Rebecca Lea Oct 2, 2017
Our lookbacks at the screen adaptations of Stephen King arrive at The Mangler's house...
The film: The Blue Ribbon Laundry houses a big industrial press called The Mangler. When an accident occurs involving Sherry (Vanessa Pike), it becomes apparent that the press is out for blood. Officer John Hunton (Ted Levine) gets involved after another employee is killed and his friend Mark Jackson (Daniel Matmor) introduces the idea of demonic possession. Overseeing everything is the Laundry’s mysterious owner and Sherry’s uncle, William Gartley (Robert Englund).
See related The horror movie undertones of The Goonies Bonnie & Clyde, and the film critic who helped change its fate
When it comes to adapting Stephen King films, a horror pedigree usually helps. The man himself is handy to have around when it comes to screenplay duties. When you’ve got directors like George A. Romero and John Carpenter on board,...
Our lookbacks at the screen adaptations of Stephen King arrive at The Mangler's house...
The film: The Blue Ribbon Laundry houses a big industrial press called The Mangler. When an accident occurs involving Sherry (Vanessa Pike), it becomes apparent that the press is out for blood. Officer John Hunton (Ted Levine) gets involved after another employee is killed and his friend Mark Jackson (Daniel Matmor) introduces the idea of demonic possession. Overseeing everything is the Laundry’s mysterious owner and Sherry’s uncle, William Gartley (Robert Englund).
See related The horror movie undertones of The Goonies Bonnie & Clyde, and the film critic who helped change its fate
When it comes to adapting Stephen King films, a horror pedigree usually helps. The man himself is handy to have around when it comes to screenplay duties. When you’ve got directors like George A. Romero and John Carpenter on board,...
- 10/1/2017
- Den of Geek
Gem Wheeler Jan 10, 2017
To mark 30 years of Inspector Morse on television, here are 10 of his most complex, macabre and memorable cases...
Warning: contains spoilers.
See related Legion: Marvel shares cryptic logo for X-Men series What can Fox learn from the previous X-Men TV series? 50 upcoming comic book TV shows, and when to expect them New TV 2016: 28 Us shows for this autumn
Beer, Wagner, a red Jaguar, and Barrington Pheloung’s haunting theme. Those images conjure up one of the most memorable characters in British television. Inspector Morse’s final episode aired in the UK over fifteen years ago, yet the impression left by the hugely popular drama remains indelible. Its popular spinoff, Lewis, finished only two years ago after nine successful series, while a prequel, Endeavour, has just started to air its fourth run. The appeal of Morse and his Oxford is clearly as strong as ever.
Inspector Morse...
To mark 30 years of Inspector Morse on television, here are 10 of his most complex, macabre and memorable cases...
Warning: contains spoilers.
See related Legion: Marvel shares cryptic logo for X-Men series What can Fox learn from the previous X-Men TV series? 50 upcoming comic book TV shows, and when to expect them New TV 2016: 28 Us shows for this autumn
Beer, Wagner, a red Jaguar, and Barrington Pheloung’s haunting theme. Those images conjure up one of the most memorable characters in British television. Inspector Morse’s final episode aired in the UK over fifteen years ago, yet the impression left by the hugely popular drama remains indelible. Its popular spinoff, Lewis, finished only two years ago after nine successful series, while a prequel, Endeavour, has just started to air its fourth run. The appeal of Morse and his Oxford is clearly as strong as ever.
Inspector Morse...
- 2/8/2016
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Lewis is the original spin-off from the original Inspector Morse detective series which first appeared on UK TV sets in 1987 and starred John Thaw as the complicated and often unconventional detective. After a very successful run the series ended in 2000 with the demise of Inspector Morse in “The Remorseful Day” and that was sadly followed by the death of John Thaw who played the opera-loving detective two years later.
Morse’s legacy was too strong to fade entirely though and the pilot for Lewis hit TV screens in 2006 and this latest series is the seventh and quite possibly final one, depending on which news source or interview you choose to believe.
For my part I’m a dedicated Morseophile and as I write this my DVD collection of the entire Morse episodes plus all of the original Colin Dexter books sits comfortingly on the shelf across the room. By my reckoning it would be difficult,...
Morse’s legacy was too strong to fade entirely though and the pilot for Lewis hit TV screens in 2006 and this latest series is the seventh and quite possibly final one, depending on which news source or interview you choose to believe.
For my part I’m a dedicated Morseophile and as I write this my DVD collection of the entire Morse episodes plus all of the original Colin Dexter books sits comfortingly on the shelf across the room. By my reckoning it would be difficult,...
- 2/19/2013
- by Colin Hart
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Revolution Software has today announced that its latest app, Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror – Remastered, is now available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The game is the sequel to the highly-successful Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – The Director’s Cut.
From the press release:
Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror features an exclusive interactive digital comic from Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons as well as new animated facial expressions, enhanced graphics, a context-sensitive hint system and diary. The game also features Dropbox integration which facilitates cross-platform save-game feature, enabling players to enjoy the same adventure simultaneously across iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch as well as full Game Center integration – including in-game achievements – and many other new enhancements.
The Smoking Mirror sees journalist Nico Collard unexpectedly stumble across a mysterious ancient artefact. Little does she know that the ornately-carved obsidian stone will lead her, and her companion George Stobbart,...
From the press release:
Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror features an exclusive interactive digital comic from Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons as well as new animated facial expressions, enhanced graphics, a context-sensitive hint system and diary. The game also features Dropbox integration which facilitates cross-platform save-game feature, enabling players to enjoy the same adventure simultaneously across iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch as well as full Game Center integration – including in-game achievements – and many other new enhancements.
The Smoking Mirror sees journalist Nico Collard unexpectedly stumble across a mysterious ancient artefact. Little does she know that the ornately-carved obsidian stone will lead her, and her companion George Stobbart,...
- 12/16/2010
- by Kat
- Nerdly
Randy Edelman returns to familiar territory – romantic comedy – as he is doing the score for Leap Year, a new film by British director Anand Tucker. The assignment of Edelman is somewhat surprising as Tucker has a long-standing working relationship with composer Barrington Pheloung, who wrote the music for Hilary and Jackie and most recently When Did You Last See Your Father? and Red Riding: 1983. The film is ...
- 10/19/2009
- by Mikael Carlsson
- MovieScore Magazine
This review was written for the festival screening of "Shopgirl".
TORONTO -- Displaying some fine performances -- including a lovely one by Claire Danes and a lively one by Jason Schwartzman -- the elegantly appointed "Shopgirl" certainly has the goods but it ultimately fails to make the sale.
Adapted by Steve Martin from his 2000 novella, this particular L.A. story is fraught with stark poignancy and quirkier lighter moments, but under the direction of Anand Tucker ("Hilary and Jackie") those dueling moods struggle to find a common ground.
With the more morose mode winning out in the end, the Touchstone picture will be hard-pressed to ring up significant numbers in a crowded season of awards contenders.
Danes is Mirabelle, a fragile young woman who has arrived in Los Angeles from Vermont hoping to start a new life as an artist, but for the time being she spends her days working in the quiet glove department at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, while her nights are spent alone in her dark Silver Lake apartment.
Potential relief on the lonely hearts front finally arrives in the form of not one but two very different individuals.
First, while waiting for her clothes to dry in the Laundromat, she meets the terminally awkward Jeremy (Schwartzman), a certified oddball of an amplifier salesman and budding font artist whose idea of a romantic first date is sitting outside Universal CityWalk and just staring at all the bright signs.
Things look more promising with Ray Porter (Martin), a wealthy logistician who shows up at Mirabelle's glove counter one day with the intention of wining and dining her in style.
Despite Ray's repeated warnings that he's not looking for anything serious, Mirabelle puts considerable stock in their May-December romance even though it's only a matter of time before her heart gets broken.
There are some effective moments in this glove story, but the film, which was originally shot two years ago and has undergone significant reshaping in the interim, keeps getting pulled back into a persistent state of malaise.
And while Danes does fine work and it's nice to see Martin (who also provides some needless narration) digging deeper than he has in a while to play the part of her emotionally distant suitor, it's Schwartzman who practically shoplifts the picture, generating some welcome energy.
Although the setting is contemporary, production designer William Arnold lends the film a period 1950s patina with shades of Edward Hopper, while cinematographer Peter Suschitzky contributes the sophisticated compositions.
Not as wonderful is the insistent Barrington Pheloung score, which churns and swells yearningly at the drop of a, uh, glove.
Shopgirl
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Hyde Park Entertainment present
An Ashok Amritraj production
Credits:
Director: Anand Tucker
Screenwriter: Steve Martin
Producers: Ashok Amritraj, Jon Jashni, Steve Martin
Executive producer: Andrew Sugarman
Director of photography: Peter Suschitzky
Production designer: William Arnold
Editor: David Gamble
Costume designer: Nancy Steiner
Music: Barrington Pheloung
Cast:
Ray Porter: Steve Martin
Mirabelle Buttersfield: Claire Danes
Jeremy: Jason Schwartzman
Lisa Cramer: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Catherine Buttersfield: Frances Conroy
Dan Buttersfield: Sam Bottoms
Christie Richards: Rebecca Pidgeon
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 106 minutes...
TORONTO -- Displaying some fine performances -- including a lovely one by Claire Danes and a lively one by Jason Schwartzman -- the elegantly appointed "Shopgirl" certainly has the goods but it ultimately fails to make the sale.
Adapted by Steve Martin from his 2000 novella, this particular L.A. story is fraught with stark poignancy and quirkier lighter moments, but under the direction of Anand Tucker ("Hilary and Jackie") those dueling moods struggle to find a common ground.
With the more morose mode winning out in the end, the Touchstone picture will be hard-pressed to ring up significant numbers in a crowded season of awards contenders.
Danes is Mirabelle, a fragile young woman who has arrived in Los Angeles from Vermont hoping to start a new life as an artist, but for the time being she spends her days working in the quiet glove department at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, while her nights are spent alone in her dark Silver Lake apartment.
Potential relief on the lonely hearts front finally arrives in the form of not one but two very different individuals.
First, while waiting for her clothes to dry in the Laundromat, she meets the terminally awkward Jeremy (Schwartzman), a certified oddball of an amplifier salesman and budding font artist whose idea of a romantic first date is sitting outside Universal CityWalk and just staring at all the bright signs.
Things look more promising with Ray Porter (Martin), a wealthy logistician who shows up at Mirabelle's glove counter one day with the intention of wining and dining her in style.
Despite Ray's repeated warnings that he's not looking for anything serious, Mirabelle puts considerable stock in their May-December romance even though it's only a matter of time before her heart gets broken.
There are some effective moments in this glove story, but the film, which was originally shot two years ago and has undergone significant reshaping in the interim, keeps getting pulled back into a persistent state of malaise.
And while Danes does fine work and it's nice to see Martin (who also provides some needless narration) digging deeper than he has in a while to play the part of her emotionally distant suitor, it's Schwartzman who practically shoplifts the picture, generating some welcome energy.
Although the setting is contemporary, production designer William Arnold lends the film a period 1950s patina with shades of Edward Hopper, while cinematographer Peter Suschitzky contributes the sophisticated compositions.
Not as wonderful is the insistent Barrington Pheloung score, which churns and swells yearningly at the drop of a, uh, glove.
Shopgirl
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Hyde Park Entertainment present
An Ashok Amritraj production
Credits:
Director: Anand Tucker
Screenwriter: Steve Martin
Producers: Ashok Amritraj, Jon Jashni, Steve Martin
Executive producer: Andrew Sugarman
Director of photography: Peter Suschitzky
Production designer: William Arnold
Editor: David Gamble
Costume designer: Nancy Steiner
Music: Barrington Pheloung
Cast:
Ray Porter: Steve Martin
Mirabelle Buttersfield: Claire Danes
Jeremy: Jason Schwartzman
Lisa Cramer: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Catherine Buttersfield: Frances Conroy
Dan Buttersfield: Sam Bottoms
Christie Richards: Rebecca Pidgeon
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 106 minutes...
- 11/17/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Thank You for Smoking, a satire about a D.C. lobbyist for Big Tobacco, takes pot shots at just about everything and everybody -- tobacco, guns, liquor, liberals, red-necks, anti- and pro-smoking advocates and self-serving politicians.
It's really about the Age of Spin, where with the right TV spokesperson even Adolph Hitler might come off as a misunderstood individual. If there is a problem with the feature debut of Jason Reitman, it's that the tone and tenor of the movie is far removed from the real world of a D.C. lobbyist. Put it this way: How many times do you suppose MPAA's Jack Valenti got kidnapped during his tenure in Washington?
The movie is amusing and clever but only skin deep. It lacks the acidity and rage of a satire such as Network. While often entertaining, the film keeps hitting the same comic notes. Smoking will find its audiences in upscale and university venues, although it may founder in, say, North Carolina.
Reitman's script, which derives from Christopher Buckley's 1994 novel, delves into the world of Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), a superb practitioner of spin. And what greater challenge than to lobby for the cigarette industry, which kills upward to 1,200 Americans daily? One of the movie's grand touches is frequent lunch sessions Nick has with fellow lobbyists, who speak on behalf of alcohol (Maria Bello) and guns (David Koechner). The group dubs itself the MOD Squad, as in Merchants of Death.
David is divorced from his wife Jill (Kim Dickens) and too often absent from the life of his 12-year-old son Joey Cameron Bright). When Nick takes a keener interest in Joey, especially on a trip to Hollywood, the two begin to bond over their discussions of strategies for making effective arguments in any debate. As Nick tells his son, "If you argue correctly, you're never wrong."
This is the one area where the movie feels real as the father presents his job in a way that makes sense to the boy. The rest of the movie indulges in implausible subplots involving a newspaper reporter (Katie Holmes), who uses sex to get a scoop; a kidnapping in which Nick receives an overdose of nicotine; a Godfather of Tobacco (Robert Duvall) with a dumb ticker; a Vermont senator (William H. Macy), who never has a snappy answer for opponents; and a Hollywood superagent (Rob Lowe), a transparent dig at former agent Mike Ovitz.
Under Reitman's direction, the acting is energetic and scenes flow smoothly and swiftly. Eckhart and Bright are convincing in their father and son roles, but most of the other actors fall back on caricatures, albeit pretty deadly ones. Sam Elliott has a solid sequence as a Marlboro Man dying of cancer.
Jams Whitaker's cinematography and Dana E. Glauberman's editing are sharp while the sound track makes clever use of vintage songs about smoking.
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
Room 9 Entertainment presents a David Sacks production in association with Content Film
Credits:
Writer/director: Jason Reitman
Based on the novel by: Christopher Buckley
Producer: David O. Sacks
Executive producers: Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Mark Woolway, Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt, Alessandro Camon, Michael Beugg
Director of photography: James Whitaker
Production designer: Steve Saklad
Costumes: Danny Glicker
Music: Rolfe Kent
Editor: Dana E. Glauberman
Cast:
Nick Naylor: Aaron Eckhart
Polly Bailey: Maria Bello
Joey: Cameron Bright
Jack: Sam Elliott
Heather: Katie Holmes
Bobby Jay Bliss: David Koechner
Jeff Megall: Rob Lowe
Sen. Finistirre: William H. Macy
BR: J.K. Simmons
Captain: Robert Duvall
Running time -- 92 minutes
No MPAA rating
Shopgirl
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Hyde Park Entertainment present
An Ashok Amritraj production
Credits:
Director: Anand Tucker
Screenwriter: Steve Martin
Producers: Ashok Amritraj, Jon Jashni, Steve Martin
Executive producer: Andrew Sugarman
Director of photography: Peter Suschitzky
Production designer: William Arnold
Editor: David Gamble
Costume designer: Nancy Steiner
Music: Barrington Pheloung
Cast:
Ray Porter: Steve Martin
Mirabelle Buttersfield: Claire Danes
Jeremy: Jason Schwartzman
Lisa Cramer: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Catherine Buttersfield: Frances Conroy
Dan Buttersfield: Sam Bottoms
Christie Richards: Rebecca Pidgeon
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 106 minutes...
It's really about the Age of Spin, where with the right TV spokesperson even Adolph Hitler might come off as a misunderstood individual. If there is a problem with the feature debut of Jason Reitman, it's that the tone and tenor of the movie is far removed from the real world of a D.C. lobbyist. Put it this way: How many times do you suppose MPAA's Jack Valenti got kidnapped during his tenure in Washington?
The movie is amusing and clever but only skin deep. It lacks the acidity and rage of a satire such as Network. While often entertaining, the film keeps hitting the same comic notes. Smoking will find its audiences in upscale and university venues, although it may founder in, say, North Carolina.
Reitman's script, which derives from Christopher Buckley's 1994 novel, delves into the world of Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), a superb practitioner of spin. And what greater challenge than to lobby for the cigarette industry, which kills upward to 1,200 Americans daily? One of the movie's grand touches is frequent lunch sessions Nick has with fellow lobbyists, who speak on behalf of alcohol (Maria Bello) and guns (David Koechner). The group dubs itself the MOD Squad, as in Merchants of Death.
David is divorced from his wife Jill (Kim Dickens) and too often absent from the life of his 12-year-old son Joey Cameron Bright). When Nick takes a keener interest in Joey, especially on a trip to Hollywood, the two begin to bond over their discussions of strategies for making effective arguments in any debate. As Nick tells his son, "If you argue correctly, you're never wrong."
This is the one area where the movie feels real as the father presents his job in a way that makes sense to the boy. The rest of the movie indulges in implausible subplots involving a newspaper reporter (Katie Holmes), who uses sex to get a scoop; a kidnapping in which Nick receives an overdose of nicotine; a Godfather of Tobacco (Robert Duvall) with a dumb ticker; a Vermont senator (William H. Macy), who never has a snappy answer for opponents; and a Hollywood superagent (Rob Lowe), a transparent dig at former agent Mike Ovitz.
Under Reitman's direction, the acting is energetic and scenes flow smoothly and swiftly. Eckhart and Bright are convincing in their father and son roles, but most of the other actors fall back on caricatures, albeit pretty deadly ones. Sam Elliott has a solid sequence as a Marlboro Man dying of cancer.
Jams Whitaker's cinematography and Dana E. Glauberman's editing are sharp while the sound track makes clever use of vintage songs about smoking.
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
Room 9 Entertainment presents a David Sacks production in association with Content Film
Credits:
Writer/director: Jason Reitman
Based on the novel by: Christopher Buckley
Producer: David O. Sacks
Executive producers: Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Mark Woolway, Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt, Alessandro Camon, Michael Beugg
Director of photography: James Whitaker
Production designer: Steve Saklad
Costumes: Danny Glicker
Music: Rolfe Kent
Editor: Dana E. Glauberman
Cast:
Nick Naylor: Aaron Eckhart
Polly Bailey: Maria Bello
Joey: Cameron Bright
Jack: Sam Elliott
Heather: Katie Holmes
Bobby Jay Bliss: David Koechner
Jeff Megall: Rob Lowe
Sen. Finistirre: William H. Macy
BR: J.K. Simmons
Captain: Robert Duvall
Running time -- 92 minutes
No MPAA rating
Shopgirl
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Hyde Park Entertainment present
An Ashok Amritraj production
Credits:
Director: Anand Tucker
Screenwriter: Steve Martin
Producers: Ashok Amritraj, Jon Jashni, Steve Martin
Executive producer: Andrew Sugarman
Director of photography: Peter Suschitzky
Production designer: William Arnold
Editor: David Gamble
Costume designer: Nancy Steiner
Music: Barrington Pheloung
Cast:
Ray Porter: Steve Martin
Mirabelle Buttersfield: Claire Danes
Jeremy: Jason Schwartzman
Lisa Cramer: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Catherine Buttersfield: Frances Conroy
Dan Buttersfield: Sam Bottoms
Christie Richards: Rebecca Pidgeon
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 106 minutes...
- 9/12/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TORONTO -- Displaying some fine performances -- including a lovely one by Claire Danes and a lively one by Jason Schwartzman -- the elegantly appointed "Shopgirl" certainly has the goods but it ultimately fails to make the sale.
Adapted by Steve Martin from his 2000 novella, this particular L.A. story is fraught with stark poignancy and quirkier lighter moments, but under the direction of Anand Tucker ("Hilary and Jackie") those dueling moods struggle to find a common ground.
With the more morose mode winning out in the end, the Touchstone picture will be hard-pressed to ring up significant numbers in a crowded season of awards contenders.
Danes is Mirabelle, a fragile young woman who has arrived in Los Angeles from Vermont hoping to start a new life as an artist, but for the time being she spends her days working in the quiet glove department at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, while her nights are spent alone in her dark Silver Lake apartment.
Potential relief on the lonely hearts front finally arrives in the form of not one but two very different individuals.
First, while waiting for her clothes to dry in the Laundromat, she meets the terminally awkward Jeremy (Schwartzman), a certified oddball of an amplifier salesman and budding font artist whose idea of a romantic first date is sitting outside Universal CityWalk and just staring at all the bright signs.
Things look more promising with Ray Porter (Martin), a wealthy logistician who shows up at Mirabelle's glove counter one day with the intention of wining and dining her in style.
Despite Ray's repeated warnings that he's not looking for anything serious, Mirabelle puts considerable stock in their May-December romance even though it's only a matter of time before her heart gets broken.
There are some effective moments in this glove story, but the film, which was originally shot two years ago and has undergone significant reshaping in the interim, keeps getting pulled back into a persistent state of malaise.
And while Danes does fine work and it's nice to see Martin (who also provides some needless narration) digging deeper than he has in a while to play the part of her emotionally distant suitor, it's Schwartzman who practically shoplifts the picture, generating some welcome energy.
Although the setting is contemporary, production designer William Arnold lends the film a period 1950s patina with shades of Edward Hopper, while cinematographer Peter Suschitzky contributes the sophisticated compositions.
Not as wonderful is the insistent Barrington Pheloung score, which churns and swells yearningly at the drop of a, uh, glove.
Shopgirl
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Hyde Park Entertainment present
An Ashok Amritraj production
Credits:
Director: Anand Tucker
Screenwriter: Steve Martin
Producers: Ashok Amritraj, Jon Jashni, Steve Martin
Executive producer: Andrew Sugarman
Director of photography: Peter Suschitzky
Production designer: William Arnold
Editor: David Gamble
Costume designer: Nancy Steiner
Music: Barrington Pheloung
Cast:
Ray Porter: Steve Martin
Mirabelle Buttersfield: Claire Danes
Jeremy: Jason Schwartzman
Lisa Cramer: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Catherine Buttersfield: Frances Conroy
Dan Buttersfield: Sam Bottoms
Christie Richards: Rebecca Pidgeon
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 106 minutes...
Adapted by Steve Martin from his 2000 novella, this particular L.A. story is fraught with stark poignancy and quirkier lighter moments, but under the direction of Anand Tucker ("Hilary and Jackie") those dueling moods struggle to find a common ground.
With the more morose mode winning out in the end, the Touchstone picture will be hard-pressed to ring up significant numbers in a crowded season of awards contenders.
Danes is Mirabelle, a fragile young woman who has arrived in Los Angeles from Vermont hoping to start a new life as an artist, but for the time being she spends her days working in the quiet glove department at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, while her nights are spent alone in her dark Silver Lake apartment.
Potential relief on the lonely hearts front finally arrives in the form of not one but two very different individuals.
First, while waiting for her clothes to dry in the Laundromat, she meets the terminally awkward Jeremy (Schwartzman), a certified oddball of an amplifier salesman and budding font artist whose idea of a romantic first date is sitting outside Universal CityWalk and just staring at all the bright signs.
Things look more promising with Ray Porter (Martin), a wealthy logistician who shows up at Mirabelle's glove counter one day with the intention of wining and dining her in style.
Despite Ray's repeated warnings that he's not looking for anything serious, Mirabelle puts considerable stock in their May-December romance even though it's only a matter of time before her heart gets broken.
There are some effective moments in this glove story, but the film, which was originally shot two years ago and has undergone significant reshaping in the interim, keeps getting pulled back into a persistent state of malaise.
And while Danes does fine work and it's nice to see Martin (who also provides some needless narration) digging deeper than he has in a while to play the part of her emotionally distant suitor, it's Schwartzman who practically shoplifts the picture, generating some welcome energy.
Although the setting is contemporary, production designer William Arnold lends the film a period 1950s patina with shades of Edward Hopper, while cinematographer Peter Suschitzky contributes the sophisticated compositions.
Not as wonderful is the insistent Barrington Pheloung score, which churns and swells yearningly at the drop of a, uh, glove.
Shopgirl
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Hyde Park Entertainment present
An Ashok Amritraj production
Credits:
Director: Anand Tucker
Screenwriter: Steve Martin
Producers: Ashok Amritraj, Jon Jashni, Steve Martin
Executive producer: Andrew Sugarman
Director of photography: Peter Suschitzky
Production designer: William Arnold
Editor: David Gamble
Costume designer: Nancy Steiner
Music: Barrington Pheloung
Cast:
Ray Porter: Steve Martin
Mirabelle Buttersfield: Claire Danes
Jeremy: Jason Schwartzman
Lisa Cramer: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Catherine Buttersfield: Frances Conroy
Dan Buttersfield: Sam Bottoms
Christie Richards: Rebecca Pidgeon
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 106 minutes...
A lively, ambitious take on the troubled times and colorful life of early 16th-century prophet Michel de Nostradame, "Nostradamus" is gloomy but entertaining, featuring several winning performances. Director Roger Christian ("The Sender") only partly achieves the sought-for synchronicity between a difficult subject matter and a commercial approach that includes apocalyptic special effects and numerous sexual encounters for the lead character.
The Orion Classics release should conjure up respectable art-house numbers.
Knut Boeser and Piers Ashworth's screenplay follows a more-or-less straight road through Nostradamus' life, starting with the Provence youth dreaming of a modern city literally being torn from the earth.
Throughout, the visions of Nostradamus look remarkably like newsreel footage of World War II, the Kennedy assassination and African famines. Christian is able to pull it off by not belaboring the details or getting too wrapped up in the many verses of Nostradamus' "Centuries" that are still being interpreted (a woman is elected U.S. president in the year 2004, for instance).
Quiet and intense, Tcheky Karyo ("1492: Conquest of Paradise") is perfectly cast as the lead. Julia Ormond is fiercely passionate in her over-fast-but-memorable role as the first Mrs. Nostradamus. F. Murray Abraham is excellent as usual, while Amanda Plummer is simply stunning with her distinct brand of smiling menace.
Filmed on Romanian locations and at Ealing Studios, "Nostradamus" showcases cinematographer Denis Crossan's naturalistic images. Production designer Peter J. Hampton works wonders with the many sets and Barrington Pheloung's bold score soars like one's imagination after seeing this movie.
NOSTRADAMUS
Orion Classics
Allied Entertainments and Vereinigte Film Partners present
A Film by Roger Christian
Director Roger Christian
Producers Edward Simons, Harold Reichebner
Screenplay Knut Boeser, Piers Ashworth
Executive producers Peter McRae, Kent Walwin, David Mintz
Director of photography Denis Crossan
Production designer Peter J. Hampton
Editor Alan Strachan
Music Barrington Pheloung
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Nostradamus Tcheky Karyo
Scalinger F. Murray Abraham
Monk Rutger Hauer
Catherine De Medici Amanda Plummer
Marie Julie Ormond
Anne Assumpta Serna
King Hnery II Anthony Higgins
Running time -- 118 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
The Orion Classics release should conjure up respectable art-house numbers.
Knut Boeser and Piers Ashworth's screenplay follows a more-or-less straight road through Nostradamus' life, starting with the Provence youth dreaming of a modern city literally being torn from the earth.
Throughout, the visions of Nostradamus look remarkably like newsreel footage of World War II, the Kennedy assassination and African famines. Christian is able to pull it off by not belaboring the details or getting too wrapped up in the many verses of Nostradamus' "Centuries" that are still being interpreted (a woman is elected U.S. president in the year 2004, for instance).
Quiet and intense, Tcheky Karyo ("1492: Conquest of Paradise") is perfectly cast as the lead. Julia Ormond is fiercely passionate in her over-fast-but-memorable role as the first Mrs. Nostradamus. F. Murray Abraham is excellent as usual, while Amanda Plummer is simply stunning with her distinct brand of smiling menace.
Filmed on Romanian locations and at Ealing Studios, "Nostradamus" showcases cinematographer Denis Crossan's naturalistic images. Production designer Peter J. Hampton works wonders with the many sets and Barrington Pheloung's bold score soars like one's imagination after seeing this movie.
NOSTRADAMUS
Orion Classics
Allied Entertainments and Vereinigte Film Partners present
A Film by Roger Christian
Director Roger Christian
Producers Edward Simons, Harold Reichebner
Screenplay Knut Boeser, Piers Ashworth
Executive producers Peter McRae, Kent Walwin, David Mintz
Director of photography Denis Crossan
Production designer Peter J. Hampton
Editor Alan Strachan
Music Barrington Pheloung
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Nostradamus Tcheky Karyo
Scalinger F. Murray Abraham
Monk Rutger Hauer
Catherine De Medici Amanda Plummer
Marie Julie Ormond
Anne Assumpta Serna
King Hnery II Anthony Higgins
Running time -- 118 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 9/14/1994
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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