evening Tagged Articles at Cinematical

A weepie examination of female and sexual identity whose worth is roughly equal to that of a used Kleenex, Evening is a schmaltzy nostalgic fusion of clichéd melodrama and carpe-diem lessons about regret, love and courage. Based on Susan Minot's novel from a screenplay by the author and The Hours scribe Michael Cunningham, director Lajos Koltai's (Fateless) feature is a golden-hued eye-roller, full of gorgeous seaside locales, beautiful people, and oh-so-profound issues of life and death, not a one believable thanks to Koltai's insistent sappiness and a story that's familiar, goofy and unbearably corny. A bifurcated affair, Evening begins at the bedside vigil of dying Ann (Vanessa Redgrave), where her two daughters Constance (Natasha Richardson) and Nina (Toni Collette) argue over their differing life paths -- Constance is a suburban wife and mom of two, Nina is an aimless mess unable to commit to the boyfriend with whom she's expecting a child -- while listening to mom enigmatically prattle on about a man named Harris.

Commence flashbacks and the piano-and-flute score, because this soggy mystery is the film's meat-and-potatoes, as Minot's tale goes on to detail the momentous romance between young Ann (Claire Danes) and Dr. Harris (Patrick Wilson) at the 1950s Newport wedding of Ann's best friend Lila Wittenborn (Mamie Gummer, who plays -- and in real life is -- the daughter of Meryl Streep). A Greenwich Village bohemian who pays her way singing in skuzzy nightclubs while dreaming of stardom, Ann arrives at Lila's cliffside mansion with Lila's brother Buddy (Hugh Dancy), a cheery fellow who drowns feelings of self-loathing and inadequacy about his writing talents (he dreams of being the next Hemingway) with alcohol. Koltai shoots this swanky setting like he's working on the latest J. Crew catalog spread, his overly sentimental images of the outstretched twilight ocean nicely meshing with dying Ann's faux-wondrous hallucinations about fireflies, butterflies, and a night nurse dressed in a sparkly evening gown. Every moment and aspect of Evening is suffocatingly twee and self-satisfied -- except, that is, for those brief occasions when it's just pitifully conventional.

Focus Features has some pretty good films under their belt, some of which they start their upcoming film preview with -- a collection of clips that has found its way to YouTube. There's Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation and Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, to name a few. But after a re-cap of some of their past successes, the collection offers some footage -- equipped with that cheesy, uber-positive voice over designed to pump you up -- of their upcoming offerings: Evening, Talk to Me, Eastern Promises, Lust, Caution, Reservation Road and Atonement.

Some of the films Cinematical has already shown you glimpses of before. Jessica Barnes and Chris Ullrich previously led you to trailers of Talk to Me, the Don Cheadle biopic about Ralph "Petey" Greene, and in April, I posted about a trailer for Keira Knightley's Atonement, so there's nothing new to see for those films. However, there are some moving glances at the other up-and-coming films that should be worth our attention. Evening, which is the latest Michael Cunningham adaptation, again brings together a huge female cast from Glenn Close and Meryl Streep to Vanessa Redgrave and Toni Collette. All you get in the preview are glimpses of their faces, but there's also a trailer here that you check out, before the ten-hankie film is released this week. There's also David Cronenberg's dark drama Eastern Promises, which looks visually great, and I imagine will be all the better in the right mood, without the PR speak narrating it. The same goes for Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, that geared up last May. Finally, there's Reservation Road, which has possibilities considering the cast that includes Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly, but all you get in this blip are a few quick shots before seeing each one of them looking super-somber.

Odds and ends from Friday and the weekend:

• After she finishes directing Things We Lost in the Fire, Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier will tackle an adaptation of Amanda Foreman's novel, Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire. Simply called The Duchess, pic tells a story of "politics, wealth, and intrigue of late-eighteenth-century aristocracy through the intimate story of a woman who was its leader." Bier also directed the Danish film Open Hearts, which Zach Braff is supposed to direct at some point in the very late future.
• The cast for Lajos Koltai's Evening just got a whole more interesting. Hopping onboard the project are Meryl Streep and Mammie Gummer. Mother and daughter in real life, the two will play the same character at different phases in her life. Also joining this list of amazing female actresses (which already included Vanessa Redgrave, Toni Collette and Claire Danes) are Glenn Close and Eileen Atkins.
• While there's no direct quote from the man, according to a few different sources Steven Spielberg may be interested in directing the next Jurassic Park flick himself. Though Joe Johnston (who directed part three) is Spielberg's first choice to helm, if for some reason he cannot do it then Stevie will take on the task. What does this mean for Indiana Jones 4? Hell if I know, but it can't be good.

Odds and ends from Monday:

• Patrick Wilson is set to spend a hot and steamy Evening with Vanessa Redgrave, as the actor has signed on to play the love of her life (through flashbacks, I assume) in the upcoming film to be directed by Lajos Koltai. Claire Danes, Toni Collette and Hugh Dancy also star in a story about a 65-year-old cancer patient who, with her two daughters by her side, reflects on the weekend in which she met the man of her dreams.
• Filming is set to begin next week in Norway on True North, starring Michelle Yeoh, Sean Bean and newcomer Michelle Crusiec. Directed by Asif Kapadia (from a script by Kapadia and Tim Miller), pic is described as "a story about the collision of a native culture with greed-driven invaders." Returning once again to produce (after working with Kapadia on his debut film, The Warrior) will be Film4 and The Bureau. The French label Celluloid Dreams will be in charge of the film's international sales. (Note: A subscription is required to view the above link.)
• With his tenth film (Arthur and the Minimoys) coming out this winter, Luc Besson has officially announced that he's calling it a wrap ... as far as directing goes. Though he's mentioned in the past that his tenth film will be his last, the director (whose resumé includes such films as The Fifth Element and The Professional) spoke out Monday and once again confirmed to the press that this is it. Says Besson, "They are my 10 babies and I love them all. Now it's over." While this may mark the end of his directing career, Besson did not say anything about writing or producing, which leads us to believe he will still linger around.

Odds and ends from Wednesday:

• I bet if Stephen King wrote a five-word poem about his thumb, some studio would find a way to turn said poem into a film. That's how good this guy is. According to Variety, Kate Walsh (Grey's Anatomy) has signed on to star alongside John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson in the latest King adaptation, 1408. Based on the horror writer's short story, pic will follow a debunker of paranormal occurrences (Cusack) who finds himself wrapped up in some real heavy sh*t upon checking into mysterious room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. Walsh will play Cusack's ex-wife in the film, which will be directed by Mikael Hafstrom.
• Focus Features is attempting to spend an evening with three very lovely ladies. Vanessa Redgrave, Claire Danes and Toni Collette are currently in negotiations to star in Evening, based on the bestselling novel by Susan Minot. Story surrounds a cancer patient and a weekend she spends with her two daughters reminiscing about her past, while the girls struggle to accept their mother's impending death. In an interesting move, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Cunningham (The Hours) will adapt Minot's novel for the screen.
• Instead of guessing what the audience wants from its moviegoing experience, the MPAA wants to reach out and ask via an online survey. With topics ranging from theater attendance, piracy, advertisements, piracy, home video rental and piracy, MPAA Chief Dan Glickman says their goal here is to provide the studios with "consistent, focused consumer intelligence." Oh, and they also want to know where you bought that bootleg copy of Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest. So, yeah -- fess up!