Nicolas Cage is eating well in the lead-up to releasing his first Western, The Old Way, and starring as the immortal vampire Dracula in the trailer for Chris McKay’s supernatural comedy Renfield. While Cage never goes out of style, he’s enjoying a resurgence akin to Hollywood sweetheart Brendan Fraser. Arguably, Cage could have his pick of any project. Still, he recently told /Film he’s eager to return to the world of Brian De Palma’s 1998 noir thriller Snake Eyes. Cage played Rick Santoro in the conspiracy-driven mystery, an Atlantic City police detective investigating the murder of a high-profile boxer. Could Cage and De Palma join forces for Snake Eyes 2? Never say never.
Speaking with /Film’s Jeremy Smith about myriad projects across his colorful career, Cage revealed that since they made Snake Eyes, he’s wanted to work with De Palma again.
“You know something? I’ve...
Speaking with /Film’s Jeremy Smith about myriad projects across his colorful career, Cage revealed that since they made Snake Eyes, he’s wanted to work with De Palma again.
“You know something? I’ve...
- 1/9/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Brian De Palma's energetic 1998 neo-noir/mystery "Snake Eyes" bears a lot of the filmmaker's famously serpentine aesthetic hallmarks. De Palma employs numerous split-screens, for instance, as well as long tracking shots and Pov scenes to mete out carefully eschewed information at just the right pace. Nicolas Cage plays an Atlantic City police detective who is visiting a friend, a naval commander played by Gary Sinise, while attending a high-profile boxing match. When one of the boxers is shot by a sniper (!), Cage springs into action immediately begins investigating who was where in a crowded arena. He zeroes in on a mysterious femme fatale in white (Carla Gugino). Naturally, the screenplay, by David Koepp, goes places a viewer doesn't expect. Luis Guzmán, Tamara Tunie, and Kevin Dunn play supporting roles.
"Snake Eyes" was not warmly received by critics, and was only a modest hit at the box office. It was...
"Snake Eyes" was not warmly received by critics, and was only a modest hit at the box office. It was...
- 1/6/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Clifford Irving, whose scheme to publish a phony autobiography of billionaire Howard Hughes, died after being admitted to hospice care. He was 87.
Irving's wife, Julie Irving, confirmed that he died Tuesday at a hospice near his Sarasota home, The New York Times reported. She said he had been admitted there after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about a week earlier.
A novelist of little note in 1971, Irving conned McGraw-Hill publishers into paying him a $765,000 advance for a book about the reclusive Hughes. His elaborate ruse created a sensation in the 1970s and stands as one of the all-time literary...
Irving's wife, Julie Irving, confirmed that he died Tuesday at a hospice near his Sarasota home, The New York Times reported. She said he had been admitted there after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about a week earlier.
A novelist of little note in 1971, Irving conned McGraw-Hill publishers into paying him a $765,000 advance for a book about the reclusive Hughes. His elaborate ruse created a sensation in the 1970s and stands as one of the all-time literary...
- 12/21/2017
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of the most audacious cons in history is aided by the certainty that no one would tell a lie so obvious.
A film about an outrageous hoax, based on a true story as told in a book written by the perpetrator of said hoax. With so many layers of reality between the actual events and their onscreen translation, should we assume everything in 2007’s The Hoax is accurate?
Perhaps the more important question is: does it matter?
My feeling is that a film’s first prerogative is to entertain. In any adaptation (whether from real life or another medium of fiction) concessions will be made to the necessity of visual drama. When real life is the model, I’m less concerned with accuracy so long as the film is never presented as evidence of the real events. (In other words, JFK is great drama. You can say it’s a great movie, but...
A film about an outrageous hoax, based on a true story as told in a book written by the perpetrator of said hoax. With so many layers of reality between the actual events and their onscreen translation, should we assume everything in 2007’s The Hoax is accurate?
Perhaps the more important question is: does it matter?
My feeling is that a film’s first prerogative is to entertain. In any adaptation (whether from real life or another medium of fiction) concessions will be made to the necessity of visual drama. When real life is the model, I’m less concerned with accuracy so long as the film is never presented as evidence of the real events. (In other words, JFK is great drama. You can say it’s a great movie, but...
- 4/20/2017
- by The Bitter Script Reader
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: This past Friday saw the release of Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro,” a documentary that speaks to our present moment through the writings and actions of the late James Baldwin. What other documentaries — recent or not — might help people better understand and / or respond to the state of the world today?
Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker
“The state of the world today” is too big a matter for any one documentary, because there’s no one state of things, there’s an overwhelming diversity of experiences — and the history of movies is as much the history of the ones that it doesn’t show.
This week’s question: This past Friday saw the release of Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro,” a documentary that speaks to our present moment through the writings and actions of the late James Baldwin. What other documentaries — recent or not — might help people better understand and / or respond to the state of the world today?
Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker
“The state of the world today” is too big a matter for any one documentary, because there’s no one state of things, there’s an overwhelming diversity of experiences — and the history of movies is as much the history of the ones that it doesn’t show.
- 2/6/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Remove Warren Beatty from the equation and expectations of “Rules Don’t Apply” — which he wrote, directed and stars in — would fit the outcome. A sweet, old-fashioned Hollywood romance that just so happens to involve Howard Hughes as a supporting character, Beatty’s long-gestating project is a modestly enjoyable, well-acted nostalgia piece with just a touch of edge. As passion projects go, this one’s disarmingly slight in its ambitions, the opposite of Hughes’ legacy in every way.
At the same time, Beatty’s lively screenplay does a fine job of sketching out a distinct moment in Hughes’ legacy while situating more intimate drama within it. “Rules Don’t Apply” opens in 1964, on the brink of Hughes’ famous phone call to reporters on national television after years of avoiding them. From there, it flashes back six years to a very different occasion: Bright-eyed young actress Marla Collins (Lily Collins) heads...
At the same time, Beatty’s lively screenplay does a fine job of sketching out a distinct moment in Hughes’ legacy while situating more intimate drama within it. “Rules Don’t Apply” opens in 1964, on the brink of Hughes’ famous phone call to reporters on national television after years of avoiding them. From there, it flashes back six years to a very different occasion: Bright-eyed young actress Marla Collins (Lily Collins) heads...
- 11/11/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
There is no other place where fact and fiction become more indistinguishable from one another than at the cinema. What you see isn’t always what you get: a manufactured image might feel genuine, while an image that feels inauthentic might be the real thing. The finest stories can often be found somewhere in the middle. As Pablo Picasso once said, “Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth.”
Kate Plays Christine, the latest film from Actress and Fake It So Real director Robert Greene, caught a great deal of attention at Sundance — we gave it the highest grade at the festival — and is now in limited release. It’s a documentary that follows actress Kate Lyn Sheil (House of Cards) as she prepares for the role of Christine Chubbuck, a real-life news reporter who committed suicide via handgun on live television in 1974, and the...
Kate Plays Christine, the latest film from Actress and Fake It So Real director Robert Greene, caught a great deal of attention at Sundance — we gave it the highest grade at the festival — and is now in limited release. It’s a documentary that follows actress Kate Lyn Sheil (House of Cards) as she prepares for the role of Christine Chubbuck, a real-life news reporter who committed suicide via handgun on live television in 1974, and the...
- 8/31/2016
- by Tony Hinds
- The Film Stage
F for Fake
Written and directed by Orson Welles
France/Iran/West Germany, 1973
The most enjoyable thing about F for Fake is that Orson Welles seems to be having such fun with it. It’s rare to see a filmmaker displaying, though his actual presence and through the tools of his trade, such an unadulterated delight in expression. In fiction films, this sort of exuberance has to be limited, or at least contained to the degree of being still in the service of the narrative. Documentary films usually have their agenda or message, so there shouldn’t be too much to distract from these larger aims. Experimental films revel in the technique of filmmaking like Welles does here, but they are commonly done with such strained seriousness that they don’t necessarily feel, for lack of a better word, fun. Perhaps the reason F for Fake defies these general tendencies...
Written and directed by Orson Welles
France/Iran/West Germany, 1973
The most enjoyable thing about F for Fake is that Orson Welles seems to be having such fun with it. It’s rare to see a filmmaker displaying, though his actual presence and through the tools of his trade, such an unadulterated delight in expression. In fiction films, this sort of exuberance has to be limited, or at least contained to the degree of being still in the service of the narrative. Documentary films usually have their agenda or message, so there shouldn’t be too much to distract from these larger aims. Experimental films revel in the technique of filmmaking like Welles does here, but they are commonly done with such strained seriousness that they don’t necessarily feel, for lack of a better word, fun. Perhaps the reason F for Fake defies these general tendencies...
- 11/3/2014
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Blu-ray Release Date: Oct. 21, 2014
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Orson Welles in his 1975 free-form documentary F for Fake
In 1975’s F for Fake, a free-form documentary by Orson Welles (Citizen Kane, The Stranger), the legendary filmmaker (and self-described charlatan) gleefully reengages with the central preoccupation of his career: the tenuous line between illusion and truth, art and lies.
Beginning with portraits of the world-renowned art forger Elmyr de Hory and his equally devious biographer, Clifford Irving, Welles embarks on a dizzying journey that simultaneously exposes and revels in fakery and fakers of all stripes—not the least of whom is Welles himself.
Charming and inventive, F for Fake is an inspired prank and a clever examination of the essential duplicity of cinema.
Criterion previously issued F for Fake on DVD in 2005. This new Blu-ray edition ports over the bonus materials from that release, in addition to a handful of new features.
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Orson Welles in his 1975 free-form documentary F for Fake
In 1975’s F for Fake, a free-form documentary by Orson Welles (Citizen Kane, The Stranger), the legendary filmmaker (and self-described charlatan) gleefully reengages with the central preoccupation of his career: the tenuous line between illusion and truth, art and lies.
Beginning with portraits of the world-renowned art forger Elmyr de Hory and his equally devious biographer, Clifford Irving, Welles embarks on a dizzying journey that simultaneously exposes and revels in fakery and fakers of all stripes—not the least of whom is Welles himself.
Charming and inventive, F for Fake is an inspired prank and a clever examination of the essential duplicity of cinema.
Criterion previously issued F for Fake on DVD in 2005. This new Blu-ray edition ports over the bonus materials from that release, in addition to a handful of new features.
- 7/25/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 23 Jan 2014 - 05:44
Our series of lists devoted to underappreciated films brings us to the year 2006, and a further 25 overlooked gems...
With all the major films that elbow their way into their cinemas every year, there's bound to be some casualties among the big hits. And just like any other year, 2006 was dominated by the likes of Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Da Vinci Code and Ice Age: The Meltdown. But in tandem, there were dozens of lesser-seen films which shuffled in and out of cinemas (or occasionally, didn't get a release in cinemas at all) without very many people noticing.
As we're sure you're aware by now, these lists aim to redress the balance a little, and hopefully introduce a few films from any given year that you may have missed. There are also one or two films that, although...
Our series of lists devoted to underappreciated films brings us to the year 2006, and a further 25 overlooked gems...
With all the major films that elbow their way into their cinemas every year, there's bound to be some casualties among the big hits. And just like any other year, 2006 was dominated by the likes of Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Da Vinci Code and Ice Age: The Meltdown. But in tandem, there were dozens of lesser-seen films which shuffled in and out of cinemas (or occasionally, didn't get a release in cinemas at all) without very many people noticing.
As we're sure you're aware by now, these lists aim to redress the balance a little, and hopefully introduce a few films from any given year that you may have missed. There are also one or two films that, although...
- 1/22/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Great “auteur” filmmakers are known for having a style that carries throughout their films: Hitchcock had his trademark suspense, Godard has his knowing self-reflexivity, Romero has his zombies. These preferences unite the works in their filmography, but even master directors are susceptible to making bad films.
Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull lacked the verve of his other efforts, Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood was a definite misfire, and Wim Wenders’s The Million Dollar Hotel is just boring. This list is not about bad movies by good directors, rather it is a compilation of great films by great filmmakers that (for whatever reason) have been generally overlooked.
Without further ado, here is the list…
10. F For Fake (Orson Welles)
When your first picture is widely considered to be the greatest film of all time seventy years after its release, it can be difficult...
Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull lacked the verve of his other efforts, Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood was a definite misfire, and Wim Wenders’s The Million Dollar Hotel is just boring. This list is not about bad movies by good directors, rather it is a compilation of great films by great filmmakers that (for whatever reason) have been generally overlooked.
Without further ado, here is the list…
10. F For Fake (Orson Welles)
When your first picture is widely considered to be the greatest film of all time seventy years after its release, it can be difficult...
- 8/9/2013
- by Bryan Hickman
- Obsessed with Film
The shelf life of a Hollywood leading men can sometimes be quite short. When the A-list scripts or name directors cease to call ( or return calls ) many leading men have turned to television (especially now with the quirky shows on basic cable and premium channels ). Some actors will turn to smaller supporting or character roles: the gruff father or grumpy grandpa’ parts. And then there’s Richard Gere. He emerged as a major heart-throb in the late 70′s with splashy performances in Blood Brothers and Looking For Mr. Goodbar. Of course, posters of him in American Gigolo adorned many a bedroom wall in the early 80′s. Even then he balanced these main stream flicks with quirkier fare like Days Of Heaven. Through the next decades he cemented his box office status with romantic roles in box office smashes such as An Officer And A Gentleman and Pretty Woman. But Gere...
- 9/14/2012
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Made in 1973, this was Welles's last completed film as writer-director, though he lived for a further 12 years, appearing in mostly embarrassing movies. It's a documentary essay about fraud and fakes, making extensive use of footage from François Reichenbach's unfinished study of the art forger Elmyr de Hory, a tedious poseur. Reichenbach's film took on especial significance because it featured De Hory's friend Clifford Irving, the novelist who in 1972 became world famous for forging Howard Hughes's autobiography, a story later filmed by Lasse Hallström as The Hoax with Richard Gere as Irving.
Essentially, the amusing, gossamer-thin F for Fake is the old magician's apologia pro vita sua, suggesting everything is a fake and an illusion. At his most suave and mellifluous, the talkshow Prospero is here doing a Rumpelstiltskin act, trying to turn rough horsehair padding into gold. This is especially the case with the two long, pointless sections featuring Oja Kodar,...
Essentially, the amusing, gossamer-thin F for Fake is the old magician's apologia pro vita sua, suggesting everything is a fake and an illusion. At his most suave and mellifluous, the talkshow Prospero is here doing a Rumpelstiltskin act, trying to turn rough horsehair padding into gold. This is especially the case with the two long, pointless sections featuring Oja Kodar,...
- 8/25/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Orson Welles's penultimate film is a twinkly-eyed meditation on fake, front and movie make-believe
Orson Welles's penultimate film, from 1975, is a playful, personal essay, full of worldly cynicism and twinkly-eyed charm, a film about illusions with apparently no illusions of its own,but one that conceals a wintry sadness about Welles's life in the make-believe and trickery of the movies. Speaking direct to camera, as he edits and re-edits movie footage – other people's footage and his own – Welles presents the remarkable story of the notorious art forger Elmyr de Hory, who was living in some style in Ibiza, and whose biography was being written by the American author and journalist Clifford Irving. Irving, apparently intoxicated by the occult fabrication of talent and identity, went on himself to be a faker, scamming the American publishing world with what purported to be Howard Hughes's diaries. Welles meditates on fake...
Orson Welles's penultimate film, from 1975, is a playful, personal essay, full of worldly cynicism and twinkly-eyed charm, a film about illusions with apparently no illusions of its own,but one that conceals a wintry sadness about Welles's life in the make-believe and trickery of the movies. Speaking direct to camera, as he edits and re-edits movie footage – other people's footage and his own – Welles presents the remarkable story of the notorious art forger Elmyr de Hory, who was living in some style in Ibiza, and whose biography was being written by the American author and journalist Clifford Irving. Irving, apparently intoxicated by the occult fabrication of talent and identity, went on himself to be a faker, scamming the American publishing world with what purported to be Howard Hughes's diaries. Welles meditates on fake...
- 8/23/2012
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
★★★★★ The final completed picture by the great enigmatic raconteur Orson Welles, F for Fake (1973) is a rarely seen but essential exploration of the world of art forgery, cinematic illusion and good old-fashioned fraud. Yet the film's conception was just as strange and mysterious as its content. Director François Reichenbach made a documentary about the famous Picasso forger Elmyr de Hory and his biographer Clifford Irving, but for some unknown reason turned his footage over to Welles who shot additional material.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 8/23/2012
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Robert here, with my series Distant Relatives, where we look at two films, (one classic, one modern) related through a common theme and ask what their similarities and differences can tell us about the evolution of cinema. There's a mixed response on the internet in terms of how much of Exit Through the Gift Shop to reveal. Some people will tell you nothing, some will give you a smattering of plot. I'll do the latter, though I won't give away any secrets (for I know none) but I will discuss some of the mysteries.
F for Film
When Orson Welles made F for Fake in the mid-70's his reputation was somewhere between visionary director of the greatest movie ever (he'd won his honorary Oscar a few years earlier) and washed up, indecisive, expatriate. Far removed from the War of the Worlds episode, it's unclear how many people saw him...
F for Film
When Orson Welles made F for Fake in the mid-70's his reputation was somewhere between visionary director of the greatest movie ever (he'd won his honorary Oscar a few years earlier) and washed up, indecisive, expatriate. Far removed from the War of the Worlds episode, it's unclear how many people saw him...
- 1/13/2011
- by Robert
- FilmExperience
Have you ever wondered what are the films that inspire the next generation of visionary filmmakers? As part of our monthly Ioncinephile profile (read here), we ask the filmmaker the incredibly arduous task of identifying their top ten list of favorite films. We cap off the year with Ry Russo-Young, whose Sundance Film Festival selected and Gotham Award winner You Wont Miss Me finally receives a December 10th release followed by a nationwide roll out. Here are Ry's Top 10 Films. Close-Up - Abbas Kiarostami (1990) "This film articulates the complex dialogue between art and life. Part documentary, part staged re-enactment with real subjects, it’s about the trial of a man who impersonates the filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf." The Conversation - Francis Ford Coppola (1974) "The way sound is used, the paranoia and the incredible use of Gene Hackman’s grey raincoat." Days of Heaven - Terrence Malick (1978) "I know a lot of...
- 12/4/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
James Bacon, a friend and chronicler of the stars who worked for the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner during the course of his long career, died Saturday in his sleep of congestive heart failure at his home in Northridge, Calif. He was 96.
During his 75-year career as a newspaperman, columnist and author, Bacon was a confidant of Marilyn Monroe, hung out with John Wayne, knocked back drinks with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, traded cigars with Winston Churchill and met eight U.S. presidents.
He spent 23 years with AP, followed by 18 years at the Herald Examiner. Most recently, he wrote a weekly column, recalling memories from Hollywood’s glory days, for Beverly Hills 213, where his last column appeared June 6.
He also authored three best-selling books: “Hollywood Is a Four Letter Town,” “Made in Hollywood” and Jackie Gleason’s autobiography “How Sweet It Is,” which he co-authored.
During his 75-year career as a newspaperman, columnist and author, Bacon was a confidant of Marilyn Monroe, hung out with John Wayne, knocked back drinks with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, traded cigars with Winston Churchill and met eight U.S. presidents.
He spent 23 years with AP, followed by 18 years at the Herald Examiner. Most recently, he wrote a weekly column, recalling memories from Hollywood’s glory days, for Beverly Hills 213, where his last column appeared June 6.
He also authored three best-selling books: “Hollywood Is a Four Letter Town,” “Made in Hollywood” and Jackie Gleason’s autobiography “How Sweet It Is,” which he co-authored.
- 9/18/2010
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Well folks, it’s been a while, but Netflix has finally added several more Criterion Collection films to their Watch Instantly streaming options. Back in December we saw a rather large group of films added, with each following month adding fewer and fewer Criterion films. This past week has seen the addition of 8 films (one on April 1st, and 7 on the 3rd), all of which you should add to your Queue.
We recently reported that Jean Luc Godard’s Breathless would be re-released in theaters with a new transfer this month as part of the TCM Classic Film Festival, with a general release at the end of May in New York, and a national roll out afterwards. You can now see the film that made our writer James McCormick’s Top Ten Jean Paul Belmondo Film list, via Watch Instantly. It will be interesting to see if this print of...
We recently reported that Jean Luc Godard’s Breathless would be re-released in theaters with a new transfer this month as part of the TCM Classic Film Festival, with a general release at the end of May in New York, and a national roll out afterwards. You can now see the film that made our writer James McCormick’s Top Ten Jean Paul Belmondo Film list, via Watch Instantly. It will be interesting to see if this print of...
- 4/3/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
More Afm news
Director Julien Temple is to take on the story of art faker Elmyr de Hory, written by the equally notorious hoax biographer Clifford Irving. Richard Gere played him in "The Hoax" in 2007.
Temple has pacted with U.K. based production and finance house Film and Music Entertainment to direct "Fake!," scripted by Michael Kalesniko.
Temple is working with Kalesniko with a view to a spring shoot in Spain, France and Croatia.
Kalesniko's credits include Howard Stern's "Private Parts" and Kenneth Branagh vehicle "How to Kill Your Neighbour's Dog," and he is working on a rewrite of sci-fi spoof "Iron Sky" for F&Me.
"Fake!" details the complex emotional triangle between the three main protagonists, the two fakers and Orson Welles, who made his last film about de Hory.
Temple said: "There's an element of 'To Catch a Thief' about what they do. As becomes...
Director Julien Temple is to take on the story of art faker Elmyr de Hory, written by the equally notorious hoax biographer Clifford Irving. Richard Gere played him in "The Hoax" in 2007.
Temple has pacted with U.K. based production and finance house Film and Music Entertainment to direct "Fake!," scripted by Michael Kalesniko.
Temple is working with Kalesniko with a view to a spring shoot in Spain, France and Croatia.
Kalesniko's credits include Howard Stern's "Private Parts" and Kenneth Branagh vehicle "How to Kill Your Neighbour's Dog," and he is working on a rewrite of sci-fi spoof "Iron Sky" for F&Me.
"Fake!" details the complex emotional triangle between the three main protagonists, the two fakers and Orson Welles, who made his last film about de Hory.
Temple said: "There's an element of 'To Catch a Thief' about what they do. As becomes...
- 11/4/2009
- by By Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
(Elliott Gould, above, as Philip Marlowe in The Long Goodbye.)
by Jon Zelazny
Editor’s note: this article originally appeared at EightMillionStories.com on November 14, 2008.
With the back-to-back success of his Oscar-nominated role in the off-beat wife-swapping hit Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) and the even bigger off-beat hit Mash (1970), Brooklyn’s own Elliott Gould skyrocketed to worldwide fame.
While perhaps best known to those under 40 as Ross and Monica’s dad on “Friends,” or Vegas financier Reuben Tishkoff in the blockbuster Ocean’s 11 series, cine-scholars generally regard Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye (1973) as Gould’s most iconic starring role. 2008 marks the 35th anniversary of their extraordinary modern-day reinterpretation of Raymond Chandler’s classic private eye, Philip Marlowe.
Elliott Gould invited me to his home in west Los Angeles, where he generously spoke at length of his three major collaborations with Altman, who passed away two years ago.
I read...
by Jon Zelazny
Editor’s note: this article originally appeared at EightMillionStories.com on November 14, 2008.
With the back-to-back success of his Oscar-nominated role in the off-beat wife-swapping hit Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) and the even bigger off-beat hit Mash (1970), Brooklyn’s own Elliott Gould skyrocketed to worldwide fame.
While perhaps best known to those under 40 as Ross and Monica’s dad on “Friends,” or Vegas financier Reuben Tishkoff in the blockbuster Ocean’s 11 series, cine-scholars generally regard Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye (1973) as Gould’s most iconic starring role. 2008 marks the 35th anniversary of their extraordinary modern-day reinterpretation of Raymond Chandler’s classic private eye, Philip Marlowe.
Elliott Gould invited me to his home in west Los Angeles, where he generously spoke at length of his three major collaborations with Altman, who passed away two years ago.
I read...
- 5/10/2009
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
- At nearly sixty, Richard Gere is still making the 'pretty women' swoon, despite his most recent gig as Clifford Irving in The Hoax complete with blackened hair and a fake nose and as a 'Bob Dylan as Billy The Kid' with I'm Not There complete with worn out hats and giraffes. Gere's career is on the rise again after receiving rave reviews for his role as the huckster Irving who became famous after writing an authorized biography of the reclusive tycoon Howard Hughes without ever meeting him. Variety has announced that the handsome, Buddhist activist has signed on to star in two upcoming features; a biopic about a famous aviator and a cop drama. Gere is on board to give them the ol' razzle dazzle opposite Hilary Swank in Amelia, written by Ron Bass. Swank, who is also exec producing, will be playing the lead in the Amelia Earhart
- 4/16/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
- The Hoax - Miramax Films Check out the trailer here. Based on a true story about Clifford Irving getting a book about his interviews with the reclusive Howard Hughes published and subsequently going to jail for being a liar-liar-pants-on-fire. Fascinating that they should compare the sales of the book to those of the bible, another great work of fiction (sorry, still in my Jesus Camp mood…). Richard Gere is a handsome man. It’s nice to see Hollywood isn’t done with their obsession with The Who. Honestly you just can’t use ‘Who Are You’ anymore without getting images of a hunky William Petersen flashing through your mind. Don’t even bother trying. And with the end tagline of ‘Would We Lie To You?’ wouldn’t it have made more sense to use the Eurythmics’ apropos titled ‘Would I Lie To You?’ Am I making zero sense here?
- 4/7/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
RomaCinemaFest
ROME -- Lasse Hallstrom's The Hoax, based on an autobiographical book by Clifford Irving, starts off jauntily but gradually moves into darker emotional and political territory.
The story about a writer (Richard Gere), who fakes an authorized biography of Howard Hughes only to be manipulated by the reclusive genius, is entertaining and piquant. The film does possess some of the bittersweet qualities that usually mark Hallstrom's films, but it's generally a tougher, more incisive work that ranks as one of his best.
The Hoax, which played out of competition at the first edition of the RomaCinemaFest, opens in Italy this month to capitalize on the fest's publicity. The film certainly has enough appeal to cross over to a wider audience in the domestic market where Miramax is releasing it. Gere's portrayal of the dishonest anti-hero is engaging, and the story of corruption, deception and political manipulation has a contemporary ring to it.
The story is set in 1972 and based on fact. Clifford Irving is a writer who is so obsessed with becoming famous, he decides to fabricate an insider's biography of legendary recluse Hughes. This initially seems like an impossible task, but it gets easier when he steals a tell-all manuscript from an addled one-time associate of Hughes.
With his co-writer, played by a fraught Alfred Molina, Irving talks up the story into a million dollar book deal. Hughes finds out about the book and instead of stopping it, he lets it go ahead on the strange condition that it include some dirt about Richard Nixon accepting bribes from Hughes. Irving's plan unravels when it transpires that he's been manipulated by Hughes into giving Nixon a hefty slap on the wrist for not playing ball with his business requests.
The story is very well plotted and contains many historical references. But it's actually the characterization that makes it engaging. Gere portrays Irving as a natural born liar. It's interesting to watch him spin a web of deceit that ultimately only traps himself as Gere funnels his usual onscreen charm into a seamy and duplicitous character. At the same time, he manages to be playful and energetic. The result is a classic anti-hero -- someone who we are interested in even though we don't sympathize with him.
To compensate for Irving's failings, Molina -- as his worried researcher and co-writer -- acts as the films moral compass. He's drawn toward honesty in the same way that Gere's Irving is drawn to corruption. And he gets all the funny lines.
Interior scenes have a '70s corporate look, and the office milieu recalls All the President's Men. Cinematography by Hallstrom regular Oliver Stapleton uses diffused lighting, and the color is a bit washed out as with films from that era. Early scenes are jaunty and play like Catch Me If You Can, but as the film progresses it takes on the paranoid atmosphere of '70s conspiracy dramas. In spite of these references, Hallstrom keeps attitudes contemporary, so it never feels like a period piece. As with Good Night, and Good Luck, real newsreel footage of events and TV broadcasts is used, in which the reclusive Hughes, of course, never appears.
Although The Hoax makes no direct comparisons to today's national affairs, it can't help but fit the mood of the times. The story of government coverups, businessmen buying political influence in the White House and an overall mood of deceit and deception make it a surprisingly relevant film.
The HOAX
Miramax Films
Mutual Film Co./Stratus Film Co./City Entertainment/Yari Film Group
Credits:
Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Screenwriter: William Wheeler
Based on the book by: Clifford Irving
Producers: Mark Gordon, Leslie Holleran, Joshua D. Maurer, Betsy Beers, Bob Yari
Executive producers: Anthony Katagas, Gary Levinsohn
Director of photography: Oliver Stapleton
Production designer: Mark Ricker
Music: Carter Burwell
Co-producers: Erin Eggers, Suzanne Patmore Gibbs
Costume designer: Davi Robinson
Editor: Andrew Mondshein
Cast:
Clifford Irving: Richard Gere
David Susskind: Alfred Molina
Edith Irving: Marcia Gay Harden
Andrea Tate: Hope Davis
Nina Van Pallandt: Julie Delpy
Noah Dietrich: Eli Wallach
Shelton Fisher: Stanley Tucci
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
ROME -- Lasse Hallstrom's The Hoax, based on an autobiographical book by Clifford Irving, starts off jauntily but gradually moves into darker emotional and political territory.
The story about a writer (Richard Gere), who fakes an authorized biography of Howard Hughes only to be manipulated by the reclusive genius, is entertaining and piquant. The film does possess some of the bittersweet qualities that usually mark Hallstrom's films, but it's generally a tougher, more incisive work that ranks as one of his best.
The Hoax, which played out of competition at the first edition of the RomaCinemaFest, opens in Italy this month to capitalize on the fest's publicity. The film certainly has enough appeal to cross over to a wider audience in the domestic market where Miramax is releasing it. Gere's portrayal of the dishonest anti-hero is engaging, and the story of corruption, deception and political manipulation has a contemporary ring to it.
The story is set in 1972 and based on fact. Clifford Irving is a writer who is so obsessed with becoming famous, he decides to fabricate an insider's biography of legendary recluse Hughes. This initially seems like an impossible task, but it gets easier when he steals a tell-all manuscript from an addled one-time associate of Hughes.
With his co-writer, played by a fraught Alfred Molina, Irving talks up the story into a million dollar book deal. Hughes finds out about the book and instead of stopping it, he lets it go ahead on the strange condition that it include some dirt about Richard Nixon accepting bribes from Hughes. Irving's plan unravels when it transpires that he's been manipulated by Hughes into giving Nixon a hefty slap on the wrist for not playing ball with his business requests.
The story is very well plotted and contains many historical references. But it's actually the characterization that makes it engaging. Gere portrays Irving as a natural born liar. It's interesting to watch him spin a web of deceit that ultimately only traps himself as Gere funnels his usual onscreen charm into a seamy and duplicitous character. At the same time, he manages to be playful and energetic. The result is a classic anti-hero -- someone who we are interested in even though we don't sympathize with him.
To compensate for Irving's failings, Molina -- as his worried researcher and co-writer -- acts as the films moral compass. He's drawn toward honesty in the same way that Gere's Irving is drawn to corruption. And he gets all the funny lines.
Interior scenes have a '70s corporate look, and the office milieu recalls All the President's Men. Cinematography by Hallstrom regular Oliver Stapleton uses diffused lighting, and the color is a bit washed out as with films from that era. Early scenes are jaunty and play like Catch Me If You Can, but as the film progresses it takes on the paranoid atmosphere of '70s conspiracy dramas. In spite of these references, Hallstrom keeps attitudes contemporary, so it never feels like a period piece. As with Good Night, and Good Luck, real newsreel footage of events and TV broadcasts is used, in which the reclusive Hughes, of course, never appears.
Although The Hoax makes no direct comparisons to today's national affairs, it can't help but fit the mood of the times. The story of government coverups, businessmen buying political influence in the White House and an overall mood of deceit and deception make it a surprisingly relevant film.
The HOAX
Miramax Films
Mutual Film Co./Stratus Film Co./City Entertainment/Yari Film Group
Credits:
Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Screenwriter: William Wheeler
Based on the book by: Clifford Irving
Producers: Mark Gordon, Leslie Holleran, Joshua D. Maurer, Betsy Beers, Bob Yari
Executive producers: Anthony Katagas, Gary Levinsohn
Director of photography: Oliver Stapleton
Production designer: Mark Ricker
Music: Carter Burwell
Co-producers: Erin Eggers, Suzanne Patmore Gibbs
Costume designer: Davi Robinson
Editor: Andrew Mondshein
Cast:
Clifford Irving: Richard Gere
David Susskind: Alfred Molina
Edith Irving: Marcia Gay Harden
Andrea Tate: Hope Davis
Nina Van Pallandt: Julie Delpy
Noah Dietrich: Eli Wallach
Shelton Fisher: Stanley Tucci
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/17/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
RomaCinemaFestROME -- Lasse Hallstrom's "The Hoax", based on an autobiographical book by Clifford Irving, starts off jauntily but gradually moves into darker emotional and political territory.
The story about a writer (Richard Gere), who fakes an authorized biography of Howard Hughes only to be manipulated by the reclusive genius, is entertaining and piquant. The film does possess some of the bittersweet qualities that usually mark Hallstrom's films, but it's generally a tougher, more incisive work that ranks as one of his best.
"The Hoax", which played out of competition at the first edition of the RomaCinemaFest, opens in Italy this month to capitalize on the fest's publicity. The film certainly has enough appeal to cross over to a wider audience in the domestic market where Miramax is releasing it. Gere's portrayal of the dishonest anti-hero is engaging, and the story of corruption, deception and political manipulation has a contemporary ring to it.
The story is set in 1972 and based on fact. Clifford Irving is a writer who is so obsessed with becoming famous, he decides to fabricate an insider's biography of legendary recluse Hughes. This initially seems like an impossible task, but it gets easier when he steals a tell-all manuscript from an addled one-time associate of Hughes.
With his co-writer, played by a fraught Alfred Molina, Irving talks up the story into a million dollar book deal. Hughes finds out about the book and instead of stopping it, he lets it go ahead on the strange condition that it include some dirt about Richard Nixon accepting bribes from Hughes. Irving's plan unravels when it transpires that he's been manipulated by Hughes into giving Nixon a hefty slap on the wrist for not playing ball with his business requests.
The story is very well plotted and contains many historical references. But it's actually the characterization that makes it engaging. Gere portrays Irving as a natural born liar. It's interesting to watch him spin a web of deceit that ultimately only traps himself as Gere funnels his usual onscreen charm into a seamy and duplicitous character. At the same time, he manages to be playful and energetic. The result is a classic anti-hero -- someone who we are interested in even though we don't sympathize with him.
To compensate for Irving's failings, Molina -- as his worried researcher and co-writer -- acts as the films moral compass. He's drawn toward honesty in the same way that Gere's Irving is drawn to corruption. And he gets all the funny lines.
Interior scenes have a '70s corporate look, and the office milieu recalls "All the President's Men." Cinematography by Hallstrom regular Oliver Stapleton uses diffused lighting, and the color is a bit washed out as with films from that era. Early scenes are jaunty and play like "Catch Me If You Can", but as the film progresses it takes on the paranoid atmosphere of '70s conspiracy dramas. In spite of these references, Hallstrom keeps attitudes contemporary, so it never feels like a period piece. As with "Good Night, and Good Luck", real newsreel footage of events and TV broadcasts is used, in which the reclusive Hughes, of course, never appears.
Although "The Hoax" makes no direct comparisons to today's national affairs, it can't help but fit the mood of the times. The story of government coverups, businessmen buying political influence in the White House and an overall mood of deceit and deception make it a surprisingly relevant film.
The story about a writer (Richard Gere), who fakes an authorized biography of Howard Hughes only to be manipulated by the reclusive genius, is entertaining and piquant. The film does possess some of the bittersweet qualities that usually mark Hallstrom's films, but it's generally a tougher, more incisive work that ranks as one of his best.
"The Hoax", which played out of competition at the first edition of the RomaCinemaFest, opens in Italy this month to capitalize on the fest's publicity. The film certainly has enough appeal to cross over to a wider audience in the domestic market where Miramax is releasing it. Gere's portrayal of the dishonest anti-hero is engaging, and the story of corruption, deception and political manipulation has a contemporary ring to it.
The story is set in 1972 and based on fact. Clifford Irving is a writer who is so obsessed with becoming famous, he decides to fabricate an insider's biography of legendary recluse Hughes. This initially seems like an impossible task, but it gets easier when he steals a tell-all manuscript from an addled one-time associate of Hughes.
With his co-writer, played by a fraught Alfred Molina, Irving talks up the story into a million dollar book deal. Hughes finds out about the book and instead of stopping it, he lets it go ahead on the strange condition that it include some dirt about Richard Nixon accepting bribes from Hughes. Irving's plan unravels when it transpires that he's been manipulated by Hughes into giving Nixon a hefty slap on the wrist for not playing ball with his business requests.
The story is very well plotted and contains many historical references. But it's actually the characterization that makes it engaging. Gere portrays Irving as a natural born liar. It's interesting to watch him spin a web of deceit that ultimately only traps himself as Gere funnels his usual onscreen charm into a seamy and duplicitous character. At the same time, he manages to be playful and energetic. The result is a classic anti-hero -- someone who we are interested in even though we don't sympathize with him.
To compensate for Irving's failings, Molina -- as his worried researcher and co-writer -- acts as the films moral compass. He's drawn toward honesty in the same way that Gere's Irving is drawn to corruption. And he gets all the funny lines.
Interior scenes have a '70s corporate look, and the office milieu recalls "All the President's Men." Cinematography by Hallstrom regular Oliver Stapleton uses diffused lighting, and the color is a bit washed out as with films from that era. Early scenes are jaunty and play like "Catch Me If You Can", but as the film progresses it takes on the paranoid atmosphere of '70s conspiracy dramas. In spite of these references, Hallstrom keeps attitudes contemporary, so it never feels like a period piece. As with "Good Night, and Good Luck", real newsreel footage of events and TV broadcasts is used, in which the reclusive Hughes, of course, never appears.
Although "The Hoax" makes no direct comparisons to today's national affairs, it can't help but fit the mood of the times. The story of government coverups, businessmen buying political influence in the White House and an overall mood of deceit and deception make it a surprisingly relevant film.
- 10/17/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ROME -- Lasse Hallstrom's "The Hoax", based on an autobiographical book by Clifford Irving, starts off jauntily but gradually moves into darker emotional and political territory.
The story about a writer (Richard Gere), who fakes an authorized biography of Howard Hughes only to be manipulated by the reclusive genius, is entertaining and piquant. The film does possess some of the bittersweet qualities that usually mark Hallstrom's films, but it's generally a tougher, more incisive work that ranks as one of his best.
"The Hoax", which played out of competition at the first edition of the RomaCinemaFest, opens in Italy this month to capitalize on the fest's publicity. The film certainly has enough appeal to cross over to a wider audience in the domestic market where Miramax is releasing it. Gere's portrayal of the dishonest anti-hero is engaging, and the story of corruption, deception and political manipulation has a contemporary ring to it.
The story is set in 1972 and based on fact. Clifford Irving is a writer who is so obsessed with becoming famous, he decides to fabricate an insider's biography of legendary recluse Hughes. This initially seems like an impossible task, but it gets easier when he steals a tell-all manuscript from an addled one-time associate of Hughes.
With his co-writer, played by a fraught Alfred Molina, Irving talks up the story into a million dollar book deal. Hughes finds out about the book and instead of stopping it, he lets it go ahead on the strange condition that it include some dirt about Richard Nixon accepting bribes from Hughes. Irving's plan unravels when it transpires that he's been manipulated by Hughes into giving Nixon a hefty slap on the wrist for not playing ball with his business requests.
The story is very well plotted and contains many historical references. But it's actually the characterization that makes it engaging. Gere portrays Irving as a natural born liar. It's interesting to watch him spin a web of deceit that ultimately only traps himself as Gere funnels his usual onscreen charm into a seamy and duplicitous character. At the same time, he manages to be playful and energetic. The result is a classic anti-hero -- someone who we are interested in even though we don't sympathize with him.
To compensate for Irving's failings, Molina -- as his worried researcher and co-writer -- acts as the films moral compass. He's drawn toward honesty in the same way that Gere's Irving is drawn to corruption. And he gets all the funny lines.
Interior scenes have a '70s corporate look, and the office milieu recalls "All the President's Men." Cinematography by Hallstrom regular Oliver Stapleton uses diffused lighting, and the color is a bit washed out as with films from that era. Early scenes are jaunty and play like "Catch Me If You Can", but as the film progresses it takes on the paranoid atmosphere of '70s conspiracy dramas. In spite of these references, Hallstrom keeps attitudes contemporary, so it never feels like a period piece. As with "Good Night, and Good Luck", real newsreel footage of events and TV broadcasts is used, in which the reclusive Hughes, of course, never appears.
Although "The Hoax" makes no direct comparisons to today's national affairs, it can't help but fit the mood of the times. The story of government coverups, businessmen buying political influence in the White House and an overall mood of deceit and deception make it a surprisingly relevant film.
The story about a writer (Richard Gere), who fakes an authorized biography of Howard Hughes only to be manipulated by the reclusive genius, is entertaining and piquant. The film does possess some of the bittersweet qualities that usually mark Hallstrom's films, but it's generally a tougher, more incisive work that ranks as one of his best.
"The Hoax", which played out of competition at the first edition of the RomaCinemaFest, opens in Italy this month to capitalize on the fest's publicity. The film certainly has enough appeal to cross over to a wider audience in the domestic market where Miramax is releasing it. Gere's portrayal of the dishonest anti-hero is engaging, and the story of corruption, deception and political manipulation has a contemporary ring to it.
The story is set in 1972 and based on fact. Clifford Irving is a writer who is so obsessed with becoming famous, he decides to fabricate an insider's biography of legendary recluse Hughes. This initially seems like an impossible task, but it gets easier when he steals a tell-all manuscript from an addled one-time associate of Hughes.
With his co-writer, played by a fraught Alfred Molina, Irving talks up the story into a million dollar book deal. Hughes finds out about the book and instead of stopping it, he lets it go ahead on the strange condition that it include some dirt about Richard Nixon accepting bribes from Hughes. Irving's plan unravels when it transpires that he's been manipulated by Hughes into giving Nixon a hefty slap on the wrist for not playing ball with his business requests.
The story is very well plotted and contains many historical references. But it's actually the characterization that makes it engaging. Gere portrays Irving as a natural born liar. It's interesting to watch him spin a web of deceit that ultimately only traps himself as Gere funnels his usual onscreen charm into a seamy and duplicitous character. At the same time, he manages to be playful and energetic. The result is a classic anti-hero -- someone who we are interested in even though we don't sympathize with him.
To compensate for Irving's failings, Molina -- as his worried researcher and co-writer -- acts as the films moral compass. He's drawn toward honesty in the same way that Gere's Irving is drawn to corruption. And he gets all the funny lines.
Interior scenes have a '70s corporate look, and the office milieu recalls "All the President's Men." Cinematography by Hallstrom regular Oliver Stapleton uses diffused lighting, and the color is a bit washed out as with films from that era. Early scenes are jaunty and play like "Catch Me If You Can", but as the film progresses it takes on the paranoid atmosphere of '70s conspiracy dramas. In spite of these references, Hallstrom keeps attitudes contemporary, so it never feels like a period piece. As with "Good Night, and Good Luck", real newsreel footage of events and TV broadcasts is used, in which the reclusive Hughes, of course, never appears.
Although "The Hoax" makes no direct comparisons to today's national affairs, it can't help but fit the mood of the times. The story of government coverups, businessmen buying political influence in the White House and an overall mood of deceit and deception make it a surprisingly relevant film.
- 10/17/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Julie Delpy and Hope Davis are joining the ensemble cast of director Lasse Hallstrom's upcoming drama Hoax. Richard Gere will star in the biopic about Clifford Irving, the man who wrote and sold a bogus biography of Howard Hughes to McGraw-Hill. Alfred Molina and Marcia Gay Harden also will co-star. Delpy will play Irving's mistress. Davis will play Andrea Tate, an employee at McGraw-Hill. The film, which is being penned by Bill Wheeler, will be distributed by Walt Disney Studios. Mark Gordon and Leslie Holleran are producing along with Joshua Maurer, Betsy Beers and Bob Yari. Gary Levinsohn is the executive producer.
Walt Disney Studios has picked up domestic distribution rights to director Lasse Hallstrom's upcoming drama Hoax. The deal was announced Wednesday by Bob Yari, principal and founder of the Yari Film Group. The film, starring Richard Gere, centers on Clifford Irving, who wrote a bogus biography of Howard Hughes and sold it to McGraw-Hill in the early '70s. Alfred Molina will play Richard Suskind, Irving's accomplice in pulling off the media hoax, while Marcia Gay Harden will star as Irving's wife, Edith.
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