why producer Leslie Urdang suggested Elisabeth Moss for Nina.
He told me how costume designer Ann Roth, production designer Jane Musky and cinematographer Matthew J Lloyd were vital collaborators for the look of the film.
Michael Mayer on Ann Roth: "She stuck cookie crumbs into Brian Dennehy's jacket pocket." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Michael...
On the morning of the theatrical première in New York, Michael Mayer joined me for a conversation on The Seagull. He explained producer Tom Hulce's role, their meeting with Annette Bening, that Saoirse Ronan was in-between starring in John Crowley's adaptation of Colm Tóibín's Brooklyn and being cast in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, and why producer Leslie Urdang suggested Elisabeth Moss for Nina.
He told me how costume designer Ann Roth, production designer Jane Musky and cinematographer Matthew J Lloyd were vital collaborators for the look of the film.
Michael Mayer on Ann Roth: "She stuck cookie crumbs into Brian Dennehy's jacket pocket." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Michael...
- 5/15/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Neo-noir got a major boost with this splendid first outing for the Coen Brothers, who planned to produce something commercially viable but broke through with a new style in fashionable genre mayhem. A fantastic cast helps, including the auspicious debut of the great Frances McDormand. Blood Simple Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 834 1984 / Color / 1:85 anamorphic 16:9 / 95 m. Starring John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh, Samm-Art Williams. Cinematography Barry Sonnenfeld Production Designer Jane Musky Film Editor Roderick Jaynes (Ethan Coen & Joel Coen), Don Wiegmann Original Music Carter Burwell, Jim Roberge Writing credits Ethan Coen and Joel Coen Produced by Daniel F. Bacaner, Ethan Coen Directed by Joel Coen
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Although I hear a fair amount of grousing against the Coen Bros. entire approach to filmmaking, they've earned their place through the sheer entertainment value of their work. Reading a Variety review of movies debuting at a...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Although I hear a fair amount of grousing against the Coen Bros. entire approach to filmmaking, they've earned their place through the sheer entertainment value of their work. Reading a Variety review of movies debuting at a...
- 9/17/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Grey's Anatomy fans settling in for Thursday night's popular ShondaLand lineup got a dose of Campaign 2016 reality in the show's first commercial block when Grey's star Ellen Pompeo - along with Scandal's Kerry Washington, How to Get Away With Murder's Viola Davis and their writer/producer Shonda Rhimes - turned up on the screen to plug Hillary Clinton as the real-life best of their respective TV characters. In the campaign ad, which was directed by Washington's Scandal co-star Tony Goldwyn and a tightly held secret ("We were shocked it didn't leak before it got to air," a Clinton...
- 3/11/2016
- by Sandra Sobieraj Westfall, @sswestfall
- PEOPLE.com
Tony Goldwyn Teases Scandal's Winter Premiere: 'Fitz Is Alone Really for the First Time in His Life'
Scandal is almost back - and it's taking a big leap forward. "We start six months after the last episode ended, so you sort of flash-forward," Tony Goldwyn, who plays President Fitzgerald Grant, told People and a group of reporters at the U.S. Premiere of Debbie Allen's Freeze Frame Gala Performance in Beverly Hills on Thursday. "We're going to be very focused on the upcoming presidential campaign and our fantasy political world," Goldwyn revealed. And as Gladiators can recall, it seems as though Fitz may no longer be with Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington). In the midseason finale, Pope...
- 2/6/2016
- by Mariah Haas
- PEOPLE.com
Tony Goldwyn Teases Scandal's Winter Premiere: 'Fitz Is Alone Really for the First Time in His Life'
Scandal is almost back - and it's taking a big leap forward. "We start six months after the last episode ended, so you sort of flash-forward," Tony Goldwyn, who plays President Fitzgerald Grant, told People at the U.S. Premiere of Debbie Allen's Freeze Frame Gala Performance in Beverly Hills on Thursday. "We're going to be very focused on the upcoming presidential campaign and our fantasy political world," Goldwyn revealed. And as Gladiators can recall, it seems as though Fitz may no longer be with Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington). In the midseason finale, Pope moved out of the White House after getting an abortion.
- 2/5/2016
- by Mariah Haas
- PEOPLE.com
Scandal star Tony Goldwyn is opening up about how watching his parents' marriage inspired him to become a feminist.
In a revealing essay written for More magazine, Goldwyn recounts how his mother Jennifer Howard put aside her acting career for his father (and later his stepfather).
"The theater was in Mom's blood. She did some prestigious shows … but she eventually gave up acting," Goldwyn writes. "Perhaps she didn't have what it takes. But my suspicion is that she lacked the support she needed from my dad (the film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr.) and felt that her primary duty was to be a wife and mother.
In a revealing essay written for More magazine, Goldwyn recounts how his mother Jennifer Howard put aside her acting career for his father (and later his stepfather).
"The theater was in Mom's blood. She did some prestigious shows … but she eventually gave up acting," Goldwyn writes. "Perhaps she didn't have what it takes. But my suspicion is that she lacked the support she needed from my dad (the film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr.) and felt that her primary duty was to be a wife and mother.
- 1/26/2016
- by Aaron Couch, @AaronCouch
- People.com - TV Watch
Scandal star Tony Goldwyn is opening up about how watching his parents' marriage inspired him to become a feminist. In a revealing essay written for More magazine, Goldwyn recounts how his mother Jennifer Howard put aside her acting career for his father (and later his stepfather). "The theater was in Mom's blood. She did some prestigious shows … but she eventually gave up acting," Goldwyn writes. "Perhaps she didn't have what it takes. But my suspicion is that she lacked the support she needed from my dad (the film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr.) and felt that her primary duty was to be a wife and mother.
- 1/26/2016
- by Aaron Couch, @AaronCouch
- PEOPLE.com
Scandal star Tony Goldwyn is opening up about how watching his parents' marriage inspired him to become a feminist. In a revealing essay written for More magazine, Goldwyn recounts how his mother Jennifer Howard put aside her acting career for his father (and later his stepfather). "The theater was in Mom's blood. She did some prestigious shows … but she eventually gave up acting," Goldwyn writes. "Perhaps she didn't have what it takes. But my suspicion is that she lacked the support she needed from my dad (the film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr.) and felt that her primary duty was to be a wife and mother.
- 1/26/2016
- by Aaron Couch, @AaronCouch
- PEOPLE.com
Hottest president ever! Scandal's President Fitzgerald Grant is an adulterer and a murderer, but offscreen, Tony Goldwyn is an unfailingly polite, devoted husband in awe of his status as a sex symbol at age 54. The actor, who has been married to production designer Jane Musky for 28 years, said he even had to ask daughters Anna, 25, and Tess, 20, what it meant when a fan tweeted him to say she was "Dtf." "I'm surprised by the intensity of people's attraction," he told Us Weekly in a [...]...
- 4/16/2015
- Us Weekly
Tony Goldwyn and Kerry Washington's sizzling chemistry on ABC's Scandal is too hot to handle -- especially where his wife is concerned. During an appearance on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live on Wednesday, May 15, the actor revealed to host Andy Cohen that his offscreen love, Jane Musky, doesn't watch the show, largely because of the steamy sex scenes he has with his costar. Goldwyn, 52, plays President Fitzgerald Grant, who has had a torrid, on-again/off-again affair with Washington's character, Olivia Pope, since season one. Their relationship [...]...
- 5/16/2013
- Us Weekly
Certainly feels like the director and producer who has only delivered in mainstream items (Soul Food, Men of Honor, Beauty Shop, Notorious) is trying on a new hat of sorts with the spunky titled The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete. George Tillman Jr.’s latest appears to tap into the more authentic, inner city borough pics featuring kids in survival mode a la Raising Victor Vargas or Chop Shop. Starring Anthony Mackie, Jeffrey Wright (pic on the left), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks (see tweet pic top right) and a pair of first-time on the big screen young thesps in the lead roles, filming took place during the summer, has been post-production since late August and features tech crew work by the likes of Production Designer Jane Musky (Why Stop Now) and Cinematographer Reed Morano (For Ellen).
Gist: Written by Michael Starrbury, this is a coming of age...
Gist: Written by Michael Starrbury, this is a coming of age...
- 11/20/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released its annual list of invited new members, and it’s clear they’re continuing to try to make their membership younger. On the list alongside veterans like John Hawkes and David Duchovny are a slew of twentysomethings, including Mia Wasikowska, Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, Mila Kunis, Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lawrence, and Rooney Mara. The Board of Governors also decided to extend an invitation to Restrepo codirector Tim Hetherington, the first time Academy membership has been bestowed posthumously. As a side note, it’s also a hoot to now say the phrase Oscar voter Russell Brand.
- 6/17/2011
- by Dave Karger
- EW - Inside Movies
Beverly Hills, CA . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 178 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2011 to the Academy.s roster of members.
.These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,. said Academy President Tom Sherak. .Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks..
The Academy.s membership policies would have allowed a maximum of 211 new members in 2011, but as in other recent years, several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them. Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
In an unprecedented gesture, the list of new members includes documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in action in Libya in April.
.These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,. said Academy President Tom Sherak. .Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks..
The Academy.s membership policies would have allowed a maximum of 211 new members in 2011, but as in other recent years, several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them. Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
In an unprecedented gesture, the list of new members includes documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in action in Libya in April.
- 6/17/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
HollywoodNews.com: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 178 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2011 to the Academy’s roster of members.
“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks.”
The Academy’s membership policies would have allowed a maximum of 211 new members in 2011, but as in other recent years, several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them. Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
In an unprecedented gesture, the list of new members includes documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in action in Libya in April.
“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks.”
The Academy’s membership policies would have allowed a maximum of 211 new members in 2011, but as in other recent years, several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them. Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
In an unprecedented gesture, the list of new members includes documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in action in Libya in April.
- 6/17/2011
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
Sam Rockwell calls his "Conviction" director, Tony Goldwyn, one of the best artists he's ever worked with—and "the hunkiest." Says Rockwell, only half-joking, "Have you seen him? He's too good-looking to be a director!" Indeed, Goldwyn began his show business career as an actor; most people remember him for his breakthrough role as Patrick Swayze's villainous best friend in "Ghost." And he can currently be seen singing and dancing as the smarmy boss of Sean Hayes' character in the Broadway revival of "Promises, Promises." But Goldwyn has racked up impressive credits behind the camera as well, from the lyrical romance "A Walk on the Moon" to episodes of acclaimed shows such as "Dexter" and "Damages." But "Conviction" might be his greatest achievement yet. The true story of Betty Anne Waters, who put herself through law school to prove her brother Kenny's innocence on a murder charge, "Conviction...
- 10/7/2010
- backstage.com
Shooting has started in New York on Alcon Entertainment’s romantic comedy “Something Borrowed” starring Ginnifer Goodwin (“He’s Just Not That Into You"), Oscar nominee Kate Hudson (“Almost Famous”), Colin Egglesfield (“Melrose Place”), Steve Howey (“Bride Wars”) and John Krasinski (“The Office”).
"...'Rachel' (Goodwin) is a talented attorney at a top New York law firm, a generous and loyal friend, and, unhappily, still single…as her engaged best friend 'Darcy' (Hudson) is constantly reminding her. But after one drink too many at her 30th birthday party, perpetual good girl Rachel unexpectedly ends up in bed with the guy she’s had a crush on since law school, 'Dex' (Egglesfield)…who just happens to be Darcy’s fiancé. When Rachel and Darcy’s lifelong friendship collides with true love, it leads to unexpected complications and potentially explosive romantic revelations..."
“Something Borrowed” is directed by Luke Greenfield (“The Girl Next Door...
"...'Rachel' (Goodwin) is a talented attorney at a top New York law firm, a generous and loyal friend, and, unhappily, still single…as her engaged best friend 'Darcy' (Hudson) is constantly reminding her. But after one drink too many at her 30th birthday party, perpetual good girl Rachel unexpectedly ends up in bed with the guy she’s had a crush on since law school, 'Dex' (Egglesfield)…who just happens to be Darcy’s fiancé. When Rachel and Darcy’s lifelong friendship collides with true love, it leads to unexpected complications and potentially explosive romantic revelations..."
“Something Borrowed” is directed by Luke Greenfield (“The Girl Next Door...
- 5/27/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Hollywood's latest take on Cinderella finds Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes caught up romantically in a movie that acts like a late-'30s comedy of social classes. What contemporizes the old-fashioned tale is the emphasis on Lopez's ethnicity. While this does create a few tricky moments where the movie, directed by Wayne Wang, must dance around politically incorrect potholes, "Maid in Manhattan" has charm on its side: Lopez, looking stunning in Dolce & Gabbana creations, exudes warmth and sensuality; Fiennes tones his mannerisms down to convince you he is an affable American plutocrat; and Tyler Garcia Posey, as Lopez's precocious son, nearly steals the show.
As a romantic comedy, "Maid" pretty much has the holiday field to itself, so, along with Lopez's growing power at the boxoffice, this Revolution Studios entry should create nothing but smiles at Sony.
In a slight twist on his "Working Girl" screenplay, Kevin Wade positions Lopez's Marisa Ventura as a divorced mother living in the Bronx and working as a maid in a swank Manhattan hotel. Several eccentric guests check in, including Natasha Richardson's Caroline Lane, an unhappy socialite recently dumped by a louse, and Fiennes' Christopher Marshall, a state senator setting up headquarters in a campaign for his late father's seat in the U.S. Senate.
One day, Marisa must bring her son, Ty (Posey), to work. It gets more than a little contrived here, but at the exact moment Ty makes friends with the politician and needs to find his mom to ask if he can accompany Chris as he walks his dog, Marisa, in a lapse from her usual sound judgment, is slipping into one of Caroline's chic outfits at the urging of fellow maid Stephanie (Marissa Matrone in the Thelma Ritter role). So when Chris enters Caroline's suite with Ty and encounters gorgeous Marisa in a $5,000 wardrobe, he naturally assumes she is a guest. Once this mistaken identity is carefully established, the story can proceed with Chris' romantic pursuit of Marisa, the tabloid press' pursuit of this Mystery Woman in the senator's life and Marisa's game of deceit with hotel management that jeopardizes her hopes of a career in that business.
The material is thin, not only from wear over the movie decades but from the inability of Wade (working from a story by Edmond Dantes) to update the fairy tale. Making the maid a Latina is certainly realistic but never quite avoids the suggestion that upward mobility is best achieved through marriage into Anglo society. Lopez gets on a soapbox a couple of times to deliver proud-to-be-Latino speeches, but the fairy tale slipper fits awkwardly on the foot of reality during such moments.
The movie also miscalculates by insisting that the two wind up in bed under false pretenses, which reflects negatively on Lopez's character. Besides, how does a woman known to every employee in the hotel sneak past them all?
Wang nicely paces things so interludes between man, woman and cupid disguised as a boy from the Bronx have an easygoing naturalness. You believe everyone is falling in love with each other. There is fine character work in smaller roles too, especially Bob Hoskins as a precise yet paternal butler and Stanley Tucci as an overanxious campaign manager.
Karl Walter Lindenlaub's lensing sparkles with sharp focus and subtle lighting, turning Manhattan into an isle perhaps not as romanticized as Woody Allen's but nonetheless a great setting for romance. Jane Musky's sets and Albert Wolsky's costumes keep things real but not really real. And what a treat actually to see New York in a New York story rather than a northeastern Canadian city.
MAID IN MANHATTAN
Columbia Pictures
Revolution Studios presents a Red Om Films production
Credits:
Director: Wayne Wang
Screenwriter: Kevin Wade
Story by: Edmond Dantes
Producers: Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Deborah Schindler, Paul Schiff
Executive producers: Charles Newirth, Benny Medina
Director of photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Production designer: Jane Musky
Music: Alan Silvestri
Costume designer: Albert Wolsky
Editor: Craig McKay
Casting: Jonathan Strauss, Todd M. Thaler
Cast:
Marisa Ventura: Jennifer Lopez
Christopher Marshall: Ralph Fiennes
Caroline Lane
Natasha Richardson
Jerry Siegel: Stanley Tucci
Ty Ventura: Tyler Garcia Posey
Stephanie Kehoe: Marissa Matrone
Lionel Bloch: Bob Hoskins
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
As a romantic comedy, "Maid" pretty much has the holiday field to itself, so, along with Lopez's growing power at the boxoffice, this Revolution Studios entry should create nothing but smiles at Sony.
In a slight twist on his "Working Girl" screenplay, Kevin Wade positions Lopez's Marisa Ventura as a divorced mother living in the Bronx and working as a maid in a swank Manhattan hotel. Several eccentric guests check in, including Natasha Richardson's Caroline Lane, an unhappy socialite recently dumped by a louse, and Fiennes' Christopher Marshall, a state senator setting up headquarters in a campaign for his late father's seat in the U.S. Senate.
One day, Marisa must bring her son, Ty (Posey), to work. It gets more than a little contrived here, but at the exact moment Ty makes friends with the politician and needs to find his mom to ask if he can accompany Chris as he walks his dog, Marisa, in a lapse from her usual sound judgment, is slipping into one of Caroline's chic outfits at the urging of fellow maid Stephanie (Marissa Matrone in the Thelma Ritter role). So when Chris enters Caroline's suite with Ty and encounters gorgeous Marisa in a $5,000 wardrobe, he naturally assumes she is a guest. Once this mistaken identity is carefully established, the story can proceed with Chris' romantic pursuit of Marisa, the tabloid press' pursuit of this Mystery Woman in the senator's life and Marisa's game of deceit with hotel management that jeopardizes her hopes of a career in that business.
The material is thin, not only from wear over the movie decades but from the inability of Wade (working from a story by Edmond Dantes) to update the fairy tale. Making the maid a Latina is certainly realistic but never quite avoids the suggestion that upward mobility is best achieved through marriage into Anglo society. Lopez gets on a soapbox a couple of times to deliver proud-to-be-Latino speeches, but the fairy tale slipper fits awkwardly on the foot of reality during such moments.
The movie also miscalculates by insisting that the two wind up in bed under false pretenses, which reflects negatively on Lopez's character. Besides, how does a woman known to every employee in the hotel sneak past them all?
Wang nicely paces things so interludes between man, woman and cupid disguised as a boy from the Bronx have an easygoing naturalness. You believe everyone is falling in love with each other. There is fine character work in smaller roles too, especially Bob Hoskins as a precise yet paternal butler and Stanley Tucci as an overanxious campaign manager.
Karl Walter Lindenlaub's lensing sparkles with sharp focus and subtle lighting, turning Manhattan into an isle perhaps not as romanticized as Woody Allen's but nonetheless a great setting for romance. Jane Musky's sets and Albert Wolsky's costumes keep things real but not really real. And what a treat actually to see New York in a New York story rather than a northeastern Canadian city.
MAID IN MANHATTAN
Columbia Pictures
Revolution Studios presents a Red Om Films production
Credits:
Director: Wayne Wang
Screenwriter: Kevin Wade
Story by: Edmond Dantes
Producers: Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Deborah Schindler, Paul Schiff
Executive producers: Charles Newirth, Benny Medina
Director of photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Production designer: Jane Musky
Music: Alan Silvestri
Costume designer: Albert Wolsky
Editor: Craig McKay
Casting: Jonathan Strauss, Todd M. Thaler
Cast:
Marisa Ventura: Jennifer Lopez
Christopher Marshall: Ralph Fiennes
Caroline Lane
Natasha Richardson
Jerry Siegel: Stanley Tucci
Ty Ventura: Tyler Garcia Posey
Stephanie Kehoe: Marissa Matrone
Lionel Bloch: Bob Hoskins
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 12/2/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As with last year's "Monster's Ball", there's an aching sins-of-the-father theme running deeply through "City by the Sea", an exceptionally acted, quietly affecting cop drama set against the decaying backdrop of the once bustling resort destination of Long Beach, Long Island.
Taking its cue from a 1997 Esquire magazine article by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael McAlary, the scenario concerns a veteran New York City homicide detective who finds himself having to do the right thing as both a law enforcer and a parent when a murder suspect turns out to be his estranged junkie son.
Despite an exceptional cast -- headed by Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco -- that has been beautifully directed by Michael Caton-Jones, the picture's rather bleak subject matter makes for a tough sell for Warner Bros. Pictures, which, after the disastrous "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" and the anemic "Blood Work", is looking to get back into the boxoffice groove.
De Niro, reuniting with his "This Boy's Life" director, is in fine, introspective form as Detective Vincent LaMarca, a man whose committed career with the NYPD has served to help block out a painful personal past.
His steady girlfriend, Michelle (McDormand), knows about an ex-wife (Patti LuPone) who lives back in Long Beach. But she's unaware of the young son he had left behind and of the emotionally distant LaMarca's own traumatic childhood -- his father was given the electric chair for kidnapping a baby from a wealthy family. The child accidentally suffocated in the back seat of his father's car while he was waiting for the ransom money.
But when LaMarca's now drug-addicted son, Joey (Franco), is at first implicated in the murder of a dealer and then is the prime suspect in a cop killing, his long-buried past comes back to haunt him, with the news media floating the notion of the existence of a "murder gene" that is passed down through the generations.
The turn of events has brought father and son face to face for the first time in 14 years, but the tricky outcome depends on the choices the elder LaMarca must make as a parent and an officer of the law.
What starts out as a generic, gritty crime thriller gets more interesting as it goes along as Caton-Jones and screenwriter Ken Hixon ("Inventing the Abbotts") carefully add on all the layers of intrigue.
Hitting it all home in expertly modulated performances is a uniformly excellent cast. While De Niro and McDormand are a treat to watch together -- as fascinating for the choices they don't make as the ones they do -- the always interesting Franco, who made for such a convincing James Dean in the TNT movie of the same name, is equally believable as De Niro's son. He also manages to avoid the usual physical tics that go with the junkie turf.
Also doing fine work are LuPone, George Dzundza as De Niro's partner and Eliza Dushku (who also appeared in "This Boy's Life") as the struggling mother of Franco's young son.
On the technical end, cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub and production designer Jane Musky take effective advantage of the dilapidated seaside setting (with neighboring Asbury Park, N.J., subbing for the similarly shabby Long Beach), while John Murphy's low-key score gently rocks the emotional boat.
CITY BY THE SEA
Warner Bros. Pictures
Franchise Pictures presents a Brad Grey Pictures production
A film by Michael Caton- Jones
Credits: Director: Michael Caton-Jones; Screenwriter: Ken Hixon; Based on the article "Mark of a Murderer" by: Michael McAlary; Producers: Brad Grey, Elie Samaha, Michael Caton-Jones, Matthew Baer; Executive producers: Andrew Stevens, Dan Kores, Don Carmody, Roger Paradiso; Director of photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub; Production designer: Jane Musky; Editor: Jim Clark; Costume designer: Richard Owings; Music: John Murphy; Casting: Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond. Cast: Vincent LaMarca: Robert De Niro; Michelle: Frances McDormand; Joey LaMarca: James Franco; Gina: Eliza Dushku; Spyder: William Forsythe; Reginald Duffy: George Dzundza; Maggie: Patti LuPone.
MPAA rating R, running time 108 minutes.
Taking its cue from a 1997 Esquire magazine article by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael McAlary, the scenario concerns a veteran New York City homicide detective who finds himself having to do the right thing as both a law enforcer and a parent when a murder suspect turns out to be his estranged junkie son.
Despite an exceptional cast -- headed by Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco -- that has been beautifully directed by Michael Caton-Jones, the picture's rather bleak subject matter makes for a tough sell for Warner Bros. Pictures, which, after the disastrous "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" and the anemic "Blood Work", is looking to get back into the boxoffice groove.
De Niro, reuniting with his "This Boy's Life" director, is in fine, introspective form as Detective Vincent LaMarca, a man whose committed career with the NYPD has served to help block out a painful personal past.
His steady girlfriend, Michelle (McDormand), knows about an ex-wife (Patti LuPone) who lives back in Long Beach. But she's unaware of the young son he had left behind and of the emotionally distant LaMarca's own traumatic childhood -- his father was given the electric chair for kidnapping a baby from a wealthy family. The child accidentally suffocated in the back seat of his father's car while he was waiting for the ransom money.
But when LaMarca's now drug-addicted son, Joey (Franco), is at first implicated in the murder of a dealer and then is the prime suspect in a cop killing, his long-buried past comes back to haunt him, with the news media floating the notion of the existence of a "murder gene" that is passed down through the generations.
The turn of events has brought father and son face to face for the first time in 14 years, but the tricky outcome depends on the choices the elder LaMarca must make as a parent and an officer of the law.
What starts out as a generic, gritty crime thriller gets more interesting as it goes along as Caton-Jones and screenwriter Ken Hixon ("Inventing the Abbotts") carefully add on all the layers of intrigue.
Hitting it all home in expertly modulated performances is a uniformly excellent cast. While De Niro and McDormand are a treat to watch together -- as fascinating for the choices they don't make as the ones they do -- the always interesting Franco, who made for such a convincing James Dean in the TNT movie of the same name, is equally believable as De Niro's son. He also manages to avoid the usual physical tics that go with the junkie turf.
Also doing fine work are LuPone, George Dzundza as De Niro's partner and Eliza Dushku (who also appeared in "This Boy's Life") as the struggling mother of Franco's young son.
On the technical end, cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub and production designer Jane Musky take effective advantage of the dilapidated seaside setting (with neighboring Asbury Park, N.J., subbing for the similarly shabby Long Beach), while John Murphy's low-key score gently rocks the emotional boat.
CITY BY THE SEA
Warner Bros. Pictures
Franchise Pictures presents a Brad Grey Pictures production
A film by Michael Caton- Jones
Credits: Director: Michael Caton-Jones; Screenwriter: Ken Hixon; Based on the article "Mark of a Murderer" by: Michael McAlary; Producers: Brad Grey, Elie Samaha, Michael Caton-Jones, Matthew Baer; Executive producers: Andrew Stevens, Dan Kores, Don Carmody, Roger Paradiso; Director of photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub; Production designer: Jane Musky; Editor: Jim Clark; Costume designer: Richard Owings; Music: John Murphy; Casting: Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond. Cast: Vincent LaMarca: Robert De Niro; Michelle: Frances McDormand; Joey LaMarca: James Franco; Gina: Eliza Dushku; Spyder: William Forsythe; Reginald Duffy: George Dzundza; Maggie: Patti LuPone.
MPAA rating R, running time 108 minutes.
- 8/26/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As with last year's "Monster's Ball," there's an aching sins-of-the-father theme running deeply through City by the Sea, an exceptionally acted, quietly affecting cop drama set against the decaying backdrop of the once bustling resort destination of Long Beach, Long Island.
Taking its cue from a 1997 Esquire magazine article by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael McAlary, the scenario concerns a veteran New York City homicide detective who finds himself having to do the right thing as both a law enforcer and a parent when a murder suspect turns out to be his estranged junkie son.
Despite an exceptional cast -- headed by Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco -- that has been beautifully directed by Michael Caton-Jones, the picture's rather bleak subject matter makes for a tough sell for Warner Bros. Pictures, which, after the disastrous The Adventures of Pluto Nash and the anemic Blood Work, is looking to get back into the boxoffice groove.
De Niro, reuniting with his "This Boy's Life" director, is in fine, introspective form as Detective Vincent LaMarca, a man whose committed career with the NYPD has served to help block out a painful personal past.
His steady girlfriend, Michelle (McDormand), knows about an ex-wife (Patti LuPone) who lives back in Long Beach. But she's unaware of the young son he had left behind and of the emotionally distant LaMarca's own traumatic childhood -- his father was given the electric chair for kidnapping a baby from a wealthy family. The child accidentally suffocated in the back seat of his father's car while he was waiting for the ransom money.
But when LaMarca's now drug-addicted son, Joey (Franco), is at first implicated in the murder of a dealer and then is the prime suspect in a cop killing, his long-buried past comes back to haunt him, with the news media floating the notion of the existence of a "murder gene" that is passed down through the generations.
The turn of events has brought father and son face to face for the first time in 14 years, but the tricky outcome depends on the choices the elder LaMarca must make as a parent and an officer of the law.
What starts out as a generic, gritty crime thriller gets more interesting as it goes along as Caton-Jones and screenwriter Ken Hixon (Inventing the Abbotts) carefully add on all the layers of intrigue.
Hitting it all home in expertly modulated performances is a uniformly excellent cast. While De Niro and McDormand are a treat to watch together -- as fascinating for the choices they don't make as the ones they do -- the always interesting Franco, who made for such a convincing James Dean in the TNT movie of the same name, is equally believable as De Niro's son. He also manages to avoid the usual physical tics that go with the junkie turf.
Also doing fine work are LuPone, George Dzundza as De Niro's partner and Eliza Dushku (who also appeared in "This Boy's Life") as the struggling mother of Franco's young son.
On the technical end, cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub and production designer Jane Musky take effective advantage of the dilapidated seaside setting (with neighboring Asbury Park, N.J., subbing for the similarly shabby Long Beach), while John Murphy's low-key score gently rocks the emotional boat.
CITY BY THE SEA
Warner Bros. Pictures
Franchise Pictures presents a Brad Grey Pictures production
A film by Michael Caton- Jones
Credits: Director: Michael Caton-Jones; Screenwriter: Ken Hixon; Based on the article "Mark of a Murderer" by: Michael McAlary; Producers: Brad Grey, Elie Samaha, Michael Caton-Jones, Matthew Baer; Executive producers: Andrew Stevens, Dan Kores, Don Carmody, Roger Paradiso; Director of photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub; Production designer: Jane Musky; Editor: Jim Clark; Costume designer: Richard Owings; Music: John Murphy; Casting: Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond. Cast: Vincent LaMarca: Robert De Niro; Michelle: Frances McDormand; Joey LaMarca: James Franco; Gina: Eliza Dushku; Spyder: William Forsythe; Reginald Duffy: George Dzundza; Maggie: Patti LuPone.
MPAA rating R, running time 108 minutes.
Taking its cue from a 1997 Esquire magazine article by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael McAlary, the scenario concerns a veteran New York City homicide detective who finds himself having to do the right thing as both a law enforcer and a parent when a murder suspect turns out to be his estranged junkie son.
Despite an exceptional cast -- headed by Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco -- that has been beautifully directed by Michael Caton-Jones, the picture's rather bleak subject matter makes for a tough sell for Warner Bros. Pictures, which, after the disastrous The Adventures of Pluto Nash and the anemic Blood Work, is looking to get back into the boxoffice groove.
De Niro, reuniting with his "This Boy's Life" director, is in fine, introspective form as Detective Vincent LaMarca, a man whose committed career with the NYPD has served to help block out a painful personal past.
His steady girlfriend, Michelle (McDormand), knows about an ex-wife (Patti LuPone) who lives back in Long Beach. But she's unaware of the young son he had left behind and of the emotionally distant LaMarca's own traumatic childhood -- his father was given the electric chair for kidnapping a baby from a wealthy family. The child accidentally suffocated in the back seat of his father's car while he was waiting for the ransom money.
But when LaMarca's now drug-addicted son, Joey (Franco), is at first implicated in the murder of a dealer and then is the prime suspect in a cop killing, his long-buried past comes back to haunt him, with the news media floating the notion of the existence of a "murder gene" that is passed down through the generations.
The turn of events has brought father and son face to face for the first time in 14 years, but the tricky outcome depends on the choices the elder LaMarca must make as a parent and an officer of the law.
What starts out as a generic, gritty crime thriller gets more interesting as it goes along as Caton-Jones and screenwriter Ken Hixon (Inventing the Abbotts) carefully add on all the layers of intrigue.
Hitting it all home in expertly modulated performances is a uniformly excellent cast. While De Niro and McDormand are a treat to watch together -- as fascinating for the choices they don't make as the ones they do -- the always interesting Franco, who made for such a convincing James Dean in the TNT movie of the same name, is equally believable as De Niro's son. He also manages to avoid the usual physical tics that go with the junkie turf.
Also doing fine work are LuPone, George Dzundza as De Niro's partner and Eliza Dushku (who also appeared in "This Boy's Life") as the struggling mother of Franco's young son.
On the technical end, cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub and production designer Jane Musky take effective advantage of the dilapidated seaside setting (with neighboring Asbury Park, N.J., subbing for the similarly shabby Long Beach), while John Murphy's low-key score gently rocks the emotional boat.
CITY BY THE SEA
Warner Bros. Pictures
Franchise Pictures presents a Brad Grey Pictures production
A film by Michael Caton- Jones
Credits: Director: Michael Caton-Jones; Screenwriter: Ken Hixon; Based on the article "Mark of a Murderer" by: Michael McAlary; Producers: Brad Grey, Elie Samaha, Michael Caton-Jones, Matthew Baer; Executive producers: Andrew Stevens, Dan Kores, Don Carmody, Roger Paradiso; Director of photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub; Production designer: Jane Musky; Editor: Jim Clark; Costume designer: Richard Owings; Music: John Murphy; Casting: Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond. Cast: Vincent LaMarca: Robert De Niro; Michelle: Frances McDormand; Joey LaMarca: James Franco; Gina: Eliza Dushku; Spyder: William Forsythe; Reginald Duffy: George Dzundza; Maggie: Patti LuPone.
MPAA rating R, running time 108 minutes.
- 8/26/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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