Daytime drama actor, Andrea Evans, has died at the age of 66.
The actress, who rose to soap opera fame in the ’70s and ’80s thanks to her role as Tina Lord on the ABC series “One Life To Live”, passed away on Sunday from cancer.
Evans’ death was announced by casting director, Don Carroll.
The Aurora, Illinois-native starred as Tina until 1981 when she left to take on the role of Patty Williams on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” from 1983 to 1984. Then, in 1985, she returned to “One Life” and was later nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 1988.
Evans went on to play Tawny Moore on CBS’ “The Bold and the Beautiful”, Rebecca Hotchkiss on NBC’s “Passions” and Patty Walker on Amazon Prime’s “The Bay”.
Read More: Brett Hadley, ‘The Young And The Restless’ Star, Dead At 92
Early in her career, she performed in beauty pageants and regional theatre...
The actress, who rose to soap opera fame in the ’70s and ’80s thanks to her role as Tina Lord on the ABC series “One Life To Live”, passed away on Sunday from cancer.
Evans’ death was announced by casting director, Don Carroll.
The Aurora, Illinois-native starred as Tina until 1981 when she left to take on the role of Patty Williams on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” from 1983 to 1984. Then, in 1985, she returned to “One Life” and was later nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 1988.
Evans went on to play Tawny Moore on CBS’ “The Bold and the Beautiful”, Rebecca Hotchkiss on NBC’s “Passions” and Patty Walker on Amazon Prime’s “The Bay”.
Read More: Brett Hadley, ‘The Young And The Restless’ Star, Dead At 92
Early in her career, she performed in beauty pageants and regional theatre...
- 7/10/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Andrea Evans, the two-time Daytime Emmy nominated actor who rose to fame in the 1970s and ’80s as the troublemaking teen Tina Lord on the ABC soap One Life To Live, died Sunday of cancer. She was 66.
Her death was announced by casting director Don Carroll.
Following her signature role on One Life To Live, Evans went on to play Patty Williams on CBS’ The Young and the Restless, Tawny Moore on CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful, Rebecca Hotchkiss on NBC’s Passions and Patty Walker on Amazon Prime’s The Bay.
Born in Aurora, Illinois, Evans had appeared in beauty pageants and regional theater when she appeared as an extra in Brian De Palma’s 1978 horror classic The Fury. That year she also appeared in miniseries The Awakening Land, and soon drew the attention of legendary soap casting director Mary Jo Slater, who tapped her for the coveted role of Tina Lord,...
Her death was announced by casting director Don Carroll.
Following her signature role on One Life To Live, Evans went on to play Patty Williams on CBS’ The Young and the Restless, Tawny Moore on CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful, Rebecca Hotchkiss on NBC’s Passions and Patty Walker on Amazon Prime’s The Bay.
Born in Aurora, Illinois, Evans had appeared in beauty pageants and regional theater when she appeared as an extra in Brian De Palma’s 1978 horror classic The Fury. That year she also appeared in miniseries The Awakening Land, and soon drew the attention of legendary soap casting director Mary Jo Slater, who tapped her for the coveted role of Tina Lord,...
- 7/10/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Christopher Plummer appeared in over 200 films during a storied career spanning seven decades. Though he first found fame as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music, that ultimately provided a springboard to an eclectic career that surprised and delighted in equal measure. Plummer was an accomplished theatre performer with an uncanny knack for stealing the show in minor yet memorable roles; a magnetic presence you simply couldn’t take your eyes off.
Everyone has a favourite Plummer performance whether it be as Rudyard Kipling in John Huston’s The Man Who Would Be King or his recent turn in Rian Johnson’s inventive murder mystery Knives Out. Yet for Star Trek fans, the late, great Oscar winner will always be remembered as General Chang from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, an iconic villain and one arguably responsible for rescuing the entire franchise.
Bringing Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country...
Everyone has a favourite Plummer performance whether it be as Rudyard Kipling in John Huston’s The Man Who Would Be King or his recent turn in Rian Johnson’s inventive murder mystery Knives Out. Yet for Star Trek fans, the late, great Oscar winner will always be remembered as General Chang from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, an iconic villain and one arguably responsible for rescuing the entire franchise.
Bringing Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country...
- 2/7/2021
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
Company veteran John Villacorta has been upped to Svp Talent & Casting at ABC Entertainment. In the new gig, he will manage the casting process for ABC and provide casting strategy and services to the Direct-to-Consumer and International segment, working with the Disney+ team across all scripted and unscripted content.
Villacorta has overseen numerous shows including American Crime from John Ridley; miniseries When We Rise from Dustin Lance Black and Gus Van Sant; along with series Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Once Upon a Time, Pushing Daisies and How to Get Away with Murder.
“For 15 years, John has been an integral part of our casting team, investing in the process and the people in order to attract and maintain strong relationships with key talent throughout the industry,” said Ayo Davis, Evp Talent & Casting at ABC Entertainment and Disney+, to whom he will report. “I’m proud to promote...
Villacorta has overseen numerous shows including American Crime from John Ridley; miniseries When We Rise from Dustin Lance Black and Gus Van Sant; along with series Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Once Upon a Time, Pushing Daisies and How to Get Away with Murder.
“For 15 years, John has been an integral part of our casting team, investing in the process and the people in order to attract and maintain strong relationships with key talent throughout the industry,” said Ayo Davis, Evp Talent & Casting at ABC Entertainment and Disney+, to whom he will report. “I’m proud to promote...
- 1/16/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
ABC has promoted casting executive John Villacorta to senior vice president of talent and casting, the network announced Thursday.
He steps in for Ayo Davis, who was promoted to executive vice president last year, adding Disney+ to her area of oversight. In the role, Villacorta will manage the casting process for ABC and provide casting strategy and services to the Direct-to-Consumer and International (Dtci) segment, working closely with the Disney+ team across all scripted and unscripted content. He will report to Davis.
“For 15 years, John has been an integral part of our casting team, investing in the process and the people in order to attract and maintain strong relationships with key talent throughout the industry,” Davis said in a statement. “I’m proud to promote John to a position for which he has worked tirelessly and so richly deserves. His professionalism and dedication will continue to attract exemplary talent as...
He steps in for Ayo Davis, who was promoted to executive vice president last year, adding Disney+ to her area of oversight. In the role, Villacorta will manage the casting process for ABC and provide casting strategy and services to the Direct-to-Consumer and International (Dtci) segment, working closely with the Disney+ team across all scripted and unscripted content. He will report to Davis.
“For 15 years, John has been an integral part of our casting team, investing in the process and the people in order to attract and maintain strong relationships with key talent throughout the industry,” Davis said in a statement. “I’m proud to promote John to a position for which he has worked tirelessly and so richly deserves. His professionalism and dedication will continue to attract exemplary talent as...
- 1/16/2020
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
Christian Slater has filed a motion to strike his father's defamation lawsuit against him. In legal documents obtained by People, Christian's mother Mary Jo Slater issued a declaration in support of her son's motion to strike the lawsuit, detailing claims of her ex-husband Thomas Knight Slater's diagnosis with manic-depressive schizophrenia and threw her into traffic when she was five months pregnant with Christian. (Thomas, 80, is suing his son for at least $20 million, claiming he "ruined" Thomas' acting career because the Mr. Robot star said his father was "suffering from manic-depressive schizophrenia" in a December 2015 interview - years after Thomas' last credited role on IMDb,...
- 4/19/2016
- by Aurelie Corinthios
- PEOPLE.com
The $20 million lawsuit filed by Thomas Knight Slater against his son Christian Slater has a complicated back story. Slater's father, 80, acted using the stage name Michael Hawkins. He appeared on the soap opera Ryan's Hope in the 1970s. The elder Slater claims his son "ruined" his acting career because the Mr. Robot star said his father was "suffering from manic-depressive schizophrenia" in a December 2015 interview — years after the elder Slater's last credited role on IMDb, a small part in the 1988 action film Midnight Run. But a family source says Slater's father a has long history of personal struggle. "His father has had his troubles,...
- 2/26/2016
- by George Stark, @GeorgeStark_
- PEOPLE.com
The $20 million lawsuit filed by Thomas Knight Slater against his son Christian Slater has a complicated back story. Slater's father, 80, acted using the stage name Michael Hawkins. He appeared on the soap opera Ryan's Hope in the 1970s. The elder Slater claims his son "ruined" his acting career because the Mr. Robot star said his father was "suffering from manic-depressive schizophrenia" in a December 2015 interview — years after the elder Slater's last credited role on IMDb, a small part in the 1988 action film Midnight Run. But a family source says Slater's father a has long history of personal struggle. "His father has had his troubles,...
- 2/26/2016
- by George Stark, @GeorgeStark_
- PEOPLE.com
Christian Slater is being sued for at least $20 million by his father Thomas Knight Slater.
According to documents obtained by People, Slater's father claims his son "ruined" his acting career after the Mr. Robot star said his father was "suffering from manic-depressive schizophrenia" in a December 2015 interview.
Thomas, whose stage name is Michael Hawkins, accuses his son and ex-wife Mary Jo Slater of slander, libel, defamation of character, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, invasion of privacy as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress. A jury trial is demanded.
A representative for Slater has not responded to request for comment.
According to documents obtained by People, Slater's father claims his son "ruined" his acting career after the Mr. Robot star said his father was "suffering from manic-depressive schizophrenia" in a December 2015 interview.
Thomas, whose stage name is Michael Hawkins, accuses his son and ex-wife Mary Jo Slater of slander, libel, defamation of character, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, invasion of privacy as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress. A jury trial is demanded.
A representative for Slater has not responded to request for comment.
- 2/25/2016
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- People.com - TV Watch
Christian Slater is being sued for at least $20 million by his father Thomas Knight Slater. According to documents obtained by People, Slater's father claims his son "ruined" his acting career after the Mr. Robot star said his father was "suffering from manic-depressive schizophrenia" in a December 2015 interview. Thomas, whose stage name is Michael Hawkins, accuses his son and ex-wife Mary Jo Slater of slander, libel, defamation of character, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, invasion of privacy as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress. A jury trial is demanded. A representative for Slater has not responded to request for comment.
- 2/25/2016
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- PEOPLE.com
I interviewed actor Christian Slater in November, 2008 for Venice Magazine. Having long had a reputation as an "enfant terrible" in his youth, Slater surprised me somewhat with his calm, measured demeanor and thoughtful outlook. He was promoting his well-reviewed, but ultimately short-lived, TV series "My Own Worst Enemy," which we discussed a bit, but Slater was eager to reflect on his entire career and life, which he did with aplomb. My other memory of the chat is that during our dinner, the power went out in the restaurant or hotel where we met (the location of which has been lost to time) and the halogen streetlights outside casting our talk in a strange, other-worldly glow for a good 30 minutes. All these factors made our meeting a memorable one. Slater can currently be seen on the new USA Network series "Mr. Robot," which is also being lauded critically, and will hopefully...
- 7/15/2015
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
On the first day of shooting the new USA Network techno-thriller Mr. Robot (premiering on Weds, June 24th), Christian Slater faced one of those scenes that can make or break a television series. The show revolves a dangerously alienated super-hacker named Elliot (24's Rami Malek) who's recruited by Slater's mysterious "Mr. Robot" to join a band of cyber-saboteurs. In a nod to the 1949 movie classic The Third Man, the two men talk on Coney Island's Wonder Wheel, as Slater's character lays out his ideology and his plans to change the world — in other words,...
- 6/22/2015
- Rollingstone.com
Four ABC drama pilots, including one from “Mad Men” writer Chris Black and the Sofia Vergara-executive produced “Killer Women,” now have casting directors attached, Backstage has learned. “Killer Women,” which has been adapted from an Argentinian series, follows the only female Texas Ranger who takes a no-nonsense approach to her job. Mary Jo Slater and Steve Brooksbank are casting the one-hour drama. “Reckless,” which was written by Black, is about a man willing to go to any length to free his wife, a political prisoner in a volatile foreign country. It’s being cast by David Rapaport. Meanwhile, “Betrayal,” which centers on an affair between a photographer and a lawyer who turns out to be defending a client that her husband is prosecuting, is being cast by Veronica Collins Rooney. “The Returned” also has casting directors attached. The drama pilot is set in a small town where the long-dead...
- 2/1/2013
- backstage.com
In the Television Drama Casting panel at Actorfest La, four amazing Casting Directors -- with credits that include "Dirty, Sexy, Money," "Shameless," "Gossip Girl," and "Bones" -- teach you how to break into TV.Want to know how to break in to television dramas? From co-stars to series regulars and from pre-read to network test -- top casting directors discuss all sides of television procedurals casting.Speakers include (bios below): -- Mary Jo Slater, Casting Director-- John Frank Levey, Casting Director-- David Rapaport, Casting Director-- Rick Millikan, Casting DirectorTo register for this dynamic workshop, visit actorfestla2011.eventbrite.com.Proud casting accomplishments for Mary Jo Slater include William Friedkin's "Twelve Angry Men" for Showtime, starring Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott, and James Gandolfini and receiving a C.S.A. nomination; the DreamWorks feature "The Contender," starring Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, and Gary Oldman and also receiving a C.S.
- 11/1/2011
- by help@backstage.com ()
- backstage.com
David Rapaport, casting director for "Gossip Girl" and "90210," will join CDs Rick Millikan ("Bones," "The X-Files"), John Frank Levey ("Shameless," "ER"), and Mary Jo Slater ("The Starter Wife," pilot of "Dirty, Sexy, Money") on the Television Drama Casting Panel at Actorfest La. Actorfest La, which is brought to you by Back Stage, the Actor's Resource, will take place on Saturday, November 5th at the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles.To help kickstart your career, Actorfest offers more than two dozen exclusive Workshops; Casting Calls; Meet & Drops with Top Casting Directors; a Networking Café; and an enormous Exhibit Hall, at which you can meet with acting teachers, coaches, schools, headshot photographers, and many more vendors who will help you succeed in your career.To register for Actorfest La, please visit actorfestla2011.eventbrite.com. For more information, visit www.ActorfestLA.com. As you register, take advantage of our special limited-time subscription offers.
- 10/25/2011
- by help@backstage.com ()
- backstage.com
That's, uh, some kind of cast. Never thought I'd live to see the day where Gary Oldman shared the screen with Dane Cook, but it's coming, thanks to the casting director of Girls, Guns & Gambling, who apparently has quite the sense of humor. (And, no, it's not Christian Slater's mom, veteran casting director Mary Jo Slater.) The film is a crime thriller from writer/director Michael Winnick, and if you think it sounds like a weird ride based on the cast and title, just wait until you read the logline. Ok, we don't exactly have a logline, but THR says the film includes "Elvis impersonators, Indians, modern cowboys, a 6-foot-tall blond assassin, a frat boy, a corrupt sheriff and a prostitute into a chase for a priceless American Indian artifact stolen during a poker game at an Indian casino." Furthermore, the report offers that Christian Slater is basically the straight man,...
- 6/17/2010
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
It's a good day for funny people, especially if your name is Tina Fey or Seth MacFarlane.
Fey's series, 30 Rock, was handed 22 Emmy nominations this morning, which stands as a record for a comedy series. She and Alec Baldwin were also nominated for acting awards. Plus, for the first time some of the other actors on NBC's laffer were recognized. Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer and Tracy Morgan all picked up supporting nominations.
MacFarlane's Family Guy was also nominated for best comedy series, the first time an animated show has cracked that category since The Flintstones in 1961. Two years ago MacFarlane decided to pull his show from contention in the animated series category to have it considered for best comedy.
Mad Men, the drama about the advertising world in the sixties, picked up 16 nominations in the drama categories, including a best actor nod for Jon Hamm. Hamm is also nominated as...
Fey's series, 30 Rock, was handed 22 Emmy nominations this morning, which stands as a record for a comedy series. She and Alec Baldwin were also nominated for acting awards. Plus, for the first time some of the other actors on NBC's laffer were recognized. Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer and Tracy Morgan all picked up supporting nominations.
MacFarlane's Family Guy was also nominated for best comedy series, the first time an animated show has cracked that category since The Flintstones in 1961. Two years ago MacFarlane decided to pull his show from contention in the animated series category to have it considered for best comedy.
Mad Men, the drama about the advertising world in the sixties, picked up 16 nominations in the drama categories, including a best actor nod for Jon Hamm. Hamm is also nominated as...
- 7/16/2009
- CinemaSpy
Christian Slater's producer mother is making a movie about a New York apartment block that has been home to stars like Alicia Keys, Angela Lansbury and Larry David.
The trio all lived at Manhattan Plaza, a government-subsidised building for performing artists in the city's Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood.
Mary Jo Slater, who lived there from 1977 to 1986, has gathered together famous former residents - and actor Samuel L. Jackson who once worked as a security guard in the block - to help her make The Miracle on 42nd Street.
The documentary is due for release later in 2008.
The trio all lived at Manhattan Plaza, a government-subsidised building for performing artists in the city's Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood.
Mary Jo Slater, who lived there from 1977 to 1986, has gathered together famous former residents - and actor Samuel L. Jackson who once worked as a security guard in the block - to help her make The Miracle on 42nd Street.
The documentary is due for release later in 2008.
- 3/31/2008
- WENN
Actor Christian Slater's mother Mary Jo Slater has made a passionate appeal to the press, begging them to stop writing about her son's love life and troubled past - and focus on his charitable acts instead. Hollywood casting director Mary Jo is furious about the media's obsession with the True Romance star's past drug addictions, 1997 jail spell, failed marriage to Ryan Haddon and false reports he's romancing teen star Lindsay Lohan. And Slater's mother is so determined to protect her son, she's issued a statement insisting he is no longer the young, foolish man he once was, but now dedicates himself to good causes. She says, "Knowing Christian better than anyone else, I had to respond. Christian has many wonderful traits. He made mistakes. He was young and wild. When you're young and wild, you make mistakes that you regret later in life. He is a wonderful and loving son, a kind, gentle and very funny person. He is painfully aware of his tarnished reputation. It saddens me that no matter how much he does that is good and positive, his past is always thrown in his face. When River Phoenix died of a drug overdose, Christian was asked to take over his role in Interview With The Vampire, she added. Was it ever reported that he donated his entire salary for the film to River's favorite charity?"...
- 4/20/2005
- WENN
Christian Slater plans to leave his former wild Los Angeles lifestyle behind for good by making London his permanent home. The Hollywood star, 35, who has been appearing on the West End stage in a critically-acclaimed production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, has decided to quit the star-packed city to reside in the British capitol with his wife Ryan Haddon and their two children Jaden, five, and three-year-old Eliana. Slater's mother and Los Angeles casting agent Mary Jo Slater says, "I don't think he would ever go back if he could help it. "Life in Los Angeles is no fun. He was raised in New York and he finds London is more like that, only with more to do."...
- 12/6/2004
- WENN
ArtMattan Prods.
NEW YORK -- Australian director Rolf De Heer's Outback saga "The Tracker" has the punch of a good Western with a clean and direct script plus an adventurous use of songs and folk paintings. The film's single-minded, somewhat stylized approach reminds of Clint Eastwood at his most economic and brutal -- "High Plains Drifter", for instance. "The Tracker" has no warm moments and few scenes of redemption. General audiences will probably find these raw emotions a tough watch, though critics and cineastes will certainly be impressed. The story's similarities to Philip Noyce's talked-about "Rabbit Proof Fence" could widen its boxoffice appeal.
De Heer's script tells of four very different men on the trail of an Aboriginal fugitive in 1920s Australia: The Fanatic (Gary Sweet, from De Heer's more recent "Alexandra's Project"), a racial supremacist who hates all Aborigines
the Follower (Damon Gameau), a nervy rookie policeman
the Veteran (Grant Page), an aging conscript with no stomach for his job
and the Aboriginal Tracker (David Gulpilil), who seems content to do the white men's bidding.
As the quartet range deeper into the Outback, conflicts develop. The Fanatic murders any Aborigine he comes across. These acts of violence gradually alienate him from the Follower. The Tracker, in his element, coolly manipulates the situation to his advantage and finally dispenses rough justice to the white men.
De Heer's approach to narrative is unusual. He allows folksy songs (written by Graham Tardif and sung by Archie Roach) to run at length over the images. Far from being background music, these songs elucidate both the history of the treatment of Aborigines and the feelings of the Tracker. The acts of violence are represented by Aboriginal paintings inserted into the narrative. Ian Jones' cinematography emphasizes the vastness of the land, effectively using a quick zoom -- usually the most reviled of photographic techniques -- to pick out a relevant feature or character in the Outback.
The film is unequivocal in its depiction of how the settlers sought to destroy Aboriginal life and culture.by Stephen Hopkins and Eric Bross. Hopkins, whose experience at action shows includes directing "24," brings a brisk pace and a sharp eye for composition to the first night. Bross maintains the roller-coaster ride on the second and third nights, eliciting strong but restrained performances. In particular, Koteas shines as the mysterious but dedicated agent juggling long-distance family responsibilities with a job that doesn't come with a well-defined playbook.
Vancouver fills in for Seattle thanks, in part, to geographical proximity and similar climates. Scenes of foreign locales, also shot in Vancouver, are more generic and slightly less convincing.
TRAFFIC: THE MINISERIES
USA Network
Initial Entertainment Group
Credits:
Executive producer/writer: Ron Hutchinson
Producers: Stephen Hopkins, Jay Benson
Consulting producer: Ilene Kahn Power
Directors: Stephen Hopkins, Eric Bross
Director of photography: Joel Ransom
Production designer: David Fischer
Editors: Tod Feuerman, John Duffy
Music: Jeff Rona
Art director: Don Macaulay
Set decorator: Dominique Fauguet-Lemaitre
Casting: Mary Jo Slater, Steve Brooksbank
Cast:
Adam Kadyrov: Cliff Curtis
Mike McKay: Elias Koteas
Brent Delaney: Martin Donovan
Ben Edmonds: Balthazar Getty
Carole McKay: Mary McCormack
Fazal: Ritchie Coster
Ronny Cho: Nelson Lee
Alex Edmonds: Tony Musante
Tyler McKay: Justin Chatwin
Kahn: Brian George
Angie: Jennifer Rae Westleyear="none" />Editors: William Morris, Teki Cruickshank, Adrian Herrera, Fred Hawthorne, Marc Cahill, Michael Auerbach, Brian Horn, Jeff Cooper
Host: George Gray
Starring:
Todd Santos="none" />No MPAA rating " />Shane McCutcheon: Katherine Moennig
Dana Fairbanks: Erin Daniels
Alice Pieszecki: Leisha Hailey
Kit Porter: Pam Grierppencott, David Vanacore, Mark T. Williams
Main title theme: The O-Jays
Casting: Rob LaPlante...
NEW YORK -- Australian director Rolf De Heer's Outback saga "The Tracker" has the punch of a good Western with a clean and direct script plus an adventurous use of songs and folk paintings. The film's single-minded, somewhat stylized approach reminds of Clint Eastwood at his most economic and brutal -- "High Plains Drifter", for instance. "The Tracker" has no warm moments and few scenes of redemption. General audiences will probably find these raw emotions a tough watch, though critics and cineastes will certainly be impressed. The story's similarities to Philip Noyce's talked-about "Rabbit Proof Fence" could widen its boxoffice appeal.
De Heer's script tells of four very different men on the trail of an Aboriginal fugitive in 1920s Australia: The Fanatic (Gary Sweet, from De Heer's more recent "Alexandra's Project"), a racial supremacist who hates all Aborigines
the Follower (Damon Gameau), a nervy rookie policeman
the Veteran (Grant Page), an aging conscript with no stomach for his job
and the Aboriginal Tracker (David Gulpilil), who seems content to do the white men's bidding.
As the quartet range deeper into the Outback, conflicts develop. The Fanatic murders any Aborigine he comes across. These acts of violence gradually alienate him from the Follower. The Tracker, in his element, coolly manipulates the situation to his advantage and finally dispenses rough justice to the white men.
De Heer's approach to narrative is unusual. He allows folksy songs (written by Graham Tardif and sung by Archie Roach) to run at length over the images. Far from being background music, these songs elucidate both the history of the treatment of Aborigines and the feelings of the Tracker. The acts of violence are represented by Aboriginal paintings inserted into the narrative. Ian Jones' cinematography emphasizes the vastness of the land, effectively using a quick zoom -- usually the most reviled of photographic techniques -- to pick out a relevant feature or character in the Outback.
The film is unequivocal in its depiction of how the settlers sought to destroy Aboriginal life and culture.by Stephen Hopkins and Eric Bross. Hopkins, whose experience at action shows includes directing "24," brings a brisk pace and a sharp eye for composition to the first night. Bross maintains the roller-coaster ride on the second and third nights, eliciting strong but restrained performances. In particular, Koteas shines as the mysterious but dedicated agent juggling long-distance family responsibilities with a job that doesn't come with a well-defined playbook.
Vancouver fills in for Seattle thanks, in part, to geographical proximity and similar climates. Scenes of foreign locales, also shot in Vancouver, are more generic and slightly less convincing.
TRAFFIC: THE MINISERIES
USA Network
Initial Entertainment Group
Credits:
Executive producer/writer: Ron Hutchinson
Producers: Stephen Hopkins, Jay Benson
Consulting producer: Ilene Kahn Power
Directors: Stephen Hopkins, Eric Bross
Director of photography: Joel Ransom
Production designer: David Fischer
Editors: Tod Feuerman, John Duffy
Music: Jeff Rona
Art director: Don Macaulay
Set decorator: Dominique Fauguet-Lemaitre
Casting: Mary Jo Slater, Steve Brooksbank
Cast:
Adam Kadyrov: Cliff Curtis
Mike McKay: Elias Koteas
Brent Delaney: Martin Donovan
Ben Edmonds: Balthazar Getty
Carole McKay: Mary McCormack
Fazal: Ritchie Coster
Ronny Cho: Nelson Lee
Alex Edmonds: Tony Musante
Tyler McKay: Justin Chatwin
Kahn: Brian George
Angie: Jennifer Rae Westleyear="none" />Editors: William Morris, Teki Cruickshank, Adrian Herrera, Fred Hawthorne, Marc Cahill, Michael Auerbach, Brian Horn, Jeff Cooper
Host: George Gray
Starring:
Todd Santos="none" />No MPAA rating " />Shane McCutcheon: Katherine Moennig
Dana Fairbanks: Erin Daniels
Alice Pieszecki: Leisha Hailey
Kit Porter: Pam Grierppencott, David Vanacore, Mark T. Williams
Main title theme: The O-Jays
Casting: Rob LaPlante...
ArtMattan Prods.
NEW YORK -- Australian director Rolf De Heer's Outback saga "The Tracker" has the punch of a good Western with a clean and direct script plus an adventurous use of songs and folk paintings. The film's single-minded, somewhat stylized approach reminds of Clint Eastwood at his most economic and brutal -- "High Plains Drifter", for instance. "The Tracker" has no warm moments and few scenes of redemption. General audiences will probably find these raw emotions a tough watch, though critics and cineastes will certainly be impressed. The story's similarities to Philip Noyce's talked-about "Rabbit Proof Fence" could widen its boxoffice appeal.
De Heer's script tells of four very different men on the trail of an Aboriginal fugitive in 1920s Australia: The Fanatic (Gary Sweet, from De Heer's more recent "Alexandra's Project"), a racial supremacist who hates all Aborigines
the Follower (Damon Gameau), a nervy rookie policeman
the Veteran (Grant Page), an aging conscript with no stomach for his job
and the Aboriginal Tracker (David Gulpilil), who seems content to do the white men's bidding.
As the quartet range deeper into the Outback, conflicts develop. The Fanatic murders any Aborigine he comes across. These acts of violence gradually alienate him from the Follower. The Tracker, in his element, coolly manipulates the situation to his advantage and finally dispenses rough justice to the white men.
De Heer's approach to narrative is unusual. He allows folksy songs (written by Graham Tardif and sung by Archie Roach) to run at length over the images. Far from being background music, these songs elucidate both the history of the treatment of Aborigines and the feelings of the Tracker. The acts of violence are represented by Aboriginal paintings inserted into the narrative. Ian Jones' cinematography emphasizes the vastness of the land, effectively using a quick zoom -- usually the most reviled of photographic techniques -- to pick out a relevant feature or character in the Outback.
The film is unequivocal in its depiction of how the settlers sought to destroy Aboriginal life and culture.by Stephen Hopkins and Eric Bross. Hopkins, whose experience at action shows includes directing "24," brings a brisk pace and a sharp eye for composition to the first night. Bross maintains the roller-coaster ride on the second and third nights, eliciting strong but restrained performances. In particular, Koteas shines as the mysterious but dedicated agent juggling long-distance family responsibilities with a job that doesn't come with a well-defined playbook.
Vancouver fills in for Seattle thanks, in part, to geographical proximity and similar climates. Scenes of foreign locales, also shot in Vancouver, are more generic and slightly less convincing.
TRAFFIC: THE MINISERIES
USA Network
Initial Entertainment Group
Credits:
Executive producer/writer: Ron Hutchinson
Producers: Stephen Hopkins, Jay Benson
Consulting producer: Ilene Kahn Power
Directors: Stephen Hopkins, Eric Bross
Director of photography: Joel Ransom
Production designer: David Fischer
Editors: Tod Feuerman, John Duffy
Music: Jeff Rona
Art director: Don Macaulay
Set decorator: Dominique Fauguet-Lemaitre
Casting: Mary Jo Slater, Steve Brooksbank
Cast:
Adam Kadyrov: Cliff Curtis
Mike McKay: Elias Koteas
Brent Delaney: Martin Donovan
Ben Edmonds: Balthazar Getty
Carole McKay: Mary McCormack
Fazal: Ritchie Coster
Ronny Cho: Nelson Lee
Alex Edmonds: Tony Musante
Tyler McKay: Justin Chatwin
Kahn: Brian George
Angie: Jennifer Rae Westleyear="none" />Editors: William Morris, Teki Cruickshank, Adrian Herrera, Fred Hawthorne, Marc Cahill, Michael Auerbach, Brian Horn, Jeff Cooper
Host: George Gray
Starring:
Todd Santos="none" />No MPAA rating " />Shane McCutcheon: Katherine Moennig
Dana Fairbanks: Erin Daniels
Alice Pieszecki: Leisha Hailey
Kit Porter: Pam Grierppencott, David Vanacore, Mark T. Williams
Main title theme: The O-Jays
Casting: Rob LaPlante...
NEW YORK -- Australian director Rolf De Heer's Outback saga "The Tracker" has the punch of a good Western with a clean and direct script plus an adventurous use of songs and folk paintings. The film's single-minded, somewhat stylized approach reminds of Clint Eastwood at his most economic and brutal -- "High Plains Drifter", for instance. "The Tracker" has no warm moments and few scenes of redemption. General audiences will probably find these raw emotions a tough watch, though critics and cineastes will certainly be impressed. The story's similarities to Philip Noyce's talked-about "Rabbit Proof Fence" could widen its boxoffice appeal.
De Heer's script tells of four very different men on the trail of an Aboriginal fugitive in 1920s Australia: The Fanatic (Gary Sweet, from De Heer's more recent "Alexandra's Project"), a racial supremacist who hates all Aborigines
the Follower (Damon Gameau), a nervy rookie policeman
the Veteran (Grant Page), an aging conscript with no stomach for his job
and the Aboriginal Tracker (David Gulpilil), who seems content to do the white men's bidding.
As the quartet range deeper into the Outback, conflicts develop. The Fanatic murders any Aborigine he comes across. These acts of violence gradually alienate him from the Follower. The Tracker, in his element, coolly manipulates the situation to his advantage and finally dispenses rough justice to the white men.
De Heer's approach to narrative is unusual. He allows folksy songs (written by Graham Tardif and sung by Archie Roach) to run at length over the images. Far from being background music, these songs elucidate both the history of the treatment of Aborigines and the feelings of the Tracker. The acts of violence are represented by Aboriginal paintings inserted into the narrative. Ian Jones' cinematography emphasizes the vastness of the land, effectively using a quick zoom -- usually the most reviled of photographic techniques -- to pick out a relevant feature or character in the Outback.
The film is unequivocal in its depiction of how the settlers sought to destroy Aboriginal life and culture.by Stephen Hopkins and Eric Bross. Hopkins, whose experience at action shows includes directing "24," brings a brisk pace and a sharp eye for composition to the first night. Bross maintains the roller-coaster ride on the second and third nights, eliciting strong but restrained performances. In particular, Koteas shines as the mysterious but dedicated agent juggling long-distance family responsibilities with a job that doesn't come with a well-defined playbook.
Vancouver fills in for Seattle thanks, in part, to geographical proximity and similar climates. Scenes of foreign locales, also shot in Vancouver, are more generic and slightly less convincing.
TRAFFIC: THE MINISERIES
USA Network
Initial Entertainment Group
Credits:
Executive producer/writer: Ron Hutchinson
Producers: Stephen Hopkins, Jay Benson
Consulting producer: Ilene Kahn Power
Directors: Stephen Hopkins, Eric Bross
Director of photography: Joel Ransom
Production designer: David Fischer
Editors: Tod Feuerman, John Duffy
Music: Jeff Rona
Art director: Don Macaulay
Set decorator: Dominique Fauguet-Lemaitre
Casting: Mary Jo Slater, Steve Brooksbank
Cast:
Adam Kadyrov: Cliff Curtis
Mike McKay: Elias Koteas
Brent Delaney: Martin Donovan
Ben Edmonds: Balthazar Getty
Carole McKay: Mary McCormack
Fazal: Ritchie Coster
Ronny Cho: Nelson Lee
Alex Edmonds: Tony Musante
Tyler McKay: Justin Chatwin
Kahn: Brian George
Angie: Jennifer Rae Westleyear="none" />Editors: William Morris, Teki Cruickshank, Adrian Herrera, Fred Hawthorne, Marc Cahill, Michael Auerbach, Brian Horn, Jeff Cooper
Host: George Gray
Starring:
Todd Santos="none" />No MPAA rating " />Shane McCutcheon: Katherine Moennig
Dana Fairbanks: Erin Daniels
Alice Pieszecki: Leisha Hailey
Kit Porter: Pam Grierppencott, David Vanacore, Mark T. Williams
Main title theme: The O-Jays
Casting: Rob LaPlante...
- 1/27/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actress Anne DeSalvo has corralled a swell cast for her behind-the-camera feature debut, but heavy-handed scripting and unsteady di-rection make "The Amati Girls" a considerably uphill battle.
There's no shortage of heart-ache or humor in her slice of Italian-American family life, but more often than not, the portions are dished out in heaping melodramatic hunks that allow her capable performers little breathing room.
Distributed by Providence Entertainment, which had success with "The Omega Code", the picture won't make much noise in theaters before its scheduled airing on Fox Family Channel this year.
DeSalvo has obviously drawn from elements of her Philadelphia family background for her portrait of the four sisters and their widowed mother who comprise the Amati famiglia.
There's Grace (Mercedes Ruehl), the eldest, who's constantly being taken for granted by her demanding husband, Joe Paul Sorvino), much to the aggravation of sister Denise (Dinah Manoff), who always seems to be chasing another dead-end dream.
Sibling Christine (Sean Young -- yes, that Sean Young, and she appears every bit as self--conscious about trying to pass for ethnic as one would think) has separated from her workaholic hubby, Paul (Jamey Sheridan), and it's a move that doesn't sit well with widowed matriarch Dolly (Cloris Leachman), who believes in the concept of quietly accepting the cards one is dealt even as she begins making plans for her unlikely imminent funeral.
They all form an overly protective circle around the mentally challenged baby of the family, Dolores (Lily Knight), who forces them to re-examine their ap-proach when she meets her first boyfriend (Doug Spinuzza).
As one would expect from a cast that includes the likes of Ruehl, Sorvino and Leachman, there are some fine performances to be found, and it's very apparent that DeSalvo's experience as an actress points to her greatest strength as a director.
Good, too, are Knight and Manoff, while Mark Harmon does sympathetic work as Manoff's attentive beau. Manoff's real-life mom, Lee Grant, also is on hand as the colorful Aunt Splendora.
With that able a group, De-Salvo's scripting needed a much lighter touch than the weighty significance that threatens to sink every other scene.
Even more effective, airier mo-ments barely escape the overzealous attention of Conrad Pope's score, which lays on the goop thicker than a potful of pasta sauce.
THE AMATI GIRLS
Providence Entertainment
Fox Family-Providence Entertainment and Tricor Entertainment
A Triple Axel and Heritage Film Group production
An Anne DeSalvo Film
Director-screenwriter: Anne DeSalvo
Producers: James Alex, Steven C. Johnson
Executive producers: Howard Kazanjian, Craig C. Darian
Producers: Michael I. Levy, Henry M. Shea Jr.
Director of photography: Frank Byers
Production designer: Jane Stewart
Editors: C. Timothy O'Meara, David L. Bertman
Costume designer: Amy Stofsky
Music: Conrad Pope
Casting: Mary Jo Slater, Jean Scocchimarro
Color/stereo
Cast:
Grace: Mercedes Ruehl
Joe: Paul Sorvino
Dolly: Cloris Leachman
Aunt Splendora: Lee Grant
Lawrence: Mark Harmon
Christine: Sean Young
Denise: Dinah Manoff
Paul: Jamey Sheridan
Dolores: Lily Knight
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
There's no shortage of heart-ache or humor in her slice of Italian-American family life, but more often than not, the portions are dished out in heaping melodramatic hunks that allow her capable performers little breathing room.
Distributed by Providence Entertainment, which had success with "The Omega Code", the picture won't make much noise in theaters before its scheduled airing on Fox Family Channel this year.
DeSalvo has obviously drawn from elements of her Philadelphia family background for her portrait of the four sisters and their widowed mother who comprise the Amati famiglia.
There's Grace (Mercedes Ruehl), the eldest, who's constantly being taken for granted by her demanding husband, Joe Paul Sorvino), much to the aggravation of sister Denise (Dinah Manoff), who always seems to be chasing another dead-end dream.
Sibling Christine (Sean Young -- yes, that Sean Young, and she appears every bit as self--conscious about trying to pass for ethnic as one would think) has separated from her workaholic hubby, Paul (Jamey Sheridan), and it's a move that doesn't sit well with widowed matriarch Dolly (Cloris Leachman), who believes in the concept of quietly accepting the cards one is dealt even as she begins making plans for her unlikely imminent funeral.
They all form an overly protective circle around the mentally challenged baby of the family, Dolores (Lily Knight), who forces them to re-examine their ap-proach when she meets her first boyfriend (Doug Spinuzza).
As one would expect from a cast that includes the likes of Ruehl, Sorvino and Leachman, there are some fine performances to be found, and it's very apparent that DeSalvo's experience as an actress points to her greatest strength as a director.
Good, too, are Knight and Manoff, while Mark Harmon does sympathetic work as Manoff's attentive beau. Manoff's real-life mom, Lee Grant, also is on hand as the colorful Aunt Splendora.
With that able a group, De-Salvo's scripting needed a much lighter touch than the weighty significance that threatens to sink every other scene.
Even more effective, airier mo-ments barely escape the overzealous attention of Conrad Pope's score, which lays on the goop thicker than a potful of pasta sauce.
THE AMATI GIRLS
Providence Entertainment
Fox Family-Providence Entertainment and Tricor Entertainment
A Triple Axel and Heritage Film Group production
An Anne DeSalvo Film
Director-screenwriter: Anne DeSalvo
Producers: James Alex, Steven C. Johnson
Executive producers: Howard Kazanjian, Craig C. Darian
Producers: Michael I. Levy, Henry M. Shea Jr.
Director of photography: Frank Byers
Production designer: Jane Stewart
Editors: C. Timothy O'Meara, David L. Bertman
Costume designer: Amy Stofsky
Music: Conrad Pope
Casting: Mary Jo Slater, Jean Scocchimarro
Color/stereo
Cast:
Grace: Mercedes Ruehl
Joe: Paul Sorvino
Dolly: Cloris Leachman
Aunt Splendora: Lee Grant
Lawrence: Mark Harmon
Christine: Sean Young
Denise: Dinah Manoff
Paul: Jamey Sheridan
Dolores: Lily Knight
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 1/19/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There's an interesting story at the core of "One Man's Hero", a fact-based historical drama set during the Mexican War of 1846.
But while the little known sidebar -- that a battalion of soldiers who had fought as heroes of the Mexican Revolution was comprised exclusively of Irish nationals -- has the makings of an intriguing film, its actual telling is endlessly talky and dramatically page-bound.
Despite a solid performance (and swell Irish accent) from Tom Berenger, this shelf-dwelling Orion Pictures release is better suited for classroom applications than those of the moviegoing variety.
It's a shame, too, because director Lance Hool (himself of Mexican and American heritage), who worked with late screenwriter Milton S. Gelman on the script, was on to something that merited more proficient handling.
As the story goes, in the name of manifest destiny, President Polk sent an army to provoke a war on the Mexican border, recruiting soldiers among a number of Irish immigrants who had fled the potato famine for the promise of 40 acres of land and full U.S. citizenship for their families.
In reality, the immigrants encountered some serious anti-Catholic prejudice from the largely Protestant troops, and it was those religious beliefs that would ultimately ally them with the Mexicans.
For Irishman John Riley (Berenger), the breaking of ranks is initiated when his platoon is brutally punished for crossing the Mexican-American border in order to attend Catholic church services. He rescues them and leads them into Mexico with the intention of rejoining the army and facing whatever reprimands await.
But as fate would have it, Sgt. Riley and his men come up against Cortina (Joaquim de Almeida), a guerrilla leader who takes them for American troops. A battle ensues, leaving Riley wounded and his company imprisoned.
After subsequently receiving an ultimatum from the Mexican government to either fight on the side of Mexico or die, Los San Patricios -- St. Patrick's Battalion -- is born and Riley and his unit of Irish nationals are prepared to fight the good fight, even though they will be branded (both literally and figuratively) as traitors by the United States.
It's a compelling dilemma, but one that's ill-served by Hool's inert direction, which lays claim to some of the most uninvolving battle sequences ever put on film. It also doesn't help when, in an effort to transmit as much informational data as possible, most of the characters sound as if they're reading from textbooks.
Berenger, at least, manages to mine some quieter moments of integrity that keep his character grounded in some kind of living, breathing reality. He's one of the few characters whose speeches don't suggest that there will be a quiz at the end of the picture.
As the lone female of the cast and Berenger's forbidden love interest, Mexico's Daniela Romo is faced with the daunting task of playing Marta, the "woman of all women," meaning she is required to be a freedom fighter who is simultaneously beautiful, passionate, nurturing and strong-willed. That she manages to evoke all of the above in the wake of those mountains of spoken platitudes makes her an inspiration to women everywhere.
ONE MAN'S HERO
MGM
An Orion Pictures release
Director: Lance Hool
Screenwriter: Milton S. Gelman
Producers: Lance Hool, William J. MacDonald, Conrad Hool
Director of photography: Joao Fernandes
Production designer: Peter Wooley
Editor: Mark Conte
Costume designer: Matthew Jacobsen
Music: Ernest Troost
Casting: Mary Jo Slater & Bruce Newberg
Color/stereo
Cast:
John Riley: Tom Berenger
Marta: Daniela Romo
Gaspar Cortina: Joaquim de Almeida
General Winfield Scott: Patrick Bergin
General Zachary Taylor: James Gammon
Captain Gaine: Stephen Tobolowsky
Running time -- 121 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
But while the little known sidebar -- that a battalion of soldiers who had fought as heroes of the Mexican Revolution was comprised exclusively of Irish nationals -- has the makings of an intriguing film, its actual telling is endlessly talky and dramatically page-bound.
Despite a solid performance (and swell Irish accent) from Tom Berenger, this shelf-dwelling Orion Pictures release is better suited for classroom applications than those of the moviegoing variety.
It's a shame, too, because director Lance Hool (himself of Mexican and American heritage), who worked with late screenwriter Milton S. Gelman on the script, was on to something that merited more proficient handling.
As the story goes, in the name of manifest destiny, President Polk sent an army to provoke a war on the Mexican border, recruiting soldiers among a number of Irish immigrants who had fled the potato famine for the promise of 40 acres of land and full U.S. citizenship for their families.
In reality, the immigrants encountered some serious anti-Catholic prejudice from the largely Protestant troops, and it was those religious beliefs that would ultimately ally them with the Mexicans.
For Irishman John Riley (Berenger), the breaking of ranks is initiated when his platoon is brutally punished for crossing the Mexican-American border in order to attend Catholic church services. He rescues them and leads them into Mexico with the intention of rejoining the army and facing whatever reprimands await.
But as fate would have it, Sgt. Riley and his men come up against Cortina (Joaquim de Almeida), a guerrilla leader who takes them for American troops. A battle ensues, leaving Riley wounded and his company imprisoned.
After subsequently receiving an ultimatum from the Mexican government to either fight on the side of Mexico or die, Los San Patricios -- St. Patrick's Battalion -- is born and Riley and his unit of Irish nationals are prepared to fight the good fight, even though they will be branded (both literally and figuratively) as traitors by the United States.
It's a compelling dilemma, but one that's ill-served by Hool's inert direction, which lays claim to some of the most uninvolving battle sequences ever put on film. It also doesn't help when, in an effort to transmit as much informational data as possible, most of the characters sound as if they're reading from textbooks.
Berenger, at least, manages to mine some quieter moments of integrity that keep his character grounded in some kind of living, breathing reality. He's one of the few characters whose speeches don't suggest that there will be a quiz at the end of the picture.
As the lone female of the cast and Berenger's forbidden love interest, Mexico's Daniela Romo is faced with the daunting task of playing Marta, the "woman of all women," meaning she is required to be a freedom fighter who is simultaneously beautiful, passionate, nurturing and strong-willed. That she manages to evoke all of the above in the wake of those mountains of spoken platitudes makes her an inspiration to women everywhere.
ONE MAN'S HERO
MGM
An Orion Pictures release
Director: Lance Hool
Screenwriter: Milton S. Gelman
Producers: Lance Hool, William J. MacDonald, Conrad Hool
Director of photography: Joao Fernandes
Production designer: Peter Wooley
Editor: Mark Conte
Costume designer: Matthew Jacobsen
Music: Ernest Troost
Casting: Mary Jo Slater & Bruce Newberg
Color/stereo
Cast:
John Riley: Tom Berenger
Marta: Daniela Romo
Gaspar Cortina: Joaquim de Almeida
General Winfield Scott: Patrick Bergin
General Zachary Taylor: James Gammon
Captain Gaine: Stephen Tobolowsky
Running time -- 121 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/24/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Part documentary, part sappy ensemble romance, "Let's Talk About Sex" is an initially lively but ultimately awkward attempt to get inside the minds of young women on the subjects of sex and relationships.
Written and directed by lead actress Troy Beyer (a performer in "The Gingerbread Man" and screenwriter of "B.A.P.S".), the Fine Line release celebrates female sexuality in image and words, but it has no appeal beyond providing raw data for college-age daters and lonely guys who have to go to movies to learn what the opposite sex is all about.
Make no mistake: Penetration is one thing, but love is the whole enchilada. Still, the film starts out friskily enough, with would-be TV talk show host Jazz (Beyer) and her roommates Lena (Randi Ingerman) and Michelle (Paget Brewster) interviewing University of Miami coeds and beachgoers about their likes and dislikes in lovers and lovemaking.
While the gal-on-the-street revelations range from the joys of penises to the pleasures of foreplay to the pain of rejection to the promised lands of trust and faithfulness, "Let's Talk" is a victim of shoddy, generic dramatics when focusing on Jazz and her girlfriends. None of the characters is very believable -- rather, they are emblematic of types with specific attitudes toward the subject.
A Latina with a pot-smoking habit, Lena doesn't know how to say no to a good shagging, but she's hurt every time a guy loves her and leaves her. A cool, aggressive lover of younger guys, Michelle is a user and proud of it, but deep down she knows it's not the most satisfying way to go through life. Jazz broke off her engagement to a perfectly nice man (Joseph C. Phillips) because of crippling fears of her own inadequacy.
The convention of having Jazz make a demo tape on deadline is the excuse for many girl-power gatherings and some lewd inserts of screwing couples, including participants like one Rachel Rockets displaying her enormous assets. The film spends little time with the many downsides of sexual encounters -- from humorous to deadly serious -- and might send the wrong message to unrepentant males swamped in media-generated images and fantasies of horny, willing women.
When the intrepid trio hits a major roadblock in finishing the demo and emotions swing toward frustration and despair, Beyer so overplays the moment that one questions the whole point of the project. The insertion of a lesbian couple (Michaline Babich and Tina Nguyen) with the usual trust and honesty problems leads to tiresome plot complications, while the multiple happy endings are as hoary as any prefeminist romancer riddled with cliches.
LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX
Fine Line Features
A Sphinx/Island Digital Media production
Screenwriter-director: Troy Beyer
Producer: Deborah Ridpath
Executive producer: Susan Ainsworth
Director of photography: Kelly Evans
Production designer: Joe Warson
Editor: Bill Henry
Costume designer: Timothy Biel
Music: Michael Carpenter
Casting: Mary Jo Slater, Ellen Jacoby
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jazz: Troy Beyer
Michelle: Paget Brewster
Lena: Randi Ingerman
Michael: Joseph C. Phillips
Morgan: Michaline Babich
Drew: Tina Nguyen
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Written and directed by lead actress Troy Beyer (a performer in "The Gingerbread Man" and screenwriter of "B.A.P.S".), the Fine Line release celebrates female sexuality in image and words, but it has no appeal beyond providing raw data for college-age daters and lonely guys who have to go to movies to learn what the opposite sex is all about.
Make no mistake: Penetration is one thing, but love is the whole enchilada. Still, the film starts out friskily enough, with would-be TV talk show host Jazz (Beyer) and her roommates Lena (Randi Ingerman) and Michelle (Paget Brewster) interviewing University of Miami coeds and beachgoers about their likes and dislikes in lovers and lovemaking.
While the gal-on-the-street revelations range from the joys of penises to the pleasures of foreplay to the pain of rejection to the promised lands of trust and faithfulness, "Let's Talk" is a victim of shoddy, generic dramatics when focusing on Jazz and her girlfriends. None of the characters is very believable -- rather, they are emblematic of types with specific attitudes toward the subject.
A Latina with a pot-smoking habit, Lena doesn't know how to say no to a good shagging, but she's hurt every time a guy loves her and leaves her. A cool, aggressive lover of younger guys, Michelle is a user and proud of it, but deep down she knows it's not the most satisfying way to go through life. Jazz broke off her engagement to a perfectly nice man (Joseph C. Phillips) because of crippling fears of her own inadequacy.
The convention of having Jazz make a demo tape on deadline is the excuse for many girl-power gatherings and some lewd inserts of screwing couples, including participants like one Rachel Rockets displaying her enormous assets. The film spends little time with the many downsides of sexual encounters -- from humorous to deadly serious -- and might send the wrong message to unrepentant males swamped in media-generated images and fantasies of horny, willing women.
When the intrepid trio hits a major roadblock in finishing the demo and emotions swing toward frustration and despair, Beyer so overplays the moment that one questions the whole point of the project. The insertion of a lesbian couple (Michaline Babich and Tina Nguyen) with the usual trust and honesty problems leads to tiresome plot complications, while the multiple happy endings are as hoary as any prefeminist romancer riddled with cliches.
LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX
Fine Line Features
A Sphinx/Island Digital Media production
Screenwriter-director: Troy Beyer
Producer: Deborah Ridpath
Executive producer: Susan Ainsworth
Director of photography: Kelly Evans
Production designer: Joe Warson
Editor: Bill Henry
Costume designer: Timothy Biel
Music: Michael Carpenter
Casting: Mary Jo Slater, Ellen Jacoby
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jazz: Troy Beyer
Michelle: Paget Brewster
Lena: Randi Ingerman
Michael: Joseph C. Phillips
Morgan: Michaline Babich
Drew: Tina Nguyen
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/14/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
An infernally frustrating brew of comic-book cliches and state-of-the-art visual effects, "Spawn" is impressive Eye Candy, but the ultrafrenetic New Line release is too dour and uneven to generate strong word-of-mouth and break out in this crowded summer.
From "RoboCop" to "Darkman" to "The Crow", dark fantasies about terribly wronged, usually horribly disfigured men returning from the dead to avenge themselves are popular with teens and young males. An animated "Spawn" series recently bowed on HBO, but this version is a slick, high-velocity spectacle that should do well in ancillary markets.
Lead Michael Jai White ("City of Industry", the star of HBO's "Tyson") is resoundingly upstaged by the makeup and "Spawn"'s visual style, but his physical presence is strong. He succeeds in making Todd McFarlane's comic-book character the center of debut director Mark Dippe's special-effects extravaganza.
Dippe, who worked at Industrial Light & Magic and directed a Grammy-nominated Herbie Hancock video, and ILM veteran Steve "Spaz" Williams employ computer-generated effects, animatronic creatures and a nifty morphing technique for transitions.
A movie complete with a chaotic underworld ruled by a horned devil and a tortured hero with a "living suit" that does amazing things, "Spawn" unfortunately lacks humanity.
Al Simmons (White), a government assassin, is betrayed by his megalomaniac boss (Martin Sheen) and seemingly snuffed out by the company's nasty new gunslinger (Melinda Clarke). After a short encounter with the devil and his minions floating on rock slabs over a burning lake, Al returns to Earth as Spawn, where he soon crosses paths with Clown (John Leguizamo), a gross confederate of the devil.
Spawn has been made "hell's general" and given the green light to take out Sheen's character, who just happens to have wired himself to explosive devices that will spread a killer plague around the world if anyone kills him. Spawn the pawn gets his revenge and the demon unleashes his hordes. Alas, it's never that simple.
When the film slows down to catch up with D.B. Sweeney and Theresa Randle -- as the hero's colleague and former wife, respectively -- the minimal characterizations are particularly unsatisfying. Veteran Nicol Williamson does a serviceable job as an enigmatic and ghostly ally, but it takes too long for him to make an impact in the story.
Unfortunately, too much of the central portion of the film is reserved for Leguizamo's only fitfully amusing Clown shtick. Reminiscent of "Beetlejuice" but a lot less fun, these scenes are remarkably lively given the elaborate makeup and costumes.
Spawn's friendship with a dog is briefly endearing, but it's back to explosive chases and battles in hell, while the none-too-gentle soundtrack features loud, aggressive tunes by the likes of Marilyn Manson ("Long Hard Road Out of Hell") and 808 State vs. Mansun ("Skin Up Pin Up").
The sights and sounds are superb throughout, with special makeup and animatronics by Robert Kurtzman, Gregory Nicotero and Howard Berger and the animation supervised by ILM's Dennis Turner and the work of several effects houses, including ILM, Santa Barbara Studios and Banned From the Ranch Entertainment.
SPAWN
New Line Cinema
in association with Todd McFarlane Entertainment
A Dippe Goldman Williams production
Director Mark Dippe
Screenwriter Alan McElroy
Producer Clint Goldman
Executive producers Todd McFarlane,
Alan C. Blomquist
Director of photography Guillermo Navarro
Production designer Philip Harrison
Editor Michael Knue
Visual effects supervisor Steve "Spaz" Williams
Costume designer Dan Lester
Music Graeme Revell
Casting Mary Jo Slater, Bruce H. Newberg
Color/stereo
Cast:
Spawn/Al Simmons Michael Jai White
Clown John Leguizamo
Jason Wynn Martin Sheen
Cogliostro Nicol Williamson
Wanda Theresa Randle
Terry D.B. Sweeney
Jessica Priest Melinda Clarke
Running time -- 97 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
From "RoboCop" to "Darkman" to "The Crow", dark fantasies about terribly wronged, usually horribly disfigured men returning from the dead to avenge themselves are popular with teens and young males. An animated "Spawn" series recently bowed on HBO, but this version is a slick, high-velocity spectacle that should do well in ancillary markets.
Lead Michael Jai White ("City of Industry", the star of HBO's "Tyson") is resoundingly upstaged by the makeup and "Spawn"'s visual style, but his physical presence is strong. He succeeds in making Todd McFarlane's comic-book character the center of debut director Mark Dippe's special-effects extravaganza.
Dippe, who worked at Industrial Light & Magic and directed a Grammy-nominated Herbie Hancock video, and ILM veteran Steve "Spaz" Williams employ computer-generated effects, animatronic creatures and a nifty morphing technique for transitions.
A movie complete with a chaotic underworld ruled by a horned devil and a tortured hero with a "living suit" that does amazing things, "Spawn" unfortunately lacks humanity.
Al Simmons (White), a government assassin, is betrayed by his megalomaniac boss (Martin Sheen) and seemingly snuffed out by the company's nasty new gunslinger (Melinda Clarke). After a short encounter with the devil and his minions floating on rock slabs over a burning lake, Al returns to Earth as Spawn, where he soon crosses paths with Clown (John Leguizamo), a gross confederate of the devil.
Spawn has been made "hell's general" and given the green light to take out Sheen's character, who just happens to have wired himself to explosive devices that will spread a killer plague around the world if anyone kills him. Spawn the pawn gets his revenge and the demon unleashes his hordes. Alas, it's never that simple.
When the film slows down to catch up with D.B. Sweeney and Theresa Randle -- as the hero's colleague and former wife, respectively -- the minimal characterizations are particularly unsatisfying. Veteran Nicol Williamson does a serviceable job as an enigmatic and ghostly ally, but it takes too long for him to make an impact in the story.
Unfortunately, too much of the central portion of the film is reserved for Leguizamo's only fitfully amusing Clown shtick. Reminiscent of "Beetlejuice" but a lot less fun, these scenes are remarkably lively given the elaborate makeup and costumes.
Spawn's friendship with a dog is briefly endearing, but it's back to explosive chases and battles in hell, while the none-too-gentle soundtrack features loud, aggressive tunes by the likes of Marilyn Manson ("Long Hard Road Out of Hell") and 808 State vs. Mansun ("Skin Up Pin Up").
The sights and sounds are superb throughout, with special makeup and animatronics by Robert Kurtzman, Gregory Nicotero and Howard Berger and the animation supervised by ILM's Dennis Turner and the work of several effects houses, including ILM, Santa Barbara Studios and Banned From the Ranch Entertainment.
SPAWN
New Line Cinema
in association with Todd McFarlane Entertainment
A Dippe Goldman Williams production
Director Mark Dippe
Screenwriter Alan McElroy
Producer Clint Goldman
Executive producers Todd McFarlane,
Alan C. Blomquist
Director of photography Guillermo Navarro
Production designer Philip Harrison
Editor Michael Knue
Visual effects supervisor Steve "Spaz" Williams
Costume designer Dan Lester
Music Graeme Revell
Casting Mary Jo Slater, Bruce H. Newberg
Color/stereo
Cast:
Spawn/Al Simmons Michael Jai White
Clown John Leguizamo
Jason Wynn Martin Sheen
Cogliostro Nicol Williamson
Wanda Theresa Randle
Terry D.B. Sweeney
Jessica Priest Melinda Clarke
Running time -- 97 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 7/30/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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