” I never could understand why it has to be just even, male and female. They’re invited for dinner, not for mating.”
Jean Harlow and John Barrymore in DINNER AT EIGHT (1935) will be available on Blu-ray October 26th from Warner Archive
Dinner at Eight, a vastly entertaining behind-closed-doors glimpse into the lives of the troubled and troublemaking who’s who of people invited to a posh Manhattan party, is served with ample helpings of humor and melodrama. Buoyed by the success of the studio’s multistarred, multistoried Grand Hotel the year before, producer David O. Selznick aspired to something grander – and found it in this George Cukor-directed adaptation of the George S. Kaufman/Edna Ferber stage hit. Highlights include Jean Harlow and Wallace Beery’s bitter battle of the sexes, hostess Billie Burke’s hissy fit and Marie Dressler’s grande dame worldliness. Of course, there’s only one way to catch all the great moments. Dinner at Eight. Don’t be late.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• 1080p HD master from 4K scan of best preservation elements!
• Documentary Profile Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell, Hosted by Sharon Stone
The premiere of the newly remastered version of UNDER THE WESTERN STARS, featuring Roy Rogers in his first starring role, will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Verdugo Post Producer, Steve Latshaw, and will feature Rogers’ daughter Cheryl Rogers-Barnett along with film notable restoration and preservation experts. The panel will provide a real behind the curtain view of preserving Under Western Stars, other films like it and the growing challenges faced as films age and formats evolve. Here’s a newly created trailer:
The screening will be held Saturday, October 9, 2021 | 2:30 PM PST at the 31st Annual Lone Pine Film Festival (October 7-10, 2021) – Museum of Western Film History – 701 S. Main Street, Lone Pine, CA 93545
About Under Western Stars | 4K Remaster – Originally intended for Gene Autry, Under Western Stars was the first starring role for Roy Rogers (previously Leonard Slye) at Republic Pictures and launched his legendary career. When severe drought and the greedy exploits of a local water company threaten the prosperity of ranchers in the Dust Bowl, Roy Rogers comes to the rescue. Selected for the National Film Registry in 2019, Under Western Stars, which also stars Smiley Burnett, Carol Hughes and Maple City Four, is presented newly remastered from a print that was made for the film’s director Joe Kane and thought to be the only complete, uncut 16mm print still in existence. The film’s song “Dust,” written by Johnny Marvin, was nominated for an Academy Award in 1938 and was performed by Rogers at the live ceremony. In 2009, the film was selected for the National Film Registry Award by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
Verdugo Entertainment just announced the upcoming collector’s Blu-ray Box Set Roy Rogers’ first and final starring role films. The box set, which bookends Rogers’ career, includes the newly remastered 1938 film Under Western Stars and the newly restored 4K version of the 1975 modern western classic Mackintosh and T.J. Available through Amazon.com (North America) and Walmart.com on Tuesday, November 23, 2021.
Verdugo Entertainment is a leading independent entertainment distribution company dedicated to rediscovering, restoring and distributing cult classic and retro films. Located in Burbank, California, the company provides complete film-distribution services and the highest level of technical quality in restoration so that each film is presented in its intended brilliance – bringing today’s fans closer than ever to the original experience. Verdugo films are made widely available through streaming services, VOD, OTT, Broadcast, on VHS collectors sets, on DVD and Blu-ray, and can be seen at outdoor screenings, cinemas and festivals across the U.S. and Canada.
The iconic horror film The Call, starring Tobin Bell and Lin Shaye, is coming back to the big screen with an extended, uncut edition just in time for Halloween. The Call: The Uncut Experience will be in 700 movie theaters nationwide on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. local time. For a complete list of theater locations go HERE
We Are Movie Geeks has a special THE CALL: THE UNCUT EXPERIENCE prize package for five lucky winners. The package includes:
A pair of tickets & 1 $25 concession stand gift card
Note: A DVD or online screening link will be provided in the event there is no theater showing near a winner.
1T-shirt
1 Mask
1Mug
There will be five lucky winners.Just leave a comment below with your email address. We will pick the five winners later this week.
1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES. NO DUPLICATE ADDRESSES.
2. WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
Cinedigm and Fathom Events announced today that The Call is coming back to the big screen with an extended, uncut edition just in time for Halloween. The Call: The Uncut Experience will be in 700 movie theaters nationwide on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. local time.
Following the film, there will also be a pre-recorded Q&A interview with Emmy® Award-winning director Timothy Woodward Jr. about the making of the movie and future plans for a sequel.
From the creator of Final Destination, The Call is anchored by horror icons Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell. Shaye is best known for her role of Elise Rainier from the worldwide box office hit franchise Insidious. She’s also starred in a variety of horror films, including The Grudge, Ouija, The Final Wish and Showtime’s Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. Bell is best known for his role in the Saw franchise playing the terrifying John “Jigsaw” Kramer in all eight movies. The spine-tingling tale also stars Chester Rushing (Stranger Things), Erin Sanders (Big Time Rush), Mike Manning (Teen Wolf) and Judd Lormand (SEAL Team).
Strong word of mouth helped The Call become one of the top-performing horror films of 2020. It was a hit with both audiences and critics alike with MovieWeb calling it, “A chilling tale of revenge and the perfect way to kick off the Halloween season as we head into October” and Dread Central saying, “From credits to the final frame, The Call leaves a lasting impact, an almost congenital terror that’s certain to break your heart and scare you senseless.”
From the creator of Final Destination, Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell star in this terrifying tale of death from the fall of 1987. After a tragic accident, a group of small-town friends must survive the night in the home of a sinister couple. One by one, their worst nightmares quickly become reality as they enter the realm of The Call.
“Being able to bring The Call back into theaters just in time for Halloween is an incredible opportunity,”said Woodward Jr. “From directing genre icons like Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell to re-creating the ‘80s and developing this fantastical horror dreamscape, I’m excited to share some great stories with theatergoers.”
“There’s nothing quite like the visceral experience of watching a horror film with fellow genre fans on the big screen,” said Yolanda Macias, Chief Content Officer, Cinedigm. “It’s scarily perfect timing to bring The Call back into theaters for Halloween with this new Uncut Experience. The additional scenes and Timothy’s interview will keep fans asking for a sequel.”
Directed by Timothy Woodward Jr., The Call: The Uncut Experience was written by Patrick Stibbs and produced by Final Destination creator Jeffrey Reddick, Patrick Stibbs, Zebulun Huling, Gina Rugolo and Randy J. Goodwin. Executive producers include Nicolas Chartier, Jonathan Deckter, Matthew Helderman, Joe Listhaus, Drew Ryce, James Shavick, Kirk Shaw and Luke Taylor. Co-producers are James Cullen Bressack and Chaysen Beacham.
On Tuesday, September 22, WAMG attended the official preview of the much-anticipated Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened to the public on September 30th.
The seven-story, 300,000 square foot museum, which draws on the unique resources of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is located in the heart of LA’s Miracle Mile, will open with some pretty amazing exhibits that movie fans and movie-making buffs alike will be excited to see. Everything from famous and well-known movie props and costumes to giant monitors and video walls showing not only the history of moviemaking, but also many behind-the-scenes clips with well-known filmmakers and actors. Entering the museum almost feels like a theme-park, where you know there is so much to see, but you don’t know what to do first!
The day began with a presentation in the museum’s gorgeous 1000-seat David Geffen Theater. Speakers included the architect of the museum, Renzo Piano (who hilariously quipped to the media in attendance, “Please don’t call it the Death Star”), Jacqueline Stewart, Chief Artistic and Programming Officer, and actor Tom Hanks, Academy Museum Trustee. The theater will show movies to the public and already has an impressive schedule of films they will be showing, beginning with a special presentation of The Wizard of Oz, with a live orchestra.
Moving around the museum’s various levels, catwalks and exhibits there seems to be a delightful surprise around every corner. There is a gallery dedicated to the Academy Awards History that has many Oscar statues on display, as well as showing video of famous “Oscar moments,” costumes and sets. There is even an interactive experience where museum-goers can feel what it’s like to walk on stage and receive and Oscar, complete with a cheering audience, and a video to keep as a souvenir.
Other exhibits include famous movie memorabilia such as Dorothy’s iconic ruby slippers and the Tin Man’s oil can from the Wizard of Oz, as well as personal collections in the Director’s Inspiration gallery. In another gallery, guests can view the actual “Rosebud” sled from Citizen Kane.
One of my favorite exhibits was the Inventing Worlds & Characters exhibit which spans three galleries: Animation, Effects and Encounters. The animation gallery celebrates the accomplishments of the artists behind some of the world’s most beloved animated movies. There is also the museum’s inaugural temporary exhibit, Hayao Miyazaki, which is the first museum retrospective in North America dedicated to the acclaimed artist and his work (you haven’t lived if you haven’t seen Spirited Away, seriously).
The Encounters gallery was also very cool, and easily the most popular exhibit in the museum – who doesn’t want to see R2D2 and C3PO?? There are original set pieces and costumes that bring the worlds of sci-fi, fantasy and horror to life right before your eyes, including Edward Scissorhands and E.T. the Extra Terrestrial.
When it comes to cool things to see and do in LA, for locals and tourists alike, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures should definitely be on the list. It makes for a great day of wandering around tons of galleries and exhibits that you won’t get to see anywhere else. In the closing remarks of his speech, Tom Hanks said it best – “Do we really need a movie museum? Yeah! Because we need to celebrate everything that this town has brought to the world and everything this artform has brought to the world.”
Opening festivities will conclude on Sunday, October 17, when the Academy Museum will host a day-long free community celebration, from 10 am–6 pm.
Tickets to the Academy Museum are available only through advance online reservations via the Academy Museum’s website and mobile app. General admission tickets for the Museum’s exhibitions are $25 for adults, $19 for seniors (age 62+), and $15 for students. Admission for visitors ages 17 and younger and California residents with an EBT card is free. Advance timed entrance for the TheOscars® Experience is available to general admission visitors via a separate $15 ticket. A general admission ticket is required to access The Oscars® Experience.
The Academy Museum’s inaugural public programs and film screening series will also be available for registration via the app. Tickets for film screenings and public programs are sold separately and do not require general admission to the museum. Tickets will be available only through advance online reservations via the Academy Museum’s website. Film screening tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors (age 62+), $5 for college students, $5 for children (age 17 and younger), and $8 for Museum Members. Public and education program tickets range from free with admission to $20 for adults.
The seven-story, 300,000-square-foot museum, which draws on the unique resources of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is located in the heart of LA’s Miracle Mile, will open with:
the 30,000-square-foot core exhibition Stories of Cinema, offering celebratory, critical, and personal perspectives on the disciplines and impact of moviemaking, past and present
the temporary exhibition Hayao Miyazaki, the first museum retrospective in North America of the work of the acclaimed filmmaker and Studio Ghibli
Backdrop: An Invisible Art, a double-height installation that presents the painting of Mount Rushmore used in North by Northwest (USA, 1959)
and The Oscars® Experience, an immersive simulation that lets visitors imaginatively step onto the stage of the Dolby Theatre to accept an Academy Award®.
The museum’s roster of screenings—including Oscar® Sundays and Family Matinees—will be presented in its new 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater and the 288-seat Ted Mann Theater beginning on September 30 with a special presentation of The Wizard of Oz (USA, 1939) with live musical accompaniment by the American Youth Symphony conducted by Oscar nominee David Newman in the larger theater. Highlights of the first three months of film screenings, discussions, and programs include:
Stories of Cinema: screenings of films highlighted in the core exhibition, including Real Women Have Curves (USA, 2002) and The Way of the Dragon (Hong Kong, 1972)
Malcolm X in 70mm: a screening for Academy Museum Members with special guests Spike Lee and Denzel Washington
Oscar® Frights: screenings of Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated horror films, including Get Out (USA, 2017), Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico, 2006) and Psycho (USA, 1960)
Hayao Miyazaki: screenings of the filmmaker’s complete body of work, in conjunction with the inaugural temporary exhibition
Sound Off: A Celebration of Women Composers: screenings of films scored by women composers, including Joker (USA, 2019), scored by Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Tron (USA, 1982), scored by Wendy Carlos
Retrospectives of Jane Campion andSatyajit Ray, with the latter drawing from the Academy Film Archive’s rich holdings of his works
Beyond the Icon: Anna May Wong: a celebration of the actress’s work and legacy, including screenings of Piccadilly (UK, 1929) and Shanghai Express (USA, 1932)
Legacy: a cross-generational discussion series, beginning with a conversation between Laura Dern and her parents Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd
In Conversation: a topical discussion series that begins with a conversation between producers Effie T. Brown and Heather Rae on how to contextualize cinema
Ongoing educationand family programswill take place throughout the museum in exhibition galleries, theaters, and the Shirley Temple Education Studio. These will include teen programs, family studio activities, and school tours. Accommodative tours for members of the hard-of-hearing and deaf communities and low-vision and blind communities will be offered monthly, as well as accommodative family film screenings for neurodivergent viewers.
Fanny’s, the restaurant and café developed by restaurateurs Bill Chait and Carl Schuster and designed by LA-based Commune Design, will open to visitors with breakfast and lunch service with dinner service added later in the fall. Named after Fanny Brice—the legendary movie, vaudeville, theater, and radio star portrayed by Barbra Streisand in her Oscar-winning role as Funny Girl (1968)—the striking two-story, 10,000 square foot space, conceptualized by the late architect Osvaldo Maiozzi, features a chef-designed open kitchen, elegant bar, and captain-based service style that nods to a bygone era. Raphael Francois serves as Executive Chef and Julian Cox as the bar’s mixologist. Wolfgang Puck Catering will oversee catering services at the museum.
The Academy Museum Storewill greet shoppers in its 2,600-square-foot retail space off of the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby and will feature merchandise designed and produced exclusively for the store, Oscars memorabilia, and other film-related items. An extension of the museum’s mission to showcase the diverse stories of the art and artists of moviemaking, the museum is thrilled to work with many diverse and inspiring Los Angeles and California-based partners on the creation of merchandise and collectibles.
Okay, here’s a unique twist on some classic fables, one that could truly be called a “fairy tale for grown-ups”. Like many of those “bedtime stories,’ it concerns the main character who’s whisked away from their dull existence into an exciting fantasy realm. Ah, but here the starting point is oppressive sexism in a place all too similar to our world. And the escape spot is not full of whimsical, magical creatures. No, it’s a place of blood, bullets, and near-constant warfare, as the land’s group of transplanted sisters spend much of their days brethelessly repeating one phrase into a spawky radio transmitter. In Military Phonetic Alphabet, over and over, it’s always MAYDAY.
And that’s just what we hear on the soundtrack (“Mary….Alice…Yankee..”) as the black screen gives way to a modern-day young college-age couple in a late model car. Ana (Grace Van Patten) and Dimitri (Theodore Pellerin) work in a dreary banquet hall. She serves the guests, while he busses and occasionally supplies the music. Everyone’s rushing to set up a wedding as a thunderstorm threatens to shut down the electricity. Ana’s supervisor is an abusive bully who berates her and eventually assaults her in a walk-in cooler. She runs out and ends up near the downstairs fuse box. A flip of a switch leads to a burst of sparks and darkness. When Ana opens her eyes, everyone is gone as she heads back to the kitchen. Odd noises and a strange light beckon her to open up the oven of a stove and crawl inside. Suddenly she’s swimming in a bright blue ocean. She’s awakened by a woman around her age, dressed in WW II-era army garb named Marsha (Mia Goth). The two travel to a beached rusted-out submarine where Ana meets the other girls, the tough-talking Gert (Soko) and the child-like Bea (Havana Rose Liu). The women use the sub’s radio equipment to broadcast out the “Mayday” message in order to send nearby ships into destructive storms. Those survivors (and any parachuters) that make it to their island are picked off sniper-style and stripped of ammo, boots, and any other items of use. The ‘sides” in the ongoing war aren’t important, as Marsha and her troupe try to eliminate them all. And it looks like they have an asset in Ana as she is adept with a rifle and spotting the enemy in the darkness. But when she balks at her first kill, a power-rift develops between her and Marsha, prompting Ana to try to return to her past world. But is there a way to defy Marsha and get off the island?
As the world-tripping heroine, Van Patten projects a relatable vulnerability as the often bewildered Ana. In the opening scenes at her job, she averts her eyes, hoping to blend into the scenery as she endures some really horrific treatment (HR, where are you). But on the island, we see an inner glow slowly fill her body, as she seemingly awakens from a stupor, though she doesn’t give in completely to revenge. Van Patten’s body language suggests a prisoner finally free from her heavy shackles. Of course, there are no such emotional restraints on Marsha, who Goth plays as the island’s swaggering “queen bee”, who relishes the chance to call the shoots ala’ Peter Pan. But when she’s crossed by Ana we see the inner tyrant emerge as she endangers her sisters with no remorse before pushing back with a truly scary screech of dominance. Soko as Gert is a most supportive soldier who finally sees the strength of Ana while discovering the pettiness of Marsha. Liu as Bea is the sweet, almost sassy kid sister of this “family”, who craves touch even as she helps in “cleansing” her home. A nice addition to these screen newcomers is film and TV vet Juliette Lewis in a cool dual role. In our world, she’s a dour restroom “attendant”, while in the “war world” she’s a hermit-like “Ms. Fix-It” (“I don’t play well with others”) who runs the garage and offers good advice with the gasoline.
With this, her feature film debut, writer/director Karen Cinorre, has come up with an intriguing fantasy commentary on the treatment of women in society. The “war island” becomes a space of empowerment and revenge, as the women act as contemporary “sirens” of mythology, luring men to their doom (the shots of their bodies floating underwater has almost a disturbing beauty). Cinorre mixes elements of Wonderland, Oz, and Neverland to showcase these talented actresses, while offering a debate on morality and justice (Ana has a code that Marsha will not tolerate). Unfortunately the story detours into precious dream sequences (do we really need to see Ana and a dozen hunky male GIs frolicking to Liberace’s take on ” Love is Blue”), along with countless montages of the quartet swimming in their “civies”, when they’re not endlessly chainsmoking (ugh). There are some involving ideas here, but often the execution is awkward, with muffled dialogue and nearly pitch-black battles (perhaps to tighten the already small budget). MAYDAY is certainly a film for adventurous viewers, while the abstract adventures and very abrupt ending will have many moviegoers scratching their heads, and perhaps trying to track down the exotic locales.
2 Out of 4
MAYDAY is in select theatres and can be streamed as a Video On Demand via most apps and platforms.
“Kill me. Kill me, Charley… before I turn into a vampire, and… GIVE YOU A HICKEY!”
The Strange Brew Cult Movie night returns at their new home, the Arkadin Cinema & Bar, with a screening of THE FRIGHT NIGHT(1985) on Wednesday, October 6th at 7:00 pm (movie starts at sundown on the backlot Patio). The Arkadin is located at 5228 Gravois Ave, St Louis, MO 63116. The Strange Brew Cult Movie night takes place the first Wednesday of every month at Arkadin Cinema. Films are currently showing on the Backlot Patio (Enter through the Heavy Anchor) and bringing extra lawn chairs is strongly encouraged. Admission: $9.00. A Facebook invite for the event with ticket info can be found HERE
A scene from Amazon’s DARK AS NIGHT. Courtesy of Amazon Studios
Ever since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and the woefully inadequate efforts to rebuild many residential areas, New Orleans has served as glaring example of income inequality, racism and government stasis. BLACK AS NIGHT is a darkly comic film that piles one more problem onto the shoulders of a blighted, mostly minority neighborhood – vampires who feed on junkies and the homeless. From the bloodsuckers’ point of view, it’s a way to fly (figuratively, if not literally) under the radar, since they’re feeding on those least likely to be missed by the authorities. Locals understandably feel otherwise, once they’re aware of the situation.
When a teenager (Asjha Cooper) happens to see a group feeding on one poor soul, she tries to intervene, getting bitten in the process. Fortunately a passing car causes the vamps to pull out – suckus interruptus – before she’s been drained enough to be killed or turned. She researches the creatures, recruiting a few allies for a more serious version of a Scooby Doo or Nancy Drew counterattack. Casualties occur in a moderately gory battle for the community and our species.
The script by Sherman Payne efficiently packages a nice mix of humor, suspense, action and social messaging. A couple of performances and scenes border on the campy (Keith David, consider yourself warned) but the author’s important points land without pontification or other forms of overkill. The trio of plucky protagonists discharge their acting duties as well as their slaying. Better, actually, since they’re forced to learn the essential techniques on the fields of battle, with inevitable missteps along the way. Dangerous setting for a long learning curve.
Cooper’s performance as actor and narrator is noteworthy, particularly for a relatively new face. As her initially-shy character grows in confidence and determination, she reminds me of another female vampire foe – a younger version of TRUE BLOOD’s Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley). The film comes from prolific low-budget horror source Blumhouse Productions, and rates as one of their better efforts among those I’ve seen. They know how to get the most value per dollar of investment.
BLACK AS NIGHT is available for streaming on Amazon Prime starting Oct. 1.
(L-r) BILLY MAGNUSSEN as Paulie Walnuts, JON BERNTHAL as Johnny Soprano, COREY STOLL as Junior Soprano (in back), JOHN MAGARO as Silvio Dante, RAY LIOTTA as “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti and ALESSANDRO NIVOLA as Dickie Moltisanti in New Line Cinema and Home Box Office’s “THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo credit: Barry Wetcher / Warner Bros. Courtesy of Warner Brothers Studios
The highly-anticipated “Sopranos” prequel THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK finally arrives in theaters and proves that it was worth the long wait. “The Sopranos” was the influential, award-winning television series that likely started the binge-watching phenomenon, but one of the nice things about this mobster drama is that there is no need to be a fan of the long-running series, or even to have seen a single episode, to fully enjoy this film and be drawn into its well-rounded world and thrilled by its surprise-around-every corner plot. There is plenty here for any fan of mobster movies or twisty thrillers generally. But if you are a Sopranos fan, there are plenty of extra thrills in seeing characters only talked about in the series or younger versions of favorites like Paulie Walnuts and Silvio Dante, and discovering how New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano and his world came to be.
Focusing on the Soprano-Moltisanti branch of New Jersey’s DiMeo crime family, the film gives an introduction to the world of “The Sopranos” and every major figure from the series at an earlier time. However, if you are a Sopranos fan expecting this film to deliver you right to the doorstep of Tony’s home, with the late James Gandolfini as the grown mob boss trundling out in his robe to get the morning paper, this ain’t it. The story ends with Tony still young but with a brilliant script by series creator David Chase and Lawrence Konner and strong direction by Alan Taylor (whose work included episodes of The Sopranos and Game of Thrones), THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK has creator David Chase’s fingerprints all over it and fully sets up how Tony Soprano and his world came to be, setting the stage for that iconic shot that opened every show but with room to fill in more details.
Set in the turbulent late ’60s and early ’70s in Newark, New Jersey, the story incorporates real historical events, as rival gangs challenge the powerful DiMeo crime family and racial tensions and changing times rock the city of Newark. The film’s striking cinematography by Kramer Morgenthau brings the turbulent times to life, while production designer Bob Shaw (who was with “The Sopranos” for five seasons), effectively recreates the period and the feel of the Sopranos’ world.
THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK introduces us to 11-year-old Anthony Soprano (William Ludwig) and then 16-year-old Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini, son of the late Sopranos star). But the young Tony is less the central figure in this tale than his Uncle Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), who was the unseen, but often spoken of, mentor to crime boss Tony’s in the series, as well as the evolution of this world into the world of the Sopranos series. Although young Tony Soprano is in the opening scene, the narration that introduces it comes not from him but from an unseen Christopher Moltisanti, Uncle Dickie’s not-yet-born son. Dickie isn’t really Tony’s uncle but a close friend of Tony’s father and a fellow member of the DiMeo crime family. Dickie, also known as “Gentleman Dick” for his nice manners and smooth style, is a father figure to young Tony while his father Johnny Soprano (Jon Bernthal) is in prison, also serving as Tony’s role model with the approval of Tony’s mother Livia (Vera Farmiga). Dickie’s own father, “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti (Ray Liotta), a crime boss who once rubbed elbows with stars, has stepped back from running things, turning them over to Dickie. But his hot-tempered father still brings lots of stress to Dickie, after he and his new young Italian wife Giuseppina (Michela De Rossi) move into a shared duplex with his son and his family.
You might wonder who the “saints” are in this crime tale. Moltisanti means “many saints” in Italian but it is not the only reference the film slyly reveals throughout. The first of these “saints” are a street gang of Black youths named the Black Saints, who are stepping on the toes of this established Italian American crime syndicate in Newark. To deal with them, Dickie has brought in childhood friend and former high school football team mate Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr) to deal with one particularly bold Black Saint. Harold and Dickie are friends but Harold does not find a warm welcome from the rest of Dickie’s Italian American crime family. Both Harold and Dickie are ambitions but circumstances of the times are frustrating Harold’s ambitions.
THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK is an ensemble film that blends many story lines as it weaves a picture of its times and the world young Tony Soprano is growing up in. Yet, the film is very cohesive, never losing us as it brings the various thread together, thanks to the well-crafted script. We are kept on the edge of our seats by every unseen turn in the plot but the film effectively mixes family drama and psychological character studies with crime film action and violence.
The crime family is on the verge of change and all their maneuvering is set against the changes and upheaval of Newark in the 1960s, particularly the race riots of the summer of 1967. The time period allows the introduction of a subplot about Harold McBrayer, played marvelously by Leslie Odom Jr., and an emerging Black crime syndicate. Early on, McBrayer’s experience with the Italian Americans parallels the path of Jewish and Irish mobsters in an earlier era, but the changing social and racial landscape alters that path and deepen the story.
Racial tensions are a big part of the story, not just historical backdrop, and some pivotal scenes take place during the summer 1967 Newark riots, which set large parts of the city aflame. In 1967, Newark is undergoing changes, as migration from the South brings increasing numbers of Black people into its working-class Central and North Wards, neighborhoods once dominated by Italian immigrants, cause clashes. The summer of 1967, the Summer of Love, sees the explosion of race riots, setting large portions of the city on fire, as changing times roil this branch of the DiMeo crime family.
Like the original show, the casting is superb, the characters striking, and the clever script provides drama, humor and mob thrills in satisfying measures. As Dickie Moltisanti, Alessandro Nivola is superb as a man torn by maintaining the smooth veneer of his family persona and coping with burning ambitions to discover his own path. All the characters in this tale are complex and multi-layered, chief among them this central one. Leslie Odom Jr has the character, Harold, who undergoes perhaps the greatest shift, and Odom handles the role masterfully.
Two of the most pivotal roles go to Ray Liotta, who plays both boss “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti, a flashy, egotistical character with a short fuse, and his imprisoned brother Salvatore “Sally” Moltisanti, a looming figure who has embraced jazz, Buddhism and honesty in prison while still maintaining the requisite mob silence. A standout on the comedic side is John Magaro as the younger balding consiglieri Silvio Dante (played memorably in the original by Steven Van Zandt) – before the wig. The gifted John Magaro (who really should have been nominated for an Oscar for his moving performance as Cookie in last year’s unjustly-overlooked FIRST COW) is both delightful and unrecognizable in this role, capturing Silvio’s vanity and distinctive mannerisms while missing none of his underlying menace.
A standout on the drama, and psychological, side is Vera Farmiga’s performance as Tony’s troubled mother Livia, a role played so masterfully by Nancy Marchand in the original and matched here in intensity by Farmiga. Corey Stoll likewise shines as Junior, a character we meet in his dotage in the series but here a conniving striver with a penchant for accidents. Tony’s associates Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri, played by Billy Magnussen and Sal “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero, played by Samson Moeakiola in his screen debut, are also well-drawn and help craft that evolving Soprano world. Italian actress Michela De Rossi plays Hollywood Dick’s much younger Italian trophy wife, a figure that evokes thoughts of THE GODFATHER in a different form.
Shot on location in New Jersey and New York, the film also perfectly captures the period look and feel, with portions of Patterson and other New Jersey towns along with areas of the Bronx, Yonkers and other parts of New York standing in for an earlier Newark. While the mobsters are playing out their operatic dealings, the landscape around them is in flames. The camera work is breathtaking and the framing of the crime family dealings against the historic backdrop is stunningly jarring. All the costumes and props are properly vintage but so are the mannerisms, the racist undercurrents, and sense of seismic shift at work. Period music individually suited to each character compliments each scene.
Whether you are a fan of The Sopranos or never saw an episode, THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK delivers as a satisfying experience, a crime tale set in a volatile period, packed with depth, striking characters, drama and action, sprinkled with sly humor and crackling dialog.
THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK opens Friday, Oct. 1, in theaters nationally.
Dan Stevens as Tom and Maren Eggert as Alma, in German director Maria Schrader’s sci-fi I’M YOUR MAN (Ich Bin Dein Mensch). Courtesy of Obscured Pictures andBleecker Street
Would you fall in love with an android specially designed to please you? Would that be a good thing? That is the premise behind director Maria Schrader’s German sci-fi tale I’M YOUR MAN (Ich Bin Dein Mensch) starring Dan Stevens and Maren Eggert. I’M YOUR MAN starts out like a romantic comedy, but takes a deeper, more thoughtful, and thought-provoking turn in this excellent German language film. Of course, people falling in love with robots has a long literary history, going back to Pygmalion, and human-made men tales go back to the Golem and Frankenstein, was well as being a familiar science fiction theme. But Schrader, whose previous work includes the Netflix series “Unorthodox,” puts a new spin on it and what starts out as a meet-cute human-robot rom-com eventually evolves into something deeper, even meditating on the risks of substituting a perfect artificial construct for real human interactions.
Set in the near future, Alma (Maren Eggert) is an archaeologist who studies ancient poetry in cuneiform writing, who is drafted by the director of the museum where she works to be a tester for a new invention: an android designed to be a substitute for a romantic partner, but especially programmed to suit her. Alma, who is still getting over the break-up of a serious relationship, really does not want the task, but her boss insists, as the assignment comes with funding for her research. She is supposed to keep the android (which this German film calls a robot) for three weeks, and then write a report evaluating it. When she arrives to pick up her assigned android, she is escorted to a room recreating a romantic 1940s nightclub to meet her android Tom (Dan Stevens), but the robot starts glitching almost as soon as they meet, and is hauled off for quick repairs.
That meet-cute gets the rom-com side rolling quickly, as the AI robot Tom tries to find a way to please his would-be partner, who decides to house him in a utility closet with the broom and bucket. But the film slowly becomes something more serious and contemplative, meditating on the risks of substituting a “perfect” artificial construct for real if imperfect human interactions. While there are parallels to films such as HER and EX MACHINA, this android is far less threatening because he is programmed specifically to please her and to have no other purpose than to get better at doing that. It gives Dan Steven’s robot man a bit of a puppy dog aspect, both irritating Alma with his devotion and tugging at her heart – and ours – with his dogged determination to get better at his job and win her over.
Both Dan Stevens and Maren Eggert turn in strong, affecting performances that make the film work, along with its well-crafted script. Stevens has the tougher job, appearing machine like but a machine trying hard to be human, which requires the actor to walk a very fine line. At the same time, Stevens still has to make the audience like robot Tom. Eggert has more emotional latitude but she does an outstanding job as she explores all the various aspects of a conflicted woman who is anything but open to this whole idea. Alma is determined to approach it with a researcher’s professionalism, while coping with her broken heart. Alma’s ex, Julian (Hans Löw), works at the same museum institution, so running into him is painful and unavoidable. Clueless, Julian wants to be friends, which makes matters worse. Alma’s boss, played by FALILOU SECK, not only pressured her into this assignment but seems to view her as the test subject as much as the robot.
The strong supporting cast includes Sandra Hüller as an employee of the robotics company, which is hoping to market the romantic androids to the public, once they pass the testing phase. Huller provides much of the comedy outside of the central pair.
The script was based on the short story “Ich bin dein Mensch” by Emma Braslavsky, adapted for the screen by Jan Schomburg and director Schrader. Maria Schrader was an actor, starring in films such as AIMEE & JAGUAR, before turning to directing. Dan Stevens was cast because he speaks German well, and the script called for a “foreign” sounding android with a British accent, making Stevens was a perfect fit. Plus, the director wanted an actor who was less familiar to German audiences, and again the Downton Abbey star fit the bill (maybe that British hit series hasn’t reached German audiences yet).
What is most curious about the production is that, while it was cast before Covid hit, it was shot at the height of the pandemic, starting in August 2020, which required special precautions. Still, you would never know that looking at the finished film, although most scenes have two or three people. The acting is strong, as well as the script, but the photography and the whole production values are spot on, and the film is graced with a nice score, including jazz classics for that early meet-cute although, curiously, it does not include that Leonard Cohen classic in its title.
Schrader crafts a thoughtful film that both amuses and tugs at our heart and yet makes us think. I’M YOUR MAN, in German with English subtitles, opens Friday, Oct. 1, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and in theaters nationally, and will be available digitally on Tuesday, October 12th.
Tim Blake Nelson in the Western OLD HENRY. Courtesy of Shout! Studios and Hideout Pictures.
The classic Western rides again, with Tim Blake Nelson playing a quiet widowed farmer with teen-aged son on a hardscrabble Oklahoma farm, who takes in a wounded man found with a bag full of money and soon finds trouble follows. Writer/director Potsy Ponciroli’s low-budget indie Western action film OLD HENRY sports a much better than expected cast, and is elevated greatly by Tim Blake Nelson in a rare lead role.
OLD HENRY evokes classic Westerns, with its tale of an aging widowed farmer with a teen-aged son, defending his homestead when a group of armed men come looking for the wounded stranger they took in, and the bag of loot he had with him. Both the stranger and the men who have come looking for him claim to be lawmen, leaving the farmer to decide who to believe. But this farmer proves to have both more determination and surprising skills once the shooting starts, raising questions about his identity.
It is the classic lone man against many Western. In 1906 Oklahoma, Henry (Nelson) and his son Wyatt (Gavin Lewis) are working their little farm alone, struggling to get by without the help of a then-new invention, a tractor, but with a little help from the farmer’s late wife’s brother Al (Trace Adkins) who has the neighboring farm. Young Wyatt is itching to go off and leave farming behind, and chaffing under his stern, Bible-quoting father’s over-protectiveness. When the farmer spots a rider-less horse with a bloody saddle wandering onto his property, Henry feels bound to investigate. In an nearby creek bed, he finds an unconscious, nearly-dead stranger with a bag full of cash. Old Henry knows it is trouble as soon as he sees that money and his initial impulse is to walk away. Instead he slings the unconscious man across his saddle and brings the wounded man and the bag of loot back to his homestead.
Back home, Henry quickly hides the loot. He tends to the stranger’s wounds with skill but ties him to the bed, showing a level of wariness that surprises his son. When the wounded man, Curry (Scott Haze) awakes, he tells them he is a lawman but Henry remains suspicious. Soon a posse of three men show up, led by a man named Ketchum (Stephen Dorff) sporting a badge, and also claiming to be lawmen, looking for the wounded man.
Earlier violent scenes have raised our doubts about the claims of Dorff’s Ketchum and his companions Dugan (Richard Speight Jr.) and a Mexican tracker named Stilwell (Max Arciniega) to be the law. But it is the farmer’s cool, steely nerves and skilled response suggesting a hidden past that really intrigues. When the shooting inevitably starts, Henry’s skill with a gun raises questions about who he really is.
The heart of the film is about the father and son, although there is plenty of action too. There is a lot of classic Western here, including the combination of gruffness and tenderness in the father-son relationship and the son challenging his underestimated father, but also a touch of “a special set of skills” contemporary action thriller. However, it takes awhile for director Ponciroli to get around to the action, despite the film’s fairly brief running time.
The story is set in Oklahoma but looks more like Tennessee, where it was actually shot. It is not the usual movie image of Oklahoma’s dry grassland plains, although eastern Oklahoma is a likely match. The director reportedly found this location in Watertown, Tennessee, and was taken with how hidden and forlorn the old homestead looked, and took the location as the inspiration for the story. However, the writer/director decided to relocate the story in Oklahoma. Mismatched location aside, the cinematography by John Matysiak is strong, effectively giving a sense of isolation to the farmstead and a kind of rough beauty, while the costumes and production design gives the proper period feel.
The director seems to go out of his way to make the slight Nelson look even smaller, with an over-sized hat and casting a young actor as his son who fairly towers over him. It just sets up the audience to further underestimate the quiet unassuming farmer before the fireworks begin. Once unleashed, Nelson is masterful in the shootout sequence against the even-larger group that eventually shows up to the fight, surprising his son most of all.
What is not surprising is that Tim Blake Nelson’s performance makes this film, supported well by Stephen Dorff as the principle baddie and the other cast members. A long-time character actor, whose breakout role in the Coen brothers’ O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU brought him a level of stardom, Tim Blake Nelson truly delivers in this too-rare lead role.
OLD HENRY opens Friday, Oct. 1, at theaters in select cities.
