From Executive Producer James Wan (The Conjuring Universe, Archive 81, M3GAN) comes the new horror series TEACUP.
TEACUP follows a disparate group of people in rural Georgia who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive. Inspired by the New York Times bestselling novel “Stinger” by Robert McCammon, the cast includes Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman, Chaske Spencer, Kathy Baker, Boris McGiver, Caleb Dolden, Emilie Bierre, Luciano Leroux.
The first two episodes of TEACUP premiere on Peacock on Thursday, October 10, followed by two episodes weekly through Halloween. The horror, thriller contains eight 30 Min episodes.
Published in 1988, Stinger is a classic horror novel that blends elements of science fiction and pulp fiction. Set in a dying Texas mining town, the story centers around an alien bounty hunter who arrives to track down a fugitive alien who has escaped from its home planet.
The novel introduced a powerful alien creature, known as Stinger, who comes to Earth on a deadly mission. James Wan says, “Teacup defies easy labels. It’s a genre-bending blend of horror, mystery, and drama, with layers that unfold like a captivating puzzle. It goes beyond chills and thrills and holds up a mirror to humanity, exploring the darkness that resides within us all. We hope you enjoy this wild ride as much as we’ve loved creating it!”
THE ART
OF RACING IN THE RAIN is the third film I’ve seen theatrically so far this year
narrated by a dog. A DOG’S JOURNEY and its cheesy-but-sweet knockoff A DOG’S
WAY HOME showed that a dogs-eye view of the world can make for funny, refreshing
and insightful cinema. THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN starts out well, but the
story quickly turns sad, then morose, then unsavory, then unbearably dull, falling
into one predictable cliché after another.
Though it comes with a stronger pedigree than the other two films (it was based
on an acclaimed novel by Garth Stein), it’s easily the worst of the three.
THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN begins with an old, dying golden retriever (voiced by Kevin Costner) reflecting on the highlights of his life and that of the beloved human who’d adopted him, amateur Formula One driver Denny Swift (a bland Milo Ventimiglia). He’s named Enzo after Italian motor racing legend Enzo Ferrari. Soon after getting Enzo, Denny falls hard for a pretty teacher named Eve (Amanda Seyfried). Though Eve’s wealthy parents Maxwell (Martin Donovan) and Trish (Kathy Baker) don’t approve of Denny’s risky profession, they marry and have a daughter, Zoë, who’s born when Denny is away racing in Daytona. Except for the loneliness that Enzo feels because Denny is spending more time pursuing his racing career, everything goes well for the young family in the early years. But tragedies happen in quick succession. Eve becomes ill with brain cancer (Enzo smells it early on) and moves in with her protective parents, taking Zoe with her. Then after about an hour of cancer drama, Eve dies and a battle ensues between Denny and his hateful in-laws who are so cruel they serve Denny with custody papers for little Zoë the day he buries his wife (though of course they are redeemed at the end). Through the ensuing tumultuous time, Enzo remains Denny’s steadfast friend, and a rambling witness to wrongs perpetrated against his human.
THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN has a pulse during the race track scenes but those are few and far between. The problem with the film (and it’s a big one) is that the middle 85 minutes (of a 110 minute film) is a cheap series of dramas little better than a daily soap opera that focus on cancer, death, child custody issues, bankruptcy, an auto accident, and a lame courtroom battle. Enzo occasionally comments on the melodrama with his less-than-insightful narration, but the story’s never really about him. The whole racing theme only exists so metaphors can be shoved down the audience’s throat with platitudes like “your car goes where your eyes go”.
As Enzo,
a gravelly voiced Kevin Costner sounds like a highly educated adult male bemoaning his inability to speak
and his lack of opposable thumbs. I assume this dialog must have worked better in
the novel (his favorite word seems to be ‘manifest’). Enzo claims he’s so wise
because he watches TV and has educated himself to go off on these philosophical
rants and is ready to go
to the next life reborn as a human. This is another area where A DOG’S JOURNEY
got it right. The dog’s voice in that was Josh Gad, who seemed to speaking in
that excitable “I’ve-just-met-you-and-now-I-love-you” tone
and saying dumb things I hope an actual dog might say if one could talk rather
than the tiresome and preachy new age bromides here.
I’m not saying THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN lacks emotion. It’s a tear-jerker of the highest order, blatantly tugging hard at the heart strings but there is nothing truly thoughtful or novel here. You’ve got a sweet little girl, a young mother suffering from cancer, and a devoted dog that grows old and dies. With these hard-to-resist elements it’s easy to wring tears out of an audience. There seemed to be plenty of sniffles in the screening I attended, but I wasn’t buying it this time. I usually enjoy a bit of sentimentality, but, especially with its treacly score and maudlin songs on the soundtrack, THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN produces more eye-rolling than tears.
THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN has a classic Western story but with a different twist: this time the sidekick is the hero.
In the late 1880s, Lefty Brown (Bill Pullman) is the long-time friend and partner of legendary Montana lawman turned rancher Eddie Johnson (Peter Fonda), who has just been elected senator from the new state. Eddie and his strong-willed wife Laura (Kathy Baker) are preparing to leave for Washington, D.C. and Eddie plans to leave his loyal friend Lefty in charge of his ranch. It is a plan his wife opposes, arguing that Lefty isn’t up to the job and is little more than a useless hanger-on who has been living off his friend for years. Even modest Lefty might agree he’s not up to the task: at 63, he walks with a limp, seems overly cautious, is more fond of talk than work, and even seems a bit befuddled. He does what Eddie asks but he doesn’t show much initiative. Still, none of that matters to Eddie, who values his old friend’s steadfast loyalty. He stands by Lefty as his friend always stood by him.
But before Eddie can leave, a ranch hand reports some of his horses have been stolen, and Eddie and Lefty ride out to investigate. When Eddie is murdered in an ambush by a vicious horse thief named Frank (Joe Anderson), everything changes. Lefty knows there is only thing he can do – find the killer.
Eddie’s death brings in two of Eddie’s friends from back in their younger Wild West days. Tom Harrah (Tommy Flanagan) was a legendary lawman, who after years of alcoholism is now back on the job as a U.S. Marshall. Tom is there with the grieving widow Laura when word arrives from the third friend, Jimmy Bierce (Jim Caviezel), now Montana’s governor, that he has called out the military to hunt down the killer. There is no need to Lefty and Tom to track him down and, in fact, the Governor would rather they stay out of the way. But nothing can stop Lefty from going after his partner’s killer, and so Tom goes with him.
During the search, Lefty comes across a lost young man named Jeremiah (Diego Josef), who has ambitious to be a gunslinger. The teen is packing a couple of pistols and a passel of Western dime-novels, including one’s extolling the legendary heroics of Eddie Johnson, Tom Harrah and Jimmy Bierce. Lefty is not mentioned, as the young man tells him. Nonetheless, Jeremiah joins the search, eager to ride with the legendary lawman Tom Harrah.
Laura’s opinion of Lefty is harsh but neither Harrah nor Bierce have a high opinion of him either. Tom Harrah knows he can count on Lefty in a pinch or a gun battle but he also knows he will have to take the leadership role and come up with the ideas on finding the murderer. When they corner the gang of horse thieves, it doesn’t go well. When Lefty returns to the ranch for help, he finds himself accused of the murder. Now he must not only find the murderer but prove his own innocence.
In director Jared Moshe’s involving drama, Lefty is the very picture of the classic Western hero’s sidekick, the loyal guy always on hand to help but never outshining the hero in their adventures. Eddie’s murder turns the hero and sidekick stereotype upside down, and steadfast, unassuming Lefty finds himself in the hero role as he tracks down his friend’s murderer. It is a clever twist on the standard Western and Bill Pullman pulls it off with considerable appeal. You can’t help but pull for this unusual underdog getting his chance to show he is more than an amusing companion.
Fans of fine cinematography should relish this film. The photography and locations look stunning, shot on film rather than digital, which adds to the old Western feel of the film. The Montana vistas are perfect, just the kind of sweeping Western landscape you hope for. The starkly beautiful landscape and well-composed shots give the film the feel of a classic John Ford Western, where the landscape is almost a character. In the respect, and the camera’s intimate focus on Pullman’s subtly expressive face, the film is near perfect.
The cast can not be matched for this Western in a classic style, but most of the focus is on Pullman. Pullman does a splendid job, and his fine performance as an overlooked man with inner strengths is much of the appeal of the film.
If there is a shortcoming, it is that the some of other cast’s characters seem a bit underwritten. Even Tommy Flanagan, who gets considerable screen time, seems more to be playing a type than a person. One especially wishes the wonderful Kathy Baker could have had a little more to work with. Although the hints are there for an deeper character, there is not the time.
Similar things could be said about the script. Apart from the twist of making the sidekick into the hero, there is a lot of standard Western in the story. It is satisfying but not very original.
THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN is a tale of a sidekick turned hero, a nice spotlight for Pullman, who has often appeared in those kinds of roles throughout his career, which some stunning Montana scenery framing an otherwise classic Western in the spirit of John Ford.
I miss Robin Williams, Lord I how I miss that man. I will never forget hearing that he had not only died but apparently by his own hand. This comic genius who brought so much laughter and love to so many people suffered from severe depression. And we lost him because of it, we lost so much.
Now here at last is the final piece of work on his resume, the final movie of Robin Williams. Is it a great movie? Yes, absolutely! Is it easy to watch? No, not at all. BOULEVARD is a movie with a deep well of sadness, a great epic sadness and loneliness that hangs over this movie and fills every frame like nothing I have ever seen.
Director Dito Montiel’s BOULEVARD is the kind of movie where every shot, every edit, camera angle and especially, every line of dialog and movement by every actor is important. Everything we witness is crucial to the story, there is no wasted time or space in BOULEVARD. Every actor in the story is on the same page and it shows.
Robin Williams is Nolan, an office drone in a bank who approves loans to home buyers. A loan approved for a gay couple gets him thinking. Nolan is married you see, to a lovely woman named Joy, brilliantly played by Kathy Baker (well, she is always brilliant!) They don’t seem to have much of a marriage. They sleep, not just in separate beds, but in separate bed rooms, they have no children. They live in a huge house with hard wood floors, the kind of rooms that echo if there is any sound, rooms that stand empty and free of dust and are tastefully and elegantly furnished, but never seem to be lived in.
Joy does not seem to work, Nolan brings her coffee in her bedroom as she watches daytime television and reads current novels. Nolan even cooks dinner for their best friend, Winston and his girlfriend, and takes care of the dishes afterwards. Joy has one task, get a bottle of wine for dinner and she forgets that. We find out that Joy does teach, three nights a week, English as a second language, but mostly she is home, alone.
Nolan and Joy seem to love each other but they don’t even sit on the same couch to watch television. Nolan’s Father is dying and his Mother died some time ago. Nolan is obviously distressed about his Father but never talks to Joy, or anyone about the pain he is experiencing.
Coming home from the hospital, late one night, more or less by “accident”, Nolan stops to talk to a young male hustler, on the Boulevard where all the working girls and boys hustle for tricks to turn.
Nolan has a secret you see, like many people (it seems) Nolan is secretly, painfully gay, and has never done anything about it. At first he only wants company from Leo (Roberto Aguire) the stud hustler he picks up. He is free with his money and Leo is at first puzzled that sex doesn’t come into the equation, at least not right away.
Nolan gets between Leo and his pimp, a black eye that he has trouble explaining is the result. His wife Joy starts to notice changes in his routine, little lies, time away from home that doesn’t quite add up. His friend Winston notices these changes too. And, as it must, the truth comes out; there are many painful, hard to watch scenes among all the characters before the end credits roll.
Written by Douglas Soesbe, BOULEVARD ends on a hopeful note but is such a sad movie, I recommend it highly, but with a word of warning, this is not a good date movie. This is not the Robin Williams of stand up fame. This is the Robin Williams of AWAKENINGS, ONE HOUR PHOTO and WHAT DREAMS MAY COME.
Watching BOULEVARD you have to wonder how much of William’s performance is acting, and how much is real, the real, profound pain of someone suffering from severe, clinical depression.
I wish Robin Williams could have gone out on a comedic note, I wish he could have brought us laughter one more time instead of tears of loneliness and regret. But as a last performance, a valedictory and a summing up and a farewell from a tremendously talented man who gave us all so much, few actors could have given us what we are witness to in BOULEVARD. Farewell to Robin Williams, you were and are loved and will always be missed.
Four and a half out of five stars.
BOULEVARD is playing in NY at the Landmark Sunshine and will expand to Los Angeles and additional major markets in the following weeks.
What would you do if life stood still? Now I’m not talking about the world continually frozen, like a projector stuck on one frame of film (maybe a better modern analogy would be a DVD unable to move past an image, perhaps with that annoying “buffer circle” spinning). I mean what if you, yourself, never changed and remained your current age forever. No wrinkles, no grey hairs, and no internal breakdowns (the plumbing works fine, muscles and joints in great shape). That’s been one of the major benefits of vampirism (like the eternal ten-year old Kirsten Dunst in INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE), a theme of fairy tales (SLEEPING BEAUTY), and science fiction (THE MAN WHO CHEATED DEATH, the COCOON flicks). Now comes a film that plays with that notion in a more modern, realistic fashion. Call it a modern romantic fable, or the ultimate May-December love story. Or you might just call most of the 20th century (and a good chunk of the early 21st) THE AGE OF ADALINE.
A somber narrator introduces us to Jenny (Blake Lively), a modern-day twenty-something running an important errand on this New Year’s Eve of 2014 in San Francisco. She’s paying a young computer hacker (in cash, of course) for an impeccable set of phony ID’s (passport, driver’s licence, etc.) that Jenny will use when she leaves town and starts over once more. Wha? But first, it’s off to her job , as a historian archiving research materials at the main library. As she threads some early news film into a 16mm projector (see the previous reference), the narrator returns to give us some info on Ms Jenny. For one thing, her name is actually Adaline Bowman and she was born in SF…in 1908! In the early 30’s she married one of the Golden Gate Bridge engineers and birthed a daughter, Flemming. After her husband’s death on the job, Adaline’s cruising down a lonely stretch of California country road when it suddenly begins to snow. This contributes to the skid that sends her roadster plummeting into a cold lake. Hypothermia leads to heart stoppage, but remarkably she is revived when the sinking car is struck by lightning. But the bolt has an unexpected side effect, Adaline never ages a day. As Flemming matures, Adaline passes her off as a kid sister. It looks like the ruse will work until federal agents attempt to whisk her away (for experiments, no doubt). After a narrow escape, mother and daughter must separate, as Adaline goes into hiding, changing her identity every ten years, but still keeping in secret contact with Flemming. So, that explains the errand.
That night, after a quick phone call with Flemming (Ellen Burstyn) who now goes by Jenny’s grandma’, Adaline reluctantly joins a friend for a New Year’s bash at a local swanky hotel. She successfully swats away suitors, until he walks in, the hunky Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman). After a flirtatious elevator ride to the lobby, Adaline believes she has given him the big “brush off”. But Mr. Jones is not so easily thwarted. A few days later, she’s stunned when Ellis arrives at her job with a big donation to the facility (guy’s rich!). This begins a series of tentative romantic encounters that make Adaline anxious. Reluctantly she agrees to accompany Ellis to a big 40th anniversary celebration for his parents (Harrison Ford, Kathy Baker). But on this journey, Adaline’s past may finally catch up to her.
Ms. Lively rarely evokes her name as the film’s title heroine. Adaline is muted, very low energy, perhaps in order to blend into her surroundings as to not stand out (and she avoids being photographed which reminded me of Bill Bixby as the TV Hulk). This is prominent in her push/pull relationship with Ellis which extinguishes any sparks between the two. She does look fabulous in all the different hairstyles and fashions during the flashbacks, but besides her fugitive double life, Adaline is an enigma. Huisman fulfills all his leading man requirements (including the now obligatory “chick flick” staple of emerging dripping wet from the shower AKA the “beefcake” shot), but we see his passion for Jenny/Adaline without really explaining it. This guy should have a thick “black book”, so why has he set his sights on the woman who often pushes him away (maybe he enjoys a “challenge”). Burstyn makes Blessing more of a supportive girlfriend than daughter (think Rhoda Morgenstern) often encouraging Mom to “go with it” and take a chance. And she’s a good sounding board and confident for the usually tight-lipped Adaline. Ford takes a detour from his recent run of “old grumps” to give us a man both content with his golden years while still more than a bit haunted by his past (that silver goatee helps pad his years). In a couple of flashbacks, his character is played by you tube star Anthony Ingrub whose impression of the screen icon often distractingly veers into “Rich Little-like” mimicry. Unfortunately Baker has little to do as the perplexed, annoyed matriarch.
Lee Toland Krieger’s direction has difficulty keeping up a consistent momentum, which may leave viewers to feel as though they’ve lived all of 107 years. The early century set-up is fascinating, but the drama gets too bogged down by the narration (maybe they should have heeded the anti-voiceover rants in BEING JOHN MALKOVICH), that uses some silly pseudoscientific “gobbledy goop” to explain Adaline’s plight/gift. That’s another reason why the script by J. Mills Goodloe and Salvadore Paskowitz should have gone through a couple more passes. Some unnecessary flashbacks slow the pace (a visit to the bank brings up a memory, as does a glance at a certain park bench) There’s too much dead time during which we ponder the story’s logic. How could Adaline escape the FBI so easily? Why then would she continue to live in the states? Did J Edgar’s men concentrate instead on Dick Clark (he looked 25 for many, many decades)? As the film finally plods to its conclusion, a couple of outrageous coincidences almost prove laughable (I heard a few titters). THE AGE OF ADALINE could have been a compelling journey with one unchanging lady through the eras, instead it’s part tepid love story and part modern “fractured fairy tale”.
Lakeshore Records will release the AGE OF ADALINE – Original Motion Picture Score digitally on April 21st and on CD May 12, 2015. The album features the film’s original score by Rob Simonsen (FOXCATCHER, THE SPECTACULAR NOW) and the song “Start Again” with Simonsen and Faux Fix, featuring Elena Tonra.
The AGE OF ADALINE, a romantic drama, stars Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Kathy Baker, with Harrison Ford and Ellen Burstyn and will be released nationwide by Lionsgate on April 24, 2015.
The film is directed by Lee Toland Krieger from a screenplay by J. Mills Goodloe & Salvador Paskowitz and J Mills Goodloe; story by J. Mills Goodloe & Salvador Paskowitz. Producers are Sidney Kimmel, Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi.
After miraculously remaining 29 years old for almost eight decades, Adaline Bowman [Blake Lively] has lived a solitary existence, never allowing herself to get close to anyone who might reveal her secret. But a chance encounter with charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones [Michiel Huisman] reignites her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents [Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker] threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.
“We all agreed that since the story spans the last hundred years, the orchestra was the appropriate instrument and tone for the score,” said Simonsen. “While there are some ambiences and synthesized elements in there, they’re meant to add atmosphere for the most part, and not sound manufactured, per se.”
With a keen instinct for storytelling, Simonsen has established himself amongst a new wave of composers making a significant impact in the film industry. Under the mentorship of Mychael Danna, Simonsen apprenticed alongside one of the most respected film composers from the last two decades. In addition to co-scoring films like the Fox Searchlight hit (500) DAYS OF SUMMER, Rob provided additional music for films including MONEYBALL and LIFE OF PI, the latter of which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2013.
Working independently, Simonsen garnered two 2013 World Soundtrack Academy Award Nominations for the Sundance hits THE SPECTACULAR NOW and THE WAY, WAY BACK. The same year, he scored the global ad launch for Apple’s iPhone 5 and provided the iconic piano music for their Everyday campaign. His momentum continued in 2014, completing work on Zach Braff’s second feature, WISH I WAS HERE, and Bennett Miller’s multiple Oscar nominee FOXCATCHER. Simonsen also recently completed work on Roland Emmerich’s much-anticipated STONEWALL.
STONEWALL
Simonsen is a co-founder of The Echo Society, a composer collective presenting an ongoing concert series in Los Angeles, providing composers, musicians and artists a new and exciting platform to create and perform progressive musical works. “Adaline’s theme is mostly heard on the piano,” Simonsen described. “We wanted something melancholic and pretty, yet not too sad. And while the love theme appears repeatedly throughout the movie, it is actually not heard in its entirety. I wrote it away from picture and there was never a scene long enough to play it. However by repeating the opening phrases of the love theme, it has a quality of getting stuck in the ‘starting out’ mode, which is fitting for Adaline, who is stuck in time, repeating things in her life over and over, now a woman resistant to letting anything develop.“
TRACKLIST
1. Adaline Bowman
2. At Home
3. January 1st, 1908
4. First Resurrection
5. No Scientific Explanation
6. Never Speak a Word of Her Fate
7. Ellis Brings Flowers
8. Sunken Ship
9. Another Death in the Life
10. Tired of Running
11. Adaline Apologizes
12. Constellations
13. William Recognizes Adaline
14. He Named the Comet Della
15. A Near Miss
16. The Scar
17. Twisted Around the Truth
18. No More Running
19. Second Resurrection
20. Coming Back to Life
21. Hospital Confessions
22. To a Future with an End
23. Start Again – Rob Simonsen and Faux Fix, Feat. Elena Tonra
Check out the new featurette, “The Making of The Age of Adaline – A Century of Fashion,” to get the inside scoop from stars Blake Lively, Harrison Ford, and Academy Award winning costume designer Angus Strathie, who developed Adaline’s exquisite wardrobe through the decades.
In THE AGE OF ADALINE, Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) survives a car accident that miraculously keeps her from aging. Since then, she’s had to keep this a secret and has tried not to get too close to anyone.
However, meeting Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) will make her reconsider everything. THE AGE OF ADALINE follows the 29-year-old’s intriguing journey through the ages, as her encounter with Ellis ignites a new passion for love and romance inside her.
The film also stars Kathy Baker, Amanda Crew, with Harrison Ford, and Ellen Burstyn.
Directed by Lee Toland Krieger, THE AGE OF ADALINE hits theaters on April 24
Lionsgate has unveiled a series of nine ‘character posters’ for THE AGE OF ADALINE.
After miraculously remaining 29 years old for almost eight decades, Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) has lived a solitary existence, never allowing herself to get close to anyone who might reveal her secret. But a chance encounter with charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) reignites her passion for life and romance.
When a weekend with his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.
Directed by Lee Toland Krieger, THE AGE OF ADALINE opens nationwide APRIL 24, 2015.
Witness Blake Lively as Adaline Bowen, a 29-year-old who miraculously doesn’t age, in the new trailer for the enchanting romantic drama, THE AGE OF ADALINE.
Get a closer look at Adaline and the obstacles she must face while living life on the run to prevent others from finding out her secret.
After miraculously remaining 29 years old for almost eight decades, Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) has lived a solitary existence, never allowing herself to get close to anyone who might reveal her secret.
But a chance encounter with charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) reignites her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.
Also featuring Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, THE AGE OF ADALINE hits theaters everywhere on April 24.
Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks shine in Disney’s new feature film SAVING MR. BANKS, a heartwarming tale about the making of the Mary Poppins film.
When Walt Disney and his daughters discovered the book “Mary Poppins” by P. L. Travers, they fell in love. Disney then made a promise to them, that took him 20 years to keep. He would bring Mary Poppins to life. What he didn’t expect was a stubborn writer with no intention of handing over her beloved nanny. When finally convinced to discuss the film, Disney and his team pull out all the stops to impress Travers enough to sign off on the film. What they didn’t bargain for was uncovering some of her ghosts from the past, or where the story of Mary Poppins actually came from.
SAVING MR. BANKS is a magical tale filled with heart. Thompson and Hanks are simply delightful as P.L. Travers and Walt Disney, and they play off of each other incredibly well. Thompson is marvelous as a cold, stern Travers. She does a great job of adding a softer side to her character, which is best displayed in the scenes with her driver Ralph, played by Paul Giamatti. The addition of Ralph to the story (which is admitted to be the only fictitious character in the film) allows the audience a glimpse of an adult Travers as she interacts with someone outside of the Disney madness. It gives her a sense of humanity, and gives the audience a reason to feel a bit more compassion for her, rather than only showing her as an uptight stick in the mud.
As for Hanks, he had the cheerful, wide-eyed characteristics of Disney down pat. His character is not the main focus of this film, so they didn’t dig deep into who Disney really was. Instead, they kept his character development rather shallow, allowing more time for the character of Travers to unfold.
Rounding out the film as Disney’s creative team were animator and co-screenwriter (Bradley Whitford), and songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman (Jason Schwartzman, and B.J. Novak), who aided in the agitation of Travers throughout their brainstorming sessions. These sessions added plenty of comedic relief to the film, and showcased a few unforgettable songs from the Poppins film.
The film looks absolutely stunning, and showcases some of the more beautiful parts of LA, including the palm trees, breathtaking views, and the Beverly Hills Hotel, which oozes old school elegance and class. We also get a glimpse of the Disney Studio grounds, which still look very similar to what they did back then. What really impressed me were the flashback scenes, showing a young Travers and the relationship with her father (played by Colin Farrell). These scenes were beautifully shot, and added a much-needed explanation to the behaviors of P.L. Travers in her adult life.
Overall, the film is heartwarming and enjoyable. Its mission is to entertain audiences with an interesting tale about the making of a Disney classic. That is exactly what they do. This is a fun story about one of the most beloved movies (and books) in history. Having said all of that, director John Lee Hancock, and writers Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith certainly added a “spoonful of sugar” to make the tale more enjoyable, and a little less truthful. Everything that I have read about the real life Travers has blatantly stated that she was not happy with the film version of her beloved nanny. She felt that they ignored the hard sides of Poppins, she despised the animation in the film, and was not too fond of the music. Overall, she was not pleased.
While I enjoyed the film of SAVING MR. BANKS as a whole, audiences should know that it’s only loosely based on actual events. Go into this film looking for a good time at the movies. If you pick it apart based on the factual way the making of this film really went down, you won’t enjoy it.
