Battle Cries

Author(s): Pat
Location: New York

“Battle Cries"

Directed By Mike Nichols
Written By Stuart Beattie
Music By James Horner
Cinematography By Dion Beebe
Produced By Mike Nichols, Michael Mann, Clint Eastwood

Principal Cast:

Matt Dillon (Jeff Watkins)
Clive Owen (Martin Fullerton)
Naomi Watts (Marie Watkins)
Michelle Pfieffer (Kim Fullerton)
Joaquin Phoenix (Sam Seaward)
James Woods (Mitchell Gundries)
Frances McDormand (Kathy Nuttall)
Anthony Anderson (Evan Jumper)
Kimberly Elise (Rhonnie Jumper)

Genre: Drama

Synopsis: Mike Nichols directs this new dark romance about two Army officers who are brought together by the war in Iraq and torn apart when infidelities and jealousy lead to disaster. Jeff (Matt Dillon) has just married Marie (Naomi Watts) and has learned that he will be shipped off to Iraq in a few months after a three-week stint in Germany. At Ramstein Air Force Base, Jeff meets Martin (Clive Owen), a superior officer with an angry disposition who is married to Head Surgeon Kim (Michelle Pfieffer). As time passes in Germany, Jeff falls for Kim when he works at the hospital and enters into a torrid affair with her while Marie is left home alone wondering where her husband is. Martin begins to suspect that his wife is cheating on him and decides to spy on Jeff’s residence. Martin gets a quick glance at Marie on his first stakeout and immediately falls for her. Marie, having her own suspicions about Jeff, decides to give Martin a try and begins an affair with him.

After three weeks, both Jeff and Martin are sent to Iraq in the same unit. They both know what the other has been doing with the wives and create an uneasy aura about them. After nearly a month in Iraq, Martin receives a letter from his wife saying that she is going to leave him for Jeff. The incidents that transpire from that letter lead to a deadly struggle between two men in love each other’s wives in the midst of a major battle in the southern part of the country.

Joaquin Phoenix plays an ambitious West Point graduate who tries to become the mediator of the situation. James Woods stars as the leader of the Iraq group who threatens to have the two arrested when their personal war starts inflicting casualties. Frances McDormand plays a friend of Kim’s and Anthony Anderson and Kimberly Elise are husband and wife friends of Jeff and Marie.

What the press would say:

Mike Nichols directs Stuart Beattie’s new script, “Battle Cries”, about two military couples who are brought together by infidelity and torn apart by jealousy. Matt Dillon and Clive Owen star as two married officers on a military base who begin to cheat on each other’s wives (Naomi Watts, Michelle Pfieffer). They both discover the infidelities just before the duo is shipped off to Iraq in the same group. Their feud begins to endanger the rest of the task force and leads to shocking events. Both Dillon and Owen command the screen in every frame while the former becomes a tortured avenger who tries to keep his anger within him as the latter’s anger increases as the minutes pass by. Naomi Watts is very good as the naïve wife of Dillon’s character and is oblivious to the situation that she fueled once she learns that her husband has been cheating on her. Michelle Pfieffer deserves best-in-show accolades for playing Owen’s quiet but stern housewife who is sick of her husband’s constant anger fits. All in all, “Battle Cries” is a fantastic movie about the battlefield that is love.

Awards

Best Picture
Best Director-Mike Nichols
Best Original Screenplay-Stuart Beattie
Best Actor-Matt Dillon
Best Supporting Actor-Clive Owen
Best Supporting Actress-Michelle Pfieffer
Best Supporting Actress-Naomi Watts
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing
Best Sound
Best Sound Editing
Best Original Score

Candidacy

Author(s): Brian
Location: Arizona

"Candidacy"

Directed by Alexander Payne
Written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
Music by Rolfe Kent

Principal Cast:

Matthew Perry (Keith)
Edward Norton (Chris Stanton)
Jack Nicholson (Norbert)
Megan Mullally (Nancy)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sophie)
Neil Patrick Harris (Tony)
Steve Carell (Jack)
Tatum O’Neal (Monica)
Aasif Mandvi (Harvey)
Cynthia Nixon (Denise)

Tagline: "Coming Election Day 2008"

Synopsis: Politicians are dirty, ruthless people. That’s pretty much a fact. The public has grown to hate the core of them, almost all of them are out of touch with the actual needs of the people and scandal after scandal bombards our televisions. That’s where Chris Stanton steps in. Chris was elected Senator of Massachusetts three years ago in a landslide, and he has since been deeply inclined to run for President. Since he has virtually no experience, he runs simply on the platform that, for one, he’s young, two, that he’s good looking and three, he’s not like most politicians. To start, he needs to set up a campaign committee…

First, he needs a campaign manager, and finds one named Keith. Keith is fairly organized and likeable, and as a bonus to Chris’ image, he’s also gay.

Next he needs a speechwriter or two, and discovers Nancy and Tony. Nancy is a brilliant writer, but she has no idea who she is. She considers herself a wild rebel who plays by her own rules, when really she’s a frivolous and shallow person. Tony is Keith’s boyfriend who can’t say anything without it being witty. One can only imagine what a presidential speech he wrote would be like…

Next he needs people to organize it all. As treasurer, Stanton appoints Monica. Big mistake. Monica is perfectly nice, but if anyone mentions the word “work,” and she will criticize you for hours at a time and force her perfectionist views on you. About everything. No matter what. So, it’s just her luck that she gets to work with Jack. Jack is essentially bipolar. Half of the time, he will be incredibly efficient and timely, and the other half of the time he’ll be making insulting jokes about his co-workers or writing stand-up routines.

Now all that he needs are endorsements. His first one is Sophie, a high profile and slightly crazy actress. Or, more properly, a slutty actress. She dates anything that moves. He also has a model named Denise, a strikingly beautiful but incredibly annoying woman. She will talk about anything to anyone for hours at a time, loudly and without warning. Then there’s Harvey. Harvey isn’t really a celebrity endorsement, he’s just Chris’ best friend. He thinks that he’s an extremely successful stand-up comic, when in fact he flips burgers from 9 to 5 and sneaks into comedy clubs and is usually booed off the stage. And finally, there’s Norbert. Norbert is the former Vice-President of a very Republican administration, and is only backing Stanton, a Democrat, because none of the Republican candidates wanted him. And why would they? He is a foul mouthed, rude and overall dirty old man. Stanton only took him because he needed a conservative endorsement, and he was the only one available.

All of these people are put on one bus together to go across the country on a two-week campaign trip. And, from Norbert constantly turning up the heat to remind Keith and Tony how hot Hell is, to Nancy falling in love with Jack and Jack in love with her 50% of the time, and insulting her the other half of the time, to Sophie seducing virtually everyone on the bus, to Harvey and Tony getting into a feud over who’s funnier (when Tony would win unanimously), to Denise talking to Monica constantly during her “working time” (a time no non-suicidal person should mess with), everyone has tons of problems. And that’s where Keith comes in. Keith needs to balance managing with everyone’s conflicts, saving his dying relationship with Tony and winning the election for Chris all at once.

What the press would say:

“Candidacy”, the major hit at the Cannes Film Festival, is not only one of the best films of the year, but it’s also the smartest. Alexander Payne, who graced us in 2004 with his masterpiece “Sideways”, provides us with another insightful, poignant character study, with plenty of laughs along the way. Matthew Perry headlines the cast with a likeable and entertaining performance that could easily earn him an Oscar nomination. But it is Megan Mullally and Jack Nicholson that steal the screen. Nicholson takes a role that one would usually consider to be a “typical Jack” role, but he turns it into something much more. He brings so many new things to the table with this performance in a tricky role. Mullally takes what seems like a run-of-the-mill role and turns it into something extraordinary. She reminds why America fell in love with her with “Will & Grace.” Even though we are only in the beginning of November, I can easily call this these the best supporting performances of the year. But the star of the movie is its screenplay, written by the director, Payne, and his brilliant co-scribe Jim Taylor. “Candidacy” could have easily fallen victim to a typical comedy that thinks it’s smart but isn’t, but Payne and Taylor create such brilliant characters with sharp, fresh dialogue and the most unexpectedly clever, sometimes moving, situations. Wrap all of these things up and you have a serious comedic contender for Best Picture with a strong campaign in the following categories…

Best Picture
Best Director (Alexander Payne)
Best Original Screenplay (Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor)
Best Actor (Matthew Perry)
Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson)
Best Supporting Actress (Megan Mullally)
Best Original Score (Rolfe Kent)

Clouds of Red

Author(s): Tony
Location: Pittsburgh

“Clouds of Red"

Directed by Terrence Malick
Written by Robert Rodat
Produced by John Daly
Music by Nick Glennie-Smith

Principal Cast:

Christian Bale as Mick Mannock
Gerald Butler as James McCudden
Ewan McGregor as Ross Bisping
Stephen Rea as Major Keith Caldwell
Chace Crawford as Albert Ball
Colin Hanks as Donald Inglis
Luke Goss as Jim Eyles
Powers Boothe as Micks Father

Tagline: "On solid ground, he felt emotion. In the skies, he was God"

Synopsis: War is something to look away from. We remind ourselves of what happened, learning about them in schools, you hear a few names mentioned and you learn about them, however, most of the heroes you never hear of are severely "under the radar". Mick Mannock was, if not the best at combat flying in the first World War. Mannock was untouchable in his death of destruction, but outside the plane Mannock was as human all of us.

Born in 1887 in Aldershot, England, Mannocks life took a road bump when he reached 10 years old he developed amoebic infestation which rendered him temporarily blind. Two years after is when his father abandoned his family. His father was known to be a brutal man and hard drinker. Mannock would remain partially blind in his left eye the rest of his life. By the time he was 20 he had joined the Labour Party. While working as a telephone engineer, he had been captured by the Turks, and had been kept in prison. It was until he was near death where he was released as afterwards he joined
the Royal Flying Corps.

During his time as a flying officer, Mannock developed a brash, cocky attitude towards his work, which enraged his CO Major Keith Caldwell. Caldwell would bring it down hard on Mannock several times, but it never stopped him. He practiced shooting consistently and was soon to get his first kill, as he flew in close to German airplanes. By 1918, Mannock had 23 kills, and his over confident attitude seemed to fade away as he was made to flight commander. He was an excellent motivator to his pilots, James McCudden, Ross Bisping, and Albert Ball. McCudden and Mannock were best friends, Pointon was a bitter rivalry of Mannocks, and Ball was a close friend, however tragically on May 7th Ball had been shot down, and this tore Mick up inside.

Mannock continued to remain a titan in the skies, and although Mick grew a strong hatred for the Germans (as he told McCudden after he questioned Micks brutal behavior towards them, he told him "the swins are better dead, no prisoners", the kills were beginning to get to him. After seeing one of his victims catch fire on the way to the ground, Mick developed a severe fear of catching on fire. Due to this, Mannock always had a revolver in his cockpit, where if his plane had ever caught on fire, he'd finish the job himself as soon as he saw the flames. By 1918 he had 59 kills, and earned a trip home, where he had haunted visions of his childhood, his father more importantly. He also developed an obsession with neatness and order, everything had to be perfect. He came back to the war, only to hear that James McCudden had been killed. Mannock didn't take the news lightly, and he realized that deep down he was falling apart, and he wasn't immortal after all. This was known when Mannock and McCuddens new replacement Donald Inglis went up where they finished off a German plane. On the way back down, Mick started to kick his rudder, as the plane all of a sudden caught fire, Mick used his revolver wisely. Apart from the complete irony of Mannocks death, dying in the skies, having his worst fear come to life, Mannock will always be remembered as one of the greatest war heroes the world will ever see. By the end of his life, Mannock had brought down 74 planes.

What the press would say:

Though few war movies in recent years haven't been strictly for one character, "Clouds of Red" delivers us with a sensational style of something new. We look at a different aspect of
WWI and the man leading the way is Terrence Malick. From The Thin Red Line, to The New World, to Clouds of Red, Malick is selling himself as one of the top directors recently in this particular genre. You'll grow a whole new respect to Malik after this one. The dark atmosphere Malik provides us throughout the film brings those haunting stories you have read, and the old films you and your dad used to watch. The scenes in which Malik blends in some fire effects to provide a more fear for the main character was intentionally done well. The quality of the battle scenes is some of the best work I've ever seen, it's not overpowered with them, but after watching one, you can't wait for the next.

However, that is if you can't get enough of the forceful acting provided by Christian Bale. While in the airplane Bale still shines, it's when you take the immortality away from him, and he shows his true talents portayaling a real person, a real person with emotions that Mannock doesn't want to feel. Bale sells the cold hearted killer act as well as he does with his compassionate, overwhelming acting, much like his character in American Psycho, Bale has to sell two personalities, and that he does. You can say what you want about Gerald Butler, but the guy continues to progress in every film as he takes the role of being Micks personal psychiatrist and best friend, you two have this undeniable chemistry that grabs you by the throat. His death alone brings out one of Bales brighter performances in the film after hearing it.

This two and a half hour masterpiece is well earned the price of admission. A very important film that shows the heroics of some of the warriors that have done battle and that warrior doesn't have to be American, the ones we don't take account of, but also shows the tragic mind set a war can give a person. Mick Mannock was a pure example of this. In perhaps one of the most memorable scenes in the film, we get a slow zoom in shot on Christian Bale Nick Glennie-Smith works his magic, and he quotes a direct saying from Mick Mannock. "The journey to the trenches was rather nauseating - dead men's legs sticking through the sides with puttees and boots still on - bits of bones and skulls with the hair peeling off, and tons of equipment and clothing lying about. This sort of thing, together with the strong graveyard stench and the dead and mangled body of the pilot combined to upset me for a few days."

Possible Nominations:

Best Picture - Terrence Malick, Robert Rodat, and John Daly
Best Director - Terrence Malik
Best Actor in Leading Role - Christian Bale
Best Actor in Supporting Role - Gerald Butler
Best Original Screenplay - Robert Rodat
Best Art Direction
Best Cinematography
Best Effects
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup
Best Original Score

Comedy of Life

Author(s): Corey
Location: USA

“Comedy of Life”

Directed By: James L. Brooks
Written By: James L. Brooks and Michael Arndt
Produced By: James L. Brooks
Music By: Hans Zimmer
Cinematography By: John Bailey
Costumes By: Molly Maginnis and Kristi Zea
Art/Set Direction: Polly Platt, Harold Michelson, and Anthony Mondell
Edited By: Richard Marks

Principal Cast:

Jack Nicholson: Frank Kensington
Shirley MacLaine: Ava Kensington
Alan Arkin: Art Singleton
Helen Hunt: Samantha Kensington
Abigail Breslin: Michelle Kensington

Tagline: "You want comedy? Take a look at this family”

Synopsis: The Kensington family has seen its ups and downs. Ava met and fell in love with Frank Kensington, leaving her husband of 13 years, Art Singleton, behind. Art never did get re-married, focusing on raising his daughter Samantha.

Now 30 years later all their lives are about to be changed.

Samantha has moved back in with her mother after her boyfriend leaves for another woman. With Samantha is her 12 year old daughter Michelle. Art sees this as a change to re-connect with his daughter, and his new grand-daughter who he hasn’t seen yet. To do so, though, he must go through Ava and her new husband Frank Kensington, a man he can hardly tolerate.

What results is a realization for every one. Was leaving Art the best choice for Ava and will she ever be able to really become part of her daughter’s life after abandoning her? Will Art ever be able to understand Frank? Will Michelle ever really accept all that has happened to her? Only the healing power of comedy will tell…

What the press would say:

James L. Brooks is back to the type of films he’s best at. Returning to the roots of Terms of Endearment, he crafts his best movie since 1997’s As Good As It Gets. Much like Terms and As Good As It Gets, Comedy excels due to the actors and their realistic performances.

Supporting the great directorial work is an ensemble of career best performances. The dynamic pairing of Nicholson and Brooks is once again very present in their 4th pairing together. Nicholson manages to create the quality characters he did back in the 70’s and 80’s, using the acting skills that made him a legend in the first place. Shirley MacLaine is in perfect harmony with Nicholson, in her best performance since her Academy-Award winning turn in Terms. The chemistry she manages to rekindle with Nicholson is phenomenal and that created with Arkin is as equally effective. Then there’s the greatness of Alan Arkin’s performance. Along with this performance and Oscar winning turn in Little Miss Sunshine, Arkin presents two of the most creative roles of his prolific career. His scenes with MacLaine are, at times, highly dramatic, but he balances it perfectly with his high presence of wit, humor, and humanity. Arkin’s scenes with Nicholson provide the film with its most laugh-out-loud moments. This marks the first time the two have ever shared the screen and viewers should be more than happy to see that.

Helen Hunt gives a pitch perfect performance in possibly her best role even. She manages to interact perfectly with every member of the ensemble and her character manages to connect the rest of the movie together.

Giving yet another delightful performance is young Abigail Breslin. While her scenes with Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine were very touching and loveable, she does almost the opposite in Comedy. Her character is somewhat sarcastic, clashing with her family at any moment that she can. Her scenes with Arkin are frequently tense, creating some of the best comedic moments of the whole film.

Overall, this movie is the best comedy of the year. With the tenderness of Terms and the dysfunctional humor and charm of Sunshine, Comedy of Life manages to present real life situations…well at least in a humorous manner.

Oscar Nominations:

Best Picture: James L. Brooks
Best Director: James L. Brooks
Best Actor: Jack Nicholson
Best Actress: Shirley MacLaine
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin
Best Supporting Actress: Abigail Breslin
Best Supporting Actress: Helen Hunt
Best Original Screenplay: James L. Brooks and Michael Arndt
Best Editing: Richard Marks
Best Cinematography: John Bailey
Best Score: Hans Zimmer
Best Art/Set Direction: Polly Platt, Harold Michelson, and Anthony Mondell

Cluster Town

Author(s): Sergio Requejo
Location: Spain

“Cluster Town"

Directed by Sofia Coppola
Written by Sofia Coppola
Music by Jon Brion
Produced by Francis Ford Coppola

Principal Cast:

Liv Tyler (Brenda)
Peter Sarsgaard (Matt)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Gabriel)
Susan Sarandon (Martha)
James Woods (Gabriel’s father)
Joan Allen (Gabriel’s mother)
Ellen Burstyn (Brenda’s mother)
Kirsten Dunst (Patricia)

Tagline: "Nothing can change if we don’t change in our inside”

Synopsis: Matt (Peter Sarsgaard) hasn’t found his own place yet. His strong personality doesn’t allow him to join or match at any place. The relationship with his mother is getting worst day by day. His mother Martha (Susan Sarandon), left by his father when he was a child, is always telling him that he’s a failure as his father. Matt gets fired from all the jobs he begins, he is not the perfect man for Brenda, and there is a big distance between him and his best friend Gabriel. The town seems to be increasingly small and he needs more space to breathe. Matt needs to find himself, and he thinks the best way is meeting his father, who lives in Florida.

Brenda (Liv Tyler) can’t find a job. She has studied in Georgetown but she had to return when her mother (Ellen Burstyn) gets ill before dying. She doesn’t find a job adapted for her in the town and she is tired of not being able to devote what she wants. She has to pay all the debts of her mother and now that she has saved a little of money she wants to return to her past life. She had a relation with Matt in the past and now she feels that her relation with him is almost finished, but she cannot help love him.

Gabriel (Jake Gyllenhaal) lives in a very religious and oppressive family. He has four younger sisters. His parents want him to dedicate his life to spreading the god's word. His girlfriend, Patricia (Kirsten Dunts), the preacher daughter, gets pregnant and that is a big drama in their families. He has a big discussion with his father (James Woods), who forces him to leave the house in front of the disappointed look of his mother (Joan Allen). Unfortunately Patricia kills herself the same night.

The three need to leave the town. So by chance, without knowing anything of others they do the suitcases to go away the morning after. Brenda has bought a bill for the bus, Matt will drive his own old car and Gabriel will do hitch-hiking. But the night before of the leaving they will meet by chance in the bar where they have spent most of the time together, the only place that they will miss. It’s been a long time since the three friends where all together and they spend the whole night talking. None wants to say anything but finally Gabriel confesses that he’ll leave the town in the morning. He’ll sleep in an old cabin by the river. Finally Brenda and Matt confess their intentions too.

Surprised by the chance of their thoughts they realize that they still have much to clarify between them and with others and they elaborate a last plan. They will simulate that they have gone out of the town on the following morning but they will remain hidden in the cabin. They will be useful to try to arrange the things that they don’t like of their town without being discovered, from the shade of the old cabin. They will try to change what they don’t please about themselves and their families. They will do politics, will revolutionize to the masses, they will create new illusions and dreams in the people. But they know that it won’t be forever. The three finally decide to leave the town together sharing a last trip. Gabriel will stay in New York, to be finally himself, Brenda will stay in Washington to be a politic and Matt will continue to the south to find his father. After the latter great trip it will be difficult to them to separate but they know that they cannot sacrifice their dreams for others dreams. And they know nobody will take away from them what they have lived together.

What the press would say:

A melancholic and subtle atmosphere embraces this strong film that talks about the natural changes of every human being and about the idea of a world that cannot change by itself. They know that nothing can change if we don’t change in our inside. Cluster town is about the promise of a life that never comes, the old dreams of a perfect future that don’t get real. Cluster Town talks about the creation of a small society from the beginning. The three friends represent the three big supports of any society. In Cluster Town everybody is different, none looks like anybody, everyone has different fears, secrets, faults, but all of them are joined by an invisible nexus that keep them together. The three main characters broke this nexus and try to have their own life, to get their own dream, to find their own cluster.

FYC:

Best Picture (Drama)
Best Director: Sofia Coppola
Best Original Screenplay: Sofia Coppola
Best Actress: Liv Tyler
Best Actor: Peter Sarsgaard
Best Supporting Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal
Creativity Awards

The Counterfeit King

Author(s): Adam
Location: Texas

“The Counterfeit King”

Directed by Martin Scorsese
Written by Nicholas Pileggi
Produced by Graham King/Irwin Winkler

Principal Cast:

MARK WHALBERG as Frank Sereno
ROBERT DE NIRO as William "Bill" Ronstadt
CATE BLANCHET as Olivia "Liv" Marcell
CHRISTOPHER WALKEN as Marcus Sereno
TALIA SHIRE as Julia Sereno
RAY LIOTTA as James Maretto

Released: December 25, 2007

Rated R for strong language, some sexual content/nudity

Tagline: "Greed is an evil king"

Synopsis: The true story of "The Counterfeit King" on which the film is based was featured on an episode of The History Channel's Breaking Vegas. Told in flashback, it is the true story of Frank Sereno, who along with his girlfriend Olivia Marcell, worked what seemed to be the perfect plan for getting rich quick off of casino slot machines. He created counterfeit coins that looked, weighed and were shaped exactly like slot machine coins from Atlantic City's Empire Casino. After spending nearly a year crafting these false coins, Frank's tests of the coins showed that many of them worked on the machines. Hence began what Frank felt would be the key to his early retirement. Over a period of time, Frank begins to craft coins from other casinos as well and has coins for numerous Atalntic City casinos. He and Olivia go to different casions and use the counterfeit creations. After making hundreds of thousands off casinos in Atlantic City, Frank and Julia want to try their luck in Vegas. Using part of their earnings, Frank moves his equipment with him to Vegas as he and Olivia work to fool another city of infinite slot machines. The more Frank wins, the more he wants to keep going. Frank and Olivia have built themselves a world of wealth. Frank is even sending money to his parents Marcus and Julia whom he plans to eventually move down to Vegas. Frank also plans to eventually wed Olivia. What Frank doesn't know is that he's being watched. Suspicions begin to arouse from different figures the more Frank gets lucky on the machines. William Ronstadt, an invesatigator for the FBI has been put on the case to investigate Frank. Frank is now also being watched by James Maretto, the tough-natured owner of the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas. Frank is so into his creating and winning off of counterfeit coins that it has become an addiction. Nothing lasts forever, and neither does Frank's glory. The FBI has gained enough evidence on him to go in and make an arrest. Olivia is also arrested as an accomplice. Frank's empire has fallen. His coins are confiscated from the trunk of his car and used as evidence against him in court. He pleads guilty and is sentenced to time in prison. Upon his release, Frank never again works any kind of coin counterfeiting.

What the press would say:

"The Counterfeit King is an excellently crafted drama about how far down our greed will take us"

"It's the Scorsese/Pileggi reunion we've all been waiting for"

"Whalberg, Blanchet and De Niro give excellent performances"

"Another Scorsese crime classic!"

Nominations:

BEST PICTURE- Graham King/Irwin Winkler
BEST DIRECTOR- Martin Scorsese
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY- Nicholas Pileggi
BEST ACTOR- Mark Whalberg
BEST ACTRESS- Cate Blanchet
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- Robert De Niro
BEST EDITING- Thelma Schoonmaker

Dance, Dance

Author(s): Matthew LaRusso
Location: New Jersey

“Dance, Dance"

Directed by: Rob Marshall
Written by: Bill Condon and Rob Marshall
Original Score by: Danny Elfman
Original Music by: Fall Out Boy

Principal Cast:

Patrick Stump as Himself
Pete Wentz as Himself
Joe Trohman as Himself
Andy Hurley as Himself
Ben Affleck as Deuce Devon
Kate Hudson as Faye Funnerling
Kevin Kline as Larry Dermicus
Richard Gere as Troy Spalding

Tagline: "4 Eager Rock and Roll Wannabes, 1 Dream…. time to dance!"

Synopsis: Loosely based on a true story, this musical movie follows four aspiring high school musicians who eventually formed the band Fall Out Boy. West Wilmette High School was a hot bed for young aspiring bands, but making it was never an option, it would take skill, guts, raw energy and a will that could never be matched. The four boys meet their future manager in Deuce Devon (Affleck), a wacky, goofy and sometimes-perverted 30 something man, who cares about nothing more than high school girls, especially that of Stump’s girlfriend, Faye Funnerling (Hudson). If Deuce has one advantage, it’s that he has an eye for talent and he has connections to many powerful men in the music business. Those connections are mainly to record producer Troy Spalding (Gere), who is CEO of Spalding Records. Devon sets up a show for the band, which also happens to be the spring formal, with a little coercing of Principal Dermicus (Kline). The guest of honor is Spalding, scouting out the band that Deuce wants him to sign. This is it, where the skill, guts and raw energy come to the forefront that will decide the fate of these four young men from Wilmette, Illinois. Get ready; it’s time to dance.

What the press would say:

The next musical from the ever-changing minds of Rob Marshall and Bill Condon, follows a different suit than “Chicago” and “Dreamgirls.” It is a movie about the rock business and the trials and tribulations of a young band trying to make it big. The choreography of the musical numbers is outstanding, as the piercing and highly original sound of the band Fall Out Boy makes this movie one for the ages; as does the performance of Ben Affleck as the boys sadistic and perverted manager, who has his eye on the prize, in more ways than one. This is truly a gem for Affleck who is a lock for a nod from the Academy. Visually breathtaking, and musically stunning, “Dance, Dance” will sweep you off your feet and carry you away.

For Your Consideration:

Best Picture
Best Director- Rob Marshall
Best Supporting Actor- Ben Affleck
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Sound
Best Costume Design
Best Song, “For What It’s Worth”, Fall Out Boy
Best Song, “The Guts, The Glory and the Way”, Fall Out Boy