It’s the age of the biopic, and many filmmakers are turning to classic rock artists as their subjects. It makes sense — their music has moved people for decades, and their lives are usually full of enough intrigue to fill at least one film. As news of the new Bob Dylan biopic continues to trickle out and we not-so-patiently await a Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac movie, here are six classic rock biopics to watch.
The Beatles | Central Press/Getty Images ‘Love & Mercy’
The 2014 film Love & Mercy stars Paul Dano and John Cusack as The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. The film alternates between the 1960s, as Wilson works on the seminal Pet Sounds, and the 1980s, as he grapples with his mental health and begins a new relationship. Wilson himself said that upon watching the film, he was astonished by both portrayals of him, particularly Dano’s.
“Well, he looked...
The Beatles | Central Press/Getty Images ‘Love & Mercy’
The 2014 film Love & Mercy stars Paul Dano and John Cusack as The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. The film alternates between the 1960s, as Wilson works on the seminal Pet Sounds, and the 1980s, as he grapples with his mental health and begins a new relationship. Wilson himself said that upon watching the film, he was astonished by both portrayals of him, particularly Dano’s.
“Well, he looked...
- 4/13/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
How does it feeeeeel? To sing on your owwwn? Timothée Chalamet will apparently be doing his own singing in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, a title taken from Dylan’s iconic song “Like a Rolling Stone”.
As revealed by director James Mangold to Collider during the Star Wars Celebration this weekend, Chalamet is “of course” doing his own singing as Bob Dylan, which may be quite the challenge. Sure, a Dylan impression may sound easy, but to make it not sound like a parody or misguided attempt at authenticity may be an award-worthy task for the actor. It will certainly be drastically different from his take on Willy Wonka, in which he reportedly does his own singing as well.
Mangold also elaborated on the time frame of his upcoming Bob Dylan biopic, in which Timothée Chalamet will evidently play the legendary singer-songwriter as an up-and-comer in the folk music scene.
As revealed by director James Mangold to Collider during the Star Wars Celebration this weekend, Chalamet is “of course” doing his own singing as Bob Dylan, which may be quite the challenge. Sure, a Dylan impression may sound easy, but to make it not sound like a parody or misguided attempt at authenticity may be an award-worthy task for the actor. It will certainly be drastically different from his take on Willy Wonka, in which he reportedly does his own singing as well.
Mangold also elaborated on the time frame of his upcoming Bob Dylan biopic, in which Timothée Chalamet will evidently play the legendary singer-songwriter as an up-and-comer in the folk music scene.
- 4/9/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Though he has been famous for years, has given hundreds of interviews, and has been the subject of a number of films, Bob Dylan remains a relatively enigmatic celebrity. He prefers to keep his personal life private, though documentarians have attempted to understand the man behind the music. For any fans who want the same thing, here are five films that capture Dylan.
Bob Dylan | Val Wilmer/Redferns ‘Dont Look Back’
In 1965, filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker followed Dylan on his tour of England. The resulting film is one of the most intimate looks at Dylan, who was just beginning his career. For context, he was still an acoustic artist at this point; he divided fans by going electric just months after this tour.
D.A. Pennebaker's classic 1967 documentary Dont Look Back starts with one of the most iconic moments of 1960s pop culture: Bob Dylan's hard-driving 1965 hit "Subterranean Homesick Blues," which...
Bob Dylan | Val Wilmer/Redferns ‘Dont Look Back’
In 1965, filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker followed Dylan on his tour of England. The resulting film is one of the most intimate looks at Dylan, who was just beginning his career. For context, he was still an acoustic artist at this point; he divided fans by going electric just months after this tour.
D.A. Pennebaker's classic 1967 documentary Dont Look Back starts with one of the most iconic moments of 1960s pop culture: Bob Dylan's hard-driving 1965 hit "Subterranean Homesick Blues," which...
- 3/23/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
If you strapped in for the 166-minute runtime of Andrew Dominik's "Blonde," a fictional interpretation of Marilyn Monroe based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, odds are you don't want to stop thinking about it. Netflix's ambitious swing of a project, their first to earn an Nc-17 rating, is meant to inspire passionate responses and generate vigorous debate. After all, a figure like Marilyn Monroe is big enough to warrant several interpretations.
"Blonde" is a relentlessly stylized look at the life and loss of Marilyn Monroe (Ana de Armas), immersing viewers in the world that consumed her. Although the film feels like a brutal assault on the senses at times, the provocative approach pulls out all the stops to provide a visceral examination of how fame buoyed and sunk Monroe. "Blonde" is meant to unsettle and enrage as it deputizes viewers to provide the care and protection...
"Blonde" is a relentlessly stylized look at the life and loss of Marilyn Monroe (Ana de Armas), immersing viewers in the world that consumed her. Although the film feels like a brutal assault on the senses at times, the provocative approach pulls out all the stops to provide a visceral examination of how fame buoyed and sunk Monroe. "Blonde" is meant to unsettle and enrage as it deputizes viewers to provide the care and protection...
- 9/28/2022
- by Marshall Shaffer
- Slash Film
Born Robert Allen Zimmerman in the spring of 1941, Bob Dylan is a living American legend. Over the course of his 50-plus year career, he’s not only released 38 LPs, a handful of books, he even received the Nobel Prize for Literature. His whip-smart commentary on the world around him made him an idol to the likes of Steve Jobs and the average lay person in the Sixties. And he remains as relevant as ever.
While it’s impossible to track down all of the collectibles and gifts to get for...
While it’s impossible to track down all of the collectibles and gifts to get for...
- 12/18/2021
- by James Schiff
- Rollingstone.com
Tony Sokol Jan 7, 2020
Timothée Chalamet is in talks to play Bob Dylan in upcoming biopic from Walk the Line director James Mangold.
Folk music enthusiasts loved Bob Dylan when he played his acoustic set at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. But reports said Dylan "electrified one half of his audience, and electrocuted the other" when he plugged in for his July 25, 1965 appearance. While the sound engineer of the show contradicts it, the press wrote Dylan was booed during the set. A filmmaker caught an audience member calling the singer "Judas" before Dylan instructed the band "play it fucking loud," and tore into "Like a Rolling Stone." The incident will be the basis of James Mangold's upcoming as-yet-untitled film. Timothée Chalamet is in talks to play Dylan, according to Deadline.
The feature will be based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric. The screenplay was written by former Time and Newsweek film critic Jay Cocks,...
Timothée Chalamet is in talks to play Bob Dylan in upcoming biopic from Walk the Line director James Mangold.
Folk music enthusiasts loved Bob Dylan when he played his acoustic set at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. But reports said Dylan "electrified one half of his audience, and electrocuted the other" when he plugged in for his July 25, 1965 appearance. While the sound engineer of the show contradicts it, the press wrote Dylan was booed during the set. A filmmaker caught an audience member calling the singer "Judas" before Dylan instructed the band "play it fucking loud," and tore into "Like a Rolling Stone." The incident will be the basis of James Mangold's upcoming as-yet-untitled film. Timothée Chalamet is in talks to play Dylan, according to Deadline.
The feature will be based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric. The screenplay was written by former Time and Newsweek film critic Jay Cocks,...
- 1/7/2020
- Den of Geek
Looking back on this still-young century makes clear that 2007 was a major time for cinematic happenings — and, on the basis of this retrospective, one we’re not quite through with ten years on. One’s mind might quickly flash to a few big titles that will be represented, but it is the plurality of both festival and theatrical premieres that truly surprises: late works from old masters, debuts from filmmakers who’ve since become some of our most-respected artists, and mid-career turning points that didn’t necessarily announce themselves as such at the time. Join us as an assembled team, many of whom were coming of age that year, takes on their favorites.
A kaleidoscopic portrait / exploration / celebration / etc. of Bob Dylan’s many contradictions and personas, I’m Not There isn’t the first pseudo-biopic from director Todd Haynes. His debut film, Superstar, unravels the life of singer Karen Carpenter and her eventual,...
A kaleidoscopic portrait / exploration / celebration / etc. of Bob Dylan’s many contradictions and personas, I’m Not There isn’t the first pseudo-biopic from director Todd Haynes. His debut film, Superstar, unravels the life of singer Karen Carpenter and her eventual,...
- 12/4/2017
- by Tony Hinds
- The Film Stage
Lenny Bruce: Dustin Hoffman in the 1974 Bob Fosse movie. Lenny Bruce movie review: Polemical stand-up comedian merited less timid biopic (Oscar Movie Series) Bob Fosse's 1974 biopic Lenny has two chief assets: the ever relevant free speech issues it raises and the riveting presence of Valerie Perrine. The film itself, however, is only sporadically thought-provoking or emotionally gripping; in fact, Lenny is a major artistic letdown, considering all the talent involved and the fertile material at hand. After all, much more should have come out of a joint effort between director Fosse, fresh off his Academy Award win for Cabaret; playwright-screenwriter Julian Barry, whose stage version of Lenny earned Cliff Gorman a Tony Award; two-time Best Actor Oscar nominee Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy); and cinematographer Bruce Surtees (Play Misty for Me, Blume in Love). Their larger-than-life subject? Lenny Bruce, the stand-up comedian who became one of the...
- 6/5/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
This year's Bff will include 108 films, a mix of shorts and features, from 26 countries spread over five continents. Of these, 17 are world premieres and 30 Us premieres. Ryan Carmichael's "But Not For Me" is the only narrative feature world premiere. This New York City film stars Marcus Carl Franklin and Elena Urioste. "The 2015 fest has a number of fantastic films from local filmmakers that shows the diverse creative visions of our city's filmmakers," said Director of Programming Bryce J. Renninger. "Work from across the country and the world round out the lineup, exploring and exemplifying this year's theme of 'Illuminate' with their intelligence and ingenuity." Other special events during the fest include the 11th annual KidsFilmFest 2015 on Saturday, May 30; the Filmmakers Party on June 3; the Bff Exchange series of panels and a pitch session on June 6; “The Illuminate Party,” also on June 6, and the June...
- 5/13/2015
- by Elizabeth Logan
- Indiewire
Cinema has always liked telling a good life story, and all kinds of biography – from the humblest to the starriest – have been given a filmic going-over. The Guardian and Observer's critics pick the 10 best in a very crowded field
• Top 10 animated movies
• Top 10 silent movies
• Top 10 sports movies
• Top 10 film noir
• Top 10 musicals
• Top 10 martial arts movies
• More Guardian and Observer critics' top 10s
10. Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
This is the most radical of all biopics. It does exactly what it promises, breaking the Canadian pianist's intense and troubled life into concentrated fragments. Reassembly is left to the viewer. When he began working on the screenplay with Don McKellar, the writer-director François Girard recognised the pitfalls of the genre. "There are many traps," he said. "The main temptation is to try to cram everything about a life into one film. What you need is a radical idea...
• Top 10 animated movies
• Top 10 silent movies
• Top 10 sports movies
• Top 10 film noir
• Top 10 musicals
• Top 10 martial arts movies
• More Guardian and Observer critics' top 10s
10. Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
This is the most radical of all biopics. It does exactly what it promises, breaking the Canadian pianist's intense and troubled life into concentrated fragments. Reassembly is left to the viewer. When he began working on the screenplay with Don McKellar, the writer-director François Girard recognised the pitfalls of the genre. "There are many traps," he said. "The main temptation is to try to cram everything about a life into one film. What you need is a radical idea...
- 12/12/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
He's one of our most enigmatic and hyperactive musicians, and this film takes the same approach to Dylan's mythology
Director: Todd Haynes
Entertainment grade: E
History grade: D
Bob Dylan is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the last century.
Health
The film opens by invoking Bob Dylan's motorcycle accident of 1966, which marked a turning point in his career. The accident was real – probably. The details are obscure and inconsistent, leading some to questioned whether it happened at all. "There certainly was an accident, or rather an incident," wrote Dylan biographer Howard Sounes. "But it was not as serious as was reported at the time." I'm Not There isn't particularly literal about anything, but it does show Dylan dying after the accident, which in literal terms at least he did not.
Childhood
Back in the 1950s, a young African-American Dylan (Marcus Carl Franklin) rides boxcars...
Director: Todd Haynes
Entertainment grade: E
History grade: D
Bob Dylan is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the last century.
Health
The film opens by invoking Bob Dylan's motorcycle accident of 1966, which marked a turning point in his career. The accident was real – probably. The details are obscure and inconsistent, leading some to questioned whether it happened at all. "There certainly was an accident, or rather an incident," wrote Dylan biographer Howard Sounes. "But it was not as serious as was reported at the time." I'm Not There isn't particularly literal about anything, but it does show Dylan dying after the accident, which in literal terms at least he did not.
Childhood
Back in the 1950s, a young African-American Dylan (Marcus Carl Franklin) rides boxcars...
- 12/6/2012
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
Four readers tell us about their favourite film portrayals of real-life musicians. But what's yours?
Earlier this week we asked readers to tell us about their favourite music biopics. Here are four of our favourite responses.
Steve Bent on The Doors
I can see how 60s psychedelic blues rockers The Doors would not be to everyones taste. I can also imagine that if the frenetic, colourful & loud film director Oliver Stone were a poet he'd be rhyming Road with Toad and West with Best. It's the marriage of such a band (good tunes, cod philosophy, rock icon frontman) with this particular director that makes the Val Kilmer led Doors movie such a Rock N' Roll experience.
The Doors film is like a themed roller coaster ride. It crashes from first meetings to breakthrough gigs to infamous incidents with a woozy verve. The soundtrack is spliced together in a way that...
Earlier this week we asked readers to tell us about their favourite music biopics. Here are four of our favourite responses.
Steve Bent on The Doors
I can see how 60s psychedelic blues rockers The Doors would not be to everyones taste. I can also imagine that if the frenetic, colourful & loud film director Oliver Stone were a poet he'd be rhyming Road with Toad and West with Best. It's the marriage of such a band (good tunes, cod philosophy, rock icon frontman) with this particular director that makes the Val Kilmer led Doors movie such a Rock N' Roll experience.
The Doors film is like a themed roller coaster ride. It crashes from first meetings to breakthrough gigs to infamous incidents with a woozy verve. The soundtrack is spliced together in a way that...
- 6/15/2012
- by Guardian readers
- The Guardian - Film News
We've had a couple of Bob Dylan films in recent years, in Martin Scorsese's brilliant documentary No Direction Home, and in Todd Haynes' oddball biopic I'm Not There, in which the iconic singer songwriter was played by Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, Christian Bale, Ben Whishaw, Cate Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin. Now, Brazilian production company Rt Features has picked up the rights to Dylan's 1975 album Blood On The Tracks, with an eye to producing a "classic drama".Blood On The Tracks was released in the fallout from Dylan's acrimonious separation from his first wife Sara, and its ten tracks are widely assumed to be inspired by that break-up. Jakob Dylan says the album is "my parents talking". Dylan himself once told an interviewer that he found it hard to fathom the album's popularity, since it implied "enjoying that type of pain," but he's also denied that it's in any way autobiographical.
- 4/5/2012
- EmpireOnline
This is a UK competition for The Art of Getting By, directed by Gavin Wiesen and starring Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser, Sam Robards, Jarlath Conroy, Ann Dowd, Marcus Carl Franklin, Sasha Spielberg, Rita Wilson and Blair Underwood. The Art Of Getting By stars Freddie Highmore as George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who has made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work. He is befriended by Sally (Emma Roberts), a beautiful and complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
- 9/4/2011
- by admin
- Pure Movies
To celebrate the release of The Art of Getting By on 2nd September, Fox Searchlight Pictures have given us two goodie bags and two posters signed by Freddie Highmore to give away!
The movie is written and directed by Gavin Wiesen and stars Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser, Sam Robards, Jarlath Conroy, Ann Dowd, Marcus Carl Franklin, Sasha Spielberg with Rita Wilson and Blair Underwood.
The Art Of Getting By stars Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who’s made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, who is befriended by Sally (Emma Roberts – Scream 4), a beautiful and complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
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To be in with a chance of winning these great prizes, simply answer the following...
The movie is written and directed by Gavin Wiesen and stars Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser, Sam Robards, Jarlath Conroy, Ann Dowd, Marcus Carl Franklin, Sasha Spielberg with Rita Wilson and Blair Underwood.
The Art Of Getting By stars Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who’s made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, who is befriended by Sally (Emma Roberts – Scream 4), a beautiful and complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
Iframe Embed for Youtube
To be in with a chance of winning these great prizes, simply answer the following...
- 8/24/2011
- by Competitons
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Chicago – In our latest romance edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two run-of-engagement movie passes up for grabs to the film “The Art of Getting By”!
“The Art of Getting By,” which opens on June 17, 2011, stars Emma Roberts, Freddie Highmore, Alicia Silverstone, Sasha Spielberg, Marcus Carl Franklin, Ann Dowd, Maya Ri Sanchez, Blair Underwood, Ann Harada, Rita Wilson, Jarlath Conroy, Elizabeth Reaser, Andrew Levitas, Sam Robards and Michael Angarano from writer and director Gavin Wiesen.
To win your free run-of-engagement “The Art of Getting By” movie pass, all you need to do is answer our question in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! These movie passes are valid during the film’s theatrical run at participating Chicago movie theatres. Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.
The movie poster for “The Art of Getting By” with Emma Roberts and Freddie Highmore.
“The Art of Getting By,” which opens on June 17, 2011, stars Emma Roberts, Freddie Highmore, Alicia Silverstone, Sasha Spielberg, Marcus Carl Franklin, Ann Dowd, Maya Ri Sanchez, Blair Underwood, Ann Harada, Rita Wilson, Jarlath Conroy, Elizabeth Reaser, Andrew Levitas, Sam Robards and Michael Angarano from writer and director Gavin Wiesen.
To win your free run-of-engagement “The Art of Getting By” movie pass, all you need to do is answer our question in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! These movie passes are valid during the film’s theatrical run at participating Chicago movie theatres. Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.
The movie poster for “The Art of Getting By” with Emma Roberts and Freddie Highmore.
- 6/17/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The legendary Bob Dylan turned 70 years old on May 24th. This article takes a close look at his association with the movies…
Bob Dylan had his first acting gig aged 21 on British TV with a play called Madhouse on Castle Street. His eponymously-titled first album had been released but few people in Britain would have known him; this was a few months before Freewheelin’ hit the shelves and Dylan-fever (which is like Beatlemania, only less wild and more pretentious) swept the Western world. He was intended to play the lead but quickly proved that he wasn’t interested in learning lines and was perhaps more interested in his recent discovery of cannabis, so David Warner was hired as the lead and Dylan provided a Greek chorus to the action.
In its wisdom, the BBC has long since destroyed the footage so it’s not easy to gauge how people would...
Bob Dylan had his first acting gig aged 21 on British TV with a play called Madhouse on Castle Street. His eponymously-titled first album had been released but few people in Britain would have known him; this was a few months before Freewheelin’ hit the shelves and Dylan-fever (which is like Beatlemania, only less wild and more pretentious) swept the Western world. He was intended to play the lead but quickly proved that he wasn’t interested in learning lines and was perhaps more interested in his recent discovery of cannabis, so David Warner was hired as the lead and Dylan provided a Greek chorus to the action.
In its wisdom, the BBC has long since destroyed the footage so it’s not easy to gauge how people would...
- 6/1/2011
- by Adam Whyte
- Obsessed with Film
She first became known as Jen Lindley on the popular "Dawson's Creek," now Michelle Williams, 30, has a noteworthy acting resume, having starred in such films as "The Station Agent," "Brokeback Mountain" and "Shutter Island." The actress has often appeared in dramatic and serious indie films that have frequently been under the radar.
In 2005, Williams was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2005's "Brokeback," and five years later received another nod for "Blue Valentine,...
In 2005, Williams was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2005's "Brokeback," and five years later received another nod for "Blue Valentine,...
- 2/26/2011
- Extra
Penguins, Nicole Kidman and Narnia – Paul Howlett picks his film highlights
Christmas Eve
Over the Hedge
(Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick, 2006) 4.25pm, BBC1
A DreamWorks animated adventure in which Rj, the cynical racoon (laconically voiced by Bruce Willis) teaches a burrowful of innocent woodland animals to forage off the waste of an encroaching housing estate rather than rely on boring old natural food, before inevitably seeing the error of his ways. Plenty of good slapstick fun for kids and cine-literate gags for adults, although it all seems a bit glib compared to Shrek and co.
Corpse Bride
(Tim Burton, Mike Johnson, 2005) 6pm, ITV1
Life, in Burton's typically weird and ghoulish fantasy, is a dull, grey affair: death is much more colourful and fun, as young Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp) discovers when he is whisked into the underworld by the maggoty Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham Carter). Trouble is, he's in love...
Christmas Eve
Over the Hedge
(Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick, 2006) 4.25pm, BBC1
A DreamWorks animated adventure in which Rj, the cynical racoon (laconically voiced by Bruce Willis) teaches a burrowful of innocent woodland animals to forage off the waste of an encroaching housing estate rather than rely on boring old natural food, before inevitably seeing the error of his ways. Plenty of good slapstick fun for kids and cine-literate gags for adults, although it all seems a bit glib compared to Shrek and co.
Corpse Bride
(Tim Burton, Mike Johnson, 2005) 6pm, ITV1
Life, in Burton's typically weird and ghoulish fantasy, is a dull, grey affair: death is much more colourful and fun, as young Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp) discovers when he is whisked into the underworld by the maggoty Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham Carter). Trouble is, he's in love...
- 12/23/2009
- by Paul Howlett
- The Guardian - Film News
The Inside Reel recorded a really nice interview with the late Heath Ledger on his role in the Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There” by director Todd Haynes and starring Christian Bale from “The Dark Knight” , Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Ben Whishaw, Kris Kristofferson and Heath Ledger as Robbie. Synopsis: Director Todd Haynes’s unconventional biopic of the legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan features different actors playing the part of the Minnesota native at various stages of his remarkable career. Among the actors playing the singer are Cate Blanchett, who portrays the man during his Don’t Look Back era incarnation; Heath Ledger, as an actor playing one of the fictional Dylan’s in a movie within the movie; Christian Bale, [...]...
- 8/9/2008
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
UPDATED 5:21 p.m. PT Nov. 27, 2007
Film Independent's 2008 Spirit Awards took on an international accent as nominees were announced Tuesday. Best feature noms went to the French-language "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and the Pakistan-set "A Mighty Heart", while the starring duo of Tony Leung and Tang Wei of the Shanghai drama "Lust, Caution" both figure in the top acting categories.
But Americana also ruled as "I'm Not There", Todd Haynes' kaleidoscope deconstruction of the work of Bob Dylan, led the field. With four nominations, including best feature, director and supporting noms for Cate Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin, it also was named the inaugural winner of the Robert Altman Award, recognizing Haynes, casting director Laura Rosenthal and the ensemble cast.
While the Spirit Awards focus on American independent film, a film can qualify if at least one U.S. citizen or permanent resident is credited in two or more of the categories of writer, director or producer, which opened the door for this year's globetrotting noms.
In addition to "I'm Not There", "Diving Bell", a film told from the point of view of a stroke victim, and "Mighty Heart", the dramatization of the search for kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl, the other contenders in the best feature category are "Juno", a comedy about an unintended pregnancy, and "Paranoid Park", the account of a teen who accidentally kills a man.
Four of the best film nominees saw their helmsman nominated for best director: Haynes ("I'm Not There"), Jason Reitman ("Juno"), Julian Schnabel ("Butterfly") and Gus Van Sant ("Paranoid"). But instead of Michael Winterbottom for "Mighty Heart", the fifth slot went to Tamara Jenkins -- who also was nominated for best screenplay -- for the family drama "The Savages".
"There wasn't a dominant genre or even a film. It was a mix of emerging filmmakers and veteran filmmakers like Gus Van Sant and Todd Haynes. I felt like it was a wide spectrum of talent in all areas," FIND exec director Dawn Hudson said at the ceremonies that Lisa Kudrow and Zach Braff hosted at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles.
"You want all these films to gain some momentum," she added. "There's such a glut of films this season that you hope that this will shine a spotlight on these lower-budgeted films that are so deserving."
The best actress contenders are Angelina Jolie for portraying Mariane Pearl in "Mighty Heart"; Sienna Miller, seen as a soap actress facing off with a journalist in "Interview"; Ellen Page, who appears as the pregnant teen in "Juno"; Parker Posey, who finds herself embarking on an affair in "Broken English"; and Tang, who becomes entangled in love and espionage in "Lust".
Nominated as best actor are Pedro Castaneda, who plays an undocumented farm worker "August Evening"; Don Cheadle, who stars as a radio host in "Talk to Me"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose character struggles with an ailing father in "Savages"; Frank Langella, who appears as the older half of a May-December relationship in "Starting Out in the Evening"; and Leung, who plays a spy in "Lust".
Still, several performances that have excited critics failed to make the cut: Among the missing were Ryan Gosling ("Lars and the Real Girl"), Laura Linney ("Savages"), Nicole Kidman ("Margot at the Wedding"), Keri Russell ("Waitress") and John Cusak ("Grace Is Gone").
Along with Blanchett, who seems to channel Dylan in "Not There", the nominees for best supporting female are Anna Kendrick ("Rocket Science"), Jennifer Jason Leigh ("Margot"), Tamara Podemski ("Four Sheets to the Wind") and Marisa Tomei ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead").
Best supporting male nominee Franklin plays a young musician who calls himself Woody Guthrie in "Not There". In the nominees circle, he joins Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Talk to Me"), Kene Holliday ("Great World of Sound"), Irfan Khan ("The Namesake") and Steve Zahn ("Rescue Dawn").
Screenplay nominees are Ronald Harwood ("Butterfly"), Jenkins ("Savages"), Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner ("Starting Out"), the late Adrienne Shelly ("Waitress") and Mike White ("Year of the Dog").
In the adjoining category of best first screenplay, the nominees are Jeffrey Blitz ("Rocket Science"), Zoe Cassavetes ("Broken English"), Diablo Cody ("Juno"), Kelly Masterson ("Devil") and John Orloff ("Mighty Heart").
The Spirits also recognize films made for less than $500,000 with its John Cassavetes Award.
Film Independent's 2008 Spirit Awards took on an international accent as nominees were announced Tuesday. Best feature noms went to the French-language "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and the Pakistan-set "A Mighty Heart", while the starring duo of Tony Leung and Tang Wei of the Shanghai drama "Lust, Caution" both figure in the top acting categories.
But Americana also ruled as "I'm Not There", Todd Haynes' kaleidoscope deconstruction of the work of Bob Dylan, led the field. With four nominations, including best feature, director and supporting noms for Cate Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin, it also was named the inaugural winner of the Robert Altman Award, recognizing Haynes, casting director Laura Rosenthal and the ensemble cast.
While the Spirit Awards focus on American independent film, a film can qualify if at least one U.S. citizen or permanent resident is credited in two or more of the categories of writer, director or producer, which opened the door for this year's globetrotting noms.
In addition to "I'm Not There", "Diving Bell", a film told from the point of view of a stroke victim, and "Mighty Heart", the dramatization of the search for kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl, the other contenders in the best feature category are "Juno", a comedy about an unintended pregnancy, and "Paranoid Park", the account of a teen who accidentally kills a man.
Four of the best film nominees saw their helmsman nominated for best director: Haynes ("I'm Not There"), Jason Reitman ("Juno"), Julian Schnabel ("Butterfly") and Gus Van Sant ("Paranoid"). But instead of Michael Winterbottom for "Mighty Heart", the fifth slot went to Tamara Jenkins -- who also was nominated for best screenplay -- for the family drama "The Savages".
"There wasn't a dominant genre or even a film. It was a mix of emerging filmmakers and veteran filmmakers like Gus Van Sant and Todd Haynes. I felt like it was a wide spectrum of talent in all areas," FIND exec director Dawn Hudson said at the ceremonies that Lisa Kudrow and Zach Braff hosted at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles.
"You want all these films to gain some momentum," she added. "There's such a glut of films this season that you hope that this will shine a spotlight on these lower-budgeted films that are so deserving."
The best actress contenders are Angelina Jolie for portraying Mariane Pearl in "Mighty Heart"; Sienna Miller, seen as a soap actress facing off with a journalist in "Interview"; Ellen Page, who appears as the pregnant teen in "Juno"; Parker Posey, who finds herself embarking on an affair in "Broken English"; and Tang, who becomes entangled in love and espionage in "Lust".
Nominated as best actor are Pedro Castaneda, who plays an undocumented farm worker "August Evening"; Don Cheadle, who stars as a radio host in "Talk to Me"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose character struggles with an ailing father in "Savages"; Frank Langella, who appears as the older half of a May-December relationship in "Starting Out in the Evening"; and Leung, who plays a spy in "Lust".
Still, several performances that have excited critics failed to make the cut: Among the missing were Ryan Gosling ("Lars and the Real Girl"), Laura Linney ("Savages"), Nicole Kidman ("Margot at the Wedding"), Keri Russell ("Waitress") and John Cusak ("Grace Is Gone").
Along with Blanchett, who seems to channel Dylan in "Not There", the nominees for best supporting female are Anna Kendrick ("Rocket Science"), Jennifer Jason Leigh ("Margot"), Tamara Podemski ("Four Sheets to the Wind") and Marisa Tomei ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead").
Best supporting male nominee Franklin plays a young musician who calls himself Woody Guthrie in "Not There". In the nominees circle, he joins Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Talk to Me"), Kene Holliday ("Great World of Sound"), Irfan Khan ("The Namesake") and Steve Zahn ("Rescue Dawn").
Screenplay nominees are Ronald Harwood ("Butterfly"), Jenkins ("Savages"), Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner ("Starting Out"), the late Adrienne Shelly ("Waitress") and Mike White ("Year of the Dog").
In the adjoining category of best first screenplay, the nominees are Jeffrey Blitz ("Rocket Science"), Zoe Cassavetes ("Broken English"), Diablo Cody ("Juno"), Kelly Masterson ("Devil") and John Orloff ("Mighty Heart").
The Spirits also recognize films made for less than $500,000 with its John Cassavetes Award.
- 11/28/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
UPDATED 6:36 p.m. PT Nov. 27
Film Independent's 2008 Spirit Awards took on an international accent as nominees were announced Tuesday.
Best feature noms went to the French-language "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and the Pakistan-set "A Mighty Heart", while the starring duo of Tony Leung and Tang Wei of the Shanghai drama "Lust, Caution" both figure in the top acting categories.
But Americana also ruled as "I'm Not There", Todd Haynes' kaleidoscope deconstruction of the work of Bob Dylan, led the field. With four nominations, including best feature, director and supporting noms for Cate Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin, it also was named the inaugural winner of the Robert Altman Award, recognizing Haynes, casting director Laura Rosenthal and the ensemble cast.
While the Spirit Awards focus on American independent film, a film can qualify if at least one U.S. citizen or permanent resident is credited in two or more of the categories of writer, director or producer, which opened the door for this year's globetrotting noms.
In addition to "I'm Not There", "Diving Bell", a film told from the point of view of a stroke victim, and "Mighty Heart", the dramatization of the search for kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl, the other contenders in the best feature category are "Juno", a comedy about an unintended pregnancy, and "Paranoid Park", the account of a teen who accidentally kills a man.
Four of the best film nominees saw their helmsman nominated for best director: Haynes ("I'm Not There"), Jason Reitman ("Juno"), Julian Schnabel ("Butterfly") and Gus Van Sant ("Paranoid"). But instead of Michael Winterbottom for "Mighty Heart", the fifth slot went to Tamara Jenkins -- who also was nominated for best screenplay -- for the family drama "The Savages".
"There wasn't a dominant genre or even a film. It was a mix of emerging filmmakers and veteran filmmakers like Gus Van Sant and Todd Haynes. I felt like it was a wide spectrum of talent in all areas," FIND exec director Dawn Hudson said at the ceremonies that Lisa Kudrow and Zach Braff hosted at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles.
"You want all these films to gain some momentum," she added. "There's such a glut of films this season that you hope that this will shine a spotlight on these lower-budgeted films that are so deserving."
The best actress contenders are Angelina Jolie for portraying Mariane Pearl in "Mighty Heart"; Sienna Miller, seen as a soap actress facing off with a journalist in "Interview"; Ellen Page, who appears as the pregnant teen in "Juno"; Parker Posey, who finds herself embarking on an affair in "Broken English"; and Tang, who becomes entangled in love and espionage in "Lust".
Nominated as best actor are Pedro Castaneda, who plays an undocumented farm worker "August Evening"; Don Cheadle, who stars as a radio host in "Talk to Me"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose character struggles with an ailing father in "Savages"; Frank Langella, who appears as the older half of a May-December relationship in "Starting Out in the Evening"; and Leung, who plays a spy in "Lust".
Still, several performances that have excited critics failed to make the cut: Among the missing were Ryan Gosling ("Lars and the Real Girl"), Laura Linney ("Savages"), Nicole Kidman ("Margot at the Wedding"), Keri Russell ("Waitress") and John Cusack ("Grace is Gone").
Along with Blanchett, who channels Dylan in "Not There", the nominees for best supporting female are Anna Kendrick ("Rocket Science"), Jennifer Jason Leigh ("Margot"), Tamara Podemski ("Four Sheets to the Wind") and Marisa Tomei ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead").
Best supporting male nominee Franklin plays a young musician who calls himself Woody Guthrie in "Not There". In the nominees circle, he joins Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Talk to Me"), Kene Holliday ("Great World of Sound"), Irfan Khan ("The Namesake") and Steve Zahn ("Rescue Dawn").
Screenplay nominees are Ronald Harwood ("Butterfly"), Jenkins ("Savages"), Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner ("Starting Out"), the late Adrienne Shelly ("Waitress") and Mike White ("Year of the Dog").
In the adjoining category of best first screenplay, the nominees are Jeffrey Blitz ("Rocket Science"), Zoe Cassavetes ("Broken English"), Diablo Cody ("Juno"), Kelly Masterson ("Devil") and John Orloff ("Mighty Heart").
The Spirits also recognize films made for less than $500,000 with its John Cassavetes Award.
Film Independent's 2008 Spirit Awards took on an international accent as nominees were announced Tuesday.
Best feature noms went to the French-language "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and the Pakistan-set "A Mighty Heart", while the starring duo of Tony Leung and Tang Wei of the Shanghai drama "Lust, Caution" both figure in the top acting categories.
But Americana also ruled as "I'm Not There", Todd Haynes' kaleidoscope deconstruction of the work of Bob Dylan, led the field. With four nominations, including best feature, director and supporting noms for Cate Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin, it also was named the inaugural winner of the Robert Altman Award, recognizing Haynes, casting director Laura Rosenthal and the ensemble cast.
While the Spirit Awards focus on American independent film, a film can qualify if at least one U.S. citizen or permanent resident is credited in two or more of the categories of writer, director or producer, which opened the door for this year's globetrotting noms.
In addition to "I'm Not There", "Diving Bell", a film told from the point of view of a stroke victim, and "Mighty Heart", the dramatization of the search for kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl, the other contenders in the best feature category are "Juno", a comedy about an unintended pregnancy, and "Paranoid Park", the account of a teen who accidentally kills a man.
Four of the best film nominees saw their helmsman nominated for best director: Haynes ("I'm Not There"), Jason Reitman ("Juno"), Julian Schnabel ("Butterfly") and Gus Van Sant ("Paranoid"). But instead of Michael Winterbottom for "Mighty Heart", the fifth slot went to Tamara Jenkins -- who also was nominated for best screenplay -- for the family drama "The Savages".
"There wasn't a dominant genre or even a film. It was a mix of emerging filmmakers and veteran filmmakers like Gus Van Sant and Todd Haynes. I felt like it was a wide spectrum of talent in all areas," FIND exec director Dawn Hudson said at the ceremonies that Lisa Kudrow and Zach Braff hosted at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles.
"You want all these films to gain some momentum," she added. "There's such a glut of films this season that you hope that this will shine a spotlight on these lower-budgeted films that are so deserving."
The best actress contenders are Angelina Jolie for portraying Mariane Pearl in "Mighty Heart"; Sienna Miller, seen as a soap actress facing off with a journalist in "Interview"; Ellen Page, who appears as the pregnant teen in "Juno"; Parker Posey, who finds herself embarking on an affair in "Broken English"; and Tang, who becomes entangled in love and espionage in "Lust".
Nominated as best actor are Pedro Castaneda, who plays an undocumented farm worker "August Evening"; Don Cheadle, who stars as a radio host in "Talk to Me"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose character struggles with an ailing father in "Savages"; Frank Langella, who appears as the older half of a May-December relationship in "Starting Out in the Evening"; and Leung, who plays a spy in "Lust".
Still, several performances that have excited critics failed to make the cut: Among the missing were Ryan Gosling ("Lars and the Real Girl"), Laura Linney ("Savages"), Nicole Kidman ("Margot at the Wedding"), Keri Russell ("Waitress") and John Cusack ("Grace is Gone").
Along with Blanchett, who channels Dylan in "Not There", the nominees for best supporting female are Anna Kendrick ("Rocket Science"), Jennifer Jason Leigh ("Margot"), Tamara Podemski ("Four Sheets to the Wind") and Marisa Tomei ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead").
Best supporting male nominee Franklin plays a young musician who calls himself Woody Guthrie in "Not There". In the nominees circle, he joins Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Talk to Me"), Kene Holliday ("Great World of Sound"), Irfan Khan ("The Namesake") and Steve Zahn ("Rescue Dawn").
Screenplay nominees are Ronald Harwood ("Butterfly"), Jenkins ("Savages"), Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner ("Starting Out"), the late Adrienne Shelly ("Waitress") and Mike White ("Year of the Dog").
In the adjoining category of best first screenplay, the nominees are Jeffrey Blitz ("Rocket Science"), Zoe Cassavetes ("Broken English"), Diablo Cody ("Juno"), Kelly Masterson ("Devil") and John Orloff ("Mighty Heart").
The Spirits also recognize films made for less than $500,000 with its John Cassavetes Award.
- 11/28/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director Todd Haynes' quirky, all-star Bob Dylan-inspired movie I'm Not There is set to be the toast of the IFC Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Los Angeles in February, after landing the event's first Robert Altman Award. Announced at the Spirit Awards last year, the honor is given to the director, casting agent and cast of an outstanding indie movie. In I'm Not There, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and Cate Blanchett are among the actors who conjure up the spirit of Dylan at different stages of his life for the offbeat biopic. The movie was also nominated for the Spirits' Best Film prize, where it will compete with Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, Juno, A Mighty Heart and Paranoid Park. Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin earned Best Supporting Actress and Actor nods respectively for their portrayals of Dylan, and Todd Haynes is a Best Director nominee. Other four-film nominees are acclaimed coming-of-age film Juno, The Diving Bell And The Butterfly and The Savages. Meanwhile, Ang Lee's controversial Lust, Caution is also a multi-nominee; the film's stars Tony Leung and Tang Wei are up for Best Actor and Actress honors, while Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography is also under consideration. French actress Julie Delpy's 2 Days In Paris earned her a First Feature nomination; she'll be up against Jeffrey Blitz's Rocket Science, which garnered three nominations. In the lead acting categories, Angelina Jolie is an immediate favorite for her role as grieving Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart. Jolie will compete against Sienna Miller (Interview), Parker Posey (Broken English), Ellen Page (Juno) and Tang Wei. Leung will be up against Pedro Castaneda (August Evening), Don Cheadle (Talk To Me), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages) and Frank Langella (Starting Out In The Evening) in the Best Actor category. The nominations were announced on Tuesday morning by Lisa Kudrow and Zach Braff.
- 11/28/2007
- WENN
- Dysfunctional loving families undergoing reality checks, a paralyzed man checking out and a checklist of Dylan figures are the film narratives that have collected the most noms for the 2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Sparkling Fox Searchlight titles of Tamara Jenkins’s The Savages and Jason Reitman’s Juno each grab a significant amount of noms, but it is Todd Haynes’ I’m not There and Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly that have collected the most kudos with the Dylan kaleidescope already leading 1 to zero by winning the inaugural Robert Altman award: given to one film's director, casting director and its ensemble cast (Haynes gets cred and so does Laura Rosenthal for casting Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Bruce Greenwood). As noted in the Hollywood Reporter, these American independent films have a distinct international flair
- 11/27/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
Venice International Film Festival
VENICE, Italy -- Todd Haynes' highly impressionistic docudrama "I'm Not There" is "inspired by the life and work of Bob Dylan," though pop's leading troubadour is not mentioned, barely seen and not heard very much in the production.
Instead, an eclectic mix of actors including Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Richard Gere portray characters whose lives run parallel to or are informed by Dylan's life. There's plenty of the singer-songwriter's music on hand but sung by others. Filled with incidents that echo famous moments in Dylan's life, the goal is to summarize all the disparate elements in his career.
A long film, at 135 minutes, it's difficult to see who the prime audience will be for the picture, screened in competition at the Venice Film Festival. It's a curiosity that could delight or turn off loyal Dylan fans and may prove too oddball to draw in younger and mainstream audiences.
The guiding principal of Dylan's life is declared right at the start as a character who calls himself Woody Guthrie, an 11-year-old black guitar picker played by Marcus Carl Franklin, is advised to "live your own time, child, sing about your own time."
Woody rides the rails and tells stories about the days of the Depression, but in another incarnation, Jack Rollins (Bale), he starts to create the songs that stunned and inspired a generation.
The film jumps all over the place, introducing Arthur (Ben Whishaw), a view of the man as young poet, and then as an actor named Robbie (Ledger), who shows his romantic side. Many scenes are given over to Jude Quinn (Blanchett), the colorful, wisecracking Dylan from the '60s. But then it's back again to Bale, only now he's Pastor John, in a role that illustrates the performer's Christian conversion and decade as a gospel singer.
Finally, there is a passage about Billy the Kid (Gere), who survives his encounter with Sheriff Pat Garrett to live a quiet life in a place named Riddle until events conspire to bring him to public attention again.
Haynes directs all of these people and places with great flair, helped immensely by cinematographer Edward Lachman and his mostly inspired cast. Whishaw, an intense young British stage actor, speaks directly to the camera, while Bale inhabits both the younger Dylan and the religious convert with typical concentration.
Gere is effective in the Western sequence, though that segment's relevance is difficult to grasp. True, Dylan co-starred in Sam Peckinpah's film about William Bonney.
The star of the show is undoubtedly Blanchett, who has great fun playing Dylan as a showboat who quite knowingly goes about creating his reputation for rebellious independence.
Randall Poster and Jim Dunbar put together the musical soundtrack, which features the obscure Dylan title track from "The Basement Tapes", which he recorded with the Band at Woodstock in 1967. There's also a new cover version by Sonic Youth.
The film is said to have the endorsement of Dylan, which must have taken some courage given the ragged edges of his life on display. But the film fits well with his singular ability to reinvent himself while really putting us nowhere nearer to fully understanding the man.
I'M NOT THERE
Killer Films
Director: Todd Haynes
Writers: Todd Haynes, Oren Moverman
Producers: Christine Vachon, James D. Stern, John Sloss, John Goldwyn
Director of photography: Edward Lachman
Production designer: Judy Becker
Music: Randall Poster, Jim Dunbar
Costume designer: John Dunn
Editor: Jay Rabinowitz
Cast:
Jack/Pastor John: Christian Bale
Jude: Cate Blanchett
Woody: Marcus Carl Franklin
Billy: Richard Gere
Robbie: Heath Ledger
Arthur: Ben Whishaw
Claire: Charlotte Gainsbourg
Allen Ginsberg: David Cross
Keenan Jones: Bruce Greenwood
Alice Fabian: Julianne Moore
Coco Rivington: Michelle Williams
MPAA rating R, running time 135 minutes...
VENICE, Italy -- Todd Haynes' highly impressionistic docudrama "I'm Not There" is "inspired by the life and work of Bob Dylan," though pop's leading troubadour is not mentioned, barely seen and not heard very much in the production.
Instead, an eclectic mix of actors including Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Richard Gere portray characters whose lives run parallel to or are informed by Dylan's life. There's plenty of the singer-songwriter's music on hand but sung by others. Filled with incidents that echo famous moments in Dylan's life, the goal is to summarize all the disparate elements in his career.
A long film, at 135 minutes, it's difficult to see who the prime audience will be for the picture, screened in competition at the Venice Film Festival. It's a curiosity that could delight or turn off loyal Dylan fans and may prove too oddball to draw in younger and mainstream audiences.
The guiding principal of Dylan's life is declared right at the start as a character who calls himself Woody Guthrie, an 11-year-old black guitar picker played by Marcus Carl Franklin, is advised to "live your own time, child, sing about your own time."
Woody rides the rails and tells stories about the days of the Depression, but in another incarnation, Jack Rollins (Bale), he starts to create the songs that stunned and inspired a generation.
The film jumps all over the place, introducing Arthur (Ben Whishaw), a view of the man as young poet, and then as an actor named Robbie (Ledger), who shows his romantic side. Many scenes are given over to Jude Quinn (Blanchett), the colorful, wisecracking Dylan from the '60s. But then it's back again to Bale, only now he's Pastor John, in a role that illustrates the performer's Christian conversion and decade as a gospel singer.
Finally, there is a passage about Billy the Kid (Gere), who survives his encounter with Sheriff Pat Garrett to live a quiet life in a place named Riddle until events conspire to bring him to public attention again.
Haynes directs all of these people and places with great flair, helped immensely by cinematographer Edward Lachman and his mostly inspired cast. Whishaw, an intense young British stage actor, speaks directly to the camera, while Bale inhabits both the younger Dylan and the religious convert with typical concentration.
Gere is effective in the Western sequence, though that segment's relevance is difficult to grasp. True, Dylan co-starred in Sam Peckinpah's film about William Bonney.
The star of the show is undoubtedly Blanchett, who has great fun playing Dylan as a showboat who quite knowingly goes about creating his reputation for rebellious independence.
Randall Poster and Jim Dunbar put together the musical soundtrack, which features the obscure Dylan title track from "The Basement Tapes", which he recorded with the Band at Woodstock in 1967. There's also a new cover version by Sonic Youth.
The film is said to have the endorsement of Dylan, which must have taken some courage given the ragged edges of his life on display. But the film fits well with his singular ability to reinvent himself while really putting us nowhere nearer to fully understanding the man.
I'M NOT THERE
Killer Films
Director: Todd Haynes
Writers: Todd Haynes, Oren Moverman
Producers: Christine Vachon, James D. Stern, John Sloss, John Goldwyn
Director of photography: Edward Lachman
Production designer: Judy Becker
Music: Randall Poster, Jim Dunbar
Costume designer: John Dunn
Editor: Jay Rabinowitz
Cast:
Jack/Pastor John: Christian Bale
Jude: Cate Blanchett
Woody: Marcus Carl Franklin
Billy: Richard Gere
Robbie: Heath Ledger
Arthur: Ben Whishaw
Claire: Charlotte Gainsbourg
Allen Ginsberg: David Cross
Keenan Jones: Bruce Greenwood
Alice Fabian: Julianne Moore
Coco Rivington: Michelle Williams
MPAA rating R, running time 135 minutes...
- Feast your eyes folks on the legend of Bob Dylan. The Weinstein Company have released the trailer for one of the most anticipated films this year brought to you by the genius of Todd Haynes. Moments away from its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and its subsequent showing at Tiff, I'm Not There is a six degrees of Dylan via actors Christian Bale, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere , Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw and actress Cate Blanchett will be launched on November 21.2007 and will receive a site specific release at NYC’s Film Forum theater. So now...how does it feel? “Inspired By The Music And Many Lives Of Bob Dylan” reads the opening title. Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Christian Bale all take a crack at him; Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams and Charlotte Gainsbourg appear as some of his women. But it is Blanchett as
- 8/21/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
- If there is one film this year that deserves to been amongst the offerings at this year’s highly special Cannes edition it is the highly anticipated “morphed biopic” on legendary figure Bob Dylan. No stranger to the festival, filmmaker Todd Haynes was honored with the prize for Best Artistic Contribution for Velvet Goldmine (98’) and his masterpiece Safe was showcased as part of Cannes’ Section parallèle. In what should be a trippy meditation on the folksinger’s life in the spotlight and behind the scenes, and an out of the ordinary usage of what we have come to understand as your typical film protagonist. Ranging in ages, race and gender - Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger , Christian Bale , Ben Whishaw and Cate Blanchett (featured in the pic above) play Dylan. Imagine what the poster artwork might look like. ...
- 4/18/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
- Quick Links > I'm Not There > Todd Haynes > Cate Blanchett > Marcus Carl Franklin > Christian Bale > Richard Gere > Heath Ledger > Ben Whishaw > Montreal production pics Currently in the post production phase, a familiar finder has swooped up the rights to the imaginative Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan biopic. The Weinstein bros. who were big on his glam rock flick Velvet Goldmine back during the Miramax days, have picked up the North American and U.K. rights to I'm Not There. The company plans to release the movie later this year in the U.S. Produced by Killer Films, Jim Stern’s Endgame Entertainment banner with John Goldwyn, Jeff Rosen and John Rosen on board, the pic currently in post prod was shown in portions to some of the indie distribs – and the Weinsteins probably landed the rights, and this is purely specualtion … in the more than 10 plus million mark. It
- 1/3/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
- Quick Links > I'm Not There > Todd Haynes > Cate Blanchett > Marcus Carl Franklin > Christian Bale > Richard Gere > Heath Ledger > Ben Whishaw The connection between music and filmmaking stems all the way back to his debut in Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story and later on reflected with Velvet Goldmine – for Todd Haynes film and music are the creative outlets and the soundtrack of his life. The Bob Dylan-inspired I'm Not There – a Montreal (and outskirts of Montreal) based production is in its last week of production and since the moment I found out that they were filming in my backyard, I was hoping to somehow get a peak of the production. Despite my promise to wash dishes for a month, access to the set as confirmed by the unit publicist was not possible. Obviously the heavily guarded storyline and the symbiosis of the 6 characters in Bob Dylan persona means that,
- 10/2/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
- Quick Links > I'm Not There > Cate Blanchett > Marcus Carl Franklin > Christian Bale > Richard Gere > Heath Ledger > Ben Whishaw When an Oscar™ nominated director decides to take on the life of one of the 20th century’s most iconic musical figures, the result is sure to be as winding as the music that inspires it. Todd Haynes takes his unique stylistic approach to the world of popular music in his tribute to the life and work of the folk rock hero Bob Dylan in “ I'm Not There which begins today in Montreal. Marcus Carl Franklin has just been added as the sixth Bob Dylan. The young thesp was featured in the HBO drama Lackawanna Blues. Haynes creates an interwoven retrospective of American stories set during the 1960s and 1970s, which each portrays a different aspect of the life and influences that helped shape the face of Rock ‘n Roll forever.
- 7/31/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
PARK CITY -- "Lackawanna Blues" is a spirited, joyful celebration of an indomitable earth mother and the vibrant black community in which she thrives. The film also celebrates the auspicious entry of George C. Wolfe into filmmaking. One of the most critically acclaimed stage directors in New York (and sometimes Los Angeles), Wolfe came aboard to help shape this unusual HBO Films' adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's Obie-winning one-man play. Fortunately, he got seduced into making his feature directing debut.
Like many men of theater with an eye for cinematic detail -- a list that runs from Orson Welles to Sam Mendes -- Wolfe brings a hot theatricality to moviemaking and an instinct for blending dramatic intensity with telling imagery. "Lackawanna Blues" airs Feb. 12 on HBO, but its Sundance reception might lead to more theatrical exposure.
Santiago-Hudson's autobiographical one-man show, in which he changed characters in a heartbeat, explored his youth, growing up in the early 1960s at 32 Wasson Ave. in Lackawanna, N.Y., in the midst of a thriving black community in that Great Lakes city.
The future actor and writer is raised not by his Puerto Rican father, Ruben Sr. (Jimmy Smits), or his mother, Alean (Carmen Ejogo) -- who drift out of his life in losing battles with their own demons -- but by a large, maternal woman everyone calls Nanny (the amazing S. Epatha Merkerson). She runs a boarding house, though that term doesn't do justice to the establishment. The place is a combination diner and halfway house for drifters, grifters and people damaged by life -- by World War II, racism, alcohol and drugs -- where everyone comes to gamble, drink, dance to a jukebox and, by all means, crash Nanny's Friday night fish fry.
Quite a place for a young boy everyone calls Junior Marcus Carl Franklin) to grow up. Nanny protects and guides the boy as if he were her own. But then she is a natural-born fixer, a person predisposed to help people who lack a social safety net and to nurture broken souls. It's her gift, and it fills her life with joy.
Make no mistake: Nanny is tough. She must deal with a philandering husband, Bill (Terrence Howard), many years her junior; Lem (Louis Gossett Jr.), a one-legged refugee from a mental hospital; crazy Pauline (Macy Gray), forever stalking romantic rivals with a switchblade; Freddie (Santiago-Hudson), a war vet looking for respect; and tenant Small Paul Jeffrey Wright), rumored to have killed a man.
One thing nearly all have in common is a gift for gab. Everyone tells stories -- stories about a jealous homicide, drunken accidents, the loss of an arm or the Negro League Baseball. Santiago-Hudson weaves these stories through action that takes place in and around the boarding house and Maxie's night club. There's a whole culture of storytelling here, as if the past for these haunted souls is somehow more golden and vital than the harsh present.
Wolfe and Santiago-Hudson both have appreciation for telling details -- how clothes matter, especially when getting dressed up for a night at Maxie's, and how shoes matter even more. They show how people use words as weapons and means of seduction. Then, in the background, there is Otis McClanahan (Robert Bradley), a blind blues player whose songs echo the stories being told, and the jump-and-shout music by Maxie's bandleader (Mos Def), whose rhythms set everyone to dancing. And all the while, Ivan Strasburg's nimble camera glides through this energetic scene with silky grace.
LACKAWANNA BLUES
HBO Films
Credits:
Director: George C. Wolfe
Writer: Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Based on the play by: Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Producer: Nellie Nugiel
Executive producers: Halle Berry, Vincent Cirrincione, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Shelby Stone
Director of photography: Ivan Strasburg
Production designer: Richard Hoover
Music: Meshell Ndegeocello
Costumes: Hope Hanafin
Editor: Brian Kates
Cast:
Nanny: S. Epatha Merkerson
Jr.: Marcus Carl Franklin
Ruben Santiago Sr.: Jimmy Smits
Alean: Carmen Ejogo
Bill: Terrence Howard
Pauline: Marcy Gray
Lem Taylor: Louis Gossett Jr.
Bandleader: Mos Def
Dick Barrymore: Ernie Hudson
Small Paul: Jeffrey Wright
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 94 minutes...
Like many men of theater with an eye for cinematic detail -- a list that runs from Orson Welles to Sam Mendes -- Wolfe brings a hot theatricality to moviemaking and an instinct for blending dramatic intensity with telling imagery. "Lackawanna Blues" airs Feb. 12 on HBO, but its Sundance reception might lead to more theatrical exposure.
Santiago-Hudson's autobiographical one-man show, in which he changed characters in a heartbeat, explored his youth, growing up in the early 1960s at 32 Wasson Ave. in Lackawanna, N.Y., in the midst of a thriving black community in that Great Lakes city.
The future actor and writer is raised not by his Puerto Rican father, Ruben Sr. (Jimmy Smits), or his mother, Alean (Carmen Ejogo) -- who drift out of his life in losing battles with their own demons -- but by a large, maternal woman everyone calls Nanny (the amazing S. Epatha Merkerson). She runs a boarding house, though that term doesn't do justice to the establishment. The place is a combination diner and halfway house for drifters, grifters and people damaged by life -- by World War II, racism, alcohol and drugs -- where everyone comes to gamble, drink, dance to a jukebox and, by all means, crash Nanny's Friday night fish fry.
Quite a place for a young boy everyone calls Junior Marcus Carl Franklin) to grow up. Nanny protects and guides the boy as if he were her own. But then she is a natural-born fixer, a person predisposed to help people who lack a social safety net and to nurture broken souls. It's her gift, and it fills her life with joy.
Make no mistake: Nanny is tough. She must deal with a philandering husband, Bill (Terrence Howard), many years her junior; Lem (Louis Gossett Jr.), a one-legged refugee from a mental hospital; crazy Pauline (Macy Gray), forever stalking romantic rivals with a switchblade; Freddie (Santiago-Hudson), a war vet looking for respect; and tenant Small Paul Jeffrey Wright), rumored to have killed a man.
One thing nearly all have in common is a gift for gab. Everyone tells stories -- stories about a jealous homicide, drunken accidents, the loss of an arm or the Negro League Baseball. Santiago-Hudson weaves these stories through action that takes place in and around the boarding house and Maxie's night club. There's a whole culture of storytelling here, as if the past for these haunted souls is somehow more golden and vital than the harsh present.
Wolfe and Santiago-Hudson both have appreciation for telling details -- how clothes matter, especially when getting dressed up for a night at Maxie's, and how shoes matter even more. They show how people use words as weapons and means of seduction. Then, in the background, there is Otis McClanahan (Robert Bradley), a blind blues player whose songs echo the stories being told, and the jump-and-shout music by Maxie's bandleader (Mos Def), whose rhythms set everyone to dancing. And all the while, Ivan Strasburg's nimble camera glides through this energetic scene with silky grace.
LACKAWANNA BLUES
HBO Films
Credits:
Director: George C. Wolfe
Writer: Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Based on the play by: Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Producer: Nellie Nugiel
Executive producers: Halle Berry, Vincent Cirrincione, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Shelby Stone
Director of photography: Ivan Strasburg
Production designer: Richard Hoover
Music: Meshell Ndegeocello
Costumes: Hope Hanafin
Editor: Brian Kates
Cast:
Nanny: S. Epatha Merkerson
Jr.: Marcus Carl Franklin
Ruben Santiago Sr.: Jimmy Smits
Alean: Carmen Ejogo
Bill: Terrence Howard
Pauline: Marcy Gray
Lem Taylor: Louis Gossett Jr.
Bandleader: Mos Def
Dick Barrymore: Ernie Hudson
Small Paul: Jeffrey Wright
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 94 minutes...
- 1/27/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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