jason patric Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'm not ashamed to say that I cry at the movies. Not frequently, but occasionally a story and its characters will grab hold of me to the extent that I'm completely caught up in the emotions and feelings being expressed. Films as disparate as John Ford's The Searchers and Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express have caused me to weep with joy, relief, and sorrow.

Despite a relentless barrage of scenes evidently designed with the sole goal of jerking tears, Nick Cassavetes' My Sister's Keeper did not make me cry. It is, however, one of the most glorious-looking terminal cancer pictures I've ever seen. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (The Black Stallion, The Natural) paints the oft-mundane proceedings in an otherworldly glow, as though the transition to the next life had already begun. That's the guiding principle of the movie as a whole; even though an inflammatory and emotionally wrenching issue serves as the linchpin for the plot, great pains are taken to soften the blows so as not to inflict lasting damage upon the viewer.

Frankly, that latter point, much more than whether I personally shed tears, is what prevents My Sister's Keeper from escaping middlebrow territory. Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric are splendidly noble as Brian and Sara Fitzgerald, whose daughter Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) is diagnosed at a young age with leukemia. Brian and Sara conceive another child with genetic modifications so she can serve as a donor to her sister. Anna (Abigail Breslin) (*) seems fine with all the body part donations until Kate's condition worsens to the point that she needs a kidney transplant. Then 11-year-old Anna marches into the office of well-known lawyer Campbell Alexander (Alec Baldwin) and demands medical emancipation from her parents.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Downloading Nancy, billed as "The Most Controversial Film You Will See This Year." Our own Erik Davis called it "a sick and twisted rollercoaster ride that climbs fast and drops slowly." What do you mean, Erik? "Basically, Downloading Nancy is about this unhappily married woman (Maria Bello) who meets a guy (Jason Patric) over the internet, falls in love, then asks him to kill her ... slowly ... so she can finally feel something in her life."

Erik admitted that he may have been the only one who actually liked Johan Renck's film when it premiered at Sundance last year, but that's my boss: always ready to champion the "sick, twisted and sadistic stuff," in this case because he felt it "had purpose, revealed character and told a pretty f**ked up story."

I think it bears repeating that Maria Bello is the lead -- an amazing actress who has consistently demonstrated a willingness to take risks, even in more conventional roles. Jason Patric is fully capable of giving a subtle, moody performance, as are co-stars Rufus Sewell and Amy Brenneman. Behind the camera, the exquisitely talented Christopher Doyle served as director of photography. Clearly, this movie isn't for everyone, but more adventurous souls will want to see it for themselves.

Courtesy of the courageous Strand Releasing, Downloading Nancy will open - in theaters only -- on June 5. You have been warned. Check out the full poster by clicking the image below.

Gallery: 'Downloading Nancy' Poster

Sundance Festival Director Geoff Gilmore introduced Downloading Nancy as "the most intense film of the festival." Not only is he absolutely right, but it's also powerful, emotional, overwhelming and, most importantly, extremely uncomfortable. God bless whoever takes a chance on this film and attempts to market it, honestly, to a mass audience, because Downloading Nancy is a sick and twisted rollercoaster ride that climbs fast and drops slowly ... leaving you plenty of time to absorb its raw insanity along the way.

Should this film get picked up and play in theaters at some point during the year, then I'd be completely shocked if Maria Bello doesn't wind up with an Oscar nod for best actress in 2009. Sure, it's a little early to be saying that, but this woman gives the performance of the festival -- and of her career -- as a lonely, emotionless wife on the brink of complete self destruction. There aren't many actresses who can successfully pull off what Bello does here; hers is the sort of role that comes up every once in a blue moon and completely paralyzes you for two hours as you sit and try to comprehend how in the world a person could convincingly become this tragic character just from reading a script.

A roster of actor names has been splashed over at Filmick, alongside what may be their roles in Zack Snyder's upcoming Watchmen movie. There's absolutely no sourcing on this -- Brendan only says that the list was sent in by a Filmick regular and that around the same time, the same list also popped up on a Russian site. We all know that the words 'Russian website' are synonymous with credibility. At the very least, the source of the list appears to be up on the latest, since Keanu Reeves' name is gone from the roster and Patrick Wilson is still there. Speaking of Wilson, if this list holds any water the film may be turning into something of a Little Children reunion -- Kate Winslet's name is now at the top of the list as Silk Spectre, and there's a general consensus that Jackie Earle Haley is a shoe-in for the role of Rorshach.

Thomas Jane is on the list as The Comedian, who had much involvement in the series with Silk Spectre, so I guess that makes sense. Jason Patric is also on the list as Dr. Manhattan and Gretchen Mol is there as Janey Slater. I like all of these names so far, so this list has my blessing. There are also some lesser known names on the list, such as Jonah Hill, who may be playing Seymour and William Fichtner, who will be playing Bank Manager. Sorry, wrong casting sheet -- he's linked to the character Detective Fine. And of course, Jude Law is still hanging around as Ozymandias on the list. Let me close by saying that again, this is blatant rumor-mongering and probably fan fiction, but it sounds like a pretty good list, I think. Here's hoping it's real. Watchmen is currently in pre-production, and aiming for a release date sometime in 2008.