Tag: jim jarmusch

Jim Jarmusch’s THE LIMITS OF CONTROL Available on Blu-ray December 10th From Arrow Academy

Jim Jarmusch’s THE LIMITS OF CONTROL will be available on Blu-ray December 10th From Arrow Academy

When it comes to American independent cinema, there s no one quite like Jim Jarmusch, the celebrated auteur behind such classics as Stranger Than Paradise and Only Lovers Left Alive. Eschewing his usual American landscapes in favor of a variety of locations throughout urban and rural Spain, his 2009 anti-thriller The Limits of Control remains one of his most alluring and multi-layered creations.

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An enigmatic loner (Isaach de Bankolé, Black Panther, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai) arrives in Spain, instructed to make contact with a series of strangers in different locations throughout the country, each of whom provides a cryptic clue which propels him further towards his mysterious goal. But who is the Lone Man? Why is he here? And how does the recurring figure of an alluring femme fatale (Paz de la Huerta, Enter the Void) fit into the puzzle?

Boasting stunning cinematography by the award-winning Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love) and featuring cameos from an array of celebrated character actors, including Tilda Swinton (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Gael García Bernal (Y Tu Mamá También) and the late John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), The Limits of Control is a languid, hauntingly beautiful film that combines the best of American and European arthouse sensibilities.

  • SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
  • High Definition Blu-rayTM (1080p) presentation
  • Original lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 stereo soundtracks
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • An American in Europe, a new video interview with Geoff Andrew, author of Stranger Than Paradise: Maverick Film-Makers in Recent American Cinema
  • The Rituals of Control, a new video essay on the film by author and critic Amy Simmons
  • Behind Jim Jarmusch, an archival documentary on the making of the film
  • Untitled Landscapes, an archival featurette showcasing the film s locations
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Reversible sleeve featuring two choices of artwork,

THE DEAD DON’T DIE – Review

Jim Jarmusch lets us know right off the bat that THE DEAD DON’T DIE, his take on the zombie genre is not to be taken seriously. It plays the film’s irreverent title song (by Sturgill Simpson) over the opening credits. Minutes later the song is playing in the squad car of Police Chief Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray), prompting him to wonder why it sounds so familiar. “It’s the film’s theme song,” his deputy Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver) matter-of-factly replies, in the first of several meta moments (mostly delivered by Driver) that include references to the script and “Jim”, the director. There have been zombie comedies before, but Jarmusch puts the ‘dead’ in ‘deadpan’ with THE DEAD DON’T DIE, a quirky zombie parody featuring what’s justifiably been billed as ‘the greatest cast ever assembled for a zombie film’: Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, Sara Driver, RZA, Selena Gomez, Carol Kane, Austin Butler, Luka Sabbat and Tom Waits.

In an environmental twist to the zombie legend, it seems the Earth has spun off its axis by something called “polar fracking” causing the dead to spring to life in the one-stoplight town of Centerville, PA and go on the hunt for blood, brains, coffee, wi-fi, chardonnay, and cable TV, things they desired during their living days. THE DEAD DON’T DIE should be enjoyed by everyone who loves Jarmush’s particular low-key style of comedy, but it probably won’t win many converts. Jarmush’s self-conscious, often silly script and absurdist tone makes it hard to fully indulge in its horrific elements, but as director he shows a surprising eye for foggy graveyard atmosphere. Even if the laughs are muted, the cast makes it worthwhile. Highlights include Tom Waits as a woods-dwelling recluse, Steve Buscemi as a racist blowhard who sports a “Make America White Again” hat, and Chloë Sevigny as the only cop on the small force who seems concerned that the citizenry are dining on each other. Tilda Swinton spoofs the sword-wielding philosophical oracle shtick she’s been doing in films lately. She’s terrific, but the heart of THE DEAD DON’T DIE is the dialog between Murray and Driver. “This isn’t going to end well”  the deputy repeats, in a running joke with a big pay-off. THE DEAD DON’T DIE meanders in its second half, and eventually runs out of steam but its still recommended.

3 1/2 of 5 Stars

Selena Gomez, Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton To Star In Jim Jarmusch’s Zom-Com THE DEAD DON’T DIE

Jim Jarmusch’s new zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die is underway in production with Focus Features. This is the writer-director’s third film with Focus having previously made Broken Flowers (2005) and The Limits of Control (2009) together. Joshua Astrachan and Carter Logan will produce.

The cast is led by many past Jarmusch collaborators including Academy-Award® nominee Bill Murray (Broken Flowers), Adam Driver (Paterson), Academy-Award® nominee Chloë Sevigny (Broken Flowers), Academy-Award® winner Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive, Broken Flowers), Steve Buscemi (Mystery Train), as well as Selena Gomez in her first Jarmusch feature.

Focus Features and Universal Pictures International will distribute the film worldwide.

Current and upcoming domestic releases from Focus include Jason Reitman’s new comedy Tully, starring Charlize Theron and written by Diablo Cody; Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, director Morgan Neville’s documentary on Mister Rogers; Lenny Abrahamson’s atmospheric thriller The Little Stranger; Joel Edgerton’s coming-of-age and coming-out drama Boy Erased, about a boy’s true-life experience at a conversion therapy program, starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe; Mary, Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan as Mary and Margot Robbie as Elizabeth I; On the Basis of Sex, the real-life drama of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg staring Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer; Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s directorial debut Mustang; and Spike Lee’s new film BlacKkKlansman.

Win Passes To The Advance Screening of Adam Driver in PATERSON

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PATERSON starring Adam Driver and directed by Jim Jarmusch opens in St. Louis January 13th

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Paterson (Adam Driver) is a bus driver in the city of Paterson, New Jersey – they share the name. Every day, Paterson adheres to a simple routine: he drives his daily route, observing the city as it drifts across his windshield and overhearing fragments of conversation swirling around him; he writes poetry into a notebook; he walks his dog; he stops in a bar and drinks exactly one beer. He goes home to his wife, Laura (Golshifteh Farahani). By contrast, Laura’s world is ever changing. New dreams come to her almost daily, each a different and inspired project. Paterson loves Laura and she loves him. He supports her newfound ambitions; she champions his secret gift for poetry. The history and energy of the City of Paterson is a felt presence in the film and its simple structure unfolds over the course of a single week. The quiet triumphs and defeats of daily life are observed, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.

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WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of PATERSON on WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.

Answer the following:

Adam Driver appeared in what Coen Brothers Movie?

TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.

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Adam Driver Stars In Trailer For Jim Jarmusch’s PATERSON

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The first trailer has arrived for Jim Jarmusch’s upcoming critically acclaimed drama, PATERSON. The film opens December 28th and stars versatile actor Adam Driver as ‘Paterson,’ a bus driver with poetic aspirations in blue-collar Paterson, New Jersey.

In their Cannes 2016 review, The Telegraph’s Tim Robey writes, “Driver’s Paterson will be treasured for years.” Watch the Festival press conference here.

Paterson is a bus driver in the city of Paterson, New Jersey—they share the name.

Every day, Paterson adheres to a simple routine: he drives his daily route, observing the city as it drifts across his windshield and overhearing fragments of conversation swirling around him; he writes poetry into a notebook; he walks his dog; he stops in a bar and drinks exactly one beer; he goes home to his wife, Laura.

By contrast, Laura’s world is ever changing. New dreams come to her almost daily, each a different and inspired project. Paterson loves Laura and she loves him. He supports her newfound ambitions; she champions his gift for poetry.

The film quietly observes the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.

Amazon Studios and Bleecker Street will release Paterson in theaters December 28, 2016.

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ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE – The Review

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Hipster vampires for the art-house crowd from Jim Jarmusch. ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE bears the director’s signature deadpan approach and deliberate pace and his fans will enjoy it, but viewers unfamiliar with the indie-cool Jarmusch style or those expecting bloody vampire conventions may find it a long 123 minutes. It barely has fangs, but ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE is worth seeing for stars Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, irresistible as Adam and Eve, a long-married pair of pale, smart, funny, and sexy creatures of the night. I suspect it will connect with a certain audience and predict significant cult status because of these two great characters, but I wish Jarmusch had given them more to do.

Set against the dilapidated desolation of Detroit, ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE is the tale of Adam (Hiddleston), an underground musician distressed by the direction of the human race (he calls the living ‘Zombies’). Adam’s admiring zombie pal Ian (Anton Yelchin) runs his errands such as acquiring a single .38-caliber bullet – one made of hard wood. Dr. Watson (droll scene-stealer Jeffrey Wright ), whom Adam visits at the blood bank restocks his food supply, but Adam is mopey and depressed, so persuades his wife, Eve (Tilda Swinton), living in Tangier, to come visit. Adam and Eve may or may not be the first man and woman to inhabit the earth, but they’ve been married a long, long time (she blames Percy Shelley and Lord Byron for being a bad influence on Adam).  Her Moroccan supplier is none other than Elizabethan tragedian Christopher Marlowe (a wizened John Hurt), who lives in the back of a bar and dispenses red nourishment. Eve arrives in Detroit, the couple argue, care for each other, play chess, and drive among the ruins of the city. They reminisce about all their famous poet, musician and scientists friends from centuries past, but trouble arrives in the form of Eve’s hungry visiting vampire sister, Ava (Wasikowska).

Jim Jarmusch’ first film STRANGER THAN PARADISE was about a pair of misfits who spent all their time at the horse track only to take a vacation to Florida where they spent all their time at the dog track.  ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE is similar in its meandering narrative. Tilda Swinton is perfectly cast as Eve. The actress is watchable even in scenes like the one where she simply packs her suitcase (with mostly books) and there’s great chemistry between her and the world-weary Hiddleston (it’s never a distraction that Swinton is 20 years older). The dialog is sharp deadpan fun, though not without a few groaners (“how was Mary Wollstonecraft?” Asks Eve. “Delicious” is Adam’s reply) and some elements, such as a snack of O-negative Popsicles, are just goofy. ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE works well up to a point but I felt it didn’t know when to end. When the plot dries up an hour in, Jarmusch apparently thinks that more dialog about vintage guitars, first-edition books, vinyl albums, and other cool retro stuff can keep things going, but it doesn’t quite work as ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE eventually loses steam and struggles to reach the final credits.

3 of 5 Stars

ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE opens in St. Louis Friday May 2nd at Landmark’s Tivoli Theater

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Blu Monday: Heroes, Demons, Martians, Stoners, and Dead Men

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray Continue reading Blu Monday: Heroes, Demons, Martians, Stoners, and Dead Men

BLANK CITY – Official Trailer

Featuring

Jim Jarmusch, Debbie Harry, Steve Buscemi, John Lurie, Fab 5 Freddy, Thurston Moore,
Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch, Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell, James Nares, Maripol, Ann Magnuson,
James Chance, Beth B, Scott B and John Waters

A Film By

Opening at the IFC Center in New York on Friday, April 6

Before there was HD there was Super 8. Before Independent film there was Underground Cinema. And before New York there was…well, New York. Once upon a pre-Facebook time, before creative communities became virtual and viral, cultural movements were firmly grounded in geography. And the undisputed center of American – some would say international – art and film was New York City. In particular, downtown Manhattan in the late 1970’s and 80’s was the anchor of vanguard filmmaking.

BLANK CITY tells the long-overdue tale of the motley crew of renegade filmmakers that emerged from an economically bankrupt and dangerous period of New York History. It’s a fascinating look at the way this misfit cinema used the deserted, bombed-out Lower East Side landscapes to craft daring works that would go on to profoundly influence Independent Film today. Unlike the much-celebrated punk music scene, this era’s thrilling and confrontational underground film movement has never before been chronicled.

Directed by French newcomer Céline Danhier, BLANK CITY captures the idiosyncratic, explosive energy of the “No Wave Cinema” and “Cinema of Transgression” movements. Stark and provocative, the films drew name and inspiration from the French New Wave; as well as Film Noir, and the works of Andy Warhol and John Waters. Filmmakers such as Jim Jarmusch, Eric Mitchell, Beth B, Charlie Ahear, Lizzie Borden and Amos Poe showcased the city’s vibrant grit and bore witness to the rising East Village art and rock scenes and the birth of hip hop. Short, long, color or black-and-white, their stripped-down films portrayed themes of alienation and dissonance with a raw and genuine spirit, at times with deadpan humor blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

Running time: 96 minutes

Release date: April 6 at the IFC Center, New York

Visit the official site HERE


BLANK CITY Final Poster

Featuring

Jim Jarmusch, Debbie Harry, Steve Buscemi, John Lurie, Fab 5 Freddy, Thurston Moore,
Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch, Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell, James Nares, Maripol, Ann Magnuson,
James Chance, Beth B, Scott B and John Waters

A Film By

Opening at the IFC Center in New York on Friday, April 6

Before there was HD there was Super 8. Before Independent film there was Underground Cinema. And before New York there was…well, New York. Once upon a pre-Facebook time, before creative communities became virtual and viral, cultural movements were firmly grounded in geography. And the undisputed center of American – some would say international – art and film was New York City. In particular, downtown Manhattan in the late 1970’s and 80’s was the anchor of vanguard filmmaking.

BLANK CITY tells the long-overdue tale of the motley crew of renegade filmmakers that emerged from an economically bankrupt and dangerous period of New York History. It’s a fascinating look at the way this misfit cinema used the deserted, bombed-out Lower East Side landscapes to craft daring works that would go on to profoundly influence Independent Film today. Unlike the much-celebrated punk music scene, this era’s thrilling and confrontational underground film movement has never before been chronicled.

Directed by French newcomer Céline Danhier, BLANK CITY captures the idiosyncratic, explosive energy of the “No Wave Cinema” and “Cinema of Transgression” movements. Stark and provocative, the films drew name and inspiration from the French New Wave; as well as Film Noir, and the works of Andy Warhol and John Waters. Filmmakers such as Jim Jarmusch, Eric Mitchell, Beth B, Charlie Ahear, Lizzie Borden and Amos Poe showcased the city’s vibrant grit and bore witness to the rising East Village art and rock scenes and the birth of hip hop. Short, long, color or black-and-white, their stripped-down films portrayed themes of alienation and dissonance with a raw and genuine spirit, at times with deadpan humor blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

Running time: 96 minutes

Release date: April 6 at the IFC Center, New York


Character Cage Match: The Battle for Bill

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This week’s edition of the Character Cage Match is called “The Battle Over Bill” because these two fine filmmakers seem to be in a competition to see who can cast Bill Murray in more of their films than the other. This battle that will ensue has Wes Anderson pitted against Jim Jarmusch.

Both directors have what you might call the indie spirit, but they both have made waves in the industry as being artists that consistently produce high-quality films. Both are rooted in within the realm of comedy, but neither are what you could call traditional in their approach. In their own ways, both filmmakers tell dramatic stories with a dry sense of humor, however their stories always include an element of originality that we haven’t seen before. While the comedic element appears much more prevalent in Anderson’s films, it’s still there in the films of Jarmusch, but it tends to lie just under the surface.

Wes Anderson

  • Born: 1969 in Houston, Texas
  • Height: 6 feet, 1 inch.
  • Education: University of Texas at Austin.
  • Posse: Aside from Bill Murray (of course), Wes can summon backup from the Wilson brothers (Owen and Luke) and Jason Schwartzman. Wes also has an ace up his sleeve in Martin Scorsese who’s a big fan, even calling him the “next”   Scorsese in Esquire Magazine.
  • Films with Wes: FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009), THE DARJEELING LIMITED (2007), THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU (2004), THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001), RUSHMORE (1998)

Jim Jarmusch

  • Born: 1953 in Akron, Ohio.
  • Height: 6 feet, 2 inches.
  • Education: B.A. in English from Columbia University, accepted into the Tisch School of the Arts – New York.
  • Posse: Again, Bill Murray not withstanding, Jim can call upon Tom Waits, John Heard and Isaach De Bankolé. Until his death in 1979, had legendary cult filmmaker Nicholas Ray in his corner as a mentor and close friend.
  • Films with Jim: THE LIMITS OF CONTROL (2009), BROKEN FLOWERS (2005), COFFEE AND CIGARETTES (2003)

Both of these filmmakers are modern masters of their trade with a vast surplus of imagination and originality. When it comes down to being a creative force, we ask the question… Who will prevail in this Character Cage Match? Cast your vote by leaving a comment below and help deicde the victor.