Some actors came into the world through independent films (Dustin Hoffman, the Gyllenhaals), some Hollywood actors have lent their names to indie productions in order to give them a boost (Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston) and some directors started out with low budgets and can now command millions of dollars (Chris Nolan, Michel Gondry). For many, the line between Indiewood and Hollywood is impossible to move between whereas a select few manage it with ease – John C. Reilly, Catherine Keener and Michelle Williams are just three names who have made the transition time and time again in recent years. This week’s indie news:
- Cameron Crowe is back and his latest feature We Bought a Zoo is currently in pre-production. Matt Damon and Thomas Haden Church are just two names that have been attached to the project.
- Emily Blunt has signed on to star opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis in Rian Johnson’s Looper.
- Oscar-winning producer Graham King (The Aviator, The Departed, The Young Victoria) has announced his plans to launch a distribution company that could benefit four to eight indie productions a year.
In cinemas now - New York, I Love You, Restrepo, Mr Nice
Following on from the success of the collection of shorts set in Paris, Paris, je t’aime, New York, I Love You is a compilation of films set in, shock horror, New York City. Directors whose projects appear in this assortment include Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner and Mira Nair and Bradley Cooper, Ethan Hawke and Julie Christie are amongst the big names that appear.
Not all of the shorts are of the same standard as those that appear in the Paris anthology but it’s impossible not to fall in love with films created with such passion for their subject. Natalie Portman also proves that she has a lot of potential as a director.
Restrepo, dubbed by many as ‘the real Hurt Locker’, is the Sundance favourite set to be the biggest documentary of the year. Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington spent a year with the Second Platoon in Afghanistan.
“It is a scary, moving and troubling film." - Peter Bradshaw, The GuardianMr. Nice stars last week’s Actor or Filmmaker of the Week, Chloe Sevigny, as the wife of real-life drug smuggler Howard Marks, played by Rhys Ifans. The film earned rave reviews following its screenings at SXSW and Edinburgh Film Festival with many critics praising Ifans’ performance.
Out on DVD Monday 11th October – Wild Target, The Evil Dead (BR), The Exorcist (BR)
Since her highly-acclaimed supporting role in The Devil Wears Prada, Emily Blunt has become quite the star both here in Blighty and over the in the States. Wild Target sees her return to the British film industry, in a comedy-caper alongside Bill Nighy and Rupert Grint. Victor (Nighy) is an assassin. Rose (Blunt) is his target who he can’t quite bring himself to kill. The pair later go on the run with a newly acquired accomplice (Grint) and mayhem ensues.
Two classics are released on Blu-ray tomorrow; Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead and the horror favourite The Exorcist. I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you what the films are about so I’ll convince you to fork out for these shiny new discs by telling you about the features. The Exorcist is a two-discer, featuring the original theatrical release as well as the director’s cut and the extra features include two documentaries and several commentaries. The Evil Dead also features a new commentary as well as tales from the cutting room floor. These are two discs your collection won’t be complete without.
Hot new trailer: 127 Hours
Danny Boyle’s follow up to the multi-Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire tells the true story of a mountain climber who became trapped under a boulder and had to fight for survival. James Franco has already been tipped for award success for his portrayal of Aron Ralston. 127 Hours will be released in the UK January 7th 2011.
Actor or filmmaker of the week: Amy Adams
Amy Adams is that rare acting talent: one who can work in Hollywood without being typecast and who can play virtually any character. Following minor roles in Drop Dead Gorgeous, Catch Me If You Can and The Wedding Date, she came to everyone’s attention in the indie hit Junebug for which she earned herself an Oscar nomination. She went on to appear in the Will Ferrell comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, live-action Disney flick Enchanted and Oscar-bait Charlie Wilson’s War. She has since moved swiftly between big-budget productions and low key performances, appearing opposite such stars as Alan Arkin (Sunshine Cleaning) and Frances McDormand (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) plus two films with the legendary Meryl Streep (Doubt, Julie & Julia), one of which earned her a second Oscar nomination. She could finally pick up a little gold man next year if previews of her latest film, The Fighter, is anything to go by. And she’ll be stepping up to the mic again, playing Janis Joplin in a biopic due for release in 2012.Indie great you might have missed: All the Real Girls
All the Real Girls was one of the first films to tell it like it is for modern relationships. There’s no white picket fence, no happy music, no driving off into the sunset... It’s about as realistic as you could get for twenty-somethings. Sure, Garden State and (500) Days of Summer are the ones often cited as this generation’s greatest indie romance but David Gordon Green and Paul Schneider’s indie started the trend. Schneider plays Paul, a dead-beat twenty-something who has worked his way through most of the girls in his town. Noel (Zooey Deschanel) is his best friend’s virginal little sister who he thinks is the answer to all his problems. Their romance blossoms at the expense of their other relationships (Paul’s with his mother and friends, Noel’s with her brother) but Paul is desperate to prove to everyone that this time it’s love. Of course, this being a film, things are never simple, but Green’s script manages to be romantic without being too schmaltzy and the dialogue feels honest. Watch the opening scene below (shot in an impressive single take) and I guarantee you’ll want to see the rest.Until next week…
Emma Farley a.k.a. filmgeek
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