The Cannes Film Festival is possibly the most prestigious on the annual film calendar. And the Golden Palm, better known as the Palme d’Or, is the most prestigious film award of any kind (I believe). That includes the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Oscars, among others like the Golden Globes, are more commercial driven. Cannes is more focused on the craft or filmmakers than their appeal. The competition is stronger with a more diverse group of filmmakers. Don’t have an invitation? Sorry, but you literally need one.
A Palme d’Or loser isn’t just a film that didn’t win the award. To make the list, the film had to of been in competition. The award winners are the best of the best. In an elite group, a nomination is still prestigious. These are not upsets. The films on this list are not chosen because they...
A Palme d’Or loser isn’t just a film that didn’t win the award. To make the list, the film had to of been in competition. The award winners are the best of the best. In an elite group, a nomination is still prestigious. These are not upsets. The films on this list are not chosen because they...
- 5/29/2013
- by Matthew Curry
- Obsessed with Film
It’s Monday, so we all know what that means! Yes, it’s time for another rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s a very light week this week, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, January 14th 2013.
Pick Of The Week
Dredd (DVD/Blu-ray)
The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One–a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called “Judges” who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban, The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge–a...
Pick Of The Week
Dredd (DVD/Blu-ray)
The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One–a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called “Judges” who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban, The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge–a...
- 1/14/2013
- by Phil
- Nerdly
★★☆☆☆ It would be fair to say that Australian director John Hillcoat's previously released feature, The Road (2009), had minimal action. His dour adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic thriller played down the drama and focused heavily (arguably far too much) on anxious, pensive walking. Perhaps that's why his latest film is an all guns blazing neo-western; bloody, violent and packed with gangs out for revenge. Hillcoat hasn't wandered too far from his literary inspirations however, adapting Matt Bondurant's book The Wettest County in the World into a bloody crime drama under the revisionist title of Lawless (2012).
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 1/14/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Lawless
Stars: Tom Hardy, Shia LeBoeuf, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Dane DeHaan | Written by: Nick Cave | Directed by: John Hillcoat
The director of The Road, John Hilcoat’s latest film is an adaptation of Matt Bondurant’s novel based on the true tale of his grandfather and great uncles, three brothers: Forest, jack and Howard Bondurant, as moonshining bootleggers in Franklin County, Virginia. Lawless follows the repercussions of Forest (Tom Hardy) stands up to Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), who arrives from Chicago demanding a cut in the brothers’ profits.
Films that are based on a true story often are at risk of lacking in plot, because most people don’t have as exciting lives as Hollywood would have us believe, but the Bondurant brothers went through a lot during the few years the story covers. As the film opens, we’re told that Forest Bondurant believes he’s practically immortal,...
Stars: Tom Hardy, Shia LeBoeuf, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Dane DeHaan | Written by: Nick Cave | Directed by: John Hillcoat
The director of The Road, John Hilcoat’s latest film is an adaptation of Matt Bondurant’s novel based on the true tale of his grandfather and great uncles, three brothers: Forest, jack and Howard Bondurant, as moonshining bootleggers in Franklin County, Virginia. Lawless follows the repercussions of Forest (Tom Hardy) stands up to Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), who arrives from Chicago demanding a cut in the brothers’ profits.
Films that are based on a true story often are at risk of lacking in plot, because most people don’t have as exciting lives as Hollywood would have us believe, but the Bondurant brothers went through a lot during the few years the story covers. As the film opens, we’re told that Forest Bondurant believes he’s practically immortal,...
- 1/8/2013
- by Maahin
- Nerdly
Lawless; The Girl; The Imposter
Australian-born film-maker John Hillcoat is an often underrated auteur whose arresting filmography spans the broiling prison rebellion of Ghosts… of the Civil Dead, through the rugged western terrain of The Proposition to the bleak apocalypse of The Road, the last beautifully (but unpopularly) adapted from Cormac McCarthy's famously "unfilmable novel". Collaborating frequently with writer and composer Nick Cave, Hillcoat returns obsessively to themes of familial loyalty and modern mythology, with a quasi-biblical sense of archetypal justice and retribution often firing the infernal engine of his dramas.
Fittingly, family, mythology and vengeful justice are all at the heart of Lawless (2012, Momentum, 18), screenwriter Cave's adaptation of Matt Bondurant's visceral historical novel The Wettest County in the World. Handsomely set in prohibition-era Virginia (Benoît Delhomme's location cinematography conjures a perfect blend of pastoral lyricism and brutal violence), the film follows the changing fortunes of the Bondurant brothers,...
Australian-born film-maker John Hillcoat is an often underrated auteur whose arresting filmography spans the broiling prison rebellion of Ghosts… of the Civil Dead, through the rugged western terrain of The Proposition to the bleak apocalypse of The Road, the last beautifully (but unpopularly) adapted from Cormac McCarthy's famously "unfilmable novel". Collaborating frequently with writer and composer Nick Cave, Hillcoat returns obsessively to themes of familial loyalty and modern mythology, with a quasi-biblical sense of archetypal justice and retribution often firing the infernal engine of his dramas.
Fittingly, family, mythology and vengeful justice are all at the heart of Lawless (2012, Momentum, 18), screenwriter Cave's adaptation of Matt Bondurant's visceral historical novel The Wettest County in the World. Handsomely set in prohibition-era Virginia (Benoît Delhomme's location cinematography conjures a perfect blend of pastoral lyricism and brutal violence), the film follows the changing fortunes of the Bondurant brothers,...
- 1/6/2013
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Odd List Ivan Radford Jan 3, 2013
As 2012 recedes into history, Ivan counts down his pick of the year's finest movie soundtracks...
While Den of Geek writers were busy voting for the top film of the year, I’ve been rifling through my collection of albums from the last 12 months to work out which film soundtrack was the best. The conclusion? It’s been one heck of a year. (Please excuse the long list of Honourable Mentions at the end…)
These are the best movie soundtracks of 2012. Probably.
1. The Master (Jonny Greenwood)
A quick rewatch of the trailer to Paul Thomas Anderson’s film reminds you of the power of Jonny Greenwood’s music. The Master is surpassed by its haunting score, which nails the psychological state of Joaquin Phoenix’s Able-Bodied Seamen, increasingly dominated by His Master’s Voice. It may not be as lyrical as Greenwood’s Norwegian Wood soundtrack,...
As 2012 recedes into history, Ivan counts down his pick of the year's finest movie soundtracks...
While Den of Geek writers were busy voting for the top film of the year, I’ve been rifling through my collection of albums from the last 12 months to work out which film soundtrack was the best. The conclusion? It’s been one heck of a year. (Please excuse the long list of Honourable Mentions at the end…)
These are the best movie soundtracks of 2012. Probably.
1. The Master (Jonny Greenwood)
A quick rewatch of the trailer to Paul Thomas Anderson’s film reminds you of the power of Jonny Greenwood’s music. The Master is surpassed by its haunting score, which nails the psychological state of Joaquin Phoenix’s Able-Bodied Seamen, increasingly dominated by His Master’s Voice. It may not be as lyrical as Greenwood’s Norwegian Wood soundtrack,...
- 1/2/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
While Tom Hardy has yet to win any prestigious awards commemorating his skills as an actor, his popularity has been increasing. His break-out role in Inception has put his name in the spotlight, and his performance as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises left little doubt as to his potential. Lawless features another solid performance by the English actor and continues his streak of strong, likeable performances.
Lawless plays like a 40’s gangster film with modern production values and film-making perspective. The plot of these movies usually revolves around several high-strung characters whose interactions culminate in a series of “showdowns” from which the film derives its action. Therefore, there is high priority placed on the relationships between the actors, and usually less of a priority on the storytelling. “Characters” is a fitting description for the personas involved. They are usually deeply flawed and their motives are clearly defined.
Lawless tosses...
Lawless plays like a 40’s gangster film with modern production values and film-making perspective. The plot of these movies usually revolves around several high-strung characters whose interactions culminate in a series of “showdowns” from which the film derives its action. Therefore, there is high priority placed on the relationships between the actors, and usually less of a priority on the storytelling. “Characters” is a fitting description for the personas involved. They are usually deeply flawed and their motives are clearly defined.
Lawless tosses...
- 1/1/2013
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
Lawless, for all its flaws, delivers a very entertaining trip through a particular landmark of time and space. Based on true events, and with John Hillcoat at the helm, the film gives us a glimpse at life during Prohibition-era Virginia, and the strange circumstances the nation’s dry time created in many parts of the country.
The film ultimately suffers from what seems to be a certain odd spin on having delusions of grandeur by screenwriter Nick Cave, who isn’t satisfied to simply tell the story, but has to push many elements beyond the point of interest and what is legitimately believable and watchable.
Still, that opening should be read too harshly, because the problems I had with the film didn’t detract overly from the general enjoyment to be found. I suspect most will have a good time with this one, and even the film doesn’t ultimately impress,...
The film ultimately suffers from what seems to be a certain odd spin on having delusions of grandeur by screenwriter Nick Cave, who isn’t satisfied to simply tell the story, but has to push many elements beyond the point of interest and what is legitimately believable and watchable.
Still, that opening should be read too harshly, because the problems I had with the film didn’t detract overly from the general enjoyment to be found. I suspect most will have a good time with this one, and even the film doesn’t ultimately impress,...
- 11/29/2012
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
With the rise in popularity of Boardwalk Empire, prohibition gangers are in vogue right now; and the film Lawless is capitalizing on that. The Australian musician Nick Cave adapted the film from the book The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant who based said book on his grandfather’s exploits as a bootlegger. Director John Hillcoat uses this story--and a cast of Tom Hardy, Shia Labeouf, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, and Jason Clarke--to explore themes of power, brotherhood, and the concepts of right and wrong.
It’s 1931 in Franklin County, Virginia, and the Bondurant brothers are running a pretty lucrative bootlegging operation. Forrest (Tom Hardy) is the brains of the bunch, organizing the business aspects and making the money. Howard (Jason Clarke) is the brawn, beating enemies and the law into submission—and nearly killing them, if not for Forrest’s intervention. And little Jack...
It’s 1931 in Franklin County, Virginia, and the Bondurant brothers are running a pretty lucrative bootlegging operation. Forrest (Tom Hardy) is the brains of the bunch, organizing the business aspects and making the money. Howard (Jason Clarke) is the brawn, beating enemies and the law into submission—and nearly killing them, if not for Forrest’s intervention. And little Jack...
- 11/27/2012
- by John Keith
- JustPressPlay.net
This week on DVD/Blu-ray: John Hillcoat's brutal follow-up to "The Road"; the latest from the studio that brought you "Coraline"; the complete first (and only) season of Michael Mann's HBO show; and an end-of-the-world saga for action lovers. #1. "Lawless" Criticwire Page If you thought director John Hillcoat's follow-up to his stellar film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" would be any less bleak, you're in for a surprise. In chronicling the action-packed exploits of the bootlegging Bondurant brothers in "Lawless," Hillcoat packs the grim film with violence sure to upset the casual viewer. That doesn't mean the period thriller, based on Matt Bondurant's 2008 novel "The Wettest County in the World," isn't worth your time -- it is. Just be prepared for a bruising. Set in an expertly rendered Prohibition-era Virginia, "Lawless" stars Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica...
- 11/27/2012
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
The best way to describe John Hillcoat’s Lawless is as a story waiting to happen. It’s a curious experience, and a strange way to characterize it, but after giving the film a viewing, it becomes clear as to what this means. It has all the elements to tell an interesting tale about bootleggers struggling with the law, but for some odd reason, the film is structured in such a way that it merely prowls around the idea for almost the entire duration of its runtime.
As to why it was written in this way is unknown, but what story we do get out of it revolves around the Bondurant Brothers: Jack (Shia Labeouf), Howard (Jason Clarke), and Forrest (Tom Hardy), three men famous for being bootleggers in 1930s Virginia. At the start of the film, Jack is merely the driver for their various deliveries, which includes payoffs to the local law enforcement.
As to why it was written in this way is unknown, but what story we do get out of it revolves around the Bondurant Brothers: Jack (Shia Labeouf), Howard (Jason Clarke), and Forrest (Tom Hardy), three men famous for being bootleggers in 1930s Virginia. At the start of the film, Jack is merely the driver for their various deliveries, which includes payoffs to the local law enforcement.
- 11/27/2012
- by Jeff Beck
- We Got This Covered
Before the John Hillcoat-directed movie, "Lawless," starring the awesome ensemble of Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska and Jason Clarke, there was the source material: Matt Bondurant's "The Wettest County in the World," a novel based on the true story of Bondurant’s grandfather and two granduncles -- a notorious gang of roughnecks and moonshiners who ran liquor through Franklin County, Virginia during Prohibition. As adapted by musician/screenwriter Nick Cave, 'The Wettest County' became the "Lawless" under the watchful directorial eye of Hillcoat ("The Proposition," "The Road"). Released this past August, the film received strong reviews this summer and earlier when we saw it in Cannes. As it hits home video, Anchor Bay and The Weinstein Company have given us this cool exclusive clip of Bondurant explaining the story of his grandfather; something that...
- 11/26/2012
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Looking to get something for nothing without all the hassle of, well, stealing it?
With our "Lawless" giveaway, you can get the loot whilst still remaining a law-abiding citizen. One lucky winner will receive a "Lawless" DVD, the "Lawless" soundtrack CD (by Nick Cave) and the original "Lawless" novel by Matt Bondurant.
"Lawless" tells the tale of Jack (Shia Labeouf), Forrest (Tom Hardy) and Howard Bondurant (Jason Clarke), Virginia bootleggers trying to make a buck by getting people drunk during the Great Depression. Their livelihood — and their lives — are soon threatened when their endeavors get the attention of a half-mad federal agent (Guy Pearce, pulling out all the stops).
Really, where else are you going to see Bane, Sam Witwicky, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman's in it, too), the evil kid from "Chronicle" (Dane DeHaan) and the no short term memory guy from "Memento" all wearing suspenders, driving vintage cars...
With our "Lawless" giveaway, you can get the loot whilst still remaining a law-abiding citizen. One lucky winner will receive a "Lawless" DVD, the "Lawless" soundtrack CD (by Nick Cave) and the original "Lawless" novel by Matt Bondurant.
"Lawless" tells the tale of Jack (Shia Labeouf), Forrest (Tom Hardy) and Howard Bondurant (Jason Clarke), Virginia bootleggers trying to make a buck by getting people drunk during the Great Depression. Their livelihood — and their lives — are soon threatened when their endeavors get the attention of a half-mad federal agent (Guy Pearce, pulling out all the stops).
Really, where else are you going to see Bane, Sam Witwicky, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman's in it, too), the evil kid from "Chronicle" (Dane DeHaan) and the no short term memory guy from "Memento" all wearing suspenders, driving vintage cars...
- 11/26/2012
- by NextMovie Staff
- NextMovie
Australian filmmaker John Hillcoat has had a long-standing working relationship with musician Nick Cave, the two of them having collaborated on three films--two of which Cave wrote--and following Hillcoat's 2009 adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road , the duo decided to stay in America for the period crime-thriller Lawless . Based on the 2008 novel "The Wettest County in the World" by Matt Bondurant, itself based on the real story of his own grandfather and great-uncles who were illegally running moonshine in Franklin County during the Depression, the movie stars Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke as older brothers Forrest and Howard Bondurant and Shia Labeouf as younger Jack. The latter wants to get into the family business just as it starts to get more dangerous with a city...
- 11/26/2012
- Comingsoon.net
I finally watched Brave and now I fully understand why it’s doing so well on the Blu-Ray sales charts. Instead of trying to convince you to add it to your collection, I’ll just point you in the direction of our Brave Blu-Ray review. Last week’s featured Blu-Ray, The Expendables 2, isn’t doing so well even though I thought it was a boatload of eighties-action awesomeness. Our own review was posted in our Blu-Ray reviews section yesterday for your reading pleasure.
This week, Men in Black 3 tries to make time travel even groovier, ParaNorman takes you on a creepily-fun ride, and one of my favorite guilty pleasures gets its second season released on Blu-Ray.
Ready for this week’s top releases? Then read on.
Men in Black 3
Release Date: November 30th, 2012
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, and Emma Thompson.
Director:...
This week, Men in Black 3 tries to make time travel even groovier, ParaNorman takes you on a creepily-fun ride, and one of my favorite guilty pleasures gets its second season released on Blu-Ray.
Ready for this week’s top releases? Then read on.
Men in Black 3
Release Date: November 30th, 2012
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, and Emma Thompson.
Director:...
- 11/26/2012
- by C.P. Howells
- We Got This Covered
John Hillcoat’s gritty “Lawless” will be released on DVD and Blu-ray November 27, and in celebration of the impending release, ShockYa has an awesome prize pack to give away! Here’s what you could win: One copy of “Lawless” on DVD One copy of the “Lawless” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack with music by Nick Cave One copy of the novel “Lawless” by Matt Bondurant Here’s what you’ll need to do: Follow us @Shockya and tweet us the phrase, “@Shockya is giving away a Lawless prize pack! Follow and Rt to enter!” You have until November 27, the day of the release, to enter (you can enter every day until the November [ Read More ]
The post Win A Lawless Prize Pack From ShockYa! appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Win A Lawless Prize Pack From ShockYa! appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 11/19/2012
- by monique
- ShockYa
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Nov. 27, 2012
Price: DVD $29.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.99
Studio: The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay Entertainment
Tom Hardy (This Means War) and Jessica Chastain (The Help) find love in a time of crime in Lawless, a dark and gritty movie that’s as much folk tale as it is gangster drama.
Based on the novel by Matt Bondurant, which in turn is based on a true story, Lawless tells the story of the Bondurant brothers in Depression-era Virginia. Led by Forrest (Hardy), the Bondurant gang, also including Jack (Shia Labeouf, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) and Howard (Jason Clarke, TV’s The Chicago Code), are bootleggers who have quite a few people trying to take them down, including rival gangster Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman, The Dark Knight Rises) and new and very strange deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce, Lockout).
Chastain plays Maggie Beauford, a former stripper who takes refuge with the Bondurant boys,...
Price: DVD $29.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.99
Studio: The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay Entertainment
Tom Hardy (This Means War) and Jessica Chastain (The Help) find love in a time of crime in Lawless, a dark and gritty movie that’s as much folk tale as it is gangster drama.
Based on the novel by Matt Bondurant, which in turn is based on a true story, Lawless tells the story of the Bondurant brothers in Depression-era Virginia. Led by Forrest (Hardy), the Bondurant gang, also including Jack (Shia Labeouf, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) and Howard (Jason Clarke, TV’s The Chicago Code), are bootleggers who have quite a few people trying to take them down, including rival gangster Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman, The Dark Knight Rises) and new and very strange deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce, Lockout).
Chastain plays Maggie Beauford, a former stripper who takes refuge with the Bondurant boys,...
- 10/2/2012
- by Sam
- Disc Dish
Lawless hit back in late August, entertained and disappointed an equal number of folks, and is now moving on to a home video release on November 27th. Is it still okay to say "home video" if there are no videos involved? I personally really enjoyed the film, and director John Hillcoat is absolutely three for three in my book. Here's the press release: Based On A True Story From Matt Bondurant’s Novel The Wettest County In The World, This Gripping Tale of...
- 10/2/2012
- by Alejandro Stepenberg
- JoBlo.com
We might not have raved about it in our podcast review, but there is a lot to like about this one. It’s a pretty good ride, even if it does slow a little oddly in the middle, and best of all, the special features are bound to be worth the price on their own.
There isn’t that much info on the special features yet, but even what we know already is going to make it one you want to get hold of, even if you didn’t love the film. Plus, I don’t care if you like the movie all that much or not, you’ve got to watch Tom Hardy take on this role.
Based On A True Story From Matt Bondurant’s Novel The Wettest County In The World, This Gripping Tale of Brotherhood, Bootlegging, and Murder Heads To Retail On November 27, 2012!
Anchor Bay Entertainment...
There isn’t that much info on the special features yet, but even what we know already is going to make it one you want to get hold of, even if you didn’t love the film. Plus, I don’t care if you like the movie all that much or not, you’ve got to watch Tom Hardy take on this role.
Based On A True Story From Matt Bondurant’s Novel The Wettest County In The World, This Gripping Tale of Brotherhood, Bootlegging, and Murder Heads To Retail On November 27, 2012!
Anchor Bay Entertainment...
- 10/2/2012
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
In an early announcement from Anchor Bay Entertainment and the Weinstein Company , Lawless has been announced for its upcoming Blu-ray release. The news has actually come pretty early; the flick has been winding down its theatrical release over the last several weeks, but can currently still be seen in some theaters. If you haven.t caught the film yet, this is your official warning that it will be out of theaters soon. After that, you.ll have to wait until November 27 to nab a copy. Lawless is based on the true-life story of Bondurant Brothers, who lived and worked in Virginia during the Prohibition era, selling moonshine and running into trouble at every turn. The flick was in production for several years before being produced, and is based on Matt Bondurant.s famous novel, The Wettest County in the World. Lawless was nominated for.but didn.t win.the Palme...
- 10/1/2012
- cinemablend.com
Stephen Chbosky has pulled off what very few storytellers have been able to do. In 1999, he wrote “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a hit novel that became a favorite read for millions of those who were either living through the characters’ events, or have already experienced them. Years later, having persevered through the temptation of selling the material to someone else, Chbosky has directed his own feature-length film adaptation of the story, with a condensed screenplay worthy of the heart achieved by his book.
In the film version of this story about the roller coaster of adolescence, Logan Lerman plays Charlie, a freshman who starts a relationship with seniors Patrick (Ezra Miller, from We Need to Talk About Kevin) and Sam (Emma Watson).
I had the pleasure of speaking to Chbosky about his film, tackling certain topics like differences from the adaptation (some spoilers for the book), the excitement of getting older,...
In the film version of this story about the roller coaster of adolescence, Logan Lerman plays Charlie, a freshman who starts a relationship with seniors Patrick (Ezra Miller, from We Need to Talk About Kevin) and Sam (Emma Watson).
I had the pleasure of speaking to Chbosky about his film, tackling certain topics like differences from the adaptation (some spoilers for the book), the excitement of getting older,...
- 9/28/2012
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
There are many things is this world which deep down, I still don’t really understand. Things like, how do planes stay in the air? How does electricity actually work? And just how has June Sarpong forged a career? Few things are as puzzling to me though as the longevity of Adam Sandler’s movie career. He had some decent comedies early on, Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer spring to mind, and Punch-Drunk Love isn’t without its appeal, but since around 2004, he has a seemingly unparalleled run of misfiring duds. 50 First Dates, Spanglish, The Longest Yard, Click, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry , Funny People, Grown Ups, Just Go With It and Jack and Jill. I know somebody must find these movies funny, else they wouldn’t all make a decent return on investment and thus keep getting made, but personally, I just don’t get it.
- 9/9/2012
- by Rob Keeling
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Director John Hillcoat's Lawless is the dark tale of a trio of brothers making moonshine and ends meet against a backdrop of prohibition and the Great Depression. The story - adapted for the screen by Nick Cave - has, at times, the quality of a fable but is nevertheless rooted in reality. The Wettest County In The World, on which it is based, was written by Matt Bondurant from the recollections of his grandfather Jack (played in the movie by Shia Labeouf) and other relatives. Jack was the youngest of three brothers, idolising his gruff eldest sibling Forrest and loose cannon middle brother Howard.
The film plays out partially as the story of Jack's growing realisation that he doesn't have the stomach to be a gangster and his desire for romance with the local preacher's daughter (Mia Wasikowska), and partially as the story of Forrest (played by Tom Hardy...
The film plays out partially as the story of Jack's growing realisation that he doesn't have the stomach to be a gangster and his desire for romance with the local preacher's daughter (Mia Wasikowska), and partially as the story of Forrest (played by Tom Hardy...
- 9/9/2012
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A moderately crafted assemblage of violent rural American stereotypes. Falls far short of the high bar set by .The Proposition.. Director John Hillcoat regroups with screenwriter Nick Cave and redrafts Matt Bondurant.s novel about a tough hewn family of rough and ready moonshiners in the fabled hills of America.s Virginia. The time is prohibition, the Roaring Twenties, and the shotguns of the Bondurants roar as far away as Chicago, that toddlin. town, where the big city boys are trying to muscle in on the Bondurant.s. tradition family industry, moonshine. As the film correctly points out, moonshine is the distilled spirits of a fermented mash that can be made out of anything from wheat to corn to soybeans to...
- 9/7/2012
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
Acclaimed director John Hillcoat (The Road, The Proposition) delivers a thrillingly vivid slice of American outlaw history in his epic gangster tale, Lawless. Lawless is the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers: three bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. Based on author Matt Bondurant.s fictionalized account of his family, .The Wettest County in the World,. the film gathers an ensemble of gifted, dynamic new-generation stars . Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan. alongside two of the finest actors of their generations, Guy Pearce and Gary Oldman. A riveting, intense story of crime and corruption, loyalty and love, brutality and tenderness, Lawless is a rich addition to the American gangster canon. Lawless is in theaters now.
The Weinstein Company and Wamg invite you to enter to win the soundtrack and a copy of “The Wettest County in the World,...
The Weinstein Company and Wamg invite you to enter to win the soundtrack and a copy of “The Wettest County in the World,...
- 9/6/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Shia Labeouf knows from personal experience that the outlaw legend of the Bondurant Brothers - violent hillbilly gangsters who ran a lucrative moonshine operation in Prohibition era Virginia - is alive and well.
Shia Labeouf with Mia Wasikowska in Lawless
In fact, he says, the myth surrounding the extraordinary exploits of the close knit family provokes a fierce pride in many of the locals in their home state, as the actor discovered when he was on location in Virginia with director John Hillcoat's stylish gangster saga, Lawless.
"The Bondurants have mythic status in Virginia," he says. "In Virginia people have Bondurant tattoos on them. They are still remembered by the community there. In fact, it's almost like they are still there - you can feel them and their legacy.
"Everyone there knew about them. People would come up to the set and say, 'what are you saying here? Oh,...
Shia Labeouf with Mia Wasikowska in Lawless
In fact, he says, the myth surrounding the extraordinary exploits of the close knit family provokes a fierce pride in many of the locals in their home state, as the actor discovered when he was on location in Virginia with director John Hillcoat's stylish gangster saga, Lawless.
"The Bondurants have mythic status in Virginia," he says. "In Virginia people have Bondurant tattoos on them. They are still remembered by the community there. In fact, it's almost like they are still there - you can feel them and their legacy.
"Everyone there knew about them. People would come up to the set and say, 'what are you saying here? Oh,...
- 9/6/2012
- by The Huffington Post UK
- Huffington Post
★★★☆☆ The latest release from the Australian writer/director team of Nick Cave and John Hillcoat, Lawless (2012) features a gang of famous faces including Tom Hardy, Shia Labeouf, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce. Sharing some of the characteristics of their previous work, the duo have once again utilised extreme violence in their storytelling - albeit this time with a glossy Hollywood sheen - for an adaptation of Matt Bondurant's The Wettest County in the World.
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- 9/5/2012
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
John Hillcoat likes to refer to Nick Cave – a key collaborator on all of his movies including his latest, the stylish gangster epic Lawless – as his right hand man or ‘the master”. It’s easy to see why. Cave, the musician and author, is Hillcoat’s creative soul mate. Lawless is the third movie Cave has written for Hillcoat and he’s also compiled a brilliant, haunting soundtrack for the film featuring bluegrass artists performing contemporary rock classics, like Velvet Undergound’s White Light/ White Heat.
And sharp-eyed fans of Cave might well spot him making a cameo appearance in Lawless too. “Yes, I am actually in Lawless,” Cave smiles. “There’s a scene in Chicago at the very start with a dead gangster in a car – well, I’m the dead gangster.”
So Cave is clearly in tune with Hillcoat and was involved with Lawless from the very start of the project.
And sharp-eyed fans of Cave might well spot him making a cameo appearance in Lawless too. “Yes, I am actually in Lawless,” Cave smiles. “There’s a scene in Chicago at the very start with a dead gangster in a car – well, I’m the dead gangster.”
So Cave is clearly in tune with Hillcoat and was involved with Lawless from the very start of the project.
- 9/4/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Lawless
Directed by: John Hillcoat
Cast: Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowka
Running Time: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: August 29, 2012
“Come on Jack, just pull the damn trigger.” That’s the opening line, which brings you in to a world where the Bondurant brothers are not to be messed with.
Based on a true story and adapted from the novel by Matt Bondurant (notice the last name), Lawless tells the story of a bootlegging family in the hills of Virginia in the 1930s. Moonshine flows, death lurks, and a quiet arrogance oozes out of every pore of the Bondurant brothers. Forrest (Tom Hardy) believes they are untouchable, and you’re right there with him, rooting them on.
Deputy Rakes … sorry, Special Deputy Rakes (Guy Pearce) comes to town to gain control and kickbacks, but Forrest doesn’t take kindly to strangers...
Directed by: John Hillcoat
Cast: Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowka
Running Time: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: August 29, 2012
“Come on Jack, just pull the damn trigger.” That’s the opening line, which brings you in to a world where the Bondurant brothers are not to be messed with.
Based on a true story and adapted from the novel by Matt Bondurant (notice the last name), Lawless tells the story of a bootlegging family in the hills of Virginia in the 1930s. Moonshine flows, death lurks, and a quiet arrogance oozes out of every pore of the Bondurant brothers. Forrest (Tom Hardy) believes they are untouchable, and you’re right there with him, rooting them on.
Deputy Rakes … sorry, Special Deputy Rakes (Guy Pearce) comes to town to gain control and kickbacks, but Forrest doesn’t take kindly to strangers...
- 9/3/2012
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
Lawless
Stars: Tom Hardy, Shia LeBoeuf, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Dane DeHaan | Written by: Nick Cave | Directed by: John Hillcoat
The director of The Road, John Hilcoat’s latest film is an adaptation of Matt Bondurant’s novel based on the true tale of his grandfather and great uncles, three brothers: Forest, jack and Howard Bondurant, as moonshining bootleggers in Franklin County, Virginia. Lawless follows the repercussions of Forest (Tom Hardy) stands up to Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), who arrives from Chicago demanding a cut in the brothers’ profits.
Films that are based on a true story often are at risk of lacking in plot, because most people don’t have as exciting lives as Hollywood would have us believe, but the Bondurant brothers went through a lot during the few years the story covers. As the film opens, we’re told that Forest Bondurant believes he’s practically immortal,...
Stars: Tom Hardy, Shia LeBoeuf, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Dane DeHaan | Written by: Nick Cave | Directed by: John Hillcoat
The director of The Road, John Hilcoat’s latest film is an adaptation of Matt Bondurant’s novel based on the true tale of his grandfather and great uncles, three brothers: Forest, jack and Howard Bondurant, as moonshining bootleggers in Franklin County, Virginia. Lawless follows the repercussions of Forest (Tom Hardy) stands up to Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), who arrives from Chicago demanding a cut in the brothers’ profits.
Films that are based on a true story often are at risk of lacking in plot, because most people don’t have as exciting lives as Hollywood would have us believe, but the Bondurant brothers went through a lot during the few years the story covers. As the film opens, we’re told that Forest Bondurant believes he’s practically immortal,...
- 9/3/2012
- by Maahin
- Nerdly
The American gangster movie is an institution that makes heroes from outlaws and let's us all experience the thrills of crime vicariously through some bad men with big guns. But set in deep in Franklin County, Virginia, John Hillcoat's gangster drama Lawless offers a little western flavor. Far from the debonair airs and pinstriped suits of big name gangsters like Al Capone or Bugsy Siegel, the Bondurant brothers ran their own game making moonshine in the rural hills of the South at the height of Prohibition. While the lackluster title Lawless may not tell you much about this compelling crime drama, The Weinstein Company is overcoming that issue with a new behind-the-scenes featurette. Viewable below courtesy of Yahoo, this clip has Hillcoat along with some of the film's stars including Shia Labeouf, Jason Clarke, and Guy Pearce discussing what's at the core of this tale, while Matt Bondurant, novelist...
- 8/31/2012
- cinemablend.com
When is comes to real acting, Tom Hardy and Guy Pearce basically show Shia Labeouf how it’s done.
Following a screening of Lawless, a woman said to my Dad in passing that she didn’t think she’d ever seen a gangster picture with a rural setting. “What about Bonnie and Clyde”, he responded. Much like some people don’t know their movie history, many are unaware of the real life story of the infamous Bondurant brothers, a family of bootleggers who stood up to corrupt authorities that wanted in on their profits during the prohibition era. Inspired by the story of his great-grandfather and two great uncles, Matt Bondurant penned the 2008 historical novel The Wettest County in the World, focusing on youngest brother Jack. Commercially successful movie star Shia Labeouf plays young Jack and although he is the primary protagonist in Lawless, he’s not the most interesting...
Following a screening of Lawless, a woman said to my Dad in passing that she didn’t think she’d ever seen a gangster picture with a rural setting. “What about Bonnie and Clyde”, he responded. Much like some people don’t know their movie history, many are unaware of the real life story of the infamous Bondurant brothers, a family of bootleggers who stood up to corrupt authorities that wanted in on their profits during the prohibition era. Inspired by the story of his great-grandfather and two great uncles, Matt Bondurant penned the 2008 historical novel The Wettest County in the World, focusing on youngest brother Jack. Commercially successful movie star Shia Labeouf plays young Jack and although he is the primary protagonist in Lawless, he’s not the most interesting...
- 8/31/2012
- by Ron Henriques
- LRMonline.com
Lionsgate's The Expendables II was dropped from its first place rank on Wednesday as Lawless starring Shia Labeouf and Tom Hardy, topped the charts on its debut with $1.13 million, reports Deadline. The film under the direction of John Hillcoat, which opened into 2,565 theaters, should continue onwards to top the charts at the end of Labor Day Weekend. Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain and Dane DeHaan form the rest of the main cast of the crime drama scripted by Nick Cave and based on Matt Bondurant's novel "The Wettest County in the World." The Expendables II added $1.06 million from 3,355 runs, bringing its domestic cume past $56.3 million thus far. Rocky Mountain Pictures documentary 2016: Obama's America continued to impress with $810,000 earned from 1,091 theaters while fourth-placed Universal actioner The Bourne Legacy made $732,900. The Jeremy Rennier and Rachel Weisz starrer has earned $88.2 million domestically.
- 8/30/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Lionsgate's The Expendables II was dropped from its first place rank on Wednesday as Lawless starring Shia Labeouf and Tom Hardy, topped the charts on its debut with $1.13 million, reports Deadline. The film under the direction of John Hillcoat, which opened into 2,565 theaters, should continue onwards to top the charts at the end of Labor Day Weekend. Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain and Dane DeHaan form the rest of the main cast of the crime drama scripted by Nick Cave and based on Matt Bondurant's novel "The Wettest County in the World." The Expendables II added $1.06 million from 3,355 runs, bringing its domestic cume past $56.3 million thus far. Rocky Mountain Pictures documentary 2016: Obama's America continued to impress with $810,000 earned from 1,091 theaters while fourth-placed Universal actioner The Bourne Legacy made $732,900. The Jeremy Rennier and Rachel Weisz starrer has earned $88.2 million domestically.
- 8/30/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
After finding much success with his 2005 film The Proposition, musician, songwriter, screenwriter, novelist and actor Nick Cave is teaming up once again with director John Hillcoat to bring us Lawless.
The film, which stars Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain, opened this week and to stir up some buzz, Cave has been making the press rounds. Recently, we spoke with him at the film’s La press day, where he discussed working with Hillcoat again, how he became attached to the project and more.
Check out what he had to say below.
We Got This Covered: Can you talk a little about the collaboration between you and John Hillcoat?
Nick Cave: Well, it’s been going since he came out of art school at 19 or 20. We’ve been friends in Melbourne for a long time and have been working on different things since then, rock videos and stuff...
The film, which stars Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain, opened this week and to stir up some buzz, Cave has been making the press rounds. Recently, we spoke with him at the film’s La press day, where he discussed working with Hillcoat again, how he became attached to the project and more.
Check out what he had to say below.
We Got This Covered: Can you talk a little about the collaboration between you and John Hillcoat?
Nick Cave: Well, it’s been going since he came out of art school at 19 or 20. We’ve been friends in Melbourne for a long time and have been working on different things since then, rock videos and stuff...
- 8/30/2012
- by Billy Tatum
- We Got This Covered
Shia Labeouf, Dane DeHaan talk Weinstein Co's Bondurant brothers film Lawless Weinstein Co has released a new video with "insider access" where stars Shia Labeouf and Dane DeHaan talk about the eagerly-anticipated crime drama. Helmed by The Road's John Hillcoat, Lawless also stars Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska, Guy Pearce, Jason Clarke, Noah Taylor, Lew Temple and Bruce McKinnon. Nick Cave scripts based on the book "The Wettest County in the World" by Matt Bondurant. Read the official synopsis below the thumbnails to more videos. Pic opened yesterday in theaters, so be sure to read our review before hitting that theater.
- 8/30/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Shia Labeouf, Dane DeHaan talk Weinstein Co's Bondurant brothers film Lawless Weinstein Co has released a new video with "insider access" where stars Shia Labeouf and Dane DeHaan talk about the eagerly-anticipated crime drama. Helmed by The Road's John Hillcoat, Lawless also stars Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska, Guy Pearce, Jason Clarke, Noah Taylor, Lew Temple and Bruce McKinnon. Nick Cave scripts based on the book "The Wettest County in the World" by Matt Bondurant. Read the official synopsis below the thumbnails to more videos. Pic opened yesterday in theaters, so be sure to read our review before hitting that theater.
- 8/30/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Shia Labeouf makes a compelling bootlegger but Lawless comes up short on excitement Shia Labeouf continues to make his transition from the Transformers franchise and walks away from giant robots and gargantuan explosions for a period bootlegger drama that’s surprisingly artful and restrained. Based on Matt Bondurant’s true story about his grandfather and two granduncles, down-home bootleggers working in ‘30s Franklin County, Virginia, a place author Sherwood Anderson christened in Bondurant’s book as the “wettest county in the world,” the Weinstein Company tweaks the title to the more generic Lawless. In fact, the title switch is just the first of many dull tweaks by director John Hillcoat and musician-turned-screenwriter Nick Cave that changes a pulpy, true crime story into an art drama too atmospheric for a tale involving, Chicago gangsters, mountain bootleggers, corrupt police and the illegal booze known as “White Lightning.”...
- 8/30/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Shia Labeouf makes a compelling bootlegger but Lawless comes up short on excitement Shia Labeouf continues to make his transition from the Transformers franchise and walks away from giant robots and gargantuan explosions for a period bootlegger drama that’s surprisingly artful and restrained. Based on Matt Bondurant’s true story about his grandfather and two granduncles, down-home bootleggers working in ‘30s Franklin County, Virginia, a place author Sherwood Anderson christened in Bondurant’s book as the “wettest county in the world,” the Weinstein Company tweaks the title to the more generic Lawless. In fact, the title switch is just the first of many dull tweaks by director John Hillcoat and musician-turned-screenwriter Nick Cave that changes a pulpy, true crime story into an art drama too atmospheric for a tale involving, Chicago gangsters, mountain bootleggers, corrupt police and the illegal booze known as “White Lightning.”...
- 8/30/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
It's easy to get excited about the amount of quality ingredients Lawless brings to its true-crime brew: director John Hillcoat (who made the underseen, underrated The Road), post-punk icon Nick Cave, who not only wrote the screenplay but also composed the score with Dirty Three violinist Warren Ellis, and the presence of actors like Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Gary Oldman. It's about that weirdest, most fascinating of all 20th century American social engineering mistakes, Prohibition, and it's based on Matt Bondurant's fictionalized history of his bootlegging family and their battles with the Law, The Wettest County in the World. It's lushly photographed and its period details authentic. The foamy head on the illegal beer: 85-year-old...
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- 8/30/2012
- by Dave White
- Movies.com
Lawless
Directed by: John Hillcoat
Cast: Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowka
Running Time: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: August 29, 2012
Plot: In 1920s Virginia, three bootlegging brothers (Labeouf, Hardy, Clarke) receive pressure from a rival gangster (Oldman) and a dirty deputy (Pearce).
Who’S It For? If you are willing to sacrifice a solid story for the mindless fun of a muscly cast list and the brutal violence they inflict on one another, then Lawless might be the simplified entertainment you’re looking for. Basically, if The Expendables 2 wasn’t enough, here’s Lawless. With even more ladies!
Expectations: The cast was good, the director was good (Hillcoat did the great Proposition), and even Jeff Bayer liked it at Cannes. My hopes were not unreasonably high, but I did expect some solid material out of a film featuring Hardy, Oldman,...
Directed by: John Hillcoat
Cast: Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowka
Running Time: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: August 29, 2012
Plot: In 1920s Virginia, three bootlegging brothers (Labeouf, Hardy, Clarke) receive pressure from a rival gangster (Oldman) and a dirty deputy (Pearce).
Who’S It For? If you are willing to sacrifice a solid story for the mindless fun of a muscly cast list and the brutal violence they inflict on one another, then Lawless might be the simplified entertainment you’re looking for. Basically, if The Expendables 2 wasn’t enough, here’s Lawless. With even more ladies!
Expectations: The cast was good, the director was good (Hillcoat did the great Proposition), and even Jeff Bayer liked it at Cannes. My hopes were not unreasonably high, but I did expect some solid material out of a film featuring Hardy, Oldman,...
- 8/29/2012
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
John Hillcoat’s new movie, Lawless, which is based on a true-story novel The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant and was adapted to the big screen by Nick Cave, opens in theaters on Wednesday, August 29. With an A-list cast including Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain and Gary Oldman, the film centers on Prohibition-era in Franklin County, Virginia, where a gang is threatened by a new deputy and other authorities who want a cut of their profits. Photos: 'Lawless' L.A. Premiere: Shia Labeouf, Guy Pearce, Sean Combs Hit the
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- 8/29/2012
- by Paula Zulian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hitting theaters today is John Hillcoat‘s latest feature, Lawless, a film that makes no large moral tales or political statements. Instead, this is a straightforward story about family and sticking together with flourishes both violent and visual. Taking place during the Appalachia moonshine era, the film boasts an incredible cast with Shia Labeouf, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, and Jason Clarke.
Screenwriter Nick Cave adapted Matt Bondurant‘s novel, The Wettest County In The World, with impressive attention to a story that has its basis in real life. Bondurant would know, as the film and his novel revolve around the real-life Bondurant brothers, which included his grandfather and great uncles. Earlier this month I had the opportunity to sit down with Matt Bondurant to talk about his unique perspective on the film, teaching locally, whether he likes moonshine, and why he didn’t take a first-pass on the screenplay.
Screenwriter Nick Cave adapted Matt Bondurant‘s novel, The Wettest County In The World, with impressive attention to a story that has its basis in real life. Bondurant would know, as the film and his novel revolve around the real-life Bondurant brothers, which included his grandfather and great uncles. Earlier this month I had the opportunity to sit down with Matt Bondurant to talk about his unique perspective on the film, teaching locally, whether he likes moonshine, and why he didn’t take a first-pass on the screenplay.
- 8/29/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Directed by John Hillcoat, Lawless is a story of outlaws in the tumultuous time of Prohibition in the 1920s. Taking place in Virgina’s Franklin County, nicknamed “The Wettest County in the World,” it follows the actions of the three Bondurant brothers Jack (Shia Labeouf), Forrest (Tom Hardy), and Howard (Jason Clarke). While leading the illegal alcohol business in the state’s backwoods, the Bondurants receive pressure from rival gangsters like Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman), and a dirty deputy named Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce).
The film, adapted by writer/musician Nick Cave, is based on the book “The Wettest County in the World” by Matt Bondurant. This Bondurant, a teacher at a southern university and a writer with three books to his name, is a direct descendant of the Bondurant brothers celebrated in this film. Labeouf’s character Jack is his paternal grandfather.
I sat down with this real Bondurant...
The film, adapted by writer/musician Nick Cave, is based on the book “The Wettest County in the World” by Matt Bondurant. This Bondurant, a teacher at a southern university and a writer with three books to his name, is a direct descendant of the Bondurant brothers celebrated in this film. Labeouf’s character Jack is his paternal grandfather.
I sat down with this real Bondurant...
- 8/29/2012
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
After debuting at Cannes earlier this year, John Hillcoat's Prohibition Era drama Lawless, starring Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Shia Labeouf, Mia Wasikowski, Guy Pearce, and Gary Oldman, opens wide today in the U.S. and Canada. Our own Ryland Aldrich saw it at Cannes and filed a positive review. As he explains ... Adapted by Nick Cave from Matt Bondurant's novel The Wettest County in the World, Lawless tells the story of famous bootleggers the Bondurant boys. Forrest (Hardy) rules the roost, running the operation out of a gas station restaurant, way out in the sticks. He is ruthless but fair, famous for having never backed down from a fight. Jack (Labeouf) is the runt of the litter, but proves his worth to Forrest when...
- 8/29/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Chicago – John Hillcoat’s “Lawless,” based on Matt Bondurant’s “The Wettest County in the World,” is one of the most high profile disappointments of 2012, a film with an amazing cast that suffocates under the weight of an inconsistent script, a boring lead, and a complete lack of narrative drive. Who would have ever guessed that a movie with so many charismatic actors and actresses could ever be so shockingly dull? It’s nearly an accomplishment.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska – any one of these wonderful actors typically makes a film better and one could easily assume that having all five of them in one ensemble would lead to dramatic gold. And yet even this level of acting talent can’t save “Lawless.” None of them do anything particularly wrong (although Pearce makes some odd choices) but they can’t save a haphazard script...
Rating: 1.5/5.0
Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska – any one of these wonderful actors typically makes a film better and one could easily assume that having all five of them in one ensemble would lead to dramatic gold. And yet even this level of acting talent can’t save “Lawless.” None of them do anything particularly wrong (although Pearce makes some odd choices) but they can’t save a haphazard script...
- 8/29/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
"It is not the violence that sets a man apart. It's the distance he's prepared to go."
These words ring out like a shot once uttered by Tom Hardy in John Hillcoat's Lawless where he plays Forrest Bondurant, the designated "leader" of the Bondurant brothers as they set about their moon-shining business in Franklin County, Virginia in 1931. Joined by Howard (Jason Clarke) and the youngest of the bunch, Jack (Shia Labeouf), the Bondurants eventually become the last of the true outlaw bootleggers and Lawless is the story of how they declined to bow to a corrupt law and maintained their own set of principles in their Prohibition-era activities.
Based on Matt Bondurant's "The Wettest County in the World" telling the story of his grandfather and two granduncles, Lawless is a brutally violent story of bad guy against even badder guy. On one side are the Bondurant boys who,...
These words ring out like a shot once uttered by Tom Hardy in John Hillcoat's Lawless where he plays Forrest Bondurant, the designated "leader" of the Bondurant brothers as they set about their moon-shining business in Franklin County, Virginia in 1931. Joined by Howard (Jason Clarke) and the youngest of the bunch, Jack (Shia Labeouf), the Bondurants eventually become the last of the true outlaw bootleggers and Lawless is the story of how they declined to bow to a corrupt law and maintained their own set of principles in their Prohibition-era activities.
Based on Matt Bondurant's "The Wettest County in the World" telling the story of his grandfather and two granduncles, Lawless is a brutally violent story of bad guy against even badder guy. On one side are the Bondurant boys who,...
- 8/29/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Fresh off Tom Hardy's stint as Batman's nemesis in The Dark Knight Rises, the Englishman gets into hillbilly mode as one of the infamous bootlegger brothers in Lawless, opening this week. The Lawless star and Shia Labeouf have got there Southern twang going on in this clip from the epic outlaw story.
Tom Hardy, Shia Labeouf (Transformers), Guy Pearce (Prometheus), Jessica Chastain (The Help) and Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) star in the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers, bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. Inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant’s family in his novel "The Wettest County in the World," the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation’s most notorious crime wave.
Lawless is now playing in movie theaters.
Read more...
Tom Hardy, Shia Labeouf (Transformers), Guy Pearce (Prometheus), Jessica Chastain (The Help) and Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) star in the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers, bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. Inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant’s family in his novel "The Wettest County in the World," the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation’s most notorious crime wave.
Lawless is now playing in movie theaters.
Read more...
- 8/29/2012
- CineMovie
Cannes, France -- Writing the Prohibition-era bootlegger crime film "Lawless" – his second realized script and largest movie production yet – taught Australian songwriter Nick Cave certain foundational lessons of Hollywood moviemaking.
"I learned that it's a waste of time to graphically kill animals in scripts," Cave says, laughing. "It's going to hit the cutting room floor."
The education and development of Nick Cave, screenwriter, continues with "Lawless," a tale of three bootlegging brothers (Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke) in rural 1920s Virginia. In adapting Matt Bondurant's novel, Cave was predictably moved to include scenes from the book of a pig's slaughter and a dead calf's birth, but had to settle for gangster gunplay and an ominous atmosphere alive with the constant threat of sudden brutality.
The film marks Cave's continuing dalliance with screenwriting, "an extracurricular" activity, he calls it, along with novel and poetry writing. That's in addition to his "No.
"I learned that it's a waste of time to graphically kill animals in scripts," Cave says, laughing. "It's going to hit the cutting room floor."
The education and development of Nick Cave, screenwriter, continues with "Lawless," a tale of three bootlegging brothers (Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke) in rural 1920s Virginia. In adapting Matt Bondurant's novel, Cave was predictably moved to include scenes from the book of a pig's slaughter and a dead calf's birth, but had to settle for gangster gunplay and an ominous atmosphere alive with the constant threat of sudden brutality.
The film marks Cave's continuing dalliance with screenwriting, "an extracurricular" activity, he calls it, along with novel and poetry writing. That's in addition to his "No.
- 8/29/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Lawless
Written by Nick Cave
Directed by John Hillcoat
USA, 2012
Director John Hillcoat and musician Nick Cave have collaborated numerous times since the late 1980s, from Cave having starred in Ghosts… of the Civil Dead to composing Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Lawless marks their second collaboration involving Cave as screenwriter, following The Proposition. That outback-set western was a film of strong lyricism and a blistering atmosphere. Like The Proposition, Lawless concerns three brothers with ties to crime and extreme violence. Unlike the 2005 film, Hillcoat’s latest is an unusually flat affair and lacking in any of the director’s usually reliable boldness regarding harsh, brutal content.
Adapted from Matt Bondurant’s novel The Wettest County in the World, Lawless concerns the Bondurant brothers in the Prohibition era, who set up a racket running moonshine out of the Virginia mountains. While their fellow bootleggers pay the...
Written by Nick Cave
Directed by John Hillcoat
USA, 2012
Director John Hillcoat and musician Nick Cave have collaborated numerous times since the late 1980s, from Cave having starred in Ghosts… of the Civil Dead to composing Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Lawless marks their second collaboration involving Cave as screenwriter, following The Proposition. That outback-set western was a film of strong lyricism and a blistering atmosphere. Like The Proposition, Lawless concerns three brothers with ties to crime and extreme violence. Unlike the 2005 film, Hillcoat’s latest is an unusually flat affair and lacking in any of the director’s usually reliable boldness regarding harsh, brutal content.
Adapted from Matt Bondurant’s novel The Wettest County in the World, Lawless concerns the Bondurant brothers in the Prohibition era, who set up a racket running moonshine out of the Virginia mountains. While their fellow bootleggers pay the...
- 8/29/2012
- by Josh Slater-Williams
- SoundOnSight
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