Latoya Luckett will play Warwick in the forthcoming film from the writer of The Doors.
Lady Gaga is to play Warwick’s rival and “musical nemesis” Cilla Black in an upcoming biopic of singer Dionne Warwick.
The Us singer-songwriter will play the late Liverpudlian performer in Dionne, it was announced at a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival today.
Mario van Peebles is in advanced discussions to direct and legendary singer Warwick was in town herself to tell the press that she will be played as a younger woman by Latoya Luckett - an original member of Destiny’s Child.
Other cast names confirmed include Danny Glover as Warwick’s father Mansell and Olympia Dukakis, who will co-star as Marlene Dietrich, Warwick’s mentor. Dietrich, the singer joked, was the woman who introduced her to high couture and made a hefty dent in her bank balance in the process.
Randall Jahnson (The Doors...
Lady Gaga is to play Warwick’s rival and “musical nemesis” Cilla Black in an upcoming biopic of singer Dionne Warwick.
The Us singer-songwriter will play the late Liverpudlian performer in Dionne, it was announced at a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival today.
Mario van Peebles is in advanced discussions to direct and legendary singer Warwick was in town herself to tell the press that she will be played as a younger woman by Latoya Luckett - an original member of Destiny’s Child.
Other cast names confirmed include Danny Glover as Warwick’s father Mansell and Olympia Dukakis, who will co-star as Marlene Dietrich, Warwick’s mentor. Dietrich, the singer joked, was the woman who introduced her to high couture and made a hefty dent in her bank balance in the process.
Randall Jahnson (The Doors...
- 5/13/2016
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Former "Destiny's Child" member LeToya Luckett is set to star while Olympia Dukakis and Danny Glover are also onboard a biopic about R&B and pop music legend Dionne Warwick for Ambi Pictures.
Warwick announced the project in Cannes on Friday and included Lady Gaga in the list of cast members with Gaga to play Cilla Black, her 'musical nemesis'. Reps for Gaga however quickly sent out a statement saying she had never heard of the project.
In "Dionne," Luckett will play Warwick while Dukakis is her mentor Marlene Dietrich and Glover her father Mansel Warwick. Mario Van Peebles is in talks to direct while Andrea Iervolino, Jack Binder and Monika Bacardi will produce.
Randall Jahnson ("The Doors") wrote the screenplay for the film which covers the period early in Warwick's career from 1962 to 1968. Filming begins later this year.
Source: THR...
Warwick announced the project in Cannes on Friday and included Lady Gaga in the list of cast members with Gaga to play Cilla Black, her 'musical nemesis'. Reps for Gaga however quickly sent out a statement saying she had never heard of the project.
In "Dionne," Luckett will play Warwick while Dukakis is her mentor Marlene Dietrich and Glover her father Mansel Warwick. Mario Van Peebles is in talks to direct while Andrea Iervolino, Jack Binder and Monika Bacardi will produce.
Randall Jahnson ("The Doors") wrote the screenplay for the film which covers the period early in Warwick's career from 1962 to 1968. Filming begins later this year.
Source: THR...
- 5/13/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The Tennessee Wraith Chasers and Chip Coffey want to, as Ace Ventura would say, "Exorcise the demons", from the original Exorcist House. Also: a trailer for Goodnight Mommy, first details on Zombie Day Apocalypse, and a new clip for My Stepdaughter.
Exorcism: Live! Press Release (via TV by the Numbers): "(Los Angeles, CA) – Destination America announces it will host the first Live televised exorcism in U.S. history, Exorcism: Live! on Friday, Oct. 30 at 9/8c. The network dedicated to all-American entertainment will revisit the story and the frightening house that inspired the iconic movie The Exorcist on its 66th anniversary this October. The live event will take place at the original Exorcist House in the suburbs of St. Louis where the infamous ritual was performed on Roland Doe in 1949. No one has ever attempted to rid the lurking spirits and demons that inhabit this home, until now. Exorcism: Live!
Exorcism: Live! Press Release (via TV by the Numbers): "(Los Angeles, CA) – Destination America announces it will host the first Live televised exorcism in U.S. history, Exorcism: Live! on Friday, Oct. 30 at 9/8c. The network dedicated to all-American entertainment will revisit the story and the frightening house that inspired the iconic movie The Exorcist on its 66th anniversary this October. The live event will take place at the original Exorcist House in the suburbs of St. Louis where the infamous ritual was performed on Roland Doe in 1949. No one has ever attempted to rid the lurking spirits and demons that inhabit this home, until now. Exorcism: Live!
- 7/31/2015
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Film is inspired by cult Norwegian band and stars Alan Hyde and Alba August.
Norway’s Producer On The Move Terez Hollo-Klausen is preparing a new feature inspired by cult Norwegian band Dryads, who played Manchester-inspired music in the early 1990s.
The film, called Dryads (working title) and due to start shooting next month, will star Alan Hyde (True Blood) and rising young actress Alba August (daughter of Bille and Pernilla August).
The film marks Sten Hellevig’s feature debut. The project has been co-scripted by Hellevig and American writer Randall Jahnson who wrote Oliver Stone’s The Doors.
It is being produced through Hollo-Klausen’s Anna Kron Films and Hellevig’’s King Of Popcorn. It is being put together as Norwegian/Us co-production.
It is being made with the full support of the original Dryads. However, the film is set in the present day and will feature original music rather than the band’s old songs...
Norway’s Producer On The Move Terez Hollo-Klausen is preparing a new feature inspired by cult Norwegian band Dryads, who played Manchester-inspired music in the early 1990s.
The film, called Dryads (working title) and due to start shooting next month, will star Alan Hyde (True Blood) and rising young actress Alba August (daughter of Bille and Pernilla August).
The film marks Sten Hellevig’s feature debut. The project has been co-scripted by Hellevig and American writer Randall Jahnson who wrote Oliver Stone’s The Doors.
It is being produced through Hollo-Klausen’s Anna Kron Films and Hellevig’’s King Of Popcorn. It is being put together as Norwegian/Us co-production.
It is being made with the full support of the original Dryads. However, the film is set in the present day and will feature original music rather than the band’s old songs...
- 5/17/2014
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Film review: 'Sunset Strip'
"Sunset Strip" is a winning comic drama that is getting a sure-to-fail release from 20th Century Fox. A glance back at an irrecoverably innocent past and the music that galvanized a generation, "Sunset" opens today in Los Angeles and New York with nearly no marketing. It's a pity because, while clearly not an easy sell, this amiable film has the makings of a cult favorite.
"Sunset" was produced by Art Linson and John Linson, and the film is somewhat reminiscent of one of Art's earliest films, "American Hot Wax". Where that film's director, Floyd Mutrux, went for high-energy B-movie sizzle in his encapsulation of 1950s rock 'n' roll, in "Sunset", tyro director Adam Collis takes a more mellow look at the 1970s rock milieu.
Collis and screenwriters Randall Jahnson ("The Doors") and Russell Degrazier freeze-frame a 24-hour period along the fabled Sunset Strip during the summer of 1972, which allows them to sketch miniportraits of several characters in the music scene.
Fashion designer Tammy (Anna Friel) has a clothing store across the street from the famed Whisky-a-Go-Go (as the nightclub was then called). She and photographer Michael (Simon Baker) are scheduled to do an album-cover shoot with flavor-of-the-month rocker Glen (Jared Leto).
A band led by Hendrix-obsessed guitarist Zach (Nick Stahl) is opening that night at the Whisky for the latest British sensation, Duncan (Tommy J. Flanagan). Hyperkinetic peacenik Shapiro (Adam Goldberg) is a talent manager on the prowl for clients. And pianist-songwriter Felix (Rory Cochrane), a kind of latter-day Oscar Levant, fights off depression with a nearly lethal combination of drugs and booze.
Production designer Cynthia Charette and costumer Ha Nguyen have masterfully re-
created the rock scene of 1972. More crucially, Collis and his writers perfectly capture that era's attitudes -- the open approach to sex, drugs, relationships and, pivotally, music. Suddenly, a whole generation was exploring new freedoms in all areas of life. Our own hindsight at the fads and indulgences of 1972 makes us realize how awfully naive we all were.
Tammy has sex with two rockers -- she has a thing for guitar players -- and winds up with a third man, all within 24 hours. A dose of syphilis gets passed around through these romantic interludes without causing much concern to anyone. How many light-years are we removed from that scene.
There is also a good deal of naivete about the music with which the characters' lives are absolutely intertwined. But in those days, music was still a business and not yet an industry. All the characters are earnest about their professions; their true-believer fervor is refreshing. But looking back from 2000, we realize that those days when rock was going to rule the world are gone forever.
The era, of course, produced charismatic, larger-than-life rock legends. But the movie's lively, likable characters are the guys in the trenches, those who create the ambiance from which great stars emerge. The Jimi Hendrixes and Jim Morrisons serve as inspiration and fuel the creativity of those on the fringes of rock.
There is superb behind-the-scenes work here. Executive soundtrack producer Robbie Robertson and composer Stewart Copeland hatch a kick-ass soundtrack. Toni Basil supplies the Richard Lester-inspired choreography. And cinematographer Ron Fortunato gets the true grit of 1972 Los Angeles just right.
One minor caveat: The film's emulation of "American Graffiti"'s concluding update of the characters' destinies cuts against the snapshot quality that "Sunset" strives so hard to establish. We really don't want to know how these people ended up.
SUNSET STRIP
20th Century Fox
2000 Pictures presents
a Linson Films production
Producers: Art Linson, John Linson
Director: Adam Collis
Screenwriters: Randall Jahnson,
Russell Degrazier
Executive producer: James Dodson
Director of photography: Ron Fortunato
Production designer: Cynthia Charette
Music: Stewart Copeland
Costume designer: Ha Nguyen
Editor: Bruce Cannon
Color/stereo
Cast:
Michael: Simon Baker
Tammy: Anna Friel
Zach: Nick Stahl
Felix: Rory Cochrane
Shapiro: Adam Goldberg
Glen: Jared Leto
Duncan: Tommy J. Flanagan
Running time - 90 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
"Sunset" was produced by Art Linson and John Linson, and the film is somewhat reminiscent of one of Art's earliest films, "American Hot Wax". Where that film's director, Floyd Mutrux, went for high-energy B-movie sizzle in his encapsulation of 1950s rock 'n' roll, in "Sunset", tyro director Adam Collis takes a more mellow look at the 1970s rock milieu.
Collis and screenwriters Randall Jahnson ("The Doors") and Russell Degrazier freeze-frame a 24-hour period along the fabled Sunset Strip during the summer of 1972, which allows them to sketch miniportraits of several characters in the music scene.
Fashion designer Tammy (Anna Friel) has a clothing store across the street from the famed Whisky-a-Go-Go (as the nightclub was then called). She and photographer Michael (Simon Baker) are scheduled to do an album-cover shoot with flavor-of-the-month rocker Glen (Jared Leto).
A band led by Hendrix-obsessed guitarist Zach (Nick Stahl) is opening that night at the Whisky for the latest British sensation, Duncan (Tommy J. Flanagan). Hyperkinetic peacenik Shapiro (Adam Goldberg) is a talent manager on the prowl for clients. And pianist-songwriter Felix (Rory Cochrane), a kind of latter-day Oscar Levant, fights off depression with a nearly lethal combination of drugs and booze.
Production designer Cynthia Charette and costumer Ha Nguyen have masterfully re-
created the rock scene of 1972. More crucially, Collis and his writers perfectly capture that era's attitudes -- the open approach to sex, drugs, relationships and, pivotally, music. Suddenly, a whole generation was exploring new freedoms in all areas of life. Our own hindsight at the fads and indulgences of 1972 makes us realize how awfully naive we all were.
Tammy has sex with two rockers -- she has a thing for guitar players -- and winds up with a third man, all within 24 hours. A dose of syphilis gets passed around through these romantic interludes without causing much concern to anyone. How many light-years are we removed from that scene.
There is also a good deal of naivete about the music with which the characters' lives are absolutely intertwined. But in those days, music was still a business and not yet an industry. All the characters are earnest about their professions; their true-believer fervor is refreshing. But looking back from 2000, we realize that those days when rock was going to rule the world are gone forever.
The era, of course, produced charismatic, larger-than-life rock legends. But the movie's lively, likable characters are the guys in the trenches, those who create the ambiance from which great stars emerge. The Jimi Hendrixes and Jim Morrisons serve as inspiration and fuel the creativity of those on the fringes of rock.
There is superb behind-the-scenes work here. Executive soundtrack producer Robbie Robertson and composer Stewart Copeland hatch a kick-ass soundtrack. Toni Basil supplies the Richard Lester-inspired choreography. And cinematographer Ron Fortunato gets the true grit of 1972 Los Angeles just right.
One minor caveat: The film's emulation of "American Graffiti"'s concluding update of the characters' destinies cuts against the snapshot quality that "Sunset" strives so hard to establish. We really don't want to know how these people ended up.
SUNSET STRIP
20th Century Fox
2000 Pictures presents
a Linson Films production
Producers: Art Linson, John Linson
Director: Adam Collis
Screenwriters: Randall Jahnson,
Russell Degrazier
Executive producer: James Dodson
Director of photography: Ron Fortunato
Production designer: Cynthia Charette
Music: Stewart Copeland
Costume designer: Ha Nguyen
Editor: Bruce Cannon
Color/stereo
Cast:
Michael: Simon Baker
Tammy: Anna Friel
Zach: Nick Stahl
Felix: Rory Cochrane
Shapiro: Adam Goldberg
Glen: Jared Leto
Duncan: Tommy J. Flanagan
Running time - 90 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 8/11/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'The Mask of Zorro'
Zzzzzzzz is for "Zorro".
Swashbuckling, slapstick, nostalgia, romance -- all set against a political backdrop. Amblin Entertainment's "The Mask of Zorro" has it all, including two Zorros, but its ambition and clear desire to please at all levels ultimately sticks itself.
Sony will undoubtedly fence solid early points with this men-in-black popcorner, but there is, alas, more corn than pop in this return to the thrilling days of legendary heroism, not to mention 1950s television.
Although pleasingly entertaining in segments, it's way too stiff and predictable for adult audiences and, perhaps, way too slow (not to mention gory) for the elementary-school set. Remember whose movie it was that launched the PG-13 rating? Save for those second-graders who yearn for a painstakingly exhaustive portrait of the harsh political realities of a past day and age, it's unlikely to win the hearts of grade schoolers. The moviegoing demographic "Zorro"'s most likely to please? The child-adult.
In this disappointingly cumbersome TriStar presentation, Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas limn the role of the latter-day swordsman who fought Spanish oppression in what is now known as California. In case you're wondering and confused, Hopkins plays Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro, the dashing rogue we all loved from the late '50s TV show, while Banderas is his new protege and successor. Those who relished Hopkins' thrashing, outdoorsman performance in his Bart the Bear movie (we can't recall the title) will relish, in the same vein, his sword-fighting.
As Zorro Emeritus, Hopkins not only imparts the wisdom of his dueling to his newly anointed successor but enhances it with the stentorian solemnity one usually finds only in the House of Commons.
We must, however, commend Hopkins' bravery in attacking the part; unfortunately, it's unlikely that kid viewers might be so charitable, especially since old Zorro's duels take up big swatches of the crucial climax. Indeed, indicative of our wandering attention when elder Zorro is either waxing or dueling away, we tend to look around for John Gielgud to jump in with sharpened blade and enter the fray.
Two words for the narrative: The kind word is "ambitious"; the nasty word is "mess." Suffice it to say there are three credited screenwriters as well as three credited story writers, and "The Mask of Zorro" basks in what appears to be a legal-sized list of "must" suggestions from an assembled story committee.
Fortunately, there's a lot of good stuff, including the mentor-fighter aspects of "The Karate Kid", but unfortunately "Zorro" is so packed with back story and historical exposition and so murkily plotted that one never really finds anyone to root for, including Zorro.
Although Zorro is charming, dashing and wears a zippy costume, we're never quite sure what he's in it for -- revenge, idealism, love of a lady, kicks? Admittedly, it's explained somewhere, but it's done in such a clinical, dry way that Zorro never captures our fancy or our fantasies. We never really root for him, other than in a passive good-guy vs. bad-guy mode. Still, "Zorro" is chock middling full with good old, matinee-movie moments: jumping on speeding horses from windows, swinging from chandeliers, flirting with beautiful women.
As the younger Zorro, Banderas is well-cast. His gleaming smile and elegant athleticism are well-suited for the character's glossy heroics. Newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones steals the show whenever she is on the screen: As Zorro 1's long-lost daughter, she's a comely catch and, natch, causes Zorro the Sequel to drop his swords. However, crankier boomers who loved the TV show and destroyed lots of furniture with their plastic, Piggly Wiggly-bought Zorro swords are going to wonder: Where's Sgt. Garcia, the great slapstick buffoon of the TV series?
Gazing at the credits, we see a Corp. Garcia. Maybe it was the same character before he got his comic stripes. In any event, that's the kind of crabby word-of-mouth "Zorro" is likely to cut among us old folks. Supporting players seem to be well-chosen, but under Martin Campbell's competent but painstakingly measured hand, the supporting characters are not very juicy, just common flavorings.
As one would expect from Amblin, the technical contributions are first-rate and stirringly realized. Cinematographer Phil Meheux's landscape compositions are picture-postcard proper, while costumer Graciela Mazon's clothing colorations bloom with character particulars. Composer James Horner's rousing horns give a thrilling, old-style tone to the movie, eloquently trumpeting its best intentions and traditions.
THE MASK OF ZORRO
Sony Pictures Releasing
TriStar Pictures
An Amblin Entertainment production
Producers: Doug Claybourne, David Foster
Director: Martin Campbell
Screenwriters: John Eskow,
Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Story: Ted Elliott,
Terry Rossio, Randall Jahnson
Executive producers: Steven Spielberg,
Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Director of photography: Phil Meheux
Production designer: Cecilia Montiel
Editor: Thom Noble
Costume designer: Graciela Mazon
Music: James Horner
Co-producer: John Gertz
Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Alejandro Murieta/Zorro: Antonio Banderas
Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro: Anthony Hopkins
Elena Montero: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Dan Rafael Montero: Stuart Wilson
Capt. Harrison Love: Matt Letscher
Running time -- 136 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Swashbuckling, slapstick, nostalgia, romance -- all set against a political backdrop. Amblin Entertainment's "The Mask of Zorro" has it all, including two Zorros, but its ambition and clear desire to please at all levels ultimately sticks itself.
Sony will undoubtedly fence solid early points with this men-in-black popcorner, but there is, alas, more corn than pop in this return to the thrilling days of legendary heroism, not to mention 1950s television.
Although pleasingly entertaining in segments, it's way too stiff and predictable for adult audiences and, perhaps, way too slow (not to mention gory) for the elementary-school set. Remember whose movie it was that launched the PG-13 rating? Save for those second-graders who yearn for a painstakingly exhaustive portrait of the harsh political realities of a past day and age, it's unlikely to win the hearts of grade schoolers. The moviegoing demographic "Zorro"'s most likely to please? The child-adult.
In this disappointingly cumbersome TriStar presentation, Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas limn the role of the latter-day swordsman who fought Spanish oppression in what is now known as California. In case you're wondering and confused, Hopkins plays Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro, the dashing rogue we all loved from the late '50s TV show, while Banderas is his new protege and successor. Those who relished Hopkins' thrashing, outdoorsman performance in his Bart the Bear movie (we can't recall the title) will relish, in the same vein, his sword-fighting.
As Zorro Emeritus, Hopkins not only imparts the wisdom of his dueling to his newly anointed successor but enhances it with the stentorian solemnity one usually finds only in the House of Commons.
We must, however, commend Hopkins' bravery in attacking the part; unfortunately, it's unlikely that kid viewers might be so charitable, especially since old Zorro's duels take up big swatches of the crucial climax. Indeed, indicative of our wandering attention when elder Zorro is either waxing or dueling away, we tend to look around for John Gielgud to jump in with sharpened blade and enter the fray.
Two words for the narrative: The kind word is "ambitious"; the nasty word is "mess." Suffice it to say there are three credited screenwriters as well as three credited story writers, and "The Mask of Zorro" basks in what appears to be a legal-sized list of "must" suggestions from an assembled story committee.
Fortunately, there's a lot of good stuff, including the mentor-fighter aspects of "The Karate Kid", but unfortunately "Zorro" is so packed with back story and historical exposition and so murkily plotted that one never really finds anyone to root for, including Zorro.
Although Zorro is charming, dashing and wears a zippy costume, we're never quite sure what he's in it for -- revenge, idealism, love of a lady, kicks? Admittedly, it's explained somewhere, but it's done in such a clinical, dry way that Zorro never captures our fancy or our fantasies. We never really root for him, other than in a passive good-guy vs. bad-guy mode. Still, "Zorro" is chock middling full with good old, matinee-movie moments: jumping on speeding horses from windows, swinging from chandeliers, flirting with beautiful women.
As the younger Zorro, Banderas is well-cast. His gleaming smile and elegant athleticism are well-suited for the character's glossy heroics. Newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones steals the show whenever she is on the screen: As Zorro 1's long-lost daughter, she's a comely catch and, natch, causes Zorro the Sequel to drop his swords. However, crankier boomers who loved the TV show and destroyed lots of furniture with their plastic, Piggly Wiggly-bought Zorro swords are going to wonder: Where's Sgt. Garcia, the great slapstick buffoon of the TV series?
Gazing at the credits, we see a Corp. Garcia. Maybe it was the same character before he got his comic stripes. In any event, that's the kind of crabby word-of-mouth "Zorro" is likely to cut among us old folks. Supporting players seem to be well-chosen, but under Martin Campbell's competent but painstakingly measured hand, the supporting characters are not very juicy, just common flavorings.
As one would expect from Amblin, the technical contributions are first-rate and stirringly realized. Cinematographer Phil Meheux's landscape compositions are picture-postcard proper, while costumer Graciela Mazon's clothing colorations bloom with character particulars. Composer James Horner's rousing horns give a thrilling, old-style tone to the movie, eloquently trumpeting its best intentions and traditions.
THE MASK OF ZORRO
Sony Pictures Releasing
TriStar Pictures
An Amblin Entertainment production
Producers: Doug Claybourne, David Foster
Director: Martin Campbell
Screenwriters: John Eskow,
Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Story: Ted Elliott,
Terry Rossio, Randall Jahnson
Executive producers: Steven Spielberg,
Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Director of photography: Phil Meheux
Production designer: Cecilia Montiel
Editor: Thom Noble
Costume designer: Graciela Mazon
Music: James Horner
Co-producer: John Gertz
Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Alejandro Murieta/Zorro: Antonio Banderas
Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro: Anthony Hopkins
Elena Montero: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Dan Rafael Montero: Stuart Wilson
Capt. Harrison Love: Matt Letscher
Running time -- 136 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 6/26/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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