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Remembering Robin Williams – Director Dito Montiel opens up about Robin’s last film – Boulevard

dorriolds — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 09:38:33 +0000

In the movie “Boulevard,” Robin Williams plays Nolan Mack, a 60-year-old bank worker who spontaneously takes a dramatic U-turn — literally and figuratively — when he drives down an unfamiliar street and becomes intrigued by a young male hustler, Leo (Roberto Aguire), who asks if Nolan can give him a lift.
After forming a peculiar connection with Leo, Nolan faces the fact that he is gay and has spent his life hiding that. He’s hidden it from his wife Joy (Kathy Baker) and even from himself. Nolan’s climactic decision to confront who he really is proves the old adage: It’s never too late to change.
From director Dito Montiel and written by Douglas Soesbe, “Boulevard” also stars Bob Odenkirk (TV’s “Better Call Saul,” “Breaking Bad”) as Winston, Nolan’s supportive best friend. Montiel was drawn to “Boulevard” because of its poignant and universal themes. “When I read Douglas Soesbe’s script, I thought about how many people are in Nolan’s situation in some way or another,” Montiel told Dorri Olds. “It really is every man’s story. Nolan does not have a terrible life; his wife is not mean to him, he has a decent job and the prospect of a promotion, he lives in a nice house. But emotionally he feels empty, as if he is sleepwalking through a lonely and subdued world, devoid of all passion.”
This is the last film from the beloved Williams, who tragically hanged himself in August 2014, two weeks shy of 63. Williams struggled for years with depression and substance abuse, but what led to his suicide was the neurodegenerative disease Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) combined with Parkinson’s disease.
In November, ABC News reported:
“All people with LBD have dementia, and sometimes appear confused and disoriented and exhibit unusual behavior, said Angela Taylor, the director of programming for the Lewy Body Dementia Association. According to the coroner’s report, Williams had been acting strangely before his death. He is said to have kept several watches in a sock and was very concerned about keeping the watches safe.”
The much-missed Williams began his career as a standup comedian in the mid-1970s, then made it big as the hilarious alien Mork on the hit show, “Mork & Mindy.” Williams worked for four decades making films; my favorites include “One Hour Photo,” “The Fisher King,” “Good Morning, Vietnam” and “Good Will Hunting.” In 1998, Williams won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for “Good Will Hunting,” and during his long and magnificent career, he received two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and four Grammy Awards.
Williams gives a gripping performance in “Boulevard,” and director Dito Montiel spoke openly about working with the late actor on his last film during this interview with Dorri Olds.
Dorri Olds: What was Robin Williams’ take on his character?
Dito Montiel: We were on the same page, which was really nice. There was one scene in particular where Robin as Nolan and Kathy as Joy are in bed together, and they both say “I love you.” It wasn’t in the script, but I said, “You love her. Why don’t you tell her you love her?” Robin said, “Yeah, I would,” and then Kathy said, “I love you, too.” I thought that scene was so touching because they’re saying so many things. They’re saying, “I love you” and “It’s over” and “Goodbye.”
Robin, Kathy and I felt strongly that this was a loving marriage, just not the right loving marriage for Nolan. Kathy had an interesting thing to say, and then Robin said it all the time. It was that their characters had an unwritten agreement, and Nolan was breaking it. That’s why Joy was so mad. They have the big blowout when they finally have this conversation. It was like a “don’t ask, don’t tell” marriage for too long.
Could you tell that Robin was feeling depressed?
That’s impossible to know. We talked all the time, but it was about his character mainly, and he was as obsessed as I was about it. We would just literally talk at crazy lengths about Nolan and walk around all night while shooting. It was impossible to tell that sort of thing. You never know with anybody, unfortunately. It’s one of those weird things. He’d joke around when I’d try to give him direction about how sad Nolan was, and he’d say, “I’ve done the research.” There’s a side to Robin that is outrageous, that goes on David Letterman. Then there’s the guy who goes home at night trying to sit by himself and think about things.
“Boulevard” available online for streaming. LGBT drama. Rated R. 88 min. RIP Robin Williams.

You were an original. One of the best talents the world has ever seen.

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Felicity Jones Interview

dorriolds — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 01:37:12 +0000

Felicity Jones photo © Dorri Olds
A while back, I sat down with Felicity Jones for an exclusive interview. At the time, Jones starred as Sophie, an exchange student from England in the Focus Features indie drama, “Breathe In.” Sophie went to stay at the home of Keith Reynolds (Guy Pearce), a high-school music teacher while sexy Pearce is having a mid-life crisis.
Keith’s marriage to Megan (Amy Ryan) was feeling empty. They’ve drifted so far apart that the only cement keeping them together is a shared love for their teenage daughter Lauren (Mackenzie Davis). Megan keeps herself busy and distracted. Sophie’s music teacher Keith begins to broods because Sophie never practices piano. He and his family grow puzzled and concerned by her aversion to playing music but Keith has also become woozy over Sophie’s beauty.
One day Sophie surprises Keith in class by sitting at the piano. It’s a beautiful scene where Sophie slowly lifts her hands. She then launches into playing Chopin. Keith is transfixed by her skill. The electrical charge that ensues is almost too painful to watch as their ill-fated connection sizzles.

Breathe In

The actress has continued to hone her craft since then. Jones nailed it as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in “On the Basis of Sex,” released on Christmas. This film illustrates how and why the U.S. Supreme Court Justice has earned her nickname: Notorius RGB (check out the 2018 documentary “RBG” starring RBG).

On The Basis of Sex

1
Before I screened “Breathe In,” I loved Jones in “Hysteria.” Since then, I was wowed by her role in “The Theory of Everything.”

Hysteria

The Theory of Everything

“Breathe In” is a beautiful film, directed by Drake Doremus. I walked in for the exclusive interview and Jones looked even more stunning in person. But more importantly than her looks, she was warm, kind, open, and smiled a lot.

Dorri Olds: How was it working with Guy Pearce?
Felicity Jones: Fantastic.! I’ve always admired his work I think he always chooses really interesting directors. He’s always about the acting. He’d never done a film where he was improvising before and I could see him relishing the challenge. He’s an actor who always pushing himself. He really loved the process of making it.
Was there a lot of improvisation?
Yeah, a lot. Some things were scripted but most of it was how we made “Like Crazy.” We had an outline and then there’d be thoughts about a character and what happens in the scene and then we’d bring dialogue in on the day.
How did you become involved with film?
This was really unusual, it never usually happens, Drake asked me to do it because we had worked together on “Like Crazy” and he had this idea. In many ways this film is like a twin to “Like Crazy.” He said, “Do you want to come back and see what we can do this time?” So, that was quite nice that I didn’t have to audition. Auditions are really, really frightening. After a while you get used to them but they can be really quite intimidating.
What type of research and preparation did you do for this role?
I felt like Sophie was a very troubled young woman. There was a play called “Master Builder” by Henrik Ibsen and there is a character in that called Hilda and she was a real inspiration. I felt like she was a good foundation for understanding Sophie. There was a French film, “Le Casse” that had a similar kind of thriller mood. With any part you look at other films. There is a fairytale quality to Sophie. She was coming into a family that was heightened by her and her presence. I think that the main thing to me is the back-story for both Anna and Sophie. What was she like? What was her house like? What did her parents do? Having a really sure understanding of the character’s background is so important.
After playing beside Hugh Dancy in the light comedy, “Hysteria,” is it strange to see him playing such a dark character in “Hannibal”?
I think that’s what we always want as actors, to be able to move between different characters and take on different personalities. For me, that’s part of the joy of doing it and I imagine he loves that too.
Do you have a favorite role?
I did a play called, “The Chalk Garden,” which is an amazing play by Enid Bagnon. I played a 16-year-old who was obsessed with fire, a pyromaniac. She was a very troubled young girl and I absolutely loved the play. I was with two fantastic British actresses.
Did you ever forget your line?
Sometimes you do and you panic and look to the audience and hope for the best. That’s why it’s so brilliant to do it. You literally freeze onstage and think, ‘Why the hell am I doing this to myself?’ But it’s really exciting as well.
What’s it like watching yourself on film?
Less fun than being onstage. It’s an odd experience. I think we humans tend to be quite critical of ourselves and it can be a hard process. You watch yourself and think, ‘I could’ve done that differently.’
Did you always know you were beautiful growing up?
[Laughs] Oh, that’s a nice compliment! I guess I don’t think in those terms. I try not to think too much about what how you’re perceived on the outside. That’s not good.
Have you ever had any bad experiences with fans?
Do you know what? I’ve been really lucky. I have really nice fans. They come up and they’re always really, really respectful and I’ve never had any aggression. They’ve always been really polite and nice.
Do you Facebook and Twitter?
No, I don’t.
Do you have staff that does that for you?
No, I don’t. It’s not something I engage in. I like to see other people doing it but no, it’s not really my thing.
Do you have a favorite movie you’ve done — “Like Crazy,” “Hysteria,” “The Invisible Woman”?
I like doing them all. My focus is always the character. That’s always my way into something and I try not to patronize the character depending on when they lived. I feel like as human beings we all have the same emotions, feelings we’ve had for hundreds of years. The forces upon us are slightly different. I love period dramas as well as more contemporary films. I grew up watching “Howard’s End” and “Room with a View,” so I do like doing period work but the hook is always the character and the director.
Was Ralph Fiennes a controlling director in “The Invisible Woman”? Did you have to stick to the script?
It was a very different process from “Like Crazy” and “Breath In.” He was always just wanting to explore and he pushed me. It was always just about trying to get to something truthful about that about my character.
What’s next for you?
I have a film coming out late this year called “Theory of Everything,” which James Marsh directed. It’s about Stephen Hawking and Jane Hawking and their relationship, first meeting and falling in love and then Stephen being diagnosed with motor neuron disease, and it spans their meeting when they were in their early 20s to when they split up in their 40s. Also “True Story” with Jonah Hill and James Franco and I was in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.”
“Breathe In” opens in New York City on March 28, 2014. It is available now On Demand. Rated R. 98 minutes.
Trailer:

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The War on Drugs Doles Out Harsh Punishments that Harm Children the Most • The Sentence

dorriolds — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 19:34:05 +0000

War on Drugs

In the searing new documentary The Sentence, we discover that the casualties of the “War on Drugs” extend beyond the millions of Americans harshly punished with prison time—their families suffer the brunt.

About the Filmmaker

Director Rudy Valdez, an American of Mexican descent, began filming his three nieces for his sister Cindy Shank. Why? Because she’d been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Her loving brother, the youngest sibling, wanted Cindy to be able to see the girls grow up. The even greater tragedy is her family’s suffering the pain of living without her. The worst crime is Cindy’s children doing time, also—they grew up without their Mom.
As Valdez began fighting to reduce his sister’s draconian sentence, he discovered that the problem of over-sentencing was much larger than his family’s painful tale. Due to the failed “War on Drugs,” nonviolent first-time offenders, like Cindy, received ghastly punishments because the judge had to adhere to the mandatory minimum sentencing laws.

The Girlfriend Problem

Cops and lawyers have a nickname for Cindy’s all-too-common scenario: The Girlfriend Problem. Cindy’s crime was falling in love with the wrong man.

Although it is not shown in the film, we learn that Cindy lived with Alex Humphrey until 2002, when he was murdered by gunshot right outside their home in Lansing, Michigan. When police searched their home for clues to the murder—which is still unsolved—they found more than 40 pounds of cocaine.
Cindy had attempted to leave Humphrey, but he had threatened her. After his death she was free to move on and straighten out her life. She fell in love with a good man, married him and the couple had three children.

The Arrest

Without giving too much away, the police knocked on the door six years later and arrested Cindy. She was charged as a conspirator because she had known about Humphrey’s drug dealing.
At SVA Theatre this past Wednesday, after a pre-screening of the documentary, filmmaker Valdez said, “We can no longer sit around and be okay with people profiting off the backs of the disenfranchised.”
“It’s the rhetoric we hear: hard on crime or you’re soft on crime…. we need to get rid of that crap. You’re either smart on crime or you’re not,” Valdez said. “This film is apolitical on purpose; it doesn’t go into the history, the right or the left, or who started this, or who’s perpetuating this. It’s a hearts and minds film that transcends voting…. There’s a cultural shift that needs to happen in this country.”

Sundance Film Festival to HBO

The film won the Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. HBO purchased the film and will air it Monday, October 15. I suggest putting a box of tissues nearby.

Director Rudy Valdez

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THE SENTENCE premieres on HBO Monday, October 15, 2018 at 8PM EST. Click here for additional screening times.

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‘The Big Sick’ NOT Just Another Ho Hum RomCom

dorriolds — Sat, 24 Jun 2017 11:36:28 +0000

Call it a romcom or a dramedy but I confess, what really drew me to this movie was hearing that Holly Hunter and Ray Romano were in it. I had a vague notion of what to expect from the star—comedian Kumail Nanjiani—based on his role in HBO’s “Silicon Valley.” So, I knew what he looked like and that he was funny, but could he carry a whole movie?
The answer is a big resounding YES.
The Big Sick is based on Nanjiani’s true story of his rocky romance that led to marriage. He co-wrote the script with his now-wife, Emily V. Gordon, who is played by the talented actor-playwright-screenwriter, Zoe Kazan. The co-producers are big names: Judd Apatow and two-time Academy Award-nominated Barry Mendel. Hunter shines as Emily’s mother, Beth, and Romano shows his acting chops as her father, Terry.
Technically, this film falls into the genre of romantic comedy but that label seems limited here. So many rom-coms bore us to tears with formulaic ho-hum-ness. This flick is not one of those. There are tears but they’re for the right reasons. It is a dramatic tale that explores everything from the ignorance behind the ridiculous fear of Muslims to being too chicken to stand up to family pressure.

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon • © Dorri Olds.

Kumail and Emily lived through a strange route to romance. It began with what was intended as a one-night stand. Without meaning to, they fall for each other. Life throws in big obstacles, which creates the high drama and deliciously dark humor.

First Out Gay Superhero Surge is Back

dorriolds — Thu, 04 May 2017 23:34:25 +0000

Surge, cinema’s first out gay superhero, rocks it with his new star-studded movie, Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel directed by Antonio Lexerot and Vincent J. Roth.

Surge is back with over 50 stars. Laugh at zany antics from Big City to Las Vegas, enjoy familiar celebrities, and learn how intolerance can make you evil.
Watch the Trailer:

Vincent J. Roth, the film’s producer, describes the movie as fun entertainment with a clear message.

“As a filmmaker, I am compelled to present our genuinely groundbreaking characters and the fun world we created to a mainstream audience.”

The movie’s inspirational tagline, “Make a Difference Where You Can,” is the moral of the story. But to get there, evil and skullduggery must be dealt with heroically and hilariously.

In the Beginning

It has been over 10 years since cinema’s first gay out superhero movie, Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes, premiered. Fans have long awaited the sequel of this campy movie with a message. The sequel is an homage to superhero movies and an irreverent send-up of the genre. Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel has been well received by mainstream audiences. Viewers young and old have been laughing and cheering during its initial screenings. Fans love the cameo appearances of favorite actors and characters. The inside jokes add to the sublime movie experience—with special treats for the attentive sci-fi geek.

In the Sequel

Surge’s nemesis, Metal Master, struggles with his estranged parents (Linda Blair and Gil Gerard) and is tempted to continue a life of crime by Augur (Eric Roberts), arch enemy of Omen (Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols and Robert Picardo), the sage superhero from the first Surge of Power movie. A host of other recognizable stars help Surge deliver the message that good triumphs over evil. Amid the laughs, Blair and Gerard are the heart of the movie, poignantly portraying Metal Master’s parents. They struggle with their homophobia and have to face the negative effects it has had on their family—including their son-turned-supervillain.

What Reviewers are Saying

“A leap forward for superhero films.”
“A positive role model in the LGBTQ community.”
“A film everyone can enjoy.”
“Pretty awesome”
“A Must See!”
In this story, we see Surge travel from his Big City home to Las Vegas in an effort to stop his nemesis, Metal Master from destroying Hoover Dam while on a quest for mysterious crystals for Augur. Surge enlists local friends and even Vegas headliner, Frank Marino to help find his way, which results in the inevitable battle. The skirmish forces Augur to emerge from the shadows, causing Omen to join in the struggle. Their epic confrontation awakens The Council, a league of retired supervillains. To battle this new threat Omen must call on her vigilant team. Find out what happens next with cinema’s first out gay superhero when legendary heroes and villains clash in this comical, star-studded movie!
The seventh screening of the Surge of Power sequel will take place on Saturday, May 20 from at 2:00 to 4:00 pm as a featured event at Joss Whedon’s sci-fi convention, WhedonCon, at Warner Center Marriott, 21850 Oxnard St., Woodland Hills, CA 91367 in the Screening Room. Other screenings and more information may be found on the movie’s website, Surge of Power screenings.
Comedy. 90 min. Los Angeles premiere.

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When You Wake Up and Your YouTube Channel Has 888K Views!

dorriolds — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:57:19 +0000

UPDATE!!

YouTube Channel has 1.9 MILLION VIEWS!! Woooot.

When you wake up and your YouTube channel is up to 888,000 views and over a million minutes watched. Yeah, that.

www.youtube.com/DorriOlds

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3 Films Every Science Student Must See

dorriolds — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 10:37:41 +0000

image: scene from Timecrimes

Movies for Science Students and Sci-Fi Lovers

If you’re a science student, chances are you don’t see the world through the same eyes as everybody else. You’re probably the one always looking for scientific inaccuracies in films and your friends probably love you or hate you for it. But there are some great films that will keep even the most skeptical of science students entertained. Here are three great movies every science student should watch.

Timecrimes

Timecrimes is the story of Hector, played by Karra Elejalde, an ordinary guy who decides to go on a trip to the countryside with his life partner, Clara, played by actress Candela Fernandez. But as soon as they get there, Hector sees something unusual while scoping the area with his binoculars: a beautiful woman taking her clothes off in the open. Hector decides to take a stroll to pay her a visit. Once he gets there, he sees the women dead lying on the floor and is attacked by a mysterious man. Hector then flees to what seems to be an abandoned building, which is really a private research facility operated by a mysterious scientist. The scientist decides to give refuge to Hector in a strange closet which happens to be a time machine.
This movie is a fast paced science fiction movie that every person seeking an online bachelor of science degree in medical laboratory science will love because of its many intricate scientific references.

2001 Space Odyssey

2001 Space Odyssey is a science fiction masterpiece by critically acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick. 2001 Space Odyssey takes us to the dawn of man, where a group of hominids encounter a strange looking black alien monolith on their path. As one of the hominids brandishes his weapon to attack the structure, the scene cuts to a 21st century spacecraft that is travelling over the Earth.
A US scientist by the name of Heywood Floyd, played by actor William Sylvester, goes to the moon to discover another black monolith on its surface. However, once the sunlight hits the monolith, a sharp sound is emitted, which stops the scientist and his crew in their path. The whole movie is based around the search of a source for the mysterious monolith and its role. The film was critically acclaimed for its realistic depictions of space travel and is a must-see for any student seeking a medical laboratory scientist program online from the University of Cincinnati.

Solaris

Solaris is a movie rendition of a popular science fiction novel by author Stanislaw Lem. George Clooney plays the role of Chris Kelvin, a psychologist and astronaut still coming to terms with the death of his wife Rheya, who is played by Natasha McElhone. He is then approached by one of his colleagues, Gibarian, who implores him to conduct an investigation on some strange happenings on the Prometheus space station. Once there, he finds out that Giberian has committed suicide and the rest of the crew are in a state of shock. They then tell him that they have been experiencing hallucinations and visits from spirits, which they believe came from the Solaris interstellar energy source. What ensues is series of twists and turns that will leave the most stoic science student on the hedge of their seat. This is a great movie for any science fiction lover.
If you’re a science buff, or if you’re simply a lover of science fiction, I suggest you give these movies a try.

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Robert De Niro Said For 40 Years He Has Heard, You Talkin’ To Me?

dorriolds — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 12:59:19 +0000

Did you miss Tribeca Film Festival’s 40th anniversary celebration of “Taxi Driver” on April 21 at the Beacon Theatre? I can help you pretend you were there. The evening began with an exciting red carpet, followed by a brief greeting from TFF’s cofounders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. The audience was then treated to a pristine restored version of the classic masterpiece about a cripplingly lonely New York City cab driver, Travis Bickel (De Niro), who descends into madness and becomes a danger to himself and everyone else.
Post-film screening, cast and crew members took to the stage: De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, writer Paul Schrader and producer Michael Phillips. Hear what they had to say.
“Every day for 40 f—ing years, at least one of you has come up to me and said, ‘What do you think: You talkin’ to me?’” Then he told the audience to go ahead and get it over with by saying it all together and the crowd happily complied.

Olds asked Foster on the red carpet, “Can you talk about the latest movie you directed?”
“Sure,” said Foster. “It’s called ‘Money Monster.’ I love it. It is a mainstream movie and it’s a thriller. It’s intense and all of that but it’s really quite intelligent and demands a lot of the audience and hopefully people will like the fact that it’s a combination of those two things—a great ride and also really quite smart.”
Cybill Shepherd looks radiant at ‘Taxi Driver’ 40th anniversary
Shepherd said, “This was definitely a very important film for me and I would’ve given my right arm to do it. I’m so honored to be here tonight with so much talent onstage and to have this great opportunity. It is a great film.” That’s when an audience member shouted, “I love you, Cybill!” Shepherd threw her hands up and yelled back, “I love you, too!”
Harvey Keitel tells it like it is at ‘Taxi Driver’ reunion. Keitel was asked, “You went to work with a real pimp, right?” He replied, “Does the statute of limitations still apply?” After he got a riotous laugh from the crowd he continued, “Yeah, I met a pimp — a former pimp. I don’t know what that means but we improvised for a few weeks and he taught me what it was like to play the role of a pimp. I played the girl and he told me what to do. Then we went into business together.”
‘Taxi Driver’ writer Paul Schrader joins the cast. Schrader said, “This script began in the best possible way because it began as self therapy. There was a person who I was afraid of that I was becoming and that was this taxi driver and I felt if I wrote about him I could distance him from me. And it worked! It does show that art has therapeutic powers.”
Producer Michael Phillips was on hand to talk about Taxi Driver. Phillips was seated next to Keitel. He said, “Brian De Palma was living next door to me and Paul [Schrader] was writing a journalistic piece on Brian and showed Brian the script. Brian said, ‘It’s not for me,’ but thought it might be something I would like. It was. I read it and I thought I was looking into a naked soul.”
Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal are the co-founders of Tribeca Film Festival. Both introduced the event. Rosenthal said, “When I was younger I was kind of isolated and alone, sort of like the Travis character. I identified with it as I think we all did.”
Scorsese said, “We were in this condemned building on 89th. The exterior was down on 13th Street but the hallway was on 89th and Columbus. Jodie’s room was on Columbus Avenue and the building was condemned but somehow we were still in it and we were shooting a movie in there, I don’t know what happened. The next thing, we started and because it was in the script [that] there was overhead tracking I said, ‘I guess we’ll have to cut through the ceiling.’ Which is what they did. It took them about three months and then when it came time to shoot it, uh, the uh, the whaddya call it? The child labor law person said, ‘You only have 20 minutes.’ So we were trying everything. ‘Oh please, just an extra shot?’ But we got it in 20 minutes.”

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Satisfying ‘Detour’ with Tye Sheridan and Emory Cohen

dorriolds — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 11:31:36 +0000

One of Tribeca Film Festival’s highlights this year was “Detour,” a suspenseful neo-noir thriller deliciously saturated in drugs and alcohol. The central character, Harper (heartthrob Tye Sheridan) is stepson to alcoholic no-goodnik Vincent, played by Stephen Moyer of “True Blood.”

Harper blames the lying, cheating Vincent for putting his mom in a coma. While she lies in a hospital bed fighting for her life, Harper drowns his pain in alcohol. Wasted, he shoots his mouth off to the wrong dude: tattooed sociopath Johnny Ray, played by Emory Cohen (co-star of the Best Picture Oscar-winner, “Brooklyn”). Johnny Ray offers to whack Vincent for $20,000 dollars. In his drunken haze, Harper says yes to the violent thuggery. In the hungover and sobering light of day, Harper decides to back out. The problem is Johnny Ray won’t let Harper renege on their financial agreement and vows to go through with the murder.

Kudos to British writer and director Christopher Smith who gave us “Black Death, starring Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne. In “Detour,” Smith uses split-screen to go back and forth in time and it works. No easy feat. Smith also wrote the film’s screenplay and deserves much credit for his spot-on casting. In addition to Sheridan and Cohen, Smith cast Bel Powley (“Diary of a Teenager Girl”) as the femme fatale. She rocks it in this clever and engaging tale.

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Dysfunctional Dad Christopher Walken and Alcoholic Amber Heard

dorriolds — Sun, 25 Dec 2016 12:02:54 +0000

Amber Heard hungover

Amber Heard and Christopher Walken

Although loaded with inherited musical talent, she’s only good at drinking. Self-loathing and systematic self-destruction make Jude (Amber Heard) incapable of making it on time to even sing commercial jingles.

Amber Heard in ‘One More Time’

With no money, and no motivation, she slinks back to live with her father Paul Lombard (Christopher Walken), a faded Sinatra-ish crooner who lives in the “poor” section of the Hamptons. Multiple Andy Warhol-like portraits of Paul loom over the living room and illustrate how suffocating it is to be anywhere near Paul. Back in his home means Jude is embroiled in family dysfunction. Her bitter, yet highly-functional sister, Corinne (Kelli Garner), is married to Tim (Hamish Linklater) who was in a relationship with Jude long ago before Corinne stole him away.
Burned-out Paul is married for the gazillionth time; his current wife, Lucille (Ann Magnuson), is a lush. Being drunk seems the only way to survive being in love with overbearing, narcissistic Paul.

Christopher Walken in One More Time

Oliver Platt shines as Alan, a long-time family lawyer and friend who seems the only one in Jude’s life who sees and loves her despite her nothing-but-flawed lifestyle. The plot is light but the strength of this film is the two charismatic leads, Walken and Heard, who make you care about these comically heartbreaking characters.
One big perk is hearing Walken and Heard perform music. Written and directed by Robert Edwards.
“One More Time” is available On Demand. Official Selection at Tribeca Film Festival 2015. Comedy drama. Not rated. 97 min.

Amber Heard as Jude

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