Former film producer and Virgin Records co-founder steps down after 14 years.
The National Film and Television School has confirmed today that its director Nik Powell is to step down at the end of July after 14 years at the helm.
Under Powell’s stewardship the school has firmly cemented its place as one of the major film institutions in the world.
Powell recently oversaw the delivery of two new teaching buildings covering more than 20,000 square feet and a 4K digital television studio.
The school has evolved to offer Ma, diploma, certificate and short courses in film, television and the games industries and it has become a Higher Education Institution accredited by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce).
Recent graduates include Yann Demange, Anthony Chen, Ralitza Petrova and Michael Lennox. In 2013/14 Nfts graduates were nominated for a total 31 BAFTAs and won 10.
Former graduates of the school include David Yates, Lynne Ramsay, Terence Davies, [link...
The National Film and Television School has confirmed today that its director Nik Powell is to step down at the end of July after 14 years at the helm.
Under Powell’s stewardship the school has firmly cemented its place as one of the major film institutions in the world.
Powell recently oversaw the delivery of two new teaching buildings covering more than 20,000 square feet and a 4K digital television studio.
The school has evolved to offer Ma, diploma, certificate and short courses in film, television and the games industries and it has become a Higher Education Institution accredited by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce).
Recent graduates include Yann Demange, Anthony Chen, Ralitza Petrova and Michael Lennox. In 2013/14 Nfts graduates were nominated for a total 31 BAFTAs and won 10.
Former graduates of the school include David Yates, Lynne Ramsay, Terence Davies, [link...
- 4/7/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The event has revealed its line-up for 2016.
The 20th edition of the UK International Jewish Film Festival (Nov 5 - 20) has revealed its programme, showcasing more than 80 films including world, European and UK premieres.
The opening night gala held at the BFI Southbank will be a screening of James Schamus’s latest film Indignation, which stars Sarah Gadon and Logan Lerman in the story of a working class Jewish student struggling with cultural disaffection and sexual repression in 1950s Ohio.
The line-up of UK premieres includes Maya Zinshtein’s football documentary Forever Pure, which recently had its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Eran Kolirin’s Beyond The Mountains And Hills, and Nadav Lapid’s From The Diary Of A Wedding Photographer, which both premiered at Cannes Film Festival this year.
Israeli director Dorit Hakim, whose Moon In The 12th House debuted in competition at Cannes this year, will participate...
The 20th edition of the UK International Jewish Film Festival (Nov 5 - 20) has revealed its programme, showcasing more than 80 films including world, European and UK premieres.
The opening night gala held at the BFI Southbank will be a screening of James Schamus’s latest film Indignation, which stars Sarah Gadon and Logan Lerman in the story of a working class Jewish student struggling with cultural disaffection and sexual repression in 1950s Ohio.
The line-up of UK premieres includes Maya Zinshtein’s football documentary Forever Pure, which recently had its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Eran Kolirin’s Beyond The Mountains And Hills, and Nadav Lapid’s From The Diary Of A Wedding Photographer, which both premiered at Cannes Film Festival this year.
Israeli director Dorit Hakim, whose Moon In The 12th House debuted in competition at Cannes this year, will participate...
- 9/23/2016
- ScreenDaily
National Film and Television School voted the best in the world as films by three of its students win clean sweep in international poll
A world away from Hollywood glitz and glamour, in dilapidated buildings occupying a sleepy corner of Buckinghamshire, some of Britain's most promising future film-makers build sets, bring puppets to life and create a world of make-believe as students of the National Film and Television School (Nfts). This week, in a remarkable testament to their talent and expertise, they will be saluted as the best young film-makers in the world.
The school has already produced Oscar-winning alumni such as animator Nick Park and director Michael Radford. Now the Beaconsfield-based institution has been voted the world's best film school in an international poll of the major film training institutions around the globe.
In an unprecedented clean sweep, three students have been singled out for the film-school equivalent of the Oscars,...
A world away from Hollywood glitz and glamour, in dilapidated buildings occupying a sleepy corner of Buckinghamshire, some of Britain's most promising future film-makers build sets, bring puppets to life and create a world of make-believe as students of the National Film and Television School (Nfts). This week, in a remarkable testament to their talent and expertise, they will be saluted as the best young film-makers in the world.
The school has already produced Oscar-winning alumni such as animator Nick Park and director Michael Radford. Now the Beaconsfield-based institution has been voted the world's best film school in an international poll of the major film training institutions around the globe.
In an unprecedented clean sweep, three students have been singled out for the film-school equivalent of the Oscars,...
- 8/24/2013
- by Dalya Alberge
- The Guardian - Film News
Jason Solomons on Sarah Jessica Parker's latest big-screen role, Mr Nice director Bernard Rose's fascination with drugs, and an unexpected outburst at the Screen International awards
Carrie becomes Kate
Sarah Jessica Parker has seen off Nicole Kidman to land the big-screen role of Kate Reddy, heroine of Allison Pearson's 2002 novel I Don't Know How She Does It. Sj, as she always tells me to call her, will be playing Kate as an American because the action has been entirely transposed from the book's London setting to Manhattan. I'm told Sj was handed the role after the book's fans responded negatively to rumours that Kidman was in line to play over-stretched working mum, Kate. The film is being overseen by producer Harvey Weinstein and directed by Douglas McGrath, the urbane director who co-wrote Bullets Over Broadway with Woody Allen and most recently made the "o for the lead?...
Carrie becomes Kate
Sarah Jessica Parker has seen off Nicole Kidman to land the big-screen role of Kate Reddy, heroine of Allison Pearson's 2002 novel I Don't Know How She Does It. Sj, as she always tells me to call her, will be playing Kate as an American because the action has been entirely transposed from the book's London setting to Manhattan. I'm told Sj was handed the role after the book's fans responded negatively to rumours that Kidman was in line to play over-stretched working mum, Kate. The film is being overseen by producer Harvey Weinstein and directed by Douglas McGrath, the urbane director who co-wrote Bullets Over Broadway with Woody Allen and most recently made the "o for the lead?...
- 10/9/2010
- by Jason Solomons
- The Guardian - Film News
Getting a movie deal in Hollywood is only the beginning. Hammering out the details is when dreams and egos really collide
In Hollywood, the deal is king. Deals are how scripts get optioned, how stars and directors get signed up, how films make it to production. A good one can mean financial security and a name above the title. A bad one can be as dispiriting, gruelling and financially ruinous as building your dream house on unmarked floodland. The bad news is sometimes it's worse than that, and in the current financial climate it's getting tougher to make the right deal.
In these straitened times, George Clooney is allegedly settling for upfront fees of a paltry $2m, while Megan Fox has walked away from Transformers 3 because her salary demands "cannot be met". The most dramatic illustration of the difficulties Hollywood faces, though, comes in the plight of MGM – reportedly...
In Hollywood, the deal is king. Deals are how scripts get optioned, how stars and directors get signed up, how films make it to production. A good one can mean financial security and a name above the title. A bad one can be as dispiriting, gruelling and financially ruinous as building your dream house on unmarked floodland. The bad news is sometimes it's worse than that, and in the current financial climate it's getting tougher to make the right deal.
In these straitened times, George Clooney is allegedly settling for upfront fees of a paltry $2m, while Megan Fox has walked away from Transformers 3 because her salary demands "cannot be met". The most dramatic illustration of the difficulties Hollywood faces, though, comes in the plight of MGM – reportedly...
- 7/1/2010
- by Jane Graham
- The Guardian - Film News
LONDON -- The relationship between books and moviemaking took on a new dimension in the U.K., as the winning films for the inaugural Book Video Awards unspooled Thursday evening.
Run by THR sister publication the Bookseller in conjunction with Random House Group, Play.com and the National Film and Television School, the Book Video Awards feted three aspiring filmmakers who made a 90-second "trailer" for a new novel.
The winners are Felix Weidemann for his trailer for "The Outcast" by Sadie Jones, Catia Peres' trailer for "The Monsters of Templeton" by Lauren Goff and Chamoun Issa's trailer for "Small World" by Matt Beaumont.
The winning filmmakers were selected by a panel of judges that included NFTS director Nik Powell, whose production credits include "Mona Lisa", "The Crying Game" and "Little Voice".
Random House Group managing director Peter Bowron described the project as a "groundbreaking" experiment.
It is the first project to pull together a publishing group, a retailer and one of the U.K.'s leading film schools.
Run by THR sister publication the Bookseller in conjunction with Random House Group, Play.com and the National Film and Television School, the Book Video Awards feted three aspiring filmmakers who made a 90-second "trailer" for a new novel.
The winners are Felix Weidemann for his trailer for "The Outcast" by Sadie Jones, Catia Peres' trailer for "The Monsters of Templeton" by Lauren Goff and Chamoun Issa's trailer for "Small World" by Matt Beaumont.
The winning filmmakers were selected by a panel of judges that included NFTS director Nik Powell, whose production credits include "Mona Lisa", "The Crying Game" and "Little Voice".
Random House Group managing director Peter Bowron described the project as a "groundbreaking" experiment.
It is the first project to pull together a publishing group, a retailer and one of the U.K.'s leading film schools.
- 2/29/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- A new project to create film "trailers" for books is being launched by the Bookseller, in partnership with the Random House Group, Play.com and the National Film & Television School.
The inaugural Book Video Awards will see NFTS students and alumni develop 90-second films based on three novels to be published by the Random House Group early next year. The videos will be launched in March and screened via Play.com, TheBookseller.com, YouTube and other viral sites.
The winning filmmakers already have been selected by a panel of judges including NFTS director Nik Powell, whose production credits include "Mona Lisa", "The Crying Game" and "Little Voice". A team led by Felix Wiedemann is adapting "Small World" by Matt Beaumont (Bantam); Catia Peres is working on "Monsters of Templeton" by Lauren Groff (Heinemann); and Chamoun Issa is producing "The Outcast" by Sadie Jones (Chatto).
RHG group managing director Peter Bowron described the project as a "ground-breaking" experiment.
"This is a completely original way to ensure awareness of our titles reaches a young adult and light-reading audience," he said.
The inaugural Book Video Awards will see NFTS students and alumni develop 90-second films based on three novels to be published by the Random House Group early next year. The videos will be launched in March and screened via Play.com, TheBookseller.com, YouTube and other viral sites.
The winning filmmakers already have been selected by a panel of judges including NFTS director Nik Powell, whose production credits include "Mona Lisa", "The Crying Game" and "Little Voice". A team led by Felix Wiedemann is adapting "Small World" by Matt Beaumont (Bantam); Catia Peres is working on "Monsters of Templeton" by Lauren Groff (Heinemann); and Chamoun Issa is producing "The Outcast" by Sadie Jones (Chatto).
RHG group managing director Peter Bowron described the project as a "ground-breaking" experiment.
"This is a completely original way to ensure awareness of our titles reaches a young adult and light-reading audience," he said.
- 11/30/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screened
Method Fest,
Burbank
Two parallel stories generate mystery and sparks in "Leo", a well-written drama of psychological depth but diminishing returns. The feature debut of helmer Mehdi Norowzian, whose short "Killing Joe" was nominated for an Oscar in 2000, features steamy Southern atmospherics and strong performances from Elisabeth Shue and Joseph Fiennes.
The script by Amir Tadjedin and Massy Tadjedin offers penetrating observations about the cruelty of a mother tormented by guilt and the survival instincts of a child forced to grow up too fast. But by expending so much energy obscuring the connection between the two story lines, it denies viewers a deeper involvement with the characters. Despite the story's strengths and impressive widescreen lensing, the film's theatrical prospects look limited.
At the heart of the mystery is Stephen (Fiennes), a murderer released from Mississippi State Prison whom Fiennes infuses with the equanimity and inward gaze of a strange saint. He goes to work at a diner that feels like an archetypal purgatory of stunted souls, complete with Sam Shepard and Dennis Hopper.
Shepard is well-cast as the tough, mystical proprietor who believes in the curative powers of the Bible and shepherd's pie. Hopper is diner regular Horace, a wild-eyed bully who keeps waitress Caroline Deborah Kara Unger) under his thumb and takes particular delight in taunting Stephen.
Hopper is so good at playing -- and by now so identified with -- sadistic freaks that his presence here is something of a distraction and feels out of proportion to the low-key proceedings. Through no fault of Unger's, who does her best with a slim role, the put-upon Caroline is less a character than a type, a weathered waif who incites Stephen's need to save someone. In this waiting station on his road to redemption, he opens up to Caroline and fellow ex-con Louis (James Middleton), but his chief outlet is the lined pages he fills all night.
The nature of Stephen's writing project slowly emerges as his story is intercut with the unhappy tale of Mary (Shue), who's raising a toddler girl while suffocating in her marriage to an Ole Miss professor (Jake Weber). She flinches at the insincere niceties of genteel Southern academia and easily falls prey to the malicious intrusions of one of the faculty wives (Amie Quigley) -- an overage 1950s sorority sister with her cardigans, pearls and casseroles. Stricken by doubt and jealousy, Mary begins her downward spiral when she turns a tentative flirtation with a hunky house painter (Justin Chambers) into something a lot less tentative.
Shue delivers a finely calibrated portrait of a sensuous, book-smart woman whose emotional delicacy traps her in tragedy, where she punishes herself and everyone around her. In what may be a comment on the character's inertia but mainly feels like an odd lapse from the film's realistic tone, the self-destructive Mary never ages over an 18-year period.
There are plenty of luminous and affecting moments in "Leo", especially when Shue is onscreen, but after so much emphasis on creating a puzzle, the resolution of its dual narrative doesn't pack the intended punch, being neither altogether surprising or dramatically satisfying.
LEO
Gold Circle Films
A Freewheel/Joy/Scala production
Credits:
Director: Mehdi Norowzian
Screenwriters: Amir Tadjedin, Massy Tadjedin
Producers: Massy Tadjedin, Erica August, Sara Giles, Jonathan Karlsen
Executive producers: Nik Powell, Derek Roy, Sara Giles
Director of photography: Zubin Mistry
Production designer: Stefania Cella
Music: Mark Adler
Costume designer: Jacqueline West
Editor: Tariq Anwar
Cast:
Stephen: Joseph Fiennes
Mary: Elisabeth Shue
Ryan: Justin Chambers
Caroline: Deborah Kara Unger
Ben: Jake Weber
Leo: Davis Sweatt
Vic: Sam Shepard
Horace: Dennis Hopper
Brynne: Mary Stuart Masterson
Louis: James Middleton
Ruth: Amie Quigley
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Method Fest,
Burbank
Two parallel stories generate mystery and sparks in "Leo", a well-written drama of psychological depth but diminishing returns. The feature debut of helmer Mehdi Norowzian, whose short "Killing Joe" was nominated for an Oscar in 2000, features steamy Southern atmospherics and strong performances from Elisabeth Shue and Joseph Fiennes.
The script by Amir Tadjedin and Massy Tadjedin offers penetrating observations about the cruelty of a mother tormented by guilt and the survival instincts of a child forced to grow up too fast. But by expending so much energy obscuring the connection between the two story lines, it denies viewers a deeper involvement with the characters. Despite the story's strengths and impressive widescreen lensing, the film's theatrical prospects look limited.
At the heart of the mystery is Stephen (Fiennes), a murderer released from Mississippi State Prison whom Fiennes infuses with the equanimity and inward gaze of a strange saint. He goes to work at a diner that feels like an archetypal purgatory of stunted souls, complete with Sam Shepard and Dennis Hopper.
Shepard is well-cast as the tough, mystical proprietor who believes in the curative powers of the Bible and shepherd's pie. Hopper is diner regular Horace, a wild-eyed bully who keeps waitress Caroline Deborah Kara Unger) under his thumb and takes particular delight in taunting Stephen.
Hopper is so good at playing -- and by now so identified with -- sadistic freaks that his presence here is something of a distraction and feels out of proportion to the low-key proceedings. Through no fault of Unger's, who does her best with a slim role, the put-upon Caroline is less a character than a type, a weathered waif who incites Stephen's need to save someone. In this waiting station on his road to redemption, he opens up to Caroline and fellow ex-con Louis (James Middleton), but his chief outlet is the lined pages he fills all night.
The nature of Stephen's writing project slowly emerges as his story is intercut with the unhappy tale of Mary (Shue), who's raising a toddler girl while suffocating in her marriage to an Ole Miss professor (Jake Weber). She flinches at the insincere niceties of genteel Southern academia and easily falls prey to the malicious intrusions of one of the faculty wives (Amie Quigley) -- an overage 1950s sorority sister with her cardigans, pearls and casseroles. Stricken by doubt and jealousy, Mary begins her downward spiral when she turns a tentative flirtation with a hunky house painter (Justin Chambers) into something a lot less tentative.
Shue delivers a finely calibrated portrait of a sensuous, book-smart woman whose emotional delicacy traps her in tragedy, where she punishes herself and everyone around her. In what may be a comment on the character's inertia but mainly feels like an odd lapse from the film's realistic tone, the self-destructive Mary never ages over an 18-year period.
There are plenty of luminous and affecting moments in "Leo", especially when Shue is onscreen, but after so much emphasis on creating a puzzle, the resolution of its dual narrative doesn't pack the intended punch, being neither altogether surprising or dramatically satisfying.
LEO
Gold Circle Films
A Freewheel/Joy/Scala production
Credits:
Director: Mehdi Norowzian
Screenwriters: Amir Tadjedin, Massy Tadjedin
Producers: Massy Tadjedin, Erica August, Sara Giles, Jonathan Karlsen
Executive producers: Nik Powell, Derek Roy, Sara Giles
Director of photography: Zubin Mistry
Production designer: Stefania Cella
Music: Mark Adler
Costume designer: Jacqueline West
Editor: Tariq Anwar
Cast:
Stephen: Joseph Fiennes
Mary: Elisabeth Shue
Ryan: Justin Chambers
Caroline: Deborah Kara Unger
Ben: Jake Weber
Leo: Davis Sweatt
Vic: Sam Shepard
Horace: Dennis Hopper
Brynne: Mary Stuart Masterson
Louis: James Middleton
Ruth: Amie Quigley
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" has, of course, been adapted for cinema and television time and time again. This animated version (which includes a dash of live action) is an enjoyable though lightweight addition to the list that will probably be best remembered for the song "What If", performed by Kate Winslet, currently winging its way to the top of the U.K. charts.
"Christmas Carol, the Movie" lacks the sophistication expected in children's films these days. The film seems likely to enjoy a limited success over the holidays and will find a far longer life on the video and DVD shelves. At heart, the story remains an enjoyable and endearing one but finds itself let down by rather low-key animation that comes from sources as diverse as Estonia, Poland, Korea, the Czech Republic and Spain.
Director Jimmy T. Murakami and producer Iain Harvey were behind the impressive adaptations of Raymond Briggs' graphic novels "When the Wind Blows" and (a British Christmas favorite) "The Snowman". A strong cast of voices includes Winslet, Nicolas Cage, Simon Callow, Rhys Ifans, Michael Gambon and Jane Horrocks, who add much to the atmosphere.
To help lure in kids, screenwriters Piet Kroon and Robert Llewellyn have added two refugee mice, Gabriel and Ellen, to the story. A more felicitous addition to Dickens' festive tale is the expansion of Belle (Winslet), the one-time love of Scrooge, to help round out this story of redemption.
The film opens with live action in Boston of 1867. Charles Dickens (played by Simon Callow, who is also the voice of Scrooge) is giving a reading of "A Christmas Carol". The film then switches to animation. It's Christmas Eve. The kindly but debt-ridden Dr. Lambert, who runs the Alms Hospital, is taken off by bailiffs. Belle, a nurse there, writes to Scrooge (who controls the debt), asking for his kindness and charity. Fat chance!
At his office, Scrooge finally allows his clerk Bob Cratchit (Ifans) to head home to his family. Later that night, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley (Cage). Marley warns Scrooge to expect visitations from three other ghosts.
In due course, Scrooge is shown his past by the Ghost of Christmas Past (with special focus on poor Belle, whom the young Scrooge was due to marry); the Ghost of Christmas Present, who shows the suffering at the Cratchit household; and finally the Ghost of Christmas Future, who take Scrooge to a time when he is dead and unmourned.
Scrooge awakens Christmas morning a changed man. He reads Belle's letter and is lovingly reconciled with her. He then sets about happily presenting Cratchit with a festive turkey and a salary boost.
Yet at only one point does the visualization take flight, when the silent Ghost of Christmas Future takes Scrooge to a landscape that takes on an expressionist quality.
CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE MOVIE
Pathe Distribution Ltd., the Film Consortium,
Illuminated Films, Scala and MBP present
in association with the Film Council and FilmFour
Producer: Iain Harvey
Director: Jimmy T. Murakami
Executive Producers: Nik Powell, Rainer Mockert
Screenwriters: Piet Kroon, Robert Llewellyn
Based on the book by: Charles Dickens
Director of live-action photography: Mike Garfath
Editor: Taylor Grant
Editor (live action): Martin Brinkler
Production designer (live action): Christopher Woods
Music: Julian Nott
Color/stereo
Cast:
Scrooge: Simon Callow
Belle: Kate Winslet
Jacob Marley: Nicolas Cage
Ghost of Christmas Past: Jane Horrocks
Ghost of Christmas Present: Michael Gambon
Bob Cratchit: Rhys Ifans
Mrs. Cratchit/Mother Gimlet: Juliet Stevenson
Running time -- 80 minutes
No MPAA rating...
"Christmas Carol, the Movie" lacks the sophistication expected in children's films these days. The film seems likely to enjoy a limited success over the holidays and will find a far longer life on the video and DVD shelves. At heart, the story remains an enjoyable and endearing one but finds itself let down by rather low-key animation that comes from sources as diverse as Estonia, Poland, Korea, the Czech Republic and Spain.
Director Jimmy T. Murakami and producer Iain Harvey were behind the impressive adaptations of Raymond Briggs' graphic novels "When the Wind Blows" and (a British Christmas favorite) "The Snowman". A strong cast of voices includes Winslet, Nicolas Cage, Simon Callow, Rhys Ifans, Michael Gambon and Jane Horrocks, who add much to the atmosphere.
To help lure in kids, screenwriters Piet Kroon and Robert Llewellyn have added two refugee mice, Gabriel and Ellen, to the story. A more felicitous addition to Dickens' festive tale is the expansion of Belle (Winslet), the one-time love of Scrooge, to help round out this story of redemption.
The film opens with live action in Boston of 1867. Charles Dickens (played by Simon Callow, who is also the voice of Scrooge) is giving a reading of "A Christmas Carol". The film then switches to animation. It's Christmas Eve. The kindly but debt-ridden Dr. Lambert, who runs the Alms Hospital, is taken off by bailiffs. Belle, a nurse there, writes to Scrooge (who controls the debt), asking for his kindness and charity. Fat chance!
At his office, Scrooge finally allows his clerk Bob Cratchit (Ifans) to head home to his family. Later that night, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley (Cage). Marley warns Scrooge to expect visitations from three other ghosts.
In due course, Scrooge is shown his past by the Ghost of Christmas Past (with special focus on poor Belle, whom the young Scrooge was due to marry); the Ghost of Christmas Present, who shows the suffering at the Cratchit household; and finally the Ghost of Christmas Future, who take Scrooge to a time when he is dead and unmourned.
Scrooge awakens Christmas morning a changed man. He reads Belle's letter and is lovingly reconciled with her. He then sets about happily presenting Cratchit with a festive turkey and a salary boost.
Yet at only one point does the visualization take flight, when the silent Ghost of Christmas Future takes Scrooge to a landscape that takes on an expressionist quality.
CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE MOVIE
Pathe Distribution Ltd., the Film Consortium,
Illuminated Films, Scala and MBP present
in association with the Film Council and FilmFour
Producer: Iain Harvey
Director: Jimmy T. Murakami
Executive Producers: Nik Powell, Rainer Mockert
Screenwriters: Piet Kroon, Robert Llewellyn
Based on the book by: Charles Dickens
Director of live-action photography: Mike Garfath
Editor: Taylor Grant
Editor (live action): Martin Brinkler
Production designer (live action): Christopher Woods
Music: Julian Nott
Color/stereo
Cast:
Scrooge: Simon Callow
Belle: Kate Winslet
Jacob Marley: Nicolas Cage
Ghost of Christmas Past: Jane Horrocks
Ghost of Christmas Present: Michael Gambon
Bob Cratchit: Rhys Ifans
Mrs. Cratchit/Mother Gimlet: Juliet Stevenson
Running time -- 80 minutes
No MPAA rating...
LONDON -- The British Academy of Film and Television Arts said Monday it has selected council members for its film, television, interactive and children's divisions. Andrew Eaton, producer and co-founder of Revolution Films, and Nik Powell, producer and director of the National Film & Television School, have been newly elected, while producer David Parfitt and Script Factory founder and co-director Charlotte Macleod have been re-elected to film council posts. For BAFTA's television council, Andy Harries, controller of drama, comedy and factual drama at Granada, and Gareth Neame, head of drama commissioning at the BBC, have been newly elected, while Adam Kemp, BBC commissioner for specialist factual, arts and current affairs, has been re-elected.
BERLIN -- Good Bye, Lenin! the German film that has been a local boxoffice smash and seen its success translate to territories across Europe, toppled the competition at the 16th annual European Film Awards Saturday, winning six EFA statuettes, including those for best European film, best actor for Daniel Bruhl and best screenwriter for Bernd Lichtenberg. Lenin also swept the People's Choice categories, with voters from across Europe choosing Wolfgang Becker's tragicomedy as best film and stars Bruhl and Katrin Sass as best actor and best actress. U.K. producer and EFA chairman Nik Powell, dressed in a Santa Claus suit to mark the festive occasion, announced the best film winner by reaching into his red sack and pulling out a bust of Communist icon Vladimir Lenin. "It would have helped if we knew how successful this film was going to be when we were making it," director Becker said on accepting his award. "Because everything that could go wrong on the shoot did. It would have helped to know how it was going to turn out."...
- 12/8/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
BERLIN -- Good Bye, Lenin! the German film that has been a local boxoffice smash and seen its success translate to territories across Europe, toppled the competition at the 16th annual European Film Awards Saturday, winning six EFA statuettes, including those for best European film, best actor for Daniel Bruhl and best screenwriter for Bernd Lichtenberg. Lenin also swept the People's Choice categories, with voters from across Europe choosing Wolfgang Becker's tragicomedy as best film and stars Bruhl and Katrin Sass as best actor and best actress. U.K. producer and EFA chairman Nik Powell, dressed in a Santa Claus suit to mark the festive occasion, announced the best film winner by reaching into his red sack and pulling out a bust of Communist icon Vladimir Lenin. "It would have helped if we knew how successful this film was going to be when we were making it," director Becker said on accepting his award. "Because everything that could go wrong on the shoot did. It would have helped to know how it was going to turn out."...
- 12/7/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CANNES -- Executives of the newly revamped FilmFour, the movie department of the United Kingdom's Channel 4, jetted into Cannes to reveal details of their production and development slate Thursday. The new-look company, headed by Tessa Ross, has eight titles on its development slate. Titles include an adaptation of Jake Arnott's novel He Kills Coppers, penned by television writer Simon Burke (White Teeth). Currently in the early stages of development, the movie will be produced by indie producer Nik Powell but has no director or cast attached at present. The slate also includes a project from TV writer and director Penny Woolcock (The Principles of Lust) titled Twist. Billed as a thriller set in the seedy underbelly of the gambling world, it will be produced by indie production outfit Company Pictures.
- 5/16/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screened
Method Fest,
Burbank
Two parallel stories generate mystery and sparks in "Leo", a well-written drama of psychological depth but diminishing returns. The feature debut of helmer Mehdi Norowzian, whose short "Killing Joe" was nominated for an Oscar in 2000, features steamy Southern atmospherics and strong performances from Elisabeth Shue and Joseph Fiennes.
The script by Amir Tadjedin and Massy Tadjedin offers penetrating observations about the cruelty of a mother tormented by guilt and the survival instincts of a child forced to grow up too fast. But by expending so much energy obscuring the connection between the two story lines, it denies viewers a deeper involvement with the characters. Despite the story's strengths and impressive widescreen lensing, the film's theatrical prospects look limited.
At the heart of the mystery is Stephen (Fiennes), a murderer released from Mississippi State Prison whom Fiennes infuses with the equanimity and inward gaze of a strange saint. He goes to work at a diner that feels like an archetypal purgatory of stunted souls, complete with Sam Shepard and Dennis Hopper.
Shepard is well-cast as the tough, mystical proprietor who believes in the curative powers of the Bible and shepherd's pie. Hopper is diner regular Horace, a wild-eyed bully who keeps waitress Caroline Deborah Kara Unger) under his thumb and takes particular delight in taunting Stephen.
Hopper is so good at playing -- and by now so identified with -- sadistic freaks that his presence here is something of a distraction and feels out of proportion to the low-key proceedings. Through no fault of Unger's, who does her best with a slim role, the put-upon Caroline is less a character than a type, a weathered waif who incites Stephen's need to save someone. In this waiting station on his road to redemption, he opens up to Caroline and fellow ex-con Louis (James Middleton), but his chief outlet is the lined pages he fills all night.
The nature of Stephen's writing project slowly emerges as his story is intercut with the unhappy tale of Mary (Shue), who's raising a toddler girl while suffocating in her marriage to an Ole Miss professor (Jake Weber). She flinches at the insincere niceties of genteel Southern academia and easily falls prey to the malicious intrusions of one of the faculty wives (Amie Quigley) -- an overage 1950s sorority sister with her cardigans, pearls and casseroles. Stricken by doubt and jealousy, Mary begins her downward spiral when she turns a tentative flirtation with a hunky house painter (Justin Chambers) into something a lot less tentative.
Shue delivers a finely calibrated portrait of a sensuous, book-smart woman whose emotional delicacy traps her in tragedy, where she punishes herself and everyone around her. In what may be a comment on the character's inertia but mainly feels like an odd lapse from the film's realistic tone, the self-destructive Mary never ages over an 18-year period.
There are plenty of luminous and affecting moments in "Leo", especially when Shue is onscreen, but after so much emphasis on creating a puzzle, the resolution of its dual narrative doesn't pack the intended punch, being neither altogether surprising or dramatically satisfying.
LEO
Gold Circle Films
A Freewheel/Joy/Scala production
Credits:
Director: Mehdi Norowzian
Screenwriters: Amir Tadjedin, Massy Tadjedin
Producers: Massy Tadjedin, Erica August, Sara Giles, Jonathan Karlsen
Executive producers: Nik Powell, Derek Roy, Sara Giles
Director of photography: Zubin Mistry
Production designer: Stefania Cella
Music: Mark Adler
Costume designer: Jacqueline West
Editor: Tariq Anwar
Cast:
Stephen: Joseph Fiennes
Mary: Elisabeth Shue
Ryan: Justin Chambers
Caroline: Deborah Kara Unger
Ben: Jake Weber
Leo: Davis Sweatt
Vic: Sam Shepard
Horace: Dennis Hopper
Brynne: Mary Stuart Masterson
Louis: James Middleton
Ruth: Amie Quigley
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Method Fest,
Burbank
Two parallel stories generate mystery and sparks in "Leo", a well-written drama of psychological depth but diminishing returns. The feature debut of helmer Mehdi Norowzian, whose short "Killing Joe" was nominated for an Oscar in 2000, features steamy Southern atmospherics and strong performances from Elisabeth Shue and Joseph Fiennes.
The script by Amir Tadjedin and Massy Tadjedin offers penetrating observations about the cruelty of a mother tormented by guilt and the survival instincts of a child forced to grow up too fast. But by expending so much energy obscuring the connection between the two story lines, it denies viewers a deeper involvement with the characters. Despite the story's strengths and impressive widescreen lensing, the film's theatrical prospects look limited.
At the heart of the mystery is Stephen (Fiennes), a murderer released from Mississippi State Prison whom Fiennes infuses with the equanimity and inward gaze of a strange saint. He goes to work at a diner that feels like an archetypal purgatory of stunted souls, complete with Sam Shepard and Dennis Hopper.
Shepard is well-cast as the tough, mystical proprietor who believes in the curative powers of the Bible and shepherd's pie. Hopper is diner regular Horace, a wild-eyed bully who keeps waitress Caroline Deborah Kara Unger) under his thumb and takes particular delight in taunting Stephen.
Hopper is so good at playing -- and by now so identified with -- sadistic freaks that his presence here is something of a distraction and feels out of proportion to the low-key proceedings. Through no fault of Unger's, who does her best with a slim role, the put-upon Caroline is less a character than a type, a weathered waif who incites Stephen's need to save someone. In this waiting station on his road to redemption, he opens up to Caroline and fellow ex-con Louis (James Middleton), but his chief outlet is the lined pages he fills all night.
The nature of Stephen's writing project slowly emerges as his story is intercut with the unhappy tale of Mary (Shue), who's raising a toddler girl while suffocating in her marriage to an Ole Miss professor (Jake Weber). She flinches at the insincere niceties of genteel Southern academia and easily falls prey to the malicious intrusions of one of the faculty wives (Amie Quigley) -- an overage 1950s sorority sister with her cardigans, pearls and casseroles. Stricken by doubt and jealousy, Mary begins her downward spiral when she turns a tentative flirtation with a hunky house painter (Justin Chambers) into something a lot less tentative.
Shue delivers a finely calibrated portrait of a sensuous, book-smart woman whose emotional delicacy traps her in tragedy, where she punishes herself and everyone around her. In what may be a comment on the character's inertia but mainly feels like an odd lapse from the film's realistic tone, the self-destructive Mary never ages over an 18-year period.
There are plenty of luminous and affecting moments in "Leo", especially when Shue is onscreen, but after so much emphasis on creating a puzzle, the resolution of its dual narrative doesn't pack the intended punch, being neither altogether surprising or dramatically satisfying.
LEO
Gold Circle Films
A Freewheel/Joy/Scala production
Credits:
Director: Mehdi Norowzian
Screenwriters: Amir Tadjedin, Massy Tadjedin
Producers: Massy Tadjedin, Erica August, Sara Giles, Jonathan Karlsen
Executive producers: Nik Powell, Derek Roy, Sara Giles
Director of photography: Zubin Mistry
Production designer: Stefania Cella
Music: Mark Adler
Costume designer: Jacqueline West
Editor: Tariq Anwar
Cast:
Stephen: Joseph Fiennes
Mary: Elisabeth Shue
Ryan: Justin Chambers
Caroline: Deborah Kara Unger
Ben: Jake Weber
Leo: Davis Sweatt
Vic: Sam Shepard
Horace: Dennis Hopper
Brynne: Mary Stuart Masterson
Louis: James Middleton
Ruth: Amie Quigley
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- The prospect of more New Zealand-European co-productions will be high on the agenda of the annual Screen Production and Development Assn. conference, Small Country, Big Picture, which runs Nov. 15-17 in Auckland. Nine leading European producers are attending to discuss co-production opportunities with local filmmakers, invited by the New Zealand Film Commission and government agency Investment NZ. The lineup includes several with a New Zealand film track record: Chris Auty, chief executive of the Film Consortium, whose sales division, the Works, is handling Niki Caro's Whale Rider; Karl Baumgartner, co-founder of German distributor Pandora, which released Jane Campion's An Angel at My Table and The Piano; Isabel Begg, head of business and legal affairs for BBC Films, which is producing New Zealand director Christine Jeffs' first film since Rain, Ted and Sylvia; Nik Powell of Scala Prods., which is developing Harry Sinclair's fourth feature, Surprising New Zealand; and Max Saidel who, before becoming director of feature film co-production and acquisition at TF1 in Paris, helped to acquire Peter Jackson's Braindead (known in the U.S. under the title Dead Alive) for release in Italy.
- 10/29/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Movie bad guy Dennis Hopper is to play Frank Sinatra in a new British movie about the negative side of Ol' Blue Eyes. The Speed star, known for his psychotic film roles, will play the legendary singer and actor in The Night We Called It A Day. The movie depicts Sinatra's visit to Sydney, Australia in 1974 when local authorities refused to refuel his plane following the star's rude behavior. A movie source says, "The movie's going to ruffle Sinatra fans' feathers as it's being produced by Nik Powell who made the controversial films Scandal and Backbeat. This is definitely not an authorized biopic." Former Ally McBeal actress Portia De Rossi and Melanie Griffith are also set to star.
- 8/29/2002
- WENN
Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" has, of course, been adapted for cinema and television time and time again. This animated version (which includes a dash of live action) is an enjoyable though lightweight addition to the list that will probably be best remembered for the song "What If", performed by Kate Winslet, currently winging its way to the top of the U.K. charts.
"Christmas Carol, the Movie" lacks the sophistication expected in children's films these days. The film seems likely to enjoy a limited success over the holidays and will find a far longer life on the video and DVD shelves. At heart, the story remains an enjoyable and endearing one but finds itself let down by rather low-key animation that comes from sources as diverse as Estonia, Poland, Korea, the Czech Republic and Spain.
Director Jimmy T. Murakami and producer Iain Harvey were behind the impressive adaptations of Raymond Briggs' graphic novels "When the Wind Blows" and (a British Christmas favorite) "The Snowman". A strong cast of voices includes Winslet, Nicolas Cage, Simon Callow, Rhys Ifans, Michael Gambon and Jane Horrocks, who add much to the atmosphere.
To help lure in kids, screenwriters Piet Kroon and Robert Llewellyn have added two refugee mice, Gabriel and Ellen, to the story. A more felicitous addition to Dickens' festive tale is the expansion of Belle (Winslet), the one-time love of Scrooge, to help round out this story of redemption.
The film opens with live action in Boston of 1867. Charles Dickens (played by Simon Callow, who is also the voice of Scrooge) is giving a reading of "A Christmas Carol". The film then switches to animation. It's Christmas Eve. The kindly but debt-ridden Dr. Lambert, who runs the Alms Hospital, is taken off by bailiffs. Belle, a nurse there, writes to Scrooge (who controls the debt), asking for his kindness and charity. Fat chance!
At his office, Scrooge finally allows his clerk Bob Cratchit (Ifans) to head home to his family. Later that night, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley (Cage). Marley warns Scrooge to expect visitations from three other ghosts.
In due course, Scrooge is shown his past by the Ghost of Christmas Past (with special focus on poor Belle, whom the young Scrooge was due to marry); the Ghost of Christmas Present, who shows the suffering at the Cratchit household; and finally the Ghost of Christmas Future, who take Scrooge to a time when he is dead and unmourned.
Scrooge awakens Christmas morning a changed man. He reads Belle's letter and is lovingly reconciled with her. He then sets about happily presenting Cratchit with a festive turkey and a salary boost.
Yet at only one point does the visualization take flight, when the silent Ghost of Christmas Future takes Scrooge to a landscape that takes on an expressionist quality.
CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE MOVIE
Pathe Distribution Ltd., the Film Consortium,
Illuminated Films, Scala and MBP present
in association with the Film Council and FilmFour
Producer: Iain Harvey
Director: Jimmy T. Murakami
Executive Producers: Nik Powell, Rainer Mockert
Screenwriters: Piet Kroon, Robert Llewellyn
Based on the book by: Charles Dickens
Director of live-action photography: Mike Garfath
Editor: Taylor Grant
Editor (live action): Martin Brinkler
Production designer (live action): Christopher Woods
Music: Julian Nott
Color/stereo
Cast:
Scrooge: Simon Callow
Belle: Kate Winslet
Jacob Marley: Nicolas Cage
Ghost of Christmas Past: Jane Horrocks
Ghost of Christmas Present: Michael Gambon
Bob Cratchit: Rhys Ifans
Mrs. Cratchit/Mother Gimlet: Juliet Stevenson
Running time -- 80 minutes
No MPAA rating...
"Christmas Carol, the Movie" lacks the sophistication expected in children's films these days. The film seems likely to enjoy a limited success over the holidays and will find a far longer life on the video and DVD shelves. At heart, the story remains an enjoyable and endearing one but finds itself let down by rather low-key animation that comes from sources as diverse as Estonia, Poland, Korea, the Czech Republic and Spain.
Director Jimmy T. Murakami and producer Iain Harvey were behind the impressive adaptations of Raymond Briggs' graphic novels "When the Wind Blows" and (a British Christmas favorite) "The Snowman". A strong cast of voices includes Winslet, Nicolas Cage, Simon Callow, Rhys Ifans, Michael Gambon and Jane Horrocks, who add much to the atmosphere.
To help lure in kids, screenwriters Piet Kroon and Robert Llewellyn have added two refugee mice, Gabriel and Ellen, to the story. A more felicitous addition to Dickens' festive tale is the expansion of Belle (Winslet), the one-time love of Scrooge, to help round out this story of redemption.
The film opens with live action in Boston of 1867. Charles Dickens (played by Simon Callow, who is also the voice of Scrooge) is giving a reading of "A Christmas Carol". The film then switches to animation. It's Christmas Eve. The kindly but debt-ridden Dr. Lambert, who runs the Alms Hospital, is taken off by bailiffs. Belle, a nurse there, writes to Scrooge (who controls the debt), asking for his kindness and charity. Fat chance!
At his office, Scrooge finally allows his clerk Bob Cratchit (Ifans) to head home to his family. Later that night, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley (Cage). Marley warns Scrooge to expect visitations from three other ghosts.
In due course, Scrooge is shown his past by the Ghost of Christmas Past (with special focus on poor Belle, whom the young Scrooge was due to marry); the Ghost of Christmas Present, who shows the suffering at the Cratchit household; and finally the Ghost of Christmas Future, who take Scrooge to a time when he is dead and unmourned.
Scrooge awakens Christmas morning a changed man. He reads Belle's letter and is lovingly reconciled with her. He then sets about happily presenting Cratchit with a festive turkey and a salary boost.
Yet at only one point does the visualization take flight, when the silent Ghost of Christmas Future takes Scrooge to a landscape that takes on an expressionist quality.
CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE MOVIE
Pathe Distribution Ltd., the Film Consortium,
Illuminated Films, Scala and MBP present
in association with the Film Council and FilmFour
Producer: Iain Harvey
Director: Jimmy T. Murakami
Executive Producers: Nik Powell, Rainer Mockert
Screenwriters: Piet Kroon, Robert Llewellyn
Based on the book by: Charles Dickens
Director of live-action photography: Mike Garfath
Editor: Taylor Grant
Editor (live action): Martin Brinkler
Production designer (live action): Christopher Woods
Music: Julian Nott
Color/stereo
Cast:
Scrooge: Simon Callow
Belle: Kate Winslet
Jacob Marley: Nicolas Cage
Ghost of Christmas Past: Jane Horrocks
Ghost of Christmas Present: Michael Gambon
Bob Cratchit: Rhys Ifans
Mrs. Cratchit/Mother Gimlet: Juliet Stevenson
Running time -- 80 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 12/27/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There is no real messing about with "Fanny and Elvis" -- it's a film that proudly wears its heart on its sleeve. Written and directed by theatrical newcomer Kay Mellor, the British film is an appealing mixture of drama, comedy and open emotion. Although a little naive at times, the film exudes a warm charm and a sense of compassion for its characters.
Screening at the London Film Festival, it opens soon in the United Kingdom via UIP. With the increasing profile of lead Ray Winstone, it could make for an attractive -- if low-key -- draw for distributors.
Mellor has established a reputation in the United Kingdom for her work on acclaimed television dramas "Band of Gold" and "Playing the Field" and her movie script "Girls' Night", starring Brenda Blethyn and Julie Walters.
Mellor sticks to her geographical roots here, setting "Fanny and Elvis" in an attractive Yorkshire town. The setting also allows her to develop links between Kate (Kerry Fox), an aspiring romantic novelist, and Cathy from "Wuthering Heights".
No sooner does Kate wrap up her book than she finds her lecturer husband Rob (David Morrissey) is leaving her for Samantha, one of his students (played by Gaynor Faye, who is one of Mellor's daughters). As fate would have it, Samantha's husband Dave (Winstone) is the same person whose car Kate has recently crashed into.
After a rocky start to Kate and Dave's relationship, he eventually ends up a lodger at Kate's house as they both struggle to get money together. All of this coincides with Kate's realization that she wants a baby!
After much trying, Kate eventually becomes pregnant (there are also several fights and separations along the way) and the story sees them rushing to the hospital on New Year's Eve 1999 for twins to be delivered just as the clock ushers in the new millennium. The Fanny and Elvis of the title comes from the "discussion" they have on what to name the two children.
Some U.K. critics have dismissed the film as 'too television, ' and though the story may be telegraphed a little at times, there is a fundamental compassion and joy about the performances and story.
What "Fanny and Elvis" also confirms is that Winstone is a truly fine actor. In films like "Nil By Mouth" and "The War Zone", we've seen his capacity for drama and violence. But here he shows a warmth and tenderness.
Fox is impressive as the often neurotic Kate, suddenly faced with her biological clock, and Ben Daniels is appealing as her gay lodger. Also featured are Jennifer Saunders, playing a virtual cameo as Kate's cliched London literary agent, and Colin Salmon as a banker coming out of the closet.
The technical credits are fine, and great use is made of the Yorkshire locations.
FANNY AND ELVIS
A Scala Production
Producers: Laurie Borg, Marina Gefter
Writer-director: Kay Mellor
Executive producers: Nik Powell, Georges Benayoun
Director of photography: John Daly
Production designer: Maria Djurkovic
Editor: Christopher Blunden
Music: Stephen Warbeck
Color/stereo
Cast:
Kate: Kerry Fox
Dave: Ray Winstone
Andrew: Ben Daniels
Rob: David Morrissey
Rosanna: Jennifer Saunders
Alan: Colin Salmon
Samantha: Gaynor Faye
Rick: William Ash
Running time -- 110 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Screening at the London Film Festival, it opens soon in the United Kingdom via UIP. With the increasing profile of lead Ray Winstone, it could make for an attractive -- if low-key -- draw for distributors.
Mellor has established a reputation in the United Kingdom for her work on acclaimed television dramas "Band of Gold" and "Playing the Field" and her movie script "Girls' Night", starring Brenda Blethyn and Julie Walters.
Mellor sticks to her geographical roots here, setting "Fanny and Elvis" in an attractive Yorkshire town. The setting also allows her to develop links between Kate (Kerry Fox), an aspiring romantic novelist, and Cathy from "Wuthering Heights".
No sooner does Kate wrap up her book than she finds her lecturer husband Rob (David Morrissey) is leaving her for Samantha, one of his students (played by Gaynor Faye, who is one of Mellor's daughters). As fate would have it, Samantha's husband Dave (Winstone) is the same person whose car Kate has recently crashed into.
After a rocky start to Kate and Dave's relationship, he eventually ends up a lodger at Kate's house as they both struggle to get money together. All of this coincides with Kate's realization that she wants a baby!
After much trying, Kate eventually becomes pregnant (there are also several fights and separations along the way) and the story sees them rushing to the hospital on New Year's Eve 1999 for twins to be delivered just as the clock ushers in the new millennium. The Fanny and Elvis of the title comes from the "discussion" they have on what to name the two children.
Some U.K. critics have dismissed the film as 'too television, ' and though the story may be telegraphed a little at times, there is a fundamental compassion and joy about the performances and story.
What "Fanny and Elvis" also confirms is that Winstone is a truly fine actor. In films like "Nil By Mouth" and "The War Zone", we've seen his capacity for drama and violence. But here he shows a warmth and tenderness.
Fox is impressive as the often neurotic Kate, suddenly faced with her biological clock, and Ben Daniels is appealing as her gay lodger. Also featured are Jennifer Saunders, playing a virtual cameo as Kate's cliched London literary agent, and Colin Salmon as a banker coming out of the closet.
The technical credits are fine, and great use is made of the Yorkshire locations.
FANNY AND ELVIS
A Scala Production
Producers: Laurie Borg, Marina Gefter
Writer-director: Kay Mellor
Executive producers: Nik Powell, Georges Benayoun
Director of photography: John Daly
Production designer: Maria Djurkovic
Editor: Christopher Blunden
Music: Stephen Warbeck
Color/stereo
Cast:
Kate: Kerry Fox
Dave: Ray Winstone
Andrew: Ben Daniels
Rob: David Morrissey
Rosanna: Jennifer Saunders
Alan: Colin Salmon
Samantha: Gaynor Faye
Rick: William Ash
Running time -- 110 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/17/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Aussie filmmaker Stephan Elliott follows up his hit "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" with another out-there Down Under outing. "Welcome to Woop Woop" retains the camp sensibility, but without all the colorful drag, the result is, simply, a drag.
Mired in heavy-handed grotesquerie, this forced farce goes irretrievably off from the get-go. Aside from some limited potential as a cult curiosity item -- like those horrible traffic accidents that some can't help but gawk at -- expect "Woop Woop" to rapidly outstay its theatrical welcome.
Based on novelist Douglas Kennedy's "The Dead Heart" and adapted by Michael Thomas ("Backbeat"), the picture concerns the antic exploits of one Teddy (Johnathon Schaech), a New York con man who finds himself in a lot of hot water back home and seeks refuge in the untamed Australian wilderness.
He ends up in the proverbial frying pan when a lusty fling with a nympho hitchhiker named Angie (Susie Porter) has nightmarish consequences. He awakens from a drugged stupor to find himself locked in a barn, having been unconscious during a formal marriage to Angie and trapped in a remote, dusty town presided over by her tyrannical father, Daddy-O (Rod Taylor), who's undying love of anything by Rodgers & Hammerstein prohibits the local radio station or outdoor movie nights from playing anything else.
Discovering that would-be escapees end up with a bullet in their backs, Teddy nevertheless plots a dramatic getaway with the help of Angie's less-crazed sister Krystal (Dee Smart), who was widowed after her hairdresser husband (Paul Mercurio) failed in his freedom-finding bid.
Director Elliott heaps on the garishness, apparently going for a Fellini-on-the-outback vibe but minus any of that master's carefully measured, poetic surrealism. As a consequence, most of the potential for humor is submerged by all the weighty excess.
As for the cast, Schaech ("That Thing You Do!") isn't required to do much more than spend a great deal of his performance parading around in his underpants between bouts with the sex-crazed (and just-plain crazed) Angie, spiritedly played by Porter.
Portraying the outrageous Daddy-O, Taylor bears scant resemblance to the rugged leading man known from such '60s classics as "The Birds" and "The Time Machine", while the rest of the cast -- including Mercurio ("Strictly Ballroom"), Rachel Griffiths ("Muriel's Wedding") and Tina Louise -- is similarly squandered.
Even behind the scenes, Oscar-winning costume designer Lizzy Gardiner does nothing as clever as anything in "Priscilla", for which she collected her award wearing that infamous credit card dress.
The soundtrack, meanwhile, is jampacked with enough Rodgers & Hammerstein tunes to warrant an intermission.
No such luck.
WELCOME TO WOOP WOOP
MGM
Goldwyn Entertainment Co.
and the Australian Film Finance Corp.
in association with Scala Prods.
A Scala/Unthank production
Director: Stephan Elliott
Producer: Finola Dwyer
Screenwriter: Michael Thomas
Based on the book "The Dead Heart" by: Douglas Kennedy
Executive producers: Nik Powell and Stephen Woolley
Director of photography: Mike Molloy
Production designer: Owen Paterson
Editor: Martin Walsh
Costume designer: Lizzy Gardiner
Music: Guy Gross
Color/stereo
Cast:
Teddy: Johnathon Schaech
Daddy-O: Rod Taylor
Angie: Susie Porter
Krystal: Dee Smart
Blind Wally: Barry Humphries
Reggie: Richard Moir
Midget: Paul Mercurio
Sylvia: Rachel Griffiths
Ginger: Maggie Kirkpatrick
Bella: Tina Louise
Running time -- 97 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Mired in heavy-handed grotesquerie, this forced farce goes irretrievably off from the get-go. Aside from some limited potential as a cult curiosity item -- like those horrible traffic accidents that some can't help but gawk at -- expect "Woop Woop" to rapidly outstay its theatrical welcome.
Based on novelist Douglas Kennedy's "The Dead Heart" and adapted by Michael Thomas ("Backbeat"), the picture concerns the antic exploits of one Teddy (Johnathon Schaech), a New York con man who finds himself in a lot of hot water back home and seeks refuge in the untamed Australian wilderness.
He ends up in the proverbial frying pan when a lusty fling with a nympho hitchhiker named Angie (Susie Porter) has nightmarish consequences. He awakens from a drugged stupor to find himself locked in a barn, having been unconscious during a formal marriage to Angie and trapped in a remote, dusty town presided over by her tyrannical father, Daddy-O (Rod Taylor), who's undying love of anything by Rodgers & Hammerstein prohibits the local radio station or outdoor movie nights from playing anything else.
Discovering that would-be escapees end up with a bullet in their backs, Teddy nevertheless plots a dramatic getaway with the help of Angie's less-crazed sister Krystal (Dee Smart), who was widowed after her hairdresser husband (Paul Mercurio) failed in his freedom-finding bid.
Director Elliott heaps on the garishness, apparently going for a Fellini-on-the-outback vibe but minus any of that master's carefully measured, poetic surrealism. As a consequence, most of the potential for humor is submerged by all the weighty excess.
As for the cast, Schaech ("That Thing You Do!") isn't required to do much more than spend a great deal of his performance parading around in his underpants between bouts with the sex-crazed (and just-plain crazed) Angie, spiritedly played by Porter.
Portraying the outrageous Daddy-O, Taylor bears scant resemblance to the rugged leading man known from such '60s classics as "The Birds" and "The Time Machine", while the rest of the cast -- including Mercurio ("Strictly Ballroom"), Rachel Griffiths ("Muriel's Wedding") and Tina Louise -- is similarly squandered.
Even behind the scenes, Oscar-winning costume designer Lizzy Gardiner does nothing as clever as anything in "Priscilla", for which she collected her award wearing that infamous credit card dress.
The soundtrack, meanwhile, is jampacked with enough Rodgers & Hammerstein tunes to warrant an intermission.
No such luck.
WELCOME TO WOOP WOOP
MGM
Goldwyn Entertainment Co.
and the Australian Film Finance Corp.
in association with Scala Prods.
A Scala/Unthank production
Director: Stephan Elliott
Producer: Finola Dwyer
Screenwriter: Michael Thomas
Based on the book "The Dead Heart" by: Douglas Kennedy
Executive producers: Nik Powell and Stephen Woolley
Director of photography: Mike Molloy
Production designer: Owen Paterson
Editor: Martin Walsh
Costume designer: Lizzy Gardiner
Music: Guy Gross
Color/stereo
Cast:
Teddy: Johnathon Schaech
Daddy-O: Rod Taylor
Angie: Susie Porter
Krystal: Dee Smart
Blind Wally: Barry Humphries
Reggie: Richard Moir
Midget: Paul Mercurio
Sylvia: Rachel Griffiths
Ginger: Maggie Kirkpatrick
Bella: Tina Louise
Running time -- 97 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 11/16/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Little Voice, a shy, repressed young woman, does not have a voice of her own -- she has the classic vocal chords of Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe.
This bittersweet story of one woman's transformation from a wounded recluse to a vital being will delight mature movie audiences. The Miramax film was a hit among the opening-night high-rollers here at the 34th annual Chicago Film Festival. With tangy performances by Brenda Blethyn, Michael Caine and Jane Horrocks as the nightingale-throated lead, "Little Voice" should resound quite nicely on the art house circuit.
With the same basic thematic tune as "Brassed Off", the tart England-set tale of a few years back in which music revitalized a depressed mining community, "Little Voice" follows that same refrain. In this working-class England yarn, Mari (Blethyn), a lusty hag and her withdrawn daughter eke out a living selling music memorabilia, a business Mari's late husband, whom she loathed and did not appreciate, has left them. Unlike her mother, Little Voice (Horrocks) worships the memory of her father, paying tribute to him daily by playing his old, classic record collection of show tunes and love songs.
Alone in her room with a photo of her late father and the music that she worships, Little Voice is, sadly, one very wounded young lady. Her salvation, like real life, comes in a most dubious form, namely with one Ray Say (Caine), a dissipated, small-time agent who inadvertently hears her sing while on a boozy bang with her mum. Pencil in three measures of "Rocky" in a "Shine" key and, basically, you've got this minor-key but resonant narrative.
While screenwriter-director Mark Herman's stage-play adaptation is utterly predictable, it's ripe with peculiar moments and particularity. In short, it's best in its vivid depiction of the messiness of ordinary life as each character struggles with inner conflicts and needs that are not necessarily in sync with their grimy outside world.
For the most part, "Little Voice" registers as real-life -- although, at times, its structural, movie seams tend to show. What lifts it above formulaic melodramatics are the keen performances. Blethyn is particularly outstanding as the blowsy, bellicose woman who is heart-wrenchingly vulnerable. Blethyn's performance never stoops to softening the character's venal nastiness, which makes it all the more credible.
Similarly, Caine never glossies up the pathetic down-spiral of his character, a braggart and a boozer who is terminally small-time. Caine's performance as this bellicose loser is hard-forged and perfectly edged.
As Little Voice, Horrocks brings us a one-woman, superstar show of high entertainment. Her renditions of Garland, Holiday, Dietrich and Monroe are fabulous, as is her portrayal of a deeply troubled and withdrawn young woman. Ian McGregor adds a sympathetic turn as a telephone technician whose own solitary nature lends him, somewhat magically, to find Little Voice. Jim Broadbent is entertaining and consistently believable as a paltry club owner who fancies himself in show biz.
"Little Voice" is most eloquent in its smaller moments, a tribute to Mark Herman's writing and direction. He is to be commended for the film's gritty and earthy tones, smartly rejecting opportunities to "Hollywood-ize" it. Technical contributions are smartly realized, namely cinematographer Andy Collins shrewdly small scopings and composer-arranger John Altman's nervy melodies.
LITTLE VOICE
Miramax Films
Miramax Films presents and Scala Prods. present
a Scala production
A film by Mark Herman
Producer: Elizabeth Karlsen
Screenwriter-director: Mark Herman
Based on the stage play "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" by: Jim Cartwright
Executive producers: Nik Powell, Stephen Woolley
Co-executive producers: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Paul Webster
Co-producer: Laurie Borg
Director of photography: Andy Collins
Production designer: Don Taylor
Editor: Mike Ellis
Music supervisor: Bob Last
Music and arrangements: John Altman
Costume designer: Lindy Hemming
Casting director: Priscilla John
Sound recordist: Peter Lindsay
Supervising sound editor: Dennis McTaggart
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mari: Brenda Blethyn
Little Voice: Jane Horrocks
Billy: Ewan McGregor
George: Philip Jackson
Sadie: Annette Badland
Ray Say: Michael Caine
Mr. Boo: Jim Broadbent
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
This bittersweet story of one woman's transformation from a wounded recluse to a vital being will delight mature movie audiences. The Miramax film was a hit among the opening-night high-rollers here at the 34th annual Chicago Film Festival. With tangy performances by Brenda Blethyn, Michael Caine and Jane Horrocks as the nightingale-throated lead, "Little Voice" should resound quite nicely on the art house circuit.
With the same basic thematic tune as "Brassed Off", the tart England-set tale of a few years back in which music revitalized a depressed mining community, "Little Voice" follows that same refrain. In this working-class England yarn, Mari (Blethyn), a lusty hag and her withdrawn daughter eke out a living selling music memorabilia, a business Mari's late husband, whom she loathed and did not appreciate, has left them. Unlike her mother, Little Voice (Horrocks) worships the memory of her father, paying tribute to him daily by playing his old, classic record collection of show tunes and love songs.
Alone in her room with a photo of her late father and the music that she worships, Little Voice is, sadly, one very wounded young lady. Her salvation, like real life, comes in a most dubious form, namely with one Ray Say (Caine), a dissipated, small-time agent who inadvertently hears her sing while on a boozy bang with her mum. Pencil in three measures of "Rocky" in a "Shine" key and, basically, you've got this minor-key but resonant narrative.
While screenwriter-director Mark Herman's stage-play adaptation is utterly predictable, it's ripe with peculiar moments and particularity. In short, it's best in its vivid depiction of the messiness of ordinary life as each character struggles with inner conflicts and needs that are not necessarily in sync with their grimy outside world.
For the most part, "Little Voice" registers as real-life -- although, at times, its structural, movie seams tend to show. What lifts it above formulaic melodramatics are the keen performances. Blethyn is particularly outstanding as the blowsy, bellicose woman who is heart-wrenchingly vulnerable. Blethyn's performance never stoops to softening the character's venal nastiness, which makes it all the more credible.
Similarly, Caine never glossies up the pathetic down-spiral of his character, a braggart and a boozer who is terminally small-time. Caine's performance as this bellicose loser is hard-forged and perfectly edged.
As Little Voice, Horrocks brings us a one-woman, superstar show of high entertainment. Her renditions of Garland, Holiday, Dietrich and Monroe are fabulous, as is her portrayal of a deeply troubled and withdrawn young woman. Ian McGregor adds a sympathetic turn as a telephone technician whose own solitary nature lends him, somewhat magically, to find Little Voice. Jim Broadbent is entertaining and consistently believable as a paltry club owner who fancies himself in show biz.
"Little Voice" is most eloquent in its smaller moments, a tribute to Mark Herman's writing and direction. He is to be commended for the film's gritty and earthy tones, smartly rejecting opportunities to "Hollywood-ize" it. Technical contributions are smartly realized, namely cinematographer Andy Collins shrewdly small scopings and composer-arranger John Altman's nervy melodies.
LITTLE VOICE
Miramax Films
Miramax Films presents and Scala Prods. present
a Scala production
A film by Mark Herman
Producer: Elizabeth Karlsen
Screenwriter-director: Mark Herman
Based on the stage play "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" by: Jim Cartwright
Executive producers: Nik Powell, Stephen Woolley
Co-executive producers: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Paul Webster
Co-producer: Laurie Borg
Director of photography: Andy Collins
Production designer: Don Taylor
Editor: Mike Ellis
Music supervisor: Bob Last
Music and arrangements: John Altman
Costume designer: Lindy Hemming
Casting director: Priscilla John
Sound recordist: Peter Lindsay
Supervising sound editor: Dennis McTaggart
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mari: Brenda Blethyn
Little Voice: Jane Horrocks
Billy: Ewan McGregor
George: Philip Jackson
Sadie: Annette Badland
Ray Say: Michael Caine
Mr. Boo: Jim Broadbent
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/12/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Acclaimed at the 1997 Venice (Italy) and Toronto fests as well as this year's Sundance Film Festival, "TwentyFourSeven" is a soulful slice-of-lowlife starring Bob Hoskins as a "casuality" of Thatcher-era England who tries to re-create a sense of community by starting a boxing club for disaffected youths.
Unlikely to punch up noteworthy boxoffice in limited release, the October Films release is not tremendously engaging or always comprehensible to domestic viewers. Set in the midlands of England, with most of the ensemble cast sporting thick accents and lots of slang, "TwentyFourSeven" is filmed in black and white, setting it apart from the crowd but not greatly enhancing the experience.
The feature debut of British director Shane Meadows, who co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Fraser, "TwentyFourSeven" tries to be upbeat, frequently glossing over dramatic developments with montages edited to rock music. But it's basically a discouraging tale in which one man's hopes and dreams are suddenly dashed because of his own flaws.
Shy, troubled Tim (Danny Nussbaum) is emblematic of the aimless housing project denizens that tough and often tender Darcy (Hoskins) hopes to rescue through boxing lessons. Lonely himself, Darcy goes waltzing with his aunt and flirts with a shopgirl, but he spends most of his time trying to train the local toughs and please his financial partner (Frank Harper).
Against the odds, Darcy schedules a small match with another club and prepares his boys with a short trip to Wales. On fight day, despite a poor showing by his first couple fighters, Darcy keeps his cool until Tim is scheduled to enter the ring.
In an unexpected turn of events, Darcy snaps and ruins everything, but he has already redeemed himself when Tim finds him years later a dying, homeless wreck of a man. Though he stopped believing in himself, Darcy's attempt to build self-esteem and emotional control in his boys proves successful.
Shot in Nottingham, Meadows' hometown, "TwentyFourSeven" is slang for " 'round the clock, seven days a week." Meadows offers little in the way of innovative storytelling, relying too much on cross-cutting to improve pacing and making uninspired musical choices in some sequences.
Despite its weaker aspects, "TwentyFourSeven" boasts undeniably strong performances, particularly Hoskins in the lead.
TWENTYFOURSEVEN
October Films
BBC Films
A Scala production
Director: Shane Meadows
Producer: Imogen West
Screenwriters: Shane Meadows, Paul Fraser
Executive producers: Stephen Woolley,
Nik Powell, George Faber, David Thompson
Director of photography: Ashley Rowe
Production designer: John Paul Kelley
Editor: Bill Diver
Costume designer: Phillip Crichton
Music: Neil MacColl, Boo Hewerdine
Casting: Abi Cohen
Black and white/stereo
Cast:
Tim: Danny Nussbaum
Darcy: Bob Hoskins
Tim's Dad: Bruce Jones
Tim's Mum: Annette Badland
Ronnie: Frank Harper
Fagash: Mat Hand
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Unlikely to punch up noteworthy boxoffice in limited release, the October Films release is not tremendously engaging or always comprehensible to domestic viewers. Set in the midlands of England, with most of the ensemble cast sporting thick accents and lots of slang, "TwentyFourSeven" is filmed in black and white, setting it apart from the crowd but not greatly enhancing the experience.
The feature debut of British director Shane Meadows, who co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Fraser, "TwentyFourSeven" tries to be upbeat, frequently glossing over dramatic developments with montages edited to rock music. But it's basically a discouraging tale in which one man's hopes and dreams are suddenly dashed because of his own flaws.
Shy, troubled Tim (Danny Nussbaum) is emblematic of the aimless housing project denizens that tough and often tender Darcy (Hoskins) hopes to rescue through boxing lessons. Lonely himself, Darcy goes waltzing with his aunt and flirts with a shopgirl, but he spends most of his time trying to train the local toughs and please his financial partner (Frank Harper).
Against the odds, Darcy schedules a small match with another club and prepares his boys with a short trip to Wales. On fight day, despite a poor showing by his first couple fighters, Darcy keeps his cool until Tim is scheduled to enter the ring.
In an unexpected turn of events, Darcy snaps and ruins everything, but he has already redeemed himself when Tim finds him years later a dying, homeless wreck of a man. Though he stopped believing in himself, Darcy's attempt to build self-esteem and emotional control in his boys proves successful.
Shot in Nottingham, Meadows' hometown, "TwentyFourSeven" is slang for " 'round the clock, seven days a week." Meadows offers little in the way of innovative storytelling, relying too much on cross-cutting to improve pacing and making uninspired musical choices in some sequences.
Despite its weaker aspects, "TwentyFourSeven" boasts undeniably strong performances, particularly Hoskins in the lead.
TWENTYFOURSEVEN
October Films
BBC Films
A Scala production
Director: Shane Meadows
Producer: Imogen West
Screenwriters: Shane Meadows, Paul Fraser
Executive producers: Stephen Woolley,
Nik Powell, George Faber, David Thompson
Director of photography: Ashley Rowe
Production designer: John Paul Kelley
Editor: Bill Diver
Costume designer: Phillip Crichton
Music: Neil MacColl, Boo Hewerdine
Casting: Abi Cohen
Black and white/stereo
Cast:
Tim: Danny Nussbaum
Darcy: Bob Hoskins
Tim's Dad: Bruce Jones
Tim's Mum: Annette Badland
Ronnie: Frank Harper
Fagash: Mat Hand
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 4/24/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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