When thinking of the best French movies of the 21st century, there are some titles that leap to mind immediately, even if the past 22 years haven’t appeared to be as creatively fecund as the heady heights of the New Wave period. Celine Sciamma, Francois Ozon, Bruno Dumont, and Julia Ducournau have all produced stunning, instantly canonical works. But what’s interesting is to consider how expansive the idea of “Frenchness” in cinema has been this century: on the list below, Austrian Michael Haneke, Iranian Abbas Kiarostami, and American Julian Schnabel appear, with the main criterion for inclusion being simply the use of the French language.
Their inclusion does call into question a bit the idea of national cinemas. And yet, even in this highly interconnected, global 21st century, France singularly remains one of the medium’s most essential guiding lights. From the pioneer era of the Lumiere brothers, to...
Their inclusion does call into question a bit the idea of national cinemas. And yet, even in this highly interconnected, global 21st century, France singularly remains one of the medium’s most essential guiding lights. From the pioneer era of the Lumiere brothers, to...
- 4/7/2022
- by Eric Kohn and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Trailer
Netflix has dropped the trailer for its upcoming adult stop-motion anthology special “The House,” produced by U.K.-based Nexus Studios and coming to the streamer on Jan. 14. The special features three unconnected stories which Netflix described as an “eccentric dark comedy” when it was presented at Annecy in June. The stories centers around a single house in three realities, and those who live there. In the trailer, we meet some of the human and animal inhabitants and get a taste of the program’s blood-cooling aesthetics and tone.
The special is loaded with top-tier talent. Chapter one is directed by Belgian auteurs Emma de Swaef and Marc James Roels (“This Magnificent Cake!”), Chapter two by Swedish director Niki Lindroth von Bahr (“The Burden”) and Chapter three by Paloma Baeza (“Poles Apart”). The voice cast boasts a start-studded lineup including Mia Goth, Matthew Goode, Claudie Blakley, Mark Heap, Joshua McGuire,...
Netflix has dropped the trailer for its upcoming adult stop-motion anthology special “The House,” produced by U.K.-based Nexus Studios and coming to the streamer on Jan. 14. The special features three unconnected stories which Netflix described as an “eccentric dark comedy” when it was presented at Annecy in June. The stories centers around a single house in three realities, and those who live there. In the trailer, we meet some of the human and animal inhabitants and get a taste of the program’s blood-cooling aesthetics and tone.
The special is loaded with top-tier talent. Chapter one is directed by Belgian auteurs Emma de Swaef and Marc James Roels (“This Magnificent Cake!”), Chapter two by Swedish director Niki Lindroth von Bahr (“The Burden”) and Chapter three by Paloma Baeza (“Poles Apart”). The voice cast boasts a start-studded lineup including Mia Goth, Matthew Goode, Claudie Blakley, Mark Heap, Joshua McGuire,...
- 12/16/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Guest reviewer Lee Broughton returns with a review of a previously hard to find Gallic Spaghetti Western. Filmed in the Dolomites mountain range and primarily existing as a vehicle for the French rock ‘n’ roll singer Johnny Hallyday, this might well be Corbucci’s best looking Western. The respected French actresses Francoise Fabian and Sylvie Fennec bring a noticeable touch of class to a show that ends with wide shots of dozens of butt naked backsides.
The Specialists
Region B Blu-ray
Eureka Entertainment
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Gli Specialisti, Drop Them or I’ll Shoot / Street Date May 18, 2020 / £14.99
Starring: Johnny Hallyday, Francoise Fabian, Gaston Moschin, Mario Adorf, Sylvie Fennec, Gino Pernice, Angela Luce, Serge Marquand, Gabriella Tavernese, Andres Jose Cruz, Christian Belaygue, Stefano Cattarossi.
Cinematography: Dario Di Palma
Film Editor: Elsa Armanni
Production Designer: Riccardo Domenici
Original Music: Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Written by Sergio Corbucci and Sabatino Ciuffini
Produced by Edmond Tenoudji,...
The Specialists
Region B Blu-ray
Eureka Entertainment
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Gli Specialisti, Drop Them or I’ll Shoot / Street Date May 18, 2020 / £14.99
Starring: Johnny Hallyday, Francoise Fabian, Gaston Moschin, Mario Adorf, Sylvie Fennec, Gino Pernice, Angela Luce, Serge Marquand, Gabriella Tavernese, Andres Jose Cruz, Christian Belaygue, Stefano Cattarossi.
Cinematography: Dario Di Palma
Film Editor: Elsa Armanni
Production Designer: Riccardo Domenici
Original Music: Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Written by Sergio Corbucci and Sabatino Ciuffini
Produced by Edmond Tenoudji,...
- 6/20/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A never ending mission to save the world featuring Ron Perlman, Peter Ramsey, James Adomian, Will Menaker, and Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Karado: The Kung Fu Flash a.k.a. Karado: The Kung Fu Cat a.k.a. The Super Kung Fu Kid (1974)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
The Hustler (1961)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Mean Dog Blues (1978)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Mona Lisa (1986)
The Crying Game (1992)
The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)
Ridicule (1996)
Man on the Train (2002)
The Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Pale Flower (1964)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Lunchbox (2013)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Raw Deal (1986)
Commando (1985)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The Last Man On Earth (1964)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers...
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Karado: The Kung Fu Flash a.k.a. Karado: The Kung Fu Cat a.k.a. The Super Kung Fu Kid (1974)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
The Hustler (1961)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Mean Dog Blues (1978)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Mona Lisa (1986)
The Crying Game (1992)
The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)
Ridicule (1996)
Man on the Train (2002)
The Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Pale Flower (1964)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Lunchbox (2013)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Raw Deal (1986)
Commando (1985)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The Last Man On Earth (1964)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers...
- 4/24/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Author Paula Hawkins’ debut novel “The Girl on the Train” was practically engineered for bestselling success, a twisted tale that drew early comparisons to Gillian Flynn’s infectious “Gone Girl” and handily capitalized on a desire for more stories centered on so-called “unlikable” characters. The thriller unfolds in various compelling ways — playing with both timeline and narrator with ease and smarts — but its basic plotline follows alcoholic Rachel Watson after she discovers that a woman who she sees every day from her morning train commute has gone missing.
Read More: ‘The Girl On The Train’ Review: Paula Hawkins’ Blockbuster Novel Derails On Its Way To The Screen
Tate Taylor’s seemingly inevitable big screen take on the story casts Emily Blunt as Rachel, a broken woman who has been unable to get over her divorce from Tom (Justin Theroux), who has moved on with a new wife (Rebecca Ferguson) and a brand new baby,...
Read More: ‘The Girl On The Train’ Review: Paula Hawkins’ Blockbuster Novel Derails On Its Way To The Screen
Tate Taylor’s seemingly inevitable big screen take on the story casts Emily Blunt as Rachel, a broken woman who has been unable to get over her divorce from Tom (Justin Theroux), who has moved on with a new wife (Rebecca Ferguson) and a brand new baby,...
- 10/4/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
This dreary, drippy period romance is sorely lacking in juicy melodrama and some sizzle among supposed stifled lovebirds. I’m “biast” (pro): love the cast
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
A period romance with Alan Rickman and Rebecca Hall? Oh goody! I thought. What could go wrong? Almost everything, it transpires. Major problem: by the time this dreary, drippy would-be melodrama gets to the titular promise, there’s not enough movie left to do it the sort of heart-rending justice it needs to be as tragically romantic as we’re intended to take it as.
See, Friedrich Zeitz (Richard Madden: Game of Thrones) is the new engineer-slash-clerk at the steel factory in 1912 Germany, and has caught the eye of ailing tycoon-owner Karl Hoffmeister (Rickman: Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Gambit), who takes the...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
A period romance with Alan Rickman and Rebecca Hall? Oh goody! I thought. What could go wrong? Almost everything, it transpires. Major problem: by the time this dreary, drippy would-be melodrama gets to the titular promise, there’s not enough movie left to do it the sort of heart-rending justice it needs to be as tragically romantic as we’re intended to take it as.
See, Friedrich Zeitz (Richard Madden: Game of Thrones) is the new engineer-slash-clerk at the steel factory in 1912 Germany, and has caught the eye of ailing tycoon-owner Karl Hoffmeister (Rickman: Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Gambit), who takes the...
- 7/31/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
He’s fallen out of favor a bit in the last few years, but there was a time when Patrice Leconte was one of the most popular foreign filmmakers in the U.S. While he was never a favorite with the hipper critics, over the 1990s and early 2000s, films like “Ridicule,” “ The Girl On The Bridge,” “The Man On The Train” and “Intimate Strangers” became staples on the festival circuit, won BAFTAs and Cesars, and became sizeable arthouse hits. But the director’s recent films like “Beauties At War” and “The Suicide Shop” have struggled to find audiences at home and abroad, and so Leconte seems to have made another ploy for a bigger crowd: at the age of 66, he’s made his English-language debut. And with an impressive cast mixing veteran performers with rising stars, and source material from “Letter To An Unknown Woman” author Stefan Zweig, it...
- 4/15/2014
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Running into the fall festival with appearances at Venice and Tiff, the latest from French filmmaker Patrice Leconte ("Man On The Train," "My Best Friend"), the English language "A Promise," failed to make much of a splash. So even as the film still needs to find a U.S. distribution, it's gearing up for release overseas and the first trailer has landed for the movie. Based on Stefan Zweig's novella "Journey into the Past," and starring Rebecca Hall, Alan Rickman, and Richard Madden, "A Promise" tells the story of a young engineer who becomes private secretary and second-in-command to the owner of a foundry, but winds up with the arms of the wealthy man's wife. Hot stuff it would seem, but our man in Venice was not impressed in the slightest, calling the movie "so free of anything close to an edge that it’s like watching a beige...
- 12/30/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
He’s fallen out of favor a bit in the last few years, but there was a time when Patrice Leconte was one of the most popular foreign filmmakers in the U.S. While he was never a favorite with the hipper critics, over the 1990s and early 2000s, films like “Ridicule,” “ The Girl On The Bridge,” “The Man On The Train” and “Intimate Strangers” became staples on the festival circuit, won BAFTAs and Cesars, and became sizeable arthouse hits. But the director’s recent films like “Beauties At War” and “The Suicide Shop” have struggled to find audiences at home or abroad, and so Leconte seems to have made another ploy for a bigger crowd: at the age of 66, he’s made his English-language debut. And with an impressive cast mixing veteran performers with rising stars, and source material from “Letter To An Unknown Woman” author Stefan Zweig, it...
- 9/5/2013
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
While we all know the major players that are emerging on the fall festival circuit, it's easy to forget there are a lot of other movies flying well below the radar at the moment, that could turn out to be a surprise. And one we have our eye on is "Man On The Train" and "My Best Friend" director Patrice Leconte's "A Promise" (aka "Une Promesse"). Selected today to play Out Of Competition later this month at the Venice Film Festival, the film stars Rebecca Hall, Alan Rickman, and Richard Madden, and tells the pre-World War I-set tale of the wife of a wealthy older man who begins to fall in love with her husband's assistant, who is a young engineer with a much more modest background. It's based on Stefan Zweig's novella "Journey into the Past." The material sounds good and we're generally pre-disposed to watching anything featuring Hall.
- 8/8/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Actress Rebecca Hall seems to have been quite underrated by Hollywood’s eye for some time now, even after giving a number of fine performances in well-respected films like Woody Allen’s “Vicky Christina Barcelona” and Ben Affleck’s 2010 directorial effort “The Town” – neither of which she really seemed to get a ton of credit for. Well, she’s looking to earn a serious profile upgrade after being cast in the Shane Black-directed “Iron Man 3,” and now has another interesting prospect on her slate of upcoming films.
Variety has word that Hall will join Gallic helmer Patrice Leconte's English-language debut with the romantic drama "A Promise," which has been adapted from Stefan Zweig's novella "Journey into the Past." Set in pre-World War I Germany, “A Promise” – which is currently only a working title -- will follow the wife of a wealthy older man who begins to...
Variety has word that Hall will join Gallic helmer Patrice Leconte's English-language debut with the romantic drama "A Promise," which has been adapted from Stefan Zweig's novella "Journey into the Past." Set in pre-World War I Germany, “A Promise” – which is currently only a working title -- will follow the wife of a wealthy older man who begins to...
- 6/7/2012
- by Benjamin Wright
- The Playlist
Whenever depression looms for Joe Queenan, it's time to turn to Johnny Hallyday. What is it about the films of the French Elvis Presley that holds the answer to all life's woes?
The other day I was feeling unusually melancholy, what with the economy in the tank and construction workers building evil McMansions next to my house. One of my friends suggested I watch a Hong Kong gangster movie called Vengeance. He said the film was completely insane and would take my mind off my troubles. I told him all Hong Kong gangster movies were completely insane, but he fired back: "No – this one is really insane."
He was right.
Vengeance, released in 2009, is actually a Franco-Hong Kong collaboration that pools the resources of the legendary actor/director Johnnie To and those of the legendary rock star/actor Johnny Hallyday, the French Elvis Presley. Hallyday, né Jean-Philippe Smet, is in fact Belgian,...
The other day I was feeling unusually melancholy, what with the economy in the tank and construction workers building evil McMansions next to my house. One of my friends suggested I watch a Hong Kong gangster movie called Vengeance. He said the film was completely insane and would take my mind off my troubles. I told him all Hong Kong gangster movies were completely insane, but he fired back: "No – this one is really insane."
He was right.
Vengeance, released in 2009, is actually a Franco-Hong Kong collaboration that pools the resources of the legendary actor/director Johnnie To and those of the legendary rock star/actor Johnny Hallyday, the French Elvis Presley. Hallyday, né Jean-Philippe Smet, is in fact Belgian,...
- 12/9/2011
- by Joe Queenan
- The Guardian - Film News
Photo courtesy Tribeca Film / credit: Sophie Girau Now playing across the country on VOD via Tribeca Film, Mary McGuckian's The Man on the Train is an English-language remake of Patrice Leconte's atmospheric L'Homme du Train [2002], which starred musician-turned-actor Johnny Hallyday and Jean Rochefort. In the current film, Irish musician Larry Mullen Jr. makes his acting debut opposite the legendary Donald Sutherland. Mullen, who did triple-duty on the film - actor, producer, and soundtrack supervisor - recently talked to us about his "baptism by fire," his acting method, and what it was like to work with an icon. Tribeca: Congratulations on your acting debut! Clearly, you've always been a creative man. When did you realize that you had an interest in acting, and was there something particular that prompted you to tackle this new challenge? Larry Mullen Jr.: I've always had an interest in doing something that was...
- 11/15/2011
- TribecaFilm.com
Tribeca Enterprises Larry Mullen Jr. and Donald Sutherland
What happens when a masterful veteran actor who has made over 160 films teams up with a rock star drummer making his first foray into acting?
I t was anyone’s guess, and a bit of a gamble. But Donald Sutherland and U2′s Larry Mullen Jr. are still bathing in the afterglow of their unlikely friendship—on and off-screen—after an intensive 17-day shoot of “The Man on the Train”. Skillfully directed by Irish filmmaker,...
What happens when a masterful veteran actor who has made over 160 films teams up with a rock star drummer making his first foray into acting?
I t was anyone’s guess, and a bit of a gamble. But Donald Sutherland and U2′s Larry Mullen Jr. are still bathing in the afterglow of their unlikely friendship—on and off-screen—after an intensive 17-day shoot of “The Man on the Train”. Skillfully directed by Irish filmmaker,...
- 10/31/2011
- by Lanie Goodman
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
This month On Demand via Tribeca Film: Janie Jones, The Last Rites of Joe May, Romantics Anonymous, and The Man on the Train. Tribeca Film, in partnership with American Express, brings you the best of independent film wherever you are. Now available in over 40 million homes. Four new films will become available On Demand starting October 28... Janie Jones Dir. David M. Rosenthal Rocker Ethan Brand (Alessandro Nivola) and his band are on the comeback trail when a former flame (Academy Award® nominee Elisabeth Shue) drops a bomb in his lap: their 13-year-old daughter, Janie Jones (Academy Award® nominee Abigail Breslin). Nivola and Breslin naturally embrace their musical characters - both actually sing and perform in the film - while developing Ethan and Janie's relationship in a refined way to delicately express the emotional needs of the characters. Writer/director David M. Rosenthal, who was inspired by his own experiences, blends...
- 10/26/2011
- TribecaFilm.com
Ever wanted to see U2's drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. act? Well, here's your chance. In the English-language remake of Patrice Leconte's award-winning French film of the same name, "Man on the Train," Mullen plays a mysterious thief who rolls into a small town to rob a local bank. His plans veer off track when he meets a retired poetry professor (Donald Sutherland) who envies the criminal's position. Mary McGuckian directs. ...
- 9/26/2011
- Indiewire
Here is the first trailer for the English remake of Man on the Train directed by Mary McGuckian and starring Donald Sutherland and Larry Mullen Jr. (yes, U2′s drummer) in his acting debut. The original French film was released in 2002 from director Patrice Leconte. Mullen stars as “a thief whose plans get thrown off track when he meets Sutherland in a small town where he’s looking to knock off a bank.” The film looks like a slow burner that could lead to something great, the cast looks strong here – when isn’t Sutherland in top form?
We are still waiting on a release date, check out the intriguing trailer below:...
We are still waiting on a release date, check out the intriguing trailer below:...
- 9/26/2011
- by Graham
- City of Films
Here is the first trailer for the English-language remake of Man on the Train. The original French film was released in 2002 from director Patrice Leconte. The remake is directed by Mary McGuckian and stars Donald Sutherland as a "retired poetry professor" and oddly U2's drummer Larry Mullen Jr. in his acting debut. Mullen stars as "a thief whose plans get thrown off track when he meets Sutherland in a small town where he's looking to knock off a bank."
I enjoy movies that involve bank heists and for some reason have a love of trains. If you are looking for a good train thriller watch Transiberian and Silver Bullet.
Check out the traielr below via Moviefone:
Here is the synopsis:
A mysterious criminal (Mullen Jr.) rolls into a small town planning to knock off the local bank, assuming it will go off without a hitch. But when he encounters...
I enjoy movies that involve bank heists and for some reason have a love of trains. If you are looking for a good train thriller watch Transiberian and Silver Bullet.
Check out the traielr below via Moviefone:
Here is the synopsis:
A mysterious criminal (Mullen Jr.) rolls into a small town planning to knock off the local bank, assuming it will go off without a hitch. But when he encounters...
- 9/24/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Another day, another remake. Never even heard of the original? Neither have I. Man on the Train is an English-language remake of Patrice Leconte's 2002 French film also titled Man on the Train. However, the appealing aspects of this are that it stars not only Donald Sutherland as a "retired poetry professor", but also Larry Mullen Jr., better known as U2's drummer, making his feature acting debut. Mullen plays a thief whose plans get thrown off track (no pun intended) when he meets Sutherland in a small town where he's looking to knock off a bank. It doesn't look terrible, but not that great either, but give it a shot anyway. Watch the first official trailer for Mary McGuckian's Man on the Train, via Moviefone: A mysterious criminal (Mullen Jr.) rolls into a small town planning to knock off the local bank, assuming it will go off without a hitch.
- 9/24/2011
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Hollywood is always saying that film is a visual and not a literary medium. But sometimes it's worth fighting your way past the subtitles barrier to find, among other gems, some of the inspirations and originals that Tinseltown has been inspired by...
[Spoilers follow]
1. Kontroll (2003)
Why you should watch it:
- For the brilliant 'railing' scene. Railing, or rail running, is a deadly game whereby the participants run along the track after the last passenger train in a race against time to beat the express train that speeds through the station. I won’t give the game away, but in this scene there’s some pants-wetting action.
- The mysterious girl in the bear costume.
- To remind yourself that your job ain't all that bad. Well, you don’t get beaten up and abused on a daily basis and have to run the gauntlet of football hooligans and pimps, and have...
[Spoilers follow]
1. Kontroll (2003)
Why you should watch it:
- For the brilliant 'railing' scene. Railing, or rail running, is a deadly game whereby the participants run along the track after the last passenger train in a race against time to beat the express train that speeds through the station. I won’t give the game away, but in this scene there’s some pants-wetting action.
- The mysterious girl in the bear costume.
- To remind yourself that your job ain't all that bad. Well, you don’t get beaten up and abused on a daily basis and have to run the gauntlet of football hooligans and pimps, and have...
- 6/2/2011
- Shadowlocked
THR reveals that Larry Mullen Jr., the drummer of U2, is acting in, producing and composing a remake of Patrice Leconte‘s comic thriller or crime drama, whatsoever, Man On The Train (L’Homme du train).
In fact, film is currently in the late stages of post-production since Production Company has finished shooting in the same period last year and will be selling in Cannes next month.
Irish director/producer Mary McGuckian (The Bridge of San Luis Rey) directed the film and produced with Mullen Jr. and Martin Katz whilst Jon Goodman was an executive.
Original French drama, starring Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday, won the audience awards at the Venice Film Festival for Best Film and Best Actor (Jean Rochefort) in 2002.
A retired teacher and an aged gangster come across in a small town pharmacy. As a special friendship develops between these diverse personalities, each starts to envy the...
In fact, film is currently in the late stages of post-production since Production Company has finished shooting in the same period last year and will be selling in Cannes next month.
Irish director/producer Mary McGuckian (The Bridge of San Luis Rey) directed the film and produced with Mullen Jr. and Martin Katz whilst Jon Goodman was an executive.
Original French drama, starring Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday, won the audience awards at the Venice Film Festival for Best Film and Best Actor (Jean Rochefort) in 2002.
A retired teacher and an aged gangster come across in a small town pharmacy. As a special friendship develops between these diverse personalities, each starts to envy the...
- 4/26/2011
- by Nikola Mraovic
- Filmofilia
U2 Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. Heading Up Man On The Train Remake
The Hollywood Reporter is telling us that U2's Larry Mullen Jr. (the drummer), is getting ready to take a step into the world of film. He will produce, act in and compose a remake of Patrice Leconte‘s comic thriller Man On The Train. Mullen Jr. will co-star with Donald Sutherland, Graham Greene, Tony Nardi, Carlo Rota and Kate O’Toole and Mary McGuckian will direct. Mullen Jr. is usually the quiet one in the band, not usually commanding a lot of the spotlight. So it's nice to see him get a chance to shine. He's a fantastic drummer but seeing as this is his first film role, I'm not sure how he'll hold up in front of the camera. The project seems to have come out of nowhere so we don't know much about it but...
The Hollywood Reporter is telling us that U2's Larry Mullen Jr. (the drummer), is getting ready to take a step into the world of film. He will produce, act in and compose a remake of Patrice Leconte‘s comic thriller Man On The Train. Mullen Jr. will co-star with Donald Sutherland, Graham Greene, Tony Nardi, Carlo Rota and Kate O’Toole and Mary McGuckian will direct. Mullen Jr. is usually the quiet one in the band, not usually commanding a lot of the spotlight. So it's nice to see him get a chance to shine. He's a fantastic drummer but seeing as this is his first film role, I'm not sure how he'll hold up in front of the camera. The project seems to have come out of nowhere so we don't know much about it but...
- 4/25/2011
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
While it's understandable that Ridley Scott has a ton of devotees, I've always thought Tony Scott was more than just Ridley's younger brother. He's a bit too adherent to his own style sometimes (Domino), but he makes very solid thrillers, generally speaking, some even better than that, like Man on Fire.
Like almost every director, the more you give Scott to work with, the better he gets. So let's give Tony Scott a family crime drama with Mickey Rourke, Javier Bardem, Christopher Walken, and and French rock n' roll legend-turned-actor Johnny Hallyday and see what he can do with that. No foolin' on Hallyday, incidentally; the dude's sold over 100 million records, and he's fantastic in the shamefully underappreciated The Man on the Train.
The Playlist got the scoop on the Potsdamer Platz from Le Parisien, which stats that the film will get underway in January, shooting in Puerto Rico, not...
Like almost every director, the more you give Scott to work with, the better he gets. So let's give Tony Scott a family crime drama with Mickey Rourke, Javier Bardem, Christopher Walken, and and French rock n' roll legend-turned-actor Johnny Hallyday and see what he can do with that. No foolin' on Hallyday, incidentally; the dude's sold over 100 million records, and he's fantastic in the shamefully underappreciated The Man on the Train.
The Playlist got the scoop on the Potsdamer Platz from Le Parisien, which stats that the film will get underway in January, shooting in Puerto Rico, not...
- 7/10/2010
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
Let's suppose you're Terry Gilliam. Probably a stretch, I know, but humor me. If you're Terry Gilliam and you really want to go back to La Mancha. Because Don Quixote is one of the most legendary figures in all of fiction, wouldn't you want to cast a real heavyweight to not only fill the shoes and help keep what was a terminated production once upon a time on the rails this time around?
Gilliam, as it happens, wants no less than Robert Duvall for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, at least according to Duvall. The all-time great tells Collider that Gilliam has reached out to him to play the role originally intended for Jean Rochefort, who may not be Bobby Duvall, but he's still pretty damn fantastic (please watch Man on the Train). Rochefort's on-set injury was one of the reasons the film halted production a decade ago.
Gilliam, as it happens, wants no less than Robert Duvall for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, at least according to Duvall. The all-time great tells Collider that Gilliam has reached out to him to play the role originally intended for Jean Rochefort, who may not be Bobby Duvall, but he's still pretty damn fantastic (please watch Man on the Train). Rochefort's on-set injury was one of the reasons the film halted production a decade ago.
- 12/3/2009
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
There is a story in the new print edition of Paris Match in which "The French Elvis", Johnny Hallyday seeks to dispel recent rumours about his ill health and ease the French public's concerns over one of their living national treasures. As well as promising we've far from seen the last of him yet, Hallyday goes on to tease some potential big screen appearances for the future. Hallyday, if you don't know, is a real pop culture icon in the French speaking world. He's been dragging out the same farewell tour for over two years now, seemingly refusing to let the spotlight dim. He's also appeared in a number of films both rather good (The Man on the Train), bad (Detective) and ugly (The Pink Panther 2). The most exciting piece of Hallyday's new interview is his claim that Quentin Tarantino is currently writing a script with a role set aside just for him.
- 11/25/2009
- by Brendon Connelly
- Slash Film
- The Family Stone helmer Thomas Bezucha is set to tackle the English remake of supreme French auteur Patrice Leconte's drama Man on the Train for Miramax Films. The original film (L'Homme du Train), a tale of a drifter casing a small town for a bank robbery, who befriends an elderly professor to aid him in this crime will be adapted by writer Daniel Taplitz ("Chaos Theory") and produced by Bob Cooper (The Crusaders). Problem is, actors are circling over this film; I would say "like vultures" but nobody seems that interested in this corpse. Almost no one is biting! I guess Billy Bob Thornton isn't really "nobody" but the poor guy seems like he fell off the face of the planet, right? While I envision John C. Reilly playing the bumbling, rebel wannabe, I'm more conflicted on who should play the blagger. While this isn't a buddy film per se,
- 4/24/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
NEW YORK -- Miramax is producing an English remake of Patrice Leconte's French drama Man on the Train with writer Daniel Taplitz and producer Bob Cooper.
Thomas Bezucha (The Family Stone) is in negotiations to direct the tale of a drifter casing a conservative small town for a bank robbery. The man befriends an elderly professor who seeks to energize his life by becoming his partner in crime.
Billy Bob Thornton is said to be circling the project, but no actors have been set. It's hoped that production will begin this year once a cast is locked down.
Taplitz (Chaos Theory) is adapting Claude Klotz's original screenplay to the 2002 film, which was released domestically by Paramount Classics. It won the Venice Film Festival award for best film and best actor (Jean Rochefort).
The project is Miramax's latest stab at a foreign film remake. The company also is heading into production with an adaptation of the Italian drama Everybody's Fine with Robert De Niro.
Thomas Bezucha (The Family Stone) is in negotiations to direct the tale of a drifter casing a conservative small town for a bank robbery. The man befriends an elderly professor who seeks to energize his life by becoming his partner in crime.
Billy Bob Thornton is said to be circling the project, but no actors have been set. It's hoped that production will begin this year once a cast is locked down.
Taplitz (Chaos Theory) is adapting Claude Klotz's original screenplay to the 2002 film, which was released domestically by Paramount Classics. It won the Venice Film Festival award for best film and best actor (Jean Rochefort).
The project is Miramax's latest stab at a foreign film remake. The company also is heading into production with an adaptation of the Italian drama Everybody's Fine with Robert De Niro.
- 4/22/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- French filmmaker Patrice Leconte has had the fortune of having a good chunk of his films get theatrical distribution on this side of the Atlantic and this summer is no different. Apart from the distrib changing hands, what might be different is the narrative direction he has taken. Unlike dramatic fair like Intimate Strangers (Confidences trop intimes) and/or L'Homme du Train (The Man on the Train), Leconte’s My Best Friend (Mon meilleur ami) (a film that was release during the holidays in France) is a comedy. Starring Daniel Auteuil, this tells the story of François, a middle-aged antique dealer. He has a stylish apartment and a fabulous life, but at a dinner with a group he considers his dearest acquaintances, he is blindsided by the revelation that none of them actually likes him. He’s arrogant, self-centered and harsh, and they don’t believe he knows the meaning of friendship.
- 6/8/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
Paramount's new, still-untitled specialty films division has promoted Robert Schulze to executive vp distribution, the label said Thursday. Schulze, who will report to president John Lesher, was senior vp distribution at the formerly dubbed Paramount Classics. In his new post, he will oversee all aspects of the art house label's film sales and distribution. "Robert is a consummate professional with a sterling reputation and excellent relationships with exhibitors," Lesher said. "His extensive experience in distributing groundbreaking films makes him a huge asset to our group." Schulze joined Paramount Classics in 2001 as senior vp and was responsible for the division's film sales and distribution, including forecasting, development of theatrical strategies and serving as a liaison with Paramount Picture Commercial Film Distribution Group. Among the titles he supervised were Mad Hot Ballroom, Mostly Martha and Man on a Train.
- 1/20/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Patrice Leconte's Man on the Train is getting an English-language makeover at Bob Cooper's Landscape Entertainment. Harley Peyton -- whose credits include Less Than Zero, Bandits and Twin Peaks -- is penning the project, with Cooper producing and Landscape senior vp feature films Karen Lunder executive producing. Peyton also penned I Know That You Know That I Know, which Landscape has set up at New Line Cinema as a starring vehicle for Jim Carrey. Man on the Train is about two men -- opposites in every way -- who decide that the other man's life is the one they want.
- 5/26/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paramount Classics has gone fishing on the festival circuit and found two films to acquire for distribution. The Paramount Pictures specialty division has snapped up the Berlin International Film Festival title Intimate Strangers from helmer Patrice Leconte and the Sundance Film Festival selection Mean Creek from filmmaker Jacob Estes. The deal for Strangers brings Leconte back into the Par Classics fold for a third time following Girl on the Bridge, starring Daniel Auteuil and Vanessa Paradis, and more recently Man on the Train, starring Johnny Hallyday and Jean Rochefort. Par Classics has picked up rights for Strangers in North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan and for Mean Creek in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia.
- 2/12/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Paramount Classics acquired multiterritory distribution rights Thursday to Patrice Leconte's L'Homme Du Train (The Man on the Train) in a deal with the French-based arm of sales operation Pathe International. The deal, struck during the Venice International Film Festival, where the film screened to great acclaim Tuesday, sees the specialty film division of Paramount Pictures secure distribution rights to Leconte's film for North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Paramount Classics co-president Ruth Vitale finalized the acquisition for an undisclosed sum with Pathe International sales director Pascal Diot on the Lido. Train, written by Claude Klotz (The Hairdresser's Husband), stars Jean Rochefort and French rock 'n' roll icon Johnny Hallyday.
The 2002 Toronto Film Festival has announced its line-up for the 27th festival, which will showcase 343 films from 50 countries, including 263 features, of which 193 are world and North American premieres. Seven Gala films were announced in addition to the previously announced presentations; they include Joel Schumacher.s Phone Booth (world premiere), Neil Jordan.s The Good Thief (world premiere), Danièle Thompson.s Jet Lag (world premiere), Todd Haynes. Far From Heaven (world premiere), Jim Sheridan.s In America (world premiere), The Other Side of the Bed (world premiere), and Patrice Leconte.s L.Homme Du Train (North American premiere). Special Presentations films, in addition to those previously announced, include Robert Duvall.s Assassination Tango, Matt Dillon.s City of Ghosts, Alan Rudolph.s The Secret Lives of Dentists, Michael Hoffman.s The Emperor.s Club, Paul Schrader.s Auto Focus, Menno Meyjes. Max, Pedro Almodóvar.s Talk To Her, and two films from Philip Noyce: Rabbit-Proof Fence and the long-delayed The Quiet American. See http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2002/ for the complete schedule.
- 8/21/2002
- IMDbPro News
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