One of independent film’s key players, Ray Price, died July 16 at the age of 75 from heart failure after a long battle with cancer, his long-term partner Meg Madison confirmed.
Talking to Price about movies, past and present, was an exhilarating sport that could take a while. He knew his stuff — no one loved movies more — but more than anyone during the great indie decades of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, he was a respected innovator who thought outside the box. He began as an exhibitor in San Francisco and moved on to marketing, releasing, and distributing movies, leaning toward the outrageous in how he lured audiences to sample challenging fare.
“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,” Magnolia Pictures co-ceo Eamonn Bowles wrote me in an email. “From theatre chain owner to distributor, exquisite marketer, and production exec, he...
Talking to Price about movies, past and present, was an exhilarating sport that could take a while. He knew his stuff — no one loved movies more — but more than anyone during the great indie decades of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, he was a respected innovator who thought outside the box. He began as an exhibitor in San Francisco and moved on to marketing, releasing, and distributing movies, leaning toward the outrageous in how he lured audiences to sample challenging fare.
“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,” Magnolia Pictures co-ceo Eamonn Bowles wrote me in an email. “From theatre chain owner to distributor, exquisite marketer, and production exec, he...
- 7/21/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Pete Brown, the British poet and singer who helped co-write some of Cream’s most enduring songs — including “White Room” and “Sunshine of Your Love” — has died at the age of 82.
Brown’s death Friday following “a courageous battle with cancer” was announced on his official Facebook page.
“Brown started his artistic career as a Beat Poet in the late 1950s,” the statement notes. “By the mid 1960s he had sold out The Royal Albert Hall with both his British and American contemporaries including Alan Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael Horowitz...
Brown’s death Friday following “a courageous battle with cancer” was announced on his official Facebook page.
“Brown started his artistic career as a Beat Poet in the late 1950s,” the statement notes. “By the mid 1960s he had sold out The Royal Albert Hall with both his British and American contemporaries including Alan Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael Horowitz...
- 5/21/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Sterling Lord, who represented Jimmy Breslin, Art Buchwald, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gordon Parks and most famously, Jack Kerouac, died Saturday in Ocala, Fla. He was 102 and his death was confirmed by his daughter, Rebecca Lord. No cause was given.
The list of literary greats represented by Lord over his long career included Frank Deford, David Wise, Nicolas Pileggi, Delores Kearns Goodwin, Joe McGinniss, Pete Gent, Pete Axthelm, and more. But it was Kerouac’s book that is likely his lasting legacy, sold for 1,000 after four years of trying. It went on to sell more than five million copies.
Lord was born in Burlington, Iowa, on Sept. 3, 1920. His father was an amateur bookbinder and nourished his son’s passion for books. Oddly, Lord himself publilshed only two works, a how-to on tennis and a memoir, neither of them massive sellers.
He graduated with an English degree fro Grinnell College in Iowa, then...
The list of literary greats represented by Lord over his long career included Frank Deford, David Wise, Nicolas Pileggi, Delores Kearns Goodwin, Joe McGinniss, Pete Gent, Pete Axthelm, and more. But it was Kerouac’s book that is likely his lasting legacy, sold for 1,000 after four years of trying. It went on to sell more than five million copies.
Lord was born in Burlington, Iowa, on Sept. 3, 1920. His father was an amateur bookbinder and nourished his son’s passion for books. Oddly, Lord himself publilshed only two works, a how-to on tennis and a memoir, neither of them massive sellers.
He graduated with an English degree fro Grinnell College in Iowa, then...
- 9/4/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The Second City opened its doors in 1959 as a small comedy cabaret. It has since grown to become the world’s most influential name in improv comedy, boasting such prominent alumni as John Belushi, John Candy, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Eugene Levy, and many more.
Now, the Chicago troupe is giving back with its Victor Wong Fellowship for Aapi Voices in Comedy, a first-of-its-kind workshop funded by Peng Zhao, CEO of Citadel Securities, and his wife, Cherry Chen.
The fellowship will annually provide 16 Fellows with a tuition-free master program in improvisational comedy.
California native Victor Wong (1927-2001) moved to Chicago in the 1950s to study theology at the University of Chicago. He joined The Second City at the encouragement of his close friend and famed theater academic, Viola Spolin. A fixture in the San Francisco Beat Scene of the 1950s and ‘60s alongside Jack Kerouc and Lawrence Ferlinghetti,...
Now, the Chicago troupe is giving back with its Victor Wong Fellowship for Aapi Voices in Comedy, a first-of-its-kind workshop funded by Peng Zhao, CEO of Citadel Securities, and his wife, Cherry Chen.
The fellowship will annually provide 16 Fellows with a tuition-free master program in improvisational comedy.
California native Victor Wong (1927-2001) moved to Chicago in the 1950s to study theology at the University of Chicago. He joined The Second City at the encouragement of his close friend and famed theater academic, Viola Spolin. A fixture in the San Francisco Beat Scene of the 1950s and ‘60s alongside Jack Kerouc and Lawrence Ferlinghetti,...
- 5/2/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who died last month just 30 days shy of his 102nd birthday, lived a life of fascinating contradictions. From a Dickensian childhood — his father died before he was born, and his mother was institutionalized when he was only two years old — Ferlinghetti eventually landed with wealthy foster parents who nurtured his love of literature and art. He was a World War II naval officer who went to Normandy on D-Day and Nagasaki six weeks after the atomic blast, but was forever afterwards dedicated to anti-war writing, activism, and publishing.
- 3/1/2021
- by Brent Calderwood
- Rollingstone.com
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the founder of San Francisco’s iconic City Lights Books and an integral figure in the Beat poetry movement, has died. The publisher and activist’s son, Lorenzo Ferlinghetti told AP that he died Monday at his home of lung disease. He was 101.
The San Francisco icon helped launch the Beat movement in the 1950s, making the works by some of the greats including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs, more accessible to readers. In has 1953, the Bronxville, NY native founded San Francisco’s City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, a historical landmark that still services Bay Area natives and more to this day.
Ferlinghetti, whose works include Howl and Other Poems, Little Boy, Blasts Cries Laughter and Pictures of the Gone World, brought his talents not only to the literary world, but to the entertainment realm as well. In 2007 he penned the short To Paint the Portrait...
The San Francisco icon helped launch the Beat movement in the 1950s, making the works by some of the greats including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs, more accessible to readers. In has 1953, the Bronxville, NY native founded San Francisco’s City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, a historical landmark that still services Bay Area natives and more to this day.
Ferlinghetti, whose works include Howl and Other Poems, Little Boy, Blasts Cries Laughter and Pictures of the Gone World, brought his talents not only to the literary world, but to the entertainment realm as well. In 2007 he penned the short To Paint the Portrait...
- 2/24/2021
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the poet whose San Francisco–based City Lights bookstore and publishing house served as a springboard for the Beat generation, has died. His daughter, Julie Sasser, reported his cause of death as interstitial lung disease, according to The New York Times. He was 101.
The poet was known for stacking small fractured lines on top of each other in unique geometric shapes like Jenga towers, with each thought supporting the ones above it. His best-known collection of poems, 1958’s A Coney Island of the Mind, presented vivid images in the language of his day,...
The poet was known for stacking small fractured lines on top of each other in unique geometric shapes like Jenga towers, with each thought supporting the ones above it. His best-known collection of poems, 1958’s A Coney Island of the Mind, presented vivid images in the language of his day,...
- 2/23/2021
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
The first recorded reading of Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl,” which was lost for decades, will be finally be released on April 2nd, 2021.
Ginsberg’s debut public reading of one of the greatest works of American literature occurred at San Francisco’s Six Gallery in October 1955, with Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti in attendance. It was not recorded, though, leading many to claim that the first recorded reading took place in Berkeley, California, the following year.
However, a newly discovered recording proves otherwise. Prior to Ginsberg’s Berkeley performance,...
Ginsberg’s debut public reading of one of the greatest works of American literature occurred at San Francisco’s Six Gallery in October 1955, with Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti in attendance. It was not recorded, though, leading many to claim that the first recorded reading took place in Berkeley, California, the following year.
However, a newly discovered recording proves otherwise. Prior to Ginsberg’s Berkeley performance,...
- 1/12/2021
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
Last week, celebrated poet and one of the most influential writers of the Beat Generation, Ruth Weiss sadly left us, aged 92. However Ruth Weiss: The Beat Goddess, is a new film from multi-award winning filmmaker Melody C.Miller, that celebrates the life and work of a wonderful talent and woman.
In a life that has spanned 92 creative years, Ruth Weiss is one of the most influential writers of the Beat Generation. Born to a Jewish family during the rise of Nazism, as a 10-year-old refugee, she escaped to the United States. ruth became a Jazz troubadour exemplifying the zeitgeist of Chicago, New Orleans, and San Francisco. In the 1950s, she opened up and organized the first poetry readings in North Beach cafes and bars, giving a platform to many poets. The film further highlights Ruth Weiss’ electrifying and intimate poetry with breathtaking images of exquisite modern dance, art, animation, and music to embody her oeuvre.
In a life that has spanned 92 creative years, Ruth Weiss is one of the most influential writers of the Beat Generation. Born to a Jewish family during the rise of Nazism, as a 10-year-old refugee, she escaped to the United States. ruth became a Jazz troubadour exemplifying the zeitgeist of Chicago, New Orleans, and San Francisco. In the 1950s, she opened up and organized the first poetry readings in North Beach cafes and bars, giving a platform to many poets. The film further highlights Ruth Weiss’ electrifying and intimate poetry with breathtaking images of exquisite modern dance, art, animation, and music to embody her oeuvre.
- 8/11/2020
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
The iconic City Lights bookstore in San Francisco has apparently avoided a shutdown, at least for now, raising more than $400k out of a goal of $300k in a GoFundMe.com campaign that saw more than 8,000 people donate.
Elaine Katzenberger, the publisher and CEO of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, claimed that the pandemic shutdown of the business since March 16 caused its cash reserves to “quickly dwindle.” The staff has been receiving full pay and healthcare since that date, but the store had no income, and thus was facing ruin.
“I want to reassure you that we’re doing everything in our power to keep City Lights intact, and to position this...
Elaine Katzenberger, the publisher and CEO of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, claimed that the pandemic shutdown of the business since March 16 caused its cash reserves to “quickly dwindle.” The staff has been receiving full pay and healthcare since that date, but the store had no income, and thus was facing ruin.
“I want to reassure you that we’re doing everything in our power to keep City Lights intact, and to position this...
- 4/11/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Ric Ocasek was one of the all-time great American songwriters: the spirit of Buddy Holly in the body and mind of Mr. Spock, a new wave eccentric who always wanted to brush your rock & roll hair. That’s why the world is in mourning at the news of his death yesterday, at the age of 75. With the Cars, the Boston legend scored hit after hit, yet he also wrote vulnerable ballads about teen angst with his own distinctive blend of compassion and humor, plus his authentic geek-gulp of a voice.
- 9/16/2019
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
Bill Murray brought his trademark lovable weirdness to Austin, Texas to mark the North American premiere of “Isle of Dogs” at the SXSW Film Festival. The Wes Anderson-directed movie was closing this year’s edition of the festival, and Murray had memorable appearances both before and after the stop-motion film’s screening.
On the afternoon of March 17, Murray popped up on the streets of Austin, Texas to perform a live rendition of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poem “Dog.” The actor was accompanied by a cellist performing music by Johann Sebastian Bach as he read the poem aloud in front of a group of tourists and festival attendees. Video of the performance has earned more than 62,000 views in two days.
On the afternoon of March 17, Murray popped up on the streets of Austin, Texas to perform a live rendition of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poem “Dog.” The actor was accompanied by a cellist performing music by Johann Sebastian Bach as he read the poem aloud in front of a group of tourists and festival attendees. Video of the performance has earned more than 62,000 views in two days.
- 3/19/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Documentary extraordinaire Errol Morris is back with The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography. The Thin Blue Line and The Fog of War director’s focus this time is, as the title suggests, on his own friend and neighbor, portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman.
Dorfman began her career in the 1960s and 70s, photographing subjects who visited her Cambridge, Massachusetts studio, including family and friends and Beat generation poets like Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg. In the 1980s, Dorfman began using a Polaroid Land 20×24 camera, one of the largest format cameras in common use, for her work. Due to bankruptcy, Polaroid ceased production of its instant film products in 2008, leading Dorfman to stock up with a year’s supply of her camera’s last available 20 x 24 instant film.
Morris and Dorfman have been friends for 25 years, and the filmmaker hopes to shed light not just on his subject but also large-format photography.
Dorfman began her career in the 1960s and 70s, photographing subjects who visited her Cambridge, Massachusetts studio, including family and friends and Beat generation poets like Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg. In the 1980s, Dorfman began using a Polaroid Land 20×24 camera, one of the largest format cameras in common use, for her work. Due to bankruptcy, Polaroid ceased production of its instant film products in 2008, leading Dorfman to stock up with a year’s supply of her camera’s last available 20 x 24 instant film.
Morris and Dorfman have been friends for 25 years, and the filmmaker hopes to shed light not just on his subject but also large-format photography.
- 4/21/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Music and Sex: Scenes from a life - A novel in progress (first chapter here). Warning: more highly graphic Tmi.
A weekend of fruitless fretting almost led Walter to agree that Martial had the right idea and the show should go on with no guitarist, and with just Walter on keyboards, but really all he'd come up with for sure was a new band name -- The Living Section, for the Wednesday arts portion of The New York Times. The other guys all agreed that was an improvement. However, he couldn't bring himself to propose to them what, in his head, he had dubbed the Martial Plan.
The thing about the band was, it had to be fit in between all the stuff that going to college was actually about, such as attending classes. So on Monday, it was back to the usual schedule, which meant one of his favorite...
A weekend of fruitless fretting almost led Walter to agree that Martial had the right idea and the show should go on with no guitarist, and with just Walter on keyboards, but really all he'd come up with for sure was a new band name -- The Living Section, for the Wednesday arts portion of The New York Times. The other guys all agreed that was an improvement. However, he couldn't bring himself to propose to them what, in his head, he had dubbed the Martial Plan.
The thing about the band was, it had to be fit in between all the stuff that going to college was actually about, such as attending classes. So on Monday, it was back to the usual schedule, which meant one of his favorite...
- 9/8/2015
- by RomanAkLeff
- www.culturecatch.com
Los Angeles - Last night musicians and comedians gathered at the Ace Hotel to honor the 60th anniversary of Allen Ginsberg's groundbreaking poem "Howl," in the form of a benefit concert thrown by the David Lynch Foundation. The non-profit centers on spreading the word about the benefits of Transcendental Meditation. Sounds like a laugh riot, right? Actually, everyone fared pretty well... "David Lynch... the man who made me afraid of hallways." Musician Kevin Drew, as an introduction "Live abortions! Raise your hand if you've had an abortion... or you can just slap me five when you leave." Amy Poehler "I love rap music but I despise poetry." Chris Parnell, prior to rapping "The Ballad of the Skeletons" with Amy Poehler "This should go for two or three hours. Let's round it up to six... Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness. You have to if you wanna see Nic Cage.
- 4/8/2015
- by Katie Hasty
- Hitfix
Twenty-five years ago this week (Jan. 19, 1990), the greatest film ever made about carnivorous subterranean worms hit theaters. Tremors didn't make a big splash in theaters, considering its release was during the awards season dumping ground of January. (Also it's a movie about carnivorous subterranean worms.) But the film found a second life on VHS and cable, and it has become a beloved cult hit, spawning many sequels. So let's take a trip back to Perfection Valley, where it all began. Wanna Write a Great Screenplay? Study TremorsIn a Reddit thread titled, "What is Your Favorite Kevin Bacon Movie and Why Is It Tremors,...
- 1/19/2015
- by Alex Heigl, @alex_heigl
- PEOPLE.com
Our season of Beat regurgitation isn't quite over yet: Fast on the heels of Harry Potter and the Coffeehouse of Extroverts comes this mopey Kerouac adaptation, illustrating the quasi-memoir of the same name (which is read as narration, almost beginning to end) and casting a melancholy eye on Jack's post-fame period. Bopping over to Lawrence Ferlinghetti's secluded cabin on the beach whenever he feels like it, Kerouac (a placid Jean-Marc Barr) mostly smokes and quaffs whiskey, while buddies Neal Cassady (Josh Lucas), Philip Whalen (Henry Thomas), and Lew Welch (Patrick Fischler) ramble drunkenly and cavort on the beach like grade-schoolers. The sunsets and seascapes are pretty, but director Polish, one half of the Polish twin team, is content with stasis and bro...
- 10/30/2013
- Village Voice
Stepping out after a busy evening, Kate Bosworth and her husband Michael Polish checked out of the Crosby Hotel of Soho in New York City this afternoon (October 29).
The couple kept a low profile as they covered their faces and wore black ensembles for their Big Apple stroll.
Last night, the newlyweds helped out with promotional efforts by stopping by the premiere of Kate's new film "Big Sur."
The film is about a recounting of Jack Kerouac's three sojourns to the cabin in Big Sur, owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Starring alongside Miss Bosworth are Stana Katic, Josh Lucas, and Anthony Edwards. The film is slated to hit theaters November 1st.
The couple kept a low profile as they covered their faces and wore black ensembles for their Big Apple stroll.
Last night, the newlyweds helped out with promotional efforts by stopping by the premiere of Kate's new film "Big Sur."
The film is about a recounting of Jack Kerouac's three sojourns to the cabin in Big Sur, owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Starring alongside Miss Bosworth are Stana Katic, Josh Lucas, and Anthony Edwards. The film is slated to hit theaters November 1st.
- 10/29/2013
- GossipCenter
They found love on set back in 2011 and now Kate Bosworth and Michael Polish stepped out together for the premiere of "Big Sur" in New York City on Monday (October 28).
The "Straw Dogs" star looked gorgeous in a sexy sleeveless black dress with floral decoration around the neck as she posed with her director hubby.
In the film, Jack Kerouac's three trips to the cabin in Big Sur owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti are recounted.
Co-starring Josh Lucas, Anthony Edwards, Balthazar Getty, and Radha Mitchell, "Big Sur" hits theaters on November 1st.
The "Straw Dogs" star looked gorgeous in a sexy sleeveless black dress with floral decoration around the neck as she posed with her director hubby.
In the film, Jack Kerouac's three trips to the cabin in Big Sur owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti are recounted.
Co-starring Josh Lucas, Anthony Edwards, Balthazar Getty, and Radha Mitchell, "Big Sur" hits theaters on November 1st.
- 10/29/2013
- GossipCenter
Everyone loves movie trailers; we can’t get enough of them here in The City of Films. It’s an art form that stands alone from the film itself and has a remarkable power to move us. Trailers can give us chills, laughs, goose bumps and sometimes even anger us. We can’t always post them all, so here’s where we play catch up; it’s Graham’s Trailer Roundup!
This Roundup Includes: Nebraska, A Perfect Man, Grace of Monaco, Big Sur, Snowpiercer, Adventures in the Sin Bin, After Tiller, A Case of You
Nebraska
Synopsis: An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.
Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte
Release: November 22
Trailer Analysis: This looks like a nice little movie from Alexander Payne (The Descendants, Sideways, About Schmidt, Election). That filmography...
This Roundup Includes: Nebraska, A Perfect Man, Grace of Monaco, Big Sur, Snowpiercer, Adventures in the Sin Bin, After Tiller, A Case of You
Nebraska
Synopsis: An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.
Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte
Release: November 22
Trailer Analysis: This looks like a nice little movie from Alexander Payne (The Descendants, Sideways, About Schmidt, Election). That filmography...
- 9/28/2013
- by Graham McMorrow
- City of Films
Shortly after its director and star tied the knot, a new trailer for "Big Sur" debuted on Yahoo! Movies on Friday (September 13).
Directed by Michael Polish, the story follows Jack Kerouac's three trips to a secluded cabin in Big Sur owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
The drama stars Michael's bride Kate Bosworth along with Jean-Marc Barr, Anthony Edwards, Stana Katic, Radha Mitchell, and Josh Lucas.
On August 31st, the happy couple said "I do" on a ranch in Phillipsburg, Montana after meeting her on the set of "Big Sur" in 2011. Check out the trailer below.
Directed by Michael Polish, the story follows Jack Kerouac's three trips to a secluded cabin in Big Sur owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
The drama stars Michael's bride Kate Bosworth along with Jean-Marc Barr, Anthony Edwards, Stana Katic, Radha Mitchell, and Josh Lucas.
On August 31st, the happy couple said "I do" on a ranch in Phillipsburg, Montana after meeting her on the set of "Big Sur" in 2011. Check out the trailer below.
- 9/14/2013
- GossipCenter
Following a festival trailer for the film earlier this year , Big Sur has debuted, via Yahoo! Movies , a new trailer for the upcoming Jack Kerouac adaptation. Check it out in the player below! Big Sur brings to the screen Kerouac's 1962 novel with a cast that includes Jean-Marc Barr, Josh Lucas, Kate Bosworth and Henry Thomas. An autobiographical work, Big Sur tells the story of Jack Duluoz (the Kerouac character, to be played by Barr) and his relationship to fame following his sudden literary success ("On the Road" was released in 1957) and his troubles with substance abuse. Spread across three trips to Lawrence Ferlinghetti's (called Lorenzo Monsanto in the book) cabin in the wilderness of Big Sur, the story also features Duluoz's relationship with Billie...
- 9/13/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Now in production in Europe, director Pierre Morel's The Gunman has revealed a first still of Sean Penn's Martin Terrier. Check it out below! An adaptation of Jean-Patrick Manchette's novel "The Prone Gunman," the film version is also set to star Javier Bardem, Idris Elba and Ray Winstone. Although Manchette passed away in 1995, the book was translated by James Brooks and published through Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Light Books in 2002. Sean Penn stars as Jim Terrier, an international operative who is betrayed by the organization he worked for, and must go on the run in a relentless game of cat and mouse across Europe. Joel Silver and Andrew Rona are producing The Gunman with Peter Travis providing the screenplay. Click the photo for a bigger version!
- 7/16/2013
- Comingsoon.net
On the heels of word yesterday that Idris Elba had joined the cast, Deadline is reporting that Ray Winstone has also signed on to director Pierre Morel's The Gunman . The current cast also includes Javier Bardem and Sean Penn. The film is an adaptation of Jean-Patrick Manchette's novel The Prone Gunman , which was published post-mortem in 2002 and translated by James Brooks and published through Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Light Books in 2002 with the following official description: Martin Terrier is a hired killer who wants out of the game . so he can settle down and marry his childhood sweetheart. That's why he took up this profession! Martin returns to his hometown to claim her, but the Organization won't let him go. Once again, the gunman must assume the prone shooting...
- 6/14/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Idris Elba is eyeing a role in director Pierre Morel's The Gunman , says a story today at The Hollywood Reporter . He'd star opposite Javier Bardem and Sean Penn in the adaptation of Jean-Patrick Manchette's novel The Prone Gunman . Although Manchette passed away in 1995, the book was translated by James Brooks and published through Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Light Books in 2002 with the following official description: Martin Terrier is a hired killer who wants out of the game . so he can settle down and marry his childhood sweetheart. That's why he took up this profession! Martin returns to his hometown to claim her, but the Organization won't let him go. Once again, the gunman must assume the prone shooting position. Joel Silver and Andrew Rona will produce The...
- 6/14/2013
- Comingsoon.net
DVD Release Date: June 13, 2013
Price: DVD $24.95
Studio: First Run Features
Lawrence Ferlinghetti in front of San Francisco's City Lights bookstore.
The 2010 documentary film Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder takes an insightful and entertaining look at the American poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
The movie explores Ferlinghetti’s vital role as catalyst for numerous literary careers and for the Beat movement itself. Interviews with Ferlinghetti and others reveal a rich mélange of characters and events that unfolded in postwar America, including the publication of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch, and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Also covered is the 1953 opening of San Francisco’s City Lights Bookstore by Ferlinghetti, which quickly evolved into an iconic institution symbolizing social change and literary freedom. Six decades later, it is still going.
Directed by Christopher Felver, the unrated Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder received a limited release to a theater in New York in February,...
Price: DVD $24.95
Studio: First Run Features
Lawrence Ferlinghetti in front of San Francisco's City Lights bookstore.
The 2010 documentary film Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder takes an insightful and entertaining look at the American poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
The movie explores Ferlinghetti’s vital role as catalyst for numerous literary careers and for the Beat movement itself. Interviews with Ferlinghetti and others reveal a rich mélange of characters and events that unfolded in postwar America, including the publication of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch, and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Also covered is the 1953 opening of San Francisco’s City Lights Bookstore by Ferlinghetti, which quickly evolved into an iconic institution symbolizing social change and literary freedom. Six decades later, it is still going.
Directed by Christopher Felver, the unrated Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder received a limited release to a theater in New York in February,...
- 6/11/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Curious has snapped up five titles at the Cannes film festival/market including A Touch of Sin, an expose of rampant corruption and exploitation in mainland China.
Director Jia Zhangke won the festival.s best screenplay award for his film based on the true stories of poor people driven to acts of desperation. Jia said the film, which was part-funded by the state-owned Shanghai Film Group, has been given official approval and will be shown uncut is his homeland.
Curious Distribution.s Sarah Noonan said the company also acquired Big Sur, writer-director Michael Polish.s adaptation of a Jack Kerouac novel, which recounts the authors three sojourns to the cabin in Big Sur owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, starring Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucas, Radha Mitchell and Jean-Marc Bar.
Also on its slate is Austrian director Ulrich Seidl.s The Paradise Trilogy, comprising Love, the story of Teresa, an upper-class, middle-aged...
Director Jia Zhangke won the festival.s best screenplay award for his film based on the true stories of poor people driven to acts of desperation. Jia said the film, which was part-funded by the state-owned Shanghai Film Group, has been given official approval and will be shown uncut is his homeland.
Curious Distribution.s Sarah Noonan said the company also acquired Big Sur, writer-director Michael Polish.s adaptation of a Jack Kerouac novel, which recounts the authors three sojourns to the cabin in Big Sur owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, starring Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucas, Radha Mitchell and Jean-Marc Bar.
Also on its slate is Austrian director Ulrich Seidl.s The Paradise Trilogy, comprising Love, the story of Teresa, an upper-class, middle-aged...
- 6/3/2013
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Chicago – One of most important counterculture novels in American literature history is “On the Road,” by Jack Kerouac. First published in 1957, the film rights were purchased at the time, but it took over fifty more years to get it onto the screen. Director Walter Salles (“The Motorcycle Diaries”) took on the adaptation.
The history of adapting the book to film is as much of a journey as the characters take in the story. After late 1950s Hollywood couldn’t interpret the radical morality in the book (Marlon Brando was attached to play the lead role at one point), and the rights were reacquired by Francis Ford Coppola in the late 1970s. Problems with several screenplay versions occurred, and it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that the team that produced “The Motorcycle Diaries” – screenwriter Jose Rivera and director Walter Salles – took their own journey with the classic novel, and the...
The history of adapting the book to film is as much of a journey as the characters take in the story. After late 1950s Hollywood couldn’t interpret the radical morality in the book (Marlon Brando was attached to play the lead role at one point), and the rights were reacquired by Francis Ford Coppola in the late 1970s. Problems with several screenplay versions occurred, and it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that the team that produced “The Motorcycle Diaries” – screenwriter Jose Rivera and director Walter Salles – took their own journey with the classic novel, and the...
- 3/20/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Big Sur
Directed by Michael Polish
Written by Michael Polish
2013, USA
A melancholic exploration of Jack Kerouac’s mind during his trips to poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s remote cabin on the pacific coast, Big Sur quietly captivates with a moody mix of striking scenery and rapid-fire narration. Kerouac used his prose to break away from the repressive stranglehold of mid-20th century American values and became one of the freewheeling heroes of the Beat Generation. Finding tremendous acclaim as a rebellious writer, celebrity was surprisingly something he didn’t desire and struggled desperately to escape. The pensive focus of this film is the serious depression and consequential alcoholism of a genius bent on self-destruction. Big Sur takes takes a hard look at Kerouac’s deterioration following the wild success of the novel “On the Road” and is almost entirely composed of his anxiety-ridden introspection. This brooding, despair laden story might...
Directed by Michael Polish
Written by Michael Polish
2013, USA
A melancholic exploration of Jack Kerouac’s mind during his trips to poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s remote cabin on the pacific coast, Big Sur quietly captivates with a moody mix of striking scenery and rapid-fire narration. Kerouac used his prose to break away from the repressive stranglehold of mid-20th century American values and became one of the freewheeling heroes of the Beat Generation. Finding tremendous acclaim as a rebellious writer, celebrity was surprisingly something he didn’t desire and struggled desperately to escape. The pensive focus of this film is the serious depression and consequential alcoholism of a genius bent on self-destruction. Big Sur takes takes a hard look at Kerouac’s deterioration following the wild success of the novel “On the Road” and is almost entirely composed of his anxiety-ridden introspection. This brooding, despair laden story might...
- 2/9/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Lawrence Ferlinghetti makes a brief appearance in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz — an appearance Christopher Felver wanted to include in his new documentary about the poet and First Amendment hero. But when Felver realized he couldn’t get the footage for what he felt was a reasonable price, he didn’t see it as a make or break moment. After all, as someone who’s been training his camera on Ferlinghetti for 30 years, Felver had plenty of raw material. Assembled from footage shot as far back as the 1980s, Felver’s Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder opens February 8 at the Quad Cinema …...
- 2/5/2013
- by Kevin Canfield
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
First announced last fall , Sean Penn is set to take the lead in a feature film adaptation of Jean-Patrick Manchette's The Prone Gunman . Today, The Hollywood Reporter has the update that Taken director Pierre Morel has signed on to helm. Although Manchette passed away in 1995, the book was translated by James Brooks and published through Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Light Books in 2002 with the following official description: Martin Terrier is a hired killer who wants out of the game . so he can settle down and marry his childhood sweetheart. That's why he took up this profession! Martin returns to his hometown to claim her, but the Organization won't let him go. Once again, the gunman must assume the prone shooting position. Joel Silver and Andrew Rona will produce...
- 1/28/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Very Good Girls
Following best friends in their formative summer before leaving for college, Very Good Girls premiered to a warm reception. This coming of age film gently but realistically handles how a mutual crush decimates the closeness between two girls. Elizabeth Olsen already feels too old to be playing just out of high school but Dakota Fanning carries delicate youth off quite well. Richard Dreyfuss and Demi Moore have parts that amount to little more than cameos as the parents of Olsen’s character. Sundance favorite Olsen could not attend the first showing of the film at the Eccles theater due to a conflict with school. Fanning appeared and discussed the decision not to show the movie’s teenagers overly engaging with their cellphones. She cited the reasoning that although young people are constantly in touch through technology, focusing on the intimacy of conversation would add more depth to the reciprocity on-screen.
Following best friends in their formative summer before leaving for college, Very Good Girls premiered to a warm reception. This coming of age film gently but realistically handles how a mutual crush decimates the closeness between two girls. Elizabeth Olsen already feels too old to be playing just out of high school but Dakota Fanning carries delicate youth off quite well. Richard Dreyfuss and Demi Moore have parts that amount to little more than cameos as the parents of Olsen’s character. Sundance favorite Olsen could not attend the first showing of the film at the Eccles theater due to a conflict with school. Fanning appeared and discussed the decision not to show the movie’s teenagers overly engaging with their cellphones. She cited the reasoning that although young people are constantly in touch through technology, focusing on the intimacy of conversation would add more depth to the reciprocity on-screen.
- 1/26/2013
- by Lane Scarberry
- SoundOnSight
Very Good Girls
Following best friends in their formative summer before leaving for college, Very Good Girls premiered to a warm reception. This coming of age film gently but realistically handles how a mutual crush decimates the closeness between two girls. Elizabeth Olsen already feels too old to be playing just out of high school but Dakota Fanning carries delicate youth off quite well. Richard Dreyfuss and Demi Moore have parts that amount to little more than cameos as the parents of Olsen’s character. Sundance favorite Olsen could not attend the first showing of the film at the Eccles theater due to a conflict with school. Fanning appeared and discussed the decision not to show the movie’s teenagers overly engaging with their cellphones. She cited the reasoning that although young people are constantly in touch through technology, focusing on the intimacy of conversation would add more depth to the reciprocity on-screen.
Following best friends in their formative summer before leaving for college, Very Good Girls premiered to a warm reception. This coming of age film gently but realistically handles how a mutual crush decimates the closeness between two girls. Elizabeth Olsen already feels too old to be playing just out of high school but Dakota Fanning carries delicate youth off quite well. Richard Dreyfuss and Demi Moore have parts that amount to little more than cameos as the parents of Olsen’s character. Sundance favorite Olsen could not attend the first showing of the film at the Eccles theater due to a conflict with school. Fanning appeared and discussed the decision not to show the movie’s teenagers overly engaging with their cellphones. She cited the reasoning that although young people are constantly in touch through technology, focusing on the intimacy of conversation would add more depth to the reciprocity on-screen.
- 1/26/2013
- by Lane Scarberry
- SoundOnSight
Jack Kerouac is best known for his novel “On The Road,” which helped inspire the Beat generation and brought the author fast fame, but his next novel, “Big Sur,” told the story of how success only made Kerouac feel more lost and trapped. Director Michael Polish attempts to bring the novel to life with Big Sur as we watch Kerouac (Jean-Marc Barr) travel to the beautiful area to secretly stay in his friend Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s (Anthony Edwards) cabin and try and find some peace. Things start off on the wrong foot when Kerouac arrives in San Francisco and immediately goes out and gets drunk, altering the world to his presence in the city. Frustrated that people assumed his own life was emulated in his work (noting that he is forty and jaded, not twenty-six and constantly hitchhiking), Ferlinghetti is disappointed Kerouac could not seem to keep himself out of the bar, and...
- 1/22/2013
- by Allison Loring
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Well, another of Jack Kerouac’s novels is coming to the big screen and with the Sundance Film Festival so close this time it’s the first trailer for a film version of a markedly different Kerouac novel, Big Sur.
Big Sur depicts the consequences of the fame that the success of writer’s opus On the Road brought to its troubled author once it finally was published years later. Jean-Marc Barr plays Kerouac nearly 15 years older than the one played by Sam Riley in Walter Salles’ On the Road, this time with Kate Bosworth and Josh Lucas also starring in the story of the writer’s struggle with alcoholism and a relationship with his best friend’s mistress. Lucas plays the Cassady character, while Bosworth plays the center of their love triangle, Billie.
The story takes place in Big Sur, Calif., where Kerouac visited his publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti, as well as San Francisco.
Big Sur depicts the consequences of the fame that the success of writer’s opus On the Road brought to its troubled author once it finally was published years later. Jean-Marc Barr plays Kerouac nearly 15 years older than the one played by Sam Riley in Walter Salles’ On the Road, this time with Kate Bosworth and Josh Lucas also starring in the story of the writer’s struggle with alcoholism and a relationship with his best friend’s mistress. Lucas plays the Cassady character, while Bosworth plays the center of their love triangle, Billie.
The story takes place in Big Sur, Calif., where Kerouac visited his publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti, as well as San Francisco.
- 1/4/2013
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival later this month, Big Sur brings to the screen Jack Kerouac's 1962 novel with a cast that includes Jean-Marc Barr, Josh Lucas, Kate Bosworth and Henry Thomas. You can check out the new trailer for the Michael Polish film in the player below. An autobiographical work, Big Sur tells the story of Jack Duluoz (the Kerouac character, to be played by Barr) and his relationship to fame following his sudden literary success ("On the Road" was released in 1957) and his troubles with substance abuse. Spread across three trips to Lawrence Ferlinghetti's (called Lorenzo Monsanto in the book) cabin in the wilderness of Big Sur, the story also features Duluoz's relationship with Billie (Jackie Gibson Mercer in real life and Bosworth in the...
- 1/4/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Sean Penn is set to take the lead in a feature film adaptation of Jean-Patrick Manchette's The Prone Gunman , says a story at The Hollywood Reporter . Although Manchette passed away in 1995, the book was translated by James Brooks and published through Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Light Books in 2002 with the following official description: Martin Terrier is a hired killer who wants out of the game . so he can settle down and marry his childhood sweetheart. That's why he took up this profession! Martin returns to his hometown to claim her, but the Organization won't let him go. Once again, the gunman must assume the prone shooting position. Penn recently starred in The Tree of Life and This Must Be the Place . He can next be seen in Ruben Fleischer's Gangster Squad ,...
- 11/12/2012
- Comingsoon.net
The Last Waltz is arguably the greatest concert film of all time.
Shot by Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, the film documents the last concert performed by The Band as its original quintet in 1976 at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom.
Almost 36 years to the day after Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan and poets Michael McClure and Lawrence Ferlinghetti all joined Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm and Company for that legendary show, an all-star lineup will converge on The Warfield on November 24 to reenact that fateful evening.
They'd have it back at the Winterland, but that venue closed down in 1978.
Billed as "The Complete Last Waltz" the show will feature performances by Cass McCombs, Furthur's Joe Russo, Wilco's Nels Cline and members of Gomez, Dr. Dog, Ween, The Fruit Bats, Vetiver, Nada Surf, The Submarines and more. There will also be spoken...
Shot by Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, the film documents the last concert performed by The Band as its original quintet in 1976 at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom.
Almost 36 years to the day after Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan and poets Michael McClure and Lawrence Ferlinghetti all joined Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm and Company for that legendary show, an all-star lineup will converge on The Warfield on November 24 to reenact that fateful evening.
They'd have it back at the Winterland, but that venue closed down in 1978.
Billed as "The Complete Last Waltz" the show will feature performances by Cass McCombs, Furthur's Joe Russo, Wilco's Nels Cline and members of Gomez, Dr. Dog, Ween, The Fruit Bats, Vetiver, Nada Surf, The Submarines and more. There will also be spoken...
- 10/30/2012
- by Aaron Sankin
- Huffington Post
In addition to that great interview with The Guardian, Robert Pattinson also recently spoke with BBC News. Here Rob talks a bit more about Cosmopolis and why he thinks his Twilight fans will like it. Rob also goes on to defend his many Twilight supporters, giving them credit for being much smarter than the press makes them look. Read more below:
Actor Robert Pattinson has predicted that his new art-house film Cosmopolis will be embraced by Twilight fans.
“Some of them will just want you to play vampires, but most people don’t want you to repeat yourself,” the Briton told the BBC.
The heart-throb, who played Edward Cullen in the Twilight films, also defended his fans from accusations that their dedicated behaviour was “crazy”.
Asked what his Twilight fanbase would make of the film, the 26-year-old star said: “I think a lot of them will really connect to it. Over the years, people kind of get an idea of what you’re trying to do.
Robert Pattinson on his strict time in a limo
“Some of them will follow – some of them will just want you to play vampires, but most people don’t want you to repeat yourself. So hopefully they’ll like it.”
Twilight fans, he suggested, had come in for unfair criticism.
“People put down Twilight fans, but yesterday I got given on the red carpet in Berlin all these books from people who are lined up in the rain and are probably judged by everyone to be crazy.
“I got a signed first edition of the Martin Amis book, Money; a Lawrence Ferlinghetti book; the new [Michel] Houellebecq book. All these people come up and give what they’ve been reading and found interesting. This is not giving you teddy bears!”
Read the full story at BBC News here.
Actor Robert Pattinson has predicted that his new art-house film Cosmopolis will be embraced by Twilight fans.
“Some of them will just want you to play vampires, but most people don’t want you to repeat yourself,” the Briton told the BBC.
The heart-throb, who played Edward Cullen in the Twilight films, also defended his fans from accusations that their dedicated behaviour was “crazy”.
Asked what his Twilight fanbase would make of the film, the 26-year-old star said: “I think a lot of them will really connect to it. Over the years, people kind of get an idea of what you’re trying to do.
Robert Pattinson on his strict time in a limo
“Some of them will follow – some of them will just want you to play vampires, but most people don’t want you to repeat yourself. So hopefully they’ll like it.”
Twilight fans, he suggested, had come in for unfair criticism.
“People put down Twilight fans, but yesterday I got given on the red carpet in Berlin all these books from people who are lined up in the rain and are probably judged by everyone to be crazy.
“I got a signed first edition of the Martin Amis book, Money; a Lawrence Ferlinghetti book; the new [Michel] Houellebecq book. All these people come up and give what they’ve been reading and found interesting. This is not giving you teddy bears!”
Read the full story at BBC News here.
- 6/13/2012
- by Evie
- twilightersanonymous.com
Robert Pattinson's taking a stand on the issue of Twilight fans, and he's got nothing but appreciation to share. Speaking to BBC News, he talked about the common perception of Twilight fans - namely, that we are "crazy" - and countered with a great story about his most recent fan encounter. View slideshow: Robert Pattinson "People put down Twilight fans, but yesterday I got given on the red carpet in Berlin all these books from people who are lined up in the rain and are probably judged by everyone to be crazy .... I got a signed first edition of the Martin Amis book, Money; a Lawrence Ferlinghetti book; the new [Michel] Houellebecq book. All these people come up and give what they've been reading and found interesting. This is not giving you teddy bears!" ....
- 6/11/2012
- by thetwilightexaminer
- Twilight Examiner
With the Twilight behemoth winding down, Robert Pattinson is an actor looking to shake off his teen idol persona and establish himself as a adult leading man. He’s taken the latest step on this road to rehabilitation by teaming up with Canadian body-horror legend David Cronenberg, taking the lead in his adaptation of Don Delillo’s dark sci-fi satire Cosmopolis.
Pattinson is superb as Eric Packer, an arrogant, narcissistic young billionaire who trundles through a dystopian future New York in search of a haircut, while the city, his life and his fortune all crumble around him. The film marks another step in the evolution of David Cronenberg’s career, building on the triumphs of his recent steps away from horror such as Eastern Promises and A Dangerous Method, but also retaining a uniquely Cronenbergian world view. It’s also a very timely film, feature a financial crisis and protests...
Pattinson is superb as Eric Packer, an arrogant, narcissistic young billionaire who trundles through a dystopian future New York in search of a haircut, while the city, his life and his fortune all crumble around him. The film marks another step in the evolution of David Cronenberg’s career, building on the triumphs of his recent steps away from horror such as Eastern Promises and A Dangerous Method, but also retaining a uniquely Cronenbergian world view. It’s also a very timely film, feature a financial crisis and protests...
- 6/11/2012
- by Will Jones
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Given that the source material was once described by Truman Capote with the immortal epithet "That's not writing, that's typing," and has generally been considered as "unfilmable," it's not surprising that it's taken the best part of half-a-century to make a film of Jack Kerouac's beat classic "On the Road." Plans were in the works as early as the publication date in 1957 (Kerouac wanted to co-star in the film with Marlon Brando), and documentarian D.A. Pennebaker came close, but it's Francis Ford Coppola who's been the driving force, developing the project since the release of "Apocalypse Now" in 1979.
And finally, the film has been finished, premiering at the Cannes Film Festival last week, thanks to Coppola, who ended up producing the film, and Walter Salles, the director of "The Motorcycle Diaries." The helmer has assembled an impressive cast, including Sam Riley as Sal Paradise, Garret Hedlund as Dean Moriarty,...
And finally, the film has been finished, premiering at the Cannes Film Festival last week, thanks to Coppola, who ended up producing the film, and Walter Salles, the director of "The Motorcycle Diaries." The helmer has assembled an impressive cast, including Sam Riley as Sal Paradise, Garret Hedlund as Dean Moriarty,...
- 5/27/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Henry Hopper's got Hollywood in his veins, but it's not his dad Dennis's legacy that's getting viewers to sit up and notice.
The dashing young actor's role in Gus Van Sant's "Restless" has him rocking the red carpet at film festivals from Cannes to Hamburg, with pit stops in Toronto, Helsinki, and Tokyo to boot.
Peek past those to-die-for cheekbones and see what Hopper's got cooking.
Age: 21
Hometown: Venice, California
What He's Done: Hopper technically made his debut in the indie "Kiss and Tell," starring Justine Bateman; but "Restless" is regarded as his first real acting gig.
What He's Doing Now: Hopper plays Enoch Brae in Gus Van Sant's new movie "Restless," opposite the adorable Mia Wasikowska. Enoch prefers rumply old suits, funerals, and hanging out with the ghost of a Kamikaze pilot over the company of other teens until he meets Annabel, who pries him out...
The dashing young actor's role in Gus Van Sant's "Restless" has him rocking the red carpet at film festivals from Cannes to Hamburg, with pit stops in Toronto, Helsinki, and Tokyo to boot.
Peek past those to-die-for cheekbones and see what Hopper's got cooking.
Age: 21
Hometown: Venice, California
What He's Done: Hopper technically made his debut in the indie "Kiss and Tell," starring Justine Bateman; but "Restless" is regarded as his first real acting gig.
What He's Doing Now: Hopper plays Enoch Brae in Gus Van Sant's new movie "Restless," opposite the adorable Mia Wasikowska. Enoch prefers rumply old suits, funerals, and hanging out with the ghost of a Kamikaze pilot over the company of other teens until he meets Annabel, who pries him out...
- 9/12/2011
- by Jenni Miller
- NextMovie
Director Michael Polish (Twin Falls Idaho) is filming a scene from a forthcoming film about Jack Kerouac today at Fulton and 7th Avenue, at a historic train terminal where Kerouac gets off a 1950s bus.
A big screen adaptation of memoirish novel Big Sur, starring Jean-Marc Barr (Dogville) as Kerouac, Josh Lucas (The Lincoln Lawyer) is taking on best friend Neal Cassady, and Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns) is playing Billie, as well as Anthony Edwards, Rahda Mitchell, Balthazar Getty and Henry Thomas are playing supporting roles.
Along with sudden fame and media publicity came his unraveling, and, by 1960, Kerouac was an exhausted cynic, disaffected from the Beat culture he helped create and tortured by self-doubt, addiction and depression.
He secretly retreats to Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s rustic cabin in the Big Sur woods. But his plan is foiled by his own inner demons, and what ensues that summer becomes the basis for Kerouac’s gritty,...
A big screen adaptation of memoirish novel Big Sur, starring Jean-Marc Barr (Dogville) as Kerouac, Josh Lucas (The Lincoln Lawyer) is taking on best friend Neal Cassady, and Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns) is playing Billie, as well as Anthony Edwards, Rahda Mitchell, Balthazar Getty and Henry Thomas are playing supporting roles.
Along with sudden fame and media publicity came his unraveling, and, by 1960, Kerouac was an exhausted cynic, disaffected from the Beat culture he helped create and tortured by self-doubt, addiction and depression.
He secretly retreats to Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s rustic cabin in the Big Sur woods. But his plan is foiled by his own inner demons, and what ensues that summer becomes the basis for Kerouac’s gritty,...
- 4/15/2011
- by Nikola Mraovic
- Filmofilia
Production has started on a film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's 1962 novel Big Sur , Deadline reports. Michael Polish is set to both write and direct with a cast that includes Jean-Marc Barr, Josh Lucas and Kate Bosworth. Big Sur , though autobiographical, tells the story of Jack Duluoz (the Kerouac character, to be played by Barr) and his relationship to fame following his sudden literary success ("On the Road" was released in 1957) and his troubles with substance abuse. Spread across three trips to Lawrence Ferlinghetti's (called Lorenzo Monsanto in the book) cabin in the wilderness of Big Sur, the story also features Duluoz's relationship with Billie (Jackie Gibson Mercer in real life and Bosworth in the film), the mistress of his best friend, Cody Pomeray (Neal...
- 4/15/2011
- Comingsoon.net
Our Howl Review.
Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Starring: James Franco, Aaron Tveit, Jon Hamm, David Strathairn
Release Date: UK – Out Now / Us – DVD
James Franco plays legendary Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in ‘Howl’, which is the title of the poet’s most famous work. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, known for there Oscar winning documentary work ‘Common Threads’, ‘Howl’ is a love letter to the poem which defined a generation and broke down barriers for future generations to express themselves freely. Its problem is it’s got more components than a flat pack wardrobe- and the filmmakers have struggled to put it together properly.
There’s Ginsberg (played by Franco) being interviewed, which is combined with flashbacks of his past. There’s a reading of the whole poem, which is combined with animated sequences. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s a whole courtroom drama squeezed in.
Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Starring: James Franco, Aaron Tveit, Jon Hamm, David Strathairn
Release Date: UK – Out Now / Us – DVD
James Franco plays legendary Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in ‘Howl’, which is the title of the poet’s most famous work. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, known for there Oscar winning documentary work ‘Common Threads’, ‘Howl’ is a love letter to the poem which defined a generation and broke down barriers for future generations to express themselves freely. Its problem is it’s got more components than a flat pack wardrobe- and the filmmakers have struggled to put it together properly.
There’s Ginsberg (played by Franco) being interviewed, which is combined with flashbacks of his past. There’s a reading of the whole poem, which is combined with animated sequences. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s a whole courtroom drama squeezed in.
- 3/7/2011
- by Thomas Wadd
- Movie-moron.com
Thirty years ago in John Byrum's soft-centred Heart Beat, John Heard played beat novelist Jack Kerouac with Nick Nolte as the legendary hippie car thief Neal Cassady. Both have minor walk-on roles in this dramatised documentary about the creation of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl", its first performance in a small San Francisco gallery in 1955, and the subsequent 1957 obscenity trial of its publisher, Lawrence Ferlinghetti of City Lights bookshop fame. The movie is framed by an autobiographical monologue culled from numerous interviews with Ginsberg, performed with some conviction by James Franco, who expertly delivers extracts from the poem to the San Francisco audience. Interspersed are courtroom scenes in which Jon Hamm plays the liberal defence attorney, David Strathairn the perplexed, parodically square prosecutor (he anticipates Mervyn Griffith-Jones in the 1960 Old Bailey trial of Penguin Books for Lady Chatterley's Lover), and Bob Balaban the judge. The poem is accompanied by some...
- 2/27/2011
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
It's more than half a century since Allen Ginsberg's poem Howl landed like a bombshell in the staid world of 1950s America. But what was the poet really like? Friends and colleagues remember him
When Allen Ginsberg performed at the Six Gallery reading in San Francisco 1955, he was a fretful, unpublished poet, a man approaching his 30th birthday with a nagging sense that time was running out. The poet Gary Snyder predicted the night would be a "poetickall bomshell". He was right, but really, the bombshell was Howl itself. Ginsberg's poem was an incantatory epic – emotionally and sexually explicit and intent on exploding the anxieties of the atomic age. It helped jump-start the counter-cultural revolutions of the next decade and its author was hailed as the voice of the Beat Generation.
He may have been the most important American writer of the last century. He certainly thought he could be.
When Allen Ginsberg performed at the Six Gallery reading in San Francisco 1955, he was a fretful, unpublished poet, a man approaching his 30th birthday with a nagging sense that time was running out. The poet Gary Snyder predicted the night would be a "poetickall bomshell". He was right, but really, the bombshell was Howl itself. Ginsberg's poem was an incantatory epic – emotionally and sexually explicit and intent on exploding the anxieties of the atomic age. It helped jump-start the counter-cultural revolutions of the next decade and its author was hailed as the voice of the Beat Generation.
He may have been the most important American writer of the last century. He certainly thought he could be.
- 2/24/2011
- by Hermione Hoby
- The Guardian - Film News
Howl ***
Stars: James Franco, Mary Louise-Parker, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Treat Williams, David Straithairn | Written and Directed by Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Freidman
Yesterday’s X-rated becomes tomorrow’s humdrum; terrifying news to anyone that’s ever seen 2 Girls 1 Cup. Rewind 60 years and it wasn’t the antics of naked women with chocolate ice cream that was horrifying the world, but inflammatory literature.
Howl is a docu-drama about legendary beat poet Allen Ginsberg and the conception and reaction to his famous poem Howl, a work accused of being obscene and unfit for publication when it was released in 1956, and the subsequent trial and victory for freedom of speech and anti-censorship when it was deemed to be a work of “redeeming social importance”.
But while James Franco puts in a typically strong performance as Ginsberg, he never quite gets into his stride due to the film’s unconventionally fractured structure which...
Stars: James Franco, Mary Louise-Parker, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Treat Williams, David Straithairn | Written and Directed by Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Freidman
Yesterday’s X-rated becomes tomorrow’s humdrum; terrifying news to anyone that’s ever seen 2 Girls 1 Cup. Rewind 60 years and it wasn’t the antics of naked women with chocolate ice cream that was horrifying the world, but inflammatory literature.
Howl is a docu-drama about legendary beat poet Allen Ginsberg and the conception and reaction to his famous poem Howl, a work accused of being obscene and unfit for publication when it was released in 1956, and the subsequent trial and victory for freedom of speech and anti-censorship when it was deemed to be a work of “redeeming social importance”.
But while James Franco puts in a typically strong performance as Ginsberg, he never quite gets into his stride due to the film’s unconventionally fractured structure which...
- 2/23/2011
- by Jez Sands
- Nerdly
There's a definite thrill in seeing James Franco recite Ginsberg's Howl in its entirety, reckons John Patterson
As well as having the audacity to be a movie entirely about a single poem, Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein's Howl tugs Allen Ginsberg and his fellow Beats out from under a mountain of insults, cliches and calumny. A poem long since embalmed and neutered by respectability, familiarity and academic attention, Howl, in whose loping, loosely strung lines hum the fevered, incantatory spirits of Blake and Whitman, Rimbaud and Verlaine, regains here some of the power to shock and delight.
Its intent and, for the most part, its execution are in the Beat spirit. Howl is a landmark American poem, and simply to watch an actor like James Franco read it aloud in full is a showstopping experience. Furthermore the trial scenes, featuring nonplussed judge and jurors, snooty English professors and the antic proto-hippy Beats themselves,...
As well as having the audacity to be a movie entirely about a single poem, Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein's Howl tugs Allen Ginsberg and his fellow Beats out from under a mountain of insults, cliches and calumny. A poem long since embalmed and neutered by respectability, familiarity and academic attention, Howl, in whose loping, loosely strung lines hum the fevered, incantatory spirits of Blake and Whitman, Rimbaud and Verlaine, regains here some of the power to shock and delight.
Its intent and, for the most part, its execution are in the Beat spirit. Howl is a landmark American poem, and simply to watch an actor like James Franco read it aloud in full is a showstopping experience. Furthermore the trial scenes, featuring nonplussed judge and jurors, snooty English professors and the antic proto-hippy Beats themselves,...
- 2/19/2011
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
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