Anjelica Huston

DVD Round Up, Nov. 19, 2009: ‘Spread,’ ‘Open Road,’ ‘Train’

BrianTT — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:17:10 -0700

CHICAGO – The DVD Round-Up is back! Did you miss us? HollywoodChicago.com’s intermittent column designed to serve as a safety net for releases that may otherwise fall without notice is back with a motley crew of titles that have nearly nothing in common. Classic TV, drama, horror, copious sex, and Justin Timberlake. You make the connections.

“The Fugitive: Season Three, Volume One” was released on October 27th, 2009

“The Dead” was released on November 3rd, 2009.

“Spread” was released on November 10th, 2009.

“The Canyon,” “Open Road” and “Train” were released on November 17th, 2009

“The Fugitive: Season Three, Volume One”

Photo credit: Paramount

Synopsis: “The hit series The Fugitive is back, featuring the first 15 Season Three episodes, on DVD for the first time ever! Golden Globe Award winner David Janssen expertly portrays Dr. Richard Kimble, the pediatrician falsely accused of killing his wife, who needs to prove his innocence by leading the obsessive Lt. Philip Gerard (Barry Morse) to the murderous one-armed man. His life in constant danger, Kimble has by now honed his skills in deception in order to evade capture - a new town, a dead-end job, a different identity. Yet he continues to live in a nightmare world that he can never escape.

Relive all the thrills and chills of The Fugitive in the season that won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Dramatic Series.”

“The Fugitive” stars David Janssen, William Conrad, and Barry Morse. The show is presented in its original 4:3 aspect ratio and accompanied by a Dolby Digital mono track. It is not rated and runs 771 minutes on four discs.

The set includes no special features.

“The Dead”

Photo credit: Lionsgate

Synopsis: “In his final achievement, legendary director John Huston brings the magic of James Joyce to the screen with this evocative drama starring his daughter, Anjelica Huston. The Dead takes place in early 20th century Dublin at a vibrant holiday feast. Gretta and Gabriel, a young couple, seem to share a comfortable life. But that night, a familiar voice recalls poignant memories and Gabriel learns of his wife’s unforgotten love.”

“The Dead” stars Anjelica Huston, Donal McCann, Helena Carroll, Cathleen Delany, Rachael Dowling, Ingrid Craigie, Dan O’Herlihy, Marie Kean, Donal Donnelly, Sean McClory, and Frank Patterson. It was written by Tony Huston and directed by John Huston. The film is presented in its original 1.78:1 widescreen format and accompanied by a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track. The film runs 73 minutes and is rated PG.

Sadly, the film includes no special features and it’s equally shameful that Huston’s last film is not available on Blu-Ray.

“Spread”

Photo credit: Anchor Bay

Synopsis: “Spread is a look at the trails and tribulations of sleeping your way to a life of privilege in L.A. Nikki (Ashton Kutcher) is a fun-loving, freeloading hipster who understands his greatest assets are his looks and sexual prowess. His latest conquest, Samantha (Anne Heche), a stunning middle-aged lawyer, gives Nikki more than he’s ever had before. But when Heather (Margarita Levieva), a gorgeous waitress playing the same game, catches his eye their lifestyles force a choice between love and money. Nikki has to decide if he can live on his own once and for all in the hopes of finding something real.”

“Spread” stars Ashton Kutcher, Anne Heche, Rachel Blanchard, Marie Conchita Alonso, Margarita Levieva, and Sebastian Stan. It was written by Jason Dean Hall and directed by David Mackenzie. The film is presented in its original 2.40:1 widescreen format and accompanied by a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. It runs 97 minutes and is rated R.

Special features include “Living the Dream - The Making of Spread,” “The World According to Nikki,” “Behind-the-Scenes with Ashton Kutcher,” and an audio commentary with actor/producer Ashton Kutcher and actors Anne Heche and Margarita Levieva.

“The Canyon”

Photo credit: Magnolia

Synopsis: “Honeymooners, Nick and Lori head off to the Grand Canyon for adventure and time alone together. Upon arriving, they hire Henry as their guide, who seems to have his own idea about the outdoor excursion. When tragedy strikes, the newlyweds must fend for themselves. Discovering they are prey being hunted by something or someone, they desperately fight for survival to escape the canyon alive.”

“The Canyon” stars Yvonne Strahovski, Will Patton, and Eion Bailey. It was written by Steve Allrich and directed by Richard Harrah. The film is presented in its original widescreen 2.40:1 format and accompanied by a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. It runs 102 minutes and is rated R.

Special features include “Discovering The Canyon,” Behind-the-Scenes Montage, deleted scenes, and Yvonne Strahovski casting session.

“Open Road”

Photo credit: Anchor Bay

Synopsis: “In this heartwarming comedy, minor leaguer Carlton Garrett (Justin Timberlake) must track down his estranged father, legendary pro-athlete Kyle Garrett (Jeff Bridges), when Carlton’s mother (May Steenburgen) becomes sick. Knowing his father’s likelihood to disappoint, Carlton enlists his ex-girlfriend Lucy (Kate Mara) for emotional support.

Years of miscommunication, frustration and comically awkward attempts at bonding come to a head as the mismatched trio make their way home from Ohio back to Houston to reunite their family.”

“Open Road” stars Jeff Bridges, Justin Timberlake, Kate Mara, Harry Dean Stanton, Lyle Lovett, and Mary Steenburgen. It was written and directed by Michael Meredith. It is presented in both 2.35:1 widescreen and 1.33:1 full frame and accompanied by a Dolby Surround 5.1 audio track. The film runs 90 minutes and is rated PG-13.

Special features include “Behind the Scenes of The Open Road” and an audio commentary featuring writer/director Michael Meredith and actor Jeff Bridges.

“Train”

Photo credit: Lionsgate

Synopsis: “Touring Eastern Europe with her college wrestling team, Alex (Thora Birch) attends a debauched late-night party that causes Alex and several teammates to miss their train to Odessa. Her coach is furious, but a mysterious woman offers the coach and wrestlers a ride on an alternative train. The coach agrees, and the athletes, exhausted and hung over, gratefully climb aboard. But the train harbors a deadly secret, and for Alex and her fellow passengers, a blood-soaked nightmare is just beginning.”

“Train” stars Thora Birch, Todd Jensen, and Gideon Emery. It was written and directed by Gideon Raff. The film is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen and accompanied by a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The film runs 94 minutes and is rated R.

Special features include a behind-the-scenes featurette.

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

Slideshow: 20-Image Gallery From Back Stage at 81st Annual Academy Awards

BrianTT — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:12:59 -0700

CHICAGO – This 20-image slideshow contains a selection of the award-winners and presenters back backstage at “The 81st Annual Academy Awards,” which aired on ABC on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009.

Winners and presenters include Dustin Lance Black, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, A.R. Rahman, Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, Steven Spielberg, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz, Anjelica Huston, Tilda Swinton, Goldie Hawn, Eva Marie Saint, Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Fey, Steve Martin, Andrew Stanton, Sir Ben Kingsley, Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Adrien Brody, and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos are credited to Adam Larkey and courtesy of ABC. All Rights Reserved.

oscars2009_backstage_01: Dustin Lance Black
oscars2009_backstage_02: Kate Winslet
oscars2009_backstage_03: Kate Winslet
oscars2009_backstage_04: Sean Penn
oscars2009_backstage_05: Sean Penn
oscars2009_backstage_06: A.R. Rahman
oscars2009_backstage_07: Danny Boyle
oscars2009_backstage_08: Danny Boyle
oscars2009_backstage_09: Christian Colson and Steven Spielberg
oscars2009_backstage_10: Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, and Penelope Cruz
oscars2009_backstage_11: Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, and Penelope Cruz
oscars2009_backstage_12: Atmosphere
oscars2009_backstage_13: Anjelica Huston, Tilda Swinton, Goldie Hawn, Penelope Cruz, Eva Marie Saint, and Whoopi Goldberg
oscars2009_backstage_14: Tina Fey, Dustin Lance Black, and Steve Martin
oscars2009_backstage_15: Andrew Stanton
oscars2009_backstage_16: Sir Ben Kingsley, Sean Penn, Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Adrien Brody, and Sir Anthony Hopkins
oscars2009_backstage_17: Penelope Cruz
oscars2009_backstage_18: Penelope Cruz
oscars2009_backstage_19: Penelope Cruz
oscars2009_backstage_20: Dustin Lance Black

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

Interview: Sam Rockwell Masters Addiction, Redemption in ‘Choke’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:11:55 -0600

CHICAGO – Interviewing actor Sam Rockwell is like experiencing him in one of his many excellent characters. He has been Chuck Barris in “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” “Wild Bill” Wharton in “The Green Mile” and even Guy Fleegman in “Galaxy Quest”. He’s a true performer with a passion that bleeds through in “Choke,” which is his latest film.

Standing and pacing during the Q&A with HollywoodChicago.com, Rockwell made a hilarious theatrical moment out of his frustration while lighting a cigarette. In between all that, he talked about his latest characterization, which is a challenging and exceptional performance channeling an Oedipal and compulsive personality.

“Choke” star Sam Rockwell in Chicago on Sept. 3, 2008.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Anjelica Huston in “Choke”.
Photo credit: Jessica Miglio

“Choke,” which is based on the Chuck Palahniuk novel of the same name (he also authored “Fight Club” and “Rant”), involves a sex addict named Victor (Rockwell).

His formerly free-spirited mother (Anjelica Huston) is dying in a local care center.

Between his 12-step sex addiction programs (where he engages in carnal knowledge in the restroom with a female participant) and his job as a character in a colonial theme park, Victor must try to reach a mother who essentially never cared for him.

“I relate to Victor because – like him – early on certain boundaries were broken in my life,” Rockwell said. “I saw things at an early age because my mom was a theater actress. I did a play with her when I was 10 years old. I was backstage with all these naked people and went to bars afterward. Like Victor, I was exposed to things early on.”

Left to right: Gillian Jacobs, Sam Rockwell and Brad William Henke in “Choke”.
Photo credit: Jessica Miglio

Rating: 4.5/5.0

To acquire money for his mother’s care, Victor has devised an attention-getting scam that involves choking on food so people will “save” him and in that heroism also take care of him. Rockwell offered: “The choking and the sex addiction are all related to trying to obtain intimacy. It’s the same goal.”

Victor’s life gets rearranged by a mysterious doctor in his mother’s care facility named Paige (Kelly MacDonald). She reveals a secret that could lead him on the road to redemption.

“Anjelica Huston and Kelly MacDonald are both really special,” Rockwell said. “Anjelica has such a fresh point of view about acting and doesn’t seem jaded at all. She seems more like a student and yet she is veteran actor who really brings it.”

“You fall in love with Kelly,” he added. “She is really unique because she is cast against type in this film.” Rockwell also talked about his preparation for the film and described how he attended sex addiction meetings in real life.

“Choke” star Sam Rockwell.
Photo credit: Jessica Miglio

Brad William Henke (left) and Sam Rockwell in “Choke”.
Photo credit: Jessica Miglio

“The sex addict stuff was required research to get inside the head of the guy,” Rockwell said. “All I had to do in the meetings during my research was say: ‘Hi. I am Sam. I’m questioning things.’ I stayed ambiguous without getting too personal. It’s a personal place.”

He also learned something in this analysis. Rockwell said: “Sex addiction is a pretty serious disorder. Anything compulsive can turn into an addiction.”

In working with Clark Gregg – who was directing his first film (and also wrote the screenplay) – Rockwell talked about the particulars in dealing with such a situation.

“Clark Gregg and I are around the same age. He has been an actor and is a writer,” Rockwell related. “But with a first-time director, there is a way to talk about things they might not know. Because Clark was an actor, though, he knew more about the process than most first-time directors.”

When asked about his penchant for playing odd and dark characters, Rockwell recounted a theory he has about general film character types.

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY
View our full, high-resolution “Choke” image gallery.

RELATED READING
More film reviews from critic Patrick McDonald.

“Once you accept that everything in film portrayal has been done already, you kind of think: ‘Well, they’ve done this character already. That is the best version,’” he said. “My question is always how I can improve upon that or make it different.”

Expounding upon that, Rockwell also said: “I like darker characters. I like playing bad guys. I think I’m drawn to them because those were the characters I liked from the movies when I was growing up. I liked ‘Taxi Driver,’ ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ and ‘The Deer Hunter’.”

Sam Rockwell absorbs this redemption-from-hell character in “Choke” with all the sickness and beauty it requires. The sympathy he evokes for Victor is indicative of the high level of actor he has become. He could almost be describing the character when he related his methodology in approaching all his roles.

“I always do drama,” Rockwell said. “It’s just that some people laugh at it and some people cry.”

“Choke,” which opened on Sept. 26, 2008, is directed by Clark Gregg and stars Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Brian William Henke and Bijou Phillips.

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