Exclusive: Indie distributor Variance Films has snapped up North American rights to the period drama Amerikatsi, written and directed by and starring Michael A. Goorjian, slating it for an exclusive theatrical release in New York and L.A. on Friday, September 8, with a national rollout to follow.
Shot in Armenia by People of Ar Productions, Amerikatsi centers on Charlie (Goorjian), who returns to the country in 1948 — decades after fleeing to the U.S. as a child, due to persecution by the Ottoman Empire. What he finds in doing so is a country crushed under Soviet rule. And after being unjustly imprisoned, Charlie falls into despair, until he discovers that he can see into a nearby apartment from his cell window — the home of a prison guard. As his life unexpectedly becomes entwined with the man’s, he begins to see that the true spirit of his homeland is alive in its passionate people.
Shot in Armenia by People of Ar Productions, Amerikatsi centers on Charlie (Goorjian), who returns to the country in 1948 — decades after fleeing to the U.S. as a child, due to persecution by the Ottoman Empire. What he finds in doing so is a country crushed under Soviet rule. And after being unjustly imprisoned, Charlie falls into despair, until he discovers that he can see into a nearby apartment from his cell window — the home of a prison guard. As his life unexpectedly becomes entwined with the man’s, he begins to see that the true spirit of his homeland is alive in its passionate people.
- 8/8/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Concourse Media has acquired worldwide sales rights to In the Eye of the Storm, a six-part documentary series about lightning rod economist, whistleblower and politician Yanis Varoufakis, who famously resigned from his post as Greece’s minister of finance in 2015.
During his struggle to resolve the debt crisis in the most bankrupt nation in Europe, he befriended and battled with political heavyweights including Emmanuel Macron, Christine Lagarde, Wolfgang Schäuble, Bernie Sanders, Angela Merkel and Barack Obama.
Since his clashes with some of the mightiest institutions on the planet, Varoufakis – celebrated by some, vilified by others – is now a recognizable political figure in the western world and a frequent talking head on news stations including the BBC and CNN. His memoir, Adults In The Room, was named by The Guardian as one of the top 100 most important books of the 21st Century.
Throughout the series, Varoufakis reflects on the challenges faced by the European Union,...
During his struggle to resolve the debt crisis in the most bankrupt nation in Europe, he befriended and battled with political heavyweights including Emmanuel Macron, Christine Lagarde, Wolfgang Schäuble, Bernie Sanders, Angela Merkel and Barack Obama.
Since his clashes with some of the mightiest institutions on the planet, Varoufakis – celebrated by some, vilified by others – is now a recognizable political figure in the western world and a frequent talking head on news stations including the BBC and CNN. His memoir, Adults In The Room, was named by The Guardian as one of the top 100 most important books of the 21st Century.
Throughout the series, Varoufakis reflects on the challenges faced by the European Union,...
- 1/4/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the political satire Land of Dreams, directed by Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari, which is making its North American premiere in the Spotlight Narrative section of the Tribeca Film Festival in June. The global indie distributor has slated the film for a day-and-date theatrical release in 10 of the top 20 markets—including in Los Angeles and New York—this fall. (Watch a new trailer unveiled today by the company above.)
Set in a near-future America which has closed its borders and become more insular than ever, the story follows Simin (Sheila Vand), an Iranian American woman on a journey to discover the core of what it means to be a free American. Simin works for the Census Bureau—the most important government agency of her time. In efforts to understand and control its populous, the government has begun a program to record the citizens’ dreams.
Set in a near-future America which has closed its borders and become more insular than ever, the story follows Simin (Sheila Vand), an Iranian American woman on a journey to discover the core of what it means to be a free American. Simin works for the Census Bureau—the most important government agency of her time. In efforts to understand and control its populous, the government has begun a program to record the citizens’ dreams.
- 6/2/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Hot Docs has wrapped its 11-day hybrid edition, handing out three more cash prizes, announcing audience top picks, and tipping the hat to the 225 films from 63 countries that screened during the festival.
The animated documentary “Eternal Spring,” by Jason Loftus, won the Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary, which comes with Cdn. 25,000 cash, and also claimed the top spot in the overall audience poll of cinemagoers and online doc-watchers.
“Eternal Spring,” which had its North American premiere at Hot Docs and has racked up other awards this year at European festivals, mixes 3D and new live footage to trace the story of comic-book illustrator Daxiong, a Falun Gong practitioner, who fled China after police began cracking down on members of the outlawed spiritual group.
Mark Bone’s “Okay! (The Asd Band Film),” which follows four autistic musicians as they prepare for their first live gig, is the second Roger...
The animated documentary “Eternal Spring,” by Jason Loftus, won the Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary, which comes with Cdn. 25,000 cash, and also claimed the top spot in the overall audience poll of cinemagoers and online doc-watchers.
“Eternal Spring,” which had its North American premiere at Hot Docs and has racked up other awards this year at European festivals, mixes 3D and new live footage to trace the story of comic-book illustrator Daxiong, a Falun Gong practitioner, who fled China after police began cracking down on members of the outlawed spiritual group.
Mark Bone’s “Okay! (The Asd Band Film),” which follows four autistic musicians as they prepare for their first live gig, is the second Roger...
- 5/9/2022
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer for Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari’s satirical, surrealistic film “Land of Dreams,” which opens the Horizons Extra section of the Venice Film Festival. The filmmakers won the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival for their first feature film, “Women Without Men.”
“Land of Dreams” stars Sheila Vand, Matt Dillon, William Moseley and Isabella Rossellini. Beta Cinema has sales rights worldwide, except for the U.S., which is being handled by UTA.
The screenplay is by the late Jean-Claude Carrière and Azari. Carrière, who died earlier this year, was Luis Buñuel’s screenwriting partner on six of Buñuel’s films. Carrière won an Oscar for the short film “The Anniversary,” and was Oscar nominated for Buñuel’s “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” and “That Obscure Object of Desire,” as well as Philip Kaufman’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
“Land of Dreams” stars Sheila Vand, Matt Dillon, William Moseley and Isabella Rossellini. Beta Cinema has sales rights worldwide, except for the U.S., which is being handled by UTA.
The screenplay is by the late Jean-Claude Carrière and Azari. Carrière, who died earlier this year, was Luis Buñuel’s screenwriting partner on six of Buñuel’s films. Carrière won an Oscar for the short film “The Anniversary,” and was Oscar nominated for Buñuel’s “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” and “That Obscure Object of Desire,” as well as Philip Kaufman’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
- 8/27/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Mangurama and Bobb Films have bought U.S. and Canadian theatrical distribution rights for the documentary “Weed the People,” executive produced by Ricki Lake.
Abby Epstein, who teamed with Lake on “The Business of Being Born,” directed “Weed the People.” The film made its world premiere at the 2018 SXSW Festival, was the audience award winner at the Nashville Film Festival and will have a West Coast premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Epstein and Lake said, “We are thrilled to be working with Mangurama on the theatrical release of our documentary, ‘Weed The People.’ Following in the footsteps of ‘The Business of Being Born,’ which changed the way Americans looked at childbirth, we hope that ‘Weed The People’ will humanize the controversy around medical cannabis. As our film reveals, access to this plant has become a human rights issue.”
The film focuses on several families who obtain cannabis oil...
Abby Epstein, who teamed with Lake on “The Business of Being Born,” directed “Weed the People.” The film made its world premiere at the 2018 SXSW Festival, was the audience award winner at the Nashville Film Festival and will have a West Coast premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Epstein and Lake said, “We are thrilled to be working with Mangurama on the theatrical release of our documentary, ‘Weed The People.’ Following in the footsteps of ‘The Business of Being Born,’ which changed the way Americans looked at childbirth, we hope that ‘Weed The People’ will humanize the controversy around medical cannabis. As our film reveals, access to this plant has become a human rights issue.”
The film focuses on several families who obtain cannabis oil...
- 9/12/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Short of the DayOne man’s letter of complaint is today’s side-splitting short film selection.
As the description of The Saurus tells us, this short film is the story of “a man with a robust vocabulary” who “must write a scornful letter to an old friend.” What the description doesn’t tell us, but we learn in the film’s opening moments, is that the old friend in question is Rexall Brand Anal Ointment, and the scorn derives from a dissatisfaction with the product’s effects. What follows is an uproarious seven-minute soliloquy of loyalty and disappointment, heartbreak and uncomfortable itching.
The Saurus comes from the mind of writer-director Drew Maynard, a Nashville-based filmmaker, and was selected for showcase by a score of film festivals over the last year, including this year’s SXSW in Austin and last year’s Nashville Film Festival, where it won the Tennessee Horizon Audience Award. Aaron...
As the description of The Saurus tells us, this short film is the story of “a man with a robust vocabulary” who “must write a scornful letter to an old friend.” What the description doesn’t tell us, but we learn in the film’s opening moments, is that the old friend in question is Rexall Brand Anal Ointment, and the scorn derives from a dissatisfaction with the product’s effects. What follows is an uproarious seven-minute soliloquy of loyalty and disappointment, heartbreak and uncomfortable itching.
The Saurus comes from the mind of writer-director Drew Maynard, a Nashville-based filmmaker, and was selected for showcase by a score of film festivals over the last year, including this year’s SXSW in Austin and last year’s Nashville Film Festival, where it won the Tennessee Horizon Audience Award. Aaron...
- 4/5/2017
- by H. Perry Horton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The premiere post-tiff destination (September 20-25th) in the film community and a major leg up for narrative and non-fiction films in development, the Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) announced a whopping 140 projects selected for the Project Forum at the upcoming Ifp Independent Film Week. Made up of several sections (Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program, No Borders International Co-Production Market and Spotlight on Documentaries), we find latest updates from the likes of docu-helmers Doug Block (112 Weddings) and Lana Wilson (After Tiller), and among the narrative items we find headliners in Andrew Haigh (coming off the well received 45 Years), Sophie Barthes (Cold Souls and Madame Bovary), Terence Nance (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty), Lawrence Michael Levine (Wild Canaries), Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are), Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal (Stranger Things) and new faces in Sundance’s large family in Charles Poekel (Christmas, Again) and Olivia Newman (First Match). Here...
- 7/22/2015
- by admin
- IONCINEMA.com
★☆☆☆☆ On occasion, a film sneaks out on release which really leaves you wondering why it even exists. Sol Tryon's The Last Wake (2007) - starring Mike O'Connell and Jesse Eisenberg - an (apparently) darkly comic chronicle of a young man's last day before he dies, is one such film. Frankly, after watching it, if you're not already dying you'll probably wish you were.
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- 3/27/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
Mark Webber and Chloe Sevigny are attached to star in director Adam Bhala Lough’s indie drama Panarea. Jim Jarmusch is executive producing. The film follows a young married couple with intimacy issues who find themselves vacationing on an exotic Italian island where their commitment will be tested. The script was written by Adam Mansbach, author of the New York Times bestseller Go the F*ck to Sleep. Panarea will go into production this summer. Mangusta Productions’ Sol Tryon and Giancarlo Canavesio, and Mike S. Ryan are producing. Webber wrote and directed Sundance drama The End of Love, which premiered on Saturday at Library Center Theatre. He
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- 1/24/2012
- by Daniel Miller, Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mark Webber and Chloe Sevigny are set to star as the leads in director Adam Bhala Lough's sexually-charged Panarea . The film follows a young married couple with intimacy issues who find themselves vacationing on an exotic Italian island where their commitment will be tested and reaffirmed. Scripted by Adam Mansbach, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "Go the F*ck to Sleep," Panarea is scheduled to go into production this summer. Jim Jarmusch is executive producing. Mangusta Productions'Sol Tryon and Giancarlo Canavesio have partnered with Mike S. Ryan ( Choke , Junebug , The Comedy ) to produce. Webber, coming off his three premieres at this year's Sundance Film Festival ( The End of Love , Save the Date and For a Good Time Call... ), will play Paul,...
- 1/24/2012
- Comingsoon.net
Considering I’m a sucker for quirky American comedies, it’s no surprise that Sol Tryon’s immensely enjoyable indie feature “The Living Wake” was one of my favorite discoveries from 2010. Although the film was made way back in 2007, it didn’t arrive on DVD here in the States until last August. Fortunately for those of you who missed it, Hulu is currently hosting the flick for absolute free. To make matters even sweeter, I’ve carefully embedded this hilarious little number below in order to prevent you from having to click the mouse a few more times. How incredibly kind and considerate is that? You can thank me later. Oh, and did I mention that 2011 Academy Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg has a sizable role in the movie? If that doesn’t convince you to check it out, then I honestly don’t know what will. Perhaps my glowing review can help persuade you,...
- 1/29/2011
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Writer/director Sol Tryon’s oddly endearing dark comedy “The Living Wake” is probably best described as a demented storybook come strangely to life. The entire film takes place in a timeless alternate universe, a world that’s often devoid of logic, reasoning, and basic common sense. This is, of course, the perfect setting for the peculiar tale that follows, one that will require a bit of patience from its prospective audience. Considering the film’s only bankable star is Jesse Eisenberg, I seriously doubt the film will strike a chord with those who ultimately seek it out. Although I’m sure Eisenberg’s fans will flock to the picture in hopes of procuring something similar to his recent body of work, the picture may be a bit too strange and hopelessly quirky for them to thoroughly enjoy. That’s no slight against Eisenberg or his fanbase. In fact, towards the beginning of the feature,...
- 8/23/2010
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Director: Sol Tryon Writer: Peter Kline, Mike O'Connell Starring: Mike O’Connell, Jesse Eisenberg, Jim Gaffigan K. Roth Binew (Mike O'Connell) is a flamboyant, arrogant and eccentric drunk whose incessant pontifications – made in an exaggeratedly aristocratic accent – are scribbled down verbatim by his loyal best friend, authorized biographer, and rickshaw-cum-pedicab chauffeur, Mills (Jesse Eisenberg). (Mills is also a poet extraordinaire.) The Living Wake opens with a Cliff Notes montage of K. Roth’s life of failure which wraps up with the life-changing declaration by his doctor that K. Roth is dying of a nameless disease. That’s right kids – K. Roth is dying prematurely, foolishly and namelessly. The narrative itself commences in the morning of the very day that K. Roth’s life is set to expire (at 7:30pm). K. Roth and Mills scuttle across town on their makeshift rickshaw-cum-pedicab arranging the last-minute preparations for K. Roth’s death,...
- 8/18/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
If you're not anywhere near a theater currently playing Aaron Schneider's acclaimed "Get Low," you can somewhat make due for now by renting the very slightly similar, less-known indie "The Living Wake," which is also about a man holding a kind of eulogy service for himself while still alive. Directed by Sol Tryon and originally released to the fest circuit in '07, the strange and dark comedy finally hit DVD yesterday courtesy of Breaking Glass Pictures. Having long seen and heard people like Stu VanAirsdale, Aaron Hillis and Cinematical's Erik Davis all rave about it, I figured I'd give it…...
- 8/4/2010
- Spout
The trailer for director Sol Tryon’s “The Living Wake” almost made me wet my pants. However, it’s worth mentioning that it doesn’t take a whole lot to make me laugh, so this isn’t necessarily a rare and unique accomplishment worthy of examination by highly-educated comedic scholars. Fortunately for those of us who are looking forward to this quirky little comedy, the spiffy “The Living Wake” DVD is finally scheduled for release on August 3rd, a date that has been marked in my virtual calendar with big, bold lettering. Since I’m a sucker for quirky, off-beat comedies, it’s no surprise I’ve got my sights set on this goofy little endeavor. I’m predictable like that. Here’s a quick rundown of the storyline: A dark comedy which chronicles the final day in the life of self-proclaimed artist and genius, K. Roth Binew. Binew is...
- 6/24/2010
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
The Living Wake tells the story of a self important and undiscovered genius living his last day on Earth. Determined to control as much of his legacy as possible he decides to visit his friends and enemies, to make peace or to exacerbate rivalries, to culminate in a final bow at his own wake.
This dark comedy played the festival circuit a few years ago and is now finding its way out into the world on DVD, and in amongst the glitter strewn Hollywood fare it does the soul good to shine a light on the films that might otherwise be left on the shelves.
Speaking to IndieWire first time director Sol Tryon talked of his approach to the unconventional nature of the film,
I believe that all comedy, however absurdist in nature, is rooted in some form of realism and truth. Like all great parables, however outrageous they may seem,...
This dark comedy played the festival circuit a few years ago and is now finding its way out into the world on DVD, and in amongst the glitter strewn Hollywood fare it does the soul good to shine a light on the films that might otherwise be left on the shelves.
Speaking to IndieWire first time director Sol Tryon talked of his approach to the unconventional nature of the film,
I believe that all comedy, however absurdist in nature, is rooted in some form of realism and truth. Like all great parables, however outrageous they may seem,...
- 6/6/2010
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A dark comedy which chronicles the final day in the life of self-proclaimed "artist and genius" K. Roth Binew, "The Living Wake" is currently screening in limited release. Directed by first-time filmmaker Sol Tryon, the film stars Mike O'Connell, Jesse Eisenberg, Jim Gaffigan and Ann Dowd, and has been receiving warm notices on the festival circuit - winning the Feature Film Award for Comedic Vision at the Austin Film Festival, the ...
- 5/27/2010
- indieWIRE - People
A dark comedy which chronicles the final day in the life of self-proclaimed "artist and genius" K. Roth Binew, "The Living Wake" is currently screening in limited release. Directed by first-time filmmaker Sol Tryon, the film stars Mike O'Connell, Jesse Eisenberg, Jim Gaffigan and Ann Dowd, and has been receiving warm notices on the festival circuit - winning the Feature Film Award for Comedic Vision at the Austin Film Festival, the ...
- 5/27/2010
- Indiewire
Jesse Eisenberg, Mike O’Connell, The Living Wake The Living Wake Q&A with Sol Tryon: Part I Working with actor-co-writer Mike O’Connell and Jesse Eisenberg. What was it like? O’Connell’s flamboyant character could easily have gotten "out of reach" for the audience. As a director, did you have O’Connell go "bigger" to fit into the shoes of his larger-than-life character, or did you have to tone him down? Both? Mike was so amazing to work with. He knew the character so well and completely bought into my vision of the film. There were things that at times had to be toned down and also times where I pushed him to go "bigger" with the performance, but mostly that was taken [...]...
- 5/23/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Jesse Eisenberg, Mike O’Connell, The Living Wake Directed by Sol Tryon, and co-written by Mike O’Connell and Peter Kline, The Living Wake is the sort of movie that defies both labels and expectations. It’s comedy; it’s drama; it’s a musical; it’s a character piece; it’s bizarre; it’s its own genre. Even though you can’t pigeonhole it — or perhaps for that very reason — The Living Wake has received some positive notices. (Check out Film Threat and The Reeler.) Starring O’Connell and Jesse Eisenberg (he of Zombieland and Kristen Stewart’s pal in Adventureland), The Living Wake chronicles the final day in the weird life of a self-proclaimed genius, the exuberant K. Roth Binew (O’Connell). With the assistance of his more subdued [...]...
- 5/23/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Rating: 2.5/5
Writers: Mike O’Connell and Peter Kline
Director: Sol Tryon
Cast: Mike O’Connell, Jesse Eisenberg, Jim Gaffigan, Ann Dowd
Studio: Mangusta Productions
What would you do if you found out you would die soon? Would you live your life like an Oscar bait film, with soaring strings playing over your final days, declarations of love to those near and dear to you, and probably one last dip into an icy ocean, as you scream to gods and heaven above for taking from you this mortal coil? Or would you loll around in a bicycle rickshaw piloted by your biographer and man servant, continue your assault on the lesser brains around you, and perform a one man show at your own wake?
Read more on Theatrical Review: The Living Wake…...
Writers: Mike O’Connell and Peter Kline
Director: Sol Tryon
Cast: Mike O’Connell, Jesse Eisenberg, Jim Gaffigan, Ann Dowd
Studio: Mangusta Productions
What would you do if you found out you would die soon? Would you live your life like an Oscar bait film, with soaring strings playing over your final days, declarations of love to those near and dear to you, and probably one last dip into an icy ocean, as you scream to gods and heaven above for taking from you this mortal coil? Or would you loll around in a bicycle rickshaw piloted by your biographer and man servant, continue your assault on the lesser brains around you, and perform a one man show at your own wake?
Read more on Theatrical Review: The Living Wake…...
- 5/21/2010
- by Kate Erbland
- GordonandtheWhale
In director Sol Tryon's "The Living Wake," Jesse Eisenberg plays Mils, the assistant to K. Roth Binew (Mike O'Connell), a self-described genius writer who's about to die that evening and is arranging his funeral. Reminiscent of "Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are Dead" fused with "Waiting for Godot," the film centers on themes of immortality through books and existing (or not) in a vacuum. Speakeasy caught up with the three men behind the film to talk about cementing legacies through art and death.
- 5/15/2010
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Sol Tryon’s directing debut blunders into the trap of excessive strangeness by featuring not only one idiot but an entire, carnivalesque world of them. With no one reliably normal around, the film lacks the crucial alchemy of clown and foil that all comedies demand — a voice of reason to counterbalance the shenanigans of, in this case, a pompous windbag and self-proclaimed genius named K. Roth Binew. As director, Tryon could have insinuated himself, the narrator, as Binew’s foil and commented on his unfolding story through ironic choices in style, performance or editing. But Tryon is as giddy on the script’s prevailing goofiness as O’Connell and the rest, and, as a result, his film rapidly collapses in on itself.
With only a day left to live, Binew sets off on an odyssey to visit his family, friends and enemies to invite them to his “living wake” and,...
With only a day left to live, Binew sets off on an odyssey to visit his family, friends and enemies to invite them to his “living wake” and,...
- 5/15/2010
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Wes Anderson has much to answer for. Nothing is more deadly than curdled whimsy, and Anderson’s cultishly revered oeuvre has inspired more than its share of mirth gone awry, like Sol Tryon’s oppressively twee dark comedy The Living Wake. As if the prospect of a foppish dandy calling a liquor-store proprietor “liquorsmith” and talking like the bastard child of The Simpsons’ Mr. Burns and A Confederacy Of Dunces’ Ignatius J. Reilly doesn’t sound insufferable enough, there’s the film’s long, hard slog through a world of precious literary conceits, like the protagonist’s need to hear ...
- 5/13/2010
- avclub.com
Are you ready for an entirely different type of cult film? One that relies on being clever and playing with language rather than sex or splatter to inspire devotion? Well, get your Harold And Maude and Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead hats on, because Sol Tryon's The Living Wake aims to make you a believer once again.
Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mike O'Connell as they chronicle the final day in the life of a self declared artist and genius whose art seems to be mostly downing large amounts of whiskey.
Wes Anderson, eat your heart out.
Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mike O'Connell as they chronicle the final day in the life of a self declared artist and genius whose art seems to be mostly downing large amounts of whiskey.
Wes Anderson, eat your heart out.
- 4/27/2010
- Screen Anarchy
South by Southwest
AUSTIN -- An early sequence in Mark Webber's Explicit Ills carries viewers past rows of abandoned and near-collapsed buildings, navigates debris-strewn empty lots and winds up in a forsaken room where a tiny, healthy tree has sprouted up through decaying floorboards. Audiences who take that image as the start of a certain kind of urban fable -- the spark of life amid squalor -- will be surprised by what follows. The life force of Ills isn't in the exceptions but in the community itself, a disjointed cast of characters who have better things to do than bend themselves to some storyteller's idea of social-uplift allegory.
More restrained than many films it might be compared to and never preachy even when its characters go marching through the streets, the movie's an assured directing debut for young actor Webber. Commercial appeal is limited by the absence of an easy narrative hook, but the picture should earn some respect in an Art House run.
Set in a rough area of Philadelphia, the story follows characters who cross one another's paths but aren't destined for any kind of climactic collision. The community issues that connect them are downplayed in favor of a focus on individual goals: The scrawny kid wants to bulk up and win a bodybuilding contest, the clean-living loft dwellers want to open a natural grocery, the gentle youngster Babo (bathed in a white glow wherever he wanders) wants to make peace where others would harbor grudges.
While most of the characters are poor and the two who clearly have money are gentrifying white kids in what threatens to be a Sid and Nancy romance, the film doesn't trade in misery. It dwells on personal optimism and good will, even if its most emotionally fraught moments arise from a young mother's inability to afford health insurance.
Benefiting from an unhurried but tight cut by editor Jay Rabinowitz (frequent collaborator of exec producer Jim Jarmusch) and Patrice Lucien Cochet's vivid cinematography (which earned a special jury award, alongside an audience award for best narrative feature, at South by Southwest), Ills also draws on recognizable acting names while letting newcomers have the spotlight. Rosario Dawson and Paul Dano, for instance, while understandably highlighted in promo material, appear here solely as warm supporting figures for young charmer Francisco Burgos (Babo), who's making his feature debut. Webber's way with his young cast is as unforced as the movie itself, which easily could have been overwrought and maudlin but is instead oddly affirming.
EXPLICIT ILLS
Mangusta Prods., Film 101, AM/FM Films, Riker Hill Films
Sales agent: Endeavor
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Mark Webber
Producers: Mark Webber, Sol Tryon, Liz Destro
Executive producer: Jim Jarmusch
Director of photography: Patrice Lucien Cochet
Production designer: Michael Grasley
Music: Khari Mateen
Costume designer: Nikia Nelson
Editor: Jay Rabinowitz
Cast:
Rocco: Paul Dano
Babo's Mom: Rosario Dawson
Jill: Naomie Harris
Jacob: Lou Taylor Pucci
Michelle: Frankie Shaw
Kaleef: Tariq Trotter
Babo: Francisco Burgos
Demetri: Martin Cepeda Jr.
The Girl: Destini Edwards
Running time -- 87 minutes
No MPAA rating...
AUSTIN -- An early sequence in Mark Webber's Explicit Ills carries viewers past rows of abandoned and near-collapsed buildings, navigates debris-strewn empty lots and winds up in a forsaken room where a tiny, healthy tree has sprouted up through decaying floorboards. Audiences who take that image as the start of a certain kind of urban fable -- the spark of life amid squalor -- will be surprised by what follows. The life force of Ills isn't in the exceptions but in the community itself, a disjointed cast of characters who have better things to do than bend themselves to some storyteller's idea of social-uplift allegory.
More restrained than many films it might be compared to and never preachy even when its characters go marching through the streets, the movie's an assured directing debut for young actor Webber. Commercial appeal is limited by the absence of an easy narrative hook, but the picture should earn some respect in an Art House run.
Set in a rough area of Philadelphia, the story follows characters who cross one another's paths but aren't destined for any kind of climactic collision. The community issues that connect them are downplayed in favor of a focus on individual goals: The scrawny kid wants to bulk up and win a bodybuilding contest, the clean-living loft dwellers want to open a natural grocery, the gentle youngster Babo (bathed in a white glow wherever he wanders) wants to make peace where others would harbor grudges.
While most of the characters are poor and the two who clearly have money are gentrifying white kids in what threatens to be a Sid and Nancy romance, the film doesn't trade in misery. It dwells on personal optimism and good will, even if its most emotionally fraught moments arise from a young mother's inability to afford health insurance.
Benefiting from an unhurried but tight cut by editor Jay Rabinowitz (frequent collaborator of exec producer Jim Jarmusch) and Patrice Lucien Cochet's vivid cinematography (which earned a special jury award, alongside an audience award for best narrative feature, at South by Southwest), Ills also draws on recognizable acting names while letting newcomers have the spotlight. Rosario Dawson and Paul Dano, for instance, while understandably highlighted in promo material, appear here solely as warm supporting figures for young charmer Francisco Burgos (Babo), who's making his feature debut. Webber's way with his young cast is as unforced as the movie itself, which easily could have been overwrought and maudlin but is instead oddly affirming.
EXPLICIT ILLS
Mangusta Prods., Film 101, AM/FM Films, Riker Hill Films
Sales agent: Endeavor
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Mark Webber
Producers: Mark Webber, Sol Tryon, Liz Destro
Executive producer: Jim Jarmusch
Director of photography: Patrice Lucien Cochet
Production designer: Michael Grasley
Music: Khari Mateen
Costume designer: Nikia Nelson
Editor: Jay Rabinowitz
Cast:
Rocco: Paul Dano
Babo's Mom: Rosario Dawson
Jill: Naomie Harris
Jacob: Lou Taylor Pucci
Michelle: Frankie Shaw
Kaleef: Tariq Trotter
Babo: Francisco Burgos
Demetri: Martin Cepeda Jr.
The Girl: Destini Edwards
Running time -- 87 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 3/28/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CineVegas
Shoreline Entertainment
It's not every day you see an absurdist quixotic tale about a self-proclaimed artist and genius by the name of K. Roth Binew, who has meticulously mapped out the last day of his life.
That is both the allure and the curse of The Living Wake, a unique, in-your-face example of no-budget filmmaking co-written by and starring comedian Mike O'Connell that quickly proves to wear out its novel welcome.
The film is certain to win its share of admirers in addition to its annoyed detractors -- a number of whom made their feelings known during its CineVegas world premiere by beating a hasty retreat before Binew finally packs it in.
That heated divided alone could justify a theatrical release, although it seems as if all that unapologetic theatricality would have been better contained in a short film format.
O'Connell, who wrote the screenplay with Peter Kline, plays the dreaming-scheming-delusional Binew as an oddball cross between Don Quixote, Walter Mitty and Conan O'Brien.
Convinced that he's about to die of a very rare disease, he sets about saying his final farewells and preparing for his living wake with the help of his faithful minion and biographer, the timid Mills Joquin ("The Squid and the Whale's" Jesse Eisenberg).
The inherent problem with the Binew character and O'Connell's performance is that it's essentially a one-note proposition and that particular note would have been more at home in a Saturday Night Live or Mad TV sketch than sustained over the course of a 90-minute feature.
But while there's a familiar "inmates running the asylum" vibe to the proceedings, debuting feature director Sol Tryon admittedly gets considerable bang out of his very modest budget.
Props go to production designer Michael Grasley's quaint props used to dress those timeless Maine sets, as well as to costume designer Negar Ali whose vintage wardrobe finds appear to have been dug out of dozens of musty old trunks.
Shoreline Entertainment
It's not every day you see an absurdist quixotic tale about a self-proclaimed artist and genius by the name of K. Roth Binew, who has meticulously mapped out the last day of his life.
That is both the allure and the curse of The Living Wake, a unique, in-your-face example of no-budget filmmaking co-written by and starring comedian Mike O'Connell that quickly proves to wear out its novel welcome.
The film is certain to win its share of admirers in addition to its annoyed detractors -- a number of whom made their feelings known during its CineVegas world premiere by beating a hasty retreat before Binew finally packs it in.
That heated divided alone could justify a theatrical release, although it seems as if all that unapologetic theatricality would have been better contained in a short film format.
O'Connell, who wrote the screenplay with Peter Kline, plays the dreaming-scheming-delusional Binew as an oddball cross between Don Quixote, Walter Mitty and Conan O'Brien.
Convinced that he's about to die of a very rare disease, he sets about saying his final farewells and preparing for his living wake with the help of his faithful minion and biographer, the timid Mills Joquin ("The Squid and the Whale's" Jesse Eisenberg).
The inherent problem with the Binew character and O'Connell's performance is that it's essentially a one-note proposition and that particular note would have been more at home in a Saturday Night Live or Mad TV sketch than sustained over the course of a 90-minute feature.
But while there's a familiar "inmates running the asylum" vibe to the proceedings, debuting feature director Sol Tryon admittedly gets considerable bang out of his very modest budget.
Props go to production designer Michael Grasley's quaint props used to dress those timeless Maine sets, as well as to costume designer Negar Ali whose vintage wardrobe finds appear to have been dug out of dozens of musty old trunks.
- 6/26/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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