Castello Cavalcanti Short Film. Wes Anderson‘s Castello Cavalcanti (2013) short film stars starring Jason Schwartzman and is a tribute to the late actor Kumar Pallana. Castello Cavalcanti‘s plot synopsis: “race car driver Jed Cavalcanti…suffers a mishap during the Motle Miglia rally and finds himself in a small town with a few familial surprises…in [...]
Continue reading: Castello Cavalcanti (2013) Short Film: Wes Anderson’s Race Car Movie...
Continue reading: Castello Cavalcanti (2013) Short Film: Wes Anderson’s Race Car Movie...
- 11/15/2013
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
A month ago, the world said a sad goodbye to Kumar Pallana, the Wes Anderson regular who lived in one lifetime what most couldn't accomplish in three. A performer, actor, businessman, entrepreneur and more, Pallana seemed to deeply touch everyone who crossed paths with him. And so it's no surprise that a video tribute to the man has been assembled, unspooling at the U.S.A. Film Festival last week. The reel cuts together Pallana's many film appearances, with interviews, photos and more, and helping to give it a personal touch is Wes Anderson, who recorded his own thoughts Pallana's life and friendship. Overall, it's a nice recollection by Anderson, who clearly treasured the time he got to spend getting to know Pallana. Take a look at the complete video tribute below. [Dallas News]...
- 11/11/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Sacramento, Calif. (AP) — Kumar Pallana, an Indian character actor with small parts in movies such as "The Terminal" and "The Royal Tenenbaums," died suddenly Oct. 10 at the home he shared with his son in Oakland. He was 94. "He lived life to the fullest," said his daughter Sandhya Pallana of Dallas, who confirmed the death to The Associated Press. "It was really wonderful how well he was received and how well he was liked and that people appreciated his unique and creative style." Pallana was a yoga instructor living in Dallas when in the mid-1990s he met...
- 10/18/2013
- by Tracie Cone (AP Staff)
- Hitfix
Kumar Pallana, an Indian character actor with small parts in movies such as The Terminal and The Royal Tennenbaums, died suddenly Oct. 10 at the home he shared with his son in Oakland, Calif. He was 94. "He lived life to the fullest," said his daughter Sandhya Pallana of Dallas, who confirmed the death to the Associated Press. "It was really wonderful how well he was received and how well he was liked and that people appreciated his unique and creative style." Pallana was a yoga instructor living in Dallas in the mid-1990s when he met Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson,...
- 10/18/2013
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
Indian-born actor who brought his ingenuous charm to the hit films of Wes Anderson
Some film-makers have lucky-mascot actors who are occasionally to be spotted in small roles in their movies – for instance Dick Miller in the work of Joe Dante or Jack Nance returning repeatedly to David Lynch. It's a film geeks' in-joke, a cinephiles' game of Where's Wally? For Wes Anderson, one of the most original Us film-makers to emerge in the last 20 years, that position was filled on four occasions by the delightful and guileless Kumar Pallana, who has died aged 94.
Pallana appeared in Anderson's first three, reputation-forging movies. He played the useless safecracker Kumar in the director's 1996 debut, Bottle Rocket ("Man, I blew it," he sighs memorably as the police close in. "I blew it, man.") He was the school caretaker Mr Littlejeans in Rushmore (1998), Anderson's masterpiece. And he took his most prominent role as Pagoda,...
Some film-makers have lucky-mascot actors who are occasionally to be spotted in small roles in their movies – for instance Dick Miller in the work of Joe Dante or Jack Nance returning repeatedly to David Lynch. It's a film geeks' in-joke, a cinephiles' game of Where's Wally? For Wes Anderson, one of the most original Us film-makers to emerge in the last 20 years, that position was filled on four occasions by the delightful and guileless Kumar Pallana, who has died aged 94.
Pallana appeared in Anderson's first three, reputation-forging movies. He played the useless safecracker Kumar in the director's 1996 debut, Bottle Rocket ("Man, I blew it," he sighs memorably as the police close in. "I blew it, man.") He was the school caretaker Mr Littlejeans in Rushmore (1998), Anderson's masterpiece. And he took his most prominent role as Pagoda,...
- 10/14/2013
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Washington, Oct 12: Indian character actor Kumar Pallana, who had famously acted in Wes Anderson's 'The Royal Tenenbaums', has passed away at the age of 94 due to unknown causes.
The veteran actor's son, Dipak Pallana, recently announced his father's demise on Facebook, Us Magazine reported.
Alongside Kumar's dates of birth and death, Dipak wrote that his father will be deeply missed.
Kumar was a familiar face in some of director Anderson's most popular films, including 'Rushmore' and 'The Darjeeling Limited'. (Ani)...
The veteran actor's son, Dipak Pallana, recently announced his father's demise on Facebook, Us Magazine reported.
Alongside Kumar's dates of birth and death, Dipak wrote that his father will be deeply missed.
Kumar was a familiar face in some of director Anderson's most popular films, including 'Rushmore' and 'The Darjeeling Limited'. (Ani)...
- 10/12/2013
- by Ketali Mehta
- RealBollywood.com
Actor Kumar Pallana, best known for his roles in Wes Anderson's films, died yesterday at the age of 94. Pallana was a memorable presence in nearly all of Anderson's films, starting with his debut "Bottle Rocket" and continuing in "Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Darjeeling Limited." He also played an Indian emigre janitor in "The Terminal," starring Tom Hanks. Critic Matt Zoller Seitz, author of the just released "The Wes Anderson Collection," paid tribute to Pallana over at RogerEbert.com, writing about how Anderson and Owen, Luke and Andrew Wilson first met Pallana when they were all living in Dallas in the early 90s. Seitz wrote: (Owen) Wilson and Anderson wrote Kumar the safecracker in "Bottle Rocket" for Kumar specifically. The project started out as a black-and-white independent film that was supposed to be shot piecemeal over a period of months, but after James L. Brooks and Columbia Pictures took...
- 10/11/2013
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Kumar Pallana, who stole many a scene as an actor in Wes Anderson’s films, died Thursday at the age of 94, according to a post on his son’s Facebook page.
A frequent supporting player in Anderson’s films, Pallana appeared in small but memorable parts as Kumar in Bottle Rocket, Mr. LittleJeans in Rushmore, Pagoda in The Royal Tenenbaums, and as the Old Man in The Darjeeling Limited. The director met Pallana as a customer at a coffee shop owned by Pallana’s son, called Cosmic Cup in Dallas, and first cast him in 1996′s Bottle Rocket. Pallana went...
A frequent supporting player in Anderson’s films, Pallana appeared in small but memorable parts as Kumar in Bottle Rocket, Mr. LittleJeans in Rushmore, Pagoda in The Royal Tenenbaums, and as the Old Man in The Darjeeling Limited. The director met Pallana as a customer at a coffee shop owned by Pallana’s son, called Cosmic Cup in Dallas, and first cast him in 1996′s Bottle Rocket. Pallana went...
- 10/11/2013
- by Jennifer Arellano
- EW - Inside Movies
Indian actor Kumar Pallana, who played the butler in “The Royal Tenenbaums” and had roles in other Wes Anderson movies, died Oct. 10 at age 94.
Dubbed an “Anderson stalwart” by Variety, Pallana made an impression in the helmer’s pics, from “Bottle Rocket” to “Rushmore” and “Darjeeling Express,” but he was also a scene-stealer in Tom Hanks starrer “The Terminal” as an Indian emigre janitor who takes perverse pleasure in watching people slip across his freshly waxed floors.
Born in India to a car salesman, Pallana immigrated to the U.S. in 1946 after a reversal in family fortunes following Indian independence. Hollywood, however, cast him as a different kind of Indian in oaters such as “Viva Zapata.”
Although Pallana was an extra, he also worked as a juggler, a singer and a yoga instructor among other trades. He was running the Cosmic Cup coffee shop, which friends Anderson, and Luke and Owen Wilson frequented in Dallas,...
Dubbed an “Anderson stalwart” by Variety, Pallana made an impression in the helmer’s pics, from “Bottle Rocket” to “Rushmore” and “Darjeeling Express,” but he was also a scene-stealer in Tom Hanks starrer “The Terminal” as an Indian emigre janitor who takes perverse pleasure in watching people slip across his freshly waxed floors.
Born in India to a car salesman, Pallana immigrated to the U.S. in 1946 after a reversal in family fortunes following Indian independence. Hollywood, however, cast him as a different kind of Indian in oaters such as “Viva Zapata.”
Although Pallana was an extra, he also worked as a juggler, a singer and a yoga instructor among other trades. He was running the Cosmic Cup coffee shop, which friends Anderson, and Luke and Owen Wilson frequented in Dallas,...
- 10/11/2013
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
Kumar Pallana, an unlikely character actor who gained fame in a series of Wes Anderson movies, has died. He was 94. His son Dipak announced the news Thursday on Facebook with the message, “Dear Papa, you will be missed.” Pallana is best known for his nearly wordless performances as a bumbling safe cracker in “Bottle Rocket,” a delivery man in “Rushmore,” an elderly train passenger in “The Darjeeling Limited” and Gene Hackman’s sounding board and accomplice in “The Royal Tennenbaums.” The quirky names of these characters — Mr. Littlejeans, Pagoda — and his naturalistic and understated presence made him a favorite of.
- 10/11/2013
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
Kumar Pallana, a familiar face in some of director Wes Anderson's most popular films, died on Thursday, Oct. 10, at the ripe age of 94. The yoga instructor-turned-actor would have been 95 in December. "Dear Papa, you will be missed," his son Dipak Pallana posted on Facebook, listing the beloved actor's dates of birth and death. Pallana was born in India in 1918, but immigrated to the United States later on in life after receiving training as a gymnast in his home country. Here, he worked as a [...]...
- 10/11/2013
- Us Weekly
Kumar Pallana, a familiar face in some of director Wes Anderson's most popular films, died on Thursday, Oct. 10, at the ripe age of 94. The yoga instructor-turned-actor would have been 95 in December. "Dear Papa, you will be missed," his son Dipak Pallana posted on Facebook, listing the beloved actor's dates of birth and death. Pallana was born in India in 1918, but immigrated to the United States later on in life after receiving training as a gymnast in his home country. Here, he worked as a [...]...
- 10/11/2013
- Us Weekly
Every actor has a discovery story. Sometimes it's crazy, and sometimes it's just about being at the right place at the right time. In the case of Kumar Pallana, the Indian actor who had small but memorable roles in Wes Anderson films like The Royal Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket, The Darjeeling Limited and Rushmore, he was at a coffee show owned by his son when the quirky filmmaker took notice. Though he didn't become a box office sensation, his participation in Anderson's films got him noticed. But today, we say goodbye to Pallana, as The Av Club has learned that he sadly passed away yesterday at age 94. Read on. Pallana is perhaps best known as Gene Hackman's sidekick in The Royal Tenenbaums, seen here: But in addition to his work with Wes Anderson, Pallana had the honor of working with Steven Spielberg in a significant supporting role in The Terminal.
- 10/11/2013
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Kumar Pallana, the Dallas-area spice seller who was one of director Wes Anderson’s favorite character actors, has passed away at age 94, the A.V. Club reports. Pallana made his big-screen debut in Anderson’s Bottle Rocket after the director and actor Owen Wilson began patronizing his son Dipak’s coffee shop Cosmic Cup, where he sold Indian spices and food. Taken with Pallana’s off-kilter charm, Anderson — who would often go to Cosmic Cup during their free time to play card games and chess — insisted on recruiting him to the be part of Bottle Rocket. Anderson was so impressed with Pallana’s Bottle...
- 10/11/2013
- Pastemagazine.com
Beloved actor Kumar Pallana has passed away at the age of 94. Born in India in 1918, Pallana was, according to a wonderful interview with The Believer, entertaining from a young age, learning how to juggle and do gymnastics tricks. He eventually dropped out of school, traveled the world, and finally moved to the United States, performing under the name “Kumar of India.” He'd go on to perform in Las Vegas and on TV shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and the The Mickey Mouse Show. From there, he attempted to make it as an actor, taking roles playing Native American in Westerns. When that didn't pan out, he settled with his family in Dallas, where he opened a yoga studio and worked at his son's café, the Cosmic Cup. It was at that coffee shop that he met frequent customers Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson. Upon meeting him, the writing partners...
- 10/11/2013
- by Jesse David Fox
- Vulture
"Wes Anderson starts coming because we have the chess night," Kumar Pallana told The Believer in 2003. about meeting the director in his Texas coffee shop Cosmic Cup. "On Tuesday or Wednesday we have the jazz music. All the musicians I know, I see practicing at home, I say, 'Why don’t you come and practice with us? Let the people know that you are making a noise.' Then we had people like you, the storytellers. They bring their own group, four or five friends. They both came, Owen [Wilson] and Wes. They just finished college, the both of them. They heard that this is the place, every night something different. Wes used to come up and take a lot of pictures. Small camera, you know. And he became a really good friend. We all are, all the [Wilson] brothers." It's that little connection that brought lifelong entertainer Kumar Pallana back into the spotlight late in life,...
- 10/11/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Actor and frequent Wes Anderson collaborator Kumar Pallana has died at the age of 94.
Anderson, who discovered Pallana at a diner that he and confederate Owen Wilson frequented, cast him in his feature film debut "Bottle Rocket" (Pallana was 80 at the time). Pallana would follow up that performance as the groundskeeper Mr. LittleJeans in "Rushmore" and Gene Hackman's sidekick and spy Pagoda in "The Royal Tenenbaums." He later had a brief role in Anderson's "The Darjeeling Limited."
As the Av Club notes, Pallana was born in colonial India and first made a name for himself as a vaudevillian known as Kumar of India, appearing on "Captain Kangaroo" in 1961 (he was spinning plates, of course). By the time Anderson rediscovered Pallana he was working in his son's coffee shop in Dallas, Texas.
Outside of the Wes Anderson universe, Pallana starred in Steven Spielberg's "The Terminal" and gave a wonderfully...
Anderson, who discovered Pallana at a diner that he and confederate Owen Wilson frequented, cast him in his feature film debut "Bottle Rocket" (Pallana was 80 at the time). Pallana would follow up that performance as the groundskeeper Mr. LittleJeans in "Rushmore" and Gene Hackman's sidekick and spy Pagoda in "The Royal Tenenbaums." He later had a brief role in Anderson's "The Darjeeling Limited."
As the Av Club notes, Pallana was born in colonial India and first made a name for himself as a vaudevillian known as Kumar of India, appearing on "Captain Kangaroo" in 1961 (he was spinning plates, of course). By the time Anderson rediscovered Pallana he was working in his son's coffee shop in Dallas, Texas.
Outside of the Wes Anderson universe, Pallana starred in Steven Spielberg's "The Terminal" and gave a wonderfully...
- 10/11/2013
- by Drew Taylor
- Moviefone
Kumar Pallana, the actor best known for small but memorable roles in Wes Anderson’s films, has died at age 94, according to a source close to his family. Pallana first came to filmgoers’ attention with Anderson’s Bottle Rocket, in which he played one of Owen Wilson’s inept partners in crime with charming guilelessness. (It helped that Pallana looked like he wasn’t exactly aware he was in a movie.) Anderson and Wilson “discovered” Pallana at the coffee shop owned by Pallana’s son Dipak, who has also appeared in Anderson’s films. The elder Pallana went on ...
- 10/11/2013
- avclub.com
Director: Wes Anderson Writers: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola Starring: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Harvey Keitel, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban I've was introduced to the work of Wes Anderson by my older brother back in 1997 when he insisted that I watch Bottle Rocket. It was love at first viewing. A couple of years later I tagged along with my brother to the Austin stop of the 1999 Rushmore bus tour before screening the film at the long gone Arbor 7 theater with Anderson and Jason Schwartzman in attendance. A couple of years later there were multiple viewings of The Royal Tenenbaums at the now defunct Dobie Theater. Around the time of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou I have fond memories of a first (almost) date with what would later become my wife at the original (and now a distant memory) Colorado Street...
- 5/25/2012
- by Linc Leifeste
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
As a part of the superb line-up of the 49th New York Film Festival, The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s young patron’s group New Wave celebrated the 10th Anniversary of The Royal Tenenbaums with a screening and Q&A featuring Wes Anderson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Noah Baumbach and Eric Anderson. As someone who has long counted this quirky tale of an oddball clan of geniuses as one of her favorite films, I was among the first ticketholders to trickle into the expansive and awe-inspiring cavern that is Alice Tully Hall.
Here giddy twenty-somethings, who (like myself) must have taken to Anderson’s bittersweet yet hopeful worldview in their formative years, trickled in. Several even emulated Anderson’s recurring gentle but warm color palette in their outfits, favoring light browns, pinks and pale yellows in the forms of suit jackets, sweatervests and polo shirts. Next came...
Here giddy twenty-somethings, who (like myself) must have taken to Anderson’s bittersweet yet hopeful worldview in their formative years, trickled in. Several even emulated Anderson’s recurring gentle but warm color palette in their outfits, favoring light browns, pinks and pale yellows in the forms of suit jackets, sweatervests and polo shirts. Next came...
- 10/15/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Last night many of the lead actors in The Royal Tenebaums reconvened with director Wes Anderson to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his most celebrated film, about an eclectic "genius family" whose members learn to forgive each other for various transgressions. Interestingly, in one of those weird cases of art imitating life imitating art, it seemed like Gwyneth Paltrow (Margot Tenenbaum), Bill Murray (Raleigh St. Clair), Anjelica Huston (Etheline Tenenbaum) and the rest of the stars had banded together against Gene Hackman, who played the eponymous patriarch Royal Tenenbaum and was apparently scary as sh*t.
The following via Moviefone:
"I was [scared]. They weren't," Anderson said, though that wasn't actually true.
"I was very scared," said Paltrow.
Huston agreed: "I was a lot scared, but I was more concerned with protecting Wes."
And a fun thing Bill Murray said about Luke Wilson (who was not in attendance and might regret...
The following via Moviefone:
"I was [scared]. They weren't," Anderson said, though that wasn't actually true.
"I was very scared," said Paltrow.
Huston agreed: "I was a lot scared, but I was more concerned with protecting Wes."
And a fun thing Bill Murray said about Luke Wilson (who was not in attendance and might regret...
- 10/14/2011
- by Anna Breslaw
- Filmology
Another Earth
Directed by: Mike Cahill
Cast: Brit Marling, William Mapother
Running Time: 1 hr 32 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: August 5, 2011
Nick Allen’s interview with director Mike Cahill
Nick Allen’s interview with Brit Marling
Nick Allen’s review of “Another Earth”
Plot: Scientists discover a duplicate planet in the solar system, and a young student (Marling) has a tragic accident that alters her life and another’s (Mapother).
Who’S It For? Indie sci-fi fans, which means this isn’t filled with special effects, it’s more about the emotional journey and overcoming tragedy.
Expectations: The title is pretty much all I knew. I heard the creepy guy from “Lost” was in it (Mapother).
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Brit Marling as Rhoda Williams: It’s a great performance that kept reminding me of Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone. Another Earth could be Rhoda’s key to happiness. Rhoda...
Directed by: Mike Cahill
Cast: Brit Marling, William Mapother
Running Time: 1 hr 32 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: August 5, 2011
Nick Allen’s interview with director Mike Cahill
Nick Allen’s interview with Brit Marling
Nick Allen’s review of “Another Earth”
Plot: Scientists discover a duplicate planet in the solar system, and a young student (Marling) has a tragic accident that alters her life and another’s (Mapother).
Who’S It For? Indie sci-fi fans, which means this isn’t filled with special effects, it’s more about the emotional journey and overcoming tragedy.
Expectations: The title is pretty much all I knew. I heard the creepy guy from “Lost” was in it (Mapother).
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Brit Marling as Rhoda Williams: It’s a great performance that kept reminding me of Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone. Another Earth could be Rhoda’s key to happiness. Rhoda...
- 8/5/2011
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
Another Earth
Written by Mike Cahill and Brit Marling
Directed by Mike Cahill
USA, 2011
From the very outset, speculative fiction has been first and foremost a vehicle for probing resonant themes through outlandish concepts that bend the contours of everyday life. So it’s hardly unusual that Mike Cahill’s first feature, Another Earth, attempts to essay grief, personal responsibility, and the quiet agony of the path not taken through the metaphorical prism of a dual Earth’s sudden, plainly visible appearance not far from our own. What grates about the film is not its attempt to conflate high-concept sci-fi with quiet dramatics; it’s that only one half of that equation is fleshed out in a remotely interesting fashion.
Newcomer and co-screenwriter Brit Marling stars as Rhoda, who we first see in the film’s prologue as a reckless 17-year-old celebrating after her acceptance into MIT. She gets drunk behind the wheel,...
Written by Mike Cahill and Brit Marling
Directed by Mike Cahill
USA, 2011
From the very outset, speculative fiction has been first and foremost a vehicle for probing resonant themes through outlandish concepts that bend the contours of everyday life. So it’s hardly unusual that Mike Cahill’s first feature, Another Earth, attempts to essay grief, personal responsibility, and the quiet agony of the path not taken through the metaphorical prism of a dual Earth’s sudden, plainly visible appearance not far from our own. What grates about the film is not its attempt to conflate high-concept sci-fi with quiet dramatics; it’s that only one half of that equation is fleshed out in a remotely interesting fashion.
Newcomer and co-screenwriter Brit Marling stars as Rhoda, who we first see in the film’s prologue as a reckless 17-year-old celebrating after her acceptance into MIT. She gets drunk behind the wheel,...
- 7/18/2011
- by Simon Howell
- SoundOnSight
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
In the spirit of Cinema Retro's quest to help make audiences aware of worthwhile independent films, columnist David Savage reports on the new short Sahaja Springs.
If precious few directors have exploited the inherent comedy of the ashram -- a retreat for meditation, yoga and enlightenment -- it may be because, like the fashion biz and network television, for example -- these realms do an awfully good job of satirizing themselves.
One director willing to take a stab at sending up the yoga lifestyle is emerging indie director Rebecca Conroy, a recent graduate of Columbia University's graduate film program. Her hilarious short, Sahaja Springs, recently screened at the IFC Center in Manhattan, and has both tickled and angered audiences, depending on whom you ask. (Men seem to be amused; women, not so much, according to Conroy.)
The film's multi-thread narrative follows a group...
In the spirit of Cinema Retro's quest to help make audiences aware of worthwhile independent films, columnist David Savage reports on the new short Sahaja Springs.
If precious few directors have exploited the inherent comedy of the ashram -- a retreat for meditation, yoga and enlightenment -- it may be because, like the fashion biz and network television, for example -- these realms do an awfully good job of satirizing themselves.
One director willing to take a stab at sending up the yoga lifestyle is emerging indie director Rebecca Conroy, a recent graduate of Columbia University's graduate film program. Her hilarious short, Sahaja Springs, recently screened at the IFC Center in Manhattan, and has both tickled and angered audiences, depending on whom you ask. (Men seem to be amused; women, not so much, according to Conroy.)
The film's multi-thread narrative follows a group...
- 6/15/2010
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
South and east Asian actors may be enjoying higher profiles in the Us on the small screen, but in mainstream films they haven't moved far away from comedy sidekicks and stereotypes
No sooner had the BBC told us that south Asian actors had never had it so good in the Us – more recognition, higher-profile roles – than Variety came along to crush that bright-eyed optimism into bitter, scowl-making resentment.
In one survey of the state-of-Asian-actors-in-Hollywood, there's excitement and hope: the last decade has seen a steady emergence of faces, if not memorable than at least vaguely familiar, with significant telly parts in ER, Lost and Heroes. Brown faces are making it big(gish). Hooray! In the other, there's weary hand-wringing at the persistent lack of awards acknowledgement for south – and indeed east Asian – actors in film, despite cross-cultural epics such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Babel otherwise being nominated for gongs across the board.
No sooner had the BBC told us that south Asian actors had never had it so good in the Us – more recognition, higher-profile roles – than Variety came along to crush that bright-eyed optimism into bitter, scowl-making resentment.
In one survey of the state-of-Asian-actors-in-Hollywood, there's excitement and hope: the last decade has seen a steady emergence of faces, if not memorable than at least vaguely familiar, with significant telly parts in ER, Lost and Heroes. Brown faces are making it big(gish). Hooray! In the other, there's weary hand-wringing at the persistent lack of awards acknowledgement for south – and indeed east Asian – actors in film, despite cross-cultural epics such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Babel otherwise being nominated for gongs across the board.
- 12/22/2009
- by Nosheen Iqbal
- The Guardian - Film News
After his initial breakout in the '90s with Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, Wes Anderson went into the beginning of this decade riding high on critical acclaim and ready to break into the mainstream. For his third feature film, he would deliver his most ambitious and emotionally complex project to date: The Royal Tenenbaums. A massive cast jam-packed with talented actors that had largely been forgotten (Gene Hackman, Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray), along with some current stars (Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller), and a few familiar faces from Anderson's previous films (Kumar Pallana), made for an amazing ensemble of characters based loosely on J.D. Salinger's Glass family. Some have called this Wes Anderson's ultimate masterpiece, and while I don't entirely agree, there is a lot to appreciate in this melancholy yet darkly comedic tale of a dysfunctional family trying to sort itself out. It became clear with...
- 12/11/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
To be brutally honest, I've been growing somewhat tired of Anderson's ongoing dire and deadpan family dramedies, but I think it's due to my own shifting sensibilities rather than anything that the director has been doing wrong. Wes Anderson is a friggin' American treasure and Bottle Rocket remains a crucial 90s indie flick. That said, this DVD has been a long time coming and news of this brilliant double disc set fills me with all kinds of giddy feelings this hot Tuesday morn. The set, which streets on Nov. 25th, will also be released in single disc form for those of you not willing to shell out 50 bucks. Full list of special features after the break.
Director-approved Double-disc Set Special Edition Features:
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Wes Anderson and director of photography Robert Yeoman
- Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
- Commentary by director/co-writer...
Director-approved Double-disc Set Special Edition Features:
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Wes Anderson and director of photography Robert Yeoman
- Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
- Commentary by director/co-writer...
- 8/19/2008
- QuietEarth.us
Late last week Criterion announced the first five titles they will release on Blu-ray high-definition discs and they will come loaded with bonus features and are already available for pre-order on Criterion's site. The first five titles include The Third Man and The Man Who Fell to Earth on November 18 and The Last Emperor, Bottle Rocket and Chungking Express the following week on November 25. I have included the specs and special features below as well as the cover art for three of the titles. The Third Man (1949) Will feature a restored high definition transfer in 1.37:1, and an uncompressed mono soundtrack. Video introduction by writer-director Peter Bogdanovich Two audio commentaries: one by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Tony Gilroy, and one by by film scholar Dana Polan Shadowing "The Third Man" (2005), a ninety-minute feature documentary on the making of the film Abridged recording of Graham Greene's treatment, read by...
- 8/18/2008
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Opens
Friday, June 18
The Terminal, a carefully calibrated comedy set in an airport, is an odd film for Steven Spielberg, which is perhaps why it works so well. It comes closest in tone to Catch Me If You Can in its lighthearted, even offhand manner. But there is also a Capra-esque quality in the later reels, where the essential goodness of a common man triumphs over insensitivity and bureaucratic boorishness to bring working-class people together.
In a summer of remakes, sequels and movies swollen with effects, The Terminal stands out as a strikingly original comedy. With Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones heading a talented cast, the movie should take off quickly and reach a cruising altitude where it will attract a broad demographic similar to Catch Me.
An airport with its security concerns, flight delays and general air of anxiety seems an unlikely setting for a comedy. Indeed a viewer might not be certain he is watching a comedy during the early minutes of the movie, which feature a visa problem, a revolutionary coup and the anguish of a man who realizes his homeland is in flames. Gradually, the script by Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson (from Andrew Niccol and Gervasi's story) comes into focus: An airport terminal will become a microcosm of the human experience, and part of that experience is waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting.
Hanks, making a marvelous rebound from The Ladykillers, plays Viktor Navorski, on a visit to New York from the fictitious Eastern European nation of Krakozhia. By the time he arrives at JFK, however, his country has erupted in political violence. Thus, his visa is canceled, the State Department refuses to recognize the new government, and all flights home are grounded until the fighting stops.
In short, Viktor is a man without a country and is a perplexing problem for the airport's career-minded security officer Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci). Unable to allow Viktor into the United States but equally unable to deport him, Dixon admits him to the international transit lounge until the war is over. This temporary wait stretches to nine months.
Viktor arrives with little knowledge of English, which fails to persuade anyone in the terminal, especially Dixon, either to find a translator or speak in simple English. Gradually though, as the shy but ever hopeful Viktor insinuates himself into the lives of the workers in the shops and food court, everyone finds ways to communicate. Hanks beautifully conveys the resourcefulness yet timidity of a man stranded in an alien culture. The airport workers, while initially puzzled or put off by this foreigner, who sometimes walks around in a bathrobe, warm up to him and come to see him as part of the "family."
Gupta (Kumar Pallana), an aging janitor, gets his amusement from watching passengers slip on wet floors when they pay no heed to his yellow caution cones. Baggage handler Mulroy (Chi McBride) holds frequent card games to divide up unclaimed luggage. Food service worker Enrique (Diego Luna) exchanges food with Viktor for his help in promoting Enrique's romance with beautiful immigration officer Delores (Zoe Saldana), whom Viktor visits daily in the hope that one day she will stamp his paperwork Approved rather than Denied. Customs officer Ray Barry Shabaka Henley) grows sympathetic to Viktor's plight but is unable to counter Dixon's by-the-book attitude.
Viktor's biggest impact, though, is on Amelia Warren (Zeta-Jones), a flight attendant forever juggling her flight schedule with the schedule of her married lover. She and Viktor -- a man she mistakes for a frequent flier rather than a trapped one -- are drawn to each other at least in part by their basic rootlessness.
The Terminal is a comic meditation on waiting. Both Viktor and Amelia wear beepers, waiting endlessly for calls that never come: For Viktor, a buzz would mean the bureaucratic mess is cleared up and he can venture into New York
for Amelia, a ring could signal a lover free from his wife. Later, when we learn what brought Viktor to the United States in the first place, we realize that his late father had the longest wait of all -- a 40-year wait to accomplish a dream that only Viktor can finally realize for him.
For a film that feels loose, Spielberg keeps a tight rein on the narrative, making certain it veers into neither sentimentality nor cartoonish silliness. He and his writers allow each subplot to develop fully while integrating them into the story of one eternally optimistic individual.
Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski makes Alex McDowell's superb and huge terminal set feel like the real thing. His backlighting and harsh artificial lights contrast with the more pleasing, even romantic moods created at night in the nearly deserted lounge. The film slows down a bit toward the end, but for the most part Michael Kahn's editing is crisp, while John Williams' score has a jocular quality. It's almost enough to make one look forward to the next trip to the airport.
THE TERMINAL
DreamWorks Pictures
A Parkes/MacDonald production
Credits:
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriters: Sacha Gervasi, Jeff Nathanson
Story by: Andrew Niccol, Sacha Gervasi
Producers: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Steven Spielberg
Executive producers: Patricia Whitcher, Jason Hoffs, Andrew Niccol
Director of photography: Janusz Kaminski
Production designer: Alex McDowell
Music: John Williams
Co-producer: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Costume designer: Mary Zophres
Editor: Michael Kahn
Cast:
Viktor Navorski: Tom Hanks
Amelia Warren: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Frank Dixon: Stanley Tucci
Mulroy: Chi McBride
Enrique Cruz: Diego Luna
Thurman: Barry Shabaka Henley
Gupta Rajan: Kumar Pallana
Torres: Zoe Saldana
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 129 minutes...
Friday, June 18
The Terminal, a carefully calibrated comedy set in an airport, is an odd film for Steven Spielberg, which is perhaps why it works so well. It comes closest in tone to Catch Me If You Can in its lighthearted, even offhand manner. But there is also a Capra-esque quality in the later reels, where the essential goodness of a common man triumphs over insensitivity and bureaucratic boorishness to bring working-class people together.
In a summer of remakes, sequels and movies swollen with effects, The Terminal stands out as a strikingly original comedy. With Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones heading a talented cast, the movie should take off quickly and reach a cruising altitude where it will attract a broad demographic similar to Catch Me.
An airport with its security concerns, flight delays and general air of anxiety seems an unlikely setting for a comedy. Indeed a viewer might not be certain he is watching a comedy during the early minutes of the movie, which feature a visa problem, a revolutionary coup and the anguish of a man who realizes his homeland is in flames. Gradually, the script by Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson (from Andrew Niccol and Gervasi's story) comes into focus: An airport terminal will become a microcosm of the human experience, and part of that experience is waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting.
Hanks, making a marvelous rebound from The Ladykillers, plays Viktor Navorski, on a visit to New York from the fictitious Eastern European nation of Krakozhia. By the time he arrives at JFK, however, his country has erupted in political violence. Thus, his visa is canceled, the State Department refuses to recognize the new government, and all flights home are grounded until the fighting stops.
In short, Viktor is a man without a country and is a perplexing problem for the airport's career-minded security officer Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci). Unable to allow Viktor into the United States but equally unable to deport him, Dixon admits him to the international transit lounge until the war is over. This temporary wait stretches to nine months.
Viktor arrives with little knowledge of English, which fails to persuade anyone in the terminal, especially Dixon, either to find a translator or speak in simple English. Gradually though, as the shy but ever hopeful Viktor insinuates himself into the lives of the workers in the shops and food court, everyone finds ways to communicate. Hanks beautifully conveys the resourcefulness yet timidity of a man stranded in an alien culture. The airport workers, while initially puzzled or put off by this foreigner, who sometimes walks around in a bathrobe, warm up to him and come to see him as part of the "family."
Gupta (Kumar Pallana), an aging janitor, gets his amusement from watching passengers slip on wet floors when they pay no heed to his yellow caution cones. Baggage handler Mulroy (Chi McBride) holds frequent card games to divide up unclaimed luggage. Food service worker Enrique (Diego Luna) exchanges food with Viktor for his help in promoting Enrique's romance with beautiful immigration officer Delores (Zoe Saldana), whom Viktor visits daily in the hope that one day she will stamp his paperwork Approved rather than Denied. Customs officer Ray Barry Shabaka Henley) grows sympathetic to Viktor's plight but is unable to counter Dixon's by-the-book attitude.
Viktor's biggest impact, though, is on Amelia Warren (Zeta-Jones), a flight attendant forever juggling her flight schedule with the schedule of her married lover. She and Viktor -- a man she mistakes for a frequent flier rather than a trapped one -- are drawn to each other at least in part by their basic rootlessness.
The Terminal is a comic meditation on waiting. Both Viktor and Amelia wear beepers, waiting endlessly for calls that never come: For Viktor, a buzz would mean the bureaucratic mess is cleared up and he can venture into New York
for Amelia, a ring could signal a lover free from his wife. Later, when we learn what brought Viktor to the United States in the first place, we realize that his late father had the longest wait of all -- a 40-year wait to accomplish a dream that only Viktor can finally realize for him.
For a film that feels loose, Spielberg keeps a tight rein on the narrative, making certain it veers into neither sentimentality nor cartoonish silliness. He and his writers allow each subplot to develop fully while integrating them into the story of one eternally optimistic individual.
Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski makes Alex McDowell's superb and huge terminal set feel like the real thing. His backlighting and harsh artificial lights contrast with the more pleasing, even romantic moods created at night in the nearly deserted lounge. The film slows down a bit toward the end, but for the most part Michael Kahn's editing is crisp, while John Williams' score has a jocular quality. It's almost enough to make one look forward to the next trip to the airport.
THE TERMINAL
DreamWorks Pictures
A Parkes/MacDonald production
Credits:
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriters: Sacha Gervasi, Jeff Nathanson
Story by: Andrew Niccol, Sacha Gervasi
Producers: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Steven Spielberg
Executive producers: Patricia Whitcher, Jason Hoffs, Andrew Niccol
Director of photography: Janusz Kaminski
Production designer: Alex McDowell
Music: John Williams
Co-producer: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Costume designer: Mary Zophres
Editor: Michael Kahn
Cast:
Viktor Navorski: Tom Hanks
Amelia Warren: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Frank Dixon: Stanley Tucci
Mulroy: Chi McBride
Enrique Cruz: Diego Luna
Thurman: Barry Shabaka Henley
Gupta Rajan: Kumar Pallana
Torres: Zoe Saldana
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 129 minutes...
- 7/12/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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