Adam Goldberg

Art World Bares its Soul in Adam Goldberg’s Superlative ‘(Untitled)’

PatrickMcD — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:57:21 -0700

CHICAGO – One of the best and most exciting surprises of the 2009 film year is a smaller, claustrophobic film starring Adam Goldberg and set in the art gallery world of New York City. “(Untitled)” is an honest, uncompromising character study.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Taking its name from the practice of inscribing artwork with no label at all, (Untitled) involves three people, two who are practicing artists and one who owns a small Soho art gallery. Adrian (Adam Goldberg) is a composer of atonal symphonies – think using buckets and chains for sounds instead of harmonics – and although recognized as a significant craftsman he still needs to supplement his living by providing piano atmosphere in a haughty bistro.

His brother Josh (Eion Bailey) is a “successful” artist, having found a niche market selling his works to decorate hotel lobbies and corporate hallways. He is the biggest income generator for Madeleine (a revelatory Marley Shelton), who owns a small but cutting edge gallery. Embarrassed that she has to rely on Josh’s commercial work to stay afloat, she coyly hides his work in the back when clients come to call.

When Madeleine sees Adrian perform one of his symphonies, she not only gets a commission for him but takes him on as a lover. When the three attitudes of the principal characters collide – Adrian’s outsider inclination, Josh’s desperate need for artistic credibility and Madeleine’s blind worship of the next edgy art happening – the very question of who decides what art can be is philosophically rendered.

”(Untitled)” opens in Chicago November 6th, in limited release elsewhere. Check local listings for theaters. Featuring Adam Goldberg, Marley Shelton, Eion Bailey and Vinnie Jones, directed by Jonathan Parker. Rated “R” Click here for the HollywoodChicago interview with Adam Goldberg of Untitled.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “(Untitled)”

Adam Goldberg as Adrian in ‘(Untitled)’
Photo credit: Parker Film Company/Samuel Goldwyn Films

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “ (Untitled)”

Interview: Adam Goldberg on the Art of Performance in ‘(Untitled)’

PatrickMcD — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:30:39 -0700

CHICAGO – The Adam Goldberg character is well known to fans of TV’s “Friends” and the movie’s “Saving Private Ryan.” With his heart-on-his-sleeve persona, he takes that character to rarified heights in the new film “(Untitled).”

Set in the galleries and small symphony halls of New York City, (Untitled) is a deeply philosophical look at the nature of art, through three characters who each believe they understand the essence of what art is within themselves.

Adam Goldberg plays Adrian, a composer of atonal symphonies, whose work continues to go unrecognized. His brother Josh (Eion Bailey), is a successful painter of hotel decor-style art, who longs to be recognized for more. Rounding out the triad is Madelaine (Marley Shelton), the arty and pretentious gallery owner who strives for the next atmospheric happening.

Adam Goldberg as Adrian and Marley Shelton as Madeleine in ‘(Untitled)’
Photo credit: Parker Film Company/Samuel Goldwyn Films

HollywoodChicago got the opportunity to talk to Adam Goldberg about this challenging and enlightening film, and his perspective provides further insights into this substantial release.

HollywoodChicago.com: You essentially played a darker, deeper variation on a character that you are known for, the twitchy neurotic intellectual type. How did your past work with that character type help you in relationship to your portrayal of Adrian?

Adam Goldberg: There were definitely certain aspects of myself that I needed to amplify for this film, and other aspects that I needed to turn down. It was a tuning process to find a balance, because there are definitely certain things I can relate to about Adrian and other things that were hyperbolized. However, after I read the script, I felt that the character was clearly defined.

HC: There is an uncompromising grace in arc of all the characters in (Untitled), a rare feat. Do you feel that you, your fellow actors and the rest of the production crew dug deeper within the material because it was so strong?

AG: In situation with films like this you don’t have as much time, and not as much money, but I’ve found that most people are there because they want to be there, as opposed to it just being a paying gig.

In a uniform sense the people involved were trying to tap as much as they possibly could in themselves. And the director, too, hired everyone because he knew they were going to be good. It turned out to be a very collaborative process. There wasn’t a lot of rehearsal or a lot of time, but there was a lot of discussion in tracking the character’s arcs.

With all the characters there are no definitive didactic statements. Their development is about walking the line and staying true to the character, but at the same time poking holes in the armor so the audience can see some vulnerability and what’s going on in them. In my character of Adrian, it was a minor shift. I had lots of discussion, for example, about how he wouldn’t smile.

Sibling Rivals: Eion Bailey as Josh and the Unsmiling Adam Goldberg in ‘(Untitled)’
Photo credit: Parker Film Company/Samuel Goldwyn Films

HC: (Untitled) is very poignant in showing the truth in staying true to one’s self in artistic expression, despite the pain it sometimes causes. How did you relate this to your character Adrian in the early readings of the script?

AG: In a sense, he is too true to his atonal musicianship, cutting off the harmony to spite his face. He on the one hand believes in what he is doing and on the other hand questions it. He stubbornly stands by his atonal self even though it is shown he is capable of playing beautiful melodies.

He overcompensates for his point of view in an effort to defend it. Ultimately the lesson in the film in part is that you can only end up doing what you do and being yourself. If that ends up being minimalist atonal cacophony so be it. But maybe it also means it’s okay to be successful. Some sort of mainstream acceptance does not equate to a lack of artistic integrity.

HC: We see a New York City in this film that is less familiar and more claustrophobic than usual screen portrayals. What was director Jonathan Parker communicating with this scenic approach?

AG: My sense from the very beginning was that although this is New York City, present day, that there was kind of other worldly feel to it. Adrian, for example, somehow has the last affordable bohemian apartment left in Soho. It’s a holdover from the old days.

Also the world the art gallery characters live in is a bubble world. Adrian’s bubble is even smaller. Although you can identify the area as New York City, it isn’t necessarily about New York as a whole but more of the ‘islands’ within the island.

HC: You are a published and recorded musician yourself. Did you relate to Adrian’s approach to his music art or did you think he was a little much and what did you personally learn about the atonal symphony composition?

AG: For many years I been a fan of the musician Steve Reich, who is a minimalist composer. He began with samples of hand claps, street sounds and pianos, and would phrase them to become this hypnotic repetition. Ultimately he incorporated these elements into very beautiful symphonic structures.

Where we find Adrian is in an earlier phase. He’s not necessarily getting it all right either, he’s become beholden to this intellectual concept that one thing has nothing to do with the other and those two worlds can’t co-exist.

To that extent I don’t relate to him, but I do relate to the idea using soundscapes and sound objects. I have done that in my own music, but it is tuneful. The idea is to create an atmosphere where the song lives. I get the atonal thing intellectually but don’t do it in my own music.

HC: Interestingly enough, the characters in (Untitled) all come to a redemption of sorts by the end. Which of the characters keep evolving the strongest, do you think, or has the best future ahead of them and why?

AG: In a weird way I think probably Eion Bailey’s character, who was my brother Josh in the film, there is something about the acceptance of who he is as himself. It is his character that decides that his artwork is not going to make the Museum of Modern Art, but this is the stuff he paints and he’s happy to be showing it, period.

Eion was last minute casting, replacing somebody who had dropped out. We were all on pins and needles because we were about to shoot. But he made some great choices for the character, with little evolutions rooted to himself.

HC: The art world can be both objective and subjective. What part of the pursuit of art, including your experience with acting and music, do you find to be most satisfying in this process of object and subject?

AG: I struggled with this a lot. Not so much as an actor, for as an actor I feel like my job is to do whatever I can with the material presented, sometimes I succeed and other times I don’t. The things I feel I can be judged on are the things I’ve created from the ground up.

My music, which was well received, and the two films I’ve created, which were more divided reactions, is what I’m most proud of. If I’m going to be judged for something, it should be for the things that I’ve put every ounce of myself into.

Ultimately nothing is more satisfying as the process of making my works. When you start with something that is nothing, a blank screen, and you end up with images, sounds, people’s performances, there is no failing in that regard. There will always be different perceptions of the work, but you can’t control that.

The success is never really enough anyway, what you are left with is what you’re going to do next. In the end, you need to embrace the fulfilling aspects of creation.

As Pvt. Mellish in ‘Saving Private Ryan’
Photo credit: © Dreamworks SKG

HC: Even though you have never actually served in the military did you feel like you had after ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and what appreciation did you come away with for that service, especially in the context of the World War 2 veteran?

AG: It was a totally transformative experience, there is no question about it. As the years go by, the thing I kind of glean the most from that experience was this connection to service, in particular with the guys who fought that war. I was moved by those men and women, and even the homefront. What a different time it was, how connected everyone was. There was something about it that felt like another planet.

When I got home from it, I definitely felt like I had military experience. Particularly the boot camp, even though it was abbreviated. We were camping for five days, eating rations and referring to each other by our character names. It was as important to me to appeal to Dale Dye, the military advisor, as it was to appeal to Steven Spielberg. I had to portray this guy as honestly and thoughtfully in the military sense as in my acting performance.

HC: What was the atmosphere on the set of ‘Dazed and Confused?’ and are you surprised about the number of actors that broke out from that seminal film and had prosperous careers?

AG: I am not surprised. When we were doing it, we had concerns about how it was going to be released, because we wanted it to be as exciting to an audience as we thought it was. It was released in far fewer theaters than we all were led to believe. It was almost destined to be a cult movie just by virtue of how it worked out.

It was a great film to be a part of at the time, in that particular phase of being 17 through your early 20’s as an actor. So many people were so good in that film, that it was obvious it was going to be a breeding ground for breaking out, not unlike ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ and ‘American Graffiti.’

It was a exciting set atmosphere, very familial and clique-oriented. It was like a very condensed college experience, even though it was only a month. We were all running amuck in this hotel, even a security guard made me stay in my room all night (laughs). It was a free-for-all the whole time.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

TV Review: ABC’s Quirky ‘The Unusuals’ Off to Promising Start

BrianTT — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:15:34 -0600

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – After the failure of the underrated “Life on Mars,” ABC brings another bizarre cop show to the same timeslot called “The Unusuals”. Like the program it’s replacing, this is an intriguing premiere, a show with serious potential that just needs a bit of tinkering behind-the-scenes to become appointment television.

ABC has thrown several new shows up against the wall to see what sticks, including “Castle,” “Better Off Ted,” “In the Motherhood,” “Cupid,” “Surviving Suburbia,” and, now, “The Unusuals”. With “Castle” treading water and still needing improvement and the other new entries disappointing, “The Unusuals” is the clear frontrunner of the bunch.

The Unusuals
Photo credit: Bob D’Amico/ABC

An odd mixture of zany comedy and grounded drama, a blend that still needs a little more time in the TV writing Cuisinart, “The Unusuals” is not your average NYC cop show. The personality disorder of this show might be an interesting hook but it’s what’s currently holding it back after one episode.

The Unusuals
Photo credit: Patrick Harbron/ABC

The true, emotional drama that this talented ensemble interjects into the comic insanity needs to be emphasized if the show really wants to stand out. Right now, the comedy feels forced but the drama is surprisingly effective.

An arguably-miscast Amber Tamblyn (“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”) stars as Detective Casey Schraeger, who is bumped up from vice to homicide before the credits even roll. A homicide detective has been murdered and Casey finds herself both promoted and trying to figure out who’s responsible for the job vacancy she’s going to fill.

Casey is partnered with the victim’s former teammate, Detective Jason Walsh (Jeremy Renner), a quiet man with some clear secrets of his own. The two try to close the case while dealing with both an obnoxious and headline-grabbing fellow Detective named Eddie Alvarez (Kai Lennox) and their boss (Terry Kinney).

Like any good cop show, the “A case” is usually balanced out by a less-serious “B case”. The subplot in episode one introduces audiences to the suicidal Eric Delahoy (Adam Goldberg) and overly cautious Leo Banks (Harold Perrineau) as they chase down a cat killer. The squad is rounded out by the religious Detective Henry Cole (Josh Close) and his partner Alison Beaumont (Monique Gabriela Curnen).

The Unusuals
Photo credit: Patrick Harbron/ABC

The main strength of “The Unusuals” is easy to identify - Renner. This great character actor who has rocked in films like “Dahmer,” “28 Weeks Later,” and “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is simply spectacular here. He effectively delivers one of the best cop eulogies I’ve seen in a long time and is the kind of actor who can play multiple levels at the same time - selling both a believable cop and something a little darker. He would have been a great fit on “NYPD Blue”. With his upcoming role in the buzzed “The Hurt Locker,” 2009 could be the year this excellent actor becomes a star.

Luckily, Renner is not alone. Perrineau (“Lost”) and Goldberg (“Entourage,” “Saving Private Ryan”) both make an impact with just one episode and Kinney has been a great supporting actor for years on shows like “Oz” and as a major force on the Chicago theater scene.

Renner, Kinney, Perrineau, and Goldberg will be more than enough for most audiences to come back for week two but “The Unusuals” still needs some work. Tamblyn seems a little lost in episode one and there’s a scene with her socialite parents that is just horrible. They feel like cartoon characters. It’s not that Tamblyn is bad enough to drag the show down, but she just doesn’t make much of an impact in the premiere.

What’s more troublesome is the tone juggling. A dispatcher regularly shouts out weird NYC crimes in progress and a man dressed like a hot dog makes a quip from the holding cell. This material feels forced and overdone. Even the title of “The Unusuals” advertises the “quirky” nature of the show, but it’s the dramatic undertones that work significantly better.

Ultimately, the jury is still out on “The Unusuals” but it passes the only test of a series premiere that matters - Does it make you want to watch the second episode? With a couple of fascinating twists in the final act and some of the excellent performances from the bulk of the show the answers is a definite “yes”.

Check out this cool “Starter Kit” to see what “The Unusuals” is all about:

‘The Unusuals,’ which airs on ABC, stars Jeremy Renner, Amber Tamblyn, Harold Perrineau, Adam Goldberg, Josh Close, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Terry Kinney, and Kai Lennox. The show was created by Noah Hawley. The series premieres on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 9PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Video: Sneak Peek of ABC’s ‘The Unusuals’ With Harold Perrineau, Adam Goldberg

BrianTT — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:48:57 -0600

CHICAGO – ABC’s news series “The Unusuals” debuts next Wednesday, April 8th, 2009, but we have a sneak peek of the show starring Amber Tamblyn (“Joan of Arcadia”), Jeremy Renner (the upcoming “The Hurt Locker”), Harold Perrineau (“Lost”), Monique Gabriela Curnen, Josh Close, Kai Lennox, Eddia Alvarez, Terry Kinney, and Adam Goldberg. We have a clip called “Starter Kit” for you below. Check out the premiere on April 8th at 9pm CST.

Official Synopsis:

Like a modern-day “M*A*S*H,” “The Unusuals” explores both the grounded drama and comic insanity of the world of New York City police detectives, where every cop has a secret. It also helps to have a twisted sense of humor, since every day could be your last.

Detective Casey Shraeger (Amber Tamblyn) has just been transferred to the NYPD’s Homicide unit from Vice and is instantly thrown into a setting of bullets and bodies. As she begins her new assignment, Casey finds that the force is full of secrets, which serves her well, since she’s keeping a few of her own. But her first case is not an easy one, as she’s assigned to investigate the death of one of the department’s own, the former partner of Detective Jason Walsh (Jeremy Renner), who is now her new partner.

As the duo seeks out the cop killer, the secrets and eccentricities of the rest of the department begin to emerge. Prank-magnet and social climber Detective Eddie Alvarez (Kai Lennox) has no qualms about stealing cases, as long as he can turn them into front-page stories; partners Eric Delahoy (Adam Goldberg), who is trying to get himself killed in the line of duty, and Leo Banks (Harold Perrineau), an overly cautious officer who refuses to remove his bulletproof vest, are polar opposites; and the very religious Detective Henry Cole (Josh Close) is trying to keep his secret past from both his streetwise partner, Alison Beaumont (Monique Gabriela Curnen), and Sgt. Brown (Terry Kinney), who is struggling to rid the 2nd precinct of corruption.

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By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

News You Need: ‘Frankie Machine,’ ‘The Love Guru,’ ‘The Da Vinci Code’ Sequel, ‘Untitled’

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:11:13 -0600

Michael Mann has inked a deal with Paramount Pictures to develop “Frankie Machine” as a star vehicle for Robert de Niro.

The drama is an adaptation of the Don Winslow novel “The Winter of Frankie Machine” and De Niro will play a mob hitman who has retired to run a bait shop.

The first photo has been released for “The Love Guru,” which stars Mike Myers and Jessica Alba. Myers plays an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus.

Mike Myers and Jessica Alba in “The Love Guru”.
Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Columbia has made official a Feb. 2007 fast-tracked European start to “Angels & Demons,” which is Ron Howard’s sequel to “The Da Vinci Code”. The film is slated for release in Dec. 2008.

Jamie Foxx has signed on for “The Zebra Murders: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness and Civil Rights” for DreamWorks.

Based on a 2006 book, the story chronicles the series of racially motivated, black-on-white serial killings from 1973 to 1974 in San Francisco.

Celtic Rose Entertainment has optioned the rights to young-adult fantasy book series “Leven Thumps” by Obert Skye.

As a 14-year-old boy, the fate by Leven Thumps is to save the ailing Foo, which is a world that allows mankind to dream and imagine.

Adam Goldberg (from “2 Days in Paris” with Julie Delpy; our Delpy interview on that film can be found here) and Marley Shelton will star in the indie feature “Untitled”.

The film is centered around a tortured musician at odds with his successful brother.

Adam Goldberg
Photo by Jeff Vespa, WireImage.com
Paramount Pictures has begun casting for a G.I. Joe film and plans to begin filming in the middle of Feb. 2008 in Prague and Los Angeles.

Stephen Sommers (“Van Helsing,” “The Mummy Returns,” “The Mummy”) will direct the film from a script by Stuart Beattie. Paramount is currently calling the film the “Untitled Stephen Sommers Project”.

Jim Caviezel (Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ”) and Claudia Karvan will star in the suspense thriller “Long Weekend” for Arclight Films.

The Everett de Roche story centers around a young couple on a camping trip who remorselessly disregard the local environment by shooting guns and wounding wildlife. The animals fight back.

The 11-year-old Kodi Smit-McPhee will play young Logan in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” from 20th Century Fox. Smit-McPhee, who starred in “Romulus, My Father,” will start filming for the “X-Men” spin-off in Dec. 2007.

Kodi Smit-McPhee
Photo courtesy of Superhero! Hype
Freestyle Releasing has scored domestic theatrical rights to Rick Yune’s (“Die Another Day”) martial arts film “The Fifth Commandment” with plans to launch it into 1,000 U.S. theaters in March 2007.

Yune stars as a trained assassin who declines an assignment to off a pop singer because her bodyguard is his half brother.