Borrowing the off-the-grid Southern landscapes of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and adding the energetic, spirited Zack Gottsagen — supported by a very engaging Shia Labeouf and Dakota Johnson — “The Peanut Butter Falcon” is charming, enveloping, and an absolute joy.
Zak (first-timer Gottsagen) is a 22-year-old with Down syndrome; after being abandoned by his relatives, he lives in a nursing home because the state has no other facilities that would supply the care he needs. Looked after by administrator Eleanor (Johnson) and several of the other residents, Zak watches old wrestling videos of his idol, “The Saltwater Redneck” (Thomas Haden Church), and dreams of escaping the home to attend the Redneck’s wrestling school.
One night, with the help of his roommate, who believes Zak should be out experiencing life, Zak escapes wearing only his tighty-whities. Determined, he runs through most of the night, finally finding a moment to rest on a small boat,...
Zak (first-timer Gottsagen) is a 22-year-old with Down syndrome; after being abandoned by his relatives, he lives in a nursing home because the state has no other facilities that would supply the care he needs. Looked after by administrator Eleanor (Johnson) and several of the other residents, Zak watches old wrestling videos of his idol, “The Saltwater Redneck” (Thomas Haden Church), and dreams of escaping the home to attend the Redneck’s wrestling school.
One night, with the help of his roommate, who believes Zak should be out experiencing life, Zak escapes wearing only his tighty-whities. Determined, he runs through most of the night, finally finding a moment to rest on a small boat,...
- 8/9/2019
- by Yolanda Machado
- The Wrap
Jean-Claude Van Damme discusses how he learned not to take himself so seriously in the new Amazon series, 'Jean-Claude Van Johnson.' Graham Walzer/Redux
Jean-Claude Van Damme – the kickboxing King of the Splits, the street-fighting inspiration for the game Mortal Kombat, the fabled flexing "Muscles From Brussels" – can get seriously silly.
"I like to make voices with my kids," he says nonchalantly. "You see a cartoon and you do one." Then Van Damme asks, "Can you make a voice for me? Make a voice for me." After a few increasingly goofy back-and-forths,...
Jean-Claude Van Damme – the kickboxing King of the Splits, the street-fighting inspiration for the game Mortal Kombat, the fabled flexing "Muscles From Brussels" – can get seriously silly.
"I like to make voices with my kids," he says nonchalantly. "You see a cartoon and you do one." Then Van Damme asks, "Can you make a voice for me? Make a voice for me." After a few increasingly goofy back-and-forths,...
- 12/14/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Jean-Claude Van Damme discusses how he learned not to take himself so seriously in the new Amazon series, 'Jean-Claude Van Johnson.' Graham Walzer/Redux
Jean-Claude Van Damme – the kickboxing King of the Splits, the street-fighting inspiration for the game Mortal Kombat, the fabled flexing "Muscles From Brussels" – can get seriously silly.
"I like to make voices with my kids," he says nonchalantly. "You see a cartoon and you do one." Then Van Damme asks, "Can you make a voice for me? Make a voice for me." After a few increasingly goofy back-and-forths,...
Jean-Claude Van Damme – the kickboxing King of the Splits, the street-fighting inspiration for the game Mortal Kombat, the fabled flexing "Muscles From Brussels" – can get seriously silly.
"I like to make voices with my kids," he says nonchalantly. "You see a cartoon and you do one." Then Van Damme asks, "Can you make a voice for me? Make a voice for me." After a few increasingly goofy back-and-forths,...
- 12/14/2017
- Rollingstone.com
In 2017, there’s a show for everyone, and typically that’s a good thing. There’s so much demand for fresh content and so many content providers looking to stand out, fresh stories from distinct voices populate an ever-diversifying television landscape. In other words, this is a world that could easily have room for a show where Jean-Claude Van Damme plays Jean-Claude Van Damme, a movie star who’s also a highly trained international spy.
But for as nutty as “Jean-Claude Van Johnson” sounds, its execution feels too familiar to earn its spot. Though the story-building in the pilot is clever enough to provide ample opportunity for good old-fashioned fun, too many easy jokes and half-baked movie homages keep the six-episode first season from fulfilling its potential as the sharp meta successor to “Episodes,” “The Comedians,” or even Van Damme’s 2008 film, “Jcvd.”
For starters, “Jean-Claude Van Johnson” has nothing to say about the industry,...
But for as nutty as “Jean-Claude Van Johnson” sounds, its execution feels too familiar to earn its spot. Though the story-building in the pilot is clever enough to provide ample opportunity for good old-fashioned fun, too many easy jokes and half-baked movie homages keep the six-episode first season from fulfilling its potential as the sharp meta successor to “Episodes,” “The Comedians,” or even Van Damme’s 2008 film, “Jcvd.”
For starters, “Jean-Claude Van Johnson” has nothing to say about the industry,...
- 12/13/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Matt Edwards Dec 14, 2017
As action comedy thriller Jean-Claude Van Johnson arrives on Amazon Prime Video, Matt looks at the history of action movie star satire...
In the new Amazon series Jean-Claude Van Johnson, action star Jean-Claude Van Damme attempts to relaunch his career by playing a fictionalised version of himself. In the show, Jean-Claude goes to Bulgaria to star in a movie which has been set-up to allow him to undertake covert missions for the agency as his alter-ego name Jean-Claude Van Johnson.
See related The Oa: 10 questions (sort of) answered The Oa: Netflix renews for season 2 Netflix's The Oa: spoiler-free review
This might all seem a bit familiar, for a couple of reasons. Of course, it’s not the first time that hyper-flexible jaw-punter Van Damme has relaunched his career by playing a fictionalised version of himself. 2008's excellent Jcvd, where he plays a down-on-his-luck version of himself who...
As action comedy thriller Jean-Claude Van Johnson arrives on Amazon Prime Video, Matt looks at the history of action movie star satire...
In the new Amazon series Jean-Claude Van Johnson, action star Jean-Claude Van Damme attempts to relaunch his career by playing a fictionalised version of himself. In the show, Jean-Claude goes to Bulgaria to star in a movie which has been set-up to allow him to undertake covert missions for the agency as his alter-ego name Jean-Claude Van Johnson.
See related The Oa: 10 questions (sort of) answered The Oa: Netflix renews for season 2 Netflix's The Oa: spoiler-free review
This might all seem a bit familiar, for a couple of reasons. Of course, it’s not the first time that hyper-flexible jaw-punter Van Damme has relaunched his career by playing a fictionalised version of himself. 2008's excellent Jcvd, where he plays a down-on-his-luck version of himself who...
- 12/11/2017
- Den of Geek
In this week’s edition of Canon Of Film, we take a look at Charles Laughton‘s one-off masterpiece, ‘The Night of the Hunter‘. For the story behind the genesis of the Canon, you can click here.
The Night Of The Hunter (1955)
Director: Charles Laughton
Screenplay: James Agee based on the novel by David Grubb
Although he acted in over 50 films during his illustrious acting career, Charles Laughton only got to direct one film in his lifetime, but he made it count, and it stands as a strange, unique essential film that’s part ‘Huckleberry Finn’, and the rest, this surrealistic nightmare with a tone that seems to directly influence modern horror/slasher film directors like Wes Craven, John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper. ‘The Night of the Hunter,’ frightened the hell out of me on my first viewing, and still continues to shake me on subsequent ones. It’s at...
The Night Of The Hunter (1955)
Director: Charles Laughton
Screenplay: James Agee based on the novel by David Grubb
Although he acted in over 50 films during his illustrious acting career, Charles Laughton only got to direct one film in his lifetime, but he made it count, and it stands as a strange, unique essential film that’s part ‘Huckleberry Finn’, and the rest, this surrealistic nightmare with a tone that seems to directly influence modern horror/slasher film directors like Wes Craven, John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper. ‘The Night of the Hunter,’ frightened the hell out of me on my first viewing, and still continues to shake me on subsequent ones. It’s at...
- 11/4/2017
- by David Baruffi
- Age of the Nerd
Tuesday marks the 24th anniversary of River Phoenix’s untimely death on Oct. 31, 1993.
The actor was just 23 when he died outside the Viper Room in West Hollywood due to a drug overdose, but made his mark on the world after starring in beloved films Stand By Me (1986), Running on Empty (1988) and My Own Private Idaho (1991). His final film, Dark Blood, was completed in 2012.
In Phoenix’s honor, we’re taking a look back at his quick rise to fame and the best work of the gone-but-never-forgotten star.
An Unusual Childhood
Phoenix was born on August 23, 1970 in Madras, Oregon. His family...
The actor was just 23 when he died outside the Viper Room in West Hollywood due to a drug overdose, but made his mark on the world after starring in beloved films Stand By Me (1986), Running on Empty (1988) and My Own Private Idaho (1991). His final film, Dark Blood, was completed in 2012.
In Phoenix’s honor, we’re taking a look back at his quick rise to fame and the best work of the gone-but-never-forgotten star.
An Unusual Childhood
Phoenix was born on August 23, 1970 in Madras, Oregon. His family...
- 10/31/2017
- by Caroline Redmond
- PEOPLE.com
I remember when Jean-claude Van Johnson first appeared as a pilot Amazon Prime let you vote on, and thinking it was alright. I thought the beginning - with sadsack Jean-Claude Van Damme - moping around his house was extremely funny, while a lot of the Hollywood parody stuff (like the ridiculous Huckleberry Finn action film he found himself in) was a little too on the nose. As for the action bits, I thought they were hit-and-miss, and always best when Jvcd was the butt of the jokes. He... Read More...
- 10/10/2017
- by Damion Damaske
- JoBlo.com
Three episodes were provided prior to broadcast.
Is there a prouder American institution than that of the con artist? They abound throughout our history and literature. Huckleberry Finn adventured with the Duke and the Dauphin, Herman Melville gave us a literal boatload of con men in The Confidence Man, and Paul Newman and Robert Redford grifted and conned their way through The Sting.
And it’s not just fiction. Not only are all the aforementioned con artists based on real people, but they just keep popping up in the tale of America: Bernie Madoff, Frank Abagnale and Mel Weinberg are all living men infamous for their tricks of confidence. Even the sitting president has been labeled a con artist by both his detractors and members of his own political party.
With all this said, is it necessary to tell another story centered around con artists? Someone certainly seems to think so.
Is there a prouder American institution than that of the con artist? They abound throughout our history and literature. Huckleberry Finn adventured with the Duke and the Dauphin, Herman Melville gave us a literal boatload of con men in The Confidence Man, and Paul Newman and Robert Redford grifted and conned their way through The Sting.
And it’s not just fiction. Not only are all the aforementioned con artists based on real people, but they just keep popping up in the tale of America: Bernie Madoff, Frank Abagnale and Mel Weinberg are all living men infamous for their tricks of confidence. Even the sitting president has been labeled a con artist by both his detractors and members of his own political party.
With all this said, is it necessary to tell another story centered around con artists? Someone certainly seems to think so.
- 2/6/2017
- by D.F. Lovett
- We Got This Covered
It's a big day for your Lord of the Rings fans, even if you don't know it. Read on.
On this day in history as it relates to the movies
1882 Bela Lugosi is born in what was then Hungary (and now Romania). He vants to suck your blood as the original big screen Dracula. A century later Martin Landau will win a justly deserved Oscar for playing him in Tim Burton's wonderful Ed Wood (1994).
1895 Rex Ingram, one of the earliest successful black actors in Hollywood was born. Credits include: The Thief of Baghdad (as the genie), Huckleberry Finn (as Jim), and Cabin in the Sky (as Lucifer Jr)...
1901 Frank Churchill is born in Maine. He wrote songs people still listen to today including "Baby Mine" from Dumbo and "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Tragically he committed suicide at age 40 mere months after...
On this day in history as it relates to the movies
1882 Bela Lugosi is born in what was then Hungary (and now Romania). He vants to suck your blood as the original big screen Dracula. A century later Martin Landau will win a justly deserved Oscar for playing him in Tim Burton's wonderful Ed Wood (1994).
1895 Rex Ingram, one of the earliest successful black actors in Hollywood was born. Credits include: The Thief of Baghdad (as the genie), Huckleberry Finn (as Jim), and Cabin in the Sky (as Lucifer Jr)...
1901 Frank Churchill is born in Maine. He wrote songs people still listen to today including "Baby Mine" from Dumbo and "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Tragically he committed suicide at age 40 mere months after...
- 10/20/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
The Adventures ofTom Sawyeris a musical comedy based on the novel byMark Twain. The musical is the story of a fourteen-year- old boy growing up in the heartland of America. This Broadway musical version ofMark Twain's novel is set in 1840 in St. Petersburg, Missouri, a bustling town on the banks of the Mississippi River. In the course of the story, Tom matches wits with his stern Aunt Polly, falls in love with the beautiful, feisty Becky Thatcher, and goes on the adventure of his life with Becky and Huckleberry Finn. Along the way he meets a terrifying villain named Injun Joe, Tom's bratty half-brother Sid, and all the other boys and girls in the village.
- 7/30/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Don’t expect to see any more “Star Wars” parodies from Fox’s animated hit “Family Guy.”
The show produced three “Star Wars” homages (2007’s “Blue Harvest,” 2009’s “Something, Something, Something Dark Side” and 2010’s “It’s a Trap!”) several years ago. But that was back before Disney acquired Lucasfilm and jumpstarted the franchise.
“The new regime is a little more difficult to deal with,” executive producer Alec Sulkin said. “Before we were just dealing with Lucasfilm. Seth [MacFarlane] had a good relationship with them. It’s not that Seth has a bad relationship with Disney, but they’re a bit more rigid.”
Executive producer Rich Appel said it was understandable, as “they’re a little more careful now that they’re rolling out new movies.”
Read More: 8 of Indiewire’s Favorite Talking TV Animals
Meanwhile, David Tennant, Kyle Chandler, Jacob Tremblay and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea are among...
The show produced three “Star Wars” homages (2007’s “Blue Harvest,” 2009’s “Something, Something, Something Dark Side” and 2010’s “It’s a Trap!”) several years ago. But that was back before Disney acquired Lucasfilm and jumpstarted the franchise.
“The new regime is a little more difficult to deal with,” executive producer Alec Sulkin said. “Before we were just dealing with Lucasfilm. Seth [MacFarlane] had a good relationship with them. It’s not that Seth has a bad relationship with Disney, but they’re a bit more rigid.”
Executive producer Rich Appel said it was understandable, as “they’re a little more careful now that they’re rolling out new movies.”
Read More: 8 of Indiewire’s Favorite Talking TV Animals
Meanwhile, David Tennant, Kyle Chandler, Jacob Tremblay and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea are among...
- 7/23/2016
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
I’ve heard it said that old friends are the best friends. That makes sense to me. Over time, you’ve shared experiences together, both good and bad. You’ve grown to know each other, to know the little idiosyncrasies that make up who we are, that make the bonds between us.
You can form that kind of relationships with books as well, especially series. The first time you read the book, it’s to discover the story, to learn what happens next. As you return to it, or read another book in the series, it’s because you want to revisit them.
For example, for me every new book in The Number One Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith is like a new visit with old friends. I know the characters, the main ones and the wide supporting cast as well, and I want to learn what...
You can form that kind of relationships with books as well, especially series. The first time you read the book, it’s to discover the story, to learn what happens next. As you return to it, or read another book in the series, it’s because you want to revisit them.
For example, for me every new book in The Number One Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith is like a new visit with old friends. I know the characters, the main ones and the wide supporting cast as well, and I want to learn what...
- 5/1/2016
- by John Ostrander
- Comicmix.com
Kat Foster is set as the female lead opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in his Amazon comedy pilot Jean-Claude Van Johnson. Written by David Callaham (Godzilla) and to be directed by Peter Atencio (Key & Peele), the project from Scott Free Prods sees Van Damme come out of retirement to put on the mantle of his alter ego, undercover private contractor Jean-Claude Johnson. Johnson’s cover as the lead role in a re-imagined action film version of Huckleberry Finn lands him right…...
- 4/19/2016
- Deadline TV
Jeff Nichols’s gripping cosmic thriller has it all – a superb cast, gritty realism and a final-act reveal that will amaze you…
Ah, the eternal problem of the spoiler warning… You never want to give away too much plot in a film review – but then, plot isn’t always the biggest thing that you would ideally want to keep fresh for the viewer. In Jeff Nichols’s Midnight Special, two of the biggest surprises are particular visual effects, so I’ll disclose just one, namely that this terrific American science fiction/thriller hybrid does some (literally) dazzling things with a certain shade of blue light.
Midnight Special is the fourth feature by Jeff Nichols, the Arkansas-born writer-director who has rapidly established himself as an inventive, independent-minded talent with a firm belief in old-fashioned storytelling values. His 2007 debut, Shotgun Stories, a modest but taut family feud drama, helped establish its star,...
Ah, the eternal problem of the spoiler warning… You never want to give away too much plot in a film review – but then, plot isn’t always the biggest thing that you would ideally want to keep fresh for the viewer. In Jeff Nichols’s Midnight Special, two of the biggest surprises are particular visual effects, so I’ll disclose just one, namely that this terrific American science fiction/thriller hybrid does some (literally) dazzling things with a certain shade of blue light.
Midnight Special is the fourth feature by Jeff Nichols, the Arkansas-born writer-director who has rapidly established himself as an inventive, independent-minded talent with a firm belief in old-fashioned storytelling values. His 2007 debut, Shotgun Stories, a modest but taut family feud drama, helped establish its star,...
- 4/10/2016
- by Jonathan Romney
- The Guardian - Film News
For those of you who just don't get enough of Jean-Claude Van Damme these days, you'll be happy to hear that he is developing his own action comedy series at Amazon called Jean-Claude Van Johnson!
Van Damme has had an exciting career full of both good and bad action movies. The actor doesn't shy away from poking fun at himself either. He did it in Jcvd and that's exactly what this new series is going to do as well.
Amazon has only ordered the pilot episode so far. Here's the synopsis that /Film provides:
Jean-Claude Van Damme comes out of retirement to put on once again the mantle of his alter-ego, undercover private contractor Jean-Claude Johnson. “Johnson’s” cover as the lead role in a re-imagined action film version of “Huckleberry Finn” lands him right back in the midst of the danger he secretly always craves–but most importantly,...
Van Damme has had an exciting career full of both good and bad action movies. The actor doesn't shy away from poking fun at himself either. He did it in Jcvd and that's exactly what this new series is going to do as well.
Amazon has only ordered the pilot episode so far. Here's the synopsis that /Film provides:
Jean-Claude Van Damme comes out of retirement to put on once again the mantle of his alter-ego, undercover private contractor Jean-Claude Johnson. “Johnson’s” cover as the lead role in a re-imagined action film version of “Huckleberry Finn” lands him right back in the midst of the danger he secretly always craves–but most importantly,...
- 2/27/2016
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Jean-Claude Van Damme is set to star in an original scripted comedy-action series for Amazon.
The streaming service has picked up the pilot "Jean-Claude Van Johnson" which follows Van Damme playing a version of himself - an actor and martial-arts pro who comes out of retirement to film a reimagined action film version of "Huckleberry Finn".
At the same time he resumes his other job, as an undercover black ops private contractor, and finds himself back in touch with fellow operative and the love of his life that got away.
Dave Callaham ("The Expendables") will pen the acript and executive produce alongside Ridley Scott and David Zucker. Peter Atencio will direct the pilot and filming aims to begin mid-May in Los Angeles.
Source: The Live Feed...
The streaming service has picked up the pilot "Jean-Claude Van Johnson" which follows Van Damme playing a version of himself - an actor and martial-arts pro who comes out of retirement to film a reimagined action film version of "Huckleberry Finn".
At the same time he resumes his other job, as an undercover black ops private contractor, and finds himself back in touch with fellow operative and the love of his life that got away.
Dave Callaham ("The Expendables") will pen the acript and executive produce alongside Ridley Scott and David Zucker. Peter Atencio will direct the pilot and filming aims to begin mid-May in Los Angeles.
Source: The Live Feed...
- 2/24/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The unlikely worlds of Ridley Scott and Jean-Claude Van Damme are colliding. No, the action hero won't be in "Alien: Covenant," but Scott is one of the producers of a new series brewing at Amazon, that actually sounds kinda great. Slashfilm reveals the online merchant has ordered up a pilot for the awesomely titled "Jean-Claude Van Johnson." Much as he did in "Jcvd," the actor will be playing a variation of himself, but the show apparently takes an even bolder parodic turn in the script penned by Dave Callaham ("The Expendables"). Here's the synopsis: Read More: The 25 Most Anticipated New TV Shows Of 2016 Jean-Claude Van Damme comes out of retirement to put on once again the mantle of his alter-ego, undercover private contractor Jean-Claude Johnson. “Johnson’s” cover as the lead role in a re-imagined action film version of “Huckleberry Finn” lands him right back in the midst of...
- 2/23/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Prepare for some Prime splits: Jean-Claude Van Damme is set to play a heightened version of himself in Amazon Studios action comedy “Jean-Claude Van Johnson,” which landed a pilot order on Tuesday. The project will see Jcvd playing a famous actor and martial arts pro who comes out of retirement to resume his alter-ego: an undercover private contractor by the name of Jean-Claude Van Johnson. So, kind of familiar, kind of overly silly. “Van Johnson” sets the titular character’s cover in the lead role of an action flick version of “Huckleberry Finn,” which lands the man back in the...
- 2/23/2016
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer are all grown up.
In this reimagining of Mark Twain’s colorful characters and stories, “Band of Robbers” follow grownup modern versions of Huck and Finn as they hunt for a hidden treasure.
The film stars Kyle Gallner, Adam Nee, Matthew Gray Gubler, Hannibal Buress, Melissa Benoist and Stephen Lang.
Latino-Review had an interview with Adam Nee, Gubler and director Aaron Nee about this hilarious film.
“Band of Robbers” is durrently available on VOD.
Check out the interview below.
Source: Latino-Review...
In this reimagining of Mark Twain’s colorful characters and stories, “Band of Robbers” follow grownup modern versions of Huck and Finn as they hunt for a hidden treasure.
The film stars Kyle Gallner, Adam Nee, Matthew Gray Gubler, Hannibal Buress, Melissa Benoist and Stephen Lang.
Latino-Review had an interview with Adam Nee, Gubler and director Aaron Nee about this hilarious film.
“Band of Robbers” is durrently available on VOD.
Check out the interview below.
Source: Latino-Review...
- 2/10/2016
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
Wound tight by a killer premise, polished direction, and a tone as though Anton Chigurh sauntered into “Bottle Rocket,” Aaron and Adam Nee’s “Band of Robbers” wrings the anxieties of aging and a dampened imagination from a grown-up Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Structuring their modern tale around the Mark Twain narratives, the sibling directors find laughs, pathos, and some surprising storytelling twists, plus have a game cast to deliver it — Kyle Gallner, Stephen Lang, Hannibal Buress, Melissa Benoist, and Eric Christian Olsen. The cast is refreshing for the lack of previously known kinship among them; unlike the Judd Apatow and Paul Feig collectives who deliver and tweak their lineups, there’s something to be said for a new group of comedic and dramatic actors establishing a dynamic. In this case it’s led by Gallner, who plays the straight man Huck Finn to Adam Nee’s deadpan eccentric Tom Sawyer,...
- 1/14/2016
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
Read More: Watch: Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn are Still Causing Mischief in 'Band of Robbers' Trailers In 2016, Tom Sawyer is a parody of a police officer and Huckleberry Finn is a mysterious and weathered former convict. Welcome to the new world of small time crooks in "Band of Robbers," directed by Aaron and Adam Nee. "Band of Robbers" is an updated comedic adaptation of Mark Twain’s most referenced works, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." Starring Kyle Gallner, Adam Nee, Matthew Gray Gubler and Hannibal Buress, "Band of Robbers" takes the legendary story and sets it in modern times, proving the timelessness of the works' themes and characters. In an exclusive clip above, Sawyer sports ray-bans and acts as uncomfortably bro-like as can be in the face of the newly released and understandably bitter Huck. "Band of Robbers" hits theaters and VOD platforms January 15. Read More:.
- 12/16/2015
- by Elle Leonsis
- Indiewire
Rian Johnson's Brick is one of my favorite films because of the way the writer/director so deftly created a throwback film noir movie set in a modern day high school. It looks like directors Adam and Aaron Nee have done something similar with Band of Robbers, a comedy that imagines the famous Mark Twain characters of Huckleberry Finn (Kyle Gallner) and Tom Sawyer (Adam Nee) as modern day criminals. If that premise doesn't whet your appetite enough, Supergirl star Melissa Benoist co-stars as Becky Thatcher, and actors like The Office's Creed Bratton, comedian Hannibal Buress, and Avatar's Stephen Lang also have roles here.
The Playlist points us to a new red-band trailer for the film, and this definitely looks like it's worth checking out. Band of Robbers hits select theaters and VOD on January 15th, 2016.
A modern-day retelling of Mark Twain’s iconic books, Band of Robbers...
The Playlist points us to a new red-band trailer for the film, and this definitely looks like it's worth checking out. Band of Robbers hits select theaters and VOD on January 15th, 2016.
A modern-day retelling of Mark Twain’s iconic books, Band of Robbers...
- 12/11/2015
- by Ben Pearson
- GeekTyrant
While this month's "Macbeth" puts some serious dirt under the fingernails of Shakespeare's classic play, it's not the only literary creation getting a tweak. Writer, director, and star of "Band Of Robbers," Adam Nee, takes the work of Mark Twain, and puts a new spin on Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer in his comedy crime caper to winning effect, and a new trailer is here to show that vaunted literature can find fresh reinvention. Starring Kyle Gallner, Matthew Gray Gubler, Hannibal Buress, Melissa Benoist, Daniel Mora, Eric Christian Olsen, Stephen Lang, Creed Bratton, and more, the film follows Huck, recently sprung from prison, who teams with his old pal Tom for one last scheme. Here's the official synopsis: A modern-day retelling of Mark Twain’s iconic books, Band of Robbers is a comedic adventure that reimagines the characters as grown men, and small-time crooks. When Huck Finn is released from prison,...
- 12/10/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
When adapting an acclaimed literary work into a film or another medium, it's often said that the original author might turn over in his or her grave. But what happens when the author returns from the grave itself and shows up on set of such a film and proceeds to offer input? Brothers Adam and Aaron Nee claimed to have faced such a dilemma when riffing on Mark Twain’s tales of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer with their co-directed comedy caper “Band of Robbers,” and now one of the filmmakers has penned a tribute to Mr. Twain’s contributions. In his essay “Working With Mark Twain,” written to observe the author’s 180th birthday today, Adam Nee recounts the surreal experience of shooting “Band of Robbers,” and seeing Twain suddenly appear on set and amble over to craft services. One should question the veracity of Nee’s words, but...
- 11/30/2015
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
This new feature film brings up an interesting question: are literary icons timeless? Aside from science fiction tales, are they strictly a part of the era in which they were created? Ian Fleming’s James Bond began in the midst of cold war paranoia, but has been re-imagined and re-booted countless times to conform to more current concerns. This is certainly the case with Arthur Conan Doyle’s master sleuth. Sherlock Holmes, Victorian-era detective, has had great acclaim in modern times via not one, but two TV incarnations: “Sherlock” on the BBC and in the Us with “Elementary” on CBS. Well, how about a couple of American grown literary icons, hey maybe the most American duo? Of course, that’s Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, creations of Mark Twain. Oh, and to make things a bit more interesting, let’s see how they fare in their early twenties. Such is...
- 11/7/2015
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Band Of Robbers screens Monday, November 9th at 7pm at The Tivoli Theatre as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival. Ticket information can be found Here. The film’s co-directors Adam and Aaron Nee will be in attendance. This screening is sponsored by Tenacious Eats
A modern-day retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huck Finn, the comedy Band Of Robbers re-imagines the characters as adults, now grown from juvenile delinquents into small-time crooks. When Huck Finn (Kyle Gallner) is released from prison, he hopes to leave his criminal life behind, but lifelong friend and corrupt cop Tom Sawyer (co-director Adam Nee) has other plans. Not ready to give up on his childhood fantasies, Tom forms the Band of Robbers, recruiting Huck and their misfit friends Joe Harper (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Ben Rogers (Hannibal Buress) to join an elaborate scheme...
A modern-day retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huck Finn, the comedy Band Of Robbers re-imagines the characters as adults, now grown from juvenile delinquents into small-time crooks. When Huck Finn (Kyle Gallner) is released from prison, he hopes to leave his criminal life behind, but lifelong friend and corrupt cop Tom Sawyer (co-director Adam Nee) has other plans. Not ready to give up on his childhood fantasies, Tom forms the Band of Robbers, recruiting Huck and their misfit friends Joe Harper (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Ben Rogers (Hannibal Buress) to join an elaborate scheme...
- 11/6/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Reinvention isn't just the name of the game at the major studios, as it seems indie filmmakers are taking a page from the reboot book. Brothers Adam and Aaron Nee have decided to riff on Mark Twain in their upcoming "Band Of Robbers," which turns the tales of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer on their head, to some good results. Read More: Review: 'Band Of Robbers' Is A Wonderfully Absurd Crime Comedy With A Wicked Streak Kyle Gallner, Adam Nee, Matthew Gray Gubler, Hannibal Buress, Eric Christian Olsen, Stephen Lang, and Melissa Benoist make up the impressive ensemble in the movie which follows Huck, recently sprung from prison, who is recruited by Tom and his ramshackle gang to track down a treasure, kicking off a goofy adventure. It's a movie that won us over at the L.A. Film Festival, with our critic calling it "an absurdist crime comedy with a wicked streak.
- 10/30/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
A short film inspired by "The Reivers," a William Faulkner novel that some referred to as the author's own "Huckleberry Finn," check out the new short film below from writer/director Drue Metz, titled "A Gentleman Always," which stars Jean Elie and Myles Cranford, in a story about a son (Lucius) laboring to come to terms with what it means to be a man. It's a short (7 minutes) 2-character piece - something you can consume and reflect on in short order.
- 10/30/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
I’ve got a trailer here you need to watch for a film called Band of Robbers, an intriguing take on Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. The story reimagines the characters as if they had grown up in modern times and is set in present day with Tom and Huck as grown up adults living as criminals.
The movie screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival and I’ve read great things about it. It looks like a great crime comedy that audiences will enjoy. It seems to have a Wes Anderson kind of feel to it, which is a good thing. If you’re a fan of Anderson’s work, that is.
Mark Twain’s young heroes Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn spring vividly back to life, this time as modern-day grown men. When Huck is released from prison he hopes to leave his criminal past behind.
The movie screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival and I’ve read great things about it. It looks like a great crime comedy that audiences will enjoy. It seems to have a Wes Anderson kind of feel to it, which is a good thing. If you’re a fan of Anderson’s work, that is.
Mark Twain’s young heroes Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn spring vividly back to life, this time as modern-day grown men. When Huck is released from prison he hopes to leave his criminal past behind.
- 10/27/2015
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
The stories of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer have been done to death, so, when a filmmaker comes along and wants to do something different with them, I'm all for it. That's what makes a movie like Band Of Robbers look so appealing. It takes everything you wouldn't expect from a film using those characters and then builds the story around it. Huck Finn as an ex-con? Tom Sawyer as... Read More...
- 10/26/2015
- by Billy Donnelly
- JoBlo.com
"After so many years of chasing a fairy tale, most people would be ready to give up..." Gravitas Ventures has debuted a trailer for Aaron & Adam Nee's Band of Robbers, a zany comedy about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn all grown up, wreaking havoc and getting into all kinds of shenanigans after getting out of prison. Kyle Gallner stars as Huck Finn, and Adam Nee as Tom Sawyer, with a cast including Matthew Gray Gubler, Hannibal Buress, Melissa Benoist, Stephen Lang and Eric Christian Olsen. This actually looks quite good. Color me intrigued. An original idea with some amusing performances? I'm down. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Aaron & Adam Nee's Band of Robbers, found via SlashFilm: Mark Twain's young heroes Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn spring vividly back to life, this time as modern-day grown men. When Huck is released from prison he hopes to leave his criminal past behind.
- 10/26/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
It’s been well over a century since Mark Twain first released Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn into the world of American literature, but their youthful spirit rages on in the first trailer for Band of Robbers. Written and directed by Adam and Aaron Nee, the indie film reimagines the classic all-American rascals as grown-up men in the modern day. Huck […]
The post ‘Band of Robbers’ Trailer: Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Are All Grown Up and Still Up to No Good appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Band of Robbers’ Trailer: Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Are All Grown Up and Still Up to No Good appeared first on /Film.
- 10/26/2015
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
Gravitas Ventures has acquired the unique caper comedy “Band of Robbers,” which stars Kyle Gallner (“American Sniper”) as Huckleberry Finn, Adam Nee (“Drunk History”) as Tom Sawyer and “Supergirl’s” Melissa Benoist as Becky Thatcher, the company announced Friday. Brothers Adam and Aaron Nee wrote and directed the indie movie, which premiered earlier this year at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Gravitas Ventures will release “Band of Robbers” in select theaters and on VOD on Jan. 15, 2016. The film co-stars Matthew Gray Gubler (“Criminal Minds”), Hannibal Buress (“Neighbors)”, Eric Christian Olsen (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) and Stephen Lang (“Avatar”). Also Read: Jeb Bush.
- 10/23/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Read More: Laff Review: ‘Band Of Robbers’ Is A Wonderfully Absurd Crime Comedy With A Wicked Streak Gravitas Ventures has acquired "Band of Robbers," a comedy that modernizes Mark Twain's most famous characters: Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. In "Band of Robbers," Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are reimagined as a petty criminal and corrupt cop, respectively. Set in the modern day with the characters aged into adults, the film follows the friends as they look for a childhood treasure. Kyle Gallner, Hannibal Buress, Matthew Gray Gubler and Melissa Benoist star. "We couldn't be more thrilled about partnering with Gravitas Ventures on the release of 'Band of Robbers,'" said directors Adam and Aaron Nee. "The passion, care and insight that Nolan Gallagher and the rest of the Gravitas team have shown immediately set them apart from the pack and proved the perfect partner to bring the film to viewers.
- 10/23/2015
- by Karen Brill
- Indiewire
Read More: Laff Review: ‘Band Of Robbers’ Is A Wonderfully Absurd Crime Comedy With A Wicked Streak The 2015 Tallgrass Film Festival has announced its full slate of films, with Adam and Aaron Nee's "Band of Robbers" set as its opening feature. "Band of Robbers" modernizes Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, imagining them as a petty criminal and corrupt cop, respectively. The comedy stars Kyle Gallner, Hannibal Buress and Melissa Benoist, among others. Selected to close the festival is Ian and Eshom Nelms' "Waffle Street," based on James Adams' memoir of the same name. The film catalogues Adams' efforts to switch from the finance world to the food industry. Danny Glover and James Lafferty star. The Wichita-set festival will also screen Mark Webber's "The Ever After," about a couple suffering in the wake of a trauma, after presenting the filmmaker with the 2015 Ad Astra Award.
- 9/24/2015
- by Karen Brill
- Indiewire
Remember when Mindy Project‘s Dr. L was engaged in a sizzling hook-up with one of her co-workers… and it wasn’t Danny?
Hard as it is to recall in the aftermath of hot airplane kisses and Empire State Building make-outs, Mindy’s original Shulman & Associates friend-with-benefits was Dr. Jeremy Reed.
“It’s so weird to think of that now,” says Ed Weeks, who plays the British Ob-gyn. “Between the pilot and the second episode of the first season, there was definitely some rearranging that happened behind the scenes.”
RelatedMindy Project: Dr. Lahiri Defies Gravity, Gets Cheeky in Season 4 Posters
Namely,...
Hard as it is to recall in the aftermath of hot airplane kisses and Empire State Building make-outs, Mindy’s original Shulman & Associates friend-with-benefits was Dr. Jeremy Reed.
“It’s so weird to think of that now,” says Ed Weeks, who plays the British Ob-gyn. “Between the pilot and the second episode of the first season, there was definitely some rearranging that happened behind the scenes.”
RelatedMindy Project: Dr. Lahiri Defies Gravity, Gets Cheeky in Season 4 Posters
Namely,...
- 9/6/2015
- TVLine.com
CBS has handed out a put pilot commitment for "Sawyer & Huck," a modern-day take on the classic Mark Twain characters.
Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier ("The Blacklist") have penned and Anthony Hemingway ("Treme") will direct the pilot for this new take in which a murder case in St. Louis sees Tom Sawyer hiring his previously estranged boyhood friend Huck Finn as an investigator for his foundering one-man legal firm.
Together they take on cases for people who don't have anywhere else to turn. "Drop Dead Diva" creator Josh Berman will executive produce.
This isn't the first project of this kind, three years ago ABC developed a Tom Sawyer-Huckleberry Finn drama with the pair as investigators in a steampunk New Orleans.
Source: Deadline...
Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier ("The Blacklist") have penned and Anthony Hemingway ("Treme") will direct the pilot for this new take in which a murder case in St. Louis sees Tom Sawyer hiring his previously estranged boyhood friend Huck Finn as an investigator for his foundering one-man legal firm.
Together they take on cases for people who don't have anywhere else to turn. "Drop Dead Diva" creator Josh Berman will executive produce.
This isn't the first project of this kind, three years ago ABC developed a Tom Sawyer-Huckleberry Finn drama with the pair as investigators in a steampunk New Orleans.
Source: Deadline...
- 8/22/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
After exploring the heavens in The Astronaut Wives Club, Wilson Bethel‘s next TV gig is taking him way underground.
The Hart of Dixie alum is set to recur on Blood & Oil, ABC’s freshman fall drama about a working-class couple (Gossip Girl‘s Chace Crawford and Red Band Society‘s Rebecca Rittenhouse) who move to North Dakota following the biggest oil discovery in American history. Once there, they are pitted against a ruthless tycoon (Miami Vice‘s Don Johnson) who forces them to put everything on the line, including their marriage.
RelatedBlood & Oil Baron Don Johnson Deflects Dallas/J.
The Hart of Dixie alum is set to recur on Blood & Oil, ABC’s freshman fall drama about a working-class couple (Gossip Girl‘s Chace Crawford and Red Band Society‘s Rebecca Rittenhouse) who move to North Dakota following the biggest oil discovery in American history. Once there, they are pitted against a ruthless tycoon (Miami Vice‘s Don Johnson) who forces them to put everything on the line, including their marriage.
RelatedBlood & Oil Baron Don Johnson Deflects Dallas/J.
- 8/21/2015
- TVLine.com
Rex Ingram in 'The Thief of Bagdad' 1940 with tiny Sabu. Actor Rex Ingram movies on TCM: Early black film performer in 'Cabin in the Sky,' 'Anna Lucasta' It's somewhat unusual for two well-known film celebrities, whether past or present, to share the same name.* One such rarity is – or rather, are – the two movie people known as Rex Ingram;† one an Irish-born white director, the other an Illinois-born black actor. Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” continues today, Aug. 11, '15, with a day dedicated to the latter. Right now, TCM is showing Cabin in the Sky (1943), an all-black musical adaptation of the Faust tale that is notable as the first full-fledged feature film directed by another Illinois-born movie person, Vincente Minnelli. Also worth mentioning, the movie marked Lena Horne's first important appearance in a mainstream motion picture.§ A financial disappointment on the...
- 8/12/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Cozy down on your couch and wait for it: A Supergirl series coming soon – well, in the fall – to a television set near you. And a new superhero on The Flash and what looks like some supering up of already existing character or characters on Arrow and and and…
I’ll bet the corridors of the media giants in Hollywood and New York (and Chicago? London?) are absolutely buzz with plans and proposals for more stories about that congregation who wear peculiar costumes and bash. I think they call it extending the franchise, and it is nothing new. My current favorite example from antiquity is the King Arthur saga which was kind of inspired by rales of a fifth or sixth century British ruler who fought Saxon invaders. (Did he really exist? Was he compounded of several rulers? Let us shrug and get on with it.)
Anyway, it wasn’t...
I’ll bet the corridors of the media giants in Hollywood and New York (and Chicago? London?) are absolutely buzz with plans and proposals for more stories about that congregation who wear peculiar costumes and bash. I think they call it extending the franchise, and it is nothing new. My current favorite example from antiquity is the King Arthur saga which was kind of inspired by rales of a fifth or sixth century British ruler who fought Saxon invaders. (Did he really exist? Was he compounded of several rulers? Let us shrug and get on with it.)
Anyway, it wasn’t...
- 6/18/2015
- by Dennis O'Neil
- Comicmix.com
Classic literature endures the changing taste trends because of its timeless ideas and characters that are strongly grounded on human nature’s eternal flaws. These traits make them very desirable properties to put onto the screen. Among these there exists an even more exclusive group of works that have not only been adapted into films, but which have been removed from their original context to be placed and infused with the singular concerns of an entirely different time period
Shakespeare is a favorite for this type of treatment: Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” and scores of films that attempt to reimagine “Hamlet,” are proof of this fascination. Hits and misses that pursue a symbiotic blend between the themes in the original material and their modern settings.
Finding this cohesive marriage of ideas to a great degree, "Band of Robbers," by co-directors and siblings Aaron and Adam Nee, is a new retelling of Mark Twain's most iconic characters that brings them into 21st century California with comedic spunk. His famous scoundrels, Tom Sawyer (Adam Nee) and Huckleberry Finn (Kyle Gallner), are still great friends looking for an ancient treasure in this modern iteration, but the obstacles to get it are very much of our time.
Segmented into cleverly titled chapters to further its literary quality, the film opens as young Huck and Tom, whose home life is less than ideal, come across Injun Joe (Stephen Lang), a rough-looking villain who is willing to kill in order to get the riches he's been chasing down for years. Caught up in middle of the crime, Huck goes to prison for most of his teenage years, while Tom gets to walk away. But in spite of the abrupt separation no loyalty is lost between them - they are, indeed, each other’s only family.
Cut to about a decade later, Tom has become a police officer and Huck has just been released. Reunited, the ex-con wants to go straight, while the boy in blue is still obsessed with finding Murrel’s legendary treasure - even if their original search is what landed Huck behind bars. Tom has obtained new intel on its whereabouts and he is putting together a gang of misfits to finally put his hands on it.
Besides our two main bandits, a shabby Joe Harper (Matthew Gray Gubler) and the easygoing Ben Rogers (Hannibal Buress) join their ranks in hopes of a quick buck Robin-Hood-style. With an elaborate plan, the band will is ready to rob a pawnshop – where the treasure is supposed to be hidden – but clearly these inept boy-scouts-turned-thieves will find it much more challenging in practice.
Adam Nee's Tom is a charmer - just like in Twain's writing - who longs to become a hero and leave a legacy behind. There is contrived idealism in his persuasive speeches that aim to inspire others to follow his lead even when he is not certain of the outcome himself. Prompted by underlying insecurities derived from living under his detective brother’s shadow, Tom tries to overcompensate with flaky confidence and reckless acts often resulting in humorous mishaps. Nee gets the tone right both when dealing with Sawyer’s heroic exploits and his constant failures.
Though the film is narrated by Gallner’s Huck, his is a much smaller role, almost like and observer who initially trusts Tom blindly. But as Sawyer’s relentless quest for glory becomes more detached with their reality, Huck begins to notice the cracks in his best pal’s personality. While not consciously aware of it or too proud to admit, they have become the villains of their legend by hurting innocent bystanders like rookie officer Becky Thatcher ( played by Melissa Benoist and who is Tom’s partner in this interpretation) or Jorge (Daniel Edward Mora), a hardworking Mexican man who risks deportation after being tricked into helping the robbers.
Huck carries himself with a hint of melancholy, which is Gallner’s best tool to transfer the lonesome vagabond to a new era and render him relevant for current audiences, many of which will have their first encounter with Twain’s world through this film. Not a bad introduction at all.
Since “Band of Robbers” approaches the material with intelligent humor and takes broad liberties with it, there is not an actual need to familiar with these characters to enjoy it. Still, the curious intersection it inhabits - somewhere between millennial bromance and elegant saga – makes the film accessible, yet embellished with sophisticated touches.
The mystery at the center of the plot is clearly not the focus as it unfolds with excessively circumstantial twists that hardly allow for any real tension. However, the film’s strength is the mythical atmosphere that’s able to generate while not being overly solemn. Particularly in the sequences when the misguided heroes confront or hide from Injun Joe, the film sports Scooby-Doo-like undertones, which add a playful mood to the narrative.
The Nee Brother’s “Band of Robbers” has the production value of major studio project and the spirit of an unconventional indie showing off compelling cinematic skills. It's like a thinking man’s “Superbad” with an ethereal quality that’s sort of murky, but delivers in laugh-out-loud moments and thoughtful realizations about young manhood.
In a scene during the first half of the film Tom and Huck wearing modern-day clothing sit in what looks like a candlelit room to discuss their future, the production design is straight from the 1800s but their worries are ageless. At that moment neither them nor us know the time and place they are supposed to be in, but we are completely aware that their emotional distress and uncertainty transcend. Hoping to become something greater never goes out of style.
World rights are being handled by Agency for the Performing Arts, U.S. rights are still available.
Shakespeare is a favorite for this type of treatment: Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” and scores of films that attempt to reimagine “Hamlet,” are proof of this fascination. Hits and misses that pursue a symbiotic blend between the themes in the original material and their modern settings.
Finding this cohesive marriage of ideas to a great degree, "Band of Robbers," by co-directors and siblings Aaron and Adam Nee, is a new retelling of Mark Twain's most iconic characters that brings them into 21st century California with comedic spunk. His famous scoundrels, Tom Sawyer (Adam Nee) and Huckleberry Finn (Kyle Gallner), are still great friends looking for an ancient treasure in this modern iteration, but the obstacles to get it are very much of our time.
Segmented into cleverly titled chapters to further its literary quality, the film opens as young Huck and Tom, whose home life is less than ideal, come across Injun Joe (Stephen Lang), a rough-looking villain who is willing to kill in order to get the riches he's been chasing down for years. Caught up in middle of the crime, Huck goes to prison for most of his teenage years, while Tom gets to walk away. But in spite of the abrupt separation no loyalty is lost between them - they are, indeed, each other’s only family.
Cut to about a decade later, Tom has become a police officer and Huck has just been released. Reunited, the ex-con wants to go straight, while the boy in blue is still obsessed with finding Murrel’s legendary treasure - even if their original search is what landed Huck behind bars. Tom has obtained new intel on its whereabouts and he is putting together a gang of misfits to finally put his hands on it.
Besides our two main bandits, a shabby Joe Harper (Matthew Gray Gubler) and the easygoing Ben Rogers (Hannibal Buress) join their ranks in hopes of a quick buck Robin-Hood-style. With an elaborate plan, the band will is ready to rob a pawnshop – where the treasure is supposed to be hidden – but clearly these inept boy-scouts-turned-thieves will find it much more challenging in practice.
Adam Nee's Tom is a charmer - just like in Twain's writing - who longs to become a hero and leave a legacy behind. There is contrived idealism in his persuasive speeches that aim to inspire others to follow his lead even when he is not certain of the outcome himself. Prompted by underlying insecurities derived from living under his detective brother’s shadow, Tom tries to overcompensate with flaky confidence and reckless acts often resulting in humorous mishaps. Nee gets the tone right both when dealing with Sawyer’s heroic exploits and his constant failures.
Though the film is narrated by Gallner’s Huck, his is a much smaller role, almost like and observer who initially trusts Tom blindly. But as Sawyer’s relentless quest for glory becomes more detached with their reality, Huck begins to notice the cracks in his best pal’s personality. While not consciously aware of it or too proud to admit, they have become the villains of their legend by hurting innocent bystanders like rookie officer Becky Thatcher ( played by Melissa Benoist and who is Tom’s partner in this interpretation) or Jorge (Daniel Edward Mora), a hardworking Mexican man who risks deportation after being tricked into helping the robbers.
Huck carries himself with a hint of melancholy, which is Gallner’s best tool to transfer the lonesome vagabond to a new era and render him relevant for current audiences, many of which will have their first encounter with Twain’s world through this film. Not a bad introduction at all.
Since “Band of Robbers” approaches the material with intelligent humor and takes broad liberties with it, there is not an actual need to familiar with these characters to enjoy it. Still, the curious intersection it inhabits - somewhere between millennial bromance and elegant saga – makes the film accessible, yet embellished with sophisticated touches.
The mystery at the center of the plot is clearly not the focus as it unfolds with excessively circumstantial twists that hardly allow for any real tension. However, the film’s strength is the mythical atmosphere that’s able to generate while not being overly solemn. Particularly in the sequences when the misguided heroes confront or hide from Injun Joe, the film sports Scooby-Doo-like undertones, which add a playful mood to the narrative.
The Nee Brother’s “Band of Robbers” has the production value of major studio project and the spirit of an unconventional indie showing off compelling cinematic skills. It's like a thinking man’s “Superbad” with an ethereal quality that’s sort of murky, but delivers in laugh-out-loud moments and thoughtful realizations about young manhood.
In a scene during the first half of the film Tom and Huck wearing modern-day clothing sit in what looks like a candlelit room to discuss their future, the production design is straight from the 1800s but their worries are ageless. At that moment neither them nor us know the time and place they are supposed to be in, but we are completely aware that their emotional distress and uncertainty transcend. Hoping to become something greater never goes out of style.
World rights are being handled by Agency for the Performing Arts, U.S. rights are still available.
- 6/16/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Wound tight by a killer premise, polished direction, and a tone as though Anton Chigurh sauntered into “Bottle Rocket,” Aaron and Adam Nee’s “Band of Robbers” wrings the anxieties of aging and a dampened imagination from a grown-up Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Structuring their modern tale around the Mark Twain narratives, the sibling directors find laughs, pathos, and some surprising storytelling twists, plus have a game cast to deliver it–Kyle Gallner, Stephen Lang, Hannibal Buress, Melissa Benoist, Eric Christian Olsen. The cast is refreshing for the lack of previously known kinship among them; unlike the Apatow and Feig collectives who deliver and tweak their lineups, there’s something to be said for a new group of comedic and dramatic actors establishing a dynamic. In this case it’s led by Gallner, who plays the straight man Huck Finn to Adam Nee’s deadpan eccentric Tom Sawyer, two...
- 6/15/2015
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
I have been engrossed for the last week in Infidel, an autobiography that chronicles the life and times of political activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali and how she became who and what she is. Ms. Ali will be familiar to those readers of this column, who, like me, strive to never miss an episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher and MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews. She has also appeared on Fox News, CNN, and just about every news organization around the world – though I don’t know if she has ever been invited onto Al-Jazeera, even here on the U.S. version.
But if not, here’s a short version of Ms. Ali’s biography. Born into a traditional Muslim family in Somalia in 1969, her father was Hirsi Magan Isse, a leader of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front and who was actively involved in the Somalian Revolution against the Siad Barre government.
But if not, here’s a short version of Ms. Ali’s biography. Born into a traditional Muslim family in Somalia in 1969, her father was Hirsi Magan Isse, a leader of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front and who was actively involved in the Somalian Revolution against the Siad Barre government.
- 4/13/2015
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
In the early stages of "Mad Men," it sometimes seemed like Pete Campbell was on the brink of being the show's villain. But, at the same time, there was also the prevailing theory that Pete Campbell could turn out to be the show's most forward-looking character, the man of the future to Don Draper's man of the past. As "Mad Men" begins the seven-episode march to its series finale, we don't really view Pete as Don or Peggy's nemesis anymore. In fact, one of last year's best episodes, "The Strategy," climaxed with a surprisingly positive dinner meeting with the three characters. But we also don't look at Pete as a potential visionary anymore. Pete's efforts to reinvent himself found the character in Los Angeles last half-season and although he initially took to his new surroundings, it became clear that California was not the place Pete Campbell ought to be. In...
- 4/3/2015
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
A playwright, screenwriter, poet and essayist, he was an adjunct professor of Screenwriting at Columbia University's School of the Arts and Barnard College, as well as Nyu's Tisch School of the Arts. Among his former students are James Mangold ("Girl Interrupted," "Walk the Line") and Greg Mottola ("Superbad," "Adventureland"). After receiving his Mfa from the Yale School of Drama in 1982, Gallo met Huston, who was impressed by his adaptation of Malcolm Lowry's novel, and made the film version. Starring Albert Finney and Jacqueline Bisset, it was released in 1984 and was a selection of the Cannes Film Festival. Gallo wrote over a dozen feature screenplays, and had four others produced. Among them was an adaptation, "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," Part I, which American Playhouse broadcast in 1986; its cast included Lillian Gish and Geraldine Page. Born February 16, 1955 in New Orleans, Louisiana,...
- 1/20/2015
- by Annette Insdorf
- Thompson on Hollywood
Not exactly an exciting update today as it's pretty much what you'd expect including an R-rating for Kingsman: The Secret Service, which is getting some good reviews, a PG-13 for the well-reviewed musical The Last 5 Years and Peter Bogdanovich's She's Funny That Way (which sports a massive ensemble) has surrendered its R-rating. Geeze, what is Clarius Entertainment doing over therec Check out the complete bulletin below. 3 Nights In The Desert Rated R For language and some sexual content. A La Mala Rated PG-13 For some sexuality/nudity and language. Bark Ranger Rated PG For rude humor. The Devil's Violinist Rated R For some strong sexuality/nudity, and For drug use. Effie Gray Rated PG-13 For thematic and sexual content, and some nudity. Kingsman: The Secret Service Rated R For sequences of strong violence, language and some sexual content. Release Date: February 13, 2015 She's Funny That Way Rated R For some language.
- 1/14/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The wasteland known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is neither democratic nor a republic of the people. The atrocities and crimes to humanity that are visited upon the sad and starving people of this land are anything but funny — and here’s where the “The Interview” performs most brilliantly — it doesn’t lose sight of this.
Much like Mel Brooks‘ 1968 comedy “The Producers,” where producer Max Bialystok and his accountant Leo Bloom create a fraudulent scheme to bilk money out of star-struck live theater investors by creating a musical about Adolf Hitler — Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen bring that premise to life.
Much like Mel Brooks‘ 1968 comedy “The Producers,” where producer Max Bialystok and his accountant Leo Bloom create a fraudulent scheme to bilk money out of star-struck live theater investors by creating a musical about Adolf Hitler — Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen bring that premise to life.
- 12/31/2014
- by Richard Stellar
- The Wrap
The Good Lie
Written by Margaret Nagle
Directed by Philippe Falardeau
Kenya/India/USA, 2014
The Good Lie is an earnest, well-meaning film that overcomes its many flaws to tell a life-affirming story about survival and second chances. No work of fiction could ever convey the atrocities of the Second Sudanese Civil War, but this is an effective glimpse into the lives of a lucky few who escaped. It’s not looking to raise awareness or rabble-rouse. It only wants to show us that as long as there is life, there is hope. On that count, it most certainly succeeds.
Mamere (Arnold Oceng) and his older brother, Theo (Femi Oguns), are like any other young boys; they fight, they test each other’s limits, they play games reciting their familial names down through the generations. To the cattlemen of the Sudan, tribal connections are a source of both history and renewal.
Written by Margaret Nagle
Directed by Philippe Falardeau
Kenya/India/USA, 2014
The Good Lie is an earnest, well-meaning film that overcomes its many flaws to tell a life-affirming story about survival and second chances. No work of fiction could ever convey the atrocities of the Second Sudanese Civil War, but this is an effective glimpse into the lives of a lucky few who escaped. It’s not looking to raise awareness or rabble-rouse. It only wants to show us that as long as there is life, there is hope. On that count, it most certainly succeeds.
Mamere (Arnold Oceng) and his older brother, Theo (Femi Oguns), are like any other young boys; they fight, they test each other’s limits, they play games reciting their familial names down through the generations. To the cattlemen of the Sudan, tribal connections are a source of both history and renewal.
- 10/24/2014
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
Just a bunch of random thoughts this week, gang…
As I mentioned two weeks ago, Martha Thomases and I go waaaay back to the days when she was DC’s go-to woman for marketing and promotions and I was a naive, newbie freelance writer for the company who always stuck my head in her doorway (“hey, Martha”) whenever I was in the office. We have always been kindred spirits in political thought and our taste in literature, television, and moves have always coincided more than they have diverged, and now Martha’s latest column extends that coincidence to some critics.
Martha, you have more patience than I do; I couldn’t even finish the piece because I got so annoyed. So, yeah, I’m not an A.O. Scott fan, either, although I do think he writes beautifully. In my not-so-humble opinion, Mr. Scott is a bit of a snob and...
As I mentioned two weeks ago, Martha Thomases and I go waaaay back to the days when she was DC’s go-to woman for marketing and promotions and I was a naive, newbie freelance writer for the company who always stuck my head in her doorway (“hey, Martha”) whenever I was in the office. We have always been kindred spirits in political thought and our taste in literature, television, and moves have always coincided more than they have diverged, and now Martha’s latest column extends that coincidence to some critics.
Martha, you have more patience than I do; I couldn’t even finish the piece because I got so annoyed. So, yeah, I’m not an A.O. Scott fan, either, although I do think he writes beautifully. In my not-so-humble opinion, Mr. Scott is a bit of a snob and...
- 9/22/2014
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
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