Glenn Close

DVD Review: Spectacular ‘The Shield: The Complete Series Collection’

BrianTT — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:32:19 -0700

CHICAGO – All seven season of the Emmy-winning, groundbreaking “The Shield,” easily one of the best programs of the ’00s, have been collected into one absolutely gorgeous set for “The Shield: The Complete Series Collection”. This time of year usually produces several complete series sets to essentially re-sell already available programs to holiday shoppers. This is one of the best.

DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0

The 88 episodes of “The Shield” have been collection on 28 DVDS, beautifully housed in a 34-page bound anthology book filled with photos, quotes, and a special letter from Shawn Ryan. Purely from a packaging perspective, “The Shield” is one of the most beautiful sets that a TV fan could include on their shelf. Sometimes complete series sets are literally nothing more than the previous releases crammed into one box. That’s not the case here as the entire show has been lovingly bound like a book you want to read again.

The Shield: The Complete Series Collection was released on DVD on November 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Sony

It’s interesting to me that “The Shield” has been bound like a novel because the arc of the show played like one. What happened at the end of episode one - corrupt cop Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) killing a fellow police officer - resonated all the way through to the final scene of episode eighty-eight. The writers of “The Shield” masterfully intertwined plotlines through every season of the show. Unlike so many TV programs, actions had consequences in the world of “The Shield,” and the entire series plays more like an extended film than a episode series.

From season to season, “The Shield” had its ups and downs. Even the greatest shows of all time had some low moments. But now that we can look back at the entirety of Shawn Ryan’s program, it’s the highs - including arguably the best series finale in the history of television - that stand out. If you didn’t watch “The Shield” or if you were a huge fan and want to revisit it, this set should top your holiday wish list.

“The Shield: The Complete Series Collection” also includes over 63 hours of amazing special features from all seven seasons, along with two exclusive never-before-seen featurettes - “Rampart” (a documentary on the police scandal that inspired “The Shield”) and “A Place We Called Home” (a look back at the set of “The Shield”).

The only drawback of this release is that it’s probably the final word on one of the best shows of the ’00s. The show was an underrated, crucial part of the TV landscape of the decade and now it’s gotten the collection that it truly deserves.

‘The Shield: The Complete Series Collection’ was released by Sony Home Video and stars Michael Chiklis, Walton Goggins, David Rees Snell, Jay Karnes, CCH Pounder, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, Laurie Holden, Paula Garces, Glenn Close, Forest Whitaker, and Benito Martinez. It was created by Shawn Ryan. The show was released on November 3rd, 2009. It is not rated.

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

FX’s ‘Damages’ Adds New Cast Members For Third Season

BrianTT — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:58:58 -0600

CHICAGO – FX’s award-winning legal thriller “Damages” is adding four new actors, Campbell Scott (“Royal Pains”), Martin Short (“Primetime Glick”), Lily Tomlin (“Desperate Housewives”) and Keith Carradine (“Dexter”), to the cast for the upcoming season which premiers in January. Production on the series 13-episode season begins in New York tomorrow.

Glenn Close in Damages.
Photo credit: FX

Scott, Short, Tomlin and Carradine join series stars Close, Rose Byrne and Tate Donovan on the hit series. Other actors appearing in the upcoming third season will include Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“John Adams”), Michael Gaston (“Fringe”) and Darren Goldstein will reprise his role as Chris Sharp.

For a second year, “Damages” received seven Emmy Award nominations, with Glen Close winning her second Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role of ruthless attorney Patty Hewes. Byrne received her first Emmy nomination this year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama series for her role of Patty’s protégé Ellen Parsons.

Close is the first actress from a basic cable series to win the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama. Zeljko Ivanek became the first actor from a basic cable series to take home an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor for a Drama Series and “Damages” was the first basic cable series to take home the Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series. “Damages” earned the most Golden Globe nominations of any series during the show’s first season.

During the past two seasons, “Damages” featured the most impressive cast members and co-stars out of any series on television - Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, Anastasia Griffith, Noah Bean, Tom Aldrege, Philip Bosco, Nichael Nouri, Peter Facinelli, Peter Reigert, Mario Von Peebles, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Timothy Olyphant, John Doman, Clarke Peters, Kevin Corrigan, Paige Turco, Tom Noonan, and Garret Dillahunt.

By ANGIE RENTMEESTER
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com

Slideshow: 19-Image Gallery For ‘The 2009 Emmy Awards’ Including Tina Fey, Heidi Klum

BrianTT — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:43:56 -0600

CHICAGO – This 19-image slideshow contains the official CBS press images from “The 2009 Emmy Awards” including images from the stage and the red carpet. Celebrities snapped include Glenn Close, Tina Fey, Neil Patrick Harris, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Eva La Rue, Kaley Cuoco, Samantha Harris, LL Cool J, Alyson Hanigan, Cobie Smulders, Jon Cryer, Jeff Probst, Simon Baker, Bryan Cranston, Heidi Klum, and many more.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. Photos #1-9 credited to Mark Davis and photos #10-19 credited.to Monty Brinton. All Rights Reserved.

2009Emmys_01: Jeff Probst on the Red Carpet at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_02: Jennifer Love Hewitt, left, and Jaime Kennedy on the Red Carpet at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_03: Bob Newhart on the Red Carpet at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_04: Eva La Rue on the Red Carpet at the 61st PRIMETIME EMMY(R) AWARDS, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_05: Heidi Klum, left, and Seal on the Red Carpet at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_06: Tina Fey on the Red Carpet at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_07: Laura Spencer, left, and Samantha Harris on the Red Carpet at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_08: Kunal Nayyar, left, and Simon Helberg on the Red Carpet at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_09: LL COOL J, left, and Chris O’Donnell on the Red Carpet at the 61st PRIMETIME EMMY(R) AWARDS, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_10: (l-r); Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, Josh Radnor, and Cobie Smulders of How I Met Your Mother present at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_11: The Amazing Race, winners of Outstanding Reality-Competition Program at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_12: Neil Patrick Harris, Host, of the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_13: Neil Patrick Harris, Host, of the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_14: Jon Cryer, winner of Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_15: Jeff Probst, winner of Outstanding Host For A Reality or Reality-Competition Program at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_16: (l-r); Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, and Johnny Galecki of The Big Bang Theory present at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_17: Simon Baker presents at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_18: Glenn Close, winner Outstanding Lead Actress in A Drama Series at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
2009Emmys_19: Bryan Cranston, winner Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series at the 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards, to be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.

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

‘30 Rock,’ ‘Mad Men’ Lead 2009 Emmy Award Winners as Best Comedy, Drama

BrianTT — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:04:35 -0600

CHICAGO – Neil Patrick Harris hosted a joyful edition of the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night, September 20th, 2009, at which AMC’s “Mad Men” and NBC’s “30 Rock” were the big winners with Alec Baldwin, Jon Cryer, Kristin Chenoweth, Toni Collette, Cherry Jones, Michael Emerson, Glenn Close, and Bryan Cranston walking away with the major acting awards.

Harris opened with a musical number that could have been called “Put Down the Remote”. It kicked off a show that was surprisingly buoyant and well-paced. After hosting the Tonys and now the Emmys, the Oscars may want to consider giving the best host that awards shows have seen in a long time a call. After the number, Harris spoke of his love for TV, something that served as a theme for the entire night.

For the first time (and hopefully not the last), the show was split up by genre, handing out all the awards for comedy programming first. (Although it was kind of a cheat with the big award, Best Comedy, being saved for the end of the night. Just the acting, writing, and directing awards were presented early.)

The night started on a fantastic note as the wonderful and highly underrated Kristin Chenoweth won Best Supporting Actress for “Pushing Daisies”. It’s too bad the show is off the air. Nice job, ABC. Chenoweth joked, “I’m unemployed now, so I’d like to be on Mad Men.”

Harris and Kevin Dillon were robbed for the next acting award, Best Supporting Actor, which went to Jon Cryer for “Two and a Half Men,” after several consecutive nominations and straight losses to Jeremy Piven for “Entourage,” who was surprisingly not even nominated this year. With Chenoweth and Cryer both being unpredictable winners, the stage was set for an upset in several categories.

And it continued. Justin Timberlake, who had won the Outstanding Guest Appearance in a Comedy for his work on “Saturday night Live” presented the next award, Best Actress, to another surprising winner, Toni Collette for Showtime’s “United States of Tara”. Three acting awards and no winners for multi-nominated “30 Rock” was a surprise at this point in the evening, as most critics and TV writers expected Tina Fey to win here.

Best Actor in a Comedy looked like it might be where “30 Rock” picked up its first acting Emmy for its most-nominated year, but would previous winner Tony Shalhoub or beloved newcomer Jim Parsons steal the trophy? Of course not. No one can stop Alec Baldwin, who said “I’d trade this to look like him” in reference to his award’s presenter, Rob Lowe, and then honestly thanked Lorne Michaels for believing in him.

The reality awards began with Jon Cryer and Hayden Panetierre giving the Emmy for Best Reality Host to Jeff Probst for “Survivor”. Best Reality Competition Program went to “The Amazing Race,” a consistent winner in the category.

The Mini-Series and TV Movie categories were next and Kevin Bacon & Kyra Sedgwick kicked off the section of the evening by presented Best Supporting Actress to Shoreh Aghdashloo for “House of Saddam” and Best Supporting Actor to HBO’s great “Grey Gardens”. He jokingly said “I’ll make my speech as brief as possible in the hope that it won’t be interrupted by a Congressman or a rapper.”

Other Mini-Series and Movie winners included Brendan Gleeson for “Into the Storm” and Jessica Lange for “Grey Gardens” in the acting categories. The winner for Made For Television Movie was HBO’s “Grey Gardens” and “Little Dorritt” took home the prize for Outstanding Miniseries.

The dramatic awards started with a surprising and well-deserved win by Michael Emerson as Best Supporting Actor for “Lost”. The winner for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series went to another shocking choice, Cherry Jones for “24”. That’s where the surprises stopped, as the final hour of the evening went relatively predictably.

Ellen Burstyn and Michael J. Fox had previously won awards for Best Guest Appearance in a Drama and presented Best Directing to Rod Holcumb for “ER”. The winner for writing went to, of course, “Mad Men” and its scribes Kater Gordon and creator Matthew Weiner.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series went to the fantastic Glenn Close for “Damages,” predictably repeating her win from last season. Lead Actor in a Drama Series was also a repeat from last year with Bryan Cranston taking home the Emmy again for his work on AMC’s “Breaking Bad”.

Finally, the two big awards of the night went, rather predictably, to “30 Rock” and “Mad Men”. A night that started with a few shockers finished with four winners repeating from last year. Congratulations to all the winners and good luck to everyone thinking of toppling Close, Cranston, “30 Rock,” and “Mad Men” next year.

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

‘Damages’ Returns With Intense, Riveting Start to Season Two

BrianTT — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:39:51 -0700

CHICAGO – The complex, twisted world of FX’s excellent “Damages” returns this week with a spectacular set-up for what promises to be another riveting season of twists and turns down the alleys of legal ethics and questionable moral behavior with an even more impressive ensemble than the one that won Emmys for its highly lauded first season.

The character played by Zeljko Ivanek, Emmy winner for Supporting Actor, may be dead and gone, but the rest of the cast, including Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, and even Ted Danson, are back, joined by three of the better actors that you will find on TV this season - Oscar winner William Hurt, Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden, and Timothy Olyphant (“Deadwood,” “Go”). Hurt should clear his mantle now for an Emmy this summer and Close probably needs to make room for number two but they’re far from alone. “Damages” is a clear frontrunner for the best ensemble on television. Most films over the next few months won’t feature acting this impressive.

Rose Byrne (L) and Glenn Close (R) in Damages premiering Wednesday, Jan. 7 (10 PM ET/PT) on FX.
Photo credit: Craig Blankenhorne/FX

It may have been a year and a half since “Damages” was on the air, but in the world of Hewes & Associates, it’s only been a month since the disastrous end of the Arthur Frobisher case. In case you don’t remember the flurry of activity that ended season one, cutthroat attorney Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) watched her opponent in the courtroom Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek) take his own life in front of her eyes. The problem for Patty (besides the emotional trauma) was that she was blackmailing the closeted defenseman, so she needed Ellen (Rose Byrne) to help clean up the evidence before the police arrived. Fearing that Ellen knew enough to ruin her life forever, Patty sent someone to kill the woman that she had grown close to professionally and personally.

Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons on the season premiere of Damages airing on Wednesday, Jan. 7 (10 pm e/p) on FX.
Photo credit: Mark Seliger/FX

Ellen survived the attack on her life, but her fiance wasn’t so lucky, getting killed on the same night by nefarious businessman Arthur Frobisher’s (Ted Danson) people. With a dead husband-to-be and the knowledge that her boss tried to kill her, Ellen was approached by the FBI and tasked with taking down Patty Hewes from the inside. And that’s the very brief version of a labyrynthine season that became one of the first basic cable shows nominated for a Best Drama Series Emmy (“Mad Men” was also nominated giving them the joint honor of being the “first”).

The structure of the first season was essentially a flashback. The show opened with a bloodied Ellen running from a building and being arrested for the death of her fiance. The series then worked back to that moment, detailing how the new attorney went from wide-eyed rookie to bitter veteran over the course of one case.

One of many questions answered by the premiere of season two is would the show followed a similar structure? Yes. The new episode opens with a monologue by Ellen in close-up to someone unseen. Only at the end of the scene, do we realize that sweet Ellen is holding a gun. It’s going to be a different Ellen in year two.

Flash back six months to just one month after the end of the Frobisher case. Arthur survived getting shot in the gut and is recovering in a hospital. Ellen is undercover and being handed a fake case by the FBI to try and entrap Patty into doing something illegal. And Patty is being approached by someone from her past, Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), a potential whistle blower about to destroy a major company. Meanwhile, Ellen meets someone intriguing (Timothy Olyphant) in her anger management class. Marcia Gay Harden joins the supporting cast in the second episode as an attorney caught up between Daniel and Patty.

What is the link between Patty and Purcell? Will Tom (Tate Donovan) get caught up in Ellen’s web with the FBI? Is the new guy in Ellen’s life a genuine love interest or a vengeful nut job? Will the fact that Patty is guilty of conspiracy to commit murder be a part of the fabric of the show until its end? How can they ever drop it?

Glenn Close as stars as Patty Hewes on Damages airing on Wednesday, Jan. 14 (10 pm e/p) on FX.
Photo credit: Craig Blankenhorne/FX

The first episode of the second season of “Damages” - “I Lied, Too” - is a little cluttered, answering some questions from the last season and setting up new ones, but the show quickly settles into an interesting groove in the second episode and especially the excellent third episode. It’s great to see the focus of the show switch and easily survive the transition from the Frobisher case to the Purcell one. How many series could survive the loss of its Best Supporting Actor winner (Ivanek) and the switch of focus away from his fellow nominee (Danson) and not only feel as good but arguably better? It’s a testament to the writing team at “Damages,” one of the best on television and one that clearly drew in actors as talented as Hurt, Harden, and Olyphant.

Like a lot of shows that succeed in their first season, the second chapter of “Damages” feels even more consistent and confident than the first. The team has figured out the shows strengths, the cast has grown accustomed to the unusual impromptu writing process (even the writers don’t know how a season will end when they start a new one), and the pace and energy of the show has been set in stone. Close was nearly perfect from episode one of “Damages,” but even she seems like a more interesting, well-rounded character in season two and Byrne is clearly having a blast playing “tough and bitter Ellen” as opposed to “naive and worried Ellen” from season one.

FX has forged a niche in original programming based on morally challenged, complex characters like Vic Mackey on “The Shield,” Tommy Gavin on “Rescue Me”, Sean McNamara & Christian Troy on “Nip/Tuck,” and, the Queen of them all, Patty Hewes on “Damages”. You won’t find a more interesting character on television and she’s surrounded by an even better supporting team than in the award-winning first season. Don’t miss “Damages”.

‘Damages,’ which airs on FX, stars Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Timothy Olyphant, and Ted Danson. The premiere of season two airs on January 7th, 2009 at 9PM CST.

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

‘Evening’ Challenges ‘Chick Flick’ Stigma, Questions Life’s Pressing Questions

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:18:18 -0600

CHICAGO – “Evening,” which failed to materialize in two previous attempts, was finally filmed in the hands of Hungarian director Lajos Koltai.

In his inaugural English-speaking film, he confronts two double-edged swords: the stigma associated with an American “chick flick” and a story that’s uplifting while simultaneously depressing.

Patrick Wilson (left) and Claire Danes in “Evening”
Photo courtesy of Gene Page
The film is fixated on the deathbed of a woman who reflects decades back on the few golden moments of her life. Despite two bad marriages, Koltai – who speaks with a thick accent from Budapest – hones in on just two days. He says the film pays homage to the up-and-down nature of life and the big decisions we make.

“Everyone is trying to belong to someone,” he said in a Chicago interview with Adam Fendelman. “This life is not without problems. Even though there weren’t many golden moments, at the end she goes back to them because she was so busy living her everyday life. Don’t forget to ask the important questions at the end.”

Koltai, who willingly accepts all the blessings and the burdens of life, has designed this film so people can realistically relate.

“We had a beautiful, red-carpet opening in New York. Yesterday, though, I was waiting at the airport for five hours with cancelled flights and everything going wrong,” he said. “Now I’m having a good time with you. In an hour, I’m going to Minneapolis and who knows what will happen. Life’s always up and down.”

He encourages audiences to realize that, accept it and let it be. With great intention, you learn very little about her typical years. In the last two weeks she’s alive, she announces to her two daughters a name they’d never heard before. It’s her memory of being in true love even though he wasn’t the man she ended up marrying.

Meryl Streep (left) and Vanessa Redgrave in “Evening”
Photo courtesy of Gene Page
Shot with picturesque aesthetics and due to the topics covered, you’d be quick to tag the film as a chick flick. Only recently learning the meaning of the phrase, Koltai sensitively disagrees: “It’s not a chick flick.”

It is. Despite many critics and moviegoers who scoff at the concept, though, there’s no shame in admitting it and there can be great virtue in exploiting it. He added: “People are unsure about their lives. They go to the cinema to have important questions answered. I’m giving them some answers with this film.”

Choosing between a relationship that’s romantically fated and one that’s necessarily stable is often one of life’s loftier decisions. Though it’s unclear whether she regrets the choice she made, Koltai wants you to question your own life and the choices you’ve made.

Based on the novel by Susan Minot and adapted for the screen by Minot and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham, its timing the third time around finally fit. Cunningham said in the film’s production notes: “It came along at a time when my own mother was very, very ill, which made it feel like providence.”

Claire Danes (left) and Mamie Gummer (right) in “Evening”
Photo courtesy of Gene Page
Koltai says he only shot what was needed. While many first film cuts range between three and four hours, Koltai says his first version came in at two hours and 19 minutes.

Utilizing very little CGI and original structures that weren’t built for filming, it was edited to one hour and 52 minutes. A devout art-history buff, Koltai says he typically dreams up his movies before seeking real-life images. He describes the house used in the film, for example, as nearly identical to what he imagined.

As the story centers around a mother and her daughters, it was important for Koltai to cast two pairs of mothers along with their real-life daughters. The film, which was shot as an independent with a $14 million budget, surprisingly featured a star-studded cast.

He says the film came in under budget. While Koltai isn’t against the film making money for the benefit of the studios, he says cash wasn’t his first priority. He wants to give people answers.

Claire Danes in “Evening”
Photo courtesy of Gene Page
Koltai says big names like Meryl Streep and Glenn Close – who played big roles with very short screen time – didn’t sign on for the money. He added: “The actors were there for almost nothing. They just wanted to do the film.”

Claire Danes plays the childhood version of Vanessa Redgrave during her golden two days with the suave, charismatic Patrick Wilson. Koltai added: “Claire plays a very straight, complicated and believable character. She’s not at all sideways. There are lots of secrets inside Claire. You just have to open them up. She was a big surprise for me.”

She’s forced to unnaturally keep a stiff upper lip.

“My character is having defining experiences and starting to make life choices. It’s always exciting to play somebody undergoing a transformation. It’s a seminal weekend for Ann,” Danes said in the film’s production notes. “By the standards of the high-society world she is visiting, she is unconventional.

Mamie Gummer in “Evening”
Photo courtesy of Gene Page
“She is very idealistic and ambitious. She is negotiating her desires to be independent and her desires to have a family. She is drawn to motherhood but also to performing.” She added: “The film considers the question: ‘What makes a life?’ We are all human and searching [for that answer].”

On working with Koltai, Danes said: “Lajos is always there by the camera. He’s never off by a monitor. He created an absolutely secure environment for all of us to be as vulnerable and expressive as we needed to be.” Close added: “Lajos comes from a very rich tradition of Hungarian filmmakers. Many of them cut their teeth when there wasn’t a lot of film stock. They would have to edit more in their heads.”

With such a veteran cast, the Oscar conversation is expected. Koltai, who is a member of the academy, is hesitant to answer the question.

“Not one second did I think about the Oscars. You just have to make a movie,” he said. “I don’t want to name names. Though an Oscar would have to be given to one person, I think of Vanessa and Claire like one body. If [the academy does consider this film], I think it should for the whole ensemble.”

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com