Casting Society (CSA) on Tuesday announced its nominations in the television, theatre, commercials, short film and short form series for its 2023 Artios Awards.
Netflix led the nominations in the TV categories with eight nods, while HBO/Max, Apple TV+ and Prime Video each received five nominations.
The winners will be announced at a gala on March 7, 2024. Submissions for feature film nominees will open on Nov. 10 and nominees for that category will be announced in February. Honorees for The Hoyt Bowers Award For Excellence In Casting, Lynn Stalmaster Award For Career Achievement, Marion Dougherty New York Apple Award and the Associate Casting Director/ Casting Producer Spotlight Award will be announced at a later date.
“Each year, the Artios Awards celebrates the work of the casting community to represent a diverse range of fascinating stories authentically, and this collection of nominees underscores that commitment,” said Destiny Lilly, CSA president. “We look forward...
Netflix led the nominations in the TV categories with eight nods, while HBO/Max, Apple TV+ and Prime Video each received five nominations.
The winners will be announced at a gala on March 7, 2024. Submissions for feature film nominees will open on Nov. 10 and nominees for that category will be announced in February. Honorees for The Hoyt Bowers Award For Excellence In Casting, Lynn Stalmaster Award For Career Achievement, Marion Dougherty New York Apple Award and the Associate Casting Director/ Casting Producer Spotlight Award will be announced at a later date.
“Each year, the Artios Awards celebrates the work of the casting community to represent a diverse range of fascinating stories authentically, and this collection of nominees underscores that commitment,” said Destiny Lilly, CSA president. “We look forward...
- 10/24/2023
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Casting Society of America has announced the television, theater, commercials, short film and short form series nominees for the 39th Artios Awards. The gala will take place on March 7, 2024, where the winners will be announced.
“Each year, the Artios Awards celebrates the work of the casting community to represent a diverse range of fascinating stories authentically, and this collection of nominees underscores that commitment. We look forward to gathering our community together to celebrate these achievements at our 39th Annual event next year,” CSA President Destiny Lilly said in a statement.
Netflix leads the television categories with eight nominations, down from 11 in 2022, when it tied with HBO/Max, which this year received five nominations — the same number as Apple TV+ and Prime Video. Netflix nominations included “Beef,” “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and “The Diplomat.”
As for feature film nominees, submissions will open Nov. 10, followed by an...
“Each year, the Artios Awards celebrates the work of the casting community to represent a diverse range of fascinating stories authentically, and this collection of nominees underscores that commitment. We look forward to gathering our community together to celebrate these achievements at our 39th Annual event next year,” CSA President Destiny Lilly said in a statement.
Netflix leads the television categories with eight nominations, down from 11 in 2022, when it tied with HBO/Max, which this year received five nominations — the same number as Apple TV+ and Prime Video. Netflix nominations included “Beef,” “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and “The Diplomat.”
As for feature film nominees, submissions will open Nov. 10, followed by an...
- 10/24/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
The Casting Society on Tuesday revealed the television, theater, commercials, short film and short-form series nominees for the 39th Artios Awards, which honor the contribution of casting professionals in these categories. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on March 7, 2024.
Submissions for feature film nominees will open November 10 and nominees in that category will be announced in February. Honorees for The Hoyt Bowers Award For Excellence In Casting, Lynn Stalmaster Award For Career Achievement, Marion Dougherty New York Apple Award, and the Associate Casting Director/ Casting Producer Spotlight Award will be presented that evening.
The honorees will be announced at a later date.
“Each year, the Artios Awards celebrates the work of the casting community to represent a diverse range of fascinating stories authentically, and this collection of nominees underscores that commitment. We look forward to gathering our community together to celebrate these achievements at our 39th Annual event next year,...
Submissions for feature film nominees will open November 10 and nominees in that category will be announced in February. Honorees for The Hoyt Bowers Award For Excellence In Casting, Lynn Stalmaster Award For Career Achievement, Marion Dougherty New York Apple Award, and the Associate Casting Director/ Casting Producer Spotlight Award will be presented that evening.
The honorees will be announced at a later date.
“Each year, the Artios Awards celebrates the work of the casting community to represent a diverse range of fascinating stories authentically, and this collection of nominees underscores that commitment. We look forward to gathering our community together to celebrate these achievements at our 39th Annual event next year,...
- 10/24/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Four-time Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz will perform for Sunday’s emotional “In Memoriam” segment on the Oscars 2023 ceremony. While only 40-50 people are generally remembered for the television ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC, over 200 people will be recognized on the Academy’s webpage starting that evening.
SEEWho is Performing at the Oscars 2023?: Full List of Presenters and Performers
Here is a lengthy list of many contributors to film who died since last year’s Academy Awards ceremony:
Mary Alice (actor)
Gil Alkabetz (animator)
Kirstie Alley (actor)
Burt Bacharach (composer)
Angelo Badalamenti (composer)
Simone Bär (casting director)
Joanna Barnes (actor)
Carl A. Bell (animator)
Jeff Berlin (sound)
David Birney (actor)
Bruce Bisenz (sound)
Robert Blake (actor)
Eliot Bliss (sound)
Nick Bosustow (shorts)
Albert Brenner (production designer)
Tom Bronson (costume designer)
James Caan (actor)
Michael Callan (actor)
Donn Cambern (editor)
Irene Cara (songwriter)
Gary W. Carlson (sound)
Marvin Chomsky...
SEEWho is Performing at the Oscars 2023?: Full List of Presenters and Performers
Here is a lengthy list of many contributors to film who died since last year’s Academy Awards ceremony:
Mary Alice (actor)
Gil Alkabetz (animator)
Kirstie Alley (actor)
Burt Bacharach (composer)
Angelo Badalamenti (composer)
Simone Bär (casting director)
Joanna Barnes (actor)
Carl A. Bell (animator)
Jeff Berlin (sound)
David Birney (actor)
Bruce Bisenz (sound)
Robert Blake (actor)
Eliot Bliss (sound)
Nick Bosustow (shorts)
Albert Brenner (production designer)
Tom Bronson (costume designer)
James Caan (actor)
Michael Callan (actor)
Donn Cambern (editor)
Irene Cara (songwriter)
Gary W. Carlson (sound)
Marvin Chomsky...
- 3/10/2023
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
The Casting Society of America has revealed the nominees for the 38th Artios Awards, the annual ceremony that recognizes the year’s achievements in television, film and theatre casting.
In the TV category, Netflix and HBO/HBO Max tied with 11 nods. Netflix’s series include “Inventing Anna,” “Maid” and “Ozark,” while HBO and HBO Max were recognized for “Succession,” “Euphoria,” “The Gilded Age,” and more. The following streamers tied at five nominations each: Apple TV+ was nominated for shows like “Severance,” “Pachinko,” and “Ted Lasso.” Hulu got nods for “The Dropout,” “Dopesick” and others.
Broadway productions that received nominations include the revival of “Company,” “Mj the Musical,” “Music Man,” “Take Me Out,” and “Potus.” Films that did not receive non-theatrical releases (such as “Deep Water” and “The Adam Project”) were also recognized. Theatrical release nominations will be announced in January.
Also Read:
Amanda Mackey, Who Cast ‘A League of Their Own,...
In the TV category, Netflix and HBO/HBO Max tied with 11 nods. Netflix’s series include “Inventing Anna,” “Maid” and “Ozark,” while HBO and HBO Max were recognized for “Succession,” “Euphoria,” “The Gilded Age,” and more. The following streamers tied at five nominations each: Apple TV+ was nominated for shows like “Severance,” “Pachinko,” and “Ted Lasso.” Hulu got nods for “The Dropout,” “Dopesick” and others.
Broadway productions that received nominations include the revival of “Company,” “Mj the Musical,” “Music Man,” “Take Me Out,” and “Potus.” Films that did not receive non-theatrical releases (such as “Deep Water” and “The Adam Project”) were also recognized. Theatrical release nominations will be announced in January.
Also Read:
Amanda Mackey, Who Cast ‘A League of Their Own,...
- 10/18/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Barbara Ehrenreich, the political activist and author best known for her book “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,” has died. She was 81 years old.
According to The New York Times, Ehrenreich died of a stroke on Thursday at a hospice facility in Alexandria, Virginia, where she also lived.
Ehrenreich’s book, “Nickel and Dimed,” was a a memoir, telling audiences about three months of her life undercover, which she spent surviving on a series of minimum-wage jobs. Ehrenreich’s reporting on her experiences was so powerful that the book became a best seller and a staple of social justice literature.
“Many people praised me for my bravery for having done this, to which I could only say: Millions of people do this kind of work every day for their entire lives — haven’t you noticed them?” she said while accepting the Erasmus Prize for her work in...
According to The New York Times, Ehrenreich died of a stroke on Thursday at a hospice facility in Alexandria, Virginia, where she also lived.
Ehrenreich’s book, “Nickel and Dimed,” was a a memoir, telling audiences about three months of her life undercover, which she spent surviving on a series of minimum-wage jobs. Ehrenreich’s reporting on her experiences was so powerful that the book became a best seller and a staple of social justice literature.
“Many people praised me for my bravery for having done this, to which I could only say: Millions of people do this kind of work every day for their entire lives — haven’t you noticed them?” she said while accepting the Erasmus Prize for her work in...
- 9/2/2022
- by Andi Ortiz
- The Wrap
Amanda Mackey, the casting director whose 40-year career counted credits like “A League of Their Own,” “The Proposal” and “The Fugitive,” has died. She was 70.
According to multiple media reports, Mackey died in her sleep on Saturday from a type of blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome at NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn.
The 15-time Artios Award winner, bestowed by the Casting Society of America for casting excellence, earned her first credits as a casting assistant in the early ’80s on films such as “The World According to Garp” and worked her way through the ranks of associate and consultant.
In 1985, she served as casting director for the first time on “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins” and “Rocky IV.”
Also Read:
Richard Roat, Veteran Character Actor From ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Friends,’ Dies at 89
Mackey would go on to assemble the players for celebrated films such as “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,...
According to multiple media reports, Mackey died in her sleep on Saturday from a type of blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome at NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn.
The 15-time Artios Award winner, bestowed by the Casting Society of America for casting excellence, earned her first credits as a casting assistant in the early ’80s on films such as “The World According to Garp” and worked her way through the ranks of associate and consultant.
In 1985, she served as casting director for the first time on “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins” and “Rocky IV.”
Also Read:
Richard Roat, Veteran Character Actor From ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Friends,’ Dies at 89
Mackey would go on to assemble the players for celebrated films such as “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,...
- 9/1/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Amanda Mackey, the award winning casting director behind films such as “A League of Their Own” and “Smokin’ Aces” has died. She was 70.
“We are heartbroken to hear about the passing of Casting Director Amanda Mackey. She was an inspiration to many in our field and everyone at CSA sends our condolences to her family and friends,” the Casting Society said in a statement.
Mackey was recognized by The Casting Society with an Artios Awards for both films. Her other credits include “Bad Moms,” “United 93,” “Ronin” and “The Hunt for Red October.”
She received an Emmy nomination in 2014 for Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for “The Normal Heart” which she shared with casting partner Cathy Sandrich Gelfond.
Together Sandrich Gelfond and Mackey were among the most highly-regarded and sought-after casting directors in the industry.
Mackey was filmmaker Andy Davis’ go-to casting director. Together they worked...
“We are heartbroken to hear about the passing of Casting Director Amanda Mackey. She was an inspiration to many in our field and everyone at CSA sends our condolences to her family and friends,” the Casting Society said in a statement.
Mackey was recognized by The Casting Society with an Artios Awards for both films. Her other credits include “Bad Moms,” “United 93,” “Ronin” and “The Hunt for Red October.”
She received an Emmy nomination in 2014 for Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for “The Normal Heart” which she shared with casting partner Cathy Sandrich Gelfond.
Together Sandrich Gelfond and Mackey were among the most highly-regarded and sought-after casting directors in the industry.
Mackey was filmmaker Andy Davis’ go-to casting director. Together they worked...
- 8/31/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Amanda Mackey, the busy casting director who worked on The Fugitive and four other films for director Andrew Davis and shared an Emmy nomination for populating Larry Kramer‘s The Normal Heart, has died. She was 70.
Mackey died Saturday at Calvary Hospital in Brooklyn after a battle with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of blood cancer, longtime business partner Cathy Sandrich Gelfond told The Hollywood Reporter.
She received one Artios Award for her work on A League of Their Own (1993) and shared another one with Sandrich Gelfond for Smokin’ Aces (2006) — she collected 15 Artios nominations in all — and the pair were featured in the eye-opening 2012 documentary Casting By.
Mackey was “an unwaveringly steadfast friend and champion in a time when women weren’t as supportive to other women as they are now,” Sandrich Gelfond said in a statement. “She believed in me, lifted me up and gave me a career.
Amanda Mackey, the busy casting director who worked on The Fugitive and four other films for director Andrew Davis and shared an Emmy nomination for populating Larry Kramer‘s The Normal Heart, has died. She was 70.
Mackey died Saturday at Calvary Hospital in Brooklyn after a battle with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of blood cancer, longtime business partner Cathy Sandrich Gelfond told The Hollywood Reporter.
She received one Artios Award for her work on A League of Their Own (1993) and shared another one with Sandrich Gelfond for Smokin’ Aces (2006) — she collected 15 Artios nominations in all — and the pair were featured in the eye-opening 2012 documentary Casting By.
Mackey was “an unwaveringly steadfast friend and champion in a time when women weren’t as supportive to other women as they are now,” Sandrich Gelfond said in a statement. “She believed in me, lifted me up and gave me a career.
- 8/31/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Amanda Mackey, the casting director behind such films as Best Picture Oscar nominee The Fugitive and A League of Their Own and who earned an Emmy nom for The Normal Heart during a nearly four-decade career, has died. She was 70.
Her longtime friend and business partner Cathy Sandrich Gelfond told Deadline that Mackey died August 27 in her sleep of myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of blood cancer, at Calvary Hospital in Brooklyn.
“Amanda was a singular force — fiercely intelligent, impeccably stylish, wildly passionate about ideas, the state of the world and her work,” Sandrich Gelfond told Deadline. “She loved her daughters profoundly and was an unwaveringly steadfast friend and champion in a time when women weren’t as supportive to other women as they are now. She believed in me, lifted me up and gave me a career. She was the sister I never had and changed my life in countless ways.
Her longtime friend and business partner Cathy Sandrich Gelfond told Deadline that Mackey died August 27 in her sleep of myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of blood cancer, at Calvary Hospital in Brooklyn.
“Amanda was a singular force — fiercely intelligent, impeccably stylish, wildly passionate about ideas, the state of the world and her work,” Sandrich Gelfond told Deadline. “She loved her daughters profoundly and was an unwaveringly steadfast friend and champion in a time when women weren’t as supportive to other women as they are now. She believed in me, lifted me up and gave me a career. She was the sister I never had and changed my life in countless ways.
- 8/31/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
While the Oscars have yet to make room for casting directors — a pivotal part of the Best Picture equation — the oversight isn't stopping the Casting Society of America from readying its third decade of picking up the Academy's slack. Csa announced Monday morning that the 30th Annual Artios Awards will honor Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director Rob Marshall and Emmy Award-winning casting director Ellen Lewis for their individual work in the world of casting. The news arrives with nominations in categories of television, theater, new media and short film, and on the heels of the ceremony's move from November to Jan. 22, the thick of the awards season. Feature film nominations will be announced closer to the show date. Marshall, whose adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" bows Dec. 25, will receive the New York Apple Award, "recognizing individuals who have made special contributions to the New York entertainment...
- 9/22/2014
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
When an actor is invited to a party celebrating casting directors, he or she RSVPs an emphatic yes. And so it was that the July 29 premiere party (at the HBO screening room and later at Manhattan’s Gramercy Park Hotel) for Tom Donahue’s documentary “Casting By”—premiering on HBO Aug. 5—was a particularly star-studded affair. As people chatted and flipped through the “Casting By” issue of Backstage, bold-faced names including Martin Scorsese, Parker Posey, Zach Grenier, Stephen Lang, and Dana Delany mingled with Donahue and casting directors Joanna Colbert, Amanda Mackey, Juliet Taylor, and Ellen Lewis. Following a screening of Donahue’s film—which included a discussion with Donahue, Taylor, and moderator Scott Foundas—much of the audience trooped over to the Gramercy Terrace for cocktails inspired by some of the movies discussed in the documentary. A favorite among the crowd was the Sting, a highbrow bloody mary made...
- 7/31/2013
- backstage.com
Variety reports that the already large cast of Gotti: In The Shadow Of My Father is getting a little bit bigger with the addition of Chazz Palinteri. Palinteri will play the role of Mafia boss Paul Castellano in the film, which will start pre-production in September and start principal photography on-location in New York on January 3rd.
With an already interesting cast consisting of John Travolta and Al Pachino, I think the adding of Palminteri just strengthens the film production. What you think!
Here's the full press release:
Fiore Films, an independent production company, today announced that it has signed Chazz Palminteri to play the role of Mafia boss Paul Castellano in its feature film "Gotti: In The Shadow Of My Father," which will begin pre-production in September and start principal photography on-location in New York on January 3.
"I have seen this film come together from the very start, and...
With an already interesting cast consisting of John Travolta and Al Pachino, I think the adding of Palminteri just strengthens the film production. What you think!
Here's the full press release:
Fiore Films, an independent production company, today announced that it has signed Chazz Palminteri to play the role of Mafia boss Paul Castellano in its feature film "Gotti: In The Shadow Of My Father," which will begin pre-production in September and start principal photography on-location in New York on January 3.
"I have seen this film come together from the very start, and...
- 8/24/2011
- by rpmcmurphy
- GeekTyrant
Playwright Tony Kushner, producer Marcy Carsey, and casting director Ellen Chenoweth will be honored by the Casting Society of America at this year's Artios Awards. The nominees for this year's awards—to be presented Nov. 1 in dual ceremonies at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and the American Airlines Theatre in New York—were announced today. Kushner, Carsey, and Chenoweth will be presented with special awards. The complete list of nominees follows.Big budget feature, drama"Avatar," Margery Simkin and Mali Finn (initial casting)"Inglourious Basterds," Johanna Ray and Jenny Jue"Nine," Francine Maisler"Sherlock Holmes," Reg Poerscout-Edgerton"Shutter Island," Ellen Lewis and Carolyn Pickman (location casting)Big budget feature, comedy"Couples Retreat," Sarah Halley Finn and Randi Hiller"Date Night," Donna Isaacson"Julie and Julia," Francine Maisler"The Proposal," Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond, and Angela Peri (location casting)"Valentine's Day," Deborah Aquila and Tricia WoodFeature,...
- 9/15/2010
- backstage.com
By Roger Friedman
HollywoodNews.com: Patty Clarkson–that’s what her friends call her, not Patricia–is the elegant, sexy, smart actress who’s gotten her first lead role at age 50. Well, she shot “Cairo Time” when she was 48, but it’s being released next Friday after she’s rounded that infamous corner.
I wish she would stop telling people she’s 50, but she’s proud of it. Some people just grow into an age. If you saw her Oscar nominated performance in “Pieces of April” or her award winning work in “The Station Agent” or her hilarious, triumphant turn in Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works” you know age doesn’t matter.
And it runs in the family: her mom, Jackie Clarkson, was just re-elected to the New Orleans City Council for the 5th time since 2000. She’s been a popular Louisiana lawmaker for 20 years.
We got to meet Jackie,...
HollywoodNews.com: Patty Clarkson–that’s what her friends call her, not Patricia–is the elegant, sexy, smart actress who’s gotten her first lead role at age 50. Well, she shot “Cairo Time” when she was 48, but it’s being released next Friday after she’s rounded that infamous corner.
I wish she would stop telling people she’s 50, but she’s proud of it. Some people just grow into an age. If you saw her Oscar nominated performance in “Pieces of April” or her award winning work in “The Station Agent” or her hilarious, triumphant turn in Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works” you know age doesn’t matter.
And it runs in the family: her mom, Jackie Clarkson, was just re-elected to the New Orleans City Council for the 5th time since 2000. She’s been a popular Louisiana lawmaker for 20 years.
We got to meet Jackie,...
- 7/28/2010
- by Roger Friedman
- Hollywoodnews.com
Recently, casting director Amanda Mackey told Back Stage that the key to casting the leads in "The Men Who Stare at Goats" was finding actors who could age believably, since the film spans several decades. Of course, such opportunities are few and far between; mostly you'll be cast close to your own age.But there is much to be learned from playing characters older than yourself when the chance arises. Also, once you are in fact older, there's much to value in your newfound understanding of how to play certain roles. To hear older actors' perspectives on aging and how it affects their craft, I made a few calls. This column will talk about how men face the issue. We'll have a companion column about women in February.Lear at 60Austin Pendleton played King Lear nine years ago, when he was 60, and he says now he'd love to revisit it.
- 1/29/2010
- backstage.com
I just wanted to remind everyone that the open casting call for Chan's movie 'Son of No One' is Today!!
For those who don't know, 'Son of No One' will be directed by Dito Montiel (i.e. the director of Chan's past and future films 'A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints', 'Fighting', and 'Brotherhood of the Rose') and will start filming in New York City in March 2010. The crime thriller will be released some time in 2011.
The production is holding an open call for boys and girls of any race today in New York City. They are looking for boys to play 15 year old versions of Channing Tatum and Terrence Howard. 'Son of No One' is also looking for girls who look like they're 15.
In case you're wondering what Chan looked like around the age of 15, you can...
For those who don't know, 'Son of No One' will be directed by Dito Montiel (i.e. the director of Chan's past and future films 'A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints', 'Fighting', and 'Brotherhood of the Rose') and will start filming in New York City in March 2010. The crime thriller will be released some time in 2011.
The production is holding an open call for boys and girls of any race today in New York City. They are looking for boys to play 15 year old versions of Channing Tatum and Terrence Howard. 'Son of No One' is also looking for girls who look like they're 15.
In case you're wondering what Chan looked like around the age of 15, you can...
- 12/30/2009
- by Blog Expert
- Channing Tatum Unwrapped
Inspired by Jon Ronson's nonfiction bestseller, "The Men Who Stare at Goats" is one of those stories so crazy it couldn't be made up. Though the film takes liberties with the source material, the plot centers on an experimental wing of the U.S. military that believed it could train soldiers to become psychics. Members of this "New Earth Army" came to believe they could walk through walls, control an enemy's thoughts, and stop a goat's heart just by staring at it. The story of how this army came to form—and unravel—unfolds through a parallel story about a reporter in the Iraq War who travels with one of the former New Earth Army soldiers. Grant Heslov, in his feature directorial debut, knew he needed actors who could tackle the offbeat comedy in the film but also play the reality of the situation. In the role of Lyn Cassady,...
- 12/9/2009
- backstage.com
The following is a list of the top 25 Power Casting Directors in film and television (including Casting Director of the Year, Debra Zane; see page 9). We began with more than 100 candidates. In some cases, collaborations were so closely tied that we considered multiple people as one entity. Several drafts later, all 25 spots were cast.Notably omitted from the list are in-house casting executives at studios and networks, the inclusion of whom would have ballooned our list to 50 or more. But read about them online at www.backstage.com/spotlight. Focusing on independent casting directors leveled the playing field and highlighted people whose puissance is not affected by one scale-tipping affiliation. Now, on to the top 25!Kerry BardenCan you imagine Monster's Ball starring Erykah Badu, or American Psycho starring Leonardo DiCaprio? Kerry Barden can, because he saw them read the parts. "There are so many great actors that sometimes it's a...
- 4/2/2009
- backstage.com
PARK CITY -- "The Cooler" couldn't be hotter. A rousing crowd-pleaser at Sundance, this noir love story rolls both sweet and tough. The title refers to a casino job in old-style Las Vegas, namely an employee who is dispatched by the house to "cool off" a big winner -- to see to it that the guy doesn't walk away with any more dough. No sixes or sevens or nines here -- a distributor will roll only luck with this winner, a select-site jackpot.
Starring William H. Macy as a hangdog "cooler," Alec Baldwin as a ruthless casino boss and Maria Bello as a cocktail waitress with a heart of gold, "The Cooler" is a refreshing throwback to another era of moviemaking: This movie was poured from the bottle, not one of those bar regulator machines. It's got the kick, style and flavor of a straight-up story, before movies were watered down with the opinions of marketers, lawyers and committee heads.
There's also a flush hand of story aces sleeved up in this old-style cinematic: The frog as prince, the old gunslinger as guardian against the encroaching modern world and the down-on-her-luck blonde whose heart of gold wins the day. There's no sleight of hand in this hard-edged yarn, and that's what is most appealing about screenwriters Frank Hannah and Wayne Kramer's soundly crafted tale. It hits the right points and pays off spectacularly.
Set in the unfashionable old section of Las Vegas, far away from Steve Wynn's glitzy/artsy strip, "The Cooler" draws us behind the glitz and shows the dark behind the neon, the little people below the headliners and high rollers. In this gritty yarn, Macy stars as Bernie Lootz, a hangdog so down on his luck and confidence that he is the walking embodiment of a loser. That's the trait that now pays his bills: He's hired by a sharkish casino owner (Baldwin) to "cool" down the big winners; indeed, Lootz is such a loser that his aura of bad luck seems to roll off onto the winners.
Living in a tiny studio apartment, Lootz is nondescript and has a limp, courtesy of old gambling debts to none other than his boss. He has been working off his gambling debt for years and has only a few days of servitude left at the casino before he plans to bolt for a new life. Not surprisingly, the kingpin is not about to let him go and is under corporate pressure from the suit-type owners to get into the new mainstream of Las Vegas entertainment, namely the family/events emphasis that the new Vegas is all about. He loathes the new M.B.A. Harvard-heads, which makes this cutthroat very endearing.
Under Kramer's inspired direction, Macy is terrific as the down-on-his-luck cooler. In his gait and dreary expression, Macy embodies a spirit who has been beaten down to one last roll of the dice yet still holds a tiny ounce of self-preserving moxie for one final turn at life's tables.
With his piercing gaze and hair-trigger temper, Baldwin wallops with a mesmerizing performance that recalls his "Glengarry Glen Ross" turn. Steely, charming and dangerous, Baldwin is truly fearsome. A producer would be smart to cast this guy as Frank Sinatra.
As the vulnerable cocktail waitress, Bello magically strips her performance down to the scars beneath the surface. She's a lady without the luck but one who is not afraid to take on the odds. She trumps a cliche part with a flesh-and-blood performance.
Technical credits deserve top billing: From the smartly awful ties of Macy's hangdog threads, courtesy of costume designer Kristen M. Burke, to the shrewdly scoped compositions, lensed by cinematographer James Whitaker, the technical contributions are all headliners. A round on the house to composer Mark Isham. The musical sounds are as true as the rocks clinking in a 3 a.m. Scotch and water, topped off by the perfect mix of a smudgy trumpet and a blowsy sax. Also, a round to Paul Sorvino, who shows off his pipes as an Old Blue Eyes imitation lounger.
The Cooler
ContentFilm
Credits: Director: Wayne Kramer; Screenwriters: Frank Hannah, Wayne Kramer; Producers: Sean Furst, Michael Pierce; Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt, Alessandro Camon, Brett Morrison, Robert Gryphon, Joe Madden; Co-producers: Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt, Bryan Furst; Director of photography: James Whitaker; Editor: Arthur Coburn; Production designer: Toby Corbett; Costume designer: Kristen M. Burke; Music: Mark Isham; Casting: Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond, Wendy Weidman, Sig De Migual. Cast: Bernie Lootz: William H. Macy; Shelly Kaplow: Alec Baldwin; Natalie Belisario: Maria Bello; Mikey: Shawn Hatosy; Larry Sokolov: Ron Livingston; Buddy Stafford: Paul Sorvino; Charlene: Estella Warren.
No MPAA rating, running time 103 minutes.
Starring William H. Macy as a hangdog "cooler," Alec Baldwin as a ruthless casino boss and Maria Bello as a cocktail waitress with a heart of gold, "The Cooler" is a refreshing throwback to another era of moviemaking: This movie was poured from the bottle, not one of those bar regulator machines. It's got the kick, style and flavor of a straight-up story, before movies were watered down with the opinions of marketers, lawyers and committee heads.
There's also a flush hand of story aces sleeved up in this old-style cinematic: The frog as prince, the old gunslinger as guardian against the encroaching modern world and the down-on-her-luck blonde whose heart of gold wins the day. There's no sleight of hand in this hard-edged yarn, and that's what is most appealing about screenwriters Frank Hannah and Wayne Kramer's soundly crafted tale. It hits the right points and pays off spectacularly.
Set in the unfashionable old section of Las Vegas, far away from Steve Wynn's glitzy/artsy strip, "The Cooler" draws us behind the glitz and shows the dark behind the neon, the little people below the headliners and high rollers. In this gritty yarn, Macy stars as Bernie Lootz, a hangdog so down on his luck and confidence that he is the walking embodiment of a loser. That's the trait that now pays his bills: He's hired by a sharkish casino owner (Baldwin) to "cool" down the big winners; indeed, Lootz is such a loser that his aura of bad luck seems to roll off onto the winners.
Living in a tiny studio apartment, Lootz is nondescript and has a limp, courtesy of old gambling debts to none other than his boss. He has been working off his gambling debt for years and has only a few days of servitude left at the casino before he plans to bolt for a new life. Not surprisingly, the kingpin is not about to let him go and is under corporate pressure from the suit-type owners to get into the new mainstream of Las Vegas entertainment, namely the family/events emphasis that the new Vegas is all about. He loathes the new M.B.A. Harvard-heads, which makes this cutthroat very endearing.
Under Kramer's inspired direction, Macy is terrific as the down-on-his-luck cooler. In his gait and dreary expression, Macy embodies a spirit who has been beaten down to one last roll of the dice yet still holds a tiny ounce of self-preserving moxie for one final turn at life's tables.
With his piercing gaze and hair-trigger temper, Baldwin wallops with a mesmerizing performance that recalls his "Glengarry Glen Ross" turn. Steely, charming and dangerous, Baldwin is truly fearsome. A producer would be smart to cast this guy as Frank Sinatra.
As the vulnerable cocktail waitress, Bello magically strips her performance down to the scars beneath the surface. She's a lady without the luck but one who is not afraid to take on the odds. She trumps a cliche part with a flesh-and-blood performance.
Technical credits deserve top billing: From the smartly awful ties of Macy's hangdog threads, courtesy of costume designer Kristen M. Burke, to the shrewdly scoped compositions, lensed by cinematographer James Whitaker, the technical contributions are all headliners. A round on the house to composer Mark Isham. The musical sounds are as true as the rocks clinking in a 3 a.m. Scotch and water, topped off by the perfect mix of a smudgy trumpet and a blowsy sax. Also, a round to Paul Sorvino, who shows off his pipes as an Old Blue Eyes imitation lounger.
The Cooler
ContentFilm
Credits: Director: Wayne Kramer; Screenwriters: Frank Hannah, Wayne Kramer; Producers: Sean Furst, Michael Pierce; Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt, Alessandro Camon, Brett Morrison, Robert Gryphon, Joe Madden; Co-producers: Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt, Bryan Furst; Director of photography: James Whitaker; Editor: Arthur Coburn; Production designer: Toby Corbett; Costume designer: Kristen M. Burke; Music: Mark Isham; Casting: Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond, Wendy Weidman, Sig De Migual. Cast: Bernie Lootz: William H. Macy; Shelly Kaplow: Alec Baldwin; Natalie Belisario: Maria Bello; Mikey: Shawn Hatosy; Larry Sokolov: Ron Livingston; Buddy Stafford: Paul Sorvino; Charlene: Estella Warren.
No MPAA rating, running time 103 minutes.
- 1/21/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As with last year's "Monster's Ball," there's an aching sins-of-the-father theme running deeply through City by the Sea, an exceptionally acted, quietly affecting cop drama set against the decaying backdrop of the once bustling resort destination of Long Beach, Long Island.
Taking its cue from a 1997 Esquire magazine article by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael McAlary, the scenario concerns a veteran New York City homicide detective who finds himself having to do the right thing as both a law enforcer and a parent when a murder suspect turns out to be his estranged junkie son.
Despite an exceptional cast -- headed by Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco -- that has been beautifully directed by Michael Caton-Jones, the picture's rather bleak subject matter makes for a tough sell for Warner Bros. Pictures, which, after the disastrous The Adventures of Pluto Nash and the anemic Blood Work, is looking to get back into the boxoffice groove.
De Niro, reuniting with his "This Boy's Life" director, is in fine, introspective form as Detective Vincent LaMarca, a man whose committed career with the NYPD has served to help block out a painful personal past.
His steady girlfriend, Michelle (McDormand), knows about an ex-wife (Patti LuPone) who lives back in Long Beach. But she's unaware of the young son he had left behind and of the emotionally distant LaMarca's own traumatic childhood -- his father was given the electric chair for kidnapping a baby from a wealthy family. The child accidentally suffocated in the back seat of his father's car while he was waiting for the ransom money.
But when LaMarca's now drug-addicted son, Joey (Franco), is at first implicated in the murder of a dealer and then is the prime suspect in a cop killing, his long-buried past comes back to haunt him, with the news media floating the notion of the existence of a "murder gene" that is passed down through the generations.
The turn of events has brought father and son face to face for the first time in 14 years, but the tricky outcome depends on the choices the elder LaMarca must make as a parent and an officer of the law.
What starts out as a generic, gritty crime thriller gets more interesting as it goes along as Caton-Jones and screenwriter Ken Hixon (Inventing the Abbotts) carefully add on all the layers of intrigue.
Hitting it all home in expertly modulated performances is a uniformly excellent cast. While De Niro and McDormand are a treat to watch together -- as fascinating for the choices they don't make as the ones they do -- the always interesting Franco, who made for such a convincing James Dean in the TNT movie of the same name, is equally believable as De Niro's son. He also manages to avoid the usual physical tics that go with the junkie turf.
Also doing fine work are LuPone, George Dzundza as De Niro's partner and Eliza Dushku (who also appeared in "This Boy's Life") as the struggling mother of Franco's young son.
On the technical end, cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub and production designer Jane Musky take effective advantage of the dilapidated seaside setting (with neighboring Asbury Park, N.J., subbing for the similarly shabby Long Beach), while John Murphy's low-key score gently rocks the emotional boat.
CITY BY THE SEA
Warner Bros. Pictures
Franchise Pictures presents a Brad Grey Pictures production
A film by Michael Caton- Jones
Credits: Director: Michael Caton-Jones; Screenwriter: Ken Hixon; Based on the article "Mark of a Murderer" by: Michael McAlary; Producers: Brad Grey, Elie Samaha, Michael Caton-Jones, Matthew Baer; Executive producers: Andrew Stevens, Dan Kores, Don Carmody, Roger Paradiso; Director of photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub; Production designer: Jane Musky; Editor: Jim Clark; Costume designer: Richard Owings; Music: John Murphy; Casting: Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond. Cast: Vincent LaMarca: Robert De Niro; Michelle: Frances McDormand; Joey LaMarca: James Franco; Gina: Eliza Dushku; Spyder: William Forsythe; Reginald Duffy: George Dzundza; Maggie: Patti LuPone.
MPAA rating R, running time 108 minutes.
Taking its cue from a 1997 Esquire magazine article by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael McAlary, the scenario concerns a veteran New York City homicide detective who finds himself having to do the right thing as both a law enforcer and a parent when a murder suspect turns out to be his estranged junkie son.
Despite an exceptional cast -- headed by Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco -- that has been beautifully directed by Michael Caton-Jones, the picture's rather bleak subject matter makes for a tough sell for Warner Bros. Pictures, which, after the disastrous The Adventures of Pluto Nash and the anemic Blood Work, is looking to get back into the boxoffice groove.
De Niro, reuniting with his "This Boy's Life" director, is in fine, introspective form as Detective Vincent LaMarca, a man whose committed career with the NYPD has served to help block out a painful personal past.
His steady girlfriend, Michelle (McDormand), knows about an ex-wife (Patti LuPone) who lives back in Long Beach. But she's unaware of the young son he had left behind and of the emotionally distant LaMarca's own traumatic childhood -- his father was given the electric chair for kidnapping a baby from a wealthy family. The child accidentally suffocated in the back seat of his father's car while he was waiting for the ransom money.
But when LaMarca's now drug-addicted son, Joey (Franco), is at first implicated in the murder of a dealer and then is the prime suspect in a cop killing, his long-buried past comes back to haunt him, with the news media floating the notion of the existence of a "murder gene" that is passed down through the generations.
The turn of events has brought father and son face to face for the first time in 14 years, but the tricky outcome depends on the choices the elder LaMarca must make as a parent and an officer of the law.
What starts out as a generic, gritty crime thriller gets more interesting as it goes along as Caton-Jones and screenwriter Ken Hixon (Inventing the Abbotts) carefully add on all the layers of intrigue.
Hitting it all home in expertly modulated performances is a uniformly excellent cast. While De Niro and McDormand are a treat to watch together -- as fascinating for the choices they don't make as the ones they do -- the always interesting Franco, who made for such a convincing James Dean in the TNT movie of the same name, is equally believable as De Niro's son. He also manages to avoid the usual physical tics that go with the junkie turf.
Also doing fine work are LuPone, George Dzundza as De Niro's partner and Eliza Dushku (who also appeared in "This Boy's Life") as the struggling mother of Franco's young son.
On the technical end, cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub and production designer Jane Musky take effective advantage of the dilapidated seaside setting (with neighboring Asbury Park, N.J., subbing for the similarly shabby Long Beach), while John Murphy's low-key score gently rocks the emotional boat.
CITY BY THE SEA
Warner Bros. Pictures
Franchise Pictures presents a Brad Grey Pictures production
A film by Michael Caton- Jones
Credits: Director: Michael Caton-Jones; Screenwriter: Ken Hixon; Based on the article "Mark of a Murderer" by: Michael McAlary; Producers: Brad Grey, Elie Samaha, Michael Caton-Jones, Matthew Baer; Executive producers: Andrew Stevens, Dan Kores, Don Carmody, Roger Paradiso; Director of photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub; Production designer: Jane Musky; Editor: Jim Clark; Costume designer: Richard Owings; Music: John Murphy; Casting: Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond. Cast: Vincent LaMarca: Robert De Niro; Michelle: Frances McDormand; Joey LaMarca: James Franco; Gina: Eliza Dushku; Spyder: William Forsythe; Reginald Duffy: George Dzundza; Maggie: Patti LuPone.
MPAA rating R, running time 108 minutes.
- 8/26/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
An unapologetically warped view of romantic obsession, "Addicted to Love" is a blackish comedy that manages to throw a few subversive curves into the traditional boy-meets-girl mix.
Touting a pair of edgier-than-usual performances by the thoroughly likable Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick, this feature debut by actor Griffin Dunne overcomes a shaky start to emerge as a satisfying vengeance fantasy.
Even so, the Warner Bros. release is going to have to rely on Ryan's proven draw power and word-of-mouth in order to function as a successful counterprogrammer to that dinosaur picture.
Broderick is perfectly cast as Sam, a wide-eyed, innocent astronomer from the Midwest whose sunny girlfriend, Linda (Kelly Preston), has gone to New York to find herself, in turn finding herself French lover Anton (Tcheky Karyo).
Determined to find a way to woo her back, Sam sets up camp in an abandoned building across from their Soho loft, drawing on his optic knowledge to construct a simple yet effective Camera Obscura. The device, working on the principles of light and reflection, facilitates Sam's spying process by projecting the view on a back wall.
But it turns out Sam isn't the building's only inhabitant. Enter Maggie (Ryan), a hardened New Yorker who just happened to be jilted by the guy who's shacking up with Sam's girl. Hellbent on bringing the arrogant Anton to his knees, Maggie has devised an elaborate plan to systematically destroy the successful restaurateur, starting with breaking into his apartment to install a surveillance device.
By forming an uneasy alliance with Maggie, Sam now has audio to go with video, and the two watch the lives of their exes unfold in front of them in voyeuristic splendor, united in a common purpose while gradually, and, of course, unwittingly, being drawn closer to each other.
Dunne has put his experience to effective work here -- particularly Martin Scorsese's influence from "After Hours". In both films, the New York backdrop serves as a major character, while seemingly innocent beginnings quickly spiral into dark, chaotic conclusions. Screenwriter Robert Gordon, whose wildly quirky script was originally optioned back in 1989, admirably keeps the characters grounded.
In normal situations, the pairing of the two appealing leads might have generated a chemistry that would have been just a little too cute and cuddly. Here, the characters' outrageous behavior, particularly in Ryan's case, serves to blunt the potential sweetness while the gifted performers still manage to keep them accessible to sympathetic audiences. Also impressive is Karyo ("GoldenEye"), who finally gets a chance to shed the "heavy" image with some brilliant physical comedy.
Visually, the production has an appropriate caffeine-injected jittery energy courtesy of lensman Andrew Dunn ("The Madness of King George") and editor Elizabeth Kling ("Georgia"). Rachel Portman's resilient score gamely reflects the shifting moods.
ADDICTED TO LOVE
Warner Bros.
An Outlaw production
in association with Miramax Films
Director Griffin Dunne
Producers Jeffrey Silver, Bobby Newmyer
Screenwriter Robert Gordon
Executive producers Bob Weinstein
& Harvey Weinstein
Director of photography Andrew Dunn
Production designer Robin Standefer
Editor Elizabeth Kling
Music Rachel Portman
Costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus
Casting Amanda Mackey Johnson,
Cathy Sandrich
Color/stereo
Cast:
Maggie Meg Ryan
Sam Matthew Broderick
Linda Kelly Preston
Anton Tcheky Karyo
Nana Maureen Stapleton
Ed Green Nesbitt Blaisdell
Professor Wells Remak Ramsay
Matheson Dominick Dunne
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Touting a pair of edgier-than-usual performances by the thoroughly likable Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick, this feature debut by actor Griffin Dunne overcomes a shaky start to emerge as a satisfying vengeance fantasy.
Even so, the Warner Bros. release is going to have to rely on Ryan's proven draw power and word-of-mouth in order to function as a successful counterprogrammer to that dinosaur picture.
Broderick is perfectly cast as Sam, a wide-eyed, innocent astronomer from the Midwest whose sunny girlfriend, Linda (Kelly Preston), has gone to New York to find herself, in turn finding herself French lover Anton (Tcheky Karyo).
Determined to find a way to woo her back, Sam sets up camp in an abandoned building across from their Soho loft, drawing on his optic knowledge to construct a simple yet effective Camera Obscura. The device, working on the principles of light and reflection, facilitates Sam's spying process by projecting the view on a back wall.
But it turns out Sam isn't the building's only inhabitant. Enter Maggie (Ryan), a hardened New Yorker who just happened to be jilted by the guy who's shacking up with Sam's girl. Hellbent on bringing the arrogant Anton to his knees, Maggie has devised an elaborate plan to systematically destroy the successful restaurateur, starting with breaking into his apartment to install a surveillance device.
By forming an uneasy alliance with Maggie, Sam now has audio to go with video, and the two watch the lives of their exes unfold in front of them in voyeuristic splendor, united in a common purpose while gradually, and, of course, unwittingly, being drawn closer to each other.
Dunne has put his experience to effective work here -- particularly Martin Scorsese's influence from "After Hours". In both films, the New York backdrop serves as a major character, while seemingly innocent beginnings quickly spiral into dark, chaotic conclusions. Screenwriter Robert Gordon, whose wildly quirky script was originally optioned back in 1989, admirably keeps the characters grounded.
In normal situations, the pairing of the two appealing leads might have generated a chemistry that would have been just a little too cute and cuddly. Here, the characters' outrageous behavior, particularly in Ryan's case, serves to blunt the potential sweetness while the gifted performers still manage to keep them accessible to sympathetic audiences. Also impressive is Karyo ("GoldenEye"), who finally gets a chance to shed the "heavy" image with some brilliant physical comedy.
Visually, the production has an appropriate caffeine-injected jittery energy courtesy of lensman Andrew Dunn ("The Madness of King George") and editor Elizabeth Kling ("Georgia"). Rachel Portman's resilient score gamely reflects the shifting moods.
ADDICTED TO LOVE
Warner Bros.
An Outlaw production
in association with Miramax Films
Director Griffin Dunne
Producers Jeffrey Silver, Bobby Newmyer
Screenwriter Robert Gordon
Executive producers Bob Weinstein
& Harvey Weinstein
Director of photography Andrew Dunn
Production designer Robin Standefer
Editor Elizabeth Kling
Music Rachel Portman
Costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus
Casting Amanda Mackey Johnson,
Cathy Sandrich
Color/stereo
Cast:
Maggie Meg Ryan
Sam Matthew Broderick
Linda Kelly Preston
Anton Tcheky Karyo
Nana Maureen Stapleton
Ed Green Nesbitt Blaisdell
Professor Wells Remak Ramsay
Matheson Dominick Dunne
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 5/19/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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