Tony Sokol May 3, 2019
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile Director Joe Berlinger explains why he cut away from the violence of Ted Bundy.
Ted Bundy confessed to killing more than 30 people in the 1970s. Told through the eyes of his longtime girlfriend Liz Kendall, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, consigns this to subtext. But not because no one wanted to see Zac Efron, who stars as Bundy, committing such heinous acts. People did, and the film has been getting some flak about it.
Director Joe Berlinger doesn't focus his camera softly. His film Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, about the West Memphis Three, was criticized for its graphic documentation. Berlinger, who immersed himself in Bundy for his Netflix documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, speaks with Den of Geek about how much violence is too much, and how much isn't enough.
"It...
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile Director Joe Berlinger explains why he cut away from the violence of Ted Bundy.
Ted Bundy confessed to killing more than 30 people in the 1970s. Told through the eyes of his longtime girlfriend Liz Kendall, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, consigns this to subtext. But not because no one wanted to see Zac Efron, who stars as Bundy, committing such heinous acts. People did, and the film has been getting some flak about it.
Director Joe Berlinger doesn't focus his camera softly. His film Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, about the West Memphis Three, was criticized for its graphic documentation. Berlinger, who immersed himself in Bundy for his Netflix documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, speaks with Den of Geek about how much violence is too much, and how much isn't enough.
"It...
- 5/3/2019
- Den of Geek
Tony Sokol Dec 12, 2018
Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes captures the charm and psychosis of an iconic serial killer.
“I haven't blocked out the past. I wouldn't trade the person I am, or what I've done, or the people I've known, for anything," Ted Bundy has been quoted as saying in multiple sources. "So I do think about it. And at times it's a rather mellow trip to lay back and remember.” Before he discovered the thrill he got from killing, Bundy was on his way to a career in law or politics, according to Crime Museum's biography. His young female victims found him a charismatic boy who could really talk. Netflix is set to listen in the upcoming Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, according to Deadline.
The four-part docuseries was directed by Joe Berlinger, director of the true-crime investigations Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills,...
Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes captures the charm and psychosis of an iconic serial killer.
“I haven't blocked out the past. I wouldn't trade the person I am, or what I've done, or the people I've known, for anything," Ted Bundy has been quoted as saying in multiple sources. "So I do think about it. And at times it's a rather mellow trip to lay back and remember.” Before he discovered the thrill he got from killing, Bundy was on his way to a career in law or politics, according to Crime Museum's biography. His young female victims found him a charismatic boy who could really talk. Netflix is set to listen in the upcoming Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, according to Deadline.
The four-part docuseries was directed by Joe Berlinger, director of the true-crime investigations Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills,...
- 12/12/2018
- Den of Geek
Tony Sokol May 16, 2017
Zac Efron signs up for the film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile, playing Ted Bundy...
Zac Efron will throw off any preconceived notions of what roles he’ll attack in the upcoming Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile. In the film, he's going to play serial killer Ted Bundy, working off a script by Michael Werwie.
Directed by Joe Berlinger, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile will tell the story of Bundy, who killed more than 30 people in the 1970s, through the eyes of his longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer. She defended Bundy for a long time, until she turned him in.
The film will be produced by Nicolas Chartier and Ara Keshishian. Efron’s Ninjas Runnin’ Wild banner will produce alongside Michael Simkin and Jason Barrett. Werwie and Jonathan Deckter will be executive producing.
“I have been trying to work with Zac Efron for a long time,...
Zac Efron signs up for the film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile, playing Ted Bundy...
Zac Efron will throw off any preconceived notions of what roles he’ll attack in the upcoming Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile. In the film, he's going to play serial killer Ted Bundy, working off a script by Michael Werwie.
Directed by Joe Berlinger, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile will tell the story of Bundy, who killed more than 30 people in the 1970s, through the eyes of his longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer. She defended Bundy for a long time, until she turned him in.
The film will be produced by Nicolas Chartier and Ara Keshishian. Efron’s Ninjas Runnin’ Wild banner will produce alongside Michael Simkin and Jason Barrett. Werwie and Jonathan Deckter will be executive producing.
“I have been trying to work with Zac Efron for a long time,...
- 5/15/2017
- Den of Geek
Editor’s Note: Alex Horwitz had no way of knowing “Hamilton” would become a cultural phenomenon that would change Broadway and launch his friend Lin-Manuel Miranda into super-stardom. Early on, however, the genre filmmaker (“Alice Jacobs is Dead”) and documentary film editor (“Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger”) could tell Miranda was onto something special. Specifically drawn to the way Miranda was bringing history to life through hip-hop in his early tracks, Horwitz picked up a camera and started capturing the creation of the musical, while joining Miranda on his research and exploration of the Founding Fathers.
In anticipation of the “Hamilton’s America” premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 1 and its television premiere on PBS’s “Great Performances” on October 21, IndieWire reached out to Horwitz to find out more about his new film, backed by RadicalMedia. What we got was this detailed...
In anticipation of the “Hamilton’s America” premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 1 and its television premiere on PBS’s “Great Performances” on October 21, IndieWire reached out to Horwitz to find out more about his new film, backed by RadicalMedia. What we got was this detailed...
- 9/20/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
For years, the documentaries of Joe Berlinger haven’t always focused on the sunny side of life. Whether it’s his acclaimed look at the West Memphis Three in his “Paradise Lost” trilogy, chronicling gangsters (“Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger“), heavy metal bands at the end of their rope (“Metallica: Some Kind of […]
The post Make Your Life A Masterpiece With The Trailer For Netflix Documentary ‘Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru’ appeared first on The Playlist.
The post Make Your Life A Masterpiece With The Trailer For Netflix Documentary ‘Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru’ appeared first on The Playlist.
- 6/16/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Last year’s documentary Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger lacked only one element, but that one was a doozy: footage of its subject. “Whitey” Bulger (don’t call him that to his face!) might have been one of Boston’s most notorious mobsters, but the director, Joe Berlinger, had to rely on first- and secondhand reports of his demeanor to bring him to life — and those reports didn’t quite do the job. Whitey is also a void in Black Mass, the new dramatized Bulger film. Johnny Depp makes a valiant stab at the part, but even with his hair thinned and lightened and his face hardened, Depp remains Depp: I never forgot I was watching a big star doing an impersonation. It’s as if the spirit of a psychopath like Bulger resists the camera. Or maybe the movie isn’t imaginative enough to penetrate his shell.
- 9/18/2015
- by David Edelstein
- Vulture
After a year in which political protests dominated headlines and Selma became a Best Picture nominee, RadicalMedia has optioned Norman Mailer’s historical, fact-based novel The Armies of the Night, about a 1960s anti-war march, for a big screen adaptation.
Mailer’s Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning book explored the 100,000-person march from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to the gates of the Pentagon in Virginia in opposition to the Vietnam War.
Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger, whose works include the Paradise Lost trilogy of films about the infamous West Memphis Three case as well as Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger, will direct. Though Armies of the Night will be fully scripted and cast with actors, Berlinger will shoot it documentary-style, include footage from the marches and also feature period-accurate music, both rock and folk.
In an official statement, Berlinger expressed his excitement for the project,...
Mailer’s Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning book explored the 100,000-person march from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to the gates of the Pentagon in Virginia in opposition to the Vietnam War.
Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger, whose works include the Paradise Lost trilogy of films about the infamous West Memphis Three case as well as Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger, will direct. Though Armies of the Night will be fully scripted and cast with actors, Berlinger will shoot it documentary-style, include footage from the marches and also feature period-accurate music, both rock and folk.
In an official statement, Berlinger expressed his excitement for the project,...
- 2/19/2015
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger
Written and directed by Joe Berlinger
USA, 2014
The city of Boston was indeed his perverse playground for criminal terror and destruction. The reign of the powerful and ruthless Irish mob boss and gang leader James “Whitey” Bulger that fearfully oversaw his native Southie section and beyond with a notorious iron fist is the alarming subject of acclaimed Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger’s revealing, absorbing and troubling documentary Whitey: The United States v. James J. Bulger.
Outwardly disturbing, Berlinger’s (“Paradise Lost”) unsettling account of the law-breaking sociopath Whitey Bulger is interestingly recalled in detail surrounding the South Boston crime lord’s publicized federal court trial in Boston. Ironically, Bulger’s sensationalized days in court would not be far from the South Boston streets where he operated, intimidated and manipulated his way into becoming one of the most dangerous and infamous...
Written and directed by Joe Berlinger
USA, 2014
The city of Boston was indeed his perverse playground for criminal terror and destruction. The reign of the powerful and ruthless Irish mob boss and gang leader James “Whitey” Bulger that fearfully oversaw his native Southie section and beyond with a notorious iron fist is the alarming subject of acclaimed Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger’s revealing, absorbing and troubling documentary Whitey: The United States v. James J. Bulger.
Outwardly disturbing, Berlinger’s (“Paradise Lost”) unsettling account of the law-breaking sociopath Whitey Bulger is interestingly recalled in detail surrounding the South Boston crime lord’s publicized federal court trial in Boston. Ironically, Bulger’s sensationalized days in court would not be far from the South Boston streets where he operated, intimidated and manipulated his way into becoming one of the most dangerous and infamous...
- 11/16/2014
- by Frank Ochieng
- SoundOnSight
Whoopsy. I forgot to share this list... Herewith the films that could be up for Best Documentary Feature this year. We'll get a finalist of 15 at some point next month followed by 5 nominees in January "until we crown A Winnah!" If we've reviewed the titles, you'll notice their pretty color which you can then click on to read about them. The magic of the internet. You can also see the animated and documentary Oscar charts here.
The 134 Semi-Finalists
A-c
Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq, Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case, Algorithms, Alive Inside, All You Need Is Love, Altina, America: Imagine the World without Her, American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, Anita, Antarctica: A Year on Ice, Art and Craft, Awake: The Life of Yogananda, The Barefoot Artist, The Battered Bastards of Baseball, Before You Know It, Bitter Honey, Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity, Botso The Teacher from Tbilisi,...
The 134 Semi-Finalists
A-c
Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq, Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case, Algorithms, Alive Inside, All You Need Is Love, Altina, America: Imagine the World without Her, American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, Anita, Antarctica: A Year on Ice, Art and Craft, Awake: The Life of Yogananda, The Barefoot Artist, The Battered Bastards of Baseball, Before You Know It, Bitter Honey, Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity, Botso The Teacher from Tbilisi,...
- 11/3/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
One hundred thirty-four features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 87th Academy Awards. A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq”
“Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case”
“Algorithms”
“Alive Inside”
“All You Need Is Love”
“Altina”
“America: Imagine the World without Her”
“American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs”
“Anita”
“Antarctica: A Year on Ice”
“Art and Craft”
“Awake: The Life of Yogananda”
“The Barefoot Artist”
“The Battered Bastards of Baseball”
“Before You Know It”
“Bitter Honey”
“Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity”
“Botso The Teacher from Tbilisi”
“Captivated The Trials of Pamela Smart”
“The Case against 8”
“Cesar’s Last Fast”
“Citizen Koch”
“CitizenFour”
“Code Black”
“Concerning Violence”
“The Culture High”
“Cyber-Seniors”
“DamNation”
“Dancing in Jaffa”
“Death Metal Angola”
“The Decent One”
“Dinosaur 13”
“Do You Know What My Name Is?...
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq”
“Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case”
“Algorithms”
“Alive Inside”
“All You Need Is Love”
“Altina”
“America: Imagine the World without Her”
“American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs”
“Anita”
“Antarctica: A Year on Ice”
“Art and Craft”
“Awake: The Life of Yogananda”
“The Barefoot Artist”
“The Battered Bastards of Baseball”
“Before You Know It”
“Bitter Honey”
“Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity”
“Botso The Teacher from Tbilisi”
“Captivated The Trials of Pamela Smart”
“The Case against 8”
“Cesar’s Last Fast”
“Citizen Koch”
“CitizenFour”
“Code Black”
“Concerning Violence”
“The Culture High”
“Cyber-Seniors”
“DamNation”
“Dancing in Jaffa”
“Death Metal Angola”
“The Decent One”
“Dinosaur 13”
“Do You Know What My Name Is?...
- 11/2/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Citizenfour, Life Itself, Red Army, Warsaw Uprising among long-list contenters for the 87th Academy Awards.
The Salt Of The Earth, Happy Valley, Jodorowsky’s Dune, Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, Food Chains and Point And Shoot are also named.
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
20,000 Days On Earth
Afternoon Of A Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case
Algorithms
Alive Inside
All You Need Is Love
Altina
America: Imagine The World Without Her
American Revolutionary: The Evolution Of Grace Lee Boggs
Anita
Antarctica: A Year On Ice
Art And Craft
Awake: The Life Of Yogananda
The Barefoot Artist
The Battered Bastards Of Baseball
Before You Know It
Bitter Honey
Born To Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity
Botso The Teacher From Tbilisi
Captivated The Trials Of Pamela Smart
The Case Against 8
Cesar’s Last Fast
Citizen Koch
Citizenfour
Code Black
Concerning Violence
The Culture High
Cyber-Seniors
Damnation
Dancing In Jaffa
Death Metal Angola
The...
The Salt Of The Earth, Happy Valley, Jodorowsky’s Dune, Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, Food Chains and Point And Shoot are also named.
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
20,000 Days On Earth
Afternoon Of A Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case
Algorithms
Alive Inside
All You Need Is Love
Altina
America: Imagine The World Without Her
American Revolutionary: The Evolution Of Grace Lee Boggs
Anita
Antarctica: A Year On Ice
Art And Craft
Awake: The Life Of Yogananda
The Barefoot Artist
The Battered Bastards Of Baseball
Before You Know It
Bitter Honey
Born To Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity
Botso The Teacher From Tbilisi
Captivated The Trials Of Pamela Smart
The Case Against 8
Cesar’s Last Fast
Citizen Koch
Citizenfour
Code Black
Concerning Violence
The Culture High
Cyber-Seniors
Damnation
Dancing In Jaffa
Death Metal Angola
The...
- 10/31/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released its list of 134 film vying for the Best Feature Documentary Oscar at the 87th Annual Academy Awards in February. A number of the nonfic hopefuls have yet to get their required Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases. Those that don’t will be cut from the contention. A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December. Oscar noms will be revealed January 15, and ABC will broadcast Hollywood’s Big Night live on February 22 from the Dolby Theatre.
Here are the docu feature submissions:
Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case
Algorithms
Alive Inside
All You Need Is Love
Altina
America: Imagine the World without Her
American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs
Anita
Antarctica: A Year on Ice
Art and Craft
Awake: The Life of Yogananda
The Barefoot Artist
The Battered Bastards of Baseball...
Here are the docu feature submissions:
Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case
Algorithms
Alive Inside
All You Need Is Love
Altina
America: Imagine the World without Her
American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs
Anita
Antarctica: A Year on Ice
Art and Craft
Awake: The Life of Yogananda
The Barefoot Artist
The Battered Bastards of Baseball...
- 10/31/2014
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline
One hundred thirty-four features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 87th Academy Awards®. Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category's other qualifying rules in order to advance in the voting process. A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December. Films submitted in the Documentary Feature category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories. The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. Pt in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar...
- 10/31/2014
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
The festival’s 25th edition will feature a contribution from Ai Weiwei and competition titles including Whiplash, Nightcrawler and Foxcatcher.
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.
The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.
Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.
He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.
Brazil
The festival will focus this year on Brazil...
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.
The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.
Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.
He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.
Brazil
The festival will focus this year on Brazil...
- 10/16/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
X-Men: Days of Future Past It's interesting to me in that I consider X-Men: Days of Future Past one of the best movies of 2014 and the second best blockbuster of the summer behind Edge of Tomorrow and yet I have little to no interest in seeing it again. I've seen plenty of trailers as of late promoting today's release of the DVD and Blu-ray and each time I remember enjoying the movie, but a feeling of meh when it comes to watching it again comes over me. Nevertheless, I can still I say I felt it was a good movie... that one time I saw it.
Fargo Season One Here's a show I need to get back to and finish. Everyone I've talked to and seen comment online has enjoyed it and having already watched three of the ten episodes it only makes sense I finish it.
Venus in Fur...
Fargo Season One Here's a show I need to get back to and finish. Everyone I've talked to and seen comment online has enjoyed it and having already watched three of the ten episodes it only makes sense I finish it.
Venus in Fur...
- 10/14/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
James J. Bulger, aka "Whitey," was a huge force in Boston for decades. He figured largely into the city's non-mafia Winter Hill Gang, killed numerous people, and eventually landed on the FBI's Most Wanted list -- just under Osama bin Laden. Some say he was an FBI informant, but he disputes those claims in the film Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger.
In Whitey, voices from Whitey's past and current life paint a certain picture of the man. Along with the multiple people Joe Berlinger interviewed (including relatives of Whitey's victims), the director inserts old surveillance video and photos from investigations, as well as passages from Bulger's 2013 racketeering trial.
While this documentary may lack a cinematic feel -- it comes off more as a longform true-crime TV special -- the movie still offers a deep look into the dealings of this criminal figure and the people who...
In Whitey, voices from Whitey's past and current life paint a certain picture of the man. Along with the multiple people Joe Berlinger interviewed (including relatives of Whitey's victims), the director inserts old surveillance video and photos from investigations, as well as passages from Bulger's 2013 racketeering trial.
While this documentary may lack a cinematic feel -- it comes off more as a longform true-crime TV special -- the movie still offers a deep look into the dealings of this criminal figure and the people who...
- 8/6/2014
- by Elizabeth Stoddard
- Slackerwood
Thanks to the increase in access to small scale non-fiction films through the barrage of streaming services viewers now have access to – Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Mubi, Vudu, etc – people are watching more documentaries than ever before. You can literally turn on any web ready device of your choosing and be watching any number of top quality docs within a number of seconds. It’s nothing short of incredible. But, with ease of access comes an over saturation of content used to fill in the curatorial gaps. For every Marwencol, Senna, Gimme Shelter or The Act of Killing, there are heaps of ordures cinéma clogging up precious bandwidth. And let’s not forget, cinemas themselves are enjoying a renewed trust in the non-fiction form, exhibiting over 100 documentaries on the silver screen last year and banking over $50 Million at the box office in the process, not including the hundreds of...
- 7/28/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Joe Berlinger’s documentaries typically deal with glaring flaws in the American justice system, and his latest is no different. Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger follows the trial of one of the most brutal gangsters America has ever seen, James “Whitey” Bulger.
Just as it seems like Bulger will finally be brought to justice, accusations of multi-faceted corruption within our nation’s law enforcement and legal systems surface, and the FBI begins to look just as bad as the mob. Although it is never fully proven, it appears that the FBI may have had a hand in allowing Bulger to remain such a frightening crime figure for far too long a time.
It was a privilege being able to talk with Berlinger when he arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California last week to do some press for the film. During our exclusive interview,...
Just as it seems like Bulger will finally be brought to justice, accusations of multi-faceted corruption within our nation’s law enforcement and legal systems surface, and the FBI begins to look just as bad as the mob. Although it is never fully proven, it appears that the FBI may have had a hand in allowing Bulger to remain such a frightening crime figure for far too long a time.
It was a privilege being able to talk with Berlinger when he arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California last week to do some press for the film. During our exclusive interview,...
- 7/13/2014
- by Ben Kenber
- We Got This Covered
They Came Together
R, 1 Hr., 23 Mins.
Rom-com tropes like the ”meet-cute” are so tired that you can’t just spoof them – you have to spoof the spoofs, which this winking David Wain-Michael Showalter parody mostly succeeds at doing. Molly (Amy Poehler) and Joel (Paul Rudd) tell the story of how they fell in love to another couple (Ellie Kemper and Bill Hader), repeating that it’s ”just like a romantic comedy.” Cue the clichés: an aerial shot of Manhattan, a costume-party encounter, a You’ve Got Mail subplot about a candy conglomerate devouring Molly’s indie sweetshop. Most...
R, 1 Hr., 23 Mins.
Rom-com tropes like the ”meet-cute” are so tired that you can’t just spoof them – you have to spoof the spoofs, which this winking David Wain-Michael Showalter parody mostly succeeds at doing. Molly (Amy Poehler) and Joel (Paul Rudd) tell the story of how they fell in love to another couple (Ellie Kemper and Bill Hader), repeating that it’s ”just like a romantic comedy.” Cue the clichés: an aerial shot of Manhattan, a costume-party encounter, a You’ve Got Mail subplot about a candy conglomerate devouring Molly’s indie sweetshop. Most...
- 6/27/2014
- by EW staff
- EW - Inside Movies
Docs join this weekend’s new crop of Specialty releases, hoping to lure audiences in from the heat. Magnolia will open veteran filmmaker Joe Berlinger’s Sundance feature Whitey: United States Of America v. James J. Bulger in a case that shook the FBI and the criminal underworld while FilmBuff and Participant will team on fellow Sundance doc The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story Of Aaron Swartz. And Magic Mike actor Joe Manganiello returns to the male strip club world with his doc La Bare for Main Street Films. The Weinstein Company is rolling out two films Friday including Keira Knightley, Mark […]...
- 6/26/2014
- Deadline
This weekend, Mark Wahlberg and Optimus Prime take on the Autobots and Decepticons in "Transformers: Age of Extinction," Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton face off in a futuristic class war in "Snowpiercer," Cory and Topanga return in the highly-anticipated "Girl Meets World," which premieres Friday on the Disney Channel, and Damon Lindelof's "The Leftovers" kicks off this Sunday on HBO.
Also in theaters this weekend: Directed by John Carney, "Begin Again" follows a disgraced music executive (Mark Ruffalo) who collaborates with a young, recently-dumped singer-songwriter (Keira Knightley). "Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger" documents the notorious gangster's rule over South Boston and his complicated relationship with the FBI. "Yves Saint Laurent" examines the life of the French designer from the beginning of his career in 1958 when he met his lover and business partner, Pierre Berge. "They Came Together" stars Amy Poehler as an independent candy shop...
Also in theaters this weekend: Directed by John Carney, "Begin Again" follows a disgraced music executive (Mark Ruffalo) who collaborates with a young, recently-dumped singer-songwriter (Keira Knightley). "Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger" documents the notorious gangster's rule over South Boston and his complicated relationship with the FBI. "Yves Saint Laurent" examines the life of the French designer from the beginning of his career in 1958 when he met his lover and business partner, Pierre Berge. "They Came Together" stars Amy Poehler as an independent candy shop...
- 6/26/2014
- by Jonny Black
- Moviefone
The inspiration for Jack Nicholson's swaggering baddie in Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," and arriving in theaters next year portrayed by Johnny Depp in "Black Mass," there have been few contemporary crime figures as monumental as James J. Bulger aka Whitey Bulger. But take away the romance and mystique and you have something for more complicated, and the upcoming documentary "Whitey: United States Of America V. James J. Bulger" goes deep into unraveling the multi-threaded tale. Directed by Joe Berlinger ("Paradise Lost"), the film explores the most wanted gangster and his relationship as an informer for the FBI and Department Of Justice. That collaboration opens up questions about not only Bulger's criminal activities, but the complicity of those at the federal level who let Bulger reign as crime king for decades in exchange for information. It's riveting stuff, with our review out of the Sundance Film Festival noting the...
- 6/17/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Exclusive: The show about an immortal living in NYC hasn’t even hit the air yet, but ABC’s drama Forever already is getting some potential legal pushback. Today RadicalMedia sent a pointed letter to producer Warner Bros TV claiming that the supernatural procedural unveiled last week at the upfronts “sounds rather similar” to the best-selling 2003 novel Forever by Pete Hamill about an immortal living in the Big Apple. “This claim is baseless,” said a Wbtv spokesperson today in response. The co-producers of docu Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger, on the other hand, note that the titles are the same, the location is the same and that both the character in the novel and in the upcoming TV show from writer/Ep Matt Miller, EPs Dan Lin and Jennifer Gwartz, and director Brad Anderson are “seeking an answer concerning his immortality.” No legal action is in the cards yet,...
- 5/22/2014
- by DOMINIC PATTEN
- Deadline TV
There probably hadn’t been such a titan of organized crime since the heyday of 1930s prohibition and the days of Al Capone. In Boston though, the name James J. Bulger was hardly one with a lot of sentimental nostalgia attached, but rather it conjured images of fear and violence in South Boston, conditions that police and law enforcement at all levels of government seemed powerless to stop. Of course, we know how the story ends, and Bulger, Aka: Whitey, was arrested after nearly 20 years on the lam, tried, convicted and sentenced on multiple counts of murder, conspiracy, extortion and drug trafficking. But how did everyone let Whitey get away with so much for so long?
Acclaimed filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost) directs Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger and does so by covering a lot of ground in the origins, career, and downfall of Boston’s most notorious gangster.
Acclaimed filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost) directs Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger and does so by covering a lot of ground in the origins, career, and downfall of Boston’s most notorious gangster.
- 5/5/2014
- by Adam A. Donaldson
- We Got This Covered
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