“I never wanted to be the guy wearing a T-shirt that read Ask Me About My Novel,” says Garth Risk Hallberg. One August evening in 2012, he was that guy. He’d been invited to the wedding of writer-banker Gary Sernovitz and academic Molly Pulda at the Bowery Hotel. Among his tablemates were Diana Miller, his future editor; Tom Bissell, whom he’d just reviewed in the Times; and Chris Parris-Lamb, a young literary agent whose recent success with Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding was well known to all — including the writer seated across from him. A souvenir “dictionary” defined each guest. Hallberg’s entry read: “Critic-novelist certain he will win the Postmodernist Fiction Trivia Contest to be held in the men’s bathroom at 11:59 tonight.”At the time, the “novelist” part was notional. Hallberg’s wife was the only one at the wedding who had seen the...
- 10/5/2015
- by Boris Kachka
- Vulture
Following the screening of their new film "Mistress America," writer and director Noah Baumbach and writer and producer Greta Gerwig, shared a lively and insightful discussion about their collaborations, writing, "Frances Ha" (in which Gerwig played the titular character), and her new starring role.
Tracy, a lonely college freshman in New York, is having neither the exciting university experience nor the glamorous metropolitan lifestyle she envisioned. But when she is taken in by her soon-to-be stepsister, Brooke—a resident of Times Square and adventurous gal about town—she is rescued from her disappointment and seduced by Brooke's alluringly mad schemes.
About Gerwig’s roles as Frances in "Frances Ha" and Brooke in "Mistress America"
Gerwig: Frances and Brooke share a type of madness. Frances literally stumbled at times. She had this running, loping, falling pace to her. Her fits and starts of conversation, and her flashes of confidence and then going back in. And, Brooke, the way we dressed her, was not really of this time -- like a misguided businesswoman with little heels, her little boots, and her pants were too short. She stomped around, and would keep stomping. She had no real shame register.
Baumbach: Brooke was someone we recognized. Aspects of Brooke are familiar to us. She felt like someone out of the movies. Brooke is in some ways all performance. Brooke is a movie. The movie is going on for her. That felt intuitively right.
Gerwig: With Brooke’s character introduction “Welcome to the Great White Way,” she starts this gesture that she realizes halfway down the stairs was not big enough to cover the whole stairs and has to keep going. She doesn’t have a moment of "What have I done?" She just keeps going. She’s kind of a hair flipper the way she speaks.
Frances was always saying something, some kind of internal joke with herself that she couldn’t share with anyone else. And Brooke would look at you and say, “Did you get the joke? Did you get the joke?” until you would say yes. There are so many things that are different about them. The one thing they share is a touch of madness. And I like that in characters. A different kind of madness.
The Writing and Physical Performing Process
Gerwig: There is no improv. We don’t change anything when we’re on set. We don’t adjust the lines for the people we cast. We cast them because they did the lines well. So it becomes a piece of writing that is unchangeable.
Baumbach: As the director of my material I come to it intuitively on set. Greta will struggle with stuff, get the line wrong, or do a kind of version -- but in the best way. She’s mining it in real time. It’s exciting. And she’s doing it with material she spent months perfecting.
Gerwig: I come at it as an actor -- an internal structure that makes sense to me. If I can’t hear it, it’s very hard for me to actually act it. With the script -- the language is so important to it; there is a sense of rhythm in it, that baseline of speech I understand. In (Baumbach’s film) "Greenburg," I could hear it right away. It’s the kind of writing I respond to.
Baumbach: The physical is important with actors; and what physical actions should accompany the line. You’re helping them to find ways to say it. We never change the dialogue but we changed the physical. It’s about finding the way so the actor can get the line right.
A Few Chuckles About Chekov
Gerwig: I think people don’t necessarily listen to each other. It’s one of my favorite things in theatre and film, with everybody missing each other. (Gerwig laughs) I feel like all of Chekov is that -- someone gives a four-page speech and the other person doesn’t care like in Uncle Vanya someone says: “I’m really worried about the forest” and the other character responds: “Do you have a crush on my friend?” I’m always interested in the ways people miss each other.
On Choreography
Baumbach: When we’re writing, we’re envisioning those scenes up to a point, and then when we’re on set, we’re not changing the script, we’re expanding it by this physical blocking and the actors bringing their own stuff to it. The dialogue stays the same; so much of the physical choreography is part of it. With the house (in "Mistress America") for example -- we could always see outside and inside simultaneously. That way the script is all there, ready to be interpreted.
On Language
Gerwig: As an actor my entry point is through language. It’s like reading sheet music. Language has rhythm in it. Language is physical. It’s part of your body; how you speak, how you present yourself.
Baumbach: The physical and verbal work together. It’s how we see things.
Gerwig: I think all of my favorite directors have a strong sense of language. It feels like this trust that I have that Noah will find the visual language that will underscore everything else.
Final Words
An important ‘character’ of "Mistress America" is New York City -- an aspect that was not lost on this Manhattan audience on a very hot and sunny August evening. Yes, there are a few inside New York jokes, but this character-driven comedy is universal, digging deep into the truth-telling rawness of both new and old relationships.
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
Tracy, a lonely college freshman in New York, is having neither the exciting university experience nor the glamorous metropolitan lifestyle she envisioned. But when she is taken in by her soon-to-be stepsister, Brooke—a resident of Times Square and adventurous gal about town—she is rescued from her disappointment and seduced by Brooke's alluringly mad schemes.
About Gerwig’s roles as Frances in "Frances Ha" and Brooke in "Mistress America"
Gerwig: Frances and Brooke share a type of madness. Frances literally stumbled at times. She had this running, loping, falling pace to her. Her fits and starts of conversation, and her flashes of confidence and then going back in. And, Brooke, the way we dressed her, was not really of this time -- like a misguided businesswoman with little heels, her little boots, and her pants were too short. She stomped around, and would keep stomping. She had no real shame register.
Baumbach: Brooke was someone we recognized. Aspects of Brooke are familiar to us. She felt like someone out of the movies. Brooke is in some ways all performance. Brooke is a movie. The movie is going on for her. That felt intuitively right.
Gerwig: With Brooke’s character introduction “Welcome to the Great White Way,” she starts this gesture that she realizes halfway down the stairs was not big enough to cover the whole stairs and has to keep going. She doesn’t have a moment of "What have I done?" She just keeps going. She’s kind of a hair flipper the way she speaks.
Frances was always saying something, some kind of internal joke with herself that she couldn’t share with anyone else. And Brooke would look at you and say, “Did you get the joke? Did you get the joke?” until you would say yes. There are so many things that are different about them. The one thing they share is a touch of madness. And I like that in characters. A different kind of madness.
The Writing and Physical Performing Process
Gerwig: There is no improv. We don’t change anything when we’re on set. We don’t adjust the lines for the people we cast. We cast them because they did the lines well. So it becomes a piece of writing that is unchangeable.
Baumbach: As the director of my material I come to it intuitively on set. Greta will struggle with stuff, get the line wrong, or do a kind of version -- but in the best way. She’s mining it in real time. It’s exciting. And she’s doing it with material she spent months perfecting.
Gerwig: I come at it as an actor -- an internal structure that makes sense to me. If I can’t hear it, it’s very hard for me to actually act it. With the script -- the language is so important to it; there is a sense of rhythm in it, that baseline of speech I understand. In (Baumbach’s film) "Greenburg," I could hear it right away. It’s the kind of writing I respond to.
Baumbach: The physical is important with actors; and what physical actions should accompany the line. You’re helping them to find ways to say it. We never change the dialogue but we changed the physical. It’s about finding the way so the actor can get the line right.
A Few Chuckles About Chekov
Gerwig: I think people don’t necessarily listen to each other. It’s one of my favorite things in theatre and film, with everybody missing each other. (Gerwig laughs) I feel like all of Chekov is that -- someone gives a four-page speech and the other person doesn’t care like in Uncle Vanya someone says: “I’m really worried about the forest” and the other character responds: “Do you have a crush on my friend?” I’m always interested in the ways people miss each other.
On Choreography
Baumbach: When we’re writing, we’re envisioning those scenes up to a point, and then when we’re on set, we’re not changing the script, we’re expanding it by this physical blocking and the actors bringing their own stuff to it. The dialogue stays the same; so much of the physical choreography is part of it. With the house (in "Mistress America") for example -- we could always see outside and inside simultaneously. That way the script is all there, ready to be interpreted.
On Language
Gerwig: As an actor my entry point is through language. It’s like reading sheet music. Language has rhythm in it. Language is physical. It’s part of your body; how you speak, how you present yourself.
Baumbach: The physical and verbal work together. It’s how we see things.
Gerwig: I think all of my favorite directors have a strong sense of language. It feels like this trust that I have that Noah will find the visual language that will underscore everything else.
Final Words
An important ‘character’ of "Mistress America" is New York City -- an aspect that was not lost on this Manhattan audience on a very hot and sunny August evening. Yes, there are a few inside New York jokes, but this character-driven comedy is universal, digging deep into the truth-telling rawness of both new and old relationships.
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
- 8/19/2015
- by Susan Kouguell
- Sydney's Buzz
Rejoice, fans of Alex de la Iglesia, for the Spanish madman shows no signs of slowing down. The Accion Mutante director kicks off his latest production next week with a cast sure to keep fans old and new very happy.Single named Spanish singer Raphael takes the lead role in My Big Night, playing a media hungry diva taping a New Years Eve special well in advance on a sweltering August evening. Regular collaborator Jorge Guerricaechevarria co-writes with the director while the cast includes stars Santiago Segura, Hugo Silva, Mario Casas, and Blanca Suarez.Segura and de la Iglesia partnered often in the director's early days but have worked together far less frequently in recent years, so his presence alone is enough to grab attention. Throw in...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/22/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Director Chris Eska's topowerful Civil War drama "The Retrieval," is now streaming on Netflix. Star Tishuan Scott won the Jury Award for Best Actor at last year's SXSW Film Festival, for his performance as Nate, a fugitive freed man who comes across a young boy and his uncle, both who are sent by a gang of bounty hunters to capture him. The film was also the winner of the jury award for Best Narrative film at the 2013 Ashland Independent Film Festival. Writer/director Chris Eska (2007’s "August Evening" has crafted a very unique and cleverly scripted tale about a young boy named Will, played impressively by...
- 11/26/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Chris Eska crafted the finely-honed, modern-day drama August Evening, which featured a resilient, stoic Mexican immigrant who dealt with life's challenges as they arose. The Retrieval is Eska's followup, and it's a similar, low-key, high-quality affair that etches portraits of two African-American men at different stages of their lives during the Civil War era. Specifically, the film follows Will (Ashton Sanders), an orphan boy on the cusp of adulthood, and Nate (Tishuan Scott), a man who is the target of a "retrieval." Will works under the terribly firm hand of his uncle Marcus (Keston John), who is a bounty hunter in the business of returning runaway slaves. Having (seemingly) no other viable choice, the 13-year-old Will obeys and assists Marcus in his nefarious activities, which...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/2/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Repo Men: Eska’s Latest a Gripping Coming of Age Narrative
Certain to be referred to as an indie film counterpart to Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 Django Unchained due to its depiction of black men involved in Civil War era bounty hunting, director Chris Eska’s emotionally engaging sophomore film, The Retrieval, is a resonant and haunting coming of age narrative that’s as adeptly written as it is performed. Tishuan Scott’s win for Breakthrough Performance at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival seems well placed, and will hopefully be an accolade that funnels some attention to the rather somber film.
It’s 1864 and America is in the last leg of the Civil War. Will (Ashton Sanders), who is 13 years of age, works with his uncle Marcus (Keston John) for a band of bounty hunters led by Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.). Generally, Burrell and co. hunt down runaway slaves, using Will...
Certain to be referred to as an indie film counterpart to Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 Django Unchained due to its depiction of black men involved in Civil War era bounty hunting, director Chris Eska’s emotionally engaging sophomore film, The Retrieval, is a resonant and haunting coming of age narrative that’s as adeptly written as it is performed. Tishuan Scott’s win for Breakthrough Performance at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival seems well placed, and will hopefully be an accolade that funnels some attention to the rather somber film.
It’s 1864 and America is in the last leg of the Civil War. Will (Ashton Sanders), who is 13 years of age, works with his uncle Marcus (Keston John) for a band of bounty hunters led by Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.). Generally, Burrell and co. hunt down runaway slaves, using Will...
- 4/1/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Screening at the 2nd Toronto Black Film Festival (Tbff), which kicked off yesterday, February 11, running through the 16th, is The Retrieval - a film well deserving of our appreciation and attention. Writer/director Chris Eska (2007’s August Evening) has crafted a very unique and cleverly scripted tale about a young boy named Will, played impressively by newcomer Ashton Sanders, who is sent along with his uncle Marcus (Keston John) by a gang of bounty hunters to retrieve Nate (Tishuan Scott), a wanted freed man. It’s an unexplored part of history dealing with slavery, especially on film; a complex and jarring dilemma of...
- 2/12/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Independent filmmakers have typically steered clear of historical dramas because of the unruly budgets that are associated with recreating accurate costume and production design, but that did not scare away writer-director Chris Eska (August Evening) from making a Civil War drama. Eska enlisted the people who care most about historical accuracy, Civil War reenactors, to round out his cast and assist with the authenticity of the costume design and props. It also helps that The Retrieval is limited to only three primary characters who spend a majority of the film roaming across the densely wooded (and ageless) forests of East Texas. Eska’s unwavering desire to achieve perfection in his productions does not hurt matters either, because the production quality of The Retrieval is damn near flawless. Speaking of flawless, that just about describes Ashton Sanders, Keston John and Tishuan Scott’s performances as well. We sat down with Chris Eska...
- 3/24/2013
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
The Retrieval, which premiered at SXSW this year, almost slipped under our noses prior to our preview of it a little over a month ago. It’s a film well deserving of our appreciation and attention. Writer/director Chris Eska (2007’s August Evening) has crafted a very unique and cleverly scripted tale about a young boy named Will, played impressively by newcomer Ashton Sanders, who is sent along with his uncle Marcus (Keston John) by a gang of bounty hunters to retrieve Nate (Tishuan Scott), a wanted freed man. It’s an unexplored part of history dealing with slavery, especially on film; a complex and jarring dilemma of slaves who are promised a reward for...
- 3/19/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
I've been a fan of Austin filmmaker Chris Eska's work since 2007, when his beautifully shot and quietly affecting feature August Evening became one of my favorite Texas films. So I had high hopes for his new feature, the historical drama The Retrieval -- and I'm happy to report that it lived up to my expectations in every way. In a word, The Retrieval is outstanding.
The Retrieval is thematically complex, but the story is deceptively simple. Set during the Civil War, the film follows 13-year-old Will (Ashton Sanders), a fatherless boy who has taken up with a bounty hunter gang. Gang leader Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.) sends Will on a risky mission to retrieve Nate (Tishuan Scott), a wanted man with a lucrative bounty on his head. To ensure Will's return with Nate, Burrell threatens the boy with death if he doesn't bring back his quarry.
Will and his...
The Retrieval is thematically complex, but the story is deceptively simple. Set during the Civil War, the film follows 13-year-old Will (Ashton Sanders), a fatherless boy who has taken up with a bounty hunter gang. Gang leader Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.) sends Will on a risky mission to retrieve Nate (Tishuan Scott), a wanted man with a lucrative bounty on his head. To ensure Will's return with Nate, Burrell threatens the boy with death if he doesn't bring back his quarry.
Will and his...
- 3/15/2013
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
Chris Eska crafted the finely-honed, modern-day drama August Evening, which featured a resilient, older Mexican immigrant who stoicly dealt with life's challenges as they arose. The Retrieval is Eska's followup, and it's a similar, low-key, high-quality affair that etches portraits of two African-American men at different stages of their lives during the Civil War era. Specifically, the film follows Will (Ashton Sanders), an orphan boy on the cusp of adulthood, and Nate (Tishuan Scott), a man who is the target of a "retrieval." Will works under the terribly firm hand of his uncle Marcus (Keston John), who is a bounty hunter in the business of returning runaway slaves. Having (seemingly) no other viable choice, the 13-year-old Will obeys and assists Marcus in his nefarious activities,...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/12/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Check out this clip from "The Retrieval," an African-American Civil War drama having its world premiere in the SXSW Narrative Competition section on March 11. The film is directed by Texan helmer Chris Eska, whose "August Evening" took home the John Cassavetes Award at the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards. Here's more on the film:Set during the Civil War, "The Retrieval" follows a fatherless 13 year-old boy sent north by his bounty hunter gang on a dangerous mission to retrieve a wanted man under false pretense. During their journey towards the unwitting wanted man’s reckoning, the initially distant pair develops unexpected emotional bonds, forming a surrogate father-son relationship. As his feelings grow, the boy is consumed by conflicting emotions and a gut-wrenching ultimate decision: betray the father figure he’s finally found or risk being killed by his gang for insubordination. Shot amid the stunning natural landscapes of Texas, filmmaker Chris Eska,...
- 3/7/2013
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
Making its world premiere at this year's SXSW film festival this month is the Civil War drama The Retrieval (adding it to our list of "slavery/Civil War" films list - see Tambay's post from earlier this month Here). Helmed by Chris Eska, nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards (and winner of the Cassavetes Award) for his feature film August Evening, The Retrieval stars newcomers (mostly) Ashton Sanders, Tishuan Scott, Keston John, Bill Oberst, Jr., Christine Horn, and others. Jason Wehling and Jacob Esquivel produce. All we have for a synopsis is: On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy is sent north by a bounty hunter gang to retrieve a wanted man. A very intriguing...
- 3/7/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Texan filmmaker Chris Eska brings his sophomore feature to SXSW after winning big at the Spirit Awards in 2007 for his debut, "August Evening." What it's about: On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy is sent north by a bounty hunter gang to retrieve a wanted man. About the filmmaker: I grew up in a picturesque village called Ottine, Texas (pop. 98). My UCLA grad school thesis "Doki-Doki" was filmed on the streets and trains of Tokyo and premiered on the national PBS series Independent Lens. Our first feature, "August Evening", won the $50,000 Target Filmmaker Award and was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards, where it took home the Cassavetes Award. That's my standard bio, but you might gain more insight as to what kind of filmmaker I am from this: I'm very thorough. Very. My casting assistants and I went to every middle school within 200 miles of Austin and...
- 3/5/2013
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Filmmaker Chris Eska's new feature The Retrieval will be premiering at SXSW next month. The movie's first screening is set for 1:45 pm on Monday, March 11 at Alamo Ritz, with encores on Tuesday and Saturday. The Austin filmmaker's previous feature was August Evening in 2007, which won the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards.
According to the slim summary on the SXSW site, the plot of The Retrieval focuses on a boy sent north "on the outskirts of the Civil War" to search for a fugitive. Eska remained quiet about any further story details, but answered the following questions for us via email.
Slackerwood: What drew you to make The Retrieval?
Chris Eska: All my films originate from themes that are important in my life, and then I search for the setting and characters that will most highlight the emotions. My Japanese-language film [Doki-Doki] was about isolation in Los Angeles,...
According to the slim summary on the SXSW site, the plot of The Retrieval focuses on a boy sent north "on the outskirts of the Civil War" to search for a fugitive. Eska remained quiet about any further story details, but answered the following questions for us via email.
Slackerwood: What drew you to make The Retrieval?
Chris Eska: All my films originate from themes that are important in my life, and then I search for the setting and characters that will most highlight the emotions. My Japanese-language film [Doki-Doki] was about isolation in Los Angeles,...
- 2/13/2013
- by Elizabeth Stoddard
- Slackerwood
Making its world premiere at this year's SXSW film festival is the Civil War drama The Retrieval, which we hadn't heard of before today (adding it to our list of "slavery/Civil War" films list - see Tambay's post from earlier this month Here). Helmed by Chris Eska, nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards (and winner of the Cassavetes Award) for his feature film August Evening, The Retrieval stars newcomers (mostly) Ashton Sanders, Tishuan Scott, Keston John, Bill Oberst, Jr., Christine Horn, and others. Jason Wehling and Jacob Esquivel produce. All we have for a synopsis is: "On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy is sent north by a bounty...
- 2/1/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
A few weeks ago, the opening night movie at SXSW, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone — plus a handful more choice titles, such as Spring Breakers and the Evil Dead remake — were announced, but today the full line-up was unveiled. As ever, there’s a ton of titles here by directors we know little or nothing about — SXSW is a true discovery festival — but there’s also a fair amount here that grabs the attention straight away. In the narrative competition section, there are new films from Todd Sklar, Chris Eska (August Evening) and former “25 New Faces” alum Destin Daniel …...
- 1/31/2013
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
We met up with Lawrence Levine and Sophia Takal to chat about their film Gabi on the Roof in July on the front porch of The French Legation on a sweltering August evening. It has been almost a year since the film screened at Cinema East and we shot this video interview, but we have been waiting for the perfect time to post it. Well, that time has finally come because Gabi on the Roof in July is now available on hulu.com to stream for Free! Gabi on the Roof in July spirals into an intriguingly passive psychoanalysis of human relationships. Writer-director Lawrence Levine never casts judgment on his characters, instead the audience is left to derive their own conclusions based upon each individual viewer’s personal history and sense of morality. Film critics are left to these very same devices, rendering them powerless to derive any absolute judgments...
- 8/15/2012
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
The bestselling author of The Horse Whisperer bares his soul about the event that nearly killed him - and almost tore apart his family
Nicholas Evans is a celebrated storyteller, and the story he tells me is a cracker. A man and his wife go to stay with her brother and sister-in-law, a titled couple who live on a beautiful estate in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands. On a balmy August evening, the man goes out and picks some mushrooms. He brings them back, fries them up in some butter, sprinkles parsley over them, and the family enjoy a relaxing evening meal.
The following morning all four awake feeling not quite right. By lunchtime they are seriously ill. They consult a book in the kitchen – a guide to wild mushrooms – and leaf through until they find a photograph. Anxiously they scan the text, and see the chilling words: deadly poisonous.
Nicholas Evans is a celebrated storyteller, and the story he tells me is a cracker. A man and his wife go to stay with her brother and sister-in-law, a titled couple who live on a beautiful estate in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands. On a balmy August evening, the man goes out and picks some mushrooms. He brings them back, fries them up in some butter, sprinkles parsley over them, and the family enjoy a relaxing evening meal.
The following morning all four awake feeling not quite right. By lunchtime they are seriously ill. They consult a book in the kitchen – a guide to wild mushrooms – and leaf through until they find a photograph. Anxiously they scan the text, and see the chilling words: deadly poisonous.
- 11/14/2011
- by Decca Aitkenhead
- The Guardian - Film News
London, Aug 27: Rumours are abuzz that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie would finally walk down the aisle later this year, but wedding or not, the couple appear to be more in love than ever before.
They seem so much smitten that many wouldn't be surprised if they didn't finally tie the knot.
The couple was spotted sharing a tender moment together walking arm in arm through the picturesque gardens of their Scottish rural retreat.
As they drank in the scenery on a warm August evening, the couple were clearly making the most of their six children being tucked up in bed as they enjoyed some rare private.
They seem so much smitten that many wouldn't be surprised if they didn't finally tie the knot.
The couple was spotted sharing a tender moment together walking arm in arm through the picturesque gardens of their Scottish rural retreat.
As they drank in the scenery on a warm August evening, the couple were clearly making the most of their six children being tucked up in bed as they enjoyed some rare private.
- 8/27/2011
- by Meeta Kabra
- RealBollywood.com
In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund (Tfpf). The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.
Today's interview is with Chris Eska, the Tfpf grant-winner whose dramatic film August Evening won the John Cassavetes Award at the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards.
Slackerwood: Which scene from the film did you reshoot?
Chris Eska: The final scene where a group of friends drive around in a convertible with Super 8 cameras before running to the top of Mt. Bonnell and throwing a camera from the top.
read more...
Today's interview is with Chris Eska, the Tfpf grant-winner whose dramatic film August Evening won the John Cassavetes Award at the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards.
Slackerwood: Which scene from the film did you reshoot?
Chris Eska: The final scene where a group of friends drive around in a convertible with Super 8 cameras before running to the top of Mt. Bonnell and throwing a camera from the top.
read more...
- 7/27/2011
- by Elizabeth Stoddard
- Slackerwood
We interrupt this regular column to bring you something a little different, particularly since no new films are opening in Austin on this last day of the year. Instead, here are some options for streaming movies on Netflix so while you're hungover tomorrow, you can be a couch potato and still catch some great Austin-connected films.
I had no idea how many films connected to the Austin film scene were available online for streaming. Sure, many things appear on video on demand, when you have to pay additional money, but did you know that Netflix alone has many Austin films available for streaming, as well as even more of the selections from our film festivals? It's not just classics like Paris, Texas and Tender Mercies but a wide range of newer and obscure films, or the television critical darling Friday Night Lights that has the first four seasons available on streaming.
I had no idea how many films connected to the Austin film scene were available online for streaming. Sure, many things appear on video on demand, when you have to pay additional money, but did you know that Netflix alone has many Austin films available for streaming, as well as even more of the selections from our film festivals? It's not just classics like Paris, Texas and Tender Mercies but a wide range of newer and obscure films, or the television critical darling Friday Night Lights that has the first four seasons available on streaming.
- 12/31/2010
- by Jenn Brown
- Slackerwood
Shahrukh King Khan, one of the most adored stars of B Town, has suddenly become quite alert and pulled his socks up, especially after watching the magnum opus Rajnikant and Aishwarya starer Endhiran, or Robot, which was screened for Bollywood folks by the Southern superstar Rajnikant, in Mumbai on Monday the 4th of August evening.
Several reports suggesting the stars emergency meeting called at his residence, Mannat are doing the rounds; however, the point is what makes a super star of Shahrukh Khan’s status so nervous?
Well, for one, the fact that ‘Endhiran and Ra.One are both sci fi high budget films, and both have great stars to their credit, as Ra.One has Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead.
However, reports about Shahrukh calling the sound recordist Resul Pookutty(famous for Slum dog millionaire )who is doing the perfect sound mixing in the flick, and debutant director Anubhav Sinha,...
Several reports suggesting the stars emergency meeting called at his residence, Mannat are doing the rounds; however, the point is what makes a super star of Shahrukh Khan’s status so nervous?
Well, for one, the fact that ‘Endhiran and Ra.One are both sci fi high budget films, and both have great stars to their credit, as Ra.One has Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead.
However, reports about Shahrukh calling the sound recordist Resul Pookutty(famous for Slum dog millionaire )who is doing the perfect sound mixing in the flick, and debutant director Anubhav Sinha,...
- 10/5/2010
- by babul.shah@sampurn.com (Babul)
- TellyCafe
The Texas Filmmakers Production Fund (Tfpf) recipients for 2010 have just been announced, and without even looking anything up, I can spot a number of Austin filmmakers among the lucky winners this year. Twenty-four projects received a total of $104,000 in cash, film stock and services. Selected filmmakers and projects are from all over the state of Texas, but it looks like more than half have ties to Austin this year.
One great benefit about the Tfpf announcement for Austin film lovers is that it's a sneak peek into the projects that some local filmmakers have been working on. Hopefully we'll see some of the following movies in 2011 or beyond ... although one is actually screening in Austin tonight, and another will screen here (at least in part) within the month.
The largest single grant, $9,000, went to Austin artist and photographer Patrick Xavier Bresnan (Otis Ike) for post-production costs on Vietnam Appreciation Day,...
One great benefit about the Tfpf announcement for Austin film lovers is that it's a sneak peek into the projects that some local filmmakers have been working on. Hopefully we'll see some of the following movies in 2011 or beyond ... although one is actually screening in Austin tonight, and another will screen here (at least in part) within the month.
The largest single grant, $9,000, went to Austin artist and photographer Patrick Xavier Bresnan (Otis Ike) for post-production costs on Vietnam Appreciation Day,...
- 8/30/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
- Ballast might have lead the total number of nominations, but it is Frozen River who picked up a pair, including Gotham Awards’ top prize. Really? If I were a betting man I’d have guessed right in two categories (Breakthrough Director and Actor), guessed half right in one (Best Ensemble) and would have terribly been wrong but pleasantly surprised with the Best Documentary going to Trouble the Water, and finally I’d would have been wrong on guessing Best Feature, and as you can guess, I’m perplexed on how Courtney Hunt’s border crossing drama faired a better chance in a category that was loaded in quality features. Best FEATUREBallast - Lance Hammer, director; Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh, producers (Alluvial Film Company)Frozen River - Courtney Hunt, director; Heather Rae, Chip Hourihan, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman, director; Anthony Bregman, Charlie Kaufman, Spike Jonze,
- 12/3/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
On top of this morning's announcement of the Independent Spirit Award nominees the Ifp have announced their nominees for the Gotham Awards. You will notice a few common themes such as love for Frozen River, Ballast and Rachel Getting Married. The one thing that really catches my eye is the nomination of Melissa Leo in the Breakthrough Actor category. Leo is credited on 77 projects over at IMDb with ten of those expected for future release. She has been acting since 1984 and is just now considered a breakthrough? What an interesting world those independent awards are. Here's the list of nominees. Best Feature Ballast Frozen River Synecdoche, New York The Visitor The Wrestler Best Documentary Chris and#038; Don: A Love Story Encounters at the End of the World Man on Wire Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired Trouble the Water Breakthrough Director Antonio Campos, Afterschool Dennis Dortch, A Good Day to...
- 12/2/2008
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Getting a jump on everybody else, the Gotham Independent Film Awards have already released their nominations for 2008 honors, and I assume, based on the name, that Batman is charged with keeping the names of the winners safe and secure until the envelopes are opened.
If you only go to the movies five or six times a year and just to check out the blockbusters, these titles won't mean anything to you. If you follow independent film, you'll probably say to yourself, "Damn it! When can I see that?"
These awards don't predict much when it comes to the Oscars, but there are usually a couple of smaller films to keep an eye on later in the year, and the Gotham Awards highlight quite a few of those possibilities. There aren't individual acting awards, other than a breakthrough award, but Gotham, like virtually every award not named the Academy Awards, has an ensemble honor.
If you only go to the movies five or six times a year and just to check out the blockbusters, these titles won't mean anything to you. If you follow independent film, you'll probably say to yourself, "Damn it! When can I see that?"
These awards don't predict much when it comes to the Oscars, but there are usually a couple of smaller films to keep an eye on later in the year, and the Gotham Awards highlight quite a few of those possibilities. There aren't individual acting awards, other than a breakthrough award, but Gotham, like virtually every award not named the Academy Awards, has an ensemble honor.
- 10/24/2008
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
On Monday, October 20, Ifp has announced the contenders for the 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and Lance Hammer-directed drama "Ballast" has dominated the nomination list, taking in 4 separate nods. The movie, which has won the 2008 Sundance Film Festival's Dramatic Directing Award for Hammer, is nominated for Best Feature, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor and Best Ensemble Performance.
In the category of Best Feature, "Ballast" will be up against Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River", Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York", Thomas McCarthy's "The Visitor" and Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler". Meanwhile, for the Best Ensemble Performance category, the film's cast that include Micheal J. Smith Sr. will be competing with "Rachel Getting Married" ensemble led by Anne Hathaway, "Synecdoche" cast led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" ensemble, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, and "Visitor" cast led by Richard Jenkins.
Though garnering the most gongs for the 2008 Gotham Awards,...
In the category of Best Feature, "Ballast" will be up against Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River", Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York", Thomas McCarthy's "The Visitor" and Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler". Meanwhile, for the Best Ensemble Performance category, the film's cast that include Micheal J. Smith Sr. will be competing with "Rachel Getting Married" ensemble led by Anne Hathaway, "Synecdoche" cast led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" ensemble, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, and "Visitor" cast led by Richard Jenkins.
Though garnering the most gongs for the 2008 Gotham Awards,...
- 10/21/2008
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Directors Arthur Dong, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Chris Eska, Clark Gregg, Davis Guggenheim and Freida Lee Mock are among the participants in Film Independent's fourth annual Filmmaker Forum, which will be held Sept. 26-28 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles.
Producer Ted Hope will deliver this year's keynote address at the three-day event, which focusses on the latest developments in independent filmmaking.
The forum will kick off on Sept. 26 with a screening of Rian Anderson's "The Brothers Bloom," followed by a Q&A with producer Ram Bergman and other members of the creative team and a reception in the DGA atrium.
On Sept. 27 and 28, panel discussions will be held on such topics as "Finding the Financial Sweet Spot"; "What's Up Doc?"; "The Micro Budget Film as a Calling Card; New Tools for Audience Building; The Cost of Cutting Corners: Production Dos and Don'ts"; "Keeping Your Documentary on...
Producer Ted Hope will deliver this year's keynote address at the three-day event, which focusses on the latest developments in independent filmmaking.
The forum will kick off on Sept. 26 with a screening of Rian Anderson's "The Brothers Bloom," followed by a Q&A with producer Ram Bergman and other members of the creative team and a reception in the DGA atrium.
On Sept. 27 and 28, panel discussions will be held on such topics as "Finding the Financial Sweet Spot"; "What's Up Doc?"; "The Micro Budget Film as a Calling Card; New Tools for Audience Building; The Cost of Cutting Corners: Production Dos and Don'ts"; "Keeping Your Documentary on...
- 9/18/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Drama, Foreign Language, Thrillers, Box Office, Cinematical Indie
Is everyone in Toronto for the festival? Has everyone caught up with everything they want to see? Are arthouse movie lovers football fans too? I'm not sure how else to explain the downturn in the indie box office this weekend, in which Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django continued its stay at the top, per estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo. Sukiyaki made $5,100 at its single Gotham engagement; now let's see what happens when it expands beyond New York City.
Also holding up decently in its second weekend was I Served the King of England, which increased to 17 theaters and earned $4,241 per location. Everyone Wants to Be Italian was the only debuting indie to crack the Top 10, but its tepid $2,224 per-screen average at 98 locations indicates that not everyone wants be Italian. No word on what happened with The...
Is everyone in Toronto for the festival? Has everyone caught up with everything they want to see? Are arthouse movie lovers football fans too? I'm not sure how else to explain the downturn in the indie box office this weekend, in which Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django continued its stay at the top, per estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo. Sukiyaki made $5,100 at its single Gotham engagement; now let's see what happens when it expands beyond New York City.
Also holding up decently in its second weekend was I Served the King of England, which increased to 17 theaters and earned $4,241 per location. Everyone Wants to Be Italian was the only debuting indie to crack the Top 10, but its tepid $2,224 per-screen average at 98 locations indicates that not everyone wants be Italian. No word on what happened with The...
- 9/8/2008
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
Look, I don't want to make it sound like an either/or thing. You can see wide-release films And art-house indies. I'm just saying that on this particular weekend, the only wide release is something starring Nicolas Cage in a mullet, and it wasn't screened for critics. So if it were an either/or thing, this would be a good time to become an art-house fanatic, and the Indie Spotlight is here to let you know what your options are.
Seven films are opening in limited release today: August Evening, Everybody Wants to Be Italian, Mister Foe, Ping Pong Playa, Save Me, A Secret, and Surfer, Dude. Here's the scoop on each of them.
Everybody Wants to Be Italian
What it is: A romantic comedy about a man and woman who both pretend to be Italian because they think the other is. Ok, maybe this doesn't actually sound any better...
Seven films are opening in limited release today: August Evening, Everybody Wants to Be Italian, Mister Foe, Ping Pong Playa, Save Me, A Secret, and Surfer, Dude. Here's the scoop on each of them.
Everybody Wants to Be Italian
What it is: A romantic comedy about a man and woman who both pretend to be Italian because they think the other is. Ok, maybe this doesn't actually sound any better...
- 9/5/2008
- by Eric D. Snider
- Cinematical
A multi-generational tale about an undocumented farm worker and his widowed daughter-in-law could be the unexpected box office hit of the Fall. Or, at least, that's what writer-director Chris Eska is hoping for when his first feature film, August Evening begins rolling out in theaters September 5. Winner of the 2008 Spirit Awards’ John Cassavetes Award and the Best Film Awards at the Los Angeles and Woodstock Film Festivals, August Evening has already acquired buzz on the festival circuit. Now, it awaits a larger national audience.
- 9/5/2008
- MovieMaker.com
Judging by the lovely "Au gust Evening," writer/ director/editor Chris Eska's first feature, his name is worth remembering.
Eska uses a minimum of dialogue and a maximum of ambiance to tell the tender story - set in southwest Texas - of an undocumented Mexican farmworker and his widowed
daughter-in-law as they face life after the elderly man's wife dies unexpectedly.
Pedro Castaneda, a nonprofessional appearing in his first film, and Veronica Loren tug at your heartstrings with their portrayals of the lead characters.
Yasu Tanida's lensing is worthy of...
Eska uses a minimum of dialogue and a maximum of ambiance to tell the tender story - set in southwest Texas - of an undocumented Mexican farmworker and his widowed
daughter-in-law as they face life after the elderly man's wife dies unexpectedly.
Pedro Castaneda, a nonprofessional appearing in his first film, and Veronica Loren tug at your heartstrings with their portrayals of the lead characters.
Yasu Tanida's lensing is worthy of...
- 9/5/2008
- by By V.A. MUSETTO
- NYPost.com
Inspired by Yasujiro Ozu right down to its seasonal title, Chris Eska's first feature, August Evening, concerns the relationship between a middle-aged Mexican migrant and his widowed daughter-in-law. Although its plot has its share of melodramatic twists and tearful revelations, Autumn Evening focuses on the moments between, the mundane interactions that make up a life. Lumpish, slow-moving Pedro Castaneda looks as if life has worn him down to the nub. In short order, he loses his wife, his job, and his home, and he and his late son's wife, Veronica Loren, are cast out into the world. He has two living children, but they're too busy with their own lives to have time for him. His son, who's also out of work, has enough trouble putting food on his family's table without having to care for his father, whose grey hair and potbelly makes it hard for him...
- 9/4/2008
- by Sam Adams
- avclub.com
Take one renegade Japanese director, set him to work on a Spaghetti Western, add a cameo by a talkative American filmmaker, and what do you get? First place in the indie four-day weekend box office race. Sukiyaki Western Django, directed by the prolific and extremely versatile Takashi Miike and featuring Quentin Tarantino in a small role, tore it up at the single Manhattan theatre where it opened, grossing $13,100, according to estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo. The version released in the Us does not represent Miike's original vision, however. Distributor First Look edited 20 or so minutes for the bastardized edition currently playing, so this is a muted triumph. *
The light-hearted I Served the King of England had the right stuff to average $8,487 per screen at eight locations. Directed by Jirí Menzel, the film stars Ivan Barnev, Oldrich Kaiser, and the always wonderful Julia Jentsch. Naked Penélope Cruz outdrew mostly-clothed Penélope Cruz,...
The light-hearted I Served the King of England had the right stuff to average $8,487 per screen at eight locations. Directed by Jirí Menzel, the film stars Ivan Barnev, Oldrich Kaiser, and the always wonderful Julia Jentsch. Naked Penélope Cruz outdrew mostly-clothed Penélope Cruz,...
- 9/2/2008
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
By Neil Pedley
This week's trip to the multiplex offers a jaunt around the globe where, amongst other things, there's a case of mistaken ethnicity in Boston, Nic Cage gets another wig fitted in Thailand, there's whimsy and surrealism in Scotland and Matthew McConaughey is right at home in Malibu, where he might finally have found something he does well, maybe.
"August Evening"
Strained emotional bonds and the transitory nature of the life of an illegal immigrant provide the backdrop for Chris Eska's quietly affecting family drama that stars Pedro Castaneda as an aging farmhand who loses his job at a chicken farm in a sleepy Texas town, forcing he and his devoted daughter-in-law (Veronica Loren) to relocate to San Antonio to stay with his older children and the grandchildren he never knew he had. As Alison Willmore pointed out in last week's Lunchbox, Castaneda is a first-time actor...
This week's trip to the multiplex offers a jaunt around the globe where, amongst other things, there's a case of mistaken ethnicity in Boston, Nic Cage gets another wig fitted in Thailand, there's whimsy and surrealism in Scotland and Matthew McConaughey is right at home in Malibu, where he might finally have found something he does well, maybe.
"August Evening"
Strained emotional bonds and the transitory nature of the life of an illegal immigrant provide the backdrop for Chris Eska's quietly affecting family drama that stars Pedro Castaneda as an aging farmhand who loses his job at a chicken farm in a sleepy Texas town, forcing he and his devoted daughter-in-law (Veronica Loren) to relocate to San Antonio to stay with his older children and the grandchildren he never knew he had. As Alison Willmore pointed out in last week's Lunchbox, Castaneda is a first-time actor...
- 9/1/2008
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
- The toast of the town is Diablo Cody and the gift she gave to Jason Reitman. Juno picks up a trio of awards and trailing with two awards each is another Fox Searchlight flick The Savages and the Cannes Julian Schnabel and his cinematographer were well rewarded for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's aesthetic brilliance. Here is the complete list of noms and winners below. Best Feature: Juno Best Director: Julian Schnabel Best First Feature: The Lookout Best Documentary: Crazy Love Best Foreign Film: Once Best Female Lead: Ellen Page Best Male Lead: Philip Seymour Hoffman Best Supporting Female: Cate Blanchett Best Supporting Male: Chiwetel Ejiofor Best Screenplay: The Savages Best First Screenplay: Juno Best Cinematography: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly John Cassavetes Award: August Evening August Evening Writer/Director: Chris Eska Producers: Connie Hill, Jason Wehling Owl and the Sparrow Writer/Director: Stephane Gauger Producers: Nguyen Van Quan,
- 2/23/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
- Underrated, overlooked, and mostly unknown, I’ve decided to highlight my four favorite award sections separately from today’s lengthy list of Indie Spirit noms. Why? because a). I haven’t heard of half these films and want to further research them, b). I want to add the missing titles to the Ioncinema.com database and c). I think it’s in the best interests of indie film lovers to familiarize themselves with the budding/future talent. Commencing with the John Cassavetes award noms (the name of this section says it all) which is given to the best feature made for under $500,000; and followed by the noms for my favorite category the Someone to Watch Award and the listings for the Truer Than Fiction Award the Producers Award.August Evening is a two-time nominee thanks to the votes going to actor Pedro Castaneda. Owl and the Sparrow was actually
- 11/28/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
UPDATED 6:36 p.m. PT Nov. 27
Film Independent's 2008 Spirit Awards took on an international accent as nominees were announced Tuesday.
Best feature noms went to the French-language "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and the Pakistan-set "A Mighty Heart", while the starring duo of Tony Leung and Tang Wei of the Shanghai drama "Lust, Caution" both figure in the top acting categories.
But Americana also ruled as "I'm Not There", Todd Haynes' kaleidoscope deconstruction of the work of Bob Dylan, led the field. With four nominations, including best feature, director and supporting noms for Cate Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin, it also was named the inaugural winner of the Robert Altman Award, recognizing Haynes, casting director Laura Rosenthal and the ensemble cast.
While the Spirit Awards focus on American independent film, a film can qualify if at least one U.S. citizen or permanent resident is credited in two or more of the categories of writer, director or producer, which opened the door for this year's globetrotting noms.
In addition to "I'm Not There", "Diving Bell", a film told from the point of view of a stroke victim, and "Mighty Heart", the dramatization of the search for kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl, the other contenders in the best feature category are "Juno", a comedy about an unintended pregnancy, and "Paranoid Park", the account of a teen who accidentally kills a man.
Four of the best film nominees saw their helmsman nominated for best director: Haynes ("I'm Not There"), Jason Reitman ("Juno"), Julian Schnabel ("Butterfly") and Gus Van Sant ("Paranoid"). But instead of Michael Winterbottom for "Mighty Heart", the fifth slot went to Tamara Jenkins -- who also was nominated for best screenplay -- for the family drama "The Savages".
"There wasn't a dominant genre or even a film. It was a mix of emerging filmmakers and veteran filmmakers like Gus Van Sant and Todd Haynes. I felt like it was a wide spectrum of talent in all areas," FIND exec director Dawn Hudson said at the ceremonies that Lisa Kudrow and Zach Braff hosted at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles.
"You want all these films to gain some momentum," she added. "There's such a glut of films this season that you hope that this will shine a spotlight on these lower-budgeted films that are so deserving."
The best actress contenders are Angelina Jolie for portraying Mariane Pearl in "Mighty Heart"; Sienna Miller, seen as a soap actress facing off with a journalist in "Interview"; Ellen Page, who appears as the pregnant teen in "Juno"; Parker Posey, who finds herself embarking on an affair in "Broken English"; and Tang, who becomes entangled in love and espionage in "Lust".
Nominated as best actor are Pedro Castaneda, who plays an undocumented farm worker "August Evening"; Don Cheadle, who stars as a radio host in "Talk to Me"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose character struggles with an ailing father in "Savages"; Frank Langella, who appears as the older half of a May-December relationship in "Starting Out in the Evening"; and Leung, who plays a spy in "Lust".
Still, several performances that have excited critics failed to make the cut: Among the missing were Ryan Gosling ("Lars and the Real Girl"), Laura Linney ("Savages"), Nicole Kidman ("Margot at the Wedding"), Keri Russell ("Waitress") and John Cusack ("Grace is Gone").
Along with Blanchett, who channels Dylan in "Not There", the nominees for best supporting female are Anna Kendrick ("Rocket Science"), Jennifer Jason Leigh ("Margot"), Tamara Podemski ("Four Sheets to the Wind") and Marisa Tomei ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead").
Best supporting male nominee Franklin plays a young musician who calls himself Woody Guthrie in "Not There". In the nominees circle, he joins Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Talk to Me"), Kene Holliday ("Great World of Sound"), Irfan Khan ("The Namesake") and Steve Zahn ("Rescue Dawn").
Screenplay nominees are Ronald Harwood ("Butterfly"), Jenkins ("Savages"), Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner ("Starting Out"), the late Adrienne Shelly ("Waitress") and Mike White ("Year of the Dog").
In the adjoining category of best first screenplay, the nominees are Jeffrey Blitz ("Rocket Science"), Zoe Cassavetes ("Broken English"), Diablo Cody ("Juno"), Kelly Masterson ("Devil") and John Orloff ("Mighty Heart").
The Spirits also recognize films made for less than $500,000 with its John Cassavetes Award.
Film Independent's 2008 Spirit Awards took on an international accent as nominees were announced Tuesday.
Best feature noms went to the French-language "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and the Pakistan-set "A Mighty Heart", while the starring duo of Tony Leung and Tang Wei of the Shanghai drama "Lust, Caution" both figure in the top acting categories.
But Americana also ruled as "I'm Not There", Todd Haynes' kaleidoscope deconstruction of the work of Bob Dylan, led the field. With four nominations, including best feature, director and supporting noms for Cate Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin, it also was named the inaugural winner of the Robert Altman Award, recognizing Haynes, casting director Laura Rosenthal and the ensemble cast.
While the Spirit Awards focus on American independent film, a film can qualify if at least one U.S. citizen or permanent resident is credited in two or more of the categories of writer, director or producer, which opened the door for this year's globetrotting noms.
In addition to "I'm Not There", "Diving Bell", a film told from the point of view of a stroke victim, and "Mighty Heart", the dramatization of the search for kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl, the other contenders in the best feature category are "Juno", a comedy about an unintended pregnancy, and "Paranoid Park", the account of a teen who accidentally kills a man.
Four of the best film nominees saw their helmsman nominated for best director: Haynes ("I'm Not There"), Jason Reitman ("Juno"), Julian Schnabel ("Butterfly") and Gus Van Sant ("Paranoid"). But instead of Michael Winterbottom for "Mighty Heart", the fifth slot went to Tamara Jenkins -- who also was nominated for best screenplay -- for the family drama "The Savages".
"There wasn't a dominant genre or even a film. It was a mix of emerging filmmakers and veteran filmmakers like Gus Van Sant and Todd Haynes. I felt like it was a wide spectrum of talent in all areas," FIND exec director Dawn Hudson said at the ceremonies that Lisa Kudrow and Zach Braff hosted at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles.
"You want all these films to gain some momentum," she added. "There's such a glut of films this season that you hope that this will shine a spotlight on these lower-budgeted films that are so deserving."
The best actress contenders are Angelina Jolie for portraying Mariane Pearl in "Mighty Heart"; Sienna Miller, seen as a soap actress facing off with a journalist in "Interview"; Ellen Page, who appears as the pregnant teen in "Juno"; Parker Posey, who finds herself embarking on an affair in "Broken English"; and Tang, who becomes entangled in love and espionage in "Lust".
Nominated as best actor are Pedro Castaneda, who plays an undocumented farm worker "August Evening"; Don Cheadle, who stars as a radio host in "Talk to Me"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose character struggles with an ailing father in "Savages"; Frank Langella, who appears as the older half of a May-December relationship in "Starting Out in the Evening"; and Leung, who plays a spy in "Lust".
Still, several performances that have excited critics failed to make the cut: Among the missing were Ryan Gosling ("Lars and the Real Girl"), Laura Linney ("Savages"), Nicole Kidman ("Margot at the Wedding"), Keri Russell ("Waitress") and John Cusack ("Grace is Gone").
Along with Blanchett, who channels Dylan in "Not There", the nominees for best supporting female are Anna Kendrick ("Rocket Science"), Jennifer Jason Leigh ("Margot"), Tamara Podemski ("Four Sheets to the Wind") and Marisa Tomei ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead").
Best supporting male nominee Franklin plays a young musician who calls himself Woody Guthrie in "Not There". In the nominees circle, he joins Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Talk to Me"), Kene Holliday ("Great World of Sound"), Irfan Khan ("The Namesake") and Steve Zahn ("Rescue Dawn").
Screenplay nominees are Ronald Harwood ("Butterfly"), Jenkins ("Savages"), Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner ("Starting Out"), the late Adrienne Shelly ("Waitress") and Mike White ("Year of the Dog").
In the adjoining category of best first screenplay, the nominees are Jeffrey Blitz ("Rocket Science"), Zoe Cassavetes ("Broken English"), Diablo Cody ("Juno"), Kelly Masterson ("Devil") and John Orloff ("Mighty Heart").
The Spirits also recognize films made for less than $500,000 with its John Cassavetes Award.
- 11/28/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director Todd Haynes' quirky, all-star Bob Dylan-inspired movie I'm Not There is set to be the toast of the IFC Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Los Angeles in February, after landing the event's first Robert Altman Award. Announced at the Spirit Awards last year, the honor is given to the director, casting agent and cast of an outstanding indie movie. In I'm Not There, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and Cate Blanchett are among the actors who conjure up the spirit of Dylan at different stages of his life for the offbeat biopic. The movie was also nominated for the Spirits' Best Film prize, where it will compete with Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, Juno, A Mighty Heart and Paranoid Park. Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin earned Best Supporting Actress and Actor nods respectively for their portrayals of Dylan, and Todd Haynes is a Best Director nominee. Other four-film nominees are acclaimed coming-of-age film Juno, The Diving Bell And The Butterfly and The Savages. Meanwhile, Ang Lee's controversial Lust, Caution is also a multi-nominee; the film's stars Tony Leung and Tang Wei are up for Best Actor and Actress honors, while Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography is also under consideration. French actress Julie Delpy's 2 Days In Paris earned her a First Feature nomination; she'll be up against Jeffrey Blitz's Rocket Science, which garnered three nominations. In the lead acting categories, Angelina Jolie is an immediate favorite for her role as grieving Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart. Jolie will compete against Sienna Miller (Interview), Parker Posey (Broken English), Ellen Page (Juno) and Tang Wei. Leung will be up against Pedro Castaneda (August Evening), Don Cheadle (Talk To Me), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages) and Frank Langella (Starting Out In The Evening) in the Best Actor category. The nominations were announced on Tuesday morning by Lisa Kudrow and Zach Braff.
- 11/28/2007
- WENN
- Dysfunctional loving families undergoing reality checks, a paralyzed man checking out and a checklist of Dylan figures are the film narratives that have collected the most noms for the 2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Sparkling Fox Searchlight titles of Tamara Jenkins’s The Savages and Jason Reitman’s Juno each grab a significant amount of noms, but it is Todd Haynes’ I’m not There and Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly that have collected the most kudos with the Dylan kaleidescope already leading 1 to zero by winning the inaugural Robert Altman award: given to one film's director, casting director and its ensemble cast (Haynes gets cred and so does Laura Rosenthal for casting Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Bruce Greenwood). As noted in the Hollywood Reporter, these American independent films have a distinct international flair
- 11/27/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
Stephane Gauger's Owl and the Sparrow, Greg Whiteley's Resolved and Stephen Walker's Young @ Heart took audience awards for best narrative feature, best documentary feature and best international feature, respectively, at the Los Angeles Film Festival, which concluded Sunday.
As previously announced, Chris Eska's August Evening and Jennifer Venditti's Billy the Kid were the recipients of the Target Filmmaker Award for best narrative feature and the Target Documentary Award, respectively.
The filmmakers were recognized at the closing night ceremonies, organized by Film Independent, at the Wadsworth Theatre in Westwood, where Danny Boyle's Sunshine, a Fox Searchlight release, screened as the closing night film.
Dee Rees' Pariah earned the audience award for best short film, while Joseph Kahn's Knights of Cydonia was honored with the audience award for best music video for the band Muse.
In the short film juried categories, Radu Jude's The Tube With a Hat was chosen best narrative short film, David Fenster's Wood was named best documentary short film and Fredrik Emilson's Love and War was selected best animated/experimental short film.
As previously announced, Chris Eska's August Evening and Jennifer Venditti's Billy the Kid were the recipients of the Target Filmmaker Award for best narrative feature and the Target Documentary Award, respectively.
The filmmakers were recognized at the closing night ceremonies, organized by Film Independent, at the Wadsworth Theatre in Westwood, where Danny Boyle's Sunshine, a Fox Searchlight release, screened as the closing night film.
Dee Rees' Pariah earned the audience award for best short film, while Joseph Kahn's Knights of Cydonia was honored with the audience award for best music video for the band Muse.
In the short film juried categories, Radu Jude's The Tube With a Hat was chosen best narrative short film, David Fenster's Wood was named best documentary short film and Fredrik Emilson's Love and War was selected best animated/experimental short film.
Chris Eska earned the Target Filmmaker Award for best narrative feature, and Jennifer Venditti took the prize for best documentary feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival's Spirit of Independence event Thursday night.
Eska was honored for his film August Evening, a character study about undocumented workers, while Venditti's docu Billy the Kid revolves around a troubled Maine teenager named Billy P. Both. Awards carry an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target.
"These films represent the unique vision, independent spirit and outstanding qualities we strive to support and promote at Film Independent," said Dawn Hudson, exec director of Film Independent, which presents the fest.
The narrative feature competition jury comprised Karyn Kusama, Rob Nelson and Tom Quinn. The documentary competition jury comprised Patrick Creadon, Rob Epstein and Lisa Schwarzbaum.
This year's Audience Award winners and the winners of the short film and music video competitions will be announced Sunday at the fest's closing night. Danny Boyle's Sunshine, from Fox Searchlight, will screen as the closing-night film.
Eska was honored for his film August Evening, a character study about undocumented workers, while Venditti's docu Billy the Kid revolves around a troubled Maine teenager named Billy P. Both. Awards carry an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target.
"These films represent the unique vision, independent spirit and outstanding qualities we strive to support and promote at Film Independent," said Dawn Hudson, exec director of Film Independent, which presents the fest.
The narrative feature competition jury comprised Karyn Kusama, Rob Nelson and Tom Quinn. The documentary competition jury comprised Patrick Creadon, Rob Epstein and Lisa Schwarzbaum.
This year's Audience Award winners and the winners of the short film and music video competitions will be announced Sunday at the fest's closing night. Danny Boyle's Sunshine, from Fox Searchlight, will screen as the closing-night film.
- 6/29/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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