The French artist Apolonia Sokol – focus of the Oscar-shortlisted documentary Apolonia, Apolonia – has been compared to the great Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. She concedes there may be a few parallels, beginning with something of a physical resemblance.
“I was joking a little bit about that — the fact that we have the unibrow and the mustache,” Sokol laughs. “Maybe these are similarities.”
On a more substantive level, both artists describe themselves as almost possessed by the creative urge. “I paint because I need to,” Kahlo once said. In the documentary directed by Lea Glob, Sokol comments, “I can’t tell the difference between my identity and my work. But there really is no difference.”
Painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), circa 1945.
There’s another parallel between them. “What is so interesting about Frida Kahlo is that she was one of the first artists to actually create her own mythology, her personal mythology, for her paintings.
“I was joking a little bit about that — the fact that we have the unibrow and the mustache,” Sokol laughs. “Maybe these are similarities.”
On a more substantive level, both artists describe themselves as almost possessed by the creative urge. “I paint because I need to,” Kahlo once said. In the documentary directed by Lea Glob, Sokol comments, “I can’t tell the difference between my identity and my work. But there really is no difference.”
Painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), circa 1945.
There’s another parallel between them. “What is so interesting about Frida Kahlo is that she was one of the first artists to actually create her own mythology, her personal mythology, for her paintings.
- 1/13/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
When we first meet French figurative painter Apolonia Sokol, she’s getting ready for her 26th birthday. Her face is reflected in both the bathroom mirror where she’s cutting her bangs and in the camera of Danish filmmaker Lea Glob.
It’s this exact kind of fun house-twisting, telephone-style portrait of the artist that makes up most of the frustratingly oblique documentary “Apolonia, Apolonia.” Although Glob aims for an intimate portrait, her zoom is almost too close, her narration too navel-gazingly shallow, which results in a doc that often remains distant and distorted through these multiple lenses.
The women first met three years earlier when Glob was assigned to make a filmed “portrait of a person.” She’d heard of Apolonia’s storied, Bohemian upbringing inside her parents’ underground theatre in Paris. Apolonia first turns the camera on Glob, who blushes instantly. When the filmmaker turns her camera back on Apolonia,...
It’s this exact kind of fun house-twisting, telephone-style portrait of the artist that makes up most of the frustratingly oblique documentary “Apolonia, Apolonia.” Although Glob aims for an intimate portrait, her zoom is almost too close, her narration too navel-gazingly shallow, which results in a doc that often remains distant and distorted through these multiple lenses.
The women first met three years earlier when Glob was assigned to make a filmed “portrait of a person.” She’d heard of Apolonia’s storied, Bohemian upbringing inside her parents’ underground theatre in Paris. Apolonia first turns the camera on Glob, who blushes instantly. When the filmmaker turns her camera back on Apolonia,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Marya E. Gates
- Indiewire
Lea Glob approaches the subject of her award-winning documentary, Apolonia, Apolonia, with a devout curiosity. Apolonia, a French painter whom the director met in 2009, is a striking figure. She is wide-eyed and brunette with bangs that stop, almost abruptly, in the middle of her forehead. She moves with an arresting ease, commanding rooms like stage actors do theater audiences. In the first scene of the film, shot in 2013, the artist flits about her tiny apartment, preparing for her 26th birthday party. She dismisses dress options like a countess among her attendants and demands attention from her friends in a similarly regal manner. Her smile, a toothy grin outlined by vivid lipstick colors, courts mischief. Her eyes inspire questions.
Who is Apolonia? Glob’s meditative doc is, initially, desperate to know. The beginning of Apolonia, Apolonia chronicles those years when Glob sheepishly assumed the role of director and the artist her subject.
Who is Apolonia? Glob’s meditative doc is, initially, desperate to know. The beginning of Apolonia, Apolonia chronicles those years when Glob sheepishly assumed the role of director and the artist her subject.
- 12/18/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There’s a hypnotic quality to Apolonia Sokol, the Parisian artist and star of the Oscar-contending documentary Apolonia, Apolonia.
The word “star” is used advisedly: Apolonia captivates the attention – especially in moments of stillness — as effortlessly as an icon of cinema. Her presence transfixes, even when she’s looking off camera. Such is the mystery of personality.
Danish director Lea Glob (pronounced Globe) was a film student when she first met Apolonia in person; the setting – Paris, 2009. Their initial encounter took on a vaguely fairytale character.
“She told me ‘Just come to this address, 35 rue Lyon and call my name,’” Glob recalls. I’m like, ‘Okay, is there a buzzer or something? Could we…?’ ‘No, just call my name — twice — and I will let you in.’ So I found myself — very stupid with ‘film school’ written all over my equipment… She would put herself into a theater play constantly like this.
The word “star” is used advisedly: Apolonia captivates the attention – especially in moments of stillness — as effortlessly as an icon of cinema. Her presence transfixes, even when she’s looking off camera. Such is the mystery of personality.
Danish director Lea Glob (pronounced Globe) was a film student when she first met Apolonia in person; the setting – Paris, 2009. Their initial encounter took on a vaguely fairytale character.
“She told me ‘Just come to this address, 35 rue Lyon and call my name,’” Glob recalls. I’m like, ‘Okay, is there a buzzer or something? Could we…?’ ‘No, just call my name — twice — and I will let you in.’ So I found myself — very stupid with ‘film school’ written all over my equipment… She would put herself into a theater play constantly like this.
- 12/13/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Following, in intimate detail, the making of an art star in her early days, Lea Glob’s Apolonia, Apolonia is a powerful meditation on art and evolution. At one early point in the film, reflecting on a new work, Apolonia Sokol speaks directly to the camera, telling us that with “identity and work, there is no difference.” While some films about artists start capturing their subject much later in life, Glob’s picture is a work of serendipity, keeping praise largely in the moment. There are no talking heads or curators to provide context, just the filmmaker and Glob narrating most of the film with the tone of a bedtime story, as if she’s telling her daughter about this mythical time and figure in her life.
Linking her story with that of her subject, Glob observes Apolonia’s progress from a young woman living with her family in Lavoir...
Linking her story with that of her subject, Glob observes Apolonia’s progress from a young woman living with her family in Lavoir...
- 11/29/2023
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
The hypocrisies of the art world are exposed in this epic undertaking that sees the development of both the film’s subject and its director
Filmed over the course of 13 years, Lea Glob’s dynamic and intimate portrait of figurative painter Apolonia Sokol also charts the twin evolution of two women: the one in front of the camera and the one behind it. Having grown up in a bohemian Parisian theatre founded by her parents, Sokol seems destined to make her name as an artist, though her journey to recognition is far from rosy.
A graduate from the ultra prestigious École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, Sokol however carries a more underground sensibility. When threatened with eviction, she turned the run-down theatre – her childhood home – into a haven for performers and activists. Her large-scale paintings of friends and acquaintances show them in a state of repose, yet Sokol’s energy is anything but placid.
Filmed over the course of 13 years, Lea Glob’s dynamic and intimate portrait of figurative painter Apolonia Sokol also charts the twin evolution of two women: the one in front of the camera and the one behind it. Having grown up in a bohemian Parisian theatre founded by her parents, Sokol seems destined to make her name as an artist, though her journey to recognition is far from rosy.
A graduate from the ultra prestigious École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, Sokol however carries a more underground sensibility. When threatened with eviction, she turned the run-down theatre – her childhood home – into a haven for performers and activists. Her large-scale paintings of friends and acquaintances show them in a state of repose, yet Sokol’s energy is anything but placid.
- 10/30/2023
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
Recently graduated from the Beaux-Arts de Paris, French painter Apolonia Sokol heads to the U.S. in pursuit of the bigger picture. She finds it, after a fashion, as a wealthy collector commissions her to churn out 10 canvases a month. It’s an industrial approach to art that docmaker Lea Glob views skeptically: “Why only buy the art when it’s so much cheaper to buy the artist?” she asks. In a less cynical way, however, Glob’s unusual, compelling new film “Apolonia, Apolonia” invests grandly in Sokol herself, making the artist a kind of living installation that Glob’s camera intimately observes over the course of 13 years. Sokol’s paintings, slightly distorted large-scale portraits of human subjects in eerie states of repose, are striking, but never quite as intriguing as their restless, endlessly self-doubting creator.
As a portrait of the artist as a young woman, then, “Apolonia, Apolonia” is already layered and substantial,...
As a portrait of the artist as a young woman, then, “Apolonia, Apolonia” is already layered and substantial,...
- 11/14/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
"He's a stranger...!" Ready for this? Paramount has debuted a new "extended look" TV trailer for Darren Aronofsky's Mother!, which just premiered at the Venice Film Festival. This new trailer comes on the heels of very divisive buzz for the film, with rave reviews and hateful reviews, which is not unexpected for a new Aronofsky film. Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem star as a couple whose relationship is "tested" when uninvited guests arrive at their secluded home. The full cast includes Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson, Stephen McHattie, Kristen Wiig, and Stefan Simchowitz. With a score by Jóhann Jóhannsson. There's also a brand new viral website to go along with this, if you want to check it out here. I loved the film, and rave about it in my review from Venice. Proceed with caution. Here's the new TV trailer (+ promo poster) for Darren Aronofsky's Mother!
- 9/6/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Fans of filmmaker Darren Aronofsky got a treat (or more aptly, a tease) last week when a Teaser Trailer was dropped for his next film, the mysteriously titled mother!. Now, we have the Full Trailer for mother! to parse through, as it hit the web yesterday morning. It doesn’t totally clear things up, but at least the flick is giving a glimpse of itself. Considering how it’s only weeks away from fall festival debuts as well as it’s release date next month, it’s about time too. Aronofsky is a true talent, so anything he does is noteworthy. The question is just if Oscar can get behind it or not. The movie is a horror film, and a mysterious looking one at that. For months, the only plot description made available has said “A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.
- 8/9/2017
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
"What do they want?" "God help you..." Paramount has debuted the official full-length trailer for Darren Aronofsky's new film titled Mother!, or actually correctly mother!, without any capitalization. This looks super creepy and mysterious and dark, which is not what I was expecting at all, but damn does it still look thrilling as hell. Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem star as a couple whose relationship is "tested" when uninvited guests arrive at their secluded home. The full cast includes Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson, Stephen McHattie, Kristen Wiig, and Stefan Simchowitz. With a score by Jóhann Jóhannsson. This looks like it is reminiscent of Shutter Island and a few other psychological horror thrillers, all with Aronofsky's unique touches and incredibly powerful performances. Here's the first official trailer (+ new poster) for Darren Aronofsky's Mother!, direct from YouTube: For more info & updates, follow @MotherMovie. Or you can also follow Darren directly @DarrenAronofsky.
- 8/8/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
"What brings you to us?" Paramount has revealed the first teaser trailer for Darren Aronofsky's new film titled Mother!, or actually mother!, without any capitalization. This is the first time we've seen or heard anything from this, since it has been shrouded in secrecy ever since it was announced. Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem stars as a couple whose relationship is "tested" when uninvited guests arrive at their home. That's all we know about it, and it's probably best to stay in the dark for this one. The cast includes Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson, Stephen McHattie, Kristen Wiig, and Stefan Simchowitz. With a score by Jóhann Jóhannsson. So far so good, I'm very excited to see more from this, though I would prefer to just go in without knowing anything else just to be surprised. Here's the first teaser trailer (+ teaser poster) for Darren Aronofsky's Mother!
- 7/31/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The first big article about art in 2015 isn't about art but about how money is having sex with young artists these days. The New York Times Magazine ran a well-balanced, 5,000-word profile of Los Angeles–based, self-proclaimed "collector/dealer/consultant" Stefan Simchowitz, in an article titled "Patron Satan: Why Does the Art World Hate Stefan Simchowitz?" Accompanying it is a picture of the barrel-chested Simchowitz standing naked except for black underpants and socks as three clothed women turn from his masculine nakedness, doing nothing as he talks on the phone, presumably doing business. It's like those smarmy, 19th-century academic paintings of skeletonless women lounging about while some sultan runs an empire. Simchowitz says the picture was his idea, "an image to do some theological exegesis upon — both caricature and performance ... stripping down in front of the art world (and) the stripping down of the art world." Whatever. As soon as the article appeared online,...
- 1/5/2015
- by Jerry Saltz
- Vulture
The past year has seen collectors and auction houses creating their own art market. They’re essentially bypassing dealers, galleries, and critics, identifying artists on their own, buying works by those artists cheaply in great numbers, then flipping them at vastly higher prices to a network of other like-minded speculator-collectors. Thus, we’ve seen the rise of artists in their early 20s, male painters mainly, about whom the sole topic of conversation and interest is profit margins. This annoying trend has been discussed in fits and starts — until this weekend, when the Artspace blog published Andrew Goldstein’s very long interview with the self-described “great collector” Stefan Simchowitz. (I’m one of his targets, though I don’t really care about that.) In 5,000 words, he manages to embody everything that's gross about this new breed. Call it the New Cynicism.Simchowitz is a Hollywood producer and the co-founder of MediaVast,...
- 3/31/2014
- by Jerry Saltz
- Vulture
Getty A visitor at the Armory Show last week.
When it comes to honoring film, there are four big award shows between January and March: Oscars, Globes, SAG awards and the Independent Spirit Awards. Fortunately they all don’t take place during the same week. Not the same in the art world. No, there weren’t a bunch of awards handed out, but last week there was not one but a plethora of art fairs going on at the same time.
When it comes to honoring film, there are four big award shows between January and March: Oscars, Globes, SAG awards and the Independent Spirit Awards. Fortunately they all don’t take place during the same week. Not the same in the art world. No, there weren’t a bunch of awards handed out, but last week there was not one but a plethora of art fairs going on at the same time.
- 3/9/2011
- by Susan Michals
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
It's quite apparent -- right down to the hot pink lettering in the advertising -- that the distributor of "Slap Her ... She's French" would very much like it to be mistaken for another "Legally Blonde".
The only problem is, the Reese Witherspoon picture wasn't a gratingly unfunny groaner littered with zero-dimensional, unlikable characters and hackneyed, threadbare comic setups.
Fortunately, few -- aside from those who might mistake this German-financed production for a breezy foreign-language art house import -- will take the bait, ensuring that "Slap Her" beats a hasty retreat to the video store.
Wasting a potentially workable "All About Eve" premise, the film concerns the seemingly charmed life of one Starla Grady (Jane McGregor), the most popular student at Splendona High School, located somewhere deep in the heart of Texas.
That is, until one fateful day when, needing to amp up a little audience sympathy during another beauty pageant (Sending up pageants? How novel!), she announces her family will be taking in an exchange student from Paris in yet another gesture of her unfailing goodwill.
Enter the mousy, bespectacled Genevieve LePlouff (Piper Perabo), who seemingly worships the ground Starla struts upon. The beret and really bad French accent might fool some people, but it's clear from the get-go that Genevieve, or whatever her name really is, has major plans to dethrone her not-so-gracious hostess.
Naturally, Starla doesn't take kindly to people attempting to appropriate her life, and with a little detecting assistance from her bookish kid brother (Jesse James) and the nice-guy school photographer (Trent Ford), she exposes Genevieve as a vengeance-crazed wannabe.
But Genevieve isn't the real culprit here -- it's writers Lamar Damon and Robert Lee King and director Melanie Mayron who are truly deserving of a group smack.
Rather than striving for anything resembling sharply observed satire, the filmmakers have instead opted to mine lazy laughs from tired targets, and the bottom-feeding results leave behind an irritating, slimy residue.
While King, who directed the appropriately campy "Psycho Beach Party", and Damon seem to be biding their time until the next cat fight, actress-turned-director Mayron allows all the squandered comic opportunities to fall with an awkward thud, as if anticipating a laugh track to bail her out.
The cast, which also includes Julie White, Brandon Smith and Michael McKean as an improbable French teacher (maybe that's where Perabo learned the lame accent), doesn't fare much better, while the technical aspects, including the work of production design team Anne Stuhler and Roswell Hamrick ("Boiler Room", "Made"), are more proficient than the picture deserves.
SLAP HER ... SHE'S FRENCH
The Premiere Group
The Premiere Marketing & Distribution Group and Constantin Film present in association with Bandeira and Key Entertainment a Beau Flynn, Emcke/Augsberger and IMF 2 production
Credits:
Director: Melanie Mayron
Screenwriters: Lamar Damon, Robert Lee King
Producers: Beau Flynn, Jonathan King, Matthias Emcke
Executive producers: Bernd Eichinger, Thomas Augsberger, Stefan Simchowitz, Matthias Deyle, Volker Schauz
Director of photography: Charles Minsky
Production designers: Anne Stuhler, Roswell Hamrick
Editor: Marshall Harvey
Costume designer: Julia Caston
Music: David Michael Frank
Cast:
Genevieve LePlouff: Piper Perabo
Starla Grady: Jane McGregor
Ed Mitchell: Trent Ford
Monsieur Duke: Michael McKean
Bootsie Grady: Julie White
Arnie Grady: Brandon Smith
Randolph Grady: Jesse James
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
The only problem is, the Reese Witherspoon picture wasn't a gratingly unfunny groaner littered with zero-dimensional, unlikable characters and hackneyed, threadbare comic setups.
Fortunately, few -- aside from those who might mistake this German-financed production for a breezy foreign-language art house import -- will take the bait, ensuring that "Slap Her" beats a hasty retreat to the video store.
Wasting a potentially workable "All About Eve" premise, the film concerns the seemingly charmed life of one Starla Grady (Jane McGregor), the most popular student at Splendona High School, located somewhere deep in the heart of Texas.
That is, until one fateful day when, needing to amp up a little audience sympathy during another beauty pageant (Sending up pageants? How novel!), she announces her family will be taking in an exchange student from Paris in yet another gesture of her unfailing goodwill.
Enter the mousy, bespectacled Genevieve LePlouff (Piper Perabo), who seemingly worships the ground Starla struts upon. The beret and really bad French accent might fool some people, but it's clear from the get-go that Genevieve, or whatever her name really is, has major plans to dethrone her not-so-gracious hostess.
Naturally, Starla doesn't take kindly to people attempting to appropriate her life, and with a little detecting assistance from her bookish kid brother (Jesse James) and the nice-guy school photographer (Trent Ford), she exposes Genevieve as a vengeance-crazed wannabe.
But Genevieve isn't the real culprit here -- it's writers Lamar Damon and Robert Lee King and director Melanie Mayron who are truly deserving of a group smack.
Rather than striving for anything resembling sharply observed satire, the filmmakers have instead opted to mine lazy laughs from tired targets, and the bottom-feeding results leave behind an irritating, slimy residue.
While King, who directed the appropriately campy "Psycho Beach Party", and Damon seem to be biding their time until the next cat fight, actress-turned-director Mayron allows all the squandered comic opportunities to fall with an awkward thud, as if anticipating a laugh track to bail her out.
The cast, which also includes Julie White, Brandon Smith and Michael McKean as an improbable French teacher (maybe that's where Perabo learned the lame accent), doesn't fare much better, while the technical aspects, including the work of production design team Anne Stuhler and Roswell Hamrick ("Boiler Room", "Made"), are more proficient than the picture deserves.
SLAP HER ... SHE'S FRENCH
The Premiere Group
The Premiere Marketing & Distribution Group and Constantin Film present in association with Bandeira and Key Entertainment a Beau Flynn, Emcke/Augsberger and IMF 2 production
Credits:
Director: Melanie Mayron
Screenwriters: Lamar Damon, Robert Lee King
Producers: Beau Flynn, Jonathan King, Matthias Emcke
Executive producers: Bernd Eichinger, Thomas Augsberger, Stefan Simchowitz, Matthias Deyle, Volker Schauz
Director of photography: Charles Minsky
Production designers: Anne Stuhler, Roswell Hamrick
Editor: Marshall Harvey
Costume designer: Julia Caston
Music: David Michael Frank
Cast:
Genevieve LePlouff: Piper Perabo
Starla Grady: Jane McGregor
Ed Mitchell: Trent Ford
Monsieur Duke: Michael McKean
Bootsie Grady: Julie White
Arnie Grady: Brandon Smith
Randolph Grady: Jesse James
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 8/22/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Like the Cathleen Schine bestseller on which it was based, "The Love Letter" is a light Summer Breeze of a romantic comedy. It's pleasant enough, with its share of wittily wistful moments delivered by a capable cast, but as the 89-minute running time might indicate, it just doesn't amount to very much.
And as effective counterprogramming to the "Phantom Menace" juggernaut, it's like trying to divert a charging rhino with a souffle. The DreamWorks release should be able to woo a healthy segment of its targeted female demographic, but they probably won't be falling head over heels.
Set in the fictional, perennially sleepy New England town of Loblolly By The Sea, the picture concerns itself with a mysterious love letter addressed to "Dearest" and signed "Yours" that has seemingly materialized out of nowhere but manages to affect profoundly the lives of all who come across it.
That is particularly the case for Helen MacFarquhar (Kate Capshaw), a single mother whose long dormant passions are suddenly reignited by the discovery of the phantom missive. Believing that she's the "Dearest" in question, Helen is determined to discover the author's identity, and in the process ends up having a little fling with cute, sweet college student Johnny Tom Everett Scott) -- who also sees himself in the letter -- not to mention second thoughts about her lifelong platonic friend, George (Tom Selleck), who has been secretly infatuated with her since high school.
By the time the true identities of both writer and addressee are ultimately revealed, the letter has already managed to alter the emotional states of a number of its readers.
Working from a bright adaptation by Maria Maggenti ("The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love) director Peter Ho-Sun Chan ("Comrades: Almost a Love Story") makes his American debut here with a nice grasp on the quirky characters and light humor.
As the emotionally guarded Helen, Capshaw gives a fine if somewhat one-note performance. There are times when certain feelings aren't sufficiently externalized, leaving key facial reactions hidden behind her large, rectangular glasses.
Playing her glib bookstore colleague Janet, Ellen DeGeneres tosses off the picture's best lines with seasoned aplomb, while Scott's earnest, smitten Johnny and Selleck's vulnerable, gentle George are astutely portrayed.
Also impressive is Julianne Nicholson as the young, strong-willed Jennifer, who also works in Helen's bookstore, and, in all-too-brief roles, Blythe Danner and Gloria Stuart, as Helen's peripatetic mother and grandmother, respectively, as well as Geraldine McEwan as the delightfully enigmatic Miss Scattergoods.
Behind-the-camera contributions are sturdy, although composer Luis Bacalov's swooping violins try a little too hard to evoke unbridled passion. Similarly, the songs -- "I'm In the Mood For Love", "Only the Lonely", "I've Never Been In Love Before" -- cloyingly overstate the obvious.
In that vein, as a lilting breeze carries the letter off toward the sea at the film's end, it's tempting to start humming that old Police hit, "Message in a Bottle".
Fortunately the filmmakers didn't go there.
THE LOVE LETTER
DreamWorks Pictures
A Sanford/Pillsbury production
A Peter Ho-Sun Chan film
Producers:Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford, Kate Capshaw
Executive producers:Beau Flynn, Stefan Simchowitz
Director:Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Screenwriter:Maria Maggenti
Based on the novel by:Cathleen Schine
Director of photography:Tami Reiker
Production designer:Andrew Jackness
Editor:Jacqueline Cambas
Costume designer:Tracy Tynan
Music:Luis Bacalov
Casting:Mali Finn
Color/stereo
Cast:
Helen MacFarquhar:Kate Capshaw
Lillian:Blythe Danner
Janet:Ellen DeGeneres
Miss Scattergoods:Geraldine McEwan
Jennifer:Julianne Nicholson
Johnny:Tom Everett Scott
George Matthias:Tom Selleck
Eleanor:Gloria Stuart
Running time -- 89 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
And as effective counterprogramming to the "Phantom Menace" juggernaut, it's like trying to divert a charging rhino with a souffle. The DreamWorks release should be able to woo a healthy segment of its targeted female demographic, but they probably won't be falling head over heels.
Set in the fictional, perennially sleepy New England town of Loblolly By The Sea, the picture concerns itself with a mysterious love letter addressed to "Dearest" and signed "Yours" that has seemingly materialized out of nowhere but manages to affect profoundly the lives of all who come across it.
That is particularly the case for Helen MacFarquhar (Kate Capshaw), a single mother whose long dormant passions are suddenly reignited by the discovery of the phantom missive. Believing that she's the "Dearest" in question, Helen is determined to discover the author's identity, and in the process ends up having a little fling with cute, sweet college student Johnny Tom Everett Scott) -- who also sees himself in the letter -- not to mention second thoughts about her lifelong platonic friend, George (Tom Selleck), who has been secretly infatuated with her since high school.
By the time the true identities of both writer and addressee are ultimately revealed, the letter has already managed to alter the emotional states of a number of its readers.
Working from a bright adaptation by Maria Maggenti ("The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love) director Peter Ho-Sun Chan ("Comrades: Almost a Love Story") makes his American debut here with a nice grasp on the quirky characters and light humor.
As the emotionally guarded Helen, Capshaw gives a fine if somewhat one-note performance. There are times when certain feelings aren't sufficiently externalized, leaving key facial reactions hidden behind her large, rectangular glasses.
Playing her glib bookstore colleague Janet, Ellen DeGeneres tosses off the picture's best lines with seasoned aplomb, while Scott's earnest, smitten Johnny and Selleck's vulnerable, gentle George are astutely portrayed.
Also impressive is Julianne Nicholson as the young, strong-willed Jennifer, who also works in Helen's bookstore, and, in all-too-brief roles, Blythe Danner and Gloria Stuart, as Helen's peripatetic mother and grandmother, respectively, as well as Geraldine McEwan as the delightfully enigmatic Miss Scattergoods.
Behind-the-camera contributions are sturdy, although composer Luis Bacalov's swooping violins try a little too hard to evoke unbridled passion. Similarly, the songs -- "I'm In the Mood For Love", "Only the Lonely", "I've Never Been In Love Before" -- cloyingly overstate the obvious.
In that vein, as a lilting breeze carries the letter off toward the sea at the film's end, it's tempting to start humming that old Police hit, "Message in a Bottle".
Fortunately the filmmakers didn't go there.
THE LOVE LETTER
DreamWorks Pictures
A Sanford/Pillsbury production
A Peter Ho-Sun Chan film
Producers:Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford, Kate Capshaw
Executive producers:Beau Flynn, Stefan Simchowitz
Director:Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Screenwriter:Maria Maggenti
Based on the novel by:Cathleen Schine
Director of photography:Tami Reiker
Production designer:Andrew Jackness
Editor:Jacqueline Cambas
Costume designer:Tracy Tynan
Music:Luis Bacalov
Casting:Mali Finn
Color/stereo
Cast:
Helen MacFarquhar:Kate Capshaw
Lillian:Blythe Danner
Janet:Ellen DeGeneres
Miss Scattergoods:Geraldine McEwan
Jennifer:Julianne Nicholson
Johnny:Tom Everett Scott
George Matthias:Tom Selleck
Eleanor:Gloria Stuart
Running time -- 89 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 5/21/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY, Utah -- No medieval damsel but nonetheless a damsel-in-distress story, "Guinevere" is a sterling tale of one young woman's post-"Graduate" attempt to redirect her life. With an exquisite lead performance from Sarah Polley, this Miramax release is one of the most bracing, funny and revealing films in recent Sundance memory. It seems destined for festival accolades and will surely win further tributes and recognition on the select-site circuit.
Life on the surface seems cozy and bright for '90s graduate Harper (Polley). She's been accepted to Harvard Law School and is on the fast track to fulfill her parents' fervent wishes. Both lawyers, they've provided the kind of patrician upbringing that will surely catapult Harper into a successful life.
Alas, going down this insular patrician world does not appeal to Harper. Somewhat mousy and lacking in self-confidence, she wallows in minor rebellion until she meets her catalyst, charming photographer Connie (Stephen Rea) who photographs her sister's tony wedding. Somewhat of a self-styled bohemian, Connie taps into Harper's angst. He's unusually perceptive about her insecurities and sagely realizes that Harper is bursting with inner energies and talents, long suppressed out of daughterly duty as well as the stultifying nature of her home life.
Part personal rebellion but also part attempt to realize herself, Harper moves in with Connie. Not unexpectedly, it elicits the reaction she expects from her mother. Better yet, under Connie's encouraging tutelage, she gathers confidence and begins to widen her interest beyond the strict confines of the law-school path.
No mere May-December love story, "Guinevere" brims with a more complex kind of love: It is more accurately a union of two people who don't fit into the tight strictures of normal life. Through screenwriter-director Audrey Wells' perceptive and pithy storytelling, we come to see the regenerative wonderfulness that this relationship brings. We also see the underskin, the neediness of Harper and Connie. Both have feet of clay and Wells shows us the limits that each character possesses. In particular, we see that Connie is caught in a lifelong rut, "mentoring" young women in a serial downspin -- they're his Guineveres.
Under Wells' sympathetic, revealing hand, "Guinevere"'s performances are sparkling and well-honed. Polley is magnificent as fragile and unfulfilled Harper, brittle and resilient at once. As sensitive older man Connie who sees into the souls of young girls, Rea shows the pied-piper magic of his character as well as his life's pathetic, repetitive routine. The supporting characters are picture-perfectly selected. Particular praise to casting directors Linda Lowy and John Brace for their apt, brahmin selections. Among the standouts in this WASP world are Jean Smart as Harper's snide, domineering mother, while Gina Gershon is winning as Harper's sympathetic, Guinevere predecessor.
Technically, the film is articulately polished, most prominently production designer Stephen McCabe's properly sterile production look, clueing us immediately to the cold life that Harper is in store for if she remains the good girl and goes off to Harvard.
GUINEVERE
Miramax Films
Producers: Jonathan King, Brad Weston
Screenwriter-director: Audrey Wells
Executive producers: Avi Lerner, Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Beau Flynn, Stefan Simchowitz, John Thompson, Boaz Davidson
Line producer: Tani Cohen
Production designer: Stephen McCabe
Director of photography: Charles Minsky
Costume designer: Genevieve Tyrrell
Music supervisor: Barklie K. Griggs
Music: Cristophe Beck
Editor: Dody Dorn
Casting directors : Linda Lowy, John Brace
Color/stereo
Cast:
Harper Sloane: Sarah Polley
Connie Fitzpatrick: Stephen Rea
Deborah Sloane: Jean Smart
Billie: Gina Gershon
Walter: Paul Dooley
Patty: Carrie Preston
Zack: Tracy Letts
Susan Sloane: Emily Procter
Leslie: Sharon McKnight
Ed: Gedde Watanabe
Jay: Carlton Wilborn
Cindy: Sandra Oh
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating...
Life on the surface seems cozy and bright for '90s graduate Harper (Polley). She's been accepted to Harvard Law School and is on the fast track to fulfill her parents' fervent wishes. Both lawyers, they've provided the kind of patrician upbringing that will surely catapult Harper into a successful life.
Alas, going down this insular patrician world does not appeal to Harper. Somewhat mousy and lacking in self-confidence, she wallows in minor rebellion until she meets her catalyst, charming photographer Connie (Stephen Rea) who photographs her sister's tony wedding. Somewhat of a self-styled bohemian, Connie taps into Harper's angst. He's unusually perceptive about her insecurities and sagely realizes that Harper is bursting with inner energies and talents, long suppressed out of daughterly duty as well as the stultifying nature of her home life.
Part personal rebellion but also part attempt to realize herself, Harper moves in with Connie. Not unexpectedly, it elicits the reaction she expects from her mother. Better yet, under Connie's encouraging tutelage, she gathers confidence and begins to widen her interest beyond the strict confines of the law-school path.
No mere May-December love story, "Guinevere" brims with a more complex kind of love: It is more accurately a union of two people who don't fit into the tight strictures of normal life. Through screenwriter-director Audrey Wells' perceptive and pithy storytelling, we come to see the regenerative wonderfulness that this relationship brings. We also see the underskin, the neediness of Harper and Connie. Both have feet of clay and Wells shows us the limits that each character possesses. In particular, we see that Connie is caught in a lifelong rut, "mentoring" young women in a serial downspin -- they're his Guineveres.
Under Wells' sympathetic, revealing hand, "Guinevere"'s performances are sparkling and well-honed. Polley is magnificent as fragile and unfulfilled Harper, brittle and resilient at once. As sensitive older man Connie who sees into the souls of young girls, Rea shows the pied-piper magic of his character as well as his life's pathetic, repetitive routine. The supporting characters are picture-perfectly selected. Particular praise to casting directors Linda Lowy and John Brace for their apt, brahmin selections. Among the standouts in this WASP world are Jean Smart as Harper's snide, domineering mother, while Gina Gershon is winning as Harper's sympathetic, Guinevere predecessor.
Technically, the film is articulately polished, most prominently production designer Stephen McCabe's properly sterile production look, clueing us immediately to the cold life that Harper is in store for if she remains the good girl and goes off to Harvard.
GUINEVERE
Miramax Films
Producers: Jonathan King, Brad Weston
Screenwriter-director: Audrey Wells
Executive producers: Avi Lerner, Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Beau Flynn, Stefan Simchowitz, John Thompson, Boaz Davidson
Line producer: Tani Cohen
Production designer: Stephen McCabe
Director of photography: Charles Minsky
Costume designer: Genevieve Tyrrell
Music supervisor: Barklie K. Griggs
Music: Cristophe Beck
Editor: Dody Dorn
Casting directors : Linda Lowy, John Brace
Color/stereo
Cast:
Harper Sloane: Sarah Polley
Connie Fitzpatrick: Stephen Rea
Deborah Sloane: Jean Smart
Billie: Gina Gershon
Walter: Paul Dooley
Patty: Carrie Preston
Zack: Tracy Letts
Susan Sloane: Emily Procter
Leslie: Sharon McKnight
Ed: Gedde Watanabe
Jay: Carlton Wilborn
Cindy: Sandra Oh
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating...
- 1/29/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK --Formerly titled "Life During Wartime", Evan Dunsky's debut film has the studied artificiality of the kind of off-Broadway play (by Keith Reddin) from which it was adapted.
A quirky black comedy about a security systems salesman who gets in over his head both professionally and personally, the film is a would-be allegory about American business that reveals more than a little Mametian influence. It is ultimately too clever for its own good, but some very funny dialogue and a beautifully nuanced performance by Stanley Tucci are redeeming features.
The film, which screened at the Toronto and Sundance festivals, stars David Arquette as Tommy, a young salesman who's just started work at a home-security company owned by fast-talking, slick, supersalesman Heinrich (Tucci). Heinrich talks a great game, but, as Tommy soon finds out, he doesn't just rely on his persuasive sales techniques to grow his business. To fuel his potential and current customers' paranoia, he breaks into their homes in order to demonstrate their need for his systems.
During his first day on the job, Tommy visits prospective client Gale, a beautiful older widow (Kate Capshaw) who turns out to be both his first client and a willing lover. The two begin a torrid affair, complicated only by the unexpected arrival of Gale's teenage son Howard (Ryan Reynolds). Tommy attempts to be a counselor to the young man, but it's Howard who teaches Tommy a thing or two.
Things turn darker in the film's second half, when a brutal murder occurs and Tommy becomes increasingly convinced that Heinrich was responsible.
"The Alarmist" is a genuinely offbeat effort, distinguished by funny and perceptive dialogue, sharp performances and a fresh subject matter. But it ultimately veers off in too many directions at once, with writer-director Dunsky not fully able to handle the many shifts of tone. Although it might have been effective onstage, the material merely seems awkward when transferred to the more realistic film medium.
Still, it does display much more imagination than most indie efforts, and the acting is superb. Tucci, one of the most vital and reactive actors working today, is compelling as the boss who is as strangely lovable as he is creepy. Arquette is the personification of awkward naivete, and Capshaw is appealing and surprisingly funny as the widow -- although, between this and "The Locusts", she might want to stay away from the older woman/younger man thing for a while.
THE ALARMIST
Lions Gate Releasing
Credits: Director-screenplay: Evan Dunsky; Producers: Dan Stone, Lisa Zimble; Executive producers: Beau Flynn, Stefan Simchowitz, Matthias Emeke, Thomas Augsberger; Director of photography: Alex Nepomniaschy; Editor: Norman Buckley; Music: Christopher Beck. Cast: Tommy: David Arquette; Heinrich: Stanley Tucci; Gale: Kate Capshaw; Sally: Mary McCormack; Howard: Ryan Reynolds; April: Tricia Vessey. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 93 minutes.
A quirky black comedy about a security systems salesman who gets in over his head both professionally and personally, the film is a would-be allegory about American business that reveals more than a little Mametian influence. It is ultimately too clever for its own good, but some very funny dialogue and a beautifully nuanced performance by Stanley Tucci are redeeming features.
The film, which screened at the Toronto and Sundance festivals, stars David Arquette as Tommy, a young salesman who's just started work at a home-security company owned by fast-talking, slick, supersalesman Heinrich (Tucci). Heinrich talks a great game, but, as Tommy soon finds out, he doesn't just rely on his persuasive sales techniques to grow his business. To fuel his potential and current customers' paranoia, he breaks into their homes in order to demonstrate their need for his systems.
During his first day on the job, Tommy visits prospective client Gale, a beautiful older widow (Kate Capshaw) who turns out to be both his first client and a willing lover. The two begin a torrid affair, complicated only by the unexpected arrival of Gale's teenage son Howard (Ryan Reynolds). Tommy attempts to be a counselor to the young man, but it's Howard who teaches Tommy a thing or two.
Things turn darker in the film's second half, when a brutal murder occurs and Tommy becomes increasingly convinced that Heinrich was responsible.
"The Alarmist" is a genuinely offbeat effort, distinguished by funny and perceptive dialogue, sharp performances and a fresh subject matter. But it ultimately veers off in too many directions at once, with writer-director Dunsky not fully able to handle the many shifts of tone. Although it might have been effective onstage, the material merely seems awkward when transferred to the more realistic film medium.
Still, it does display much more imagination than most indie efforts, and the acting is superb. Tucci, one of the most vital and reactive actors working today, is compelling as the boss who is as strangely lovable as he is creepy. Arquette is the personification of awkward naivete, and Capshaw is appealing and surprisingly funny as the widow -- although, between this and "The Locusts", she might want to stay away from the older woman/younger man thing for a while.
THE ALARMIST
Lions Gate Releasing
Credits: Director-screenplay: Evan Dunsky; Producers: Dan Stone, Lisa Zimble; Executive producers: Beau Flynn, Stefan Simchowitz, Matthias Emeke, Thomas Augsberger; Director of photography: Alex Nepomniaschy; Editor: Norman Buckley; Music: Christopher Beck. Cast: Tommy: David Arquette; Heinrich: Stanley Tucci; Gale: Kate Capshaw; Sally: Mary McCormack; Howard: Ryan Reynolds; April: Tricia Vessey. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 93 minutes.
- 10/20/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'Judas Kiss' Night of the Kissing 'Judas' /New Orleans crime noir flick marches smartly
In addition to betrayal, "Judas Kiss" is packed with decadence, treachery, kinky sex and malfeasance. It's a hard noir-thriller, as twisted as a Jim Thompson tale, and it should lock in solid appreciation for fans of the genre as well as those who like their entertainment with a sharp, sardonic edge.
Lurid and labyrinthian, the tale is aptly set in modern-day New Orleans, where a small-time band of perps sets out to kidnap a wealthy computer mogul (Greg Wise). The venture criminals in this tawdry case include sex-crazed lovers Junior (Simon Baker-Denny) and Coco (Carla Gugino), a freaky techie, Lizard (Gil Bellows), and a hotheaded strong-arm named Ruben (Til Schweiger). During the crime in which they bag-and-gag their victim, there's a snag: Coco shoots a woman who appears unexpectedly at the scene. Unfortunately for our gang of four, the woman that Coco has plugged happens to be the wife of a U.S. senator. The heat, locals and feds, is on.
For the locals, there's reluctant detective Friedman (Alan Rickman), and for the feds, there's eat-nails-for-breakfast agent Hawkins (Emma Thompson).
As expected, cooperation between federal and local is not without its burrs, but in this squalid case the duo seem to be cut out of the same cloth: Both are insomniacs, both are Thompson aficionados and both are living alone, not contentedly. In short, they're attracted to each other, though neither will openly admit it. They banter, each winning points and, all the while, winning each other's admiration.
Writer-director Sebastian Gutierrez has carved out a bright and inventive piece of genre fare, a lethal noir thriller with all the complexity, ambiguity and amorality of a down-and-dirty pulper. It's a dicey tale, combustively intercut between the youthful criminals and the middle-aged lawfolk.
On the criminal side, all things sizzle, while on the enforcement side, we see they tend to percolate. Gutierrez has created credible characters, from crazies to cruddies. Admittedly, we sorts who have come to fritter away too much time wading through noir writers will spot the ultimate baddest guy right off. Still, Gutierrez's take on noir is juicy and jagged -- highly entertaining and involving.
The performances are dead-on, beginning with Rickman, whose weary-alchy turn as the detective is perfectly weathered. With her hot Southern twang, Thompson steps out of her carriage onto the mean streets with spicy aplomb.
On the bad side, Gugino is outstanding as the small-town girl with steamy ambitions, and Baker-Denny is well-cast as her manic mentor. As Lizard, Bellows is appropriately slithery, while Schweiger's hair-trigger turn is positively chilling.
Supporting performances are superb, most prominently the one from Hal Holbrook, who shows an iciness one wouldn't expect. Philip Baker Hall sends shivers into us with his moment as a well-connected goombah.
Technical contributions reek with just the right atmospherics. Cinematographer James Chressanthis' sultry colors and composer Christopher Young's smudgy sounds are just the right sinister tones.
JUDAS KISS
Key Entertainment
in association with Bandeira Entertainment
A Flynn/Simchowitz production
Credits: Producers: Beau Flynn, Stefan Simchowitz, Jonathan King; Screenwriter, director: Sebastian Gutierrez; Story: Sebastian Gutierrez, Deanna Fuller; Executive producers: Matthias Emcke, Thomas Augsberger, Molly Madden, Daniel Rappaport; Co-producers: Carla Gugino, Elaine Dysinger; Director of photography: James Chressanthis; Production designer: Jerry Fleming; Editor: Howard Smith; Costume designer: Denise Wingate; Music: Christopher Young; Music supervisors: Sonya Chang, Lynn Geller; Casting: Nancy Mayor. Cast: Sadie Hawkins: Emma Thompson; Dave Friedman: Alan Rickman; Coco: Carla Gugino; Junior Armstrong: Simon Baker-Denny; Ruben: Til Schweiger; Lizard: Gil Bellows; Ben Dyson: Greg Wise; Senator Hornbeck: Hal Holbrook; Poppy Malavero: Philip Baker Hall. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 98 minutes.
Lurid and labyrinthian, the tale is aptly set in modern-day New Orleans, where a small-time band of perps sets out to kidnap a wealthy computer mogul (Greg Wise). The venture criminals in this tawdry case include sex-crazed lovers Junior (Simon Baker-Denny) and Coco (Carla Gugino), a freaky techie, Lizard (Gil Bellows), and a hotheaded strong-arm named Ruben (Til Schweiger). During the crime in which they bag-and-gag their victim, there's a snag: Coco shoots a woman who appears unexpectedly at the scene. Unfortunately for our gang of four, the woman that Coco has plugged happens to be the wife of a U.S. senator. The heat, locals and feds, is on.
For the locals, there's reluctant detective Friedman (Alan Rickman), and for the feds, there's eat-nails-for-breakfast agent Hawkins (Emma Thompson).
As expected, cooperation between federal and local is not without its burrs, but in this squalid case the duo seem to be cut out of the same cloth: Both are insomniacs, both are Thompson aficionados and both are living alone, not contentedly. In short, they're attracted to each other, though neither will openly admit it. They banter, each winning points and, all the while, winning each other's admiration.
Writer-director Sebastian Gutierrez has carved out a bright and inventive piece of genre fare, a lethal noir thriller with all the complexity, ambiguity and amorality of a down-and-dirty pulper. It's a dicey tale, combustively intercut between the youthful criminals and the middle-aged lawfolk.
On the criminal side, all things sizzle, while on the enforcement side, we see they tend to percolate. Gutierrez has created credible characters, from crazies to cruddies. Admittedly, we sorts who have come to fritter away too much time wading through noir writers will spot the ultimate baddest guy right off. Still, Gutierrez's take on noir is juicy and jagged -- highly entertaining and involving.
The performances are dead-on, beginning with Rickman, whose weary-alchy turn as the detective is perfectly weathered. With her hot Southern twang, Thompson steps out of her carriage onto the mean streets with spicy aplomb.
On the bad side, Gugino is outstanding as the small-town girl with steamy ambitions, and Baker-Denny is well-cast as her manic mentor. As Lizard, Bellows is appropriately slithery, while Schweiger's hair-trigger turn is positively chilling.
Supporting performances are superb, most prominently the one from Hal Holbrook, who shows an iciness one wouldn't expect. Philip Baker Hall sends shivers into us with his moment as a well-connected goombah.
Technical contributions reek with just the right atmospherics. Cinematographer James Chressanthis' sultry colors and composer Christopher Young's smudgy sounds are just the right sinister tones.
JUDAS KISS
Key Entertainment
in association with Bandeira Entertainment
A Flynn/Simchowitz production
Credits: Producers: Beau Flynn, Stefan Simchowitz, Jonathan King; Screenwriter, director: Sebastian Gutierrez; Story: Sebastian Gutierrez, Deanna Fuller; Executive producers: Matthias Emcke, Thomas Augsberger, Molly Madden, Daniel Rappaport; Co-producers: Carla Gugino, Elaine Dysinger; Director of photography: James Chressanthis; Production designer: Jerry Fleming; Editor: Howard Smith; Costume designer: Denise Wingate; Music: Christopher Young; Music supervisors: Sonya Chang, Lynn Geller; Casting: Nancy Mayor. Cast: Sadie Hawkins: Emma Thompson; Dave Friedman: Alan Rickman; Coco: Carla Gugino; Junior Armstrong: Simon Baker-Denny; Ruben: Til Schweiger; Lizard: Gil Bellows; Ben Dyson: Greg Wise; Senator Hornbeck: Hal Holbrook; Poppy Malavero: Philip Baker Hall. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 98 minutes.
- 9/22/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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