While the upcoming R-rated comedy Snatched will probably get more attention for its two stars, Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn--the latter making her first big screen appearance in almost 15 years--the man behind the camera is director Jonathan Levine, who continues to diversify his filmography with this female-driven comedy.
Levine first got attention for his early indie The Wackness, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008, and he followed that by adapting the young adult zombie romance Warm Bodies, then making the cancer comedy 50/50 and the Christmas comedy The Night Before, the latter two with Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
In Snatched, Amy Schumer plays Emily Middleton, who has plans to go to South America on a romantic trip with her boyfriend, but when he breaks up with her she asks her mother Linda (Hawn) to make the trip with her. Once there, the two are constantly fighting, but...
Levine first got attention for his early indie The Wackness, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008, and he followed that by adapting the young adult zombie romance Warm Bodies, then making the cancer comedy 50/50 and the Christmas comedy The Night Before, the latter two with Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
In Snatched, Amy Schumer plays Emily Middleton, who has plans to go to South America on a romantic trip with her boyfriend, but when he breaks up with her she asks her mother Linda (Hawn) to make the trip with her. Once there, the two are constantly fighting, but...
- 5/9/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Ahead of its debut at Sundance in just a few days’ time, the teaser trailer has landed for Listen Up Philip, giving an intriguing first look at the upcoming drama.
Jason Schwartzman leads a stellar ensemble as the eponymous Philip, an author waiting for the publication of his second novel.
Anger rages in Philip as he awaits the publication of his sure-to-succeed second novel. He feels pushed out of his adopted home city by the constant crowds and noise, a deteriorating relationship with his photographer girlfriend Ashley, and his own indifference to promoting the novel. When Philip’s idol, Ike Zimmerman, offers his isolated summer home as a refuge, he finally gets the peace and quiet to focus on his favorite subject—himself.
Elisabeth Moss stars opposite as his photographer girlfriend, with Krysten Ritter, Jonathan Pryce, Josephine de La Baume, Jess Weixler, Dree Hemingway, Keith Poulson, Kate Lyn Sheil, and...
Jason Schwartzman leads a stellar ensemble as the eponymous Philip, an author waiting for the publication of his second novel.
Anger rages in Philip as he awaits the publication of his sure-to-succeed second novel. He feels pushed out of his adopted home city by the constant crowds and noise, a deteriorating relationship with his photographer girlfriend Ashley, and his own indifference to promoting the novel. When Philip’s idol, Ike Zimmerman, offers his isolated summer home as a refuge, he finally gets the peace and quiet to focus on his favorite subject—himself.
Elisabeth Moss stars opposite as his photographer girlfriend, with Krysten Ritter, Jonathan Pryce, Josephine de La Baume, Jess Weixler, Dree Hemingway, Keith Poulson, Kate Lyn Sheil, and...
- 1/17/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Eric Lavallee: Name me three of your favorite “2013 discoveries”… Katie Stern: One of my favorite movies of the year was Spring Breakers, my favorite book was Kate Bornstein’s A Queer and Pleasant Danger, I finally saw and enjoyed Me at the Zoo, loved the Claes Oldenburg exhibit at MoMA, and felt sadly, underwhelmed by the Depeche Mode album (Delta Machine).
Lavallee: The underrated/under the radar Francine was your first fiction feature as a producer. I’d like to know what lessons carried over from making a miniscule film and how did the project come to you?
Stern: Francine was a true labor of love. I met Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky through Washington Square Films (where we represent them as commercial directors) and we instantly became friends. When they told me about the idea for the film, I was immediately intrigued. The world they described (and ultimately,...
Lavallee: The underrated/under the radar Francine was your first fiction feature as a producer. I’d like to know what lessons carried over from making a miniscule film and how did the project come to you?
Stern: Francine was a true labor of love. I met Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky through Washington Square Films (where we represent them as commercial directors) and we instantly became friends. When they told me about the idea for the film, I was immediately intrigued. The world they described (and ultimately,...
- 1/15/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Production began in September, and post in October, so for Alex Ross Perry’s third feature film to be ready, he’ll have to had superpowers. Thankfully he has multi-tasker David Lowery to give him editing room pep talks. Significantly higher in budget than his micro budgeted Impolex (2009) and The Color Wheel (2011) put together, if included at the festival, Listen Up Philip holds the most eclectic ensemble of television people, indie starlets, the coolest Coppola and the wimpy man in Glengarry Glen Ross: Krysten Ritter, Elisabeth Moss, Jason Schwartzman, Jonathan Pryce, Dree Hemingway, Joséphine de La Baume and Kate Lyn Sheil.
Gist: The New York-set indie follows newly accomplished writer Philip (Schwartzman) and those affected by his poor decisions — in particular his successful art-photographer girlfriend Ashley (Moss).
Production Co./Producers: Washington Square Films’ Joshua Blum (Francine), Sailor Bear’s Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston & David Lowery (Ain’t Them...
Gist: The New York-set indie follows newly accomplished writer Philip (Schwartzman) and those affected by his poor decisions — in particular his successful art-photographer girlfriend Ashley (Moss).
Production Co./Producers: Washington Square Films’ Joshua Blum (Francine), Sailor Bear’s Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston & David Lowery (Ain’t Them...
- 11/20/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Bluebird
Director/Writer: Lance Edmands
Producer(s): Garrett P. Fennelly, Alexander Schepsman and Kyle Martin
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Adam Driver, John Slattery, Louisa Krause, Margo Martindale, Emily Meade
In ’12, we had such fine examples (The Color Wheel, Starlet, Compliance and Francine) when it comes to micro-budgeted American independent films we care for, and we’re thinking that Lance Edmands’s directing debut might just fall into that category. With a tech crew that includes Cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Production Designer Inbal Weinberg (The Place Beyond the Pines) and Composers Daniel Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans (Simon Killer), Bluebird – a Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs workshopped project should not go undetected.
Gist: In the frozen woods of an isolated Maine logging town, one woman’s tragic mistake shatters the balance of the community, resulting in profound and unexpected consequences. Told through fragmented and intersecting story lines,...
Director/Writer: Lance Edmands
Producer(s): Garrett P. Fennelly, Alexander Schepsman and Kyle Martin
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Adam Driver, John Slattery, Louisa Krause, Margo Martindale, Emily Meade
In ’12, we had such fine examples (The Color Wheel, Starlet, Compliance and Francine) when it comes to micro-budgeted American independent films we care for, and we’re thinking that Lance Edmands’s directing debut might just fall into that category. With a tech crew that includes Cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Production Designer Inbal Weinberg (The Place Beyond the Pines) and Composers Daniel Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans (Simon Killer), Bluebird – a Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs workshopped project should not go undetected.
Gist: In the frozen woods of an isolated Maine logging town, one woman’s tragic mistake shatters the balance of the community, resulting in profound and unexpected consequences. Told through fragmented and intersecting story lines,...
- 1/11/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
As we reach the end of an inspiring year for cinema, here are ten titles that stood out for me in 2012, and an explanation of why I chose each of them. Although I saw many of these at film festivals, so they may not make it to your local art house cinema, in the coming year you may be able to catch them at small festivals of different national/regional cinemas in your city, or at least on DVD.
From Thursday to Sunday (De Jueves a domingo)(dir. Dominga Sotomayor)
On a family road trip through rural Chile, a young girl witnesses her parents’ marriage fall apart.
-For its tender portrayal of childhood, complete with extroverted playfulness and introverted worry. For its subtle but consistent exploration of foreground versus background space, which reflects two separations: between children and adults, and between husband and wife.
Neighbouring Sounds (O som ao redor) (dir.
From Thursday to Sunday (De Jueves a domingo)(dir. Dominga Sotomayor)
On a family road trip through rural Chile, a young girl witnesses her parents’ marriage fall apart.
-For its tender portrayal of childhood, complete with extroverted playfulness and introverted worry. For its subtle but consistent exploration of foreground versus background space, which reflects two separations: between children and adults, and between husband and wife.
Neighbouring Sounds (O som ao redor) (dir.
- 12/24/2012
- by Alison Frank
- The Moving Arts Journal
The first major awards ceremony of the season, the Gotham Awards, was held last night in, of course, New York City, and while the main thrust of the ceremony is to honor indie filmmaking, the big winners could definitely impact the awards conversation for the Oscars.
Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" took the top prize for Best Feature and one big step toward becoming a contender when Oscar time rolls around. For the last few months, the film starring Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Edward Norton has been just outside the race for a Best Picture nomination, but all that could change in the next coming weeks, depending on how the Gotham win is perceived.
Check out a complete winners list after the jump!
Best Feature
Bernie
The Loneliest Planet
The Master
Middle of Nowhere
*Moonrise Kingdom*
Best Ensemble Performance
Bernie
Moonrise Kingdom
Safety Not Guaranteed
Silver Linings Playbook
*Your Sister's Sister...
Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" took the top prize for Best Feature and one big step toward becoming a contender when Oscar time rolls around. For the last few months, the film starring Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Edward Norton has been just outside the race for a Best Picture nomination, but all that could change in the next coming weeks, depending on how the Gotham win is perceived.
Check out a complete winners list after the jump!
Best Feature
Bernie
The Loneliest Planet
The Master
Middle of Nowhere
*Moonrise Kingdom*
Best Ensemble Performance
Bernie
Moonrise Kingdom
Safety Not Guaranteed
Silver Linings Playbook
*Your Sister's Sister...
- 11/27/2012
- by Kevin P. Sullivan
- MTV Movies Blog
The 22nd Annual Gotham Awards took place Monday night, November 26 at Cipriani Wall Street and congratulations go to Wes Anderson and his Moonrise Kingdom crew as they took home the Best Feature award over films such as Richard Linklater's Bernie which is confusingly being pushed pundits all over the Internet and the much-buzzed about Middle of Nowhere from Ava DuVernay, which I just received a screener for today and will be diving into soon based on all the love it has received. As a matter of fact, a surprise winner in the Breakthrough Actor category comes in the form of Middle of Nowhere star Emayatzy Corinealdi. I say surprise only because Beasts of the Southern Wild star Quevenzhane Wallis is all anyone is talking about as the youngster is poised for an Oscar nomination, but perhaps this Gotham win may be the start of something bigger for Corinealdi, whom...
- 11/27/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The 22nd Annual Gotham Awards took place Monday night, November 26 at Cipriani Wall Street and congratulations go to Wes Anderson and his Moonrise Kingdom crew as they took home the Best Feature award over films such as Richard Linklater's Bernie which is confusingly being pushed pundits all over the Internet and the much-buzzed about Middle of Nowhere from Ava DuVernay, which I just received a screener for today and will be diving into soon based on all the love it has received. As a matter of fact, a surprise winner in the Breakthrough Actor category comes in the form of Middle of Nowhere star Emayatzy Corinealdi. I say surprise only because Beasts of the Southern Wild star Quevenzhane Wallis is all anyone is talking about as the youngster is poised for an Oscar nomination, but perhaps this Gotham win may be the start of something bigger for Corinealdi, whom...
- 11/27/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
In the battle of the Andersons, it was Wes who beat P.T for Best Feature at the 2012 Gotham Awards. Moonrise Kingdom would go 1 for 2 as Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister easily among the year’s the best, for its natural, on-screen chemistry was handsomely awarded the Best Ensemble Performance prize. Making it an almost all Sundance Film Festival takes Gotham kind of year, in the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You it’s Terence Nance’s An Oversimplification of Her Beauty which gets an extra boost for theatrical play. Pic was produced by Andrew Corkin who is lining up Jim Mickle’s We Are What We Are for festival play next year.
The heavy favorite in all categories combined was Beasts of the Southern Wild‘s Benh Zeitlin as Best Breakthrough Director and Audience award, while in the Breakthrough Actor category, it’s Emayatzy Corinealdi...
The heavy favorite in all categories combined was Beasts of the Southern Wild‘s Benh Zeitlin as Best Breakthrough Director and Audience award, while in the Breakthrough Actor category, it’s Emayatzy Corinealdi...
- 11/27/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The Independent Feature Project’s Gotham Awards were dished out tonight at Cipriani Wall Street, celebrating the best of independent film. The awards are being hosted by Mike Birbiglia, who is up for a Breakthrough Actor Award for Sleepwalk With Me. Hate to say it, but he seemed to sleepwalk through his opening monologue, though it’s kind of a Gotham Award tradition to see awkward openings of the show. Keep refreshing as we add winners. Breakthrough Director: Benh Zeitlin won for Beasts of the Southern Wild. The other nominees were Zal Batmanglij for Sound of My Voice Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky for Francine Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin for Now, Forager Antonio Méndez Esparza for Aquí y Allá (Here and There) Gotham Independence Film Audience Award Winner: Artifact: the documentary directed by Bartholomew Cubbins beat out nominees that included Beasts of the Southern Wild, which Jared Leto...
- 11/27/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING JR.
- Deadline
Francine
Directed by Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky
Written by Melanie Shatzky and Brian M. Cassidy
U.S.A./Canada, 2012
Everybody is wired a little bit differently, which is what makes each person a fully fledged individual. Of course, such idiosyncrasies do not always result in the most respectable or even relatable humans beings. While individuality is a wonderful product of the human experience, there are plenty of examples which clearly demonstrate that whatever aforementioned wiring is not helping someone integrate smoothly into society. Such people might be mentally unstable, perhaps criminals or they simply not have the capacity (nor the will) to associate with others. Two young filmmakers, Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky have collaborated on a new project along with one of independent film’s most recognizable names, Melissa Leo, on one peculiar project that observes the behaviour of one such unorthodox person.
Melissa Leo stars as the titular Francine,...
Directed by Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky
Written by Melanie Shatzky and Brian M. Cassidy
U.S.A./Canada, 2012
Everybody is wired a little bit differently, which is what makes each person a fully fledged individual. Of course, such idiosyncrasies do not always result in the most respectable or even relatable humans beings. While individuality is a wonderful product of the human experience, there are plenty of examples which clearly demonstrate that whatever aforementioned wiring is not helping someone integrate smoothly into society. Such people might be mentally unstable, perhaps criminals or they simply not have the capacity (nor the will) to associate with others. Two young filmmakers, Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky have collaborated on a new project along with one of independent film’s most recognizable names, Melissa Leo, on one peculiar project that observes the behaviour of one such unorthodox person.
Melissa Leo stars as the titular Francine,...
- 10/24/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Bernie, Middle of Nowhere, Moonrise Kingdom and Beasts of the Southern Wild each received a pair of nominations for the 22nd Gotham Independent Film Awards, but the big surprise has to be the Best Picture snub of Benh Zeitlin’s Sundance and Cannes winner. The jury of five favored Moonrise Kingdom, Bernie, Middle of Nowhere, The Loneliest Planet and The Master over other well-received truly indie titles such as Craig Zobel’s Compliance and James Ponsoldt’s Smashed. The awards will be handed out on November 26th.
Best Feature
Bernie
Richard Linklater, director; Richard Linklater, Ginger Sledge, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer, Matt Williams, David McFadzean, Judd Payne, Dete Meserve, producers (Millennium Entertainment)
The Loneliest Planet
Julia Loktev, director; Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Helge Albers, Marie Therese Guirgis, producers (Sundance Selects)
The Master
Paul Thomas Anderson, director; Joanne Sellar, Daniel Lupi, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison, producers (The...
Best Feature
Bernie
Richard Linklater, director; Richard Linklater, Ginger Sledge, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer, Matt Williams, David McFadzean, Judd Payne, Dete Meserve, producers (Millennium Entertainment)
The Loneliest Planet
Julia Loktev, director; Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Helge Albers, Marie Therese Guirgis, producers (Sundance Selects)
The Master
Paul Thomas Anderson, director; Joanne Sellar, Daniel Lupi, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison, producers (The...
- 10/18/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Last year, two of the films nominated for Best Feature at the Gotham Independent Film Awards went on to earn Oscar Best Picture nominations -- The Descendents and Tree of Life -- and this year two films nominated for Best Feature are currently on my list to be nominated for Best Picture. Those two are Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master and Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, which are joined by Bernie, The Loneliest Planet and the buzzy Middle of Nowhere. Bernie and Moonrise also find themselves nominated for Best Ensemble along with awards season heavyweight Silver Linings Playbook, while Beasts of the Southern Wild enjoys some Breakthrough attention with Benh Zeitlin nominated for Breakthrough Director and 8-year-old star Quvenzhane Wallis nominated for Breakthrough Actor. The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 26 and I have included the complete list of nominations for the 2012 Gotham Independent Film Awards...
- 10/18/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Master, Bernie, and Moonrise Kingdom were nominated by the Gotham Independent Film Awards for Best Feature. One of the first major awards ceremonies of the Oscar season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards focus attention on worthy independent films and breakthrough performances. Mike Birbiglia, who was nominated for a Breakthough Actor award for his performance in Sleepwalk With Me, will also host the ceremony on Nov. 26.
Click below for complete nominations.
Best Feature
Bernie
The Loneliest Planet
The Master
Middle of Nowhere
Moonrise Kingdom
Best Documentary
Detropia
How to Survive a Plague
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
Room 237...
Click below for complete nominations.
Best Feature
Bernie
The Loneliest Planet
The Master
Middle of Nowhere
Moonrise Kingdom
Best Documentary
Detropia
How to Survive a Plague
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
Room 237...
- 10/18/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Factory 25 has acquired worldwide rights to the Rick Alverson-directed drama "New Jerusalem," which has played at the Rotterdam and SXSW film festivals this year. The specialty distributor will release the film digitally Nov. 30 along with a weeklong run at Brooklyn’s Videology theater followed by theatrical expansion. "New Jerusalem" stars Will Oldham and Colm O'Leary in the story of the friendship between an Irish immigrant coming to America after fighting in Afghanistan and an Evangelical Christian who tries to help him. Alverson co-wrote the screenplay with O'Leary and produced with Courtney Bowles. Executive producers include Chris Swanson, Darius Van Arman, Jonathan Cargill and Ben Swanson. Read More: Factory 25 Acquires North American Digital Rights to the Melissa Leo Drama 'Francine' Brooklyn-based Factory 25 has recently released "Francine," "The Oregonian," "Wah Do Dem" and "Make out...
- 10/16/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
Strange and unsettling, "Francine" begins as a miniature, a doll's house of life's loose ends. Subtly, though, it blooms. On the strength of Melissa Leo's astounding performance, it pushes outward into a troubled society of haves and have-nots — becoming, quietly but forcefully, one of the best films of the year. Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Schatzky's tiny indie, which screened Friday at the New Orleans Film Festival, is sure to be off-putting to some. Nearly bereft of dialogue, full of anxious images, it never points firmly at a single theme. Its story of a woman struggling to remake her life after being released from prison for an unnamed crime would seem, on the surface, to contain the same redemptive possibilities as "Down to the Bone," "Sherrybaby," and "I Loved You So Long," but the filmmakers cannily undercut this narrative of progress at every turn. Rather, "Francine" inhabits a world of.
- 10/14/2012
- by Matt Brennan
- Thompson on Hollywood
★★★★☆ Starring Academy Award-winning actress Melissa Leo, Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky's Francine (2012) is a surprisingly provocative piece of stripped-down social realism that's subtle approach belies its powerful core themes. After serving time in prison for an undisclosed crime, Francine (Leo) begins to rebuild her life in a small American town. Her new home is as stripped of identity as she is, however, she finds comfort in the nature which surrounds it. She takes a series of jobs, all of which revolve around animal care but fails to hold any of them down due to her struggle to engage with other people.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 10/13/2012
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
During the post-screening Q&A, co-writer/director Melanie Shatzky mentioned a real-life animal hoarder who served as inspiration for Francine. The real-life Francine's animals were confiscated by the authorities. In most movies, an event like this would occur about fifteen minutes in, prompting the protagonist to deal with unwanted conflict. This is what is referred to in screenwriting parlance as an "inciting incident", or sometimes a "catalyst", ignoring for the moment that some consider inciting incidents and catalysts to be two separate plot beats. Without an inciting incident to set the story in motion, we're left with a simple character portrait. I have nothing against simple character portraits, I'm not trying to be a pedant, but hear me out. [Continued ...]...
- 10/10/2012
- QuietEarth.us
Montreal’s Festival Du Nouveau Cinema (10.10 – 10.21) announced their line-up today for their 41st edition and among the smorgasbord of subtitle offerings dating back to this year’s Rotterdam, Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Venice and Tiff editions, we’re knee-deep in avant-garde world cinema from the established auteurs Assayas, Vinterberg, Ozon, Sang-Soo, Joao Pedro Rodriguez, Larrain, Loach, Reygadas, Ghobadi, Mungiu and Miguel Gomes. Heavy on offerings from Quebec and France, the fest also manages to offer a stellar snapshot of the up-and-comers from all corners of the globe. Among the notable titles in the (Competition category) International Selection we’ve got Pablo Berger’s Blancanieves, Ursula Meier’s Sister, Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s Francine (which received its theatrical release earlier this month) and Rodrigo Plá’s La Demora. Loaded in Cannes items, the Special Presentations is the fest’s A-list selections (see filmmakers named above) and the one pic...
- 9/25/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Beautiful "Francine" poster illustrated by Michael GilletteMichael C. here. If I’m going to write about Francine I need to start by admitting that I’m not what one would call an animal person.
I certainly like animals. I appreciate their beauty and marvel at their grace... but from a respectful distance, preferably involving a high fence or some sort of indestructible leash. In close contact animals and I tend to put each other on edge, and from there it is a tension filled waiting game until claws make an appearance. As a result of this I was easily pulled into Brian M Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s Francine much the same way my debilitating fear of heights kept me riveted to Man on Wire. At one point during the film the lead character grabs a kitten in each hand and rubs them over her face like a healing talisman.
I certainly like animals. I appreciate their beauty and marvel at their grace... but from a respectful distance, preferably involving a high fence or some sort of indestructible leash. In close contact animals and I tend to put each other on edge, and from there it is a tension filled waiting game until claws make an appearance. As a result of this I was easily pulled into Brian M Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s Francine much the same way my debilitating fear of heights kept me riveted to Man on Wire. At one point during the film the lead character grabs a kitten in each hand and rubs them over her face like a healing talisman.
- 9/20/2012
- by Michael C.
- FilmExperience
Craig here with a wrap-up entry for the third and final run of ‘Take Three’, The Film Experience series that looked at three notable performances from a supporting or character actor's career. Click on the actors’ names for their respective Takes.
It’s perhaps fitting that last week’s Take Three featured Brad Dourif as, when the idea for the series was first mooted, Dourif was the first actor who entered my mind. It’s odd perhaps that I left him so long, but I’m glad he was included in the end. I was also glad to include a quintet of actors – bigger names, well versed in veering between lead and character actor roles – who have vast and interesting careers under their belts: Christopher Walken (one of Seven Psychopaths due in cinemas soon), John Hurt, Tommy Lee Jones (currently sexing it up with Streep in Hope Springs), Danny DeVito and Chris Cooper.
It’s perhaps fitting that last week’s Take Three featured Brad Dourif as, when the idea for the series was first mooted, Dourif was the first actor who entered my mind. It’s odd perhaps that I left him so long, but I’m glad he was included in the end. I was also glad to include a quintet of actors – bigger names, well versed in veering between lead and character actor roles – who have vast and interesting careers under their belts: Christopher Walken (one of Seven Psychopaths due in cinemas soon), John Hurt, Tommy Lee Jones (currently sexing it up with Streep in Hope Springs), Danny DeVito and Chris Cooper.
- 9/16/2012
- by Craig Bloomfield
- FilmExperience
Title: Francine Directors: Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky Starring: Melissa Leo, Keith Leonard, Victoria Chestnut, Dave Clark, Michael Halstead There’s a familiar saying that even a broken clock is right twice a day, which Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s assertively minimalist ”Francine” recalls. An emotionally impressionistic story of a recently paroled woman coping with life on the outside of prison, this character study feels like a less successful riff on Kelly Reichardt’s much more evocative “Wendy and Lucy” — caught up in its own metaphor, its blank canvas and broadly sketched melancholic tones an empty vessel for those who would like to automatically turn the personal into the political. There isn’t much [ Read More ]...
- 9/15/2012
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
Tags: Fortune FeimsterJane LynchJennifer LawrenceEllen DeGeneresIMDb
Good afternoon and happy Friday! No, seriously, happy Friday!!!
Happy birthday to Kimberly William-Paisley, Melissa Leo and Faith Ford!
Melissa Leo at the New York premiere of her new film Francine
Photo by Steve Mack/Getty Images
Congratulations to Ellen DeGeneres for selling a new TV show to NBC! The untitled single-camera comedy revolves around a “successful, happily independent 32-year-old woman who, as she's about to close on a house, realizes she's listed as "a single woman" and careens into an existential crisis.” Whatever DeGeneres is selling, I'm buying!
Jane Lynch is hoping the organizers of Atlanta Pride will consider changing their kickoff party event location (currently, the Georgia Aquarium). Queerty reports that Lynch wrote a note to the Managing Director of Atlanta Pride that read, "These parties are supposed to be loud and boisterous — it’s a celebration! However, animals shouldn’t have...
Good afternoon and happy Friday! No, seriously, happy Friday!!!
Happy birthday to Kimberly William-Paisley, Melissa Leo and Faith Ford!
Melissa Leo at the New York premiere of her new film Francine
Photo by Steve Mack/Getty Images
Congratulations to Ellen DeGeneres for selling a new TV show to NBC! The untitled single-camera comedy revolves around a “successful, happily independent 32-year-old woman who, as she's about to close on a house, realizes she's listed as "a single woman" and careens into an existential crisis.” Whatever DeGeneres is selling, I'm buying!
Jane Lynch is hoping the organizers of Atlanta Pride will consider changing their kickoff party event location (currently, the Georgia Aquarium). Queerty reports that Lynch wrote a note to the Managing Director of Atlanta Pride that read, "These parties are supposed to be loud and boisterous — it’s a celebration! However, animals shouldn’t have...
- 9/14/2012
- by Bridget McManus
- AfterEllen.com
Melissa Leo has garnered Oscar nominations (and a shiny gold statue) for her characterizations of tough, working-class women. In her latest movie, the atmospheric indie Francine, which runs at MoMA for two weeks, she portrays a recently released convict who channels her struggle to connect with other people into relationships with animals. Vulture spoke with Leo about working from a very loose script, canine co-stars, and her unforgettable guest stint on Louie.So, you kind of stumbled upon this film.I live up in that area [Hudson Valley], and know the film commissioner. And he puts out a missive on the e-mail, and a casting notice caught my eye. Then I wrote and asked if he would see if the filmmakers had their Francine. And I inserted myself in the project. Because it was vastly silent. Because I got to carry the ball. And because it intrigued me no end to see...
- 9/13/2012
- by Kat Ward
- Vulture
It’s hard to believe that Melissa Leo has only moved to the forefront of the public’s consciousness relatively recently—more specifically since her Oscar win four years ago for her performance in Frozen River. With every role she inhabits, from her Golden Globe nominated turn in The Fighter to her most recent effort in Francine, Leo provides a seasoned, lived-in naturalism that is as rarely displayed on screen as it is potent....
- 9/13/2012
- Pastemagazine.com
In the last few years, Melissa Leo has played a woman driven by poverty to human smuggling in Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River," and claimed an Oscar for her turn as the chain-smoking boxing matriarch Alice Ward in David O. Russell's "The Fighter." On a recent episode of comedian Louis C.K.'s show "Louie," Leo appeared as the the tough-talking Laurie, who very nearly rapes Mr. C.K. in the cab of a parked truck. It seems fair to say that at 51, Leo -- who began her career in the 1980s with a recurring role on "All My Children" -- has developed a taste for grit. With the title role in "Francine," the first full length feature from documentarian duo Melanie Shatzky and Brian Cassidy, Leo returns once more to hardscrabble environs, as a newly-released convict. In contrast to Alice and Laurie, neither of whom ever suffered a moment's shyness,...
- 9/13/2012
- by Chris Pomorski
- Indiewire
Named one of Filmmaker magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2007, New York–based co-conspirators Melanie Shatzky and Brian M. Cassidy gravitated toward moving-image storytelling after earning master’s degrees in photography at the School of Visual Arts. Exploring the porous borders between narrative and nonfiction, while importing many of the techniques they’d learned as Mfa students in another visual discipline, Shatzky and Cassidy debuted two equally memorable, conspicuously stylized shorts that year, The Delaware Project (fiction) and God Provides (a nine-minute doc), which premiered at the Rotterdam and Sundance Film Festivals, respectively. In 2011, The Patron Saints, a six-years-in-the-making “hyperrealistic” feature documentary that peeks at life in a nursing home with curiosity, discomfiting candor, and eccentric flashes of dark humor, unspooled at Toronto and further aligned the husband-and-wife team with a heightened cinematic style that borrows something from portraitists-of-the-everyday Walker Evans and William Eggleston.
Continuing their exploration in...
Continuing their exploration in...
- 9/12/2012
- by Damon Smith
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Tags: Afternoon DelightIMDbEllen DeGeneresHeather MorrisCynthia NixonEmily DickinsonChristina CoxKate Winslet
Good afternoon everyone!
Happy birthday to Taraji Henson, Ariana Richards, Virginia Madsen, Amy Madigan, Kristy McNichol, Anne Ramsay and my sister Audrey!
Taraji Henson at the 2012 Bet Awards in Los Angeles
Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Academy Award winner Melissa Leo stars as a former convict/cat lady in Francine.
Heather Morris shines (as always) in Glee's take on Carly Rae Jepsen's “Call Me Maybe.”
Ae's own Trish Bendix posed with The Real L Word's Kiyomi McCloskey and Laura Petracca during Shedonism.
Yesterday Anderson Cooper and Kristin Chenoweth discussed the importance of gay-visibility on Cooper's talk show Anderson Live.
SheWired is reporting that out actress Cynthia Nixon will star in the Emily Dickinson biopic A Quiet Passion, directed by Terence Davies.
The Source magazine posted an adorable photo of But I'm a Cheerleader actress Natasha Lyonne and...
Good afternoon everyone!
Happy birthday to Taraji Henson, Ariana Richards, Virginia Madsen, Amy Madigan, Kristy McNichol, Anne Ramsay and my sister Audrey!
Taraji Henson at the 2012 Bet Awards in Los Angeles
Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Academy Award winner Melissa Leo stars as a former convict/cat lady in Francine.
Heather Morris shines (as always) in Glee's take on Carly Rae Jepsen's “Call Me Maybe.”
Ae's own Trish Bendix posed with The Real L Word's Kiyomi McCloskey and Laura Petracca during Shedonism.
Yesterday Anderson Cooper and Kristin Chenoweth discussed the importance of gay-visibility on Cooper's talk show Anderson Live.
SheWired is reporting that out actress Cynthia Nixon will star in the Emily Dickinson biopic A Quiet Passion, directed by Terence Davies.
The Source magazine posted an adorable photo of But I'm a Cheerleader actress Natasha Lyonne and...
- 9/11/2012
- by Bridget McManus
- AfterEllen.com
Factory 25 has acquired North American rights to the Melissa Leo drama “Francine” and will co-release the film on VOD November 1. The Film Sales Company first opens the film theatrically at MoMa September 12, followed by other theatrical showings in the fall and a DVD release in the spring. “Francine” stars Oscar winner Leo (“The Fighter”) as a lonely woman who has difficulty adjusting to life in a small town once she’s released from prison after many years. Written and directed by Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky, “Francine” has screened at the Berlin, SXSW and BAMcinemaFest festivals. Read More: Factory 25 Picks Up U.S. on Sophia Takal's SXSW Premiere 'Green' Joshua Blum and Katie Stern produced; Anna Gerb is executive producer. Matt Grady’s Brooklyn-based Factory 25 has recently released “The Color Wheel,” “The Oregonian,” “Wah Do Dem” and...
- 9/10/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
In Francine, Melissa Leo plays a woman leaving prison to return to society, dealing with mountains and molehills on the outside. From the look of the trailer, the Oscar winner has the weight of the world on her shoulders as the movie – the feature narrative debut of documentarians Melanie Shatzky and Brian M. Cassidy – appears to be the cinematic equivalent of the photo on a driver’s license. It’s stark, raw and attentive to detail. It will have you aching for background music (or anything, anything at all) to take your attention away from the imagery. And what’s with the cats? Is her cat lady status profound or perplexing? How did a trailer featuring an actress rubbing cats on her face just make me want to see the film? Maybe it’s because she looks absolutely nothing like she did for her role in The Fighter. It’s transformative and proof of her amazing strength...
- 9/10/2012
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Factory 25 has acquired North American rights to Brian Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s Francine, a bold and mysterious drama starring Melissa Leo as a paroled convict who finds solace in caring for animals. The film premieres this week, on September 12, at MoMA in a theatrical release by The Film Sales Company, and it will continue to play across the country this fall. Factory 25 and The Film Sales Company will co-release the film on VOD and digitally beginning November 1. DVD and non-theatrical screenings will begin in Spring, 2013.
Francine premiered this year at the Berlin Film Festival, and it has since played numerous other festivals, including SXSW and BAMcinemafest. The directors were chosen for Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces in 2007, and this latest feature, their debut fiction film, extends their interest in found moments and performative behavior to the realm of drama.… Read the rest...
Francine premiered this year at the Berlin Film Festival, and it has since played numerous other festivals, including SXSW and BAMcinemafest. The directors were chosen for Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces in 2007, and this latest feature, their debut fiction film, extends their interest in found moments and performative behavior to the realm of drama.… Read the rest...
- 9/10/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
After getting a much-deserved Best Actress nomination for her role in the small-budget indie Frozen River, Melissa Leo is returning to similar ground with Francine, giving the actress a substantial lead character in a small scope atmosphere. Written and directed by Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky, the drama premiered at Berlin and showed up at SXSW to solid reviews and now the trailer has arrived today.
While it looks a bit dour and spare, Leo is the key attraction here with what looks to be a powerful performance as a woman who just exited prison and is readjusting to life in a small town. As she is on the cusp of delivering major tentpoles with Olympus Has Fallen, Oblivion and even Flight, it’s nice that she can still sneak these sorts of projects in. Check out the trailer and poster below.
Synopsis:
After serving time in prison, Francine...
While it looks a bit dour and spare, Leo is the key attraction here with what looks to be a powerful performance as a woman who just exited prison and is readjusting to life in a small town. As she is on the cusp of delivering major tentpoles with Olympus Has Fallen, Oblivion and even Flight, it’s nice that she can still sneak these sorts of projects in. Check out the trailer and poster below.
Synopsis:
After serving time in prison, Francine...
- 9/7/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Melissa Leo stars as a woman fresh out of prison who settles down in small-town North America in "Francine," from writer-directors Briam M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky. The film, nearly silent, focuses on Leo's character as she tries to regain a foothold in society through a series of temp jobs and elusive connections with others. As the new trailer suggests, her loneliness leads her to animals -- "a development that leads her in a tragically wrong direction." Leo looks suitably miserable in what will likely prove another fierce performance by the Oscar winning ("The Fighter") and nominated ("Frozen River") actress. Here's our exclusive first look at the "Francine" poster. The film plays for one week at MoMA in NYC starting September 12, with a national rollout to follow.
- 9/7/2012
- by Sophia Savage
- Thompson on Hollywood
There's a reason Melissa Leo has 13 films tentatively scheduled for some kind of release between now and 2014: "I like to work," Leo told HuffPost Entertainment. "I just like to work."
No kidding. From indies like "Francine" to awards contenders like "Flight," Leo is becoming a permanent fixture at the multiplex here in 2012. (She's on television as well: Leo also memorably appeared on this season's "Louie.") Out this week is the indie comedy "Why Stop Now," where Leo stars opposite Jesse Eisenberg, Tracy Morgan and Isiah Whitlock Jr. The film -- which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January -- shows off a lighter side of Leo, who is best known for her serious roles in films like "Frozen River," "Mildred Pierce" and "The Fighter," the latter of which won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
In "Why Stop Now," Leo plays Penny, a drug addict being...
No kidding. From indies like "Francine" to awards contenders like "Flight," Leo is becoming a permanent fixture at the multiplex here in 2012. (She's on television as well: Leo also memorably appeared on this season's "Louie.") Out this week is the indie comedy "Why Stop Now," where Leo stars opposite Jesse Eisenberg, Tracy Morgan and Isiah Whitlock Jr. The film -- which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January -- shows off a lighter side of Leo, who is best known for her serious roles in films like "Frozen River," "Mildred Pierce" and "The Fighter," the latter of which won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
In "Why Stop Now," Leo plays Penny, a drug addict being...
- 8/13/2012
- by Christopher Rosen
- Huffington Post
Here’s a first look at All Is Lost. Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions, Academy Award-winner Robert Redford, and Academy Award-nominated writer/director J.C. Chandor (Best Writing, Original Screenplay for Margin Call) jointly announced that principal photography has wrapped on the open water thriller All Is Lost at Baja Studios in Rosarito, Mexico. Chandor wrote and directed the film, and Redford stars in a solo performance of one man lost at sea and his battle against the elements to stay alive. Before The Door Pictures. Neal Dodson and Washington Square Films. Anna Gerb are producing.
“After an intense two months of shooting on the water, we.re headed home and have finished production on schedule,. said Dodson and Gerb. .Jc is making an audacious film with a brave performance at its center.”
The director of photography is Frankie DeMarco and the editor is Pete Beaudreau, both of whom collaborated with Chandor on Margin Call.
“After an intense two months of shooting on the water, we.re headed home and have finished production on schedule,. said Dodson and Gerb. .Jc is making an audacious film with a brave performance at its center.”
The director of photography is Frankie DeMarco and the editor is Pete Beaudreau, both of whom collaborated with Chandor on Margin Call.
- 8/8/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“In Production” is a regular column which focuses on notable independent films that are currently shooting.
Shooting from mid-July in Eastern Indiana, Scalene director Zack Parker’s Proxy is a suspense thriller about Esther (Alexia Rasmussen), a pregnant woman who joins a support group after being attacked one night and strikes up a dysfunctional relationship with a fellow victim (Alexa Havins). Parker’s last feature Scalene, which is set for release on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD on July 31st, received glowing reviews for its clever use of the fractured narrative – potentially one of the most over-used cinematic devices of the past three decades. Parker has assembled many of the same crew for Proxy, including composers The Newton Brothers and d.p. Jim Timperman, and added SFX makeup artist James Ojala (Hellboy II, True Blood). Proxy stars Rasmussen (The Comedy), Havins (When In Rome), Kristina Klebe (Rob Zombie’s Halloween) and...
Shooting from mid-July in Eastern Indiana, Scalene director Zack Parker’s Proxy is a suspense thriller about Esther (Alexia Rasmussen), a pregnant woman who joins a support group after being attacked one night and strikes up a dysfunctional relationship with a fellow victim (Alexa Havins). Parker’s last feature Scalene, which is set for release on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD on July 31st, received glowing reviews for its clever use of the fractured narrative – potentially one of the most over-used cinematic devices of the past three decades. Parker has assembled many of the same crew for Proxy, including composers The Newton Brothers and d.p. Jim Timperman, and added SFX makeup artist James Ojala (Hellboy II, True Blood). Proxy stars Rasmussen (The Comedy), Havins (When In Rome), Kristina Klebe (Rob Zombie’s Halloween) and...
- 7/26/2012
- by Byron Camacho
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Today two recent festival favorites, Bob Byington’s Somebody Up There Likes Me and Brian Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s Francine, found distribution.
Somebody, which stars Parks and Recreation‘s Nick Offerman and former “25 New Face” Jess Weixler, premiered at SXSW earlier this year and has now been picked up by Tribeca Film, to be released in Spring 2013. The fifth feature from Byington (Harmony and Me, Rso [Registered Sex Offender]), it is about a trio of friends (Offerman, Weixler and regular Byington collaborator Keith Poulson) who waste their lives on meaningless relationships as time ebbs away. Geoff Gilmore, the former Sundance head who is now Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises, said of the movie, “Somebody Up There Likes Me displays all the quirkiness, personality, and distinction that defines independent filmmaking. Infused with a biting, dry sense of humor and filled with wonderful performances from a talented cast, Bob Byington’s latest film...
Somebody, which stars Parks and Recreation‘s Nick Offerman and former “25 New Face” Jess Weixler, premiered at SXSW earlier this year and has now been picked up by Tribeca Film, to be released in Spring 2013. The fifth feature from Byington (Harmony and Me, Rso [Registered Sex Offender]), it is about a trio of friends (Offerman, Weixler and regular Byington collaborator Keith Poulson) who waste their lives on meaningless relationships as time ebbs away. Geoff Gilmore, the former Sundance head who is now Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises, said of the movie, “Somebody Up There Likes Me displays all the quirkiness, personality, and distinction that defines independent filmmaking. Infused with a biting, dry sense of humor and filled with wonderful performances from a talented cast, Bob Byington’s latest film...
- 7/25/2012
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Francine begins with Francine's last day in prison. It seems she has been locked away for a long time, though the crime she committed is left unspoken. Francine moves into a small cottage near the water and finds a series of jobs -- at a pet store, in the stables of a polo club, at a veterinarian's office... As Francine tepidly integrates herself back into society, she begins to develop friendships. This is the crux of Francine, a cinema verite portrayal of a woman struggling to become a member of the free world. As awesome as Leo's performance is, Francine's strength is in its uncanny sense of realism -- the real people, the real places, the real events. This is essentially a documentary from the perspective of a fictional character, which makes perfect sense because directors Melanie Shatzky and Brian M. Cassidy come from a strictly documentary background.
- 5/27/2012
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Today the full lineup for BAMCinemafest has been unveiled, including the opening and closing night films. (The initial slate of titles was announced just over a month ago.) The fest will be bookended by comedian Mike Birbiglia’s Sundance charmer Sleepwalk with Me and Rock ‘n’ Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen, the latest doc from British musician and filmmaker Don Letts (Dancehall Queen).
The Spotlight screening is Benh Zeitlin’s Sundance Grand Prize winner Beasts of the Southern Wild, and other highlights out of the newly announced titles include the Ross brothers’ Tchoupitoulas, Cory McAbee’s Crazy and Thief and Tim Sutton’s Pavilion (all of which I’m very excited to catch up with.)
Speaking about the 2012 lineup, BAMcinématek’s program director Florence Almozini said, “I’m really excited about the fourth edition of BAMcinemaFest as it may be our best yet. I think we’re refining...
The Spotlight screening is Benh Zeitlin’s Sundance Grand Prize winner Beasts of the Southern Wild, and other highlights out of the newly announced titles include the Ross brothers’ Tchoupitoulas, Cory McAbee’s Crazy and Thief and Tim Sutton’s Pavilion (all of which I’m very excited to catch up with.)
Speaking about the 2012 lineup, BAMcinématek’s program director Florence Almozini said, “I’m really excited about the fourth edition of BAMcinemaFest as it may be our best yet. I think we’re refining...
- 5/3/2012
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Melissa Leo has been joined the cast of The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman. She will play the mother of Shia Labeouf, who plays the lead. Leo, who was awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Fighter, is currently shooting Oblivion, which stars Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko; and Single Shot, with Sam Rockwell. Leo recently shot the third season of HBO’s Treme. She can be seen in the Robert Zemeckis-directed Flight with Denzel Washington; the IFC Films pic Predisposed; and Francine, which premiered at Berlin and SXSW. Leo is represented by CAA and Untitled Entertainment. Related: Shia Labeouf In Mandate Pictures `Death’ Deal...
- 4/23/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Today the BAMcinemaFest unveiled a selection of the films that will play at Brooklyn’s Bam between June 20 and July 1. The slate is dominated by titles that premiered in at Sundance, although there are also films here that bowed at Toronto and Cannes last year. The vast majority of the films announced here are also made by New Yorkers — many of them Brooklynites — while Brian M. Cassidy & Melanie Shatzky (named in our 25 New Faces back in 2007) enjoy the rare coup of having two films in the fest: the narrative Francine and the doc The Patron Saints.
Two films worth flagging up are Dan Sallitt’s The Unspeakable Act and Jonathan Caouette’s Walk Away Renée. A film critic who has made two previous features, Sallitt (who lives a stone’s throw from Bam) will debut his bold and surprising portrait of an unconventional brother-sister relationship at next month’s Sarasota...
Two films worth flagging up are Dan Sallitt’s The Unspeakable Act and Jonathan Caouette’s Walk Away Renée. A film critic who has made two previous features, Sallitt (who lives a stone’s throw from Bam) will debut his bold and surprising portrait of an unconventional brother-sister relationship at next month’s Sarasota...
- 3/29/2012
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
BAMcinématek has announced a first round of titles for its fourth annual BAMcinemaFest, running June 20 through July 1, and we've already placed one of them at the top of our must-see list: The Unspeakable Act, directed by frequent Notebook contributor Dan Sallitt. Here's the official synopsis: "Jackie's romantic feelings for her brother Matthew form the unlikely backdrop against which the milestones of adolescence — choosing a college, losing one's virginity — unspool in film critic Sallitt's long-awaited directorial return, an unnervingly dispassionate take on the last taboo, set in Brooklyn's Ditmas Park."
The other narrative features slated for the 12-day summer festival:
Rick Alverson's The Comedy. A roundup's in the pipeline. Craig Zobel's Compliance. See the Sundance roundup. So Yong Kim's For Ellen. Roundup forthcoming. Brian M Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky's Francine. Likewise. Ry Russo-Young's Nobody Walks. Sundance roundup. Keith Miller's Welcome to Pine Hill. The Slamdance roundup's got the trailer.
The other narrative features slated for the 12-day summer festival:
Rick Alverson's The Comedy. A roundup's in the pipeline. Craig Zobel's Compliance. See the Sundance roundup. So Yong Kim's For Ellen. Roundup forthcoming. Brian M Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky's Francine. Likewise. Ry Russo-Young's Nobody Walks. Sundance roundup. Keith Miller's Welcome to Pine Hill. The Slamdance roundup's got the trailer.
- 3/28/2012
- MUBI
Francine, the debut feature from co-directors Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky had it’s first Sx screening yesterday having recently garnered some great reviews coming out of this years Berlinale. The filmmakers along with their star Melissa Leo, were kind enough to sit down with us before the screening to to talk a little about the film ahead of it’s North American Premiere.
So your film is screening in a couple of hours. I look forward to seeing it with an audience. Can you tell us a little about your picture?
Melanie Shatzky: Well the film is about a woman who has been incarcerated for a chunk of her life. She’s just been released from prison and is trying to readjust to life in the free word. She has a hard time connecting with people and instead finds solace in animals.
And that’s about all...
So your film is screening in a couple of hours. I look forward to seeing it with an audience. Can you tell us a little about your picture?
Melanie Shatzky: Well the film is about a woman who has been incarcerated for a chunk of her life. She’s just been released from prison and is trying to readjust to life in the free word. She has a hard time connecting with people and instead finds solace in animals.
And that’s about all...
- 3/13/2012
- by Scott Colquitt
- SoundOnSight
The following is a reprint of our review from the Berlin Film Festival 2012.
Evoking films like "Winter's Bone" and "Wendy and Lucy" in presenting a sparse, narrowly focused portrait of a lone female protagonist in adverse, not to say desperate circumstances, "Francine" is the kind of small film made for the festival circuit, and for which the festival circuit was made. It is no less reliant on a powerhouse central performance than its aforementioned forebears, if anything more so, as here extraneous detail is pared back almost to the point of nonexistence, leaving Melissa Leo front and center of every scene. It is a testament to her absolutely definitive portrayal that one simply cannot imagine what the film might have looked like with anyone else in the role. Some elegant framing and photography aside, the film lives and dies on her performance, and this being Leo, at her most vanity-less and instinctive,...
Evoking films like "Winter's Bone" and "Wendy and Lucy" in presenting a sparse, narrowly focused portrait of a lone female protagonist in adverse, not to say desperate circumstances, "Francine" is the kind of small film made for the festival circuit, and for which the festival circuit was made. It is no less reliant on a powerhouse central performance than its aforementioned forebears, if anything more so, as here extraneous detail is pared back almost to the point of nonexistence, leaving Melissa Leo front and center of every scene. It is a testament to her absolutely definitive portrayal that one simply cannot imagine what the film might have looked like with anyone else in the role. Some elegant framing and photography aside, the film lives and dies on her performance, and this being Leo, at her most vanity-less and instinctive,...
- 3/11/2012
- by Jessica Kiang
- The Playlist
Insiders at the SXSW Film Festival can connect daily with filmmakers and stars in Austin at our afternoon talk series beginning this Monday. Over four days from 2Pm to 3Pm, SXSW pass holders attending the festival (filmmakers, industry and press, or whoever has something around their neck looking official) can settle down to watch the talks and ask questions to the talent. This year guests include, all the filmmakers behind the foud-footage horror film "V/H/S"; actor-turned-filmmaker Matthew Lillard ("The Descendants"); "Casa de mi Padre" director Matt Piedmont; and four music documentary filmmakers. 'Go Behind the Scenes With Indiewire at the Next Stage,' runs March 12-15 on the Next Stage in the SXSW Trade Show. Go Here for additional venue information. The schedule follows: March 12 2Pm-2:30Pm: David and Nathan Zellner ("Kid Thing") / Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzsky ("Francine") ...
- 3/10/2012
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky's Francine, starring Melissa Leo, will have its North American premiere Sunday at 1:30 pm at the Alamo Lamar B theater. The SXSW Emerging Visions feature first screened at the Berlin film festival in February. Photos: 7 Hot Films to Watch at Berlin Film Festival 2012 The Hollywood Reporter here hosts an exclusive clip from the film. Photos: 28 of Berlin Film Festival's Most Outrageous Movie Posters Leo, who will be in Austin during the fest, stars as a woman trying to rebuild her life in a rundown lakeside town after being released from prison. Keith Leonard
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- 3/9/2012
- by Jay Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Directors Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky are bringing their drama "Francine" starring Melissa Leo to this year's SXSW Festival. The directors think audiences will come out of their film with questions about what they have seen. They come to the festival hoping to get a U.S. distribution deal for the film, more festival invitations and "maybe a hat." What It's About: Academy Award winner Melissa Leo gives a fierce and restrained performance as Francine, a woman struggling to find her place in a downtrodden lakeside town after leaving behind a life in prison. Taking a series of jobs working with animals, Francine turns away those who take an interest in her and instead seeks intimacy in the most unlikely of places. Gritty, elliptical, and voyeuristic, Francine is a portrait of a near-silent misfit and her fragile first steps in an unfamiliar world. The Directors Say: "We started as...
- 3/8/2012
- by Indiewire Staff
- Indiewire
We made it to Berlin and back in one piece. Melanie and I were at the Berlinale for the world premiere of Francine, our first narrative feature starring Melissa Leo. We couldn’t have possibly predicted the response to the film, which has been overwhelmingly positive. Francine showed in the festival’s Forum section, and sold out all four of its screenings before we even premiered. Melissa made the trip out to Berlin, and we were fortunate enough to have had several lively and very engaged Q&A sessions. Seeing the film together for the first time with an audience, especially after a very intense period of shooting, was gratifying beyond words. We want to thank Ifp & Filmmaker Magazine for allowing us this space to share some of our festival experiences as well as inviting us to speak on the New Talents, New Trends panel alongside Producer Mike S. Ryan...
- 2/21/2012
- by Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Having experienced something of a mid-career breakout with her Oscar-winning supporting role in "The Fighter," Melissa Leo's name has fast become something of a hallmark of quality. Recently she has lent her talents for startlingly authentic portrayals to the likes of "Treme," "Mildred Pierce" and Kevin Smith's "Red State," but in the Berlin Film Festival favorite "Francine" (our review is here) she lands a rare leading role in a feature, albeit a small, narrowly focused one. With even those critics who didn't wholly embrace the film unanimously praising her outstanding central performance, we got to sit down with Leo in Berlin to talk about the project, her approach to acting and her upcoming slate. How easy do you find it to talk about acting? It's the only thing I know how to talk about. I'm not very bright, I don't read the newspaper so it is my favorite topic of conversation,...
- 2/21/2012
- by Jessica Kiang
- The Playlist
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