

This NOS4A2 review contains spoilers.
NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 7
In our recent interview with NOS4A2 showrunner Jami O’Brien, she addresses something very surprising. There are people online who have bought into the lies of Charlie Manx. He claims he’s saving children from bad situations, and there are people who say, “Yes, that sounds right,” and look no further than that. Hopefully, his actions in the second season are enough to put fire to those particular lies, but that doesn’t mean Manx isn’t still a character with more dimensions than first suspected. Oh no, while up on “Cripple Creek,” Bing learns all about the roots of Charlie Manx’s psychosis and just how he became the undead, life-stealing presence who rides around in a Rolls-Royce kidnapping children.
As it turns out, leading children to a dark fate is something of a long-standing Charlie Manx tradition.
“Cripple Creek” is...
NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 7
In our recent interview with NOS4A2 showrunner Jami O’Brien, she addresses something very surprising. There are people online who have bought into the lies of Charlie Manx. He claims he’s saving children from bad situations, and there are people who say, “Yes, that sounds right,” and look no further than that. Hopefully, his actions in the second season are enough to put fire to those particular lies, but that doesn’t mean Manx isn’t still a character with more dimensions than first suspected. Oh no, while up on “Cripple Creek,” Bing learns all about the roots of Charlie Manx’s psychosis and just how he became the undead, life-stealing presence who rides around in a Rolls-Royce kidnapping children.
As it turns out, leading children to a dark fate is something of a long-standing Charlie Manx tradition.
“Cripple Creek” is...
- 8/3/2020
- by Ron Hogan
- Den of Geek


As we’re now about halfway through the Broadway season, there are currently eight productions of plays set to open this spring. Could we be seeing any of them contend at this year’s Tony Awards? Below, we recap the plot of each play as well as the awards history of its author, cast, creative types, the opening, and (where applicable) closing dates.
“Choir Boy” (opens January 8; closes March 10)
In this new play by Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, the story centers on the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, which for a half a century has been dedicated to the education of strong, ethical black men. One talented student has been waiting for years to take his rightful place as the leader of the school’s legendary gospel choir. But can he make his way through the hallowed halls of this institution if he sings in his own key?...
“Choir Boy” (opens January 8; closes March 10)
In this new play by Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, the story centers on the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, which for a half a century has been dedicated to the education of strong, ethical black men. One talented student has been waiting for years to take his rightful place as the leader of the school’s legendary gospel choir. But can he make his way through the hallowed halls of this institution if he sings in his own key?...
- 1/29/2019
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Second Stage Theater will soon present the New York Premiere of Tracy Letts' acclaimed play, Mary Page Marlowe, directed by Lila Neugebauer. David Aaron Baker and Nick Dillenburg will complete the cast featuring Blair Brown, Kayli Carter, Audrey Corsa, Marcia DeBonis, Ryan Foust, Tess Frazer, Emma Geer, Grace Gummer, Mia Sinclair Jenness, Brian Kerwin, Tatiana Maslany, Kellie Overbey, Susan Pourfar, Maria Elena Ramirez, Elliot Villar, and Gary Wilmes.
- 6/15/2018
- by TV - Press Previews
- BroadwayWorld.com
Roundabout Theatre Company presentsSteven Levenson's The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin Dear Evan Hansen new play, If I Forget, directed by Daniel Sullivan. The cast includes Larry BryggmanPicnic, Maria Dizzia 'Orange is the New Black', Tasha Lawrence Good People, Jeremy Shamos Noises Off, Seth Steinberg, Kate Walsh 'Grey's Anatomy', and Gary Wilmes Irrational Man. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below...
- 2/8/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Roundabout Theatre Company will soon present Steven Levenson's The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin Dear Evan Hansen new play, If I Forget, directed by Daniel Sullivan. The cast includes Larry BryggmanPicnic, Maria Dizzia 'Orange is the New Black', Tasha Lawrence Good People, Jeremy Shamos Noises Off, Seth Steinberg, Kate Walsh 'Grey's Anatomy', and Gary Wilmes Irrational Man. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below...
- 1/18/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Roundabout Theatre Company will soon present Steven Levenson's The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin Dear Evan Hansen new play, If I Forget, directed by Daniel Sullivan. The cast includes Larry Bryggman Picnic, Maria Dizzia 'Orange is the New Black', Tasha Lawrence Good People, Jeremy Shamos Noises Off, Seth Steinberg, Kate Walsh 'Grey's Anatomy', and Gary Wilmes Irrational Man.
- 1/12/2017
- by Walter McBride
- BroadwayWorld.com
Recently, CBS released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Elementary" episode 16 of season 3. The episode is entitled, "For All You Know," and it turns out that we're going to see some very interesting stuff take place when Holmes has to run an investigation on himself for the murder of a woman that occurred during his addiction days, and more! In the new, 16th episode press release: Holmes will investigate himself when he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a woman who was killed at the height of his addiction. Press release number 2: When Holmes is implicated in the murder of a woman who was killed during the height of his addiction, he will investigate himself to find their connection. As Holmes retraces his steps with Watson's help, the clues are going to make his confidence in his own character waver. Guest stars feature: Michael Weston...
- 2/19/2015
- by Megan
- OnTheFlix


Title: Louder Than Words Director: Anthony Fabian Cast: David Duchovny, Hope Davis, Timothy Hutton, Xander Berkeley, Craig Bierko, Scott Cohen, Gary Wilmes, Morgan Griffin, Adelaide Kane, Ben Rosenfield, Olivia Steele Falconer Running time: 93 min, Rated PG-13 Special Features: Trailer and Behind the Scenes Featurette with the cast, filmmakers and the real Fareri family. Available on DVD 09.09.14 The fictionalized true story of the Fareri Family. Brenda (Hope Davis), her triplets Julie( Morgan Griffin), Michael (Boardwalk Empire’s Ben Rosenfield), and Stephanie (Reign’s Adelaide Kane) from Brenda’s first marriage, the reclusive husband John (David Duchovny) and their 13 year old daughter Maria (Olivia Steele-Falconer) that John and Brenda had together. On a [ Read More ]
The post Louder Than Words DVD Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Louder Than Words DVD Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/15/2014
- by juliana
- ShockYa
Watch a new clip from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty starring Ben Stiller, Kristin Wiig, Kathryn Hahn, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Shirley MacLaine, Patton Oswalt, Adrian Martinez, Kai Lennox, Nicole Neuman, Paul Fitzgerald, Gary Wilmes. Stiller also directs the film scripted by Steve Conrad which is based on the James Thurber short story. 20th Century Fox releases the film into theaters on December 25th, 2013. Pic is produced by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., John Goldwyn, Stuart Cornfeld and Stiller.
- 12/5/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
When Homeland returns this fall, we’ll be knee deep in the aftermath of the Season 2 finale. Many characters we had gotten to know through out the show’s run met grisly ends in the last couple episodes leading up to the finale, which concluded with a massive explosion and even more deaths. With so many characters now dead and gone, Homeland needs to replenish its well of talent. So far many great actors have joined for the show’s third season and the latest is Boardwalk Empire actor David Aaron Baker. Unfortunately for him, his character might have the hardest job there could be in a show like this.
According to THR, Baker is guest starring as Dr. Harlan, an assessment shrink who will be meeting with Saul, Carrie and other CIA survivors of last season’s devastating terrorist attack. I say his job will be hard because these...
According to THR, Baker is guest starring as Dr. Harlan, an assessment shrink who will be meeting with Saul, Carrie and other CIA survivors of last season’s devastating terrorist attack. I say his job will be hard because these...
- 5/25/2013
- by Brody Gibson
- Boomtron
Expect to see a lot of new faces in "Homeland" Season 3. Showtime has unveiled a list of eight new guest stars who have joined the cast.
The list includes Joanna Merlin as Grandma Lois, Jessica Brody's mother; Nazanin Boniadi as Fara, a capable analyst despite her young appearance; Amy Morton as Erin Kimball, Carrie Mathison's CIA appointed attorney; Gary Wilmes as Dr. Richardson, a psychiatrist helping Dana Brody cope with recent events; and Sam Underwood as Leo, a new friend of Dana's with a troubled past.
Other new cast members will play government newcomers looking for answers in the wake of Season 2's terror attack. Tracy Letts portrays Senator Andrew Lockhard, the powerful, authoritative and commanding Committee Chairman; Lawrence Clayton portrays Admiral Jim Pennington, the Presiden't National Security Advisor; and Pedro Pascal portrays Majority Counsel David Portillo, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
In addition to these eight newcomers,...
The list includes Joanna Merlin as Grandma Lois, Jessica Brody's mother; Nazanin Boniadi as Fara, a capable analyst despite her young appearance; Amy Morton as Erin Kimball, Carrie Mathison's CIA appointed attorney; Gary Wilmes as Dr. Richardson, a psychiatrist helping Dana Brody cope with recent events; and Sam Underwood as Leo, a new friend of Dana's with a troubled past.
Other new cast members will play government newcomers looking for answers in the wake of Season 2's terror attack. Tracy Letts portrays Senator Andrew Lockhard, the powerful, authoritative and commanding Committee Chairman; Lawrence Clayton portrays Admiral Jim Pennington, the Presiden't National Security Advisor; and Pedro Pascal portrays Majority Counsel David Portillo, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
In addition to these eight newcomers,...
- 5/22/2013
- by [email protected]
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Showtime has confirmed a pair of Homeland Season 3 casting notes:
Amy Morton (Boss) will recur on the Showtime drama as Erin Kimball, Carrie’s CIA-appointed attorney, making it clear that she will at least be questioned about the Season 2-concluding explosion. Tracy Letts (Prison Break) will appear on multiple episodes as Senator Andrew Lockhart, a powerful Committee Chairman.
TV Line first reported these casting scoops, while viewers can look forward to new Homeland episodes on September 29.
Update: Showtime has now also confirmed the following additions:
Joanna Merlin (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) as “Grandma Lois,” Jessica Brody’s mother. Nazanin Boniadi (How I Met Your Mother) as “Fara,” a capable analyst despite her young appearance. Gary Wilmes (Louie) as “Dr. Richardson,” a psychiatrist helping Dana Brody cope with recent events. Sam Underwood (The Last Keepers) as “Leo,” a new friend of Dana’s with a troubled past. Lawrence Clayton (Dreamgirls,...
Amy Morton (Boss) will recur on the Showtime drama as Erin Kimball, Carrie’s CIA-appointed attorney, making it clear that she will at least be questioned about the Season 2-concluding explosion. Tracy Letts (Prison Break) will appear on multiple episodes as Senator Andrew Lockhart, a powerful Committee Chairman.
TV Line first reported these casting scoops, while viewers can look forward to new Homeland episodes on September 29.
Update: Showtime has now also confirmed the following additions:
Joanna Merlin (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) as “Grandma Lois,” Jessica Brody’s mother. Nazanin Boniadi (How I Met Your Mother) as “Fara,” a capable analyst despite her young appearance. Gary Wilmes (Louie) as “Dr. Richardson,” a psychiatrist helping Dana Brody cope with recent events. Sam Underwood (The Last Keepers) as “Leo,” a new friend of Dana’s with a troubled past. Lawrence Clayton (Dreamgirls,...
- 5/22/2013
- by [email protected] (Matt Richenthal)
- TVfanatic


"Homeland" Season 3 is adding to its cast, with stars such as Joanna Merlin, Nazanin Boniadi, Amy Morton, Lawrence Clayton and Tracy Letts joining the Emmy-winning drama, Showtime announced today.
Amy Morton will play recurring character Erin Kimball, the CIA attorney appointed to Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) following the events of Season 2. "Law & Order: Svu" star Joanna Merlin will appear as Grandma Lois, Jessica Brody’s (Morena Baccarin) mother.
Nazanin Boniadi will appear as Fara, a capable analyst despite her young appearance, while Gary Wilmes will play Dr. Richardson, a psychiatrist helping Dana Brody (Morgan Saylor) cope with recent events. Sam Underwood will play Leo, a new friend of Dana’s with a troubled past.
In the wake of the terror attack on U.S. soil, the government’s investigation deepens, and according to Showtime, those asking for answers include Tracy Letts ("Prison Break") as Senator Andrew Lockhart, the powerful, authoritative...
Amy Morton will play recurring character Erin Kimball, the CIA attorney appointed to Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) following the events of Season 2. "Law & Order: Svu" star Joanna Merlin will appear as Grandma Lois, Jessica Brody’s (Morena Baccarin) mother.
Nazanin Boniadi will appear as Fara, a capable analyst despite her young appearance, while Gary Wilmes will play Dr. Richardson, a psychiatrist helping Dana Brody (Morgan Saylor) cope with recent events. Sam Underwood will play Leo, a new friend of Dana’s with a troubled past.
In the wake of the terror attack on U.S. soil, the government’s investigation deepens, and according to Showtime, those asking for answers include Tracy Letts ("Prison Break") as Senator Andrew Lockhart, the powerful, authoritative...
- 5/22/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Almost Interesting: Sam Neave’s Latest Technically Impressive, Dramatically Impotent
Coasting along on a matter of style over substance is Sam Neave’s latest film, Almost In Love, in which the indie director pulls a Rope (1948) and presents us with a film shot entirely in two continuous 40 minutes takes. Of course, similar feats have been done recently, such as both versions of the recent Silent House (2010, 2011), which were both filmed in one continuous take, and, to greater success, Aleksandr Sokurov’s Russian Ark (2002). But for all of the technical prowess on display here and in other mentioned titles, more often than not, we tend to focus more on flaws and sometimes awkward flourishes that would have been more easily avoided in multiple takes.
Sasha (Alex Karpovsky) is in the midst of holding a dinner party at his Staten Island apartment, which boasts a glorious view of the Manhattan skyline (“What is this,...
Coasting along on a matter of style over substance is Sam Neave’s latest film, Almost In Love, in which the indie director pulls a Rope (1948) and presents us with a film shot entirely in two continuous 40 minutes takes. Of course, similar feats have been done recently, such as both versions of the recent Silent House (2010, 2011), which were both filmed in one continuous take, and, to greater success, Aleksandr Sokurov’s Russian Ark (2002). But for all of the technical prowess on display here and in other mentioned titles, more often than not, we tend to focus more on flaws and sometimes awkward flourishes that would have been more easily avoided in multiple takes.
Sasha (Alex Karpovsky) is in the midst of holding a dinner party at his Staten Island apartment, which boasts a glorious view of the Manhattan skyline (“What is this,...
- 2/15/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Director Sam Neave and his producer/star Marjan Neshat are both Iranian-born, but the films they tend to make together — including 2003′s Sundance entry Cry Funny Happy and their terrific new two shot high-wire act Almost in Love — focus on the romantic travails of upper-middle-class Westerners in ways that are as funny as they are earnest. Their newest film, despite its intentionally schematic, downright arty structural contrivance, is a surprisingly rich meditation on friendship, the difficulty of settling down and the importance of being earnest. Performed in humorous and melancholy shades by an odd assortment of performers, most notably Ms. Neshat, Gary Wilmes, Alan Cumming and Alex Karpovsky — who …...
- 2/13/2013
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Shot digitally in two extended 40-minute takes, director Sam Neave's Almost in Love has audacity and theatrical immediacy working for it. There's also some really impressive sound design. And that's it, pretty much. The actors rise to the occasion, stunt-jumping over Stagecraft Canyon with adequately unbroken performances, but it's hard to avoid describing the characters as a bunch of boring, entitled drama queens. So in the interest of expediency: Jesus, these people are boring. In the film's first half, Sasha (Alex Karpovsky) throws a veranda party at his Staten Island condo, attended by a bunch of supposedly witty friends, including Mia (Marjan Neshat), the woman he secretly loves, and Kyle (Gary Wilmes) the best friend who once dated her even though he knew. Neave's camera d...
- 2/13/2013
- Village Voice
Season 3, Episode 1: "Something Is Wrong"
Since "Louie" was last on the air, its star and creator, Louis C.K. has been having a moment. He won the AFI Award for best TV series, got two Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a comedy, and has broken ground in terms of cutting out the middle man, selling tour tickets and his stand-up special directly to consumers (and in the latter case, giving much of the money to charity). All that, and he's been cast in Woody Allen's next film too.
And the influence of Allen, always a key one, felt particularly prevalent in the excellent second season finale of his show. For the newcomers (and the show is essentially stand-alone week-by-week, so it's easy to jump in at any moment), C.K. plays Louie, a slightly different fictional variation on himself, namely a stand-up comedian of moderate success, divorced,...
Since "Louie" was last on the air, its star and creator, Louis C.K. has been having a moment. He won the AFI Award for best TV series, got two Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a comedy, and has broken ground in terms of cutting out the middle man, selling tour tickets and his stand-up special directly to consumers (and in the latter case, giving much of the money to charity). All that, and he's been cast in Woody Allen's next film too.
And the influence of Allen, always a key one, felt particularly prevalent in the excellent second season finale of his show. For the newcomers (and the show is essentially stand-alone week-by-week, so it's easy to jump in at any moment), C.K. plays Louie, a slightly different fictional variation on himself, namely a stand-up comedian of moderate success, divorced,...
- 6/29/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Jennifer Lim still can't quite believe her journey with David Henry Hwang's "Chinglish," which bowed at the Longacre Theater on Broadway on Oct. 27. She was invited to participate in the first reading—"because I know Mandarin," she says frankly—and has been with the show since 2009, throughout its various incarnations. She never auditioned. Further, "Chinglish" marks her Broadway debut. Her previous credits were largely Off-Off-Broadway, along with several television appearances. "Chinglish" details the misadventures of a dissembling American businessman (Gary Wilmes) as he tries to negotiate a business deal in China while falling in love with a strong-willed vice minister of culture (Lim) who has her own agenda. It's a comedy about linguistic, cultural, and romantic misunderstandings, an updated East-meets-West clash. "When I first got the script I was blown away at how timely and smart it was," Lim says. "Though I attended Western schools and my parents are more open.
- 11/10/2011
- by [email protected] (Simi Horwitz)
- backstage.com
David Henry Hwang: Chinglish Longacre Theatre, NYC
Chinglish is the word coined for those humorously bad Chinese-to-English mistranslations found on signs, in electronics manuals, etc. That sort of thing is hardly exclusive to China (there are plenty of examples from around the world here), but thanks to the first-world economic implosion, China is where the stakes are highest now. The new play by Chinese-American playwright David Henry Hwang (his first on Broadway in 13 years) is built around both this crucial transition and mistranslation. Bring your opera glasses, because being able to read supertitles has never been more important.
Our hero lead schlub, Daniel Cavanaugh (Gary Wilmes), opens the play alone, explaining to an unseen conference audience the secret of his business success in China. As his business is signs, this talk includes memorably mistranslated examples, most prominently "Fuck the certain price of goods," which makes perfect sense once it's...
Chinglish is the word coined for those humorously bad Chinese-to-English mistranslations found on signs, in electronics manuals, etc. That sort of thing is hardly exclusive to China (there are plenty of examples from around the world here), but thanks to the first-world economic implosion, China is where the stakes are highest now. The new play by Chinese-American playwright David Henry Hwang (his first on Broadway in 13 years) is built around both this crucial transition and mistranslation. Bring your opera glasses, because being able to read supertitles has never been more important.
Our hero lead schlub, Daniel Cavanaugh (Gary Wilmes), opens the play alone, explaining to an unseen conference audience the secret of his business success in China. As his business is signs, this talk includes memorably mistranslated examples, most prominently "Fuck the certain price of goods," which makes perfect sense once it's...
- 10/29/2011
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Director Sam Neave and his producer/star Marjan Neshat are both Iranian born, but the films they tend to make together, which include the unfortunately titled 2003′s Sundance entry Cry Funny Happy and their terrific new two shot high-wire act Almost in Love, tend to focus on the romantic travails of upper-middle-class Westerners. As such, they are naturals for the American independent festival scene, where such films usually find their natural constituency, that being other upper-middle-class Westerners. Not so for Almost in Love, their daring second feature collaboration, which had its world premiere this past weekend at the 5th Abu Dhabi Film Festival, the increasingly respected festival run by former San Francisco and Tribeca topliner Peter Scarlet unspooling for nine days in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, just an hour flight from their native land.
Scarlet has brought the knack for terrific Middle Eastern programming he displayed at...
Scarlet has brought the knack for terrific Middle Eastern programming he displayed at...
- 10/20/2011
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Language and understanding are core concepts of Broadway-bound "Chinglish," according to playwright David Henry Hwang. But when a quarter of the play is in Mandarin, how does the performance translate for both actors and audiences?"It turned out to be a lot more Chinese than I thought," says Johnny Wu, who plays Bing and Judge Xu Geming. Wu spent the first eight years of his life in Shanghai and speaks Mandarin fluently, as do most of the cast."It's good to know that all those years of going to Chinese school was not completely lost," says Christine Lin, who plays Zhao, adding that her parents are thrilled she's using her Chinese.In fact, the only cast member not fluent in the language is Gary Wilmes. Wilmes' character, Daniel Cavanaugh, goes to China to try to secure a contract for his family's business and encounters barriers to communication beyond words. "Chinglish" had its world.
- 9/20/2011
- by [email protected] (Suzy Evans)
- backstage.com
Birds of America
Sundance Film Festival
PARK CITY -- Sundance was strewn with the remains of dysfunctional families this year, and perhaps none was more dysfunctional than the characters in Craig Lucas' "Birds of America". But quirkiness, as it is here, is often just an excuse for eccentric behavior with no real explanation. It's an opportunity for goofy people to parade an assortment of ticks and mannerisms that an audience will presumably find amusing. "Birds of America", unfortunately, is not very convincing or funny, and will have a hard time landing in theaters.
Set in Cheever country of upper-middle class suburban Connecticut, the story involves older brother Morrie (Matthew Perry) and the two siblings, Jay (Ben Foster) and Ida (Ginnifer Goodwin), he raised after his father jumped out of the window of the family house and killed himself. Now a grown up physics professor living with his wife (Lauren Graham), Morrie has never gotten over the trauma and a life of being responsible for others.
So naturally when Jay, a borderline personality who prefers living by himself in the woods, is almost run over by a car after lying down in the street, it's Big Brother to the rescue. And when Ida, a struggling photographer getting over a bad breakup, comes apart, she goes home too.
Morrie craves nothing more than an orderly life, and his highest goal is to be accepted by his neighbor (Gary Wilmes), who happens to be his boss, and his prissy wife (Hilary Swank), and secure the ultimate symbol of stability: tenure. But having his unstable family under the same roof again upsets everything, and slowly the fabric of Morrie's life starts to unravel.
In predictable film fashion, a sign that things are coming apart is the mandatory pot smoking scene in which Morrie temporarily lets go. And as his life becomes more unsettled, he does things like rollerblading to work, right into his classroom. And the climax of his rebellion is a grand gesture on his neighbor's lawn. No matter that it's not anything anyone would ever do in real life.
The problem here is that the characters' actions don't have the ring of authenticity and seem more designed to get a laugh or tug at the heartstrings, without earning the emotion. You don't really feel anything about these people.
It's not the performances that fail; Perry is actually quite appealing in a low-key way. It's more the premise by writer Elyse Freidman that seems lacking. The film is loaded with bird imagery, and Morrie's father did own a copy of the original Audubon engravings, but the bird connection doesn't resonate. The human species observed here just doesn't get off the ground.
BIRDS OF AMERICA
Plum Pictures and Ideal Partners
Credits:
Director: Craig Lucas
Writer: Elyse Friedman
Producers: Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Jana Edelbaum, Galt Niederhoffer, Celine Rattray
Executive producers: John Allen, Scott Hanson, Pamela Hirsch, Ed Hart, Bruce Lunsford, Eric Goldman
Director of cinematography: Yaron Orbach
Production designer: John Nyomarkay
Music: Ahrin Mishan
Costumes: Heidi Bivens
Editor: Eric Kissack
Cast:
Morrie: Matthew Perry
Betty: Lauren Graham
Jay: Ben Foster
Ida: Ginnifer Goodwin
Laura: Hilary Swank
Paul: Gary Wilmes
Gillian: Zoe Kravitz
Running time -- 89 minutes
No MPAA rating...
PARK CITY -- Sundance was strewn with the remains of dysfunctional families this year, and perhaps none was more dysfunctional than the characters in Craig Lucas' "Birds of America". But quirkiness, as it is here, is often just an excuse for eccentric behavior with no real explanation. It's an opportunity for goofy people to parade an assortment of ticks and mannerisms that an audience will presumably find amusing. "Birds of America", unfortunately, is not very convincing or funny, and will have a hard time landing in theaters.
Set in Cheever country of upper-middle class suburban Connecticut, the story involves older brother Morrie (Matthew Perry) and the two siblings, Jay (Ben Foster) and Ida (Ginnifer Goodwin), he raised after his father jumped out of the window of the family house and killed himself. Now a grown up physics professor living with his wife (Lauren Graham), Morrie has never gotten over the trauma and a life of being responsible for others.
So naturally when Jay, a borderline personality who prefers living by himself in the woods, is almost run over by a car after lying down in the street, it's Big Brother to the rescue. And when Ida, a struggling photographer getting over a bad breakup, comes apart, she goes home too.
Morrie craves nothing more than an orderly life, and his highest goal is to be accepted by his neighbor (Gary Wilmes), who happens to be his boss, and his prissy wife (Hilary Swank), and secure the ultimate symbol of stability: tenure. But having his unstable family under the same roof again upsets everything, and slowly the fabric of Morrie's life starts to unravel.
In predictable film fashion, a sign that things are coming apart is the mandatory pot smoking scene in which Morrie temporarily lets go. And as his life becomes more unsettled, he does things like rollerblading to work, right into his classroom. And the climax of his rebellion is a grand gesture on his neighbor's lawn. No matter that it's not anything anyone would ever do in real life.
The problem here is that the characters' actions don't have the ring of authenticity and seem more designed to get a laugh or tug at the heartstrings, without earning the emotion. You don't really feel anything about these people.
It's not the performances that fail; Perry is actually quite appealing in a low-key way. It's more the premise by writer Elyse Freidman that seems lacking. The film is loaded with bird imagery, and Morrie's father did own a copy of the original Audubon engravings, but the bird connection doesn't resonate. The human species observed here just doesn't get off the ground.
BIRDS OF AMERICA
Plum Pictures and Ideal Partners
Credits:
Director: Craig Lucas
Writer: Elyse Friedman
Producers: Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Jana Edelbaum, Galt Niederhoffer, Celine Rattray
Executive producers: John Allen, Scott Hanson, Pamela Hirsch, Ed Hart, Bruce Lunsford, Eric Goldman
Director of cinematography: Yaron Orbach
Production designer: John Nyomarkay
Music: Ahrin Mishan
Costumes: Heidi Bivens
Editor: Eric Kissack
Cast:
Morrie: Matthew Perry
Betty: Lauren Graham
Jay: Ben Foster
Ida: Ginnifer Goodwin
Laura: Hilary Swank
Paul: Gary Wilmes
Gillian: Zoe Kravitz
Running time -- 89 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/2/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News

A Mighty Heart

This review was written for the festival screening of "A Mighty Heart".CANNES -- Michael Winterbottom's expertly fashioned documentary-style drama "A Mighty Heart" relates the intense manhunt launched in Pakistan when jihadists kidnapped Wall Street Journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. Angelina Jolie delivers a well-measured and moving performance as the reporter's wife, Mariane.
With the BBC's Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston now missing and believed kidnapped for 70 days and journalists in danger in hotspots around the world, a film version of Mariane Pearl's book about the search for her husband could not be more timely.
Set for release in the U.S. in June and the rest of the world in September, the film's even-handed approach to incendiary topics should generate substantial interest.
Jolie's voice-over sets the scene as the movie begins in Karachi, a vast, sprawling city where her husband went missing. He was on assignment to meet a man who could tell him more about Richard Reid, the captured shoe bomber. The events of Sept. 11 were not long past, and the situation was made difficult by the Wall Street Journal going public with the fact that it had turned over a suspicious computer to the CIA.
The film traces Pearl's movements on the night he was kidnapped, with him being warned several times to meet his contact only in public. His trail died when a taxi dropped him off at a restaurant. When he fails to return to the place where he and his wife, who is pregnant with their first child, are staying, she calls in the authorities. Senior people from the newspaper including John Bussey (Denis O'Hare) and Steve LeVine (Gary Wilmes) drop everything to help in the hunt headquartered at the home of the Pearl's friend, writer Asra (Archie Panjabi). U.S. diplomatic security specialist Randall Bennett (Will Patton) and representatives of assorted American agencies join the team that is led by the head of the Pakistani counter-terrorism unit who is known as Captain (Irrfan Khan).
The news breaks internationally, and various parties claim that Pearl is with the CIA or Mossad, which complicates things. One Pakistani government member dismisses it as a crime by India. Winterbottom shows the painstaking steps taken to link one mobile phone caller to the next and efforts to track down a single Internet provider that is used to send e-mails about the kidnapping. Marcel Zyskind's cinematography captures the frantic bustle of the over-populated city as agents swarm into tenements to arrest suspects.
The film alarmingly implies that torture works when one suspect reveals names under duress and watching the no-holds-barred approach of the Pakistani authorities on a raid, the American Bennett declares, "I love this town!"
For the most part, however, the film reflects the dispassionate view espoused by Mariane Pearl, who sees that it is misery that breeds terrorism. Jolie plays her with respect and a firm grasp on a difficult accent influenced by France and Cuba. She has a powerful scene in which she lets out a shriek of grief that will be recognized wherever people suffer from terror and loss.
A MIGHTY HEART
Paramount Pictures
Produced by Plan B Entertainment, Revolution Films
Credits:
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Screenwriter: John Orloff
Producers: Brad Pitt & Dede Gardner, Andrew Eaton
Director of photography: Marcel Zyskind
Production designer: Mark Digby
Music: Harry Escot, Molly Nyman
Costume designer: Charlotte Walter
Editor: Peter Christelis
Cast:
Mariane Pearl: Angelina Jolie
Daniel Pearl: Dan Futterman
Asra Nomani: Archie Panjabi
Captain: Irrfan Khan
Randall Bennett: Will Patton
John Bussey: Denis O'Hare
Dost Aliani: Adnan Siddiqui
Steve Levine: Gary Wilmes
Masud the Fixer: Daud Khan
Omar/Bashir: Alyy Khan
Suleiman: Taj Khan
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
With the BBC's Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston now missing and believed kidnapped for 70 days and journalists in danger in hotspots around the world, a film version of Mariane Pearl's book about the search for her husband could not be more timely.
Set for release in the U.S. in June and the rest of the world in September, the film's even-handed approach to incendiary topics should generate substantial interest.
Jolie's voice-over sets the scene as the movie begins in Karachi, a vast, sprawling city where her husband went missing. He was on assignment to meet a man who could tell him more about Richard Reid, the captured shoe bomber. The events of Sept. 11 were not long past, and the situation was made difficult by the Wall Street Journal going public with the fact that it had turned over a suspicious computer to the CIA.
The film traces Pearl's movements on the night he was kidnapped, with him being warned several times to meet his contact only in public. His trail died when a taxi dropped him off at a restaurant. When he fails to return to the place where he and his wife, who is pregnant with their first child, are staying, she calls in the authorities. Senior people from the newspaper including John Bussey (Denis O'Hare) and Steve LeVine (Gary Wilmes) drop everything to help in the hunt headquartered at the home of the Pearl's friend, writer Asra (Archie Panjabi). U.S. diplomatic security specialist Randall Bennett (Will Patton) and representatives of assorted American agencies join the team that is led by the head of the Pakistani counter-terrorism unit who is known as Captain (Irrfan Khan).
The news breaks internationally, and various parties claim that Pearl is with the CIA or Mossad, which complicates things. One Pakistani government member dismisses it as a crime by India. Winterbottom shows the painstaking steps taken to link one mobile phone caller to the next and efforts to track down a single Internet provider that is used to send e-mails about the kidnapping. Marcel Zyskind's cinematography captures the frantic bustle of the over-populated city as agents swarm into tenements to arrest suspects.
The film alarmingly implies that torture works when one suspect reveals names under duress and watching the no-holds-barred approach of the Pakistani authorities on a raid, the American Bennett declares, "I love this town!"
For the most part, however, the film reflects the dispassionate view espoused by Mariane Pearl, who sees that it is misery that breeds terrorism. Jolie plays her with respect and a firm grasp on a difficult accent influenced by France and Cuba. She has a powerful scene in which she lets out a shriek of grief that will be recognized wherever people suffer from terror and loss.
A MIGHTY HEART
Paramount Pictures
Produced by Plan B Entertainment, Revolution Films
Credits:
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Screenwriter: John Orloff
Producers: Brad Pitt & Dede Gardner, Andrew Eaton
Director of photography: Marcel Zyskind
Production designer: Mark Digby
Music: Harry Escot, Molly Nyman
Costume designer: Charlotte Walter
Editor: Peter Christelis
Cast:
Mariane Pearl: Angelina Jolie
Daniel Pearl: Dan Futterman
Asra Nomani: Archie Panjabi
Captain: Irrfan Khan
Randall Bennett: Will Patton
John Bussey: Denis O'Hare
Dost Aliani: Adnan Siddiqui
Steve Levine: Gary Wilmes
Masud the Fixer: Daud Khan
Omar/Bashir: Alyy Khan
Suleiman: Taj Khan
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 5/22/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News

A Mighty Heart

CANNES -- Michael Winterbottom's expertly fashioned documentary-style drama A Mighty Heart relates the intense manhunt launched in Pakistan when jihadists kidnapped Wall Street Journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. Angelina Jolie delivers a well-measured and moving performance as the reporter's wife, Mariane.
With the BBC's Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston now missing and believed kidnapped for 70 days and journalists in danger in hotspots around the world, a film version of Mariane Pearl's book about the search for her husband could not be more timely.
Set for release in the U.S. in June and the rest of the world in September, the film's even-handed approach to incendiary topics should generate substantial interest.
Jolie's voice-over sets the scene as the movie begins in Karachi, a vast, sprawling city where her husband went missing. He was on assignment to meet a man who could tell him more about Richard Reid, the captured shoe bomber. The events of Sept. 11 were not long past, and the situation was made difficult by the Wall Street Journal going public with the fact that it had turned over a suspicious computer to the CIA.
The film traces Pearl's movements on the night he was kidnapped, with him being warned several times to meet his contact only in public. His trail died when a taxi dropped him off at a restaurant. When he fails to return to the place where he and his wife, who is pregnant with their first child, are staying, she calls in the authorities. Senior people from the newspaper including John Bussey (Denis O'Hare) and Steve LeVine (Gary Wilmes) drop everything to help in the hunt headquartered at the home of the Pearl's friend, writer Asra (Archie Panjabi). U.S. diplomatic security specialist Randall Bennett (Will Patton) and representatives of assorted American agencies join the team that is led by the head of the Pakistani counter-terrorism unit who is known as Captain (Irrfan Khan).
The news breaks internationally, and various parties claim that Pearl is with the CIA or Mossad, which complicates things. One Pakistani government member dismisses it as a crime by India. Winterbottom shows the painstaking steps taken to link one mobile phone caller to the next and efforts to track down a single Internet provider that is used to send e-mails about the kidnapping. Marcel Zyskind's cinematography captures the frantic bustle of the over-populated city as agents swarm into tenements to arrest suspects.
The film alarmingly implies that torture works when one suspect reveals names under duress and watching the no-holds-barred approach of the Pakistani authorities on a raid, the American Bennett declares, "I love this town!"
For the most part, however, the film reflects the dispassionate view espoused by Mariane Pearl, who sees that it is misery that breeds terrorism. Jolie plays her with respect and a firm grasp on a difficult accent influenced by France and Cuba. She has a powerful scene in which she lets out a shriek of grief that will be recognized wherever people suffer from terror and loss.
A MIGHTY HEART
Paramount Pictures
Produced by Plan B Entertainment, Revolution Films
Credits:
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Screenwriter: John Orloff
Producers: Brad Pitt & Dede Gardner, Andrew Eaton
Director of photography: Marcel Zyskind
Production designer: Mark Digby
Music: Harry Escot, Molly Nyman
Costume designer: Charlotte Walter
Editor: Peter Christelis
Cast:
Mariane Pearl: Angelina Jolie
Daniel Pearl: Dan Futterman
Asra Nomani: Archie Panjabi
Captain: Irrfan Khan
Randall Bennett: Will Patton
John Bussey: Denis O'Hare
Dost Aliani: Adnan Siddiqui
Steve Levine: Gary Wilmes
Masud the Fixer: Daud Khan
Omar/Bashir: Alyy Khan
Suleiman: Taj Khan
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
With the BBC's Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston now missing and believed kidnapped for 70 days and journalists in danger in hotspots around the world, a film version of Mariane Pearl's book about the search for her husband could not be more timely.
Set for release in the U.S. in June and the rest of the world in September, the film's even-handed approach to incendiary topics should generate substantial interest.
Jolie's voice-over sets the scene as the movie begins in Karachi, a vast, sprawling city where her husband went missing. He was on assignment to meet a man who could tell him more about Richard Reid, the captured shoe bomber. The events of Sept. 11 were not long past, and the situation was made difficult by the Wall Street Journal going public with the fact that it had turned over a suspicious computer to the CIA.
The film traces Pearl's movements on the night he was kidnapped, with him being warned several times to meet his contact only in public. His trail died when a taxi dropped him off at a restaurant. When he fails to return to the place where he and his wife, who is pregnant with their first child, are staying, she calls in the authorities. Senior people from the newspaper including John Bussey (Denis O'Hare) and Steve LeVine (Gary Wilmes) drop everything to help in the hunt headquartered at the home of the Pearl's friend, writer Asra (Archie Panjabi). U.S. diplomatic security specialist Randall Bennett (Will Patton) and representatives of assorted American agencies join the team that is led by the head of the Pakistani counter-terrorism unit who is known as Captain (Irrfan Khan).
The news breaks internationally, and various parties claim that Pearl is with the CIA or Mossad, which complicates things. One Pakistani government member dismisses it as a crime by India. Winterbottom shows the painstaking steps taken to link one mobile phone caller to the next and efforts to track down a single Internet provider that is used to send e-mails about the kidnapping. Marcel Zyskind's cinematography captures the frantic bustle of the over-populated city as agents swarm into tenements to arrest suspects.
The film alarmingly implies that torture works when one suspect reveals names under duress and watching the no-holds-barred approach of the Pakistani authorities on a raid, the American Bennett declares, "I love this town!"
For the most part, however, the film reflects the dispassionate view espoused by Mariane Pearl, who sees that it is misery that breeds terrorism. Jolie plays her with respect and a firm grasp on a difficult accent influenced by France and Cuba. She has a powerful scene in which she lets out a shriek of grief that will be recognized wherever people suffer from terror and loss.
A MIGHTY HEART
Paramount Pictures
Produced by Plan B Entertainment, Revolution Films
Credits:
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Screenwriter: John Orloff
Producers: Brad Pitt & Dede Gardner, Andrew Eaton
Director of photography: Marcel Zyskind
Production designer: Mark Digby
Music: Harry Escot, Molly Nyman
Costume designer: Charlotte Walter
Editor: Peter Christelis
Cast:
Mariane Pearl: Angelina Jolie
Daniel Pearl: Dan Futterman
Asra Nomani: Archie Panjabi
Captain: Irrfan Khan
Randall Bennett: Will Patton
John Bussey: Denis O'Hare
Dost Aliani: Adnan Siddiqui
Steve Levine: Gary Wilmes
Masud the Fixer: Daud Khan
Omar/Bashir: Alyy Khan
Suleiman: Taj Khan
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 5/22/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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