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Posts with tag Sam Rockwell

New 'Choke' Trailer and Four Clips from the Flick

Filed under: Comedy », Fox Searchlight », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »

I was pretty skeptical that Clark Gregg would be able to bring Chuck Palahniuk's novel Choke to the big screen. Fox Searchlight has launched the red band trailer for the dark comedy (along with four new clips), and I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. The first trailer was released back in May, and for anyone who was worried the book's more 'colorful' moments wouldn't be included, I'm here to tell you the filthiness is present and accounted for -- and I couldn't be happier.

Along with the new trailer, there are also some additional clips with the added bonus of exotic dancers filling in the narration from the book -- bizarre, sure, but surprisingly entertaining. Now for the bad news: the site has one of those age-verification login pages that are pretty crappy at the best of the times, but luckily you can always count on You Tube.

Choke is the story of sex addict Victor Mancini (played by Sam Rockwell), a con-man with the unusual tactic of choking in restaurants to earn money to care for his dying mother (Anjelica Huston). It almost sounds sweet, doesn't it? Well, it's not, and if you know anything about the work of Chuck Palahniuk, then you already know how messed up the story gets -- and I truly mean that as a compliment.

Choke arrives in theaters on September 26, 2008.

Sam Rockwell Joins Anna Faris in 'Deep Throat' Biopic

Filed under: Drama », Casting », Newsstand »

Once she took on the role of Cindy Campbell in Scary Movie, Anna Faris was fast-tracked to a life of big, innocent doe eyes and over-the-top slapstick comedy. But in between a lot of those mainstream laugh quests, many of which weren't worth her time, she's slipped in a little-buzzed performance here or there that proves she's more than just that blonde girl from the Scary Movies. And while most of her upcoming projects are steeped in the funny, she made a surprising announcement last September that she was going to star in a "deep, dark drama."

But it wasn't just any drama. It was Inferno -- the story of Linda Lovelace, the porn star known as Deep Throat, the woman with a clitoris in her throat. At the time, there was a rush on the project, and Faris said they were looking for Lovelace's manager and hubbie, Chuck Traynor. Now, according to a recent discussion with MTV, she says that Sam Rockwell will be the guy.

Now all they have to do is figure out the money, and then we can see Rockwell get skeezy, and Faris get dark: "You're not going to even know who I am. I'm not there right now, but I will be when the time comes. I'll be in a very dark place."

Is this a story you want to see? And, can you imagine Faris as Lovelace?

First Poster for Sam Rockwell's 'Moon'

Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Mystery & Suspense », Movie Marketing », Images », Posters »

When I first heard about the sci-fi flick, Moon, starring Sam Rockwell, I thought: Oh great, it's Castaway in space. But, now that I actually have an idea of what the film is about, my fears that it would be Rockwell talking to a futuristic volleyball for two hours are gone. Quiet Earth (a site dedicated to all things post-apocalyptic) has a first look at the poster and a still from Duncan Jones' (aka Zowie Bowie), futuristic thriller. It's a simple one-sheet, and I did like it at first. Unfortunately, some of the thrill has been lost since the sharp eyes over at io9 noticed some striking similarities to another sci-fi poster.

Rockwell stars as Sam Bell, a contractor with a mining corporation called LUNAR. After three years spent in isolation mining helium, Bell has been dreaming of his family and waiting for his contract to end. When he begins to hear and see things that make him uneasy, he begins to investigate the nature of his 'replacement' on the station. Jones wrote the original story, but got a little help from a first time screenwriter named Nathan Parker on the screenplay. Quiet Earth also posted a full synopsis for the film back in March, but the story is a bit of a mind-twister, so if you're worried about spoilers, you should probably steer clear.

Moon
has not secured a distribution deal yet, but hopefully the buzz surrounding Rockwell's performance in Choke will help this production gain a little steam.

Moon is expected to arrive in theaters on May 25th, 2009.

[via First Showing]

Live from CineVegas: Know When to Fold 'Em

Filed under: Independent », DIY/Filmmaking », CineVegas »

Finished with my jury responsibilities, I managed to check out some features. A favorite of mine was Chelsea on the Rocks, by Abel Ferrara (director of Bad Lieutenant and a terrific little mob flick called The Funeral). It's a documentary about the infamous Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan, but it's far from traditional. There are lots of odd transitions and edits, the interviews are beyond casual (Ferrara says something along the lines of "No shit!" every ten seconds while listening to the stories of those living in the building), and there are some utterly ridiculous and unnecessary re-enactments of notorious events in the hotel's past (actors play Sid and Nancy, Janis Joplin, and assorted hangers-on). Truth be told, the whole thing was kind of a mess. But watching it felt a lot like spending a night in the hotel, and it's a ride I'm glad I took. I didn't learn a thing, but it brought me inside a place full of fascinating characters, a place I walked past countless times in Manhattan without a second thought.

'Choke' On This Trailer!

Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »



The first trailer for Choke (based on my favorite Chuck Palahniuk book) has arrived online, courtesy of MTV, and it gets points for hitting a few marks -- though, to be quite honest, this film's greatest moments come in R-rated form. That said, I wouldn't jump all over this trailer and cry foul because there's definitely a lot of good stuff in this film along with an outstanding performance from Sam Rockwell. In it, Rockwell plays Victor Mancini; a sex addict who cons rich folks out of their money by choking in restaurants in the hopes they'll save him, feel guilty and open the wallet. Victor then uses this money to help pay for his wacky mother's (Anjelica Huston) hospital care. That's just the "on the surface" plot synopsis; if you've read the book, you know there's a lot more to it.

Tell us what you think of the trailer (which you can watch above or in HD over at MTV), especially if you're a big fan of the book. Choke hits theaters on September 26.

First Poster for 'Choke'

Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Fandom », Fox Searchlight », Movie Marketing », Posters »



The first poster for Choke has been released online (click image to enlarge), courtesy of Fox Searchlight, and it's definitely one that catches your eye. Heck, if I was walking down the street and spotted a hot pink poster featuring the silhouette of a guy eating a girl in high heels, I'd certainly be interested -- then again, I'm dirty like that. Choke, based on the excellent book from Chuck Palahniuk, premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival where I called it "a straight-up laugher that really works ... some of the time." Sam Rockwell absolutely steals the show here as a sex addict who pretends to choke in restaurants in order to get wealthy people to feel bad and give him money, which he then uses to help pay for his wacky mother's (Anjelica Huston) stay in a hospital. (I wonder if the timing of this poster had anything to do with the fact that Palahniuk's new book Snuff debuted yesterday with a bright, hot pink cover? Hmmm?)

Choke was recently pushed back and will now hit theaters on September 26.

An Early Review for Ron Howard's 'Frost/Nixon'

Filed under: Drama », Universal », RumorMonger »

A dedicated contributor to the Ain't it Cool News machine got the chance to catch what they claimed was the final cut of Ron Howard's political drama, Frost/Nixon, and the good news is that it earned a resounding thumbs up (if you make it through the entire review, there is also a little surprise regarding the Arrested Development feature). Frost/Nixon is based on the famous stage play by Peter Morgan, which premiered in 2007 and earned Frank Langella a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.

In 1977, Frost, as the host of a popular news show titled Frost on America, conducted a series of hard-hitting interviews with Richard Nixon. Nixon had been interviewed countless times before, but Frost was perhaps the only journalist to ever get him to admit his culpability in the Watergate break-in. Morgan adapted his own play for the screen, and it centers on Frost's team as well as re-enactments of the interviews.

Reprising their roles are Frank Langella as the disgraced former President Nixon, and Michael Sheen as British journalist, David Frost. Joining Langella and Sheen are Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, and Sam Rockwell as James Reston Jr. Judging by AICN's tipster, it looks like most of the praise will be directed at Langella's stellar performance as the former president. So for those of you who like to get an early jump on your Oscar pool, you might want to keep Langella in mind. Frost/Nixon goes into limited release on December 5th.

A 'Fine' Cast Indeed -- DeNiro, Barrymore, Beckinsale and Rockwell!

Filed under: Casting », Family Films », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »

This is really a cast that I could never have predicted. Variety reports that Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell have all been set to star in Everybody's Fine.

Rewritten and directed by Kirk Jones (director of Nanny McPhee and Waking Ned Devine), Fine is a remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's film Stanno tutti bene. Miramax just snapped up the rights to the film, which will reportedly start shooting later this month in Connecticut.

De Niro plays a widower who realizes that he was only connected to his children via his wife. He decides to take a road trip to reestablish his relationship with his grown kids, and discovers that their lives are anything but fine. A few shades of About Schmidt there -- and hopefully it is along those solid lines, and not total syrup.



Review: Snow Angels

Filed under: Drama », Independent », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews »



With each picture since his 2000 debut George Washington, David Gordon Green has taken at least a small step backward. That gradual regression becomes a full-fledged precipitous decline with Snow Angels, a film in which the director (working from a novel by Stewart O'Nan) flails about in search of poetry, and comes up with only trivial stylistic flourishes that compound his story's overwrought faux-naturalism. Considering the lyrical grace of his heralded first feature, Green's devolution from one of American cinema's most promising talents to his current status as just another middling indie lightweight is tough to fathom. Yet with his latest, Green misses the mark in so many respects -- from a multi-strand plot devoid of insight, to performances that are generally overcooked, to a mise-en-scène that comes up largely empty in the department of inspired grace and beauty -- that it makes one wonder if his upcoming foray into director-for-hire work (with this summer's raunchy stoner comedy The Pineapple Express) isn't a shrewd attempt to escape his own increasingly faulty auteurist instincts.

Meet Filmmaker David Gordon Green

Filed under: Fandom », Exhibition », DIY/Filmmaking », Cinematical Indie »

Our friends over at indieWIRE continue their ongoing series of discussions with filmmakers at the Apple Store Soho by bringing in director David Gordon Green (George Washington, All the Real Girls) to show scenes from and discuss his latest film, Snow Angels, which opens March 7. Snow Angels, which stars Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Amy Sedaris, Olivia Thirlby, and Griffin Dunne, is about two romantic relationships -- one just beginning, and one beginning to end. If you live in NYC, this should be a great filmmaker discussion to check out. The event happens Wednesday, March 5 from 7:00-8:00PM at the Apple Store Soho, 103 Prince St.; seating is first-come, first-served, so you might want to get there early.

In the meantime, you can read our review of Snow Angels from Sundance 2007, and listen to James Rocchi's interview with David Gordon Green from that fest.
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