How do you ensure authenticity so that your designs don’t look like sets and props? What film of TV series do you hold up as a gold standard in production design?
These were some of the questions answered by six of today’s top TV production designers when they joined Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” group roundtable panel with 2022 Emmy contenders: Tony Fanning (“The First Lady”), Stephan Olson (“Live in Front of a Studio Audience”), Bill Groom (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Laurence Bennett (“The Offer”), Kave Quinn (“Pistol”) and Aiyana Trotter (“The Wonder Years”). Watch our full group chat above and click on each name above to view each person’s individual interview.
See over 350 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
“For me, realism is the number one,” Olsen says about ensuring a level of authenticity on set. “I mean, that’s what I try to go for, even...
These were some of the questions answered by six of today’s top TV production designers when they joined Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” group roundtable panel with 2022 Emmy contenders: Tony Fanning (“The First Lady”), Stephan Olson (“Live in Front of a Studio Audience”), Bill Groom (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Laurence Bennett (“The Offer”), Kave Quinn (“Pistol”) and Aiyana Trotter (“The Wonder Years”). Watch our full group chat above and click on each name above to view each person’s individual interview.
See over 350 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
“For me, realism is the number one,” Olsen says about ensuring a level of authenticity on set. “I mean, that’s what I try to go for, even...
- 6/7/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
“We did six versions of the White House, which was a big undertaking,” reveals production designer Tony Fanning about his extensive work on Showtime’s limited series “The First Lady.” “We had to do the incoming administration and the outgoing administration for each,” he proclaims, adding for our recent Q&a, “we had an incredible research team and documentation on the Eleanor and Obama blocks.” We talked with Fanning as part of Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Emmy Awards contenders. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See over 350 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
The Emmy-winning production designer (for “The West Wing” pilot) is credited alongside fellow Emmy-winning production designer Todd Fjelsted (“Glow”) with creating the world of “The First Lady,” Showtime’s 10 episode limited series about three very different presidents’ wives and their experiences in the White House. While Fjelsted designed the sets for the Michelle Pfeiffer...
See over 350 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
The Emmy-winning production designer (for “The West Wing” pilot) is credited alongside fellow Emmy-winning production designer Todd Fjelsted (“Glow”) with creating the world of “The First Lady,” Showtime’s 10 episode limited series about three very different presidents’ wives and their experiences in the White House. While Fjelsted designed the sets for the Michelle Pfeiffer...
- 6/7/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
Six top TV production designers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Emmy Awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Thursday, June 2, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 7:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Rob Licuria and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.
RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 contenders:
The First Lady (Showtime)
Synopsis: Many of history’s most impactful and world-changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America’s charismatic, complex and dynamic first ladies.
Bio: Tony Fanning was an Emmy winner for “The West Wing.
RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 contenders:
The First Lady (Showtime)
Synopsis: Many of history’s most impactful and world-changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America’s charismatic, complex and dynamic first ladies.
Bio: Tony Fanning was an Emmy winner for “The West Wing.
- 5/26/2022
- by Chris Beachum and Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
“I got to deal with American royalty,” declares director Susanne Bier about the Showtime limited series “The First Lady.” The Danish filmmaker is also an executive producer on the series, which chronicles the lives of three very different first ladies: Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Michelle Obama (Viola Davis). In our exclusive video interview (watch above) the award-winning director discusses tackling more than a century of American political history and how these women helped transform the role of a president’s wife.
“The First Lady” is Bier’s third television project following 2016’s “The Night Manager,” which earned her an Emmy, and 2020’s “The Undoing.” Those projects were thrillers, a genre in which Bier says she feels comfortable. However, she is quick to identify what connects “The First Lady” to her previous projects. “It’s still always about human beings,” she argues. “Yes, [‘The First Lady’] was very different.
“The First Lady” is Bier’s third television project following 2016’s “The Night Manager,” which earned her an Emmy, and 2020’s “The Undoing.” Those projects were thrillers, a genre in which Bier says she feels comfortable. However, she is quick to identify what connects “The First Lady” to her previous projects. “It’s still always about human beings,” she argues. “Yes, [‘The First Lady’] was very different.
- 5/10/2022
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
Emmy-winning production designers Todd Fjelsted and Tony Fanning are both credited with creating the world of “The First Lady,” Showtime’s 10 episode limited series about three very different presidents’ wives and their experiences in the White House. However, Fjelsted and Fanning didn’t really collaborate on the series.
Fanning, an Emmy winner for “The West Wing,” worked on the segments focused on the tenures of Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson) and Michelle Obama (Viola Davis). Fjelsted, who won his Emmy for his work on “Glow,” designed the segments centered around Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer). Check out our exclusive video interview with Fjelsted and Fanning above.
SEEDakota Fanning interview: ‘The First Lady’
Fanning says that over 350 sets were created for the series, a challenge made all the more daunting by having to traverse multiple decades and even different centuries. However, Fanning, who calls himself a “White House history buff,” enjoyed the challenge.
Fanning, an Emmy winner for “The West Wing,” worked on the segments focused on the tenures of Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson) and Michelle Obama (Viola Davis). Fjelsted, who won his Emmy for his work on “Glow,” designed the segments centered around Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer). Check out our exclusive video interview with Fjelsted and Fanning above.
SEEDakota Fanning interview: ‘The First Lady’
Fanning says that over 350 sets were created for the series, a challenge made all the more daunting by having to traverse multiple decades and even different centuries. However, Fanning, who calls himself a “White House history buff,” enjoyed the challenge.
- 5/5/2022
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
The Guild announced on Thursday nominations for the 21st Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards across a multitude of categories covering features, TV, commercials and music videos.
Among the film nominees were Café Society, Manchester By The Sea, Hell Or High Water and Arrival.
TV nominees encompass Game Of Thrones, The Night of and Silicon Valley, while Beyonce’s Lemonade visual extravaganza is a heavy-hitter in the music videos section.
The awards show is set for February 11 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland.
Excellence In Production Design For A Feature FilmPERIOD Film
Café Society, Santo Loquasto
Fences, David Gropman
Hacksaw Ridge, Barry Robison
Hail, Caesar!, Jess Gonchor
Hidden Figures, Wynn Thomas
Jackie, Jean Rabasse
Fantasy Film
Arrival, Patrice Vermette
Doctor Strange, Charles Wood
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Stuart Craig
Passengers, Guy Hendrix Dyas
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Doug Chiang, Neil Lamont
Contemporary Film
Hell Or High Water, Tom Duffield
[link...
Among the film nominees were Café Society, Manchester By The Sea, Hell Or High Water and Arrival.
TV nominees encompass Game Of Thrones, The Night of and Silicon Valley, while Beyonce’s Lemonade visual extravaganza is a heavy-hitter in the music videos section.
The awards show is set for February 11 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland.
Excellence In Production Design For A Feature FilmPERIOD Film
Café Society, Santo Loquasto
Fences, David Gropman
Hacksaw Ridge, Barry Robison
Hail, Caesar!, Jess Gonchor
Hidden Figures, Wynn Thomas
Jackie, Jean Rabasse
Fantasy Film
Arrival, Patrice Vermette
Doctor Strange, Charles Wood
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Stuart Craig
Passengers, Guy Hendrix Dyas
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Doug Chiang, Neil Lamont
Contemporary Film
Hell Or High Water, Tom Duffield
[link...
- 1/5/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Art Directors Guild has announced the nominees for this year’s Adg Excellence in Production Design Awards, with “Jackie,” “La La Land” and more among the contenders. Adg’s awards are different from most others, as it has categories for Period, Fantasy and Contemporary Films; this has led to a wide array of winners in recent years, including the likes of “Her” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.” This year’s ceremony, the 21st, will take place in Hollywood on Saturday, February 11. Full list of nominees below.
Read More: Writers Guild Awards Nominations: ‘Moonlight,’ ‘Arrival,’ ‘Manchester by the Sea’ and More
Period Film
“Cafe Society” (Production Designer: Santo Loquasto)
“Fences” (Production Designer: David Gropman )
“Hacksaw Ridge” (Production Designer: Barry Robinson)
“Hail, Caesar!” (Production Designer: Jess Gonchor)
“Jackie” (Production Designer: Jean Rabasse)
Fantasy Film
“Arrival” (Production Designer: Patrice Vermette)
“Doctor Strange” (Production Designer: Charles Wood)
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them...
Read More: Writers Guild Awards Nominations: ‘Moonlight,’ ‘Arrival,’ ‘Manchester by the Sea’ and More
Period Film
“Cafe Society” (Production Designer: Santo Loquasto)
“Fences” (Production Designer: David Gropman )
“Hacksaw Ridge” (Production Designer: Barry Robinson)
“Hail, Caesar!” (Production Designer: Jess Gonchor)
“Jackie” (Production Designer: Jean Rabasse)
Fantasy Film
“Arrival” (Production Designer: Patrice Vermette)
“Doctor Strange” (Production Designer: Charles Wood)
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them...
- 1/5/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
The Art Directors Guild has unveiled the nominees of its 20th anual Excellence in Production Design Awards and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is one of the contenders in the Contemporary Feature Film category. But it may be hard for the force to beat the magical "Cinderella!"
And as a big Madonna fan, yup I'm a Rebel Heart, it's heartwarming to see the icon as one of the nominees in the Short Format category for her "Ghosttown" music video! The only music video nominated!
Winners will be announced on January 31. Here's the full list of nominees of the Art Directors Guild Awards:
Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2015
Period Film
Bridge Of Spies
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Crimson Peak
Production Designer: Thomas E. Sanders
The Danish Girl
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
The Revenant
Production Designer: Jack Fisk
Trumbo
Production Designer: Mark Ricker
Fantasy Film
Cinderella
Production Designer:...
And as a big Madonna fan, yup I'm a Rebel Heart, it's heartwarming to see the icon as one of the nominees in the Short Format category for her "Ghosttown" music video! The only music video nominated!
Winners will be announced on January 31. Here's the full list of nominees of the Art Directors Guild Awards:
Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2015
Period Film
Bridge Of Spies
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Crimson Peak
Production Designer: Thomas E. Sanders
The Danish Girl
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
The Revenant
Production Designer: Jack Fisk
Trumbo
Production Designer: Mark Ricker
Fantasy Film
Cinderella
Production Designer:...
- 1/5/2016
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Academy has announced the new class of invited members for 2014 and, as is typical, many of which are among last year's nominees, which includes Barkhad Abdi, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Mads Mikkelsen, Lupita Nyong'o and June Squibb in the Actors branch not to mention curious additions such as Josh Hutcherson, Rob Riggle and Jason Statham, but, okay. The Directors branch adds Jay and Mark Duplass along with Jean-Marc Vallee, Denis Villeneuve and Thomas Vinterberg. I didn't do an immediate tally of male to female additions or other demographics, but at first glance it seems to be a wide spread batch of new additions on all fronts. The Academy is also clearly attempting to aggressively bump up the demographics as this is the second year in a row where they have added a large number of new members, well over the average of 133 new members from 2004 to 2012. As far as...
- 6/26/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
- 6/26/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o of 12 Years a Slave were two of the 271 artists and industry leaders invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which determines nominations and winners at the annual Oscars. The entire list of Academy membership—which numbers about 6,000—isn’t public information so the annual invitation list is often the best indication of the artists involved in the prestigious awards process. It’s worth noting that invitations need to be accepted in order for artists to become members; some artists, like two-time Best Actor winner Sean Penn, have declined membership over the years.
- 6/26/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Pop quiz: What do Chris Rock, Claire Denis, Eddie Vedder and Josh Hutcherson all have in common? Answer: They could all be Oscar voters very soon. The annual Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences invitation list always makes for interesting reading, shedding light on just how large and far-reaching the group's membership is -- or could be, depending on who accepts their invitations. This year, 271 individuals have been asked to join AMPAS, meaning every one of them could contribute to next year's Academy Awards balloting -- and it's as diverse a list as they've ever assembled. Think the Academy consists entirely of fusty retired white dudes? Not if recent Best Original Song nominee Pharrell Williams takes them up on their offer. Think it's all just a Hollywood insiders' game? Not if French arthouse titans Chantal Akerman and Olivier Assayas join the party. It's a list that subverts expectation at every turn.
- 6/26/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- Hitfix
Bond, Pi, and Anna Karenina were the big winners at the 17th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards given by the Art Directors Guild. "Skyfall" won the Contemporary category, "Life of Pi" under Fantasy, and "Anna Karenina" for the Period title.
Here's the complete list of winners/nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
17th Annual Excellence In Production Design Awards
Period Film
(winner) Anna Karenina
Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood
Argo
Production Designer: Sharon Seymour
Django Unchained
Production Designer: J. Michael Riva
Les MISÉRABLES
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
Lincoln
Production Designer: Rick Carter
Fantasy Film
Cloud Atlas
Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup
(winner) Life Of Pi
Production Designer: David Gropman
Prometheus
Production Designer: Arthur Max
The Dark Knight Rises
Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Production Designer: Dan Hannah
Contemporary Film
Flight
Production Designer: Nelson Coates
(winner) Skyfall
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner...
Here's the complete list of winners/nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
17th Annual Excellence In Production Design Awards
Period Film
(winner) Anna Karenina
Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood
Argo
Production Designer: Sharon Seymour
Django Unchained
Production Designer: J. Michael Riva
Les MISÉRABLES
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
Lincoln
Production Designer: Rick Carter
Fantasy Film
Cloud Atlas
Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup
(winner) Life Of Pi
Production Designer: David Gropman
Prometheus
Production Designer: Arthur Max
The Dark Knight Rises
Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Production Designer: Dan Hannah
Contemporary Film
Flight
Production Designer: Nelson Coates
(winner) Skyfall
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner...
- 2/3/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
They're not the Oscars, but it's still good that there are awards for the people who make our television and film experiences so visually stunning. The Art Directors Guild has just announced the nominees for its 2012 awards.
The Guild honors production designers in television, film and advertising, dividing each medium into distinct categories. The result is that some productions not used to getting a lot of awards love do in fact get mentioned.
Take "Community" for example. While you'd be hard-pressed to find a TV critic who doesn't think this is one of TV's best comedies, the show gets nominated for virtually zero awards. The Art Directors Guild, however, took notice when appropriate -- the bizarre, visually interesting and incredible "Pillows and Blankets" episode (a Zap2It pick for one of the best episodes of the year) is nominated.
Of course, lots of the usual suspects make the list as...
The Guild honors production designers in television, film and advertising, dividing each medium into distinct categories. The result is that some productions not used to getting a lot of awards love do in fact get mentioned.
Take "Community" for example. While you'd be hard-pressed to find a TV critic who doesn't think this is one of TV's best comedies, the show gets nominated for virtually zero awards. The Art Directors Guild, however, took notice when appropriate -- the bizarre, visually interesting and incredible "Pillows and Blankets" episode (a Zap2It pick for one of the best episodes of the year) is nominated.
Of course, lots of the usual suspects make the list as...
- 1/4/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
The Art Directors Guild has announced the nominees for the 17th Annual Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Awards. Winners will be announced on February 2nd at the Beverly Hilton.
Here's the complete list of nominees including television; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2012
Period Film
Anna Karenina
Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood
Argo
Production Designer: Sharon Seymour
Django Unchained
Production Designer: J. Michael Riva
Les MISÉRABLES
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
Lincoln
Production Designer: Rick Carter
Fantasy Film
Cloud Atlas
Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup
Life Of Pi
Production Designer: David Gropman
Prometheus
Production Designer: Arthur Max
The Dark Knight Rises
Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Production Designer: Dan Hannah
Contemporary Film
Flight
Production Designer: Nelson Coates
Skyfall
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Production Designer:...
Here's the complete list of nominees including television; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2012
Period Film
Anna Karenina
Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood
Argo
Production Designer: Sharon Seymour
Django Unchained
Production Designer: J. Michael Riva
Les MISÉRABLES
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
Lincoln
Production Designer: Rick Carter
Fantasy Film
Cloud Atlas
Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup
Life Of Pi
Production Designer: David Gropman
Prometheus
Production Designer: Arthur Max
The Dark Knight Rises
Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Production Designer: Dan Hannah
Contemporary Film
Flight
Production Designer: Nelson Coates
Skyfall
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Production Designer:...
- 1/3/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Art Directors Guild (Adg) today announced nominations in nine categories of Production Design for theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials and music videos competing in the Adg’s 17th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards Presented by BMW for 2012. The nominations were announced by Adg Council Chair John Shaffner and Awards co-producers Greg Grande and Raf Lydon. Deadline for final voting, which is done online, is January 31. The black-tie ceremony announcing winners will take place Saturday, February 2, 2013, from the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills with Paula Poundstone serving as host for the fourth consecutive year. Production Designer Herman Zimmerman will be the recipient of the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Hall of Fame inductees are Preston Ames, Richard MacDonald, and Edward S. Stephenson. The Production Designers behind the James Bond franchise, Sir Ken Adam, Allan Cameron, Dennis Gassner, and Peter Lamont will be honored for Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery.
- 1/3/2013
- by vmblog@hollywoodnews.com (Vitale Morum)
- Hollywoodnews.com
Judging by the advertisements for Contraband, I expected to watch a half-baked actioner with big beats and little brains (let alone heart). Instead the film, a remake of the Icelandic Reykjavik-Rotterdam and with a cast member as director, is a more than capable action picture, filled with fun small moments and a tight script that whisks us from the unmistakable charm of New Olreans onto the high-seas and into the high stakes world of illegal contraband.
Chris Farraday (a fully-engaged Mark Wahlberg) was one of the best runners of contraband in the delta, a fact reiterated more than a few times in the opening scene at a former crew member (Lukas Hass)’s wedding. But now he’s just a regular Joe, living with his wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale) and his two kids, setting up security systems to keep people like himself out of homes. While Chris is out of the game,...
Chris Farraday (a fully-engaged Mark Wahlberg) was one of the best runners of contraband in the delta, a fact reiterated more than a few times in the opening scene at a former crew member (Lukas Hass)’s wedding. But now he’s just a regular Joe, living with his wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale) and his two kids, setting up security systems to keep people like himself out of homes. While Chris is out of the game,...
- 1/13/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Chicago – The 2011 remake of Sam Peckinpah’s galvanizing 1971 classic is a film destined to appeal to no one. It’s not poorly made, and the writer/director Rod Lurie is gifted at crafting suspenseful morality tales (such as the under-appreciated “Nothing But the Truth”). But it’s difficult to understand why Lurie would bother putting his personal stamp on a picture that he considers repugnant.
By taking the moral high ground and cutting out the original film’s offensive content, Lurie has entirely lost the point of Peckinpah’s tale, and instead veered into severely hypocritical territory. If “Straw Dogs” isn’t about the animalistic nature of man, then what’s left to explore? It’s like draining the anti-Semitism out of “Triumph of the Will.” Lurie has essentially taken Peckinpah’s blueprint and morphed it into one of those maddening “Get the Hell Out Of There” idiot plots inhabited...
By taking the moral high ground and cutting out the original film’s offensive content, Lurie has entirely lost the point of Peckinpah’s tale, and instead veered into severely hypocritical territory. If “Straw Dogs” isn’t about the animalistic nature of man, then what’s left to explore? It’s like draining the anti-Semitism out of “Triumph of the Will.” Lurie has essentially taken Peckinpah’s blueprint and morphed it into one of those maddening “Get the Hell Out Of There” idiot plots inhabited...
- 1/5/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
In this third and final part of our video interview series for Straw Dogs, director Rod Lurie illuminates us on what a straw dog is as well as comments on the violence in the film. He also talks more about who Charlie is and where the fine line between good and evil lies.
Location manager F. Stanley Pearse, Jr., production designer Tony Fanning, and art director John Goldsmith also offer up some behind-the-scenes production gems.
Rod Lurie directed the Straw Dogs remake, which stars James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgard, Dominic Purcell, James Woods, Laz Alonso and Rhys Coiro.
Check out our Straw Dogs video interview from the past couple of days:
Part 1 - Alexander Skarsgard, Dominic Purcell & Laz Alonso
Part 2 - James Marsden, Kate Bosworth & James Woods
Scroll through our Straw Dogs Image Gallery, and then check out three video clips from the original Straw Dogs by Sam Peckinpah starring Dustin Hoffman.
Location manager F. Stanley Pearse, Jr., production designer Tony Fanning, and art director John Goldsmith also offer up some behind-the-scenes production gems.
Rod Lurie directed the Straw Dogs remake, which stars James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgard, Dominic Purcell, James Woods, Laz Alonso and Rhys Coiro.
Check out our Straw Dogs video interview from the past couple of days:
Part 1 - Alexander Skarsgard, Dominic Purcell & Laz Alonso
Part 2 - James Marsden, Kate Bosworth & James Woods
Scroll through our Straw Dogs Image Gallery, and then check out three video clips from the original Straw Dogs by Sam Peckinpah starring Dustin Hoffman.
- 9/15/2011
- by kwlow
- DreadCentral.com
We have new clips in from the Jim Sheridan-directed "Brothers" which Lionsgate is sending to theatres on December 4th. The Relativity Media, Palomar Pictures and Michael De Luca Productions film is written by David Benioff based on the story by Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen (motion picture "Brødre"). There are a total of 24 videos available including interviews with Jim Sheridan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman, Bailee Madison, Mare Winningham, Sam Shepard, Taylor Geare as well as screenwriter David Benioff, production designer Tony Fanning, cinematographer Frederick Elmes.
- 11/23/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
This review was written for the theatrical release of "Nancy Drew".River Heights meets Mulholland Drive, to lackluster effect, in "Nancy Drew". The beloved amateur sleuth's first big-screen appearance in nearly 70 years is not devoid of affection for the mystery books that have engaged generations of young girls, but the culture-clash procedural, which brings the small-town teen to big bad Hollywood, feels more perfunctory than inspired. If the feature sparks a run on the books, it will be the result of tween-targeted marketing centering on Nickelodeon star Emma Roberts; word-of-mouth among young moviegoers, their mothers and grandmothers isn't likely to solve this case at the boxoffice.
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts ("Unfabulous") conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming ("Dick") struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in "Erin Brockovich" and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in "Mulholland Drive"; there are broad allusions to "Chinatown"; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's "Hollywoodland". Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts ("Unfabulous") conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming ("Dick") struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in "Erin Brockovich" and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in "Mulholland Drive"; there are broad allusions to "Chinatown"; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's "Hollywoodland". Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 6/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
River Heights meets Mulholland Drive, to lackluster effect, in "Nancy Drew". The beloved amateur sleuth's first big-screen appearance in nearly 70 years is not devoid of affection for the mystery books that have engaged generations of young girls, but the culture-clash procedural, which brings the small-town teen to big bad Hollywood, feels more perfunctory than inspired. If the feature sparks a run on the books, it will be the result of tween-targeted marketing centering on Nickelodeon star Emma Roberts; word-of-mouth among young moviegoers, their mothers and grandmothers isn't likely to solve this case at the boxoffice.
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts ("Unfabulous") conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming ("Dick") struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in "Erin Brockovich" and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in "Mulholland Drive"; there are broad allusions to "Chinatown"; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's "Hollywoodland". Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts ("Unfabulous") conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming ("Dick") struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in "Erin Brockovich" and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in "Mulholland Drive"; there are broad allusions to "Chinatown"; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's "Hollywoodland". Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 6/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
River Heights meets Mulholland Drive, to lackluster effect, in Nancy Drew. The beloved amateur sleuth's first big-screen appearance in nearly 70 years is not devoid of affection for the mystery books that have engaged generations of young girls, but the culture-clash procedural, which brings the small-town teen to big bad Hollywood, feels more perfunctory than inspired. If the feature sparks a run on the books, it will be the result of tween-targeted marketing centering on Nickelodeon star Emma Roberts; word-of-mouth among young moviegoers, their mothers and grandmothers isn't likely to solve this case at the boxoffice.
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts (Unfabulous) conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming (Dick) struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in Erin Brockovich and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in Mulholland Drive; there are broad allusions to Chinatown; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's Hollywoodland. Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts (Unfabulous) conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming (Dick) struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in Erin Brockovich and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in Mulholland Drive; there are broad allusions to Chinatown; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's Hollywoodland. Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 6/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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