Al Pacino
-
“This Was Not a Crime Story, This Was a Love Story”: Harold Becker on the Great Al Pacino/Ellen Barkin Noir, Sea of Love
In 1989, Al Pacino returned to the screen after a four-year hiatus to appear in Sea of Love, a thriller that reinstated him as a major star and cemented novelist Richard Price’s status as one of the great American screenwriters of his era. Price’s script, which follows a detective (Pacino) who falls in love with a suspect (Ellen Barkin) in a string of murders of men placing personal ads, has a rock solid construction that allows for a multitude of tonal shifts and digressions, all of which are orchestrated to perfection by the film’s director, Harold Becker. In Becker’s hands, […]
by Jim Hemphill on Oct 29, 2018 -
Tribeca 2017 Critic’s Notebook: This Land Is Your Land
#Tribeca2017 came to a close last night, after a final day of screenings dominated by the many winners from both Thursday evening’s award ceremony, held at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and Saturday evening’s audience award announcement. Among the dozens of awards the festival gives out, Rachel Israel’s New York-set romantic comedy Keep the Change, which centers on an autistic couple, took home the Founder’s Award for Best Narrative Feature, while Elina Psykou’s Son of Sofia took home the Best International Narrative Feature prize. Elvira Lind’s Bobbi Jene, already a favorite in these parts, swept the documentary prizes for Feature, […]
by Brandon Harris on May 1, 2017 -
10 Lessons on Filmmaking from Viggo Mortensen
In his latest film, Captain Fantastic, Viggo Mortensen plays Ben, a man intent on raising his children on his own terms in the wild forests of the Pacific Northwest. When he learns of his wife’s sudden death, he must uproot his family from the life they are accustomed to and try to find their own path back in civilization. The film had an incredibly successful festival run after its Sundance premiere, picking up top awards in Cannes, Deauville and Karlovy Vary. And recently, the film picked up the Audience Award at the Rome Film Fest, where Mortensen and director Matt […]
by Ariston Anderson on Nov 2, 2016 -
Silver Anniversary: The IFP Gotham Awards at 25
The IFP Gotham Awards celebrate their 25th anniversary this November with a ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street. Along with awards going to the top independent films of the year, the Gothams will present Tribute Awards to Robert Redford, Helen Mirren, Todd Haynes and Steve Golin. Here, Peter Bowen culls the archives of IFP, Filmmaker’s publisher and parent organization, to find 25 memorable moments from the Gotham’s history of celebrating New York and independent filmmaking. 1991 The Cost of Film In 1991, IFP executive director Catherine Tait stood before a seated crowd of some 400 people at Roseland to explain what […]
by Peter Bowen on Oct 28, 2015 -
Borscht Corporation Launches Crowdsourced Scarface Redux
“Say hello to my little friend!” If you’ve ever fantasized unleashing your inner Tony Montana — or, more accurately, your inner ’80s-era Brian DePalma — then the latest crowdsourced art project from the Miami-based Borscht Corporation is for you. Borscht has announced Scarface Redux, a fan remake of the 1983 drug lord epic, with filmmakers from all over the world invited to direct and submit their own 15-second segment. The clip can be “live action, animation, puppets, legos, Chihuahuas, it doesn’t matter!”, the site says. The finished film will be screened at the Borscht Film Festival in December at a […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 9, 2014 -
DITO MONTIEL, “THE SON OF NO ONE”
Punk rocker turned memoirist turned auteur, Dito Montiel has lived a life that has strayed far and wide from his Astoria, Queens upbringing, but especially in his motion pictures, he can’t help but go home again time after time. In his newest film, The Son of No One, he circles around half a dozen or so New Yorkers caught in the throes of the NYPD’s culture of malfeasance and brutality, even in the aftermath of 9/11. Montiel’s film, despite having the trappings of a police procedural and a high wattage cast, has the rhythms and authenticity of a smaller scale, […]
by Brandon Harris on Nov 2, 2011 -
“THE SON OF NO ONE” | writer-director, Dito Montiel
[PREMIERE SCREENING: Friday, Jan. 28, 6:15 pm — Eccles Theatre] So we’re filming in the Queensbridge Projects — the place I spent a million teenage days rehearsing with my hardcore band in Johnny Waste’s apartment (actually Ravenswood Projects). Back then it was the murder capital of New York. Still pretty rough though. I’m standing next to Al Pacino and we’re getting ready for a scene where he’ll talk with a little boy about two murders. He takes a minute to look at all the kids out playing in the big center playground. (We had a lot of extras all dressed […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 28, 2011
