« March 2008 | Main | May 2008 »
Once in a while a film comes along which tries to be bold, daring, and provocative while still retaining enough "warm and fuzzy" to appeal to American audiences. The result is usually a self-indulgent train wreck that smacks of too many engineers in the locomotive. First time writer/director Dan Castle attempts it in Newcastle, and the result will leave audiences wide-eyed with amazement.
The setting is a section of Australia flanked by the sound of heavy industry on one side and the crash of some of the best waves in the world on the other. It is here that a complex family drama is played out, with three brothers caught in a struggle for individual freedom and respect from each other. Older brother Victor has seen his championship surfing days come and go, so it's no wonder he harbors some resentment towards his 17-year-old brother Jesse, on the rise to becoming a champion himself. Jesse's twin brother Fergus throws everyone for a loop with his ever-changing hair color and enigmatic personality. Dad tries to hold it all together but, like any working class parent, struggles to find the time to even be present enough to make a difference. An assortment of surfer guys and gals adds even more peer pressure, and what starts out as a beach outing becomes a defining moment for everyone.
That said, Newcastle is anything but a film about surfing. Yes, it was a requirement that the actors be able to surf, but most young Australians do anyway. So casting was not a problem. And it's this brilliant ensemble cast that makes the multi-layered narrative work so well. Themes of parental responsibility, sibling rivalry, and unspoken sexuality revolve around a gritty coming-of-age story which, ultimately, is really more about brotherly love than anything else.
The story's true focus is on the relationships among the young men, specifically the two younger brothers and their feelings towards each other, their parents, their mates, and their girls, or guys, as the case may be. It's always hard to single anyone out in an ensemble cast but this film touches the heart more than anything by the performances of Lachlan Buchanan and Xavier Samuel as Jesse and Fergus. Their relationship is both heartening and heartbreaking in turn, and it only works because the onscreen chemistry is so palpable. Their commanding presence says that these guys have a bright future in cinema. Reshad Strik is riveting as the tortured older brother and Shane Jacobson shines as the father who is the antithesis of the typical American movie's working class brute of a dad - this guy has the heart of an ox. Kirk Jenkins (Andy), Ben Milliken (Nathan), and Israel Cannan (Scotty) are the core of the surfer mates - Cannan provides much of the film's comic relief (and contributes several songs to the soundtrack). All add nuances and layers to their characters which surface when one least expects it.
Production values belie the film's modest budget, with the polished look of a Hollywood movie from the first to last breaking wave. The soundtrack is killer, an absolute requirement for any film featuring competitive sports. Most of all, though, the cinematography is breathtaking. Richard Michalak's shots of surfers riding the waves, with his camera looking up from the ocean floor, had me shaking my head with wonder. It was like nothing I'd ever seen. I avoid spoilers at any cost but I feel confident in saying that there are several scenes which will bring tears to your eyes. Newcastle sets a new standard for underwater photography.
Various elements in the film, taken individually, aren't necessarily anything we haven't seen before. But it's the way Castle integrates them and the lengths to which he is willing to take them which makes Newcastle so refreshing. There is some content which may be too uncomfortable for theatergoers who have issues with male nudity and sexuality. Some scenes will likely have young guys squirming in their seats. But that didn't happen here at the Tribeca Film Festival screening, and perhaps America has progressed to the point that we can appreciate a film which dares to be different.
With Newcastle, Dan Castle pushes the boundaries of the typical American coming-of-age slash sports competition film (in this case, surfing). Perhaps he can do it because it is not, in fact, an American film at all but hails from Australia. Perhaps he can get away with it because it wasn't churned out by a Hollywood studio and didn't have the hand of the usual producers and distributors whose financing would undoubtedly come with strings attached. Or perhaps it's just because he had a vision and the tenacity to surround himself with others who wouldn't compromise. In the end, nothing is as it seems at first glance. Newcastle is a totally unexpected film at a time when there are far too few.
Posted by phileysmiley at 03:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Just in case you're wondering why there's been a paucity of posts on this blog recently (I hope you've noticed), allow me to explain.
The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival officially kicks off tomorrow morning with a press conference hosted by festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal, New York State Governor David Paterson, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and director/producer Doug Liman (Bourne Ultimatum). The day ends with red carpets and bright lights as the official Opening Night Film takes over the Ziegfeld Theater with Baby Mama, featuring the pairing of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Thursday begins 11 days of the best in world cinema, including a heavy dose of the American independent narrative films which are the focus of this blog. We can also expect to be treated with powerful documentaries and provocative foreign films, many of which have been Top Picks of previous festivals we've attended along with those indies.
Many more activities will take place both in and out of the spotlight, with a range of panels, parties, and special events on tap, as well as numerous media events which I've been invited to cover such as director roundtables and press conferences.
In previous years I've tried to attend and cover as much as I could, focusing on attending as many films as possible. This year will be no exception.
Which brings me back to the question posed at the outset. There have already been activities behind the scenes which have occupied a good deal of my time over the past couple of weeks, which should, hopefully, explain my absence from this blog as of late. It's not that I'm AWOL -- on the contrary. I have, in fact, seen 16 films in the last week alone as press screenings actually got underway over two weeks ago. It's been a sort of festival under wraps, as it were, with screenings of films that haven't yet premiered to the public for which reviews cannot be published yet. So...you're there and I'm here and my lips are sealed. Or my pen. Keyboard. Well, you get the idea.
I'm hoping to get a break enough to post some film recommendations, as I've seen some gems which are sure to be festival hits. Many public screenings are already sold out, although last minute "rush tickets" are usually available.
When I get a chance I'll post a bit more about how different my reporting will be this year as opposed to last, and especially from the last few festivals I attended this year during which I was able to post daily reports with capsule reviews of every film I saw. I won't be able to do that over the next couple of weeks but we'll figure out together what I can do. No matter what, it will be fun and exciting.
Posted by phileysmiley at 10:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Wackness, writer/director Jonathan Levine's followup to the highly anticipated (and still on the shelf) All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, will hit theaters on July 3. I caught a screening of the film last month during the SXSW Film Festival (although it was not officially part of it) and posted my review at the time.
Now we have the first official teaser trailer for The Wackness. Check it out. It's wack (sorry, couldn't resist).
Posted by phileysmiley at 05:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Being that this is a blog which focuses on independent films, I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to post any news about musician Sean Lennon. Well, now I do.
Lennon tells us that he has been cast in the new indie vampire comedy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead starring Jake Hoffman, Devon Aoki, Jeremy Sisto and Ralph Macchio. The film is being directed and written by a friend of Sean's, Jordan Galland.
Naturally, Sean has contributed music to the film and you can hear the first full song at the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead official site and click on the music note in the upper left corner.
Posted by phileysmiley at 11:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The on-again off-again saga of All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is apparently off again. To follow the ups and downs of this film's roller coaster distribution ride would take much too much time than you or I have right now. Briefly, last year the Weinstein Company and its arm Dimension Films, who had picked up the film at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, sold the North American theatrical distribution rights to German-based Senator Entertainment. This came just one week before the film's scheduled July 20 release.
Since Senator had never released a single film theatrically in the U.S., there was some speculation that the film would go straight-to-DVD -- Dimension retained the home video distribution rights. But Senator announced at the end of the year that they would give All the Boys Love Mandy Lane a wide release on 1,000-plus screens in early 2008. No specific date was ever made official, although January, February, March, April, and May were floated around as possible time frames (gee, I guess they wanted to cover all the bases, huh?).
Finally, a date of May 9 was tentatively announced. In fact, just a few weeks ago, at an Austin, Texas screening of his second film The Wackness, writer/director Jonathan Levine confirmed publicly that May 9 was the "hoped-for" release date.
Now word is circulating that a source at Senator Entertainment is saying that the May 9 release will not be happening. That same report said that August is now the "hoped-for" month. But other sources are denying that report.
Who to believe? The fact is, and I've been saying this here since last summer, there was NEVER an officially announced date. There were only potential time frames. But when someone at a distributor floats a date around it becomes official in the minds of the public if enough people say it is.
I've spoken with many sources associated with the film and never post anything unless it's official. But that's just me. The only thing I can tell you for sure is that nobody associated with the film knows what is going on. And that's the truth.
Posted by phileysmiley at 01:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I attended the World Premiere of Cook County at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. Anson Mount (The Battle of Shaker Heights, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) and Ryan Donowho (Imaginary Heroes, The O.C.) play cousins traveling down a path of meth-fueled self-destruction. Cook County is a masterful work which kept me guessing right until the end.
Earlier, I posted my review. Here are some pictures I shot at the exciting Q&A which followed the screening, at which writer/director David Pomes was joined by stars Polly Cole (Lucy), Anson Mount (Bump), and Ryan Donowho (Abe).
Pictured (from left to right) are Pomes, Mount, Cole, and Donowho.
Click thumbnails to enlarge
Posted by phileysmiley at 06:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
If you've turned on your television lately chances are you've seen the commercials for The Forbidden Kingdom. We've covered the film extensively on this blog for well over a year, posting each new set of stills, posters, and trailers as they've been rolled out.
The official World Premiere of The Forbidden Kingdom will take place in Beijing on April 16. The film is being released in the US jointly by Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company on April 18. Maple Pictures releases in Canada the same day. The film expands worldwide on April 24. Rob Minkoff directed from a John Fusco script. Casey Silver produces.
The Forbidden Kingdom also "previews" at the Philadelphia Film Festival on April 11 and 13. I'll be at the April 11 screening -- watch for my report.
Posted by phileysmiley at 07:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Recently Leonard Maltin sat down with Anton Yelchin to talk about the release of Charlie Bartlett but couldn't resist wandering into Star Trek territory. Although Anton had discussed his role as Chekov in the upcoming J.J. Abrams-directed project before, this is the most in-depth he's been willing to go.
The film, originally due to be released Christmas 2008, has been pushed back to May 8, 2009.
Posted by phileysmiley at 05:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Michael Welch is currently filming Twilight, based on Stephanie Meyers’ best-selling novel. The versatile young actor will be seen in five projects being unveiled in April and May. They include two theatrical releases, Remember the Daze and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, the DVD release of Day of the Dead, the Showtime premiere of An American Crime, and a four-episode arc on the FX series The Riches.
On Tuesday night, April 8, the critically acclaimed FX series The Riches launches a four-episode arc featuring Welch. As Ike, a security guard who develops a friendship with Shannon Marie Woodward, he can be seen in the episodes Slums of Bayou Hills on April 8, Trust Never Sleeps on April 15, Dead Calm on April 22, and The Lying King on April 29.
April 8 is also the day Steve Miner’s Day of the Dead can be brought home on DVD. Welch plays the love interest of AnnaLynne McCord (Nip/Tuck). Mena Suvari also stars. When the world is overrun by the flesh-hungry dead a small group of survivors head to an underground military bunker in a last ditch effort to stay alive, and the George Romero tradition lives on.
Remember the Daze, from first time writer-director Jess Manafort, hits theaters in limited release on Friday, April 11, from First Look International. Michael plays Stephen, a rocker with dyed blue hair, who joins his fellow graduating class of 1999 as they make their way through the last day of high school in the teenage wasteland of suburbia. Amber Heard also stars.
May brings a couple of long-awaited film festival favorites to both the big and small screen. On May 9, Jonathan Levine’s All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which wowed audiences at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, will be released wide on over 1000 screens through Senator Entertainment. I attended the World Premiere and chose the film as one of my Top Picks of the 2006-2007 festival season. As Emmet, Michael longs to win the heart of Mandy Lane. The film again pairs Welch with Amber Heard.
May 10 marks the Showtime debut of the highly anticipated 2007 Sundance Film festival hit An American Crime. It also made my list of Top Picks after I attended the World Premiere at Sundance. Tommy O’Haver wrote and directed this fact-based drama about incidents which took place in the Indiana home of suburban housewife Gertrude Baniszewski in 1965. Catherine Keener stars alongside Ellen Page (Juno) as Sylvia Likens. Michael plays Teddy Lewis, a neighborhood boy who bears witness to the horrific crimes.
Welch has several more projects on the horizon. He co-stars with Eliza Dushku and John Savage in The Thacker Case and joins a brilliant ensemble cast in the 2008 Sundance hit American Son. In Lost Dream, Welch has his most significant starring role to date as Perry, the college student son of a corrupt Congressman, who has lost faith in his family and future. I was fortunate to catch an early screening of the film last summer. Michael Welch and Shaun Sipos are riveting in this shockingly provocative film. Welch’s performance had me shaking my head in wonder. It’s hard to imagine anyone else bringing writer-director Asif Ahmed’s ripped-from-the-headlines tale to life with more passion. This is a star-making role and Welch proves that his time has come.
From premium cable to home video to the cinema, Michael Welch’s presence will be seen and heard across America in the coming months. His star is truly on the rise.
Posted by phileysmiley at 12:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Powered by Movable Type 3.2. Valid XHTML too, and we got an RSS Feed.
PROnetworks Blog is a fully owned subsidiary of the Hawaiian Style Organization LLC
