Tag: Roadside Attractions

H IS FOR HAWK – Review

I would say that it’s unusual for a somber set-in-the-UK drama based on a memoir (yes, it’s all true) to be released three weeks into the new year, well past awards noms deadline, but further research has revealed that this did get a one-week run in a US theater last month to be considered for the accolades. And so far, bupkis (we’ll see early Thursday morning). Of course, that’s no reflection on this film’s quality or merits. Still, its title suggests a whimsical “nature-bonding” story ala THE PENGUIN LESSONS or countless canine sagas. Now, that species connection factors in, but the heart of the story is a woman’s emotional journey in H IS FOR HAWK.


The woman at this story’s center is a research (mostly science history) fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge named Helen Macdonald (Claire Foy). On a blustery day in 2007, she’s birdwatching in the nearby countryside. As she heads home, she phones her photojournalist father Alisdair (Brendan Gleeson) with news that she spotted a pair of goshawks (a rare sighting). Dad cuts the call short as he must head to a London assignment. That evening, at her on-campus housing home, Helen meets another academic, Christina (Denise Gough) for dinner. On the way out, Helen gets a phone call that changes everything: her adored papa succumbed to a fatal heart attack in the city. Helen’s life goes into a tailspin, indecisive about pursuing a three-year position in Germany, which squelches her new romance. She then has an epiphany and knocks on the door of an old friend named Stu (Sam Spruell). Years before, both had been ardent members of a falconry society. He’s still involved (his bird is perched in his kitchen), so Helen asks him for intel on getting back in. But she doesn’t want a falcon. Instead, Helen wants to train the more difficult, spirited goshawk. Stu hooks her up with a seller, and soon the bird she names Mabel is taking up her every spare moment. Quickly the bond between the two becomes so intense that Helen is neglecting her classes and ignoring calls and visits from friends. And then the school administrators tell her that this type of “pet” isn’t allowed in college quarters. Can Helen continue to train and hunt with Mabel? And could this be a way for Helen to escape her grief rather than facing it and moving forward with her life?

This exploration into the art and skill of falconry becomes a compelling showcase for the gifted Foy. We’ve seen her excellent supporting work in films like FIRST MAN and WOMEN TALKING, but we’ve really not seen her carry the emotional weight of a film’s lead performance (though I’m told she was excellent as Queen Elizabeth II in the streaming series, “The Crown”). Foy shows us the vibrant, engaged Helen in the early scenes of her birdwatching and lecturing her class, but with her loss we see the light in her eyes suddenly dim. Not even a romantic online fling brings that spark back, until Mabel literally swoops in. Then Foy shows us another side of Helen, with an overriding obsession that almost seals her off from the world. It’s a tricky balancing act as Helen elicits our sympathy while often frustrating us, and Foy is more than up to the complex challenges. Happily we’re treated to several flashbacks of her opposite the always engaging Gleeson as her lovably gruff, but warm and encouraging papa, perhaps a near perfect “girl dad”. It’s quite a contrast to Helen’s maternal connections with her mum, played with subtle restraint and grace by Lindsay Duncan. We see that the loss of her soulmate has drained her, though she also yearns to share the grief with her increasingly distant daughter. Spruell is strong as Helen’s her birding buddy Stu as he tries to help train Mabel while attempting to calm the always anxious Helen. Speaking of pals, Gough (so wonderful on another streaming show, “Andor”) is also very effective as co-worker confidant Christina, who wants to be a “lifeline” to her floundering chum as she tries to understand her increasing withdrawl into mania.

The impressive ensemble is guided by director Phillipa Lowthrope, working from Emma Donoghue’s screenplay adaptation of Helen Macdonald’s acclaimed memoir. Lowthrope keeps us engaged, as the backdrops suddenly switch from ancient academia to the glories of the countryside. And those scenes of Helen working (she insists that they’re partners in the hunts) with the gorgeous, intense (her glare) Mabel truly soar. A sequence in the deep woods of Mabel swooping in on a very unlucky rabbit is haunting (there’s a drone crew in the credits that were really “on their toes”). While these scenes are worthy of any lauded nature docuseries, it’s the very human drama at the center of the story that’s truly compelling. This is such a well-crafted exploration of the impact of mourning on someone grieving, though it offers no easy fixes. In less works, the introduction of an “animal partner” would be the needed “remedy”, but here we see how the distracting fixation can cut a person out of the human (rat) race. Some viewers may be a bit put off by the rather open-ended finale, but life can’t always be “wrapped up in a bow” to facilitate a desired “happy ending”. That idea and the winning performance of Foy really enables H IS FOR HAWK to spread its wings and take flight.

3 Out of 4

H IS FOR HAWK opens in select theatres on Friday, January 23, 2026

TWINLESS – Review

Now this new film would be tough to categorize for anyone trying to recommend it to other moviegoers, let alone the writers for theatre chain websites. And that’s a good thing, since the multiplex really needs to have some fare that can’t be “pigeonholed” into a select “by-the-numbers” genre. Though many might not enjoy that, I really get a kick out of stories that throw me a “curve” or just keep me “off balance”. As a movie “Mulligan’s stew”, this dramedy/mystery/romantic character study with some sexy “spice” makes a tasty meal as you find out just what is the meaning of its provocative title, TWINLESS.

We’re “clued in” early on in this story when we hear some noise (tires screeching, a thud) from a fatal accident on a busy urban street, just “off camera”. From there, we’re taken to a graveside funeral service for a young man in his late twenties named Rocky. The mourners are stunned to see the departed’s twin brother in attendance, Roman (Dylan O’Brien), next to his mother, Lisa (Lauren Graham). Back at Rocky’s apartment, the two clash while going through his things before she heads back home. Roman remains in the city, and to calm his anger issues, attends a meeting of a support group for people who have lost their identical twin. There, he strikes up a conversation with Dennis (James Sweeney). During their talk, Dennis tosses out a casual joke about his sexuality (he’s gay). Straight Roman tells him that his brother Rocky was “out and proud”. The two exchange numbers after going to a nearby diner. Although they’re quite different (Dennis is much more cultured, but less confident), Roman reaches out to him, and the two become “hang buddies”, even grocery shopping together (not being alone in the store is a great comfort to Roman). The story pivots to show us that Dennis did actually know Rocky, one of many secrets withheld from Roman. Things get even more complicated when he begins dating the bubbly receptionist at Dennis’ work, Marcie (Aisling Franciosi). Can Dennis continue keeping Roman in the dark, or will Marcie somehow “spill the beans”? And what about his growing attraction for the “unattainable” twinless sibling?

The story’s dense plot works due to the considerable talents of the film’s two lead actors. Perhaps the tad more complex one is anchored by the superb rising star O’Brien (so good as Dan Ackroyd in last year’s SATURDAY NIGHT). He’s tasked with making us invested in the often volatile Roman, who is sweet as a “dems’ and dose'” bro, but can’t quite stop his fist when rage takes over. And yet, O’Brien brings lots of vulnerability to him, as Roman flails about, feeling lost without his twin, Rocky. And yes, we get to see O’Brien in a completely different persona in the flashback scenes of the departed sibling (distinctly different vocal delivery and body language). But that’s not to say that the gifted Sweeney is “treading water” around O’Brien. He also gets us cautiously on Dennis’ side, even as we know that the truth must be revealed. Sweeny shows us that he’s also more than a bit broken by his obsession and yearning for connection, while hiding behind an aloof attitude. Franciosi is the sweet, nurturing “counter-balance” to the duo as she does her best to be a cheerleader for Dennis even as her feelings for Roman emerge. But Franciosi makes her more than “the girlfriend” or even a “third wheel,” as she shows us the “steel” interior around Marcie’s candy-coated exterior. Big kudos to Ms. Graham for her work in just a couple of scenes as the “walking wounded” mother who seems to be sidelined by her all-consuming grief.

Oh, I was surprised to see that aside from co-starring, Sweeney also directed the film from his own script (his second solo feature). And he does a splendid job in twisting the narrative almost into knots, even making us wait nearly twenty minutes to see the title and opening credits. He also deftly shifts the focus from Roman (who dominates the prologue) to the quirky Dennis, who we see doing mental gymnastics to try and disguise his deceptions (love the impromptu British accent). Sweeney injects suspense into the narrative, as we wait for the big reveal and wonder about the character’s reactions. In his direction, Sweeney makes some interesting visual choices, best shown in his clever staging (split screens) of a big Halloween party sequence at Marcie’s and later in a revealing trip into a “day-glo” adult amusement center, which throws the main trio off-kilter. He also disorients us with some early graphic sex scenes before slowing the pace for more emotional intimate interactions, broken up by an “out-of-nowhere” bit of street violence. So for more adventurous filmgoers, this is a movie with strong characters, and an unpredictable script told with surprising visual confidence. That and a terrific young cast makes TWINLESS a true original.

3 Out of 4

TWINLESS is now playing in select theatres

THE LAST SHOWGIRL – Review

This weekend’s new film release builds on an interesting trend from 2024. Though it’s not something embraced by major studios, like the deep dive into movie riffs on popular toys and video games, it’s proving to be an awards showcase for the “indie upstarts”. I’m writing of the new venues for the often neglected (by studio execs) bombshell superstar actresses from a few decades ago. Often they’re banished to straight-to-video (now streaming) sex or horror “potboilers”, or sent to be supporting players on series TV. Just a few months ago, cinephiles were stunned by the outrageous satire of THE SUBSTANCE and embraced the courageous, and meta (spoofing lots of old tabloid “fodder”) performance of its lead, Demi Moore (who is now a big Oscar “front-runner” after her Golden Globe win and touching acceptance speech). Historians can point to the brief spate of mature actress thrillers from the early 1960s (WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE and its ilk) as an inspiration for that film. Well, the other actress getting some awards love for a much more restrained story, but with a similar modern-day “pathos” and drama, is Pamela Anderson, who could very well claim the title of THE LAST SHOWGIRL.

The story opens up (after a brief “flash forward”) on Anderson as Shelly, the reigning “queen” of the long-running casino show “Razzle Dazzle”, as she hurries through a quick costume change and tries to trudge up the stairs to the stage without damaging all the sequins and feathers of her towering tiara. As the show’s producer, Eddie (Dave Bautista) bids goodnight over the intercom speakers, Shelly invites her younger co-stars, Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) over to her modest home for a BBQ Lunch on their “off” day. Joining them, along with Eddie, is a former showgirl now casino waitress, the acerbic Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis). Their high spirits are dampened by the mention of a rumor that the new owners of the casino will close the RD show and replace it with something younger and “edgier”. Shelly dismisses this as nonsense until the formal notices come down from “on high”. Only a dozen or so shows remain before the dwindling audiences. While Mary-Anne and Jodie scramble to find a new “gig”, Shelly wonders if she can stay relevant while also reflecting on her past glories. This prompts her to reach out to the daughter that she gave up for adoption many years ago, Hannah (Billie Lourd). Though the relationship is strained, they finally reconnect. As the final show looms, Shelly tries to repair that parental bond, while pondering her future in a world that doesn’t seem to have any need of her style of glamour and glitz anymore.

After being largely absent from view, aside from some cameos and a stint on Broadway in “Chicago”, Ms. Anderson commands the big screen with a remarkable nuanced performance as the sweet on the outside but hauntingly sad inside Shelly. At first glance, she may seem a bit ditzy and distracted, but as the story progresses we realize that she’s emotionally floundering, searching for any life preserver, as the vessel that is her existence is slowly sinking (and picking up speed into the depths of despair). As she nears her final “runway walk” she blocks any feelings of regret, proudly defending her choices to continue her “craft”. It all culminates in a heart-wrenching audition sequence in which Anderson summons her inner strength, demanding to be seen and not dismissed into the shadows of yesteryear. At times Shelly frustrates, but Anderson compels us to root for her, even as her reality cracks and crumbles. She gets great support in another mesmerizing turn from Curtis as her BFF Annette who has escaped the “stage game”, though she secretly yearns for the adoration of the audience, while also trying to shake up Shelly to face the choices still left to her. Song is solid as the more aggressive and world-weary “show sister” while Shipka is full of wide-eyed hope and hustle as the newbie will land on her “high heels” and conform to any demands of the market. Also well cast is Lourd as the estranged daughter who mixes her anger at her mother for being “cast off” with a general snarky disdain for the family “business”. The other big casting “against type” surprise is Bautista as the soft-spoken, brusque but still concerned Eddie, who hides a history with his girls and wants to help but is also looking to serve and please his new casino masters. And big kudos go to the small, almost a cameo, role of the shadowy audition director who is given a condescending venomous bite by Jason Schwartzman, as he delivers a “wake up” call with the violence of a swift “gut punch”.

Director Gia Coppola is a terrific addition to her family’s filmmaking dynasty by giving us a very tough, unflinching profile of a woman clinging to past glory as the world around her undergoes a seismic cultural shift. Working from the well-researched, emotionally intimate screenplay by Kate Gersten, Ms. Coppola gives us a “fly on the wall” look at the showier aspect of the service biz in Sin City. Full disclosure: I lived and worked in Vegas thirty years ago just as they were shifting from “family fun” to “adults-only playground”, so I recognized that air of sunbaked desperation that wafts over the street “buskers” and casino crews wondering if they can survive the next corporate “facelift” of the strip. Coppola and Gersten captured that panic to stay trendy and relevant as the tour groups and high-rolling “whales” were tiring of the traditional “main room” sparkly “t&a” two-drink minimum extravaganzas. The bonding of Shelly and her castmates feels almost like those of soldiers in the trenches awaiting the final charge (but here it’s a last show). My only complaint is that there are too many stretches and montage sequences of Shelly wandering past the employee casino entrances, perhaps as she recalls past encounters, but it’s unneeded “padding”. That’s a slight qualm as this is a most engaging look at a quickly disappearing legacy (Vegas cares little about its history), and s stellar acting triumph from Anderson, who dazzles in and out of the sequins and feathers, as THE LAST SHOWGIRL. “Places please, places…”

3.5 Out of 4

THE LAST SHOWGIRL opens in select theatres on Friday, January 10, 2025

THE GOOD HOUSE – Review

With the temps falling and the leaves slowly changing, lots of folks may be thinking of taking a trip to New England. Perhaps you could “hunker down” in a quaint old house by the water. Hey, if you’ve got the moola, maybe you could just buy the place, and make it your getaway, or permanent “digs”. Oh but most of us would have to do this vicariously, maybe at the movies. But who would you contact about such a fantasy home, say in a rustic lil’ village? And that is answered in this week’s star-powered release. Surely such a spot would be free of worries, “no hassles, no hustles”, right? Not really, as this film’s focus finds out. It seems you’re never safe from those “inner demons”, not even at THE GOOD HOUSE.


That person living in such a primo place is the town’s number one realtor Hildy Good (Sigourney Weaver). Well, former number one, since that title is held by her former assistant Wendy (Kathryn Erbe), who “poached ” the top clients when she went out on her own. This was just after Hildy “went away” for a time, a year ago after an intervention. Hildy was ambushed by her two daughters, Emily and Tess, along with her ex-husband Scott (David Rasche), and trusted aide Wendy. This prompted a stay in a rehab facility and a promise that she’ll attend “meetings” (she bailed after the first couple). Sure the real estate market is tough, but luckily she can call on her childhood crush, surly, grizzled, laid-back Frankie Getchell (Kevin Kline) to send out one of his work crews, or even himself, to make a house more “homey”. Also taking the edge off the “job” is the box of vino that Hildy keeps hidden in her house’s “work shed” (just a glass or two…or three with her two doggies). Of course, she’s slipping into her “old ways”, so when work frustrations are paired with her knowledge of an affair between her new best pal, bored rich housewife and drinking buddy (she’s unaware) Rebecca (Morena Baccarin) and upstairs from her office shrink Peter (Rob Delaney), Hidly runs to the arms of Frankie, after more of “the grape”. Is there any way this rekindled romance can sober up (in more ways than one) Hildy and free her from her family’s cycle of self-medication?

This story of remorse and regret is an engaging showcase for Weaver’s powerful performance. Her steely intelligence shines through, and the decision to have her “break the fourth wall” and talk directly to us through the camera lens lets us relish her superb comic timing. It’s also a better way to “get inside her head” as she engages in near-constant “bargaining” (“I’ll only have a glass or two when I’m home, at night, with the pups”) and her denials, tempered with a “Yankee stubbornness”. She can “handle it” and keeps all the “plates spinning”…until she lets them fall and crash, one after another. In their third screen outing, Weaver has a “chemistry shorthand” with the always charming Kline, whose Frank tries to project an aura of casual coolness, a free-spirited rambler. However, he can’t mask concern about his spiraling former fling. Baccarin excels as the small-town bombshell “trophy wife” whose dazzling smile can’t hide her loneliness. Delaney (so good in “Catastrophe”) is the passive-aggressive intellectual desperate to conceal his wrecked marriage. Plus there are a couple of brief turns by two acting vets. Paul Guilfoyle (“CSI”) is Hildy’s irritating reminder of her family’s deception as he tells her that they miss her at the “meetings”. And Beverly D’Angelo oozes star power as the local beauty queen who’s always around for the part, and to be the lil’ devil on Hildy’s shoulder.

A directing “tag team tackled this film with Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky sharing the reigns and also joining Thomas Bezucha in adapting the novel by Ann Leary. They expertly set up the “picture perfect” town of Wendover, MA (though shot in gorgeous Nova Scotia), then slowly peels back its layers to reveal the sadness and scandals. It’s not PEYTON PLACE, but it’s not what Hildy is trying to sell to the rich “city folk”. They wisely limit her “talks to us” so as to not overdue the whimsy and get precious or cloying. It’s a slow, steady, simmering pot of drama with dashes of comedy and romance before it almost boils over into suspense and tragedy in the final act. Sure, we’ve seen those battling the booze many times before, but Weaver puts a fresh spin on Hildy’s struggles, making us root for her even as the vino flips a switch and she’s in full belligerent b*#l-buster mode. She’s the reason to “close the deal” on THE GOOD HOUSE.


3 Out of 4

THE GOOD HOUSE is now playing in theatres everywhere

JOE BELL- Review

This time of year is often thought of as a perfect time for strengthening family bonds. And now this new Summer flick explores this, an “inspired by true events” tale of a father and son, who seem to have little in common aside from DNA. So, are they trying connect via a sport like baseball, or perhaps working on a house or on restoring an old car? No, they’re taking a trip across the USA…the long way…on foot. Of course, there’s more to this journey than leisurely taking in the site from ground level. No, it’s more of a mission to stand up to the forces of ignorance and intolerance, That’s the plan of this story’s weary patriarch, a simple small-town fella’ named JOE BELL.

As this story begins, we’re right alongside Joe (Mark Wahlberg) as he’s pulling a cart that holds his tent, water, and supplies, trudging down a winding road as cars and trucks whiz past. Luckily his eldest son Jadin (Reid Miller) is always “nearby”. The two joke and tease as Joe makes it to a nearby town and addresses another gathered group about the terrors of bullying. The walks and “the talks” are all in support of Jadin. As they hunker down for the night, Joe checks in with his wife Lola (Connie Britton) back in their small Oregon town. We then flashback to earlier in 2013, before the trek, when Jadin came out to Joe, Though he was a bit befuddled, Joe didn’t reject his gay son, reaffirming his love and support. Unfortunately, Jadin felt none of that at his high school, aside from his cheerleading sisters (he’s the only male). When the jeers and harassment escalate, Joe insists that Jadin fight back, but the odds are too great. He can’t “duke it out” with almost everybody. The school administration offers no help and even suggests that he transfer to another district. Then social media trolls attack, as do the “locker room’ thugs. Joe and Connie are there for him, but can’t protect him. Eventually, Joe decides to spread the word, so he enlists sponsors to fund his walking cross-country trek. But can one man stop, or even lessen, the hate?

In the title role, Wahlberg tones down his macho heroic persona to become a believable working-class “everyman”, one whose virtue and sincerity reflect his quieter “heroic’ attributes. Through his voice inflection and awkward stares, we see Joe’s inner conflict as he pushes down the small-town small-mindedness he absorbed growing up in order to try and nurture his son. He can’t quite understand him, or his needs, but truly wants to be a “solid rock’ for Jadin. As that offspring, Miller projects his own strength and vulnerability, never becoming a “symbolic martyr”. He refuses to “blend in” while knowing that his own sense of style etches a glowing target on him. Miller makes us feel his despair as Jadin is pulled under as friends and family flail about and fumble with that needed lifeline. As the family matriarch, Britton as Lola acts as the uniting glue for father and son. She’s more on Jadin’s “wavelength’ and works to expand Joe’s sensibilities and empathy. But Britton shows us her struggles as Joe’s journey leaves her at home to lull herself to sleep with wine and cigarettes. But there’s still another youngster at home to raise. Maxwell Jenkins plays Jadin’s kid brother Joseph, who must deal with the family forces beyond his young mind. It’s a subtle sensitive performance, as “little Joe” must assume a more active role in keeping the Bells unified. Oh, and there’s a lovely “late in the story” supporting work by Gary Sinise as an unlikely kindred soul Joe encounters on that long road.

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green keeps the story moving at a brisk pace for most of its sparse 90 minutes, guiding his entire cast to good effect, and makes effective use of the varied landscapes and atmosphere, giving us a taste of all the seasons. The screenplay from Diana Ossana and Larry McMurty never hammers at the heartstrings, though the film almost sinks into melodramatic misery. With that modest runtime, a few more minutes could have been added to give us more insight. Just how does Joe convince his home area to fund his mission (though kudos for showing the ugly side of villages too often “sugar-coated” in the media, from Bedford Falls to Mayberry)? We get bits of Joe’s clunky speeches, but when he nearly gives up, we don’t get much of a listen to Joe’s “second wind” as he must face a packed school gym. Plus a silly mid-film “twist” borrowed from thrillers feels a bit tacky. The film overflows with good intentions but often comes off as a slightly grittier basic cable movie, though strengthened with Wahlberg’s star charisma (usually he saves his more serious work for the Fall). And it doesn’t help that another big “franchise” star is “dressing down” more successfully in an upcoming flick as a “working stiff” (and what does Joe do for a living). Still, the film’s message is delivered with heart and “shoe leather” by the quiet gentleman named JOE BELL.

2.5 Out of 5

JOE BELL opens in select theatres on Friday, July 23, 2021

RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT – Review

“Hey you guys!!!” And at the risk of either being non-inclusive or sexist, “you gals, too”! There’s a new feature-length documentary arriving in theatres this weekend that certainly breaks the preconceived notions of what many consider “film homework”. Yes, there are a considerable amount of “talking heads”, but the movie is far from “dull and dry”. Now, that’s due in large part to the doc’s subject matter (hence all those “talkers” on camera). This is a prime example of this film genre’s popular “subset”, the “show biz” documentary. Last year saw two great entertainment profiles on the Go-Go’s, the Bee Gees, and Natalie Wood. Now, this look at the life and career of one of the latter’s co-stars will no doubt earn similar accolades this year (along with another out today). Speaking of accolades, this lady’s amassed so many, even joining the elite group known as EGOTs (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winners). And after nearly eighty years in the “biz called show,” she’s still wowing audiences. But somehow, she still holds on to a good deal of modesty. That may account for the profile’s full title, RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT. Hang on, because she’s not slowin’ down, you guys!!

In the film’s opening scenes we encounter the magical Ms. Moreno as she prepares for Her own big birthday party, making decorations alongside her only daughter Fernanda (and laughingly saying that a truly big star would have hired someone for these tasks). Cut to the big “old school” “wing-ding” as Ms. M joins the hired entertainment, cutting a rug with the much-younger dancers. After some praise from another media legend, Norman Lear, the filmmakers delve into Moreno’s colorful history, told by the lady herself. Truly a rags-to-riches fable, Rita tells us of her idyllic early years in her birthplace of Humacao, Puerto Rico. At barely five years of age, Rita accompanies her now single seamstress mother Rosa Maria to a new life in the states, taking a crowded boat to NYC (Rita says she never saw her left-behind-with papa younger brother again). Rosa knew her daughter was gifted and “hitched a ride’ on her own rising star. While most youngsters her age were centered on school, she was singing and dancing in swanky supper clubs and night spots. It’s then that the film abruptly returns to the “now” as we follow Rita on a “working day” (still before the cameras when most retired), up at dawn, driving herself to Sony Studios for a long “tape day” on the Lear-produced sitcom revival for Netflix of “One Dat at a Time”. It’s then back to her history, as Rita and her mama somehow score a meeting with MGM head Louis Mayer during his Big Apple visit. He’s impressed (“She’s a Spanish Liz Taylor”), and Rita is under contract (her fifth film is SINGING IN THE RAIN). But after that career high point, she’s regulated to supporting parts, slathered in brown makeup and long jet black hair, as the exotic native girls, brushed aside for the blonde Anglo leading ladies. And outside the sound stages, Rita must deal with lecherous older men (that Harry Cohn) and abusive directors. The next decade in film finally gives her a chance to shine as she is awarded a Supporting Actress Oscar for WEST SIDE STORY. But the good roles didn’t immediately fly her way as she deals with a tempestuous love affair with Marlon Brando that nearly destroys her. But Rita finds a loyal hubby in Dr. Leonard Cohan and begins a family as she conquers TV ( the cult PBS TV fave “The Electric Company” in the early 70s) and Broadway, getting a Tony as the campy Googie Gomez in 1975’s “The Ritz” (a movie version followed in 1976). The Awards keep coming as Rita continues her political work in DC (we see lots of 60s archival footage of her alongside MLK), and she assumes the role of Latin-American icon. What a life this lady has lived!

This cinema love letter is deftly crafted by director Mariem Perz Riera utilizing an incredible amount of movie clips that will delight cinephiles and TV fans (look, Rita’s dancing for Zorro). One unique device used to illustrate the transitions in Rita’s life story is animations of her as a classic toy of yore, the paper doll. The pixelation of paper cut-outs show her at different ages donning all manner of costume and clothing to reflect the eras and her many roles. And then there are those “talking heads”, an amazing gathering of stars from Hollywood’s “Golden Age” like Mitzi Gaynor, who had to go on “studio dates” with other “contract player” (we see many awkwardly staged stills of the couples having a “fun night on the town”). Luckily we also hear from several of her co-stars like her “Bernardo” and Oscar night co-winner George Chakiris and direct from “The Electric Company, “Easy Reader’ himself, Morgan Freeman (the clips from that kids’ classic show Rita’s superb comic talents, with the “glamour gal” transforming into a broad, mugging, but still charming, clown). Plus there are also those inspired by the icon like Lin-Manuel Miranda (who “name-checks” her in the new film of his IN THE HEIGHTS) to Eva Longoria who tells of her own struggles with producers wanting her to “spice up” her roles. Oh, and there’s even another EGOT, as Whoopi Goldberg joins the admirers (was hoping for my favorite EGOT, Mel Brooks, to drop in, alas…). But more entertaining and compelling than all of them is the lady herself. Her reflections to the camera are often a brilliant acting lesson, shifting quickly from one character to another (her grumbling mother becomes a snooty hotel clerk). Her tales are often hilarious (Yul Brynner tells her that her role in THE KING AND I is boring…and Rita agrees) to harrowing (she’s nearly ravaged at a daytime party for a whiskey distiller). Most interesting may be her romantic encounters, like a fling with the King, Elvis Presley. But the most complex is Brando, which consumed her to the point of attempting suicide (after a botched abortion he arranged). She now mocks him in her one-woman show, yet still keeps a photo of her with him (dressed as Napoleon) amongst her family portraits and snapshots. She seems to have a more stable relationship with her husband Gordon, but Rita tells of the stumbles and reveals that his death left her feeling more liberated than devastated. Her passion for current affairs is also shown (she’s watching the Brett Kavanaugh hearings while having breakfast in her TV dressing room). The biggest surprise may be her saying that she’s completely exhausted after the big “tape day” at Sony. It’s a flip on the talk show cliche of actors saying they never wish to retire as she appears to somewhat regret taking on such a big project in this point in her life (or maybe it was an unusually trying day). Oh, but there’s no “throwing in the towel” for the film’s finale since it’s far from her career’s fade-out. She’s got a small role, written in just for her, in Steven Spielberg’s big-screen remake of WEST SIDE STORY, which will be out in December, just in time for her 90th birthday. Now that’s something to celebrate, much like the wonderful RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT. Oh, how lucky are we that she “loves it here in ‘Am-air-i-kaaa!!”.

3.5 Out of 4 Stars

RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT opens in select theatres and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at the Hi-Pointe Theatre and Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas on Friday, June 18, 2021

Roadside Attractions Releasing Roland Emmerich’s STONEWALL On September 25

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Courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Roadside Attractions will release STONEWALL, a drama about the 1969 Stonewall riots that started America’s LGBT rights movement, on September 25, 2015.

Written by Jon Robin Baitz and directed by Roland Emmerich, both out gay men, the film stars Jeremy Irvine and newcomer Jonny Beauchamp, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ron Perlman.

Emmerich, who also produced the film, says, “I was always interested and passionate about telling this important story, but I feel it has never been more timely than right now.” Less than 50 years ago, in 1969, being gay was considered a mental illness; gay people could not be employed by the government; it was illegal for gay people to congregate, and police brutality against gays went unchecked. Today, thanks to the events set in motion by the Stonewall riots, the gay rights movement continues to make incredible strides towards equality. In the past several weeks alone, the Boy Scouts of America has moved to lift its ban on gay leaders, the Pentagon will allow transgender people to serve openly in the military, and SCOTUS has declared that same-sex marriage is legal nationwide in all 50 states.

“It was the first time gay people said ‘Enough!'” explains Emmerich. “They didn’t do it with leaflets or meetings, they took beer bottles and threw them at cops. Many pivotal political moments have been born by violence. If you look at the civil rights movement, at Selma and other events of that kind, it’s always the same thing. Stonewall was the first time gay people stood up and they did it in their own way. Something that really affected me when I read about Stonewall was that when the riot police showed up in their long line, these kids formed their own long line and sang a raunchy song. That, for me, was a gay riot, a gay rebellion.”

“What struck me was that there was a story in there, which I felt had an important message – it’s the people who had the least to lose who did the fighting, not the politically active people. It was the kids that went to this club that consisted of hustlers and Scare Queens, and all kinds of people that you think would never resist the police, and they did it.” And the events they set in motion would have a profound impact on the future.

Photo by Philippe Bosse
Photo by Philippe Bosse

STONEWALL is a drama about a fictional young man caught up during the 1969 Stonewall riots. Danny Winters (Jeremy Irvine) is forced to leave behind friends and loved ones when he is kicked out of his parent’s home and flees to New York. Alone in Greenwich Village, homeless and destitute, he befriends a group of street kids who soon introduce him to the local watering hole The Stonewall Inn; however, this shady, mafia-run club is far from a safe-haven. As Danny and his friends experience discrimination, endure atrocities and are repeatedly harassed by the police, we see a rage begin to build. This emotion runs through Danny and the entire community of young gays, lesbians and drag queens who populate the Stonewall Inn and erupts in a storm of anger. With the toss of a single brick, a riot ensues and a crusade for equality is born.

Written by Jon Robin Baitz (“Brothers & Sisters” creator/writer), STONEWALL is produced by Roland Emmerich (one of Hollywood’s premier filmmakers, currently filming Independence Day: Resurgence, the follow-up to the worldwide smash), Michael Fossat, Marc Frydman, and Carsten Lorenz; and executive producers are Kirstin Winkler, Adam Press and Michael Roban. The film stars Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), Jonny Beauchamp (“Penny Dreadful”), Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class), Joey King (White House Down) up-and-comers Karl Glusman, Vlademir Alexis, and Alexandre Nachi as well as veteran actor Matt Craven, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Match Point, “The Tudors”) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy.)

The STONEWALL creative team includes Director of Photography, Markus Förderer; Production Designer, Michelle Laliberté; Editor Adam Wolfe; and Costume Designer, Simonetta Mariano.

The film was shot in and around Montreal, including Lachine and Howick, Quebec. Roland Emmerich and his production team re-created “the village” in Manhattan circa 1969 in a former train repair facility in Montreal. The elaborate set included the detailed, authentic recreation of the interior and exterior of the Stonewall Inn and the entire Christopher Street neighborhood. It also featured the largest printed backdrop ever created which added in the final element of the skyline for both daytime and nighttime shots. During the filming of the riot scenes with over 500 extras in period costumes and the detailed recreation of the neighborhood, stepping onto the set was like taking a time machine back to New York City in the late 60’s.

Ian McKellen is Sherlock Holmes In New Trailer For Bill Condon’s MR HOLMES

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Ian McKellen leads a stellar cast including Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy, Roger Allam, Frances de la Tour, Phil Davis and newcomer Milo Parker in Bill Condon’s MR HOLMES. The film reunites McKellen with director Bill Condon after their collaboration on the Academy Award-winning GODS AND MONSTERS.

Based on the novel A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin, the intriguing premise for MR HOLMES reimagines Sherlock Holmes as a real person whose adventures have been turned into best-selling novels by his friend and partner Dr John Watson. Now old and in failing health, the famously rational detective is forced to engage for the first time with his emotions as his mental powers dwindle.

One of the key elements that made MR HOLMES such a pleasure for Bill Condon was the opportunity of reuniting with Ian McKellen after the success of Gods and Monsters. In both films, the focus is an elderly man – hugely famous in this film, of cult notoriety in the earlier film – forced to face up to his disintegrating mind and impending mortality, and how he finds solace in the burgeoning friendship with a younger person in the prime of their physical and mental health.

“Having made Gods and Monsters 17 years ago, Ian and I had always wanted to work together again and I had never found anything I ever thought worthy of sending to him. When I read this script, I thought this would be great for him and was so thrilled when I got the call back that he said it was a part and a half and he jumped right in as he did on Gods and Monsters. We were joking that when we did Gods and Monsters he was in his mid-late 50s playing James Whale towards the end of his life and now here in his 70s he’s playing Holmes at 93. I do have this knack for making him older than he is so we were saying all that is left is Methuselah which we can do when Ian is 90.”

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McKellen was intrigued by the slow burn of the story. “It’s a mystery, a thriller,” explains the actor. “We find Holmes aged 93 living in retirement in the south of England where he keeps bees and is looked after by his housekeeper who has a son. That’s the beginning of it. The story creeps up on you and gets more complicated as it unfolds.”

The film’s score is by Carter Burwell (GODS AND MONSTERS). Watch a clip from the movie HERE.

MR. HOLMES will open in theaters this Summer.

For more on the film, visit:
http://facebook.com/mrholmesfilm
http://twitter.com/mrholmesfilm (@mrholmesfilm)
http://instagram.com/mrholmesfilm (@mrholmesfilm)

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Roadside Attractions Acquires US Rights To Fred Schepisi’s WORDS AND PICTURES Starring Clive Owen And Juliette Binoche

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Following its acclaimed world premiere as a Gala Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival, Roadside Attractions has acquired US rights to director Fred Schepisi’s adult romance, WORDS AND PICTURES, written by Gerald Di Pego and starring Oscar nominee Clive Owen (KILLER ELITE, BLOOD TIES) and Oscar winner Juliette Binoche (THE ENGLISH PATIENT, CHOCOLAT).

The film is produced by Latitude Productions’ Curtis Burch in association with Dallas-based Lascaux Films. Nancy Rae Stone serves as executive producer.

A writer whose talent has dried up (Owen) and an artist (Binoche), struggling to paint as her body betrays her, clash at the school where they teach, sparking both a flamboyant courtship and a school-wide war: which is more powerful, the Word or the Picture?

“Fred Schepisi’s charming film WORDS AND PICTURES features great performances by Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche — in an uplifting, crowd-pleasing film about teachers who change the lives of both their students and each other with their passions for learning, life and the arts,” said Roadside Attractions’ co-President Howard Cohen.

Producer Curtis Burch said “After having received such fantastic responses from audiences in Toronto, we are thrilled to have made a deal with Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff and their world-class Roadside Attractions. Our movie is in excellent hands.”

The deal was negotiated by Roadside’s Cohen and CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.

Voltage Pictures is handling international rights to the film and presented the project to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Lionsgate And Roadside Attractions Score ARBITRAGE

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have together acquired U.S. distribution rights to Nicholas Jarecki’s ARBITRAGE. The announcement was made jointly by Steve Beeks, President and Co-COO of Lionsgate, and by Roadside Attractions’ Co-Presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff.  The acquisition was made following the well-received world premiere of the film at the Sundance International Film Festival.

ARBITRAGE is a taut and alluring suspense thriller about love, loyalty, and high finance starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth, Brit Marling, Laetitia Casta, and Nate Parker. The film was written and directed by Nicholas Jarecki, and is his first narrative feature. It was produced by Laura Bickford (Traffic, Duplicity), Kevin Turen, Justin Nappi, and Robert Salerno (A Single Man), and executive produced by Brian Young, Mohammed Al Turki, Lisa Wilson, Stanislaw Tyczynski, Lauren Versel, Maria Teresa Areda and Ron Curtis.

ARBITRAGE will be a Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions release, continuing the strong partnership between the two companies that led to the success of last year’s MARGIN CALL, also released by both companies.  Also acquired at Sundance, that film struck a chord in the zeitgeist and was a commercial success in both its theatrical and VOD release formats.  It was also nominated for an Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay. The two companies have also jointly acquired EVERYTHING MUST GO and FRIENDS WITH KIDS.

“We are thrilled that we’ve found another film that is such a perfect fit for a Lionsgate / Roadside partnered release,” said Lionsgate’s President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions Jason Constantine. “ARBITRAGE is an incredible directorial debut by Nicholas Jarecki.  Richard Gere gives one of the best performances of his extraordinary career. Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth, Nate Parker, Brit Marling and Laetitia Casta all turn in incredible supporting performances. The film is an intense thriller set against the backdrop of a very specific time and place on Wall Street, but it’s also more than that- it shows so poignantly how interconnected we all are, and how a series of choices by a few people can affect so many.”

“This is a knockout performance by Richard Gere in Nicholas Jarecki’s smart and twisty Wall Street thriller. Following our great experience on MARGIN CALL, Roadside is thrilled to partner again with Lionsgate on another zeitgeisty film for grownups,” said Roadside Co-Presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff.

Added director Nicholas Jarecki, “I am overjoyed to be working with Roadside and Lionsgate and their pioneering teams. From the first day of this film I’ve felt an invisible hand guiding our luck forward; it was the collective dedication of our actors, crew, and now our new releasing partners. I can’t wait for people to see Richard and the cast’s beautiful, hauntingly electric work on-screen.” 

Graham Taylor at WME Global negotiated deal on behalf of the filmmakers, with attorney Linda Lichter of Lichter Grossman Nichols Adler & Feldman. The deal was negotiated on behalf of Lionsgate by Beeks and Constantine with Eda Kowan, SVP of Acquisitions, Wendy Jaffe, EVP Business and Legal Affairs, and Ron Schwartz, General Manager and EVP of Home Entertainment Distribution.

ARBITRAGE, the feature directorial debut of writer Nicholas Jarecki, is a taut and alluring suspense thriller about love, loyalty, and high finance. When we first meet New York hedge-fund magnate Robert Miller (Richard Gere) on the eve of his 60th birthday, he appears the very portrait of success in American business and family life. But behind the gilded walls of his mansion, Miller is in over his head, desperately trying to complete the sale of his trading empire to a major bank before the depths of his fraud are revealed. Struggling to conceal his duplicity from loyal wife Ellen (Susan Sarandon) and brilliant daughter and heir-apparent Brooke (Brit Marling), Miller’s also balancing an affair with French art-dealer Julie Cote (Laetitia Casta). Just as he’s about to unload his troubled empire, an unexpected bloody error forces him to juggle family, business, and crime with the aid of Jimmy Grant (Nate Parker), a face from Miller’s past. One wrong turn ignites the suspicions of NYPD Detective Michael Bryer (Tim Roth), who will stop at nothing in his pursuits. Running on borrowed time, Miller is forced to confront the limits of even his own moral duplicity. Will he make it out before the bubble bursts?

ARBITRAGE is written and directed by Nicholas Jarecki and stars Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth, Brit Marling, Laetitia Casta and Nate Parker. Stuart Margolin, Chris Eigeman and Bruce Altman co-star and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter appears as James Mayfield. Laura Bickford, Kevin Turen, Justin Nappi and Robert Salerno produced the project, with Brian Young, Mohammed Al Turki, Lisa Wilson, Stanislaw Tyczynski, Lauren Versel, Maria Teresa Areda and Ron Curtis serving as executive producers. The Arbitrage creative team includes director of photography Yorick Le Saux (I Am Love, Carlos), production designer Beth Mickle (Drive), editor Douglas Crise (Babel), costume designer Joe Aulisi (Charlie’s Angels, Taking Woodstock) and composer Cliff Martinez (Drive, Contagion).

About Roadside Attractions

Roadside Attractions is a film distribution company committed to championing independent films with a willingness to entertain. The company’s 2009 release, THE COVE, captured the Academy Award® for Best Feature Documentary, and in 2010,  its 6 Oscar® nominations  — four, including Best Picture, for Debra Granik’s WINTER’S BONE, and two, including Best Foreign Language Film, for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s BIUTIFUL, solidified its major position on the distributor landscape.   In 2011, Roadside Attractions released J.C. Chandor’s Oscar®-nominated MARGIN CALL starring Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Paul Bettany and Jeremy Irons; along with Robert Redford’s THE CONSPIRATOR starring James McAvoy and Robin Wright; Oscar®-winning filmmaker James Marsh’s PROJECT NIM; Miranda July’s THE FUTURE and Maryam Keshavarz’s CIRCUMSTANCE. Up next is the Academy Award® contender ALBERT NOBBS starring Glenn Close and Janet McTeer, which garnered three Oscar® nominations, three Golden Globe nominations and two SAG Award nominations; followed by FRIENDS WITH KIDS with a stellar ensemble cast including Adam Scott, Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, ChrisO’Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns.