do n't let go is an american independent feature film released in 2002 , written and directed by max myers .

it won an outstanding directorial achievement award at the stony brook film festival in new york , the best picture award at the westchester film festival ( ny ) and a prism award in los angeles .

don ' t let go ( film )

greg gould’s cover of en vogue’s classic hit don’t let go comes with a heart - wrenching short film .
max receiving his ' outstanding directorial achievement ' for ' don ' t let go , ' at the stony brook , long island film festival .
caption : max receiving his ' outstanding directorial achievement ' for ' don ' t let go , ' at the stony brook , long island film festival .
max receiving his ' outstanding directorial achievement ' for ' don ' t let go , ' at the stony brook , long island film festival . - max myers
greg’s reworking of don’t let go is haunting , and adds extra weight to the lyric “i won’t be satisfied till we’re taking those vows , together we can make it right . ”
don ' t let go is a true documentary about windsurfing . filmed in 10 different countries over the past two years , the film captures all aspects of being a pro windsurfer .
don’t let go” is a true documentary about windsurfing . filmed in ten different countries , we captured all aspects of being a pro windsurfer . from travelling to remote destinations , riding the biggest waves , competing on the world tour , suffering serious injuries and fighting hard to come back . there are good and bad times ! whatever - keep your dreams alive and don ' t let go .
don ' t let go is a true documentary about windsurfing . filmed in 10 different countries over the past two years , the film captures all aspects of being a pro windsurfer . from traveling to remote destinations , riding the biggest waves , competing on the world tour , suffering serious injuries , and fighting hard to come back . there are good times and bad times , but wherever you are , keep your dreams alive and don ' t let go .
exclusive : stephen dorff and melissa george have stepped into the leading roles for tolkien writer david gleeson’s mystery thriller don’t let go . the project marks gleeson’s return to directing following disney’s cowboys & angels and the front line .
then , in 2002 , you write and direct
don ' t let go .
you won an achievement award at stony brook for this film . . . your cast included an oscar winner . . . how was this experience as a filmmaker ?
frozen is the most successful animation film of all time , making around £1 billion at the box office . it also won oscars for best animated film and best original song for let it go in 2014 .
ellis : “what you’ve got ain’t nothin’ new . this country’s hard on people . ya can’t stop what’s comin’ . they ain’t all waitin’ on you . that’s vanity .
this pitch deck for “don’t let go” was taken to the cannes film festival by the producer to secure financing . each image was retouched and color corrected , lens flares were added to execute the directors vision for the look of this film . we received tons of positive feedback from the investors at the festival . the director said they were very happy . so , this film may be coming soon to a theater near you .
wilson plays jimmy ray in ' don ' t let go ' . he ' s a rockabilly star who ' s a legend both because of his great hits and because he gave up music very young when his brother was killed . now , . . . see full summary »
max myers is an award - winning writer / director and professor of screenwriting and directing at hollywood ' s columbia college . his most recent film credit is for
irish jam ,
a film starring eddie griffin . myers has written and directed
don ' t let go ,
starring oscar - winner katharine ross , scott wilson , bo hopkins and shari belafonte . his upcoming film ,
62 pickup
is currently in production with eddie griffin attached to the film .
a wholesome and tuneful drama about generational friction set against a contempo rockabilly backdrop , “don’t let go” reps a grafting of family - friendly narrative onto distinctive music with readily identifiable iconography . hybrid feels as defiantly out of step with mainstream trends as the hermetically sealed yet enduring world of the music itself , suggesting auds on the [ … ]
don ' t let me go is a movie starring natalia dyer , isabelle fuhrman , and joel courtney . an ailing father , who is about to undergo a potentially life - threatening surgery , takes his teenage kids into the woods to try and recapture their early closeness , before he and his wife . . . see full summary »
is there anything you can share about it ? no , it’s totally top secret . [ laughs ] i don’t want to get killed by my editor .
don ' t let go
reps a grafting of family - friendly narrative onto distinctive music with readily identifiable iconography . hybrid feels as defiantly out of step with mainstream trends as the hermetically sealed yet enduring world of the music itself , suggesting auds on the lookout for one or both elements will support item fervently , while the uninitiated will merely shrug .
sheriff ed tom bell : “i don’t know , he ought to . he’s seen the same things i’ve seen , and it’s certainly made an impression on me . ”
an interview with terry gilliam , director of
the man who killed don quixote .
so far ,
don ' t let go
has been my most memorable experience but i have a feeling that
62 pickup
is going to be by far my most enjoyable . the devil and the angel was the most challenging because we were shooting on manhattan ' s lower east side without permits . now , that was tough but that ' s how i cut my filmmaking teeth .
some parts of this page won ' t work property . please reload or try later .
thanks erick , i’ll let max myers , the author of the post know . he’s a brand new contributor , an indie film veteran and screenwriter . all i did was the edits and popped in the images .
wilson plays jimmy ray in ' don ' t let go ' . he ' s a rockabilly star who ' s a legend both because of his great hits and because he gave up music very young when his brother was killed . now , years later he has two sons and they have a band . jimmy ray is an alcoholic , still consumed by his grief and angry with his sons for wanting to play music . his wife , katharine ross , tries to mediate .
any other projects in the works ? do you do other forms of writing ? if imdb is correct , up until this year you ' ve averaged a film project about every five years . . . yet , when you do a film project you really go for it . . . writing , directing . . . do you work regularly in film ? teach ? write ?
“i had two dreams about him after he died . i don’t remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin’ him in town somewheres and he give me some money and i think i lost it . ”
written by oscar - nominated writer ronan blaney ( the short boogaloo and graham ) and gleeson , don’t let go follows a loving couple , ben and hazel slater , as they struggle to cope with the loss of their child from a devastating accident . hazel begins to fear for her husband’s sanity as he becomes convinced that he can bring her back if only he can hold on to her hand in a recurring dream but then they start to wonder if it is , in fact , a dream .
but you need that in the film . one of my biggest worries was how are we going to do that . watching someone type a book review is not exciting on film .
there’s a significant twist in “don’t breathe” ( again , don’t watch the previews ) that produces shock value ( and allows for even more disturbing material later on ) but it almost feels like a misstep in that it pushes lang’s character towards a definitive villain role . i like the idea of a battle of wills—in a home within an abandoned neighborhood—between characters that occupy grayer areas in terms of morality . there are also a few plot turns in the final act that require more suspension of disbelief .
a wholesome and tuneful drama about generational friction set against a contempo rockabilly backdrop , “don’t let go” reps a grafting of family - friendly narrative onto distinctive music with readily identifiable iconography . hybrid feels as defiantly out of step with mainstream trends as the hermetically sealed yet enduring world of the music itself , suggesting auds on the lookout for one or both elements will support item fervently , while the uninitiated will merely shrug . theatrical and fest prospects are modest , while the goodie - goodie nature that limits pic’s multiplex appeal will bolster its presence in ancillary and on homevid .
[ anton chuckles ] “alright . let me ask you something . if the rule you followed brought you to this , of what use was the rule ? ”
at the heart of the film , as young people who made a very bad decision try to survive long enough to get out of a house that has turned into a fortress , “don’t breathe” is tense and even relatable . there are millions of young people , especially in detroit , trying to escape their bad decisions . “don’t breathe” becomes a battle of wills between two people who have done very bad things but justified their actions to themselves . the talented levy and lang allow us to understand their characters ' polarizing choices , and place us right there in the house—with the petty criminal and the man with the dark secret , holding our breath .
film festivals , no matter how big or small , are to the indie filmmaker what air is to humans - we can ' t do without them and thank god for all the people that work tirelessly to make them happen .
the other two main characters are maddie’s mom , dr . whittier , played by anika noni rose , and her nurse , carla , played by ana de la reguera . dr . whittier is a tough part because she doesn’t always seem sympathetic . when i saw the movie , i couldn’t believe how well she pulled it off . i get lots of mail about the book , and sometimes people really , really [ get frustrated ] with the mom . i don’t . i sort of understand her . and anika noni rose really pulls that off .
mccarthy’s novel can be hard to swallow , yet truthful in its societal observation ; namely , that society is in decline , there can be consequences for bad behavior , the good guys don’t always win and yes , all roads lead to the graveyard . just some are shorter than others .
the men of “don’t breathe” are given almost no defining character traits whatsoever , and that’s to the film’s detriment . you can feel alvarez rushing to get to the centerpiece when he could have taken a beat or two to give us a reason to care about money and alex beyond the former being a tough guy and the latter being the nice one . rocky / levy fares a little better , as the actress imbues a few very short scenes with a palpable dose of urgency . she doesn’t rob for profit or need ; she is stealing money that’s just sitting in a safe to save her life and that of her sister . she’ll get the cash , they’ll all flee detroit to california , and everyone will live happily ever after . the complex morality of rocky’s dilemma is one of the most interesting narrative elements of “don’t breathe . ” in theory , we shouldn’t be rooting for a young lady to steal money from a blind man , but we do .
an interview with writer / director boots riley about his incendiary new film ,
sorry to bother you .
and that moral complexity takes a sharp turn when things go wrong in the main event of “don’t breathe . ” without spoiling nearly as much as the previews do , let’s just say that these three low - level criminals vastly underestimate both the current situation in their target’s home and its resident’s certain set of skills . the mvp of this midsection is arguably cinematographer pedro luque , who works with alvarez to very clearly define the blueprint of the house and where our characters are within it . unlike a lot of modern horror , which uses quick cuts and shaky camerawork to induce fear , alvarez and luque understand that we’ll relate to the predicament of “don’t breathe” the more clearly we can define what’s going on . as lang and levy play a game of cat and mouse through this maze , it’s best to know where the walls are . and , of course , it’s more effective when alvarez and company pull those walls away in a basement that feels like a neverending series of shelves , replicating the protagonist’s confusion and fear .
transplanted brit helmer max myers displays a go - for - broke enthusiasm for this indigenous american music , and his good - looking young leads sport tasteful versions of the pomaded hair , sneer , tight t - shirts , tattoos and vintage cars ‘n’ geetars vital to the milieu . yet too often that vitality gets in the way of basic storytelling .
one of the greatest neo - noir westerns ever shot , the coen brothers 2007 film adaptation of cormac mccathy’s 2005 novel , no country for old men , won four academy awards . pulitzer prize winner mccarthy’s acclaimed neo - noir crime novel tells you everything about the film in the title . this is hard to do . both the book and the film are impossible to forget .
the stars of frozen have shared snippets of three songs from a short follow - up film to the oscar winning animation hit .
academy award® nominees carey mulligan and keira knightley , co - star with talented newcomer andrew garfield ( the social network ) in this poignant and powerful film . kathy ( mulligan ) , ruth ( knightley ) and tommy ( garfield ) are best friends who grow up together at an english boarding school with a chilling secret . when they learn the shocking truth they embrace their fleeting chance to live and love . based on the acclaimed novel by kazuo ishiguro ( the remains of the day ) , never let me go is an intriguing exploration of hope and humanity .
frozen is the most successful animated film of all - time at cinemas - and a full - length sequel is planned for 2019 .
side note : even the coen bros . film “the big lebowski” is a crime piece wrapped in a modern day comedy . jeff bridges’ character ( the dude ) , barely gasps in the film that he has somehow , inexplicably been cast into the role of private detective .
so how do they solve that problem ? [ laughs ] i don’t know if i’m allowed to say ! but stella really figured it out . there are parts of the movie where i was like , “oh . that’s a better way to do that . i wish i’d thought of that . ” it’s weird to critique your own work through someone else’s lens .
the author also swooned over the trailer’s music , especially naughty boy’s “runnin’ ( losing it all ) , ” which features beyonce and arrow benjamin . “i’m a ridiculous beyonce fan . when i saw that , i was like : ‘okay , i’m done . my life , my career is all set . i actually don’t need to do anything else now , ’” yoon says .
the trailer suggests a lot of dream sequences with her visualizing herself in the world , like at the beach , or in the water… yeah , they do the magic of film ! her imagination gets writ large on the screen . nothing that couldn’t possibly happen in the world happens . but her imagination gets splashed up there .
what have been your favorite film experiences ? ( people , films ? however you wish to interpret this question ) . what about your most challenging ?
irish jam
was released on dvd on march 14th . for more information on upcoming films by max myers visit the american independent film company .
the short - film follows olaf , who is voiced by josh gad , and his quest to find the perfect christmas tradition for the two princesses .
the film depicts princess anna ' s struggle to break a spell cast by her sister , princess elsa , which keeps their land in eternal winter .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
you pointed out in one of your e - mails that
irish jam
ended up being about 35 % of what you actually wrote . not to have you burn any bridges , but it sounds like you wanted to direct the film ? what happened ? ( as much as you can say ) . i recall that when you actually purchased the film ( which is , in itself , rather sad ) you were rather dismayed at the film ' s end result ?
at its best , fede alvarez ’s “don’t breathe” is a tight , confined thriller—the kind of morality play that toys with audience loyalty and works to convey its protagonists ' predicament by making us feel claustrophobic right alongside them . for long passages , the movie plays out in real time , and alvarez and his team have a remarkable sense of film geography , established in a beautiful unbroken shot that defines the space for this largely one - setting exercise in terror . alvarez was also wise to reunite with “ evil dead ” star jane levy , an actress who can do a lot with very little in terms of character development and is remarkably fearless physically , and even wiser to cast stephen lang , a fantastic character actor for decades who has been given one of his most memorable roles here . like a lot of films of this breed , “don’t breathe” gets a little less interesting as it proceeds to its inevitable conclusion , replacing tension with shock value , but it works so well up to that point that your heart will likely be beating too fast to care .
the 21 - minute feature , which includes four new songs , will be screened ahead of disney ' s new film coco at uk cinemas on 25 and 26 november .
the story is covered in hard bark and as bleak as life can be , so if you’re looking for one that’s filled with pc infected , new age ‘the glass is half full ’ philosophy , this ain’t the novel or film for you . but , if you’re looking for a book full of blistering prose , cracking dialogue , taught suspense , then it just might be .
i had been aching to write and direct my first flick , so i raised some money , found a producer , lawrence elmer fuhrmann jr . , whom i ' m still friends with and could not have done it without his expert help and guidance and shot the film . i was lucky that i had a good cast and crew because we had little to no money , no permits and everybody ate pizza . it was tough but an amazing experience and i learned that you can never have too much money or too much time . but what it really taught me was to be as prepared as you can . when you make a film , you ' re macarthur leading your troops into battle and if you show the slightest insecurity or can ' t answer the barrage of questions , you might as well pack up and go home .
the coin toss scene in the gas station is , to me , the single most chilling scene ever put into a movie . i hope they teach it in film school .
nathalie lichtenthaeler is producing for wide eye films along with executive producers michael helfant and bradley gallo from amasia entertainment , who are co - financing the film in conjunction with the irish film board , bai , northern ireland screen and section 481 tax incentives . original music will come from dutch dj / producer ferry corsten who is marking his feature composing debut .
what if you couldn’t touch anything in the outside world ? never breathe in the fresh air , feel the sun warm your face…or kiss the boy next door ? “everything , everything” tells the unlikely love story of maddy , a smart , curious and imaginative 18 - year - old who due to an illness cannot leave the protection of the hermetically sealed environment within her house , and olly , the boy next door who won’t let that stop them . maddy is desperate to experience the much more stimulating outside world , and the promise of her first romance . gazing through windows and talking only through texts , she and olly form a deep bond that leads them to risk everything to be together…even if it means losing everything .
crew : camera ( color ) , carlos gaviria ; editor , richard h . fields ; music , keith allison ; production designer , w . brooke wheeler ; costume designer , joe i . tompkins ; sound ( dolby digital ) , don johnson . reviewed at mpaa screening room , washington , d . c . , march 7 , 2002 . ( in westchester film festival , n . y . ) running time : 87 min .
the film , which is currently shooting in ireland , also stars simon delaney ( the good wife ) , sean mahon ( anthropoid ) and and charlotte bradley ( veronica guerin ) .
supporterd by : swox surf protection , fiat freestyle team , mystic , gun sails , long horn , o ' neill , quatro , jp , starboard , saarland film , g - shock .
can you tell me about your background ? where you ' re from . . . what got you interested in film ? how young were you when you started , and how did you start ?
you really brought up a great
teaching point
for me as a critic . . . sometimes , we critics can be quick to assign
blame
, if you will , for a film ' s weaknesses . you made me really think deeper about a film ' s script . . . if i ' m perceiving a lack of cohesion or clarity . . . is it , perhaps , because the original script has been so altered ? is it because the original vision for the film has been diluted ? it seems like your vision for
irish jam
was massively diluted .
i am so excited to share a sneak peek of
when we ' re together” from # olafsfrozenadventure ! in theaters 11 / 22 with # pixarcoco and the soundtrack is out 11 / 3 . can ' t wait ! @ kristenanniebell @ joshgad
how do you make it in film ? in
hollywood ,
if you will ? my initial impression of you was that you communicated well , were assertive , and also knew how to network . your initial e - mail to me was direct without being offensive . that ' s quite the gift to have . are these traits necessary to have to make it in film ? i hate to ask the stereotypical question , but i have to admit it ' s one of my favorite questions . . . what advice would you give someone who wanted to break into film ? what about a writer who wanted to get their screenplay produced ?
well , all i have to say is wow , i really love the film , i was on the edge of my seat all the way through the film . i think the direction of the film was brilliant howard did the best he could to bring out the best he could with the film . angela was perfect for the role , really delivered the character to her depths with a sublime performance . one thing i loved about the film a ' lot is the story line was brilliant , a mother figure fights to get her child back , if there ' s one thing i find so annoying about films is when a woman who is a bad ass , a strong minded woman , fighting for survival , it is all then taken away because it ends up becoming a male ( lover ) that she is fighting for and her drive , fight to survive and live for . and for once it was not about this . she is a mother , who is trying to be a hero for her child , and it was brilliant . brilliant job from everyone involved .
entertainment weekly : did you have a lot of involvement in the filmmaking process — or was this a case of handing off the story and letting them run with it ? nicola yoon : they let me see the first draft of the script and give notes on that . then i met stella and we just hit it off . we had a vulcan mind - meld . i’m convinced it’s because she has jamaican ancestry and i’m from jamaica . her vision is just amazing and was exactly like mine , including more of the whimsical elements of the book in the film .
you have a film in pre - production ? can you tell me anything about
62 pickup
? you ' re back directing again ? you ' re also producing this time . . . how ' d this happen ?
but “safe” maybe isn’t the right word for the new neighbor , a teen named olly ( nick robinson , jurassic world . ) it’s not that he’s threatening . how dangerous can a boy with a bundt cake be ? it’s the yearning to venture further with him that could prove deadly for madeline .
max myers initially contacted the independent critic to express his thoughts about my review of
irish jam ,
a film for which myers is credited as screenwriter . after exchanging two e - mails , max myers agreed to this interview with yours truly .
your first imdb listing is
the devil & the angel
from 1997 . you wrote and directed it . that ' s a lot of responsibility for your first film . . . how did that come about ? what did you learn from it ?
no , i never studied film in college or even went to film school . in fact , i left school when i was fifteen and joined a rock - n - roll band as a drummer . i toured for many years and finally got sick of living out of a suitcase . i gave up playing , bought a computer , switched it on and started writing . fortunately , it has never stopped pouring out of me . so for the next several years , i just wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote . i had never achieved great commercial success as a drummer and had to take day jobs . these inevitably were either as a bouncer , which i did for several years or as a waiter or bartender . but all the while i kept honing my gig . when my friends would go out , i stayed in and wrote but it never became tedious because for me , writing is the greatest gift of expressive creation there is .
llewellyn’s wife , carla jean moss , portrayed by the amazing kelly macdonald , is initially unaware that he found and kept the money . unfortunately , in one of the last , and , for me , saddest scene of the film , she finds herself face - to - face with chigurh .
these themes are not new to crime fiction , but mccarthy’s presentation is unique . in most classic noir fiction — say chandler , hammett , et cetera , the authors offer a style and prose that is oft - copied , rarely equaled . although most of them haven’t done real crime or time in prison , the reader is given a captivating , and often - cryptic observation of a particular era .
the girl is tended to by her strict , doctor mother ( anika noni rose , dreamgirls ) and a sympathetic nurse , carla ( ana de la reguera , narcos . ) her mother wants to protect her at all costs , which means keeping her locked away , even from temptation . carla doesn’t see much harm in letting a little bit of the world in , as long as it’s safe .
one of the most memorable scenes occurs between the sheriff , who has decided to retire and ellis , portrayed by the incredible veteran actor , barry corbin . once a lawman , now confined to a wheelchair , the memorable exchange captures the sherriff’s sense of hopeless desperation , arguably the film’s message and ellis , the voice of reality .
i had originally wanted to direct
irish jam
myself , but at that time , did not have my own company and had very limited contacts . i have now rectified that and am happy to say that my company , the american independent film company is doing quite well . anyway , i digress with this shameless promo , okay , where was i ? oh , yeah , so john eyres had been given the script by a mutual friend , took an option and three years later made the flick . film is collaborative art and if you ' re not willing to accept that , then you ' re in the wrong business . and thereby lays the rub .
your second novel , the sun is also a star came out last year , will that also be adapted into a film ? yes , that’s been optioned by mgm and warner bros . and tracy oliver [ barbershop : the next cut ] is writing the script . i think she just started , so we’re going down the road .
it seems like you really enjoy being both writer and director . . . why is that ? when you first contacted me it was in response to my review of
irish jam ,
a film for which you are credited as the screenwriter . . . my understanding is you actually wrote the lead role with eddie griffin in mind . . . can you explain ?
besides tolkien at fox searchlight / chernin ent . , gleeson recently completed writing ’twas the night for paramount pictures with karen rosenfelt producing . he previously wrote the end of history for original film and sony pictures and also wrote down to a sunless sea which he wrote for focus features for morgan freeman to produce and co - star in . gleeson also wrote red giant for mattel entertainment and 20th century fox .
that’s an important part of maddie . she can’t leave her house , so she has to explore the world through her own creativity and imagination . one of the earlier drafts of the book had her being very sad , but i realized if you were in that situation you would make your peace with it . and the way she did that was to bring the world inside . she makes these architectural drawings and book reviews , and does everything she can to explore the world — to the extent she can .
however , the scene is a trap for you , the viewer . one expects after the dialogue exchange that contains the film’s most memorable line , spoken by bardem : “what business is it of yours where i’m from , friendo ? ” that he’s going to kill the gas station owner . yet when he does in fact win the toss , chigurh gives him the coin , smiles and lets him live . bait and switch . brilliant .
credits : eyes shut productions and goldberg films presents a flo jung film produced by michael a . goldberg , leon jamaer , manuel grafenauer , marc hene , flo jung starring : boujmaa guilloul , camille juban , robby swift , flo jung , robby naish , philip köster , graham ezzy , victor fernandez filmed on location : morocco , guadeloupe , chile , maui , spain , germany , france , peru and elsewhere . graphics by : bjoern gottschall , nude design photos by : maxime houyvet copyright 2012 , all right reserved .
i first started making up little scenes as a very young boy and acting them out for my family and that led me to the great english tradition of saturday morning pictures . i remember back then , that for 6 pence , i got to see several cartoons , a couple of serials , the pathe newsreel and two features . it was practically a whole days entertainment . film fascinated me from the first time i ever saw a big screen movie . it was and still is , a completely magical experience . fantastic worlds created by great writers , directors and actors and something for which i was truly grateful for .
stories that say something about the human condition . something that someone , somewhere can learn something from ; either about themselves , the journey they ' re on or what ' s really going on in society . and last and by means least , a film that enables the viewer to escape and be entertained for its duration . i ' ll continue as i ' ve always done , which is to write what interests me , not that which i feel the market place is looking for . i am slowly building my company so that i can make the films i want to . i also write way too much material for just me to direct , so i ' ll be putting some of my properties on the market .
independent films seem to be sort of
in style
right now . . . yet , in reality , i ' d have to say the term is pretty loose anymore . it ' s certainly great to have smaller films being made , but it seems like for every true small , low - budget film you get several others that are really
sony classics ,
fox searchlight ,
etc . likewise , while i love landmark theatres ( which we just got here ) it ' s pretty obvious that they have a tie - in to at least half ( or more ) of the films they show and it seems like most of their films are on the upper - end financially for indie films . how is hollywood for the truly independent filmmaker these days ?
irish jam
was not just a fish - out - of - water romantic / comedy , it was about racism , greed , honor , integrity and how love and forgiveness are the most powerful gifts that we can bestow not only on each other , but as importantly , on ourselves . after having purchased a copy from target for $ 14 . 99 , i was confused when i watched it . my girlfriend looked over at me and pointedly asked me to explain the ending to her , which i was at a loss to do , so yeah , it ' s quite different from my script . to this day the producers have never given me a copy and in fact , i was invited to the screening the day after they screened the film and now i see why .
an alcoholic former rockabilly star ( scott wilson ) is mad at his sons for wanting to follow in his musical footsteps .
with : jimmy ray stevens - scott wilson charlene stevens - katharine ross johnny blue stevens - brad hawkins billy joe stevens - levi kreis wes - james keane young billy joe - justin shilton young jimmy ray - michael davison christina - christine carlo sueanne - tanya garrett hazel - irma p . hall
the boss
- bo hopkins
black - and - white prologue establishes the 1958 success of the texas tumbleweeds , a typically high - energy rockabilly outfit fronted by swaggeringly sincere siblings jimmy ray and billy joe stevens ( michael davison , justin shilton ) . when billy joe is killed by a greaser while protecting his brother ( who’s romancing the tough’s gal ) , jimmy ray is so grief - stricken that he gives up music for the bottle .
forty years later , jimmy ray ( scott wilson ) , now a quiet , bitter alcoholic who tinkers in his junkyard , refuses to attend the concerts of his sons billy joe ( levi kreis ) and johnny blue ( brad hawkins ) , who are burning up the local texas circuit as leaders of the texas two - tones . although they all live under the same roof , the boys are virtually estranged from their father , with only mom charlene ( katharine ross ) keeping them together .
when a texas tumbleweeds compilation is issued to commemorate the group’s 40th anni , the boys decide to organize a fund - raising concert at the same drive - in where their uncle was murdered .
in the interim , billy joe buys a vintage guitar from junk - shop owner hazel ( irma p . hall ) that turns out to be his late uncle’s long - lost ax . as the climactic concert unfolds , it’s a foregone conclusion that jimmy ray will strap on the hollow - body guild and rip into his old hit , flanked by his grinning sons .
short shrift is given to such promising plot threads as jimmy ray’s faithful pal wes ( james keane ) , johnny blue’s squeeze christina ( christine carlo ) and , particularly , beefy , blissed - out bo hopkins as a placid promoter known only as “the boss . ”
pic’s chief dramatic surprise is vet wilson , who shakes off script’s early emphasis on the boys to sell a character bewildered by his own conflicting emotions but helpless to check his impotent rage . fledgling c & w heartthrob hawkins limns the period with the same intensity he displayed in 1999 cbs miniseries “shake , rattle & roll , ” while newcomer kreis looks like an appealingly rougher blend of harry connick and early bruce springsteen .
although her role is underwritten , ross still has the same mix of come - hither comfort and fiery defiance first seen in “the graduate” more than three decades ago .
tech credits are pro , particularly the muscular aural attack of the soundtrack , which features 17 classic and newly minted tunes . that’s rockabilly vet mac curtis as himself , performing his own composition “bop with me . ” locations in and around lindsay and porterville , calif . , stand in nicely for rural texas .
production : a pardner prods . presentation , in association with hemisphere entertainment , of a jimmy ray production . produced by ken schur , brad wilson . co - producers , ralph portillo , jamie elliott , janet schur . directed , written by max myers .
with : jimmy ray stevens - scott wilson charlene stevens - katharine ross johnny blue stevens - brad hawkins billy joe stevens - levi kreis wes - james keane young billy joe - justin shilton young jimmy ray - michael davison christina - christine carlo sueanne - tanya garrett hazel - irma p . hall
the boss
- bo hopkins
© copyright 2018 variety media , llc , a subsidiary of penske business media , llc . variety and the flying v logos are trademarks of variety media , llc . powered by urltoken vip
if you’ve never read eddie bunker ( rip ) , who had done the crime and the time , you know he offered an unapologetic view from the other side . both have their own truth and both have merit . one takes you along on a wave of edgy story and sarcastic dialogue , the other takes you along on a wave of brutal realism , underscored with gritty dialogue .
i doubt that cormac mccarthy’s ever done crime , but he’s certainly done some hard traveling on the streets and backroads of america . he is an accomplished master of story and dialogue .
in the filmed adaptation , the protagonist , sheriff ed tom bell , portrayed by tommy lee jones , laconic and dry as the tex - mex desert the story is set in , pursues the antagonist , anton chigurh , with as much fear as doggedness . he and his deputy ( garret dillahunt , ) arrive at the double - wide home of llewellyn moss ( josh brolin . ) moss is the sap that found 2 million dollars after stumbling upon numerous bodies in a drug deal gone bad . he believes it’s his lucky day . he’s wrong . it’s not . soon enough , he realizes just how dangerous his situation is , underscored by this dialogue exchange between the cops :
the son - of - a - bitch is anton chigurh , portrayed by javier bardem , one of the greatest villains to ever slide off a crime fiction novel and into your very being . he hunts moss with equal parts glee and determination . and that’s the beauty of the story . it’s so believable , so gripping , that one has to take moments to force air back into long vacant lungs .
carson wells ( portrayed by woody harrelson ) , another hunter / killer , is hired by the corporation that owns the 2 mill . they not only want it back , but retribution against chigurh whom they had hired to track llewellyn moss in the first place . only chigurh wants it for himself , and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal .
eventually , wells and chigurh meet in a hotel and the scene is played out with resolute brutality .
anton chigurh : “and you know what’s going to happen now . you should admit your situation . there would be more dignity in it . ”
although there is much brutality , there are moments of sheer terror , but not in the way one has come to expect from a thriller or horror . no . what i’m referring to is the gas station coin - toss scene , beautifully brought to chilling life by javier bardem and the little known , but equally brilliant character actor , gene jones .
“okay . ” [ chigurh pulls a coin out of his pocket , flips it and locks eyes with her . ] “this is the best i can do . call it . ”
[ she stares at him , incredulous , ] “i knowed you was crazy when i saw you sitting there . i knowed exactly what was in store for me . ”
inevitably , he kills her . but her death is more than just another awful murder . it’s the final coffin nail in a crime spree that has held both viewer and reader , in a trance inducing , death grip .
the corporate man who hires wells to kill chigurh , is killed by the latter .
the two men that work for the corporate man that hired chigurh , are killed by him .
the desk clerk in the first hotel that llwellyn moss stays at , is killed by chigurh .
carla jean’s mom , portrayed by the brilliant beth grant , dies of cancer .
chigurh arguably kills sheriff ed tom bell’s desire to continue as a peace officer .
and , surprisingly , we’re not sure if chigurh kills the nervous accountant when he does kill the corporate man .
i’ll leave the final opinion on life , death and the necessity of it all , to sheriff ed tom bell in his exchange with his wife , portrayed by the wonderful tess harper .
“but the second one it was like we was both back in older times and i was on horseback goin’ through the mountains of a night . goin’ through this pass in the mountains . it was cold and there was snow on the ground and he rode past me and kept on goin’ . never said nothin’ . he just rode on past and he had this blanket wrapped around him and he had his head down and when he rode past i seen he was carryin’ fire in a horn the way people used to do and i could see the horn from the light inside of it . ‘bout the color of the moon . and in the dream i knew that he was goin’ on ahead and that he was fixin’ to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold and i knew that whenever i got there he would be there . and then i woke up . ”
new all things crime blog contributor max myer’s life has been as colorful as his writing . at age 12 , he landed on the mean streets of east london , where he joined a rock - n - roll - band , learned to play drums and a respectable blues harp , and did some serious amateur boxing . he left home and school when he was 15 , eventually moving into tour management and sound mixing , working and playing for many famous musicians from such notable european acts as mungo jerry , manfred mann , wings , berlin rock ensemble and moonraker . inevitably , he was drawn to the american shores…
in the early 90s , max relocated to new york and started a music production company , but soon the collapse of wall street left him homeless and penniless . he drew upon his early days as an amateur boxer and informed by his experiences in the violent neighborhoods of east london , took on a succession of jobs as doorman and bouncer at some of new york’s edgier nightclubs . it was in this era that he continued his street education , joining a biker gang and experiencing firsthand the lawlessness and corruption of society’s underbelly .
by 1994 , he recognized there was no future for him on the streets , so he took a job waiting tables and began his writing career . his first big break came in 1997 when he landed a development deal with martin scorsese’s cappa productions , under the guidance of barbara de fina . succumbing to the lure of hollywood , max moved west where he continues to write , direct and teach .
in 2011 , max was a guest on the indie directors panel at the sag - aftra conservatory summer intensive program . he also lectured on filmmaking for actors , create your own content and was honored with , an evening with max myers .
2013 , max is once again a guest on the indie directors panel at the sag - aftra conservatory summer intensive . he is also giving an acting lecture , “from acting to being . ”
i think it is is a good evocative description of a great book and movie . i still need to see “the big leboswski” and of course was knocked out by “blood simple . ”
agreed ; the coen’s are amazing and the dude was 100 % a detective . good call , mate .
excellent piece , got me to wanting to see the movie again , and possibly read the book , though i’m not a huge of mccarthy’s writing style . ( of course , i came to like james ellroy , so… )
thanks for the kudos , dana and good to hear from you . have no fear , reading the book is completely different from reading other books by cormac . clean , stripped - down crime novel prose . it’s actually an easy read .
i know that feeling very well . by the way , dana , when are you going to write a guest crime post or two for us ? it would be much appreciated .
save my name , email , and website in this browser for the next time i comment .
cicero ' s dead is the intense debut crime thriller from patrick h . moore
usindiebooksblog suzanne jenkins true crime historian urltoken peter prasad ' s goodreads blog crookstube hard case crime true crime report 3 : am magazine the weekly lizard the young turks the glasgow curse john nardizzi , author thomas davidson , author pitchforks court junkie . com mike roche , author darcia helle , author darcia helle , author ' s blog the trouble with justice crimified paul anthony ann marie ackermann ' s author website rj parker true crime website serial killer urltoken urltoken
“american justice on trial : people v . newton” – the untold story by lise pearlman
tweetshare© hon . lise pearlman ( ret . ) last week i quoted from the author’s [ … ]
thanks for dropping by ! feel free to join the discussion by leaving comments , and stay updated by subscribing to the rss feed .
my mum is from germany and my dad is from london . they met just after the war in germany and that ' s where i was born ; in a british military hospital in a town called iserlohn .


the burning season is a documentary about the burning of rainforests in indonesia which premiered at the tribeca film festival in 2008 .

the main characters featured in the film are : dorjee sun from australia ; achmadi , a small-scale palm oil farmer from jambi province in indonesia ; and lone drøscher nielsen , a danish conservationist based in kalimantan , indonesia .

the burning season ( 2008 film )

the burning season was voted the most popular documentary by audiences in the showtime top 10 at the brisbane international film festival , held from 31 july to 10 august 2008 .
‘the burning season’ will appear on the abc ( australia ) on 14 october 2008 . it is narrated by popular australian actor hugh jackman ( ‘x - men’ , ‘australia’ , ‘the prestige’ ) .
the burning season is an eco - thriller about a young man not afraid to confront the biggest challenge of our time .
the burning season was broadcast on abc , bbc , cbc and pbs in 2008 . the theatrical version was released in april 2009 at the tribeca film festival and in limited release in cinemas in june 2009 . the dvd was released in march 2010 and is avaiable through
the burning season won the if award for best documentary and the audience choice award at the brisbane international film festival in 2008 . it was nominated for an emmy award ( outstanding documentary on a business topic ) , two atom awards and a golden panda award . cathy was nominarted for best director by the australian directors guild . in 2009 , cathy won the spaa documentary producer of the year award for her work on the burning season .
the burning season won the if award for best documentary and the audience choice award at the brisbane international film festival in 2008 . it was nominated for an emmy award ( outstanding documentary on a business topic ) , two atom awards and a golden panda award . cathy was nominated for best director by the australian directors guild . in 2009 , cathy won the spaa documentary producer of the year award for her work on the burning season .
the burning season is an eco - thriller about a young man not afraid to confront the biggest challenge of our time . watch the cinema trailer here !
the burning season won the if award for best documentary this week on the gold coast . this is a great award for this film so early in its life - it is voted by audiences .
burning season kindles both sides of the climate divide and explores whether capitalism can step in where altruism has so far failed to succeed .
the burning season’s theatrical release took place in mid - 2009 . it was released on dvd by madman entertainment in australia ( in march 2010 ) and in the u . s . in april 2011 . it won best documentary at the 2008 inside film awards and the audience choice award at the brisbane international film festival the same year . it was part of the official selection for the world documentary feature competition at the 2009 tribeca film festival .
‘the burning season’ , the new documentary by award - winning filmmakers cathy henkel and jeff canin from hatchling productions , has been nominated for two 2008 atom awards : best documentary social & political issues and best documentary science , technology and the environment .
click on page 2 for the rest of our ranker of shows impacted by the 2007 - 2008 strike .
the world premiere of ‘the burning season’ took place only last saturday , on 2 august , at the brisbane international film festival . after a second screening on monday 4 august , cathy henkel said she was delighted to learn that the documentary was leading the race for the most popular film at the festival , as voted by audiences .
- was crippen innocent ? ( 2008 ) . . . ( executive producer )
with support from the alfred p . sloan foundation , the tribeca film festival awards prizes to feature films , and the tribeca film institute supports films in development through the tfi sloan filmmaker fund . visit the tribeca film institute website .
the burning season has so far screened on pbs in the united states , the bbc in britain , cbc in canada and the abc here , all in different lengths , with different edits and voiceovers .
after each session , audience members at the brisbane international film festival are encouraged to rate the film they have just seen using showtime voting slips . ' the burning season’ was ranked number one as at tuesday 5 august , ahead of ' rain of the children’ and ' the english surgeon’ . the overall audience vote winner will be announced at the end of the festival .
if you are willing to turn a blind eye to the inherently hackneyed nature of
the burning plain ,
though , the film turns out to be somewhat rewarding .
the burning season , an ‘eco - thriller’ released in 2008 to both critical and popular acclaim is about a young man confronting the biggest challenge of our time : global warming . the documentary examines whether a massive carbon trading deal can protect the forests of indonesia , save the orangutans from extinction and help redefine the earth’s future .
a film about a global crisis on an unprecedented scale - the burning of forests in indonesia - and the environmental entrepeneur who has set out to stop them .
the film is strikingly photographed and intensely acted , but the tone is overwrought melodrama .
the burning season has been nominated for best documentary in the 2008 inside film ( if ) awards . like hatchling productions the other nominees have won this prestigious award in the past . two - time if award winner sascha ettinger epstein ( 2003 & 2005 for best short documentary ) picks up two nominations for the oasis , which she shares with producer and co - director ian darling and playing in the shadows with her 2005 co - winner marco iannello . the burning season ' s producers cathy henkel and jeff canin won the if best documentary award in 2004 for the man who stole my mother ' s face .
cathy henkel works as a producer , writer and director of documentaries , online and interactive content . her brisbane - based company , virgo productions , produced the award - winning cinema version of the burning season ( if award 2008 ; canada international film festival , rising star award 2010 ; nominated for gold panda and emmy award for outstanding . . .
on september 23 , 2008 , lovato released her debut album , don & apos ; t forget . several of the songs on the album were co - written by the jonas brothers . the album debuted at no . 2 on the billboard 200 chart . in promotion of this album , lovato went on tour with the jonas brothers on their 2008 burning up tour as the opening act .
the main protagonist in the burning season is a young asian - australian called dorjee sun , who heads a carbon trading company called carbon conservation . the burning season’s director cathy henkel , met sun in late 2006 , not long after she decided to make a film about the forest fires in indonesia . henkel had learned that these fires not only resulted in the deaths of between four and five thousand orangutan every year , but also contributed 15 per cent of the world’s annual carbon emissions .
‘the burning season’ focuses on the land - clearing fires lit annually in indonesia and explores their catastrophic impact : as well as destroying the habitat of critically - endangered orangutan , they contribute 20 % of global carbon emissions .
henkel admits that finding an end for the burning season was very difficult . “this story is one that’s going to play out over the next five to 10 years , ” she explained . however , the united nations conference on climate change in bali in late 2007 provided a great ending for the film .
dr . cathy henkel , writer and director of the burning season , tells how the project - described by variety as
as inspiring as an inconvenient truth was frightening
- found life at aidc 2007 .
the burning season reveals how sun negotiates with the governors of aceh , papua and papua barat in indonesia . all three governors agreed to cede their carbon credits to him and his colleagues , giving carbon conservation the exclusive right to trade the credits on the international market .
without the 2007 - 2008 wga strike , the first season of “breaking bad” would have been longer… but it would also have led to a very different show . as kevin mcfarland broke down for the av club , the intervention of the writers’ strike fundamentally changed the show’s path in a number of ways : the strike shortened season 1 by two episodes , which means creator vince gilligan and the show’s writers tossed out their original ideas for episodes 8 and 9 , and were able to reapproach their plans for walter white’s journey in season 2 .
australian climate change themed doco the burning season is aiming to defy traditional release strategies by screening theatrically even after it has screened on four national broadcasters , its writer / director cathy henkel told spaa fringe delegates today .
“the film is rolling out in a very unorthodox way . throw out the idea that having your film screened on television is the end of it , our film has been screened on multiple broadcasters but we are gearing up for a cinema release . the film has had multiple changes by different broadcasters for different audiences , and we are going back into the edit suite for the cinema version , ” she said .
in 2008 , lovato covered the academy award - nominated song ,
that & apos ; s how you know
from enchanted on the disneymania 6 album . later on in 2008 , she began filming her second disney channel original movie , princess protection program . the film was made in puerto rico and lovato co - starred with her then - good friend selena gomez .
aidc was the match that ignited the blaze for this project , bringing together the partners , funding and global reach that fuelled the success of this film .
the burning season is a documentary by hatchling productions with films of record and freshwater pictures . faced with a global crisis on an unprecedented scale , a new breed of crusader - the environmental entrepreneur - has appeared . can a fresh approach and sharp negotiating skills reverse the devastating impact of climate change ? or will self - interest triumph yet again ? time is running out . another burning season is approaching . can one major carbon trading deal protect the forests of indonesia , save the orangutans from extinction and help redefine the earth ' s future ?
aaron pederson — apparently , nullah when he was older . however this part was not included in the finished film — presumably because the film run time had to be shortened . exactly what aaron pederson ' s part in the ' australia ' film story was , has not been made public .
she explained that clever distribution using new methodologies can actually give the film much more life than traditional staid methods , as long as filmmakers are not precious about toying with the edit and tailoring the film for different audiences .
the burning season also juxtaposes the stories of lone drosher - nielsen , who cares for more than 600 injured and orphaned orangutans in indonesian borneo , and achmadi , a palm oil farmer on the indonesian island of sumatra , who is open to finding an alternative to this devastating farming practice .
his business model would maintain the standing swaths of indonesia’s rainforests by selling their carbon credits . burning season follows dorjee sun on a whirlwind trip into boardrooms around the world – from starbucks to ebay to merrill lynch – as he tries to convince skeptical financiers that his proposal is viable .
in addition to outlining the story and explaining some of the locations , some of the many authentic details that baz luhrmann wrote into the sets , the dialogue and the story are highlighted below . these are details that have been missed by the average film reviewer .
if arriaga had allowed us to spend more time with the key characters in this extended tragedy , or had spent some time punching up the plot , the burning plain might have had a chance .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
he was awarded the o . b . e . ( officer of the order of the british empire ) in the 2006 queen ' s new year ' s honours list for his services to the film industry .
the winners of the coveted if awards in 2008 will be revealed on thursday 13 november when the glittering ceremony takes place on the gold coast . the if awards are broadcast on live on sbs tv and can be seen again on showtime on tuesday 18 november and wednesday 19 november .
the burning season is a movie starring hugh jackman , lone drøscher nielsen , and arnold schwarzenegger . every year , deliberately lit fires rage across indonesia . they destroy pristine rainforest , endanger orangutans and contribute to climate change . a young carbon trading entrepreneur goes in search of a solution .
pictured below : 1 . cathy henkel and dorjee sun at the world premiere 2 . ( from left to right ) samlara canin - henkel , sandra cook , dorjee sun and felicity blake 3 . ( from left to right ) ' the burning season ' web team nathan betts , yari mcgauley , kerry sunderland
miriuwung ( also spelt ' miriwoong ' ) is the aboriginal language spoken in the film . it is commonly spoken in the east kimberley region of western australia , i . e . it is spoken in the area where ' faraway downs ' was situated . indigenous kununurra locals greeted the speaking of their language with much enthusiasm , at the film premiere .
in 2012 , lovato took on a new role . she joined the x factor in its second season as a judge . lovato , simon cowell , music industry titan l . a . reid and pop star britney spears worked together to review the contestants and helped determine who would win the $ 5 million recording contract . the show was cancelled after its third season .
a theatrical version was released in april 2009 at the tribeca film festival and in limited release in cinemas in june 2009 .
sign up : stay on top of the latest breaking film and tv news ! sign up for our email newsletters here .
roger won a bafta in 2003 as the producer of the flaherty best documentary , ' feltham sings ! ' in 2004 he was awarded the prestigious fellowship to the british academy of film and television , again for his outstanding contribution and achievements . he was awarded the o . b . e . ( officer of the order of the british empire ) in the 2006 queen ' s new year ' s honours list for his services to the film industry .
more television work soon followed . in 2007 , anderson starred on the police drama k - ville , with cole hauser . the show was set in new orleans after hurricane katrina . while that show only lasted a season , anderson joined one of tv & apos ; s most successful crime dramas , law & order , in 2008 . he played detective kevin bernard until the series ended in 2010 .
“we’re building more slowly than we otherwise would have built” is how gilligan described the development of season 2 to creative screenwriting , something that became one of the series’ greatest strengths . in season 2 , the show discovered its full powers , beautifully constructed as a complete narrative that still sets up plenty of action for future years of story . ultimately , the strike definitely had an effect on the show , but it wasn’t as harsh as others .
© copyright 2009 screen australia , hatchling productions pty ltd , virgo productions pty ltd , screen queensland , screen nsw . privacy policy . sitemap . page updated 10 jun 2008 .
© copyright 2009 screen australia , hatchling productions pty ltd , virgo productions pty ltd , screen queensland , screen nsw . privacy policy . sitemap . page updated 15 jun 2008 .
once you have seen the film , the information below will be helpful explaining anything you missed or would like to be reminded of . there is a huge amount of detail crammed into the ' australia ' movie - a lot of this interesting detail can be better appreciated during a second or third film viewing .
ben mendelsohn — captain emmett dutton ( appears throughout the film , and clearly takes a shine to lady sarah ashley from the moment he spots her marching down the wharf on arrival in darwin . however his fondness for her is never voiced . if the film ran longer , no doubt this would have been played out in more detail . )
i ' d like to think that baz luhrmann may one day dig out the acres of discarded film footage and release a ' directors cut ' of his ' australia ' film - a revisited version ; longer than the current version , or cut into two parts . re - editing would involve months of work , but the result , unhindered by financial backer ' s ideas on ' acceptable ' film length , could be spectacular .
the burning season was pitched at aidc 2007 and in three days we raised $ 359 , 500 from three broadcasters ( abc , bbc and cbc ) and a national geographic distribution advance . we also secured provisional support for the project at aidc from nsw fto and the ffc , which took seven months to land , but amounted to an additional $ 276 , 119 , making a total budget of $ 635 , 619 .
“it becomes a gift and reward and is why we make the film in the first place . i urge you to look at distribution as a positive thing where you and the audience finally meet , ” she said .
they arrive at the house on faraway downs just as the station has begun mourning the death of the boss , maitland ashley , who is laid out on a table inside . the smoking ceremony ( burning of gum leaves ) is in full swing , and the drover realises there has been a death immediately when he spots the green leaves that have been piled onto the fire outside the house . nullah hides in the empty water tank , thinking it is the ' coppers ' ( police ) coming to forcibly take him to the mission , where ' half - caste ' children are taken . ( the ' faraway downs ' film set was on carlton hill station , beside house roof hill and the ord river , near kununurra . the ' smoking ceremony ' is traditionally done by aboriginal people to ward off bad spirits when a person dies . as mentioned in the film - mentioning the name of an aboriginal person who has died is taboo , as is viewing their photograph . )
the closing scenes show ' faraway downs ' after the wet season - grassy landscapes and full waterholes . king george appears and nullah says goodbye to lady sarah - ditches his whitefella shirt and shoes with enthusiasm - and heads off on walkabout with his grandfather . ( this boab and waterhole appeared throughout the film , and are probably located on digger ' s rest station , south of wyndham , in the east kimberleys . )
it’s important to note that olshefski is white , and not from the north philadelphia neighborhood where he sets his film . in a director’s statement , olshefski preemptively addresses concerns about his “rights” as a white filmmaker to tell the raineys’ story . “i don’t know if i am the right person to answer that question , ” he writes . “i made the film and i stand by my choices , but i don’t think i have any inherent right . ” he adds that his friendship with the raineys is “the most precious thing to me — the film and all that comes from it is a bonus . ”
acclaimed cinematographer leonard retel helmrich joined the team at the aidc , as did uk - based executive producer roger graef . pbs later put up an advance for their own version . the film was sold in over 20 territories .
the burning season was written and directed by cathy henkel , produced by jeff canin , cathy henkel and trish lake , and narrated by hugh jackman . music by nicolette boaz . cinematographers leonard retel helmrich and ismail fahmi lubis . sound handi ilfat and jeff canin . editors harriet clutterbuck , cathy henkel and jane st vincent welch ase . assistant director / production manager felicity blake .
sloan science and film is made possible by generous support from the alfred p . sloan foundation . © 2018 museum of the moving image | rss | site map | terms of use | privacy policy
that’s because almost everyone remembers what happened to some of our favorite series during the 2007 - 2008 writer’s strike , which lasted four months and has had a lasting legacy on some classic television . like last time , the long - term impact on the scripted television currently in development or production would have been notable .
many critics and urban bloggers have accused the film ' australia ' of being cliched and false . in doing so , they have illustrated their ignorance of life on remote cattle stations . the myriad of details built into this film are accurate , and such a large amount of authentic detail on the australian bush has never been written in to a film before — ever . so these details certainly don ' t qualify as cliches . but i suspect that 99 % of film critics didn ' t even observe the raft of authentic details that baz has built into his film , anyway . a good many of them have made amazing errors in their reviews ( the most spectacular of which was a vitriolic scottish guardian writer , who said lady ashley inherited a ' sheep station ' then walked a mob of cattle off it . )
scenes were also filmed at the spectacular king george falls , not far from the mouth of the king george river on the kimberley ' s remote north coast , and the striped beehive - shaped sandstone domes and cliffs of purnululu national park . the ' bungle bungles ' featured in one of the most dramatic droving scenes in the film , when the cattle rush . purnululu is located between halls creek and wyndham / kununurra , near warmun ( turkey creek ) .
knowing . . . that it ' s a 20 - year old story , one can only conclude the idea behind the film would have been best left unfilmed , an unfinished step toward greater things .
wes anderson’s ‘isle of dogs’ lit up the box office in its opening weekend , debuting to an estimated $ 1 . 57 million - - the director’s biggest debut ever . the new indie animation film features the voices of bryan cranston , edward norton , frances mcdormand and others .
beginning in 2008 , the film’s chronology is marked only by pj’s growing height and shrewdly placed news clips , contextualized by the raineys’ engaged reactions . “this whole birth certificate thing with donald trump is driving me crazy… all this noose imagery , too , ” says christine’a in an early scene . jumping to 2012 , obama’s reelection causes quest to reflect : “i wish my mom woulda seen this . she woulda been trippin’ . ”
jeff has recently established a new film and media production company , green turtle films . his first project is about the connection between deforestation and climate change called two degrees .
throw in enough symbolism to choke an english - lit major and you have a film challenge that too often feels like a chore .
american film director , producer and screenwriter paul thomas anderson is best known for writing and directing box office hits such as boogie nights .
i can confirm that we will have a theatrical release of the film in australia early next year alongside the dvd and multi - platform release - we are creating a new template for documentary distribution in this country .
unfortunately the authenticity of a lot of the more specific set and story details will only be appreciated by the small percentage of the population that are familiar with large australian cattle stations . for example : the weathered gidyea rails on the fence surrounding ' faraway downs ' , the very typical garden plants and white - painted rocks , the round timber horse yard , the tennis court , station sheds , the vehicles used - including the camels pulling the broken down car - and the drover ' s cook ' s wagon ; plus the water tank .
at the very start of the film the unusual call of the pheasant coucal can be heard , and at the very end , the cacophony of blue winged kookaburras ( a quite different call to that of the larger and better known southern cousin , the laughing kookaburra ) . i first heard both these types of native birds when i worked on a remote cattle station in northern australia . their distinctive , haunting calls would echo along the splendid isolation of the mitchell river - families of blue - winged kookaburras would raise a racket early and late in the day , and solitary pheasant coucals would mainly call plaintively to prospective girlfriends in the hotter humid months during the storm and wet seasons . the memorable calls of these birds are absolutely typical of rivers and creeks in the northern australian bush , and this is a great example of a splendid gem of a detail that has gone totally over the top of the average film critic ' s head .
bryan brown — king carney ( owner of all the cattle country in the top end except for ' faraway downs ' , which he is determined to own , to complete his monopoly of the beef market . halfway through the film neil fletcher knocks him unconscious with a rifle butt and pushes him into the saltwater crocodile infested river . )
on the big screen , anderson appeared in the fifth installment of the scary movie franchise and the boxing flick grudge match , both from 2013 . the following year , he demonstrated his passion for food as the host of the food network & apos ; s eating america series .
- the duchess and the detectives ( 1982 ) . . . ( producer )
the 2007 - 2008 strike was extremely important for writers as they fought for the inclusion of new media under guild rules . writers guild negotiating committee member amy berg noted , without that fight , netflix / amazon / hulu programming would not fall under wga jurisdiction . but here’s how the shutdown affected four major shows , ranked from least to most tragic .
the film will also have a global release , beginning with a major international festival next year - very exciting and will let you know when its confirmed . we have a wonderful international sales agent involved and some exciting interest from the us . i am making a few changes and updating the film for the cinema release with a new beginning and ending , which will include arnold schwarzenegger . i am off to la tomorrow where dorjee and governor irwandi are meeting arnie on tuesday night . as many of you know , dorjee and i always intended to meet arnie , and include him in the film somehow , and this is now happening .
in the united states , pbs broadcast the documentary to widespread acclaim last month ( see urltoken ) and it airs on bbc four at 10pm tonight in the united kingdom . read the review in the times .
one thing that came from it is a $ 100 , 000 macarthur grant that went toward post production . we don’t know if any of this went to the raineys for their time , or if they will see any proceeds from the film . ( the rainey family will receive funding from the true life fund , the true / false film festival’s annual philanthropic initiative in which thousands of individual gifts are matched by a bertha foundation grant . ) the question of whether or not to pay documentary subjects is fraught , but when the subject is a family that sometimes can’t afford school supplies , the complexities become quite stark . so does the white gaze behind the camera when it lingers on a tattered basketball net , or on kids popping wheelies in the street .
in 2007 , demi lovato began working with the disney channel . first she got a part on a short television show called as the bell rings . her role on that ended , however , when lovato was cast as mitchie torres in the starring role of the disney channel movie camp rock . while filming camp rock , demi lovato began also recording three songs with the pop group the jonas brothers for the film & apos ; s soundtrack .
the mob of 750 shorthorn cattle was walked right into these beach - side cattle yards , which would not have worked , for the film , in the large city that darwin has become . the darwin bombing scenes were also filmed in bowen . ' australia ' filming also took place for a couple of weeks at the real stokes hill wharf in darwin , and scenes of both were fitted together seamlessly in the film . the bombing raids actually took place , but it was in 1942 , and prior to the bombing of pearl harbour , not afterwards . in total more than 2 , 000 australians were killed in japanese bombing raids .
“i was working and burning the candle at both ends when i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 11 years ago . the symptoms i had i attributed to being overworked , doing two movies at once and developing a television show and doing press and moving my family to a new home . ”
check out highlights from some of the best recent trailers including mandy , the predator , zoe , and the king of thieves .
the film has had six cinema screenings to date , and i have been able to experience how powerfully audiences respond and how uplifted and motivated they feel at the end . the reason people are loving this film is because there is a hunger for positive stories that inspire hope . we saw that in the usa elections last week . the television versions have also had a positive , if more subdued response from audiences . the forums afterwards , especially in the us and australia were enthusiastic and again people thanked us for giving them hope . both dorjee and i have received hundreds of emails and messages .
if you don ' t want to know details of the ' australia ' movie story ( plot ) , actors and the characters they play , actual filming locations etc , before you see ' australia ' , then don ' t read the film synopsis below , until afterwards .
next , lady ashley is dolled up to the nines in distinctive 1930s style safari - wear , complete with long leather boots , round ' driving ' glasses ( spectacles ) and a fly veil , as they head west towards ' faraway downs ' with ' the drover ' driving and the cattle dog cheerfully sitting between them . magarri and another bloke sit up on top of the overloaded truck . one of the most hilarious scenes of the whole film is when lady ashley waxes lyrical about the beauty of the red kangaroos bounding across the flat beside the truck - only to be rudely interrupted by the crack of a gunshot . ' dinner ' ( kangaroo ) is unceremoniously tied to the top of the cab , and cooked that night over the camp fire .
this is the best of times and the worst of times . i feel like i ' m riding a great wave at the moment ; its scary and exhilarating , and so long as i can keep my head up and keep breathing , it ' ll be worth it . the message of the film and the work we are all doing to promote it is that we have to save the forests of the world in order to keep this planet habitable , and we need people , like dorjee , with smart solutions , bold vision and the energy and passion to make this happen . the mantra of our mission is the same one that brought the wave of change to the usa last week - yes we can .
the burning plain opens with a trailer in the middle of the desert that is engulfed in flame . it just sits there , an inferno with a background that john ford would be proud of . we come to find out that there were two people in the blaze : gina ( kim basinger ) and nick ( joaquim de almeida ) . they were in the throws of passion when the propane tank exploded . the two were married . but not to each other . out of the ashes nick ' s son ( j . d . pardo ) and gina ' s daughter ( jennifer lawrence ) develop a romance after satisfying the curiosity of what each lover was like . as time passes we ' re introduced to sophie ( charlize theron ) , a restaurant manager whose life has turned into a series of meaningless sex acts and self mutilation . the funny thing about the burning plain is how it surprises you . you expect the main focus to be basinger ' s relationship or theron ' s loss of life , but at the central core of the film isn ' t a couple playing in the desert , put how their children help each other cope and eventually create what was destroyed in that trailer in the desert . that ' s the most interesting story . through all the odds and animosity they hold it together . even though it ' s not a perfect film , it does hold ones interest with a story that spans time and how it will catch up with you . it is more tragedy than romance , so don ' t go into this expecting nicholas sparks garbage . this is actually well written and acted with a sense for detail . a nice film .
for most of the film , these moments are few and far between , favoring instead the tenderness of christine’a braiding pj’s hair on their stoop , or a beat cop sharing a burger at a neighborhood gathering . the red hues and raw rhymes of the scenes in quest’s studio give the film a rhythmic backbone , like a catchy hook . even as “quest” toys with expectations , ( there are no chart toppers to be found here ) , the triumphs in “quest” are much harder to spot , though they are mighty ; love , family , and hope in the face of adversity . nothing could be more harmonious .
two months of filming took place in the north queensland town of bowen because it doubled as the darwin waterfront as it appeared more than 60 years ago . bowen had sufficient land that was vacant - and leasable - in the ideal spot . this enabled film sets - including cattle yards - to be built right on the waterfront .
biggest mobs - longest shadows
features the iconic barkly tableland , where the largest herds of cattle on the planet are found .
the dvd released in april 2009 includes two extra scenes , not included in the finished ' australia ' film . one scene is titled ' angry staff serve dinner ' . it shows lady ashley being waited on by staff at the faraway downs homestead - presumably on the first night she arrived . the finished film shows no hint or suggested cause of friction between lady ashley and sing - song , bandy legs and daisy so in the absence of additional information , it ' s hard to know where this scene would have fitted in . more omitted storyline would have fitted in around it .
- the millionaire and the murder mansion ( 2009 ) . . . ( executive producer )
born in 1992 in albuquerque , new mexico , demi lovato started out as a child actor on barney & friends , before moving on to roles in shows like sonny with a chance and the film camp rock . meanwhile , she launched a successful recording career with the release of her debut album , don & apos ; t forget , in 2008 . lovato has followed with the albums unbroken , confident and tell me you love me , scoring hits with singles like
skyscraper
and
sorry not sorry .
she has also continued to appear on television , serving as a judge on the singing competition show the x factor from 2012 to 2013 .
though he shot roughly 300 hours of footage , “quest” doesn’t feel overloaded with action . rather , the film’s slow pace aligns with its 10 - year shooting process . each scene breathes more life into the story , filling in its gaps with the gentle patience of blowing up a balloon . the mounting pressure never fully pops the raineys — though at times , it threatens to swallow them whole .
ten years ago , showrunners walked the picket lines , seasons were shortened , post - production was not overseen and the development of many shows was disrupted . while it’s impossible to say for certain , many fledgling series – like cbs’s “moonlight , ” nbc’s “journeyman” and fox’s “k - ville” – might have made it past a first season had the strike not occurred .
- the truth about going under the knife ( 2011 ) . . . ( executive producer )
lady ashley decides to keep faraway downs and offers the drover the job of managing it , but he declines her offer ( ' no man hires me , no man fires me ' ) and also declines her offer to attend the ball , saying he would not fit in . bandy legs takes nullah to see the wizard of oz at the open air theatre , gaining him entry by blackening his face and arms with charcoal . before the film , everyone watches dramatic black & white newsreels with the latest government - sanctioned war news .
darwin ' s waterfront is in tatters , with the harbour full of sinking ships , and more air raids are expected , so the last evacuations are taking place . lady ashley is about to leave , being ushered onto one of the last departing trucks by the army sergeant ( john jarratt ) . she hears the mission children singing ' over the rainbow ' in the distance , and heads to the wharf ; the boat appears through the smoke and she is reunited with the drover and nullah . the mission boys are bundled onto the back of the evacuating trucks . the drover is collecting a couple of suitcases from inside the hotel , so they can depart , and a very relieved lady ashley is trailing back from the wharf after nullah . neil fletcher spots them , grabs a rifle and aims at his son - but king george has climbed the water tank , breaks off a piece of pipe and spears fletcher .
in an episode dedicated to the show within the show , “glow” illustrates its grand capacity for storytelling , and the very good tv podcast breaks down how .
in the meantime , the drover ( hugh jackman ) is in the territory hotel on the darwin waterfront , awaiting the arrival of lady ashley . he tells his aboriginal brother - in - law ( and ringer ) , magarri ( david ngoombujarra ) , to wave his hat when he spots the plane approaching ( with lady ashley ) . the drover soon ends up being the centre of a brawl which spills out onto the street . the administrator of the northern territory ( barry otto ) also spots lady ashley ' s arrival , through his conveniently placed telescope on the balcony of government house , overlooking the wharf . the army captain , emmet dutton ( ben mendelsohn ) , has a look through the telescope and is also suitably impressed by her appearance . ( government house in the australia movie is actually strickland house in the eastern sydney suburb of vaucluse . ) several women , including cath carney , greet lady ashley on the wharf ( and they get the instant brush - off ) .
outside of music , film and television , lovato was also the national hasbro
hit clips
spokesgirl . she has also done several successful voiceovers for radio and television for companies like denny & apos ; s , radica and hasbro .
actress / singer raven - symoné successfully transitioned from a child actor on the cosby show to more mature roles on television , film and stage . she ' s known as the star of both disney ' s that ' s so raven and broadway ' s 2013 adaptation of sister act .
the drover and lady ashley strike a deal and he goes droving during the dry season and returns during the wet , and the ' faraway downs ' homestead , garden and tennis court look loved again rather than neglected and run down . then fletcher arrives unexpectedly to threaten lady ashley . nullah disappears and the drover refuses to help search for him , presuming he must have gone walkabout with king george . the drover is also determined to go on the ' army cattle drive ' that may take as long as six months , and lady ashley gives him an ultimatum - stay home or never come back - and he leaves .
fletcher tips the police off about nullah , and they arrive with black trackers to take the ' half - caste ' off to the mission . now the windmill is functioning again the rusty water tank is half - full of water , but nullah hides in it again , with his mother . though the black tracker knows he is there he turns his back on them rather than reveal their whereabouts . one policeman turns on a tap for a wash , reducing the level in the tank so that the float dropped and the water tank started to fill up . nullah can swim but daisy can ' t , and the rusty internal ladder they cling onto breaks . they cling onto the float ( causing the tank to keep filling ) , and daisy drowns just as the police drive away .
anderson worked in television for a while , making guest appearances on various programs and starring in the saturday morning teen sitcom hang time , before landing his big break in film with a role in life ( 1999 ) , starring eddie murphy and martin lawrence .
king carney bids up big to win the charity auction at the government house ball , winning the right to dance with lady ashley . he almost has her wheeled to sign the sale contract for faraway downs , but in the nick of time the drover appears - in the flash new white suit she bought him . the drover ' s presence at the ball is greeted with much displeasure by the other ball attendees , in particular king carney ' s wife gloria ( sandy gore ) . ( thus pointing out that the social pecking order , that still exists today , especially in sydney , is not just based on race . )
in 2015 , lovato put out a new single entitled
cool for the summer
from her album confident . the single hit no . 11 on the hot 100 , while the album reached no . 2 on the billboard 200 . the artist enjoyed more success with her follow - up album , tell me you love me ( 2017 ) , which spawned the hit single
sorry not sorry .
king carney ( bryan brown ) owns all the cattle country in the top end , except for faraway downs , and he ' s been stealing their best fat cattle and trying to buy the station from maitland ashley . alcoholic station bookkeeper ( referred to as an ' accountant ' in the film ) kipling flynn ( jack thompson ) admits there is two sets of books , and shows lady ashley the records kept for her husband , showing that faraway downs was about to go broke , and the other set of ledgers kept for king carney , which recorded profits made from all the unbranded cattle taken from faraway downs .
music and lyrics by cole porter ; book by arthur kopit ; based on the play the philadelphia story , by philip barry , and the turner entertainment co . motion picture high society
“it ' s always been a dream of mine to film in new york . i did when we shot ' the departed ' —a lot of that was shot at the [ marcy ave . ] armory in brooklyn , but it ' s something that i ' ve always wanted to do and sought after—to shoot here on the streets of new york for more than just a few weeks . ”
the atom awards are run by the australian teachers of media ( atom ) and take place in melbourne on 24 october .
knowing his interest in horse breeding , lady ashley offers the drover her husband ' s prize black thoroughbred mare , capricornia , if he agrees to walk the sale cattle to darwin for her . an offer he found difficult to resist , especially as it ' s too late in the season to obtain another droving contract . so he agrees , though shorthanded with just nullah , kipling flynn , lady ashley , magarri , daisy and bandy legs ( lillian crombie ) for help - plus the station cook , sing song ( wah yuen ) .
after law & order , anderson continued to work steadily in television . he made numerous guest appearances in such shows as soul man , raising hope and rake . in 2012 , anderson starred as a gary , a 30 - something father in guys with kids , which ran for one season .
the actress and director both love the genre , but as they told indiewire , they also knew it needed to be retrofitted to tell the true story of catherine weldon and sitting bull .
the coffee - table book ' a million acre masterpiece ' was purchased by ' australia ' movie second unit director , guy norris , in november 2006 , then a copy was purchased by cinematographer / director of photography mandy walker in december 2006 ( just prior to the commencement of filming ) . the books ' biggest mobs - longest shadows ' and ' life as an australian horseman ' also feature outback cattle stations , and ' life as an australian horseman ' includes photographs taken on the station where the ' faraway downs ' homestead film set was situated .
born on august 15 , 1970 , in los angeles , california , anthony anderson has appeared in films like life , big momma & apos ; s house , barbershop , the departed and transformers . known for his comedic flair , he also starred on his own sitcom for a season and was later featured in more serious fare , including the cop series k - ville and law & order . in 2014 , anderson began starring in the hit sitcom black - ish , for which he earned numerous award nominations .
a while later , magarri and the drover are camped beside the same lagoon that they spent the night at after the death of kipling flynn , when walking the mob to darwin , and the drover is most annoyed with magarri for whistling ' over the rainbow ' and the same tune that sing - song played that night , as it ' s bringing back memories of ' fox dancing ' with lady ashley . then magarri discovers nullah and king george have gone and that no - one knows for sure that they went walkabout , and they see an american army convoy in the distance , heading towards darwin . so the drover and magarri head off to investigate .
american actress gillian anderson is best known her portrayal of fbi special agent dana scully in the hit television series the x - files .