Review: ‘The Artist’s Wife’ creates drama through truth.

 

Claire (Lena Olin) lives a domestic life in the Hamptons as the wife of celebrated artist Richard Smythson (Bruce Dern). Once a promising painter herself, Claire now lives in the shadow of her husband’s illustrious career. While preparing work for his final show, Richard’s moods become increasingly erratic, and he is diagnosed with dementia. As his memory and behavior deteriorate, she shields his condition from the art community while trying to reconnect him with his estranged daughter and grandson from a previous marriage. Challenged by the loss of her world as she knew it, Claire must now decide whether to stand with Richard on the sidelines or step into the spotlight herself.

Lena Olin and Bruce Dern star in Tom Dolby‘s newest film The Artist’s Wife. While Olin plays the wife of a world-renowned artist, the film is centered on her. She has clearly given her entire life to serve and care and nourish her husband’s talent, but her emotional patience has finally run out, and rightfully so. Olin’s performance is like watching a masterclass in acting because it is not “acting”, she is living in this role. Her effortless grace and honesty explode off the screen. Dern, ever the master himself, brings precision and sadness to his character’s circumstance that you will love and hate him all at once. It is captivating.

The screenplay by Dolby, Nicole Branding, and Andi Nazemian about is a woman’s reawakening and the pressures of a caretaker. It skillfully highlights perceived gender roles. At some points actually taking an ax to them. The exploration of the ripple effects of dementia on a family unit certainly rings true. The manic behavior, the confusion, the disdain, and anger all come to a head. It’s tragic and very real.

The cinematography is beautiful. The soundtrack is a spectacular collection of indie hits. I especially adored the placement of Us by Regina Spektor. It’s joyful and perfect. The Artist’s Wife is about loss. But it is also about self-care. It is about sacrifice. Tom Dolby has presented us with a complex look at the human spirit through art and love. You will be entranced from every perspective.

September 25 release date in select theaters and on VOD.

**Official Selection **
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Mill Valley Film Festival Hamptons Film Festival
Whistler Film Festival

RT: 95 min

Oldenburg Film Festival 2020 review: ‘Buck Alamo- A Phantasmagorical Ballad’ sings its way into your soul.

Eli Cody is walking on unsteady feet towards the end of his life. The singing cowboy who calls himself Buck Alamo has pretty much hurt all the people he loved and who loved him. After his doctor tells him that any day could be his last, Buck and his loyal dog Chester go on an odyssey throughout Texas to beg forgiveness of friends and his two daughters and several friends… as well as to relive some of the good old days.

To adore the look of this film is to be, perhaps unknowingly, a cinephile. The black and white cinematography begs for your attention, as does the handheld camera work and editing. Bathed in natural light, you cannot help but be completely enamored with Buck Alamo- A Phantasmagoriacal Ballad from the very beginning. Then color kicks in. Simply beautiful. It screams authenticity. The score has a quaint and sometimes ominous feel that is delightfully matched with the plot.  Our leading man pours every ounce of himself into this role. Once he’s given a death sentence by his doctor, he seems to make amends with his children who want nothing to do with him. He does his best to come to terms with the state of his life through music and storytelling.

The entire ensemble is incredibly talented. There is no doubt they are all perfectly cast. Sonny Carl Davis as Buck is spectacular. This is the kind of performance actors work their entire lives to achieve. It’s complex, nuanced, sympathetic, and devastating. He is a joy to watch. Bruce Dern plays death with the eagerness of a teenager and the fire of an ancient being. He is a legend perfectly matched with Davis.

Oldenburg Film Festival is lucky to share this feature’s World Premiere. Buck Alamo is a family affair, made with love, attention, and creativity. It directly begs the question of legacy. As the music ramps up, so does the plot. This film lives and dies in those musical numbers. And I can easily attest, Buck Alamo – A Phantasmagorical Ballad is very much alive and kicking, ladies and gentlemen. Sit back, relax, and take in all the glory of this incredibly unique viewing experience.

 

Ben Epstein‘s directorial debut is a man‘s poetic journey into his own past – full of music, zest for life, and melancholy. Led by a lifetime performance by the great Sonny Carl Davis (Thelma and Louise) and supported by the wonderful Lorelei Linklater, whom we witnessed growing up during her father Richard‘s Academy Award-winning film BoyhoodBuck Alamo lets us dive into an America whose proverbial dream might be dying on the vine, but still lives on in the hearts of its people. A musical – acid western narrated by Hollywood legend Bruce Dern, which unloads its existential chamber like a Texas folk song

Review: ‘BADLAND’ – a western gone south.

BADLAND

More than a decade after the Civil War, a nation tries to rebuild as an outlaw faction takes root across the West. Gunslinging detective Matthias Breecher (Kevin Makely) is hired by one of the first African American Senators (Tony Todd) to track down the worst of the Confederate war criminals (Trace Adkins, Bruce Dern and Jeff Fahey), with nothing more than his wits and his revolver. As he roams the Old West seeking justice, his resolve is tested when he meets a determined pioneer woman (Mira Sorvino) who is far more than she seems. As the lawless converge on this lawman, death is inevitable in a terrain that welcomes no stranger.

Badland is a post civil war western written and directed by Justin Lee. The cinematography is perfect for the genre. Typical western tropes of honorable, gun-slinging hero on horseback and trigger-happy villains are what kept me watching. I was admittedly a bit distracted by the formality of the dialogue. It didn’t feel gritty enough for the time period and at points, I thought I was watching a Hallmark movie. While the actors make the best of it, I found it more difficult to fully immerse myself in a genre I typically enjoy. Because of this, Badland played like a stage play. Over the top line readings and slow pacing between dialogue led to an unnatural feel in exchanges. Ironically, I would watch this on a stage! It looks gorgeous from the sets to the costumes. I must give credit to Jeff Fahey in his role as Huxley Wainright. He is most definitely the highlight of this film. He fills the screen with his presence and makes everything work, finally. The story is presented in 4 chapters. I did get my fist fights, shoot outs, and classic love story but ultimately felt like Lee’s script could have used a good editor and another pass.

from Cinedigm, BADLAND opens in theaters and on-demand on November 1st.

Badland stars Kevin Makely (Big Legend), Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite), Trace Adkins (Hickok, I Can Only Imagine), Bruce Dern (Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood), Tony Todd (The Final Destination), Wes Studi (The Last of the Mohicans) and Jeff Fahey (“Lost”).

Written and directed by Justin Lee, BADLAND is set in the unincorporated areas of the West, where renegade factions have replaced law and order. Co-stars include Amanda Wyss (“Highlander”) and Ryan Kelley (“Teen Wolf”).

Christmas Day Must See: ‘The Hateful Eight’ keeps you in the dark while in a bright white blizzard

In THE HATEFUL EIGHT, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…

As you may guess, Samuel L. Jackson is brightest star, but his presence is the foundation of the other fantastic performances that bring together The Hateful Eight. With such a history behind the cast, it’s fun to hear Kurt Russell talk about his scene with Michael Madsen: “Snake Plissken is challenging Mr Blonde. Holy shit!”

A rising star, Walton Goggins has been making a name for himself as a very versatile actor, with roles in Predators, and the FX shows Justified and Sons of Anarchy. He also has another western coming out this January starring opposite Scott Eastwood and Danny Glover in Diablo. He has a swagger and personability that’s striking.

The Hateful Eight has many differences from Tarantino’s previous work, but none more noticeable than the score. There are only two songs (one Apple Blossom by The White Stripes) and the rest is musical score from the legendary Ennio Morricone. I recently traveled through Nashville and picked up a copy of the soundtrack on vinyl from Third Man Records. I can’t wait to get home and check it out.

Also unlike his other films, this one has much more drama and suspense. Tarantino talks about how suspense is like a rubber band: “If I can stretch that rubber band to 25 minutes and it still holds and doesn’t snap, then it should be better. Part of that rubber band is the threat of violence hanging over the characters. Violence doesn’t even need to happen but you’re prepared for it.”

I recommend seeing the 70mm roadshow if you can. Quentin Tarantino wanted it to be “like Neil Diamond coming to town.” There’s a beautiful grittiness to film and it’s something that’s not really noticed until you switch back to digital. My biggest issue with 70mm showing is the intermission. I don’t like upsetting the flow of the story. I would prefer to continue being in the onscreen world without interruption. C’est la vie.

I love that Tarantino is creating an experience with this film. It’s being show in the format in which he shot, 70mm, and whether you’re a fan or not, you’ve got to respect his commitment to film. He’s got to a certain level of his career and he has a big studio (The Weinstein Company) backing him up. Could this lead to a resurgence of theaters showing the older format? Probably not. It’s very expensive and the theaters have to put up that cost. Even with rising ticket prices, there’s not enough to cover it. But it’s an event that won’t likely be duplicated.

Last but not least, Tarantino is not finished with westerns and would love to do a mini-series based on the Elmore Leonard novel, “Forty Lashes Less One,” based at the Yuma territorial prison. “If you’re going to call yourself a western director, you need to direct at least three.”

The Hateful Eight hits theaters December 25th, Christmas Day.

 

‘The Hateful Eight’ 70mm theater announcement – Roadshow features 8 different special programs & t-shirts (maybe)

IMG_4533-During a press conference today in New York, Quentin Tarantino announced that “44 markets and over 100 theaters” would show the 70mm version “for two weeks, exclusively for one week.” He went on to explain that sometimes if theaters were not capable, they would bring in screens and projectors.

Thomas from in70mm.com and I have been tracking the 70mm showings, but the new website has a much more extensive list.

Tickets on sale here: Tickets.thehatefuleight.com

Tarantino was very appreciative of the effort The Weinstein Company had put in getting the film out in 70mm. He explained that Warner Brothers tried to push 70mm for Christopher Nolan‘s Interstellar, but in the end, that was only show in a handful of theaters.

To mark the occasion, Quentin and TWC are commemorating the opening with the “12 Days of HATEFUL EIGHT Giveaways”, where each day a different HATEFUL EIGHT prize, memorabilia or once-in-a-lifetime experience will be given away to moviegoers who buy roadshow tickets in advance leading up to the Christmas day opening.

TWC and Tarantino’s presentation of THE HATEFUL EIGHT will mark the widest 70mm release that the industry has seen in over twenty years.  The film will open in 44 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Washington DC, Houston, Detroit, Phoenix, Seattle, Tampa, Minneapolis, Denver, Miami, Cleveland, Orlando, Sacramento, St. Louis, Portland, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Baltimore, San Diego, Nashville, Kansas City, San Antonio, West Palm Beach, Birmingham, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Austin, New Orleans, Providence, Knoxville, Santa Barbara, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver.  Quentin and cast members from THE HATEFUL EIGHT will be touring the country making surprise appearances in select cities at 70mm roadshow showings.

Not since the 1966 film KHARTOUM starring Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier has a film been shot in Ultra Panavision 70 format.  In 2012, TWC distributed Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed film THE MASTER in a similar 70mm format. Beloved by filmmakers and cinephiles for its wide-scope and high-resolution image quality, Ultra Panavision70mm stock captures nearly twice the landscape of the more common 35mm and digital styles.  Because of its unique quality and its importance to the art of filmmaking, Quentin, TWC, and a number of other major Hollywood directors and studios have negotiated deals with Kodak to continue production of 70mm and other film formats despite their higher costs and complexity of use.

The lead cast for THE HATEFUL EIGHT will include: Samuel L. Jackson (DJANGO UNCHAINED), Kurt Russell (ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK), Jennifer Jason Leigh (MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE), Walton Goggins (Justified), Demian Bichir (A BETTER LIFE), Tim Roth (RESERVOIR DOGS), Michael Madsen (RESERVOIR DOGS), and Bruce Dern (NEBRASKA). Written and directed by Tarantino, THE HATEFUL EIGHT is produced by Richard N. Gladstein, Stacey Sher and Shannon McIntosh.  Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein and Georgia Kacandes are executive producing, and Coco Francini and William Paul Clark are associate producing.

There are 8 different versions of the program featuring a different character in the middle of each one!

 

New Featurette: ‘The Hateful Eight’ has an all-star cast

thehateful8-teaser-poster

—————————-
THE HATEFUL EIGHT
—————————-
Release: December 25, 2015 (70 mm release), January 8, 2016 (nationwide)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Written By: Quentin Tarantino
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Channing Tatum
THE HATEFUL EIGHT

THE HATEFUL EIGHT

Synopsis:

In THE HATEFUL EIGHT, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate General
Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…

‘The Hateful Eight’ Character Posters Have Arrived

8fulheader

The Weinstein Company has released the posters for Quentin Tarantino’s new western The Hateful Eight and we have it for you below! Each poster features members of the lead cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern.

In The Hateful Eight, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…

Written and directed by Tarantino, The Hateful Eight is produced by long-time Tarantino collaborators Richard N. Gladstein, Stacey Sher and Shannon McIntosh. Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein and G. Mac Brown are The Hateful Eight’s executive producers, and Coco Francini and William Paul Clark are associate producers.

The Hateful Eight will be released in select theaters on December 25, 2015 with an exclusive two-week roadshow opening in 70mm. Following the two-week engagement, the film will open with a digital theatrical release nationwide on January 8, 2016, while continuing to be shown in 70mm as well.

The Full Cast and Plot of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful Eight’ Officially Revealed

bannerthehoatefulThe Weinstein Company today revealed the full official cast for Academy Award-winning writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming post-Civil War western, The Hateful Eight
The Hateful Eight are: Read More →