From director Emilio Estevez and starring Martin Sheen comes a modern-day odyssey – THE WAY – the soulful journey of a man rocked by personal crisis who sets off on an epic mountain trek, thinking he is utterly lost, only to keep bumping into surprise moments of community, companionship and inspiration that begin to steer his way. This spirited road-movie-on-foot crosses territory that is alternately comic, adventurous and keenly moving, even as it becomes an unforeseen gift from a son to his father.
THE WAY’s production was marked by a close and deep father-and-son collaboration – one that took director Emilio Estevez and actor Martin Sheen on a passage together into the high mountains of France and Spain and through some of the richly human questions that draw them both: questions about love, about community and about what keeps us moving forward when the road starts getting tougher, stranger and seemingly more forbidding. In the process, they had a chance to explore not only the awe-inspiring land of their ancestors, but their shared fascination with the power of laughter, forgiveness and even vexing relationships to make the most arduous path feel meaningful.
WAMG is giving away passes so you can be the first to see THE WAY this Thursday, October 6th at AMC West Olive 16 at 7pm.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.
3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: The Pyrenees Mountains form the natural border between what TWO countries?
WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!
Synopsis:
Tom (SHEEN) is an affluent California doctor who arrives in St. Pied de Port, France to collect the ashes of his venturesome son, Daniel (ESTEVEZ), who perished during a freak storm in the Pyrenees Mountains. Arriving in a daze, Tom intends to turn right back around for the home Daniel once dubbed an isolating “bubble” — but at the last minute, he instead makes the most impulsive decision of his carefully ordered life.
Following in his son’s footsteps, quite literally, Tom begins to walk the 500-mile Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage that for more than 1000 years has been made by millions of around the world for every conceivable reason, from sheer adventure to searching for answers. Out of shape and out of sorts, Tom stumbles from the trailhead, defiantly on his own. He doesn’t want solace, and he’s not so sure he believes in salvation. But try as he might to escape, he keeps running into unwanted company – including that of a sarcastic Canadian (DEBORAH KARA UNGER) trying to kick the habit, a hefty, hedonistic Dutchman (YORICK VAN WAGENINGEN) wining and dining his way through Spain, and a motor-mouthed Irish author (JAMES NESBITT) chasing the story that might blast through his writer’s block.
Step by step, stunning mile after stunning mile, as Tom makes his way through incidents both frightening and funny – from raging rapids to Gypsy encounters — he can’t seem to help opening up to the breathtaking landscape, to his unavoidable companions and the new possibilities that now surround him at every turn. Suddenly, his misfit fellow travelers become his truest friends. Memories become his strength. And Tom begins to see that all the comedy, wonder and joy of the journey itself are what he was really after – and that this is just the beginning of going after his destination.
Sums up Sheen: “The most gratifying thing when I’ve seen audiences watching the film is to see them really inserting themselves into the journey with Tom and wondering if it would be possible for them. So many people come up afterwards and say, ‘where do I sign up to do something like this?’ It’s a powerful thing to be able to inspire people.”
Producers Distribution Agency and ARC Entertainment present an Elixir Films Production of THE WAY, a film written and directed by Emilio Estevez. The film is produced by David Alexanian and Estevez and stars Martin Sheen, Deborah Kara Unger, Yorick van Wageningen and James Nesbitt.
THE WAY will be in select cities on October 7th and NATIONWIDE October 21st.
As National Honey Month comes to a close, we are keeping the celebration going with these WINNIE THE POOH-themed recipes and a honey-loving clip! The world’s most beloved bear spends his days in search of the naturally delicious nectar, and now you, too, can enjoy some honey-flavored treats with Pooh.
POOH BEAR TAKES CARE OF HIS TUMMY
RECIPE & COOKING ACTIVITIES
And on October 25th,Disney releases WINNIE THE POOHon Blu-ray & DVD! Journey back to the 100 Acre Wood for a heart-warming adventure with Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo, Eeyore and Christopher Robin! Bonus material includes the EXCLUSIVE short “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon,” deleted scenes and more!
Walt Disney Studios proudly invites families and audiences of all ages to return to the HundredAcre Wood with some of the world’s most beloved characters, as “Winnie the Pooh,” the delightful all-new animated feature film comes home to Blu-ray Combo Pack for the very first time, as well as DVD and Movie Download on October 25, 2011. Reuniting audiences with Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore (who has lost his tail), “Winnie the Pooh” is a honey of an in-home release containing hours of immersive bonus features, including exclusive animated shorts “The Ballad of Nessie” and “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon;” a sing-along viewing option; an informative behind-the-scenes featurette for the whole family and deleted scenes with director commentary – all available on Blu-ray Combo Pack.
Inspired by the beloved stories from A.A. Milne’s books and crafted in Disney’s classic style, “Winnie the Pooh,” is the most critically-acclaimed animated film of 2011*. It is narrated by the voice of John Cleese and features the vocal talents of legendary voice actor Jim Cummings(over 350 voices including Gnomeo & Juliet) and a host of other distinctive actors including Craig Ferguson(TV’s ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’), Tom Kenny (TV’s ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’), Bud Luckey (Toy Story 3) and musical performances by Zooey Deschanel (indie folk band “She & Him”).
* RottenTomatoes.com, as of 9/9/2011
The all-new “Winnie the Pooh” brings back to life the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes and characters. Sure to become a family favorite for every household, it is directed by Stephen Anderson (Meet The Robinsons) and Don Hall (The Princess and The Frog) and Executive Produced by John Lasseter.
Blu-ray ™Bonus Features:
Exclusive bonus short “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon” – In this charming short, Pooh comes up with a daring plan to get a hold of some honey by fooling a group of bees.
“The Ballad of Nessie” – The animated short film included in the theatrical release is the heartwarming tale of how Nessie found her new home in the Loch Ness.
“Winnie the Pooh and His Story Too” – A fun and informative behind-the-scenes look at the film, designed for the whole family. Hosted by John Cleese (narrator of the film), and with occasional help fromPooh himself, this featurette explores Winnie the Pooh’s history from his beginnings as a character in a book, to his continued life in the movies. The filmmakers reveal how they worked to keep the look of the characters and settings in this movie consistent with their first appearances on-screen in1966. Pooh, being a bear of very little mind, finds much of this confusing, but the Narrator and the filmmakers make it all clear to Pooh – and you!
Deleted Scenes introduced by directors, Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 5 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit’s Friends and Relations,” “Original Eeyore Intro,” “Original Tigger Intro” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
Sing-Along with the Movie – Follow the red balloon and changing word colors to seven song lyrics featured in the film.
Disney Song Selection – “Winnie the Pooh Theme Song,” “The Tummy Song, “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “The Backson Song,” “It’s Gonna Be Great,” “Everything is Honey” and “The Winner Song Finale”
DVD Bonus Features:
“Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon”
“The Ballad of Nessie”
Deleted scenes introduced by directors, Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 3 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit’s Friends and Relations” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
Movie Download Bonus Features:
“Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon”
“The Ballad of Nessie”
Deleted Scenes introduced directors. Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 3 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “Rabbit’s Friends and Relations” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
Disc Specifications:
STREET DATE: October 25, 2011
Direct prebook: August 30, 2011
Distributor prebook: September 13, 2011
Suggested retail prices: 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)
$44.99 U.S. and $51.99 Canada
2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD)
$39.99 U.S. and $46.99 Canada
1-Disc DVD
$29.99 U.S. and $35.99 Canada
High-Definition Movie Download
$39.99 U.S. and $44.99 Canada
Standard-Definition Movie Download
$29.99 U.S. and $35.99 Canada
Feature Run Time: Approx. run time 60 minutes
Rated: G
Aspect Ratio: 1.78, 16×9
Sound: 5.1
Languages: English, French and Spanish
Social Media:
Stay connected with the latest news and information on Winnie The Pooh.
Directed by Stephen Anderson (Meet The Robinsons, The Emperor’s New Groove) and Don Hall
(The Princess and the Frog, Meet The Robinsons), the film was supported by a variety of industry and highly-creative Disney veterans including Producers Peter Del Vecho (The Princess and the Frog, Chicken Little) and Clark Spencer (Bolt, Meet The Robinsons), Executive Producer and two-time Academy Award®-winning director John Lasseter (Toy Story franchise, WALL●E, Bolt) and senior story artist Burny Mattinson (Academy Award®-nominee for Best Animated Short Film, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, 1983 and key animator on the 1974 Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!).
About The English Language Voice Talent:
The “Winnie The Pooh” movie is narrated by funnyman John Cleese (Shrek Forever After, A Fish Called Wanda) and voiced by the talents of Jim Cummings (Gnomeo & Juliet, The Princess and the Frog, Shrek) as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Craig Ferguson (TV’s ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’) as Owl, Tom Kenny (TV’s ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’) as Rabbit, Travis Oates (TV’s ‘My Friends Tigger & Pooh,’ ‘Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too’) as Piglet, Bud Luckey (Toy Story 3) as Eeyore,
Kristen Anderson-Lopez (TV’s ‘The Wonder Pets,’ Off-Broadway’s ‘In Transit’) as Kanga, Wyatt Hall (seven-year-old son of director Don Hall) as Roo and Huell Howser (this was his first role as an actor) as Backson and Jack Boulter (this was his first role as an actor) as Christopher Robin.
About The Music:
The amazing musical scores featured throughout the film were created by Tony® Award-winning songwriter Bobby Lopez, and his wife Kristen, who wrote all of the six spirited new songs for Pooh and his pals, including “The Tummy Song,” “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “Everything Is Honey,” “The Winner Song,” “The Backson Song,” and “It’s Gonna Be Great.” Lopez is behind the Broadway hits “Book of Mormon” and “Avenue Q” and together they’ve written for Nickelodeon and Disney, including the stage version of “Finding Nemo” and composed songs for several episodes of “The Wonder of Pets,” which earned him two Daytime Emmy® Awards in 2006 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition.
The original score, a special rendition of the beloved “Winnie the Pooh” theme song for the film was composed by Henry Jackman (“The Da Vinci Code,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” “Monsters vs. Aliens”) and sung by actress, musician, singer and songwriter, Zooey Deschanel (Indie folk band, “She & Him”). Deschanel also provided vocals for
“A Very Important Thing To Do” and “So Long.”
About Disney Blu-ray Combo Packs:
To provide consumers with unprecedented quality, value and portability of their favorite Disney classics, in 2008 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment pioneered the Combo Pack – a Blu-ray Disc plus a DVD and in some cases plus a Digital Copy of the movie in a single package. To date, the company has released almost all their films as Combo Packs. Recent Disney titles released as Combo Packs include Tangled, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Bambi, Santa Paws, Beauty and the Beast and Fantasia.
About The Walt Disney Studios:
For morethan 85 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which TheWalt Disney Company (DIS: NYSE) was built. Today, the Studio brings qualitymovies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under four banners: Walt Disney Pictures, which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, Disneynature, Touchstone Pictures and Marvel. Through the Home Entertainment division, innovative distribution methods provide access to creative content across multiple platforms. Original music and motion picture soundtracks are produced underWalt Disney Records and Hollywood Records, while Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Broadway theatrical productions, Disney on Ice and Disney LIVE! For more information, please visit www.disney.com.
Did you want to see FOOTLOOSE, tonight but missed out on the contest that WAMG told you about earlier this week? Guess what – we just received some special tickets for you to cut loose!
The screening is tonight at RONNIE’S 20 CINE at 7pm.
The first 10 people to email us will win tickets for themselves and a guest.
Writer/Director Craig Brewer (“Hustle & Flow,” “Black Snake Moan”)delivers a new take of the beloved 1984 classic film, “Footloose.” Ren MacCormack(played by newcomer Kenny Wormald) is transplanted from Boston to the smallsouthern town of Bomont where he experiences a heavy dose of culture shock. A fewyears prior, the community was rocked by a tragic accident that killed five teenagers after anight out and Bomont’s local councilmen and the beloved Reverend Shaw Moore(Dennis Quaid) responded by implementing ordinances that prohibit loud music anddancing. Not one to bow to the status quo, Ren challenges the ban, revitalizing the townand falling in love with the minister’s troubled daughter Ariel (Julianne Hough) in theprocess.
Starring Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Andie MacDowell and Dennis Quaid, FOOTLOOSE will cut loose in theaters on October 14, 2011
CHICAGO, IL – Cinema/Chicago announced today that rising star Anthony Mackie will be honored Chicago at the annual Black Perspectives tribute on Saturday, October 15th. The 47th Chicago International Film Festival’s Black Perspectives Committee will celebrate this gifted actor with film highlights from his most memorable performances and a discussion about his career. Mackie will then be presented with the Artistic Achievement Award by Michael Kutza, the Founder & Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival. Robin Robinson (Fox News, Chicago) will be the emcee of the evening.
In just one decade, Anthony Mackie has built an impressive acting resume with standout roles in Academy Award® Best Picture winners Million Dollar Baby and The Hurt Locker as well as Half Nelson, The Adjustment Bureau and Notorious. Mackie has won two Black Reel awards, a Gotham Award, two Independent Spirit Awards and a Screen Actor’s Guild Award. Mr. Mackie will join past Festival honorees Forest Whittaker, Spike Lee, and Morgan Freeman.
The Black Perspectives Tribute will be held at Chase Auditorium (10 S. Dearborn St.), with the after-party to follow at Cibo Matto at theWit Hotel (201 N. State St.). Tickets to the Tribute only are on sale now for $15. A VIP Tribute and After-party ticket (includes cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres) cost $50.
Black Perspectives Tribute partners include: Presenting Partners – Allstate and Lincoln; Evening Partners: American Airlines, Columbia College Chicago, JP Morgan Chase, Barefoot Wines, Stella Artois, and Brugal Rum.
TICKET INFO
All events, except Opening Night, are at the AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois Street. Tickets for the 47th Chicago International Film Festival are on sale now. Opening Night tickets and festival passes may be purchased on the Festival website. All individual tickets must be purchased by phone 312-332-FILM (3456), in person by visiting the Festival box office at AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois St.), or through Ticketmaster.
FESTIVAL SPONSORS
Led by Presenting Partner, Columbia College Chicago, the 47th Chicago International Film Festival’s sponsors include: Premiere Partners – American Airlines, Lincoln; Producing Partners – AMC Theaters, DePaul University’s School of Cinema and Interactive Media, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Major Partners – Allstate, Intersites; Supporting Partners – Applitite, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Brugal Rum, Kodak, Second City Computers, WBBM, and the Festival’s Headquarters Hotel, JW Marriott Chicago.
ABOUT CINEMA/CHICAGO
Cinema/Chicago is a not-for-profit cultural and educational organization dedicated to encouraging better understanding between cultures and to making a positive contribution to the art form of the moving image. The Chicago International Film Festival is part of the year-round programs presented by Cinema/Chicago, which also include the International Screenings Program (May-September), the Hugo Television Awards (April), CineYouth Festival (May), Intercom Competition (October) and year-round Education Outreach and Member Screenings Program.
Hey kids! Are you on Facebook? My guess is yes, since it is slowly taking over the world… So, if you are, Facebook fans of Real Steel can Build their own Bot Banner! A movie first, the Bot Banner Builder replaces the photo banner at the top of the profile page.
REAL STEEL stars Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, and Kevin Durand.
Synopsis:
Set in the near-future, where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech, REAL STEEL stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.
Two interns, who worked on BLACK SWAN, are not happy with their experience, and have filed a lawsuit against Fox Searchlight.
THE NEW YORK TIMES reports that a lawsuit was filed against Fox Searchlight Pictures (on Wednesday) for not providing their interns with an educational work experience while working on the film BLACK SWAN. Instead, the two men claim that they were assigned menial tasks. Labor laws insist that internships be educational, otherwise an employer is required to pay his/her interns.
Alex Footman worked as a production intern in New York (Oct 2009-Feb 2010). He reports that his job consisted of making coffee, taking lunch orders, taking out trash and cleaning. The other intern involved in this suit, Eric Glatt, was an accounting intern. He claims to have prepared documents for petty cash, traveled to the set for signatures on documents, and to have created spreadsheets to track missing employee information. Glatt is a 42 year old graduate from Case Western Reserve University with an M.B.A.
Fox Searchlight has yet to comment on this case, other than stating that they had not reviewed it yet.
Well, it’s time for another trip to movie romantic comedy, or “rom-com” land. This new effort owes a bit to this past May’s smash hit BRIDESMAIDS. Ms Wiig and her crew took some of the rom-com staples and mixed in some of the R-rated raunchiness of THE HANGOVER and Judd Apatow’s (their executive producer) male-oriented hits. The makers of WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER? also want to prove that the gals can be just as lewd and crude while finding Mr. Right. But can they hit a humor home run like Wiig and Apatow did a few months ago? Will they even get on base?
Star of the SCARY MOVIE flicks Anna Faris is Ally, a gal with a lot on her plate right now. She’s the maid of honor at her kid sister, Daisy’s (Ari Graynor of CONVICTION) upcoming wedding who’s also dealing with an overbearing Mom (Blythe Danner of LITTLE FOCKERS). Then she loses her boyfriend (STAR TREK’s Zachary Quinto) and her job (with obnoxious boss THE INFORMANT!’s Joel McHale). On that long train home with her cardboard box of office stuff she reads an article in Marie Clare magazine. It’s based on another of those infinite studies and suggests that prior to marriage the average woman has had 10.5 (?) sex partners and if a woman has had over 20 she has little chance of marrying. Grabbing pen and notepad Ally realizes she’s at 19! And after a boozy bachelorette night she is at the dreaded 20! Well, then her hubby must be one of this group. But how to track them down? Enter the musician/stud living across the hall. Colin (Chris Evans of CAPTAIN AMERICA : THE FIRST AVENGER). In exchange for letting him stay at her place while his one night stands leave, he’ll use his tracking skills (Dad was a cop!) to find her former beaus. Will one of these blasts from the past turn out to be the one? Can she resist this hunky helper? For that matter will he succumb to Ally’s flighty, funky charms? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then welcome back from that deserted island. Did you see Wilson there?
For a film with such a talented cast WHAT”S YOUR NUMBER? is surprisingly laugh-free. Anna Faris has been following in the footsteps of many cute, funny, flaky movie blonds (from Judy Holliday through Goldie Hawn) for several films (she energized OBSERVE AND REPORT and THE HOUSE BUNNY). She doesn’t have a whole lot to work with here, which is surprising as she’s an executive producer. Way too much of the screen time is devoted to her getting tipsy and making very poor choices. Ms. Faris deserves better. Ari Graynor is another very funny blond (NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST), but here’s she’s regulated to being a standard frazzled movie bride (least she’s not a “bridezilla”). Danner’s got a thankless role as another overbearing middle aged movie Mom (ease up on the mom-bashing Hollywood!). Evans should balance his big action roles with funny leading man roles, but he’s saddled with some lazy,lifeless banter while the film makers try to spice things up with many, many shots of him almost in the buff (strip basketball followed by skinny dipping!). The actors playing Ally’s past flings don’t get much of a chance to shine. Martin Freeman, so terrific in the original British “The Office,” is wasted as a straight man to Ally’s dialect antics. Faris’s real life hubby Chris Pratt, hilarious on TV’s Parks and Recreations, is reduced to wearing a NORBIT-like fat suit for a flashback sequence. Only Andy Samberg (of TV’s Saturday Night Live) scores in the film’s funniest 30 seconds as Ally’s first. After he’s gone feel free to hit the restroom or concession stand. Don’t want to spoil things, so I’ll just say that there’s a great vocal cameo from another TV funnyman in the movie’s last moments. So what happened? These talented actors can do only so much with a hackneyed script ( Eight year old kids dropping the F-bomb! Ooo! How edgy! ) and direction that relies on such cliches as sped up and slowed down footage and twirling shots looking up at office buildings. There’s even a big romantic scene set at an empty sports venue. Lazy movie making. After those BRIDESMAIDS had me in hysterics a few months ago I was looking forward to another raunchy female-centric laugh fest. Still waiting.
Successful film biographies often inspire ‘back-story’ sequels. Since many of these movies end at the conclusion of the subject’s life, producers will go back back and explore an earlier chapter of this remarkable individuals history. Hence, we’ve seen films like YOUNG MR. LINCOLN and YOUNG TOM EDISON. Now many years after AMADEUS, cinema explores the life of ten year old Mozart, but from a different viewpoint. As the title suggests MOZART’S SISTER is indeed this story told through the eyes of Wolfgang’s older sister (by five years). The movie is a fresh look at the formative years of this musical genius, but it also tells the story of an older sibling possessed of incredible talent who had no chance to shine in her brother’s long shadow.
Like many musician stories we first encounter the artists between ‘gigs’ and on the road. The Mozart family (father, mother, sister, and the star son) huddle for warmth in a coach bumping along down a desolate forest trail. Life is hard as they trek from one royal court to the next. Some of them keep the family waiting for days and weeks before the royal performance. Often, the family is not paid for their concerts. Pappa Mozart is a strict taskmaster who insists on many hours of practice everyday. He also makes sure that each child knows their place-sister must not play the violin as it is unladylike. The coach breaks down and the family seeks shelter in a nearby abbey. There they meet the four young daughters of French royal family (the king prefers them to stay hidden there and not reside at the palace). Maria befriends them and grows close to the youngest princess, Louise. She asks Maria to deliver a love letter to the son of a music master when the Mozart family reaches Paris. When they arrive at the palace, they learn that the kingdom is in mourning. The wife of the Dauphin (the Prince) has died in childbirth. In order to deliver the note, Maria must dress as a boy. The young music master is tutoring the Dauphin, who does not wish to associate with any females. Maria, in male drag, begins a friendship with the Dauphin. Will she reveal her true identity to him? How will this effect the family and impact the career of young Mozart?
MOZART’S SISTER is quite a treat for the ears and eyes. The music produced by the two young artists is very impressive. Kudos to the actors for handling the instruments convincingly. The costuming of that period is beautifully reproduced. All the settings from the palace interiors to the quiet abbey, classrooms, and apartments help send us to that 1700’s time period. Marc Barbe as the elder Mozart, Leopold, conveys the ambition and drive that compelled them to travel Europe. Delphine Chuillot gives Mama Mozart, Anna-Maria, a quiet dignity as she tries to accommodate her husband’s dreams while trying to provide a stable family atmosphere. Clovis Fouin as the Dauphin alternates between sadness and romantic interest while also being very mysterious. The young actors really shine in this film. David Moreau as little Wolfgang has the playful spirit of a young boy who doesn’t realize how the family’s future rests on his small shoulders. Lisa Feret is quite remarkable as a young princess who seems so wise for her age. Of course the movie sinks or swims on the performance of Marie Feret as (Nannerl) Maria Mozart. You can see her frustration in her eyes as she must take a back seat to the boy genius. Her father dismisses her work and ignores her creations. Her trepidation at dressing as a boy as in YENTYL is soon replaced by her attraction to the troubled prince.She makes us hope that she will triumph over a world that wants to put her in her place and toss her aside. MOZART”S SISTER has all the trappings of a big movie costume epic, but it succeeds in telling a quiet personal story of a young woman who just wanted a chance to share her musical gifts.
It’s not an easy finding the humor inherent in even the darkest subjects of human life, carefully trying to extract the essence of that elusive silver lining everyone keeps talking about. Many would say there’s nothing funny about cancer, and I would agree on the most basic level, but when done tastefully and with compassion, humor can not only be found in anything, but can actually be a positive force of healing and inspiration.
No, this isn’t Dr. Phil guest writing my review. This is an effort to describe what I took away from watching Jonathan Levine’s third feature film 50/50. As far as I’m concerned, Levine is now three-for-three, having first won my affection in 2008 with THE WACKNESS, his first feature outing was actually in 2006 with ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE. Unfortunately, Levine’s first feature has still yet to be released, which quite literally makes me angry.
50/50 tells the story of Adam Lerner, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 DAYS OF SUMMER, HESHER), a 27-year old nice guy who suddenly discovers he has a rare form of cancer. The film tackles the subject comically, but doesn’t wash over the seriousness of the situation, maintaining absolute integrity. We follow Adam as he muddles through the painful process of beating cancer. His best friend Kyle, played by Seth Rogen (PAUL, FUNNY PEOPLE), sticks by his side through the entire film, providing more than just the comic relief he does so well, but also as his crutch, his cheerleader and wing man.
Angelica Huston (THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS) plays Diane, Adam’s over-protective mother. Adam spends most of the film avoiding his mother, especially once he learns of his condition, relying more on the questionably authentic support of his live-in artist girlfriend Rachel, played with cold ambiguity by Bryce Dallas Howard (HEREAFTER, ECLIPSE). All the while, Adam seems oblivious to the intrinsic nature of Kyle’s friendship, and slowly sinks into self-pity, until he meets Katie, played by Anna Kendrick (NEW MOON, UP IN THE AIR), a support counselor as green to her profession and he is to having cancer. Kendrick is cute and fragile, like that pretty porcelain figurine on your grandmother’s shelf that you’re afraid to tough for fear of breaking.
Primarily a television producer, Will Reiser makes an incredible first impression as a screenwriter with his freshman offering. The characters of 50/50 are rich and detailed, tangible with real human flaws. The humor is perfectly timed, edgy but respectful, with a charm that balances nicely with the emotionally challenging aspects of the script. Reiser paints his characters with gently, relying on the quality of the paint rather than the boldness of his strokes. Levine and the cast must have picked up on this as well, because the whole film works beautifully.
Levine allows the cast of 50/50 to shine, unencumbered by an over-intrusive visual style or disruptive gimmicks, but enhances the performances and the writing with a keen sense of reflective stillness and an ear for great music that harmoniously brings what we see and hear on screen into full maturity. Levine seems to be telepathically synced with the cast, successfully harnessing Rogen’s familiar and goofy, often-stoned style of comedy, but reining it in enough that’s it’s not overbearing and never overshadows Adam. What Levitt has done, is take a topic just recently attempted by FUNNY PEOPLE with moderate success at best, and has succeeded in applying the “less is more” rule.
50/50 takes the audience by the hand and says, this isn’t always going to be an easy journey, but we’re going to make the most of it and have fun. In fact, it’s the perfectly executed ups and downs of Adam’s experience that makes it so damn easy to connect and empathize with him. Levitt evokes the very best of what makes an actor a leading star as well as what makes the best character actors so vividly unique and memorable, doing so in a way that seems almost effortless. One of the tiniest, but most significant ways he has done this with 50/50 is in how affects his own appearance, his pale complexion, his red and tired eyes, his posture, all small but important ingredients in selling such a difficult role.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been on my radar of fine actors for a long time, but 50/50 just further proves what a fascinating actor and craftsman remains to be seen. Not only has he managed to continue redefining his own range as an actor with this role, but does so convincingly that I never once found myself questioning whether he had on some level had some experience with what a cancer patient must feel.
Philip Baker Hall (MAGNOLIA) and Matt Frewer (WATCHMEN) provide small but strong performances as two older cancer patients who share chemotherapy sessions with Adam. Hall and Frewer supply an additional layer of humor, but also indirectly serve as mentoring guides in Adam’s journey.
50/50 is a film that will make you laugh, it may even make you cry, but should ultimately make you care. 50/50 is one of those rare films that reads like real life, not all good, not all bad, but almost always somewhere in between, which is where the most interesting and honest stories reside.
Starring
Kris Marshall, Isaach de Bankolé, Will Yun Lee & the Bayaka of Yandombe
Based on the memoir by Louis Sarno
(“Last Thoughts Before Vanishing from the Face of the Earth”)
NEW RELEASE DATE! October 28, 2011
Presented by DADA Films and required viewing, Lavinia Currier’s (The Passion in the Desert) breathtaking new film, OKA! is a fish-out-of-water tale of an ethnomusicologist from New Jersey who finds himself immersed in the colorful lives ofthe Bayake pygmies. Based on the memoir by ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno, who has lived with the pygmies for over 20 years, OKA! transports audiences to the vast forest of the Central African Republic into the magical world of the Bayaka and lyrically captures their music, dance, humor and exuberance, as well as the harsh realities they endure.
The forest dwelling tribe of Bayaka pygmies is famed for its acute hearing (‘Oka!’ means ‘listen!” in their Akka language). When the tribe’s revered leader hears a menacing new sound in the forest, his super-sensory powers send a message to “Big Ear,” his ethnomusicologist friend Larry Whitman (Kris Marshall, Love Actually), from his sickbed in New Jersey. Against doctor’s orders, Larry travels to his friends in Central Africa to help them battle Mayor Bassoun (Isaach de Bankolé,The Limits of Control), a powerful local politician who is helping Mr. Yi (Will Yun Lee, Die Another Day), a developer with a logging company intent on destroying the Bayaka’s forest home.
Refusing to give in, Larry and the pygmies humorously concoct a series of obstacles to try to prevent the loggers, all while continuing to enjoy their colorful way of life with music and dance inspired by the beauty of the African forest, its animals, and magical spirits.
Written by Louis Sarno & Lavinia Currier and Suzanne Stroh, OKA! is directed by Lavinia Currier and produced by James Bruce and Lavinia Currier. Conrad W. Hall is director of photography and music is by Chris Berry and the musicians of Yandombe. An official selection of the 2010 Telluride Film Festival, OKA! is filmed mainly in the Dzanga Sangha Protected Reserve in southwest Central African Republic. RT: 106 min
