emerald city is a 1988 film directed by michael jenkins , an adaptation of the play of the same name .

much of the play 's dialogue is retained , though discussion of off-stage characters is usually replaced with their appearance and a more conventionally cinematic level and speed of dialogue .

also , the younger daughter hannah was omitted .

emerald city ( film )

emerald city ( film ) <EOT> emerald city wins best overall movie in the jury award and audience award . the irish film festival 2018 .

emerald city was shot at korda studios facility in etyek , near budapest . here is an interesting video about the making of emerald city regarding the locations and sets .

it’s the end of the yellow brick road for nbc ’s “ emerald city . ”

- an invitation for two ( 2 ) to a vip premiere screening of emerald city .

- an invitation for four ( 4 ) to a vip premiere screening of emerald city .

new jerseyites . . . . . emerald city is finally coming to the jersey shore . on friday the 23rd of feb , 8 . 00pm emerald city will open the irish film fest 2018 at the middletown arts center .

colin brokerick speaking during a panel discussion after the new york premiere screening of “emerald city . ”

after surmounting many obstacles , the party finally reaches emerald city in order to meet the wizard .

for your generous $ 1 , 000 . 00 donation , you will be a featured extra in emerald city , forever immortalized on film .

- movie poster of emerald city signed by the main cast and writer / director , colin broderick .

to all of you who are waiting for an emerald city release date . . . an update :

nyu washington , dc and solas nua hosted a screening of emerald city , a film that explores the lives of immigrant irish construction workers in new york city . the film was followed by a q & a session via skype with director colin broderick .

there are no featured audience reviews yet . click the link below to see what others say about emerald city !

for your generous $ 125 . 00 donation you will receive a personally inscribed ( by writer / director colin broderick ) print copy of the emerald city film script .

eric has collaborated with " emerald city " writer / director colin broderick most recently on the short movie " smile " .

everybody loves the duddy ' s . . . nobody more so than their emerald city family . a well deserved honor ;

the ulster herald called “emerald city” an “emotional haymaker” while the irish echo said it delivers “colossal laughs and monumental heartbreak . ”

emerald city , which is loosely based on his own story , will be his first feature as writer / director / actor .

emerald city was a topic on the latest episode of sci fi fidelity . listen below or subscribe ! itunes | stitcher | soundcloud

hi , my name is colin broderick . i ' m the writer and director of emerald city . i spent twenty five years living in new york city after moving here from northern ireland .

for your generous $ 5 , 000 . 00 donation , you will receive a featured on - screen credit as producer of emerald city .

writer / director colin broderick ' s emerald city is a surprisingly heartfelt and vulnerable story of brotherhood and the bonds that keep people together .

this was the year of living successfully for nicole , who starred in dead calm immediately after emerald city , and launched her international career .

irish construction workers built new york city and had a grand time doing it . each guy on the emerald city crew is struggling with something : drinking , gambling , loss , the burden of a family legacy , and facing a city that doesn ' t need them anymore .

emerald city is a dramatic movie about a hard - living crew of irish construction workers in nyc who have reached the end of the line .

from everyone in the emerald city family . . . a very happy birthday to this lovely lady . . . have a great day dympna .

colin broderick’s “emerald city” will get its chicago debut at the 3 rd annual irish - american movie hooley in the fall , it’s been announced . writer - director broderick’s portrayal of the lives of irish emigrant construction workers in new york , which has been seen at the london irish film festival , the belfast film festival and 2017 manhattan film festival , will get its windy city screening the weekend of sept . 29 - oct . 1 at the gene siskel film center .

the film ' s title is a " wizard of oz " reference . the yellow brick road though instead in this down under australian story is the trip from melbourne to sydney of which the latter is the business heart of the australian film industry - " the emerald city " . characters in the film migrate from melbourne to sydney to purse the australian film industry equivalent of the american dream . writer

the film doesn ' t say , but from earlier statements , chris nolan declared that the film is supposed to be contemporary .

we feel strongly that emerald city ' s strength is that people just really like the movie and that word of mouth will be our best promoter .

please note we are not financially responsible for travels expenses incurred or arrangement to and from new york city and / or the film set .

please note that we are not financially responsible for travel expenses incurred or arrangement to and from new york city and / or the film set .

irish construction workers built new york city and had a grand time doing it . each guy on the emerald city crew is struggling with something : drinking , gambling , loss , the burden of a . . . see full summary »

for your generous $ 100 . 00 donation , you will receive a movie poster of emerald city signed by the main cast and writer / director , colin broderick .

- signed copies of colin broderick ' s acclaimed memoirs " orangutan " and " that ' s that " , the books that inspired the movie , emerald city .

the writer / director came up with the idea for the film for his deaf older brother . the film visually interprets the hip hop medium .

catch all these actors in oz - ian action when emerald city premieres on nbc this friday , jan . 6 , at 9 : 00 p . m . et .

william randolph hearst was so angered by the film that he accused orson welles of being a communist in order to keep the film from being released .

the witch ' s sanctuary looks very much like the monumental onofrio ' s fountain ( at the right ) . however , emerald city was not filmed in dubrovnik : the production team built almost a whole city in the studios , along with amazing detailed sets .

although the film was an initial failure , the arcade video games based on it proved to be a tremendous hit and actually out - grossed the film .

colin broderick is an author from county tyrone northern ireland . he has lived in new york for the past twenty five years . emerald city is loosely based on his two memoirs .

the film is included on roger ebert ' s " great movies " list .

the video game " space invaders " is a major influence behind the film .

we need your vote : emerald city has been nominated for the the screen award at the inaugural " irish central creativity and arts awards " to be held in manhattan , february 9th .

it’s the end of the yellow brick road for nbc’s “emerald city . ” the fantasy series , inspired by l . frank baum’s “wizard of oz” tales , has been canceled after one season , variety has confirmed . “emerald city” becomes the second freshman show to be yanked at nbc , following “powerless , ” which was essentially canceled with the network pulling the show from [ … ]

for your generous $ 50 . 00 donation , you will receive a signed copy of colin broderick ' s acclaimed memoir " orangutan " , the book that inspired the movie , emerald city .

true detective alum adria arjona plays dorothy , vincent d’onofrio is the wizard , and joely richardson ( the patriot ) is glinda the good witch . emerald city will be preceded by grimm in its final season—a show that’s averaged a consistent and dedicated audience of roughly seven million over the show’s five seasons , hitting the 100 - episode plateau last season despite near - constant time slot shifting . emerald city can expect a boost from loyal grimm fans looking for a similar atmosphere . it’s possible that a successful turn from emerald city could spawn even more modern and inventive takes on baum’s story .

no matter who you are and where you’re from , you’re bound to find meaning in the award - winning film “emerald city , ” which is making its borough debut in lefrak concert hall at queens college wednesday , march 14 , during a celebration of irish music and dance .

described as a modern and dark reimagining of the classic tale of oz in the vein of game of thrones , drawing upon stories from baum’s original 14 books , emerald city hails from universal tv .

one of the inspirations for the film was stanley kubrick ' s _ spartacus _ .

puerto rico - born , mexico city - raised arjona is repped by uta and one entertainment .

for your generous $ 2 , 500 . 00 , you will have a speaking part , your very own line , in emerald city , a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a movie star .

emerald city has been nominated for an award in the inaugural urltoken creativity & arts awards which will take place at 6 . 30pm on friday 9th february at the american irish historical society in new york .

despite arjona ' s short time as an actress , her star is quickly rising . she is set to star as dorthy gale in the upcoming television wizard of oz adaptation , emerald city . she will also appear in the james gunn ( guardians of the galaxy ) produced horror film , the belko experiment , and the 2018 melissa mccarthy film , the life of the party .

emerald city is a short starring darrick mosley , jonathan ballard , and damian black . a musician relates to his friends a vision that encompasses the most important events in his life and culminates in his demise .

the film represents the feature film debuts of william alland , ray collins , joseph cotten , agnes moorehead , erskine sanford , everett sloane , paul stewart , and orson welles himself .

such has been my life as a writer in new york city working as an irish construction worker .

eye for detail : emerald city art is inspired in gaudi ' s work , like the hilt of lucas ' s sword . on the right , the chimney sentinels of la pedrera house , also in barcelona .

emerald city is a movie about a hard living crew of irish construction workers in new york city . they are men in their late thirties / early forties who left ireland in an era of closeted oppression and sectarian violence . they have spent their adult lives self - medicating against a past that continues to haunt them .

the american film institute ' s poll ranked the film # 1 on its list of greatest american movies of all time in 1998 , and again on the 10th anniversary list from 2007 .

there are imaginative nods to the iconic film : a rainbow takes the form of a stained - glass decoration , and monkey statues are part of an elaborate drone system in oz . director tarsem singh , who is also an executive producer on “ emerald city , ” displays a sensibility that dovetails well with both halves of the show’s name . “emerald city” features saturated jewel tones and inventive and elaborate urban landscapes , and singh’s use of color and his talent for composition , especially when the characters travel through evocative deserts , are impressive .

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the reporter interviewing an aged kane in the newsreel is the film ' s cinematographer gregg toland .

included among the american film institute ' s 1998 list of the top 100 greatest american movies .

due to the poor return at the box office , following this film and its predecessor the black hole ( 1979 ) , disney studios did not make another live subject film for ten years .

for your generous $ 75 . 00 donation , you will receive signed copies of colin broderick ' s acclaimed memoirs " orangutan " and " that ' s that " , the books that inspired the movie , emerald city .

congratulations to the film victoria supported projects and victorian talent recognised at the 2018 tv week logie awards .

just last year , chazelle was nominated for an oscar for his film " whiplash , " starring j . k . simmons and miles teller . " la la land " is only his third film .

gregg toland ' s equipment included the first extensive use of coated lenses for shooting a feature film .

for your generous $ 250 . 00 donation , your name will be listed in the final credits of emerald city . you will also receive signed copies of colin broderick ' s acclaimed memoirs " orangutan " and " that ' s that " .

a dog ( god ) revealed the deceitful wizard - from the imaginary emerald city , of green . yellow is the journey . red is dorothy ' s shoes which save her . the four of them in one , heart soul mind body .

film victoria works in partnership with film , television and games practitioners and industries to foster innovation and excellence in projects and people , encourage audience engagement , and promote our unique and diverse state as a filming destination .

writer , director and star broderick will attend the post - screening discussion at the gene siskel film center .

winner of the best documentary award at the 2010 beloit international film festival , the silver sierra award for excellence in filmmaking at the yosemite film festival , and the silver screen award at the nevada film festival , the secret of oz is quickly earning critical and international acclaim with its powerful message : no more national debt .

voted # 6 in total film ' s 100 greatest movies of all time list ( november 2005 ) .

development for the film first began in 1976 when steven lisberger found himself addicted to the video game pong .

inception is based on a screenplay by british filmmaker christopher nolan , who also produced and directed the film .

1 . the city ( yusuf ' s dream ) 2 . the hotel ( arthur ' s dream ) 3 . the mountain ( eames ' dream ) 4 . limbo ( the decaying city & the asian house where cobb finds saito )

little did i know , when i sat down with sal abate and simon hallet on a cold and windy night at the morley alehouse to find out what’s happening in the world of emerald city , that the band were on the verge of a rebirth .

an in - depth profile of australia ' s creative state and the opportunities that lie ahead for film victoria .

tickets are available through the gene siskel film center’s website urltoken or through the individual films’ web links on urltoken .

orson welles was just 25 years old when he directed , co - wrote , starred in and produced this , his very first feature film - - a feat unlikely to ever be matched on any film so highly esteemed .

gregg toland ' s cinematography credit appears alongside orson welles directing credit in the final title card of the film .

favorite film of charlton heston . he would later collaborate with orson welles on touch of evil ( 1958 ) .

you’d be hard - pressed to find anyone who hasn’t seen “the wizard of oz , ” read the source material by l . frank baum , or come across some retelling of dorothy’s picaresque journey . and therein lies the core problem with “emerald city . ” in look and tone , it does not imitate the classic 1939 film starring judy garland , but this [ … ]

eric has also directed numerous music videos , commercials , and short films . his debut feature , stay cold stay hungry , recently premiered at the coney island film festival , where it took home the award for best feature film .

pacific rim : maelstrom beings production in australia in november 2016 , and the film hits theaters february 23 , 2018 .

screenwriter herman j . mankiewicz wrote the balance of the screenplay for this film from a hospital bed recovering from illness .

“emerald city is a surprisingly heartfelt and vulnerable story of brotherhood and the bonds that keep people together . it’s a story of identity and love , of loss and redemption , balancing wry bawdy humour with a wonderful amount of warmth and filled with fine performances from all involved . ”

this english actress has put in her time acting in guest roles on a variety of british television series — including law & order : uk — and makes her american debut this year in both emerald city and an upcoming episode of amc ' s martial arts drama into the badlands .

“ emerald city ” becomes the second freshman show to be yanked at nbc , following “powerless , ” which was essentially canceled with the network pulling the show from its schedule . over the next week , leading up to upfronts , network executives will be tasked with axing more bubble shows .

a native of new york city , eric attended the bronx high school of science and the school of visual arts before beginning his career .

the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .

some of the hottest breakthrough talent in irish cinema will descend on tyrone in the coming weeks to shoot a new feature film .

orson welles ' 156 - page personal working copy of the script for the film sold for $ 97 , 000 in 2007 .

much of the music used in the phony newsreel is stock music from rko ' s film five came back ( 1939 ) .

the movie ' s line " rosebud . " was voted as the # 17 greatest movie quote by the american film institute .

australian author david williamson adapted emerald city from his own stage play . the title may conjure up images of the wonderful land of oz , but the plot is set in the munchkin - free australian film industry . john hargreaves stars as a prosperous screenwriter who is perfectly willing to accept the obscene gobs of money thrown at him . one day , however , he decides that he ' s a sellout , and attempts to turn out something of meaning and value - - and uniquely australian . but he runs up against an industry with both eyes on the valuable american market . there are laughs in emerald city , but they have a hollow ring ; this hit too close to home with many australian filmmakers to be considered a comedy .

steven lisberger and his producing partner donald kushner set up their own animation studio to achieve the visual effects that they hoped to depict in the film . they then hawked their test footage around all the main hollywood studios until walt disney agreed to finance the film .

the screening will be followed immediately by audience discussion with writer / producer fortuna and follow up with an opening night reception at the emerald loop pub on wabash .

after production wrapped , william randolph hearst forbade any advertisement of the film in any of his newspapers - - or indeed any other rko movies - - and offered to buy the negative from studio head george schaefer with a view to destroying it . fortunately orson welles had already previewed the film to influential industry figures to rave reviews , so it was granted a limited theatrical release . critics from non - hearst newspapers fell over themselves praising the film . the film itself was not reviewed in any hearst newspaper until the mid - 1970s , when the film critic for hearst ' s " los angeles herald - examiner " , ray loynd , finally reviewed it .

debuting in january , “emerald city” never found an audience over its 10 episodes . opening to 4 . 5 million viewers , the drama dipped week - to - week to a season low of 2 . 3 million viewers , slightly ticking up for its finale with an audience of just under 2 . 9 million .

with the premiere of new nbc drama emerald city ( fridays , 9 / 8c ) on january 6th , a gritty ten - episode take on baum’s oz from director tarsem singh ( mirror mirror , self / less ) , audiences will be looking at a much darker on - screen oz than they’re used to .

on the small screen , audiences will undoubtedly know d ' onofrio from his recent role as the villainous wilson fisk on marvel ' s daredevil , or from his series regular role as det . robert goren on all 10 seasons of law & order : criminal intent . but the actor is also known for his many and varied film roles , including full metal jacket ' s pvt . gomer pyle , men in black ' s edgar , jurassic world ' s vic hoskins , and the serial killer whose mind jennifer lopez enters in the cell , the 2000 film by emerald city director tarsem singh .

the voice of the newsreel announcer at the beginning of the film is provided by william alland , who plays the reporter mr . thompson .

philadelphia : emerald city goes back to school . next monday night . . . a free screening hosted by villanova college philadelphia . all are welcome ( over age 13 ) . details in the link . if you know some peeps in philadelphia please tag them in the post . thanks . and we’ll see you all there . urltoken

a hard living crew of irish construction workers in new york find themselves at an historical crossroads in writer / director colin broderick’s first feature film .

for his work in this movie , orson welles became the first person to be oscar nominated for best actor and best director for the same film . he also won best original screenplay , and was the first person to be nominated in all three categories for the same film as well .

mia’s vibrant wardrobe was a very purposeful choice . when talking about the color palette for the film in an interview with fashionista , zophres said :

you’d be hard - pressed to find anyone who hasn’t seen “the wizard of oz , ” read the source material by l . frank baum , or come across some retelling of dorothy’s picaresque journey . and therein lies the core problem with “ emerald city . ” in look and tone , it does not imitate the classic 1939 film starring judy garland , but this darker take on the story remains so familiar that , although it’s gorgeous , there’s too little tension and suspense driving it .

again , on some level emerald city is just out there enough to keep you watching and maybe at this point in time and on network television there ' s a certain need to be a ragtag curiosity to keep people coming back each week ( it premieres with two full episodes , which is a bit daring in itself these days ) .

the state - of - the - art computer used for the film ' s key special effects had only 2mb of memory and 330mb of storage .

the " pulsing " flicker in some scenes in the computer world were the accidental result of a mix up during production . each b & w ; 65mm frame of the film was printed on 20 " x16 " kodalith high contrast film as high contrast positives which were then used to print as high contrast negatives . these positives and negatives were then colorized and used in the film . the kodalith was produced by kodak in the necessary size as a special order and the film boxes numbered in order of each batch produced so that there was a consistent film speed if used in order . however , this was misunderstood by the tron crew and they were used in any random order which resulted in some frames being brighter / darker than others and resulted in the flickers as the film speed varied . once this was found out , the film was used in order of production to minimize the effect , but in the end the producers actually added in more flickers and " zinger " sounds to represent the computer world glitching as steven lisberger described it . however , he digitally removed them from the 2011 blu - ray release as they were not in his original vision of the film and he believed they detracted from the quality .

the victorian government will provide up to $ 85 , 000 to build the leadership skills and professional expertise of women working in the film and television industry .

the musical was a risky undertaking by most accounts . but chazelle was encouraged by the initial response from the singers , dancers and actors in the film .

despite all the publicity , the film was a box - office flop and was quickly consigned to the rko vaults . at 1941 ' s academy awards the film was booed every time one of its nine nominations was announced . it was only re - released to the public in the mid - ' 50s .

the film was disqualified from receiving an academy award nomination for special effects , because the academy felt at the time that using computers was " cheating " .

in the film , cobb pulled a " mr . charles " on fischer due to the time constraints . what exactly is " mr . charles " ?

hi guys . . . . . emerald city screens at queens college this week . . . the 14th . . . i know there has been some confusion about the time and ticket prices . . . . . the movie starts at 7 . 30 . there is a reshow with irish dancers and music . . . hence the 20 dollar ticket price .

to vote : click the link , locate , " the screen " nominees . . . scroll to the bottom of that particular section and select " emerald city " . . . then scroll down further to the bottom of the page , and enter your name , email address , verify you are not a robot and click " vote " . i know , it ' s a few extra steps but if you could take a second and give us a click we would really appreciate it . . . emerald city . . . onwards and upwards into 2018 . have a great day everyone . . . please feel free to share the post or tag a friend who might like to support our movie . thanks . urltoken

wicked , based on the popular gregory maguire novels , has recently become one of broadway’s top - ten longest - running shows of all - time . the popularity of baum’s emerald city still resonates so resoundingly that even oz the great and powerful , which received only lukewarm reception from critics and fans alike , still raked in almost $ 500 million worldwide in 2013 .

some of the cast previously worked with the writer / director on his play father who , which had a successful run at theatre 80 in new york city in march 2014 . the play is featured in this film as the production that the character colly puts on and casts with the same actors that starred in the real play .

our capital city , melbourne , is consistently named among the world’s most liveable cities . we ' d love to work with you to help you realise your next project here .

the film ' s opening - just the title , no star names - was almost unprecedented in 1941 . it is now the industry norm for hollywood blockbusters .

composer wendy carlos ' score for the film was unavailable on cd for many years due to the severe degradation of the original analogue master tapes . by the time of the film ' s 20th anniversary , techniques had been developed which allowed the tapes to be temporarily restored to a playable condition for digital re - mastering .

emerald city executive producers david schulner and shaun cassidy made a note in a pre - premiere letter to screeners about the evergreen allure of baum’s series that piqued my interest : “one hundred years later , women are still fighting for empowerment [ … ] and the pursuit of identity – racial , gender and otherwise – remains at the forefront of our political and cultural conversation . ”

" you get this view of downtown la , which to me looks like the emerald city , you know from ' the wizard of oz , ' and so it has this scope to it . and it was great , going up there , nothing was green - screened . we got to shoot it all for real , which was my dream , " he said .

despite the enormous controversy surrounding the film , it actually passed the review of the hays office , the self - regulatory censorship office that set production codes in hollywood . it ' s actually surprising that the film passed without incident , given the power that someone like william randolph hearst could have brought to bear on such an organization .

that said , the familiarity of the story and the lack of charisma displayed by core characters combine to impart the idea that there is less here than meets the eye . and it’s difficult to escape the impression that “emerald city” has imported too much of a strain of frustrating nihilism that can be found in a large swath of modern dramas , including “the walking dead” and “game of thrones . ”

after two weeks of intense campaigning and over 14 , 000 votes , we are finally ready to announce the results of the scannain readers ' favourite irish film of 2017 .

emerald city launched in early 2007 – a time when perth was synonymous with indie bands . the first of the new wave of perth rock bands , they released their debut ep in 2008 , supported the likes of paul stanley , and quickly gathered a strong following – but line - up hassles and a lack of industry support saw things go quiet for a while on the e . c . front .

the snow globe kane drops and breaks at the beginning of the film reappears in the flashback scene in susan alexander ' s apartment by a framed picture next to her mirror .

in this film produced by the walt disney company , dr . walter gibbs started what became a huge company from his garage . in real life , walt disney did this .

while most of the film’s wardrobe is one - of - a - kind , here are some similar pieces you can snag to recreate the dreamy looks of la la land .

the wizard of oz was published in 1900 , not 1890 . all the same , this is fascinating information for me , since i became fascinated with the oz books as a child . after reading the emerald city of oz , in which baum notes there is no money in oz , i decided that i hated money , and i ' ve never looked back . i was 11 years old at the time .

this beautiful emerald dress is a standout from the film , and part of an especially dreamy dance sequence . the above modcloth dress is a pretty close match , but a little pricey ( $ 125 ) . you can get a dress at mango for a lower price ( $ 70 ) , but it’s a less similar style . this look was inspired by an outfit worn by judy garland in the 1954 film a star is born . the color looks amazing with stone’s fair skin and red hair — it’s no wonder sebastian can’t keep his eyes off mia in this scene .

the opening scene in a darkened theater ( after the newsreel ) is played by all the main male characters from the rest of the film , including joseph cotten and orson welles .

the secret of oz : solutions for a broken economy is the powerful new film from the creators of the ground breaking film the money masters . what ' s going on with the world ' s economy ? foreclosures are on the rise , unemployment is skyrocketing and this may only be the beginning . is it possible that solutions to the world ' s economic problems were embedded in one of the most beloved children ' s stories of all time , " the wonderful wizard of oz ? " the yellow brick , the emerald city of oz , dorothy ' s silver slippers ( changed to ruby slippers for the movie version ) — all powerful symbols of author l . frank baum ' s belief that the people , not the big banks , should control the quantity of a nation ' s money .

it ' s hard to fault emerald city for its ambition and creativity , but there ' s a surprising level of violence here that only barely gets undercut by moments of silliness ( and it was hard to figure out early on if the wizard , played by vincent d ' onofrio , was supposed to be silly or sinister ) . maybe the tonal shifts were necessary because so many fingers appear to be in this reimagined pie .

director damien chazelle is only on his third film . but for the second year in a row , he ' s creating oscar buzz with the new musical " la la land . "

it was rko head george schaefer who suggested the title change from " american " to " citizen kane . " orson welles had also wanted to call the film " john q . "

“the dunning man” tells the tale of irish - american lad connor ryan , who is out of a job and dumped by his girlfriend , he returns to atlantic city to try to rebuild his life . in

production advisor miriam geiger quickly compiled a handmade film textbook for orson welles , a practical reference book of film techniques that he studied carefully . he then taught himself filmmaking by matching its visual vocabulary to the cabinet of dr . caligari ( 1920 ) , which he ordered from the museum of modern art and films by frank capra , rené clair , fritz lang , king vidor and jean renoir .

is it the first irish production outside of emerald city that i’ve seen of late that shows irish people ( specifically of the northern persuasion ) talking and behaving like real irish people do ? yes yes yes . well done to all involved . derry girls is a refreshing break from the norm . . . a groundbreaking show that will change the conversation in much the same way i hope our own movie will . . . authentic , funny and edgy . check it out .

in an attempt to recoup some of its losses after its initial box - office flop , rko distributed this film in january 1942 on a double bill with the little foxes ( 1941 ) starring bette davis .

thankfully , these unfamiliar approaches to characters like the scarecrow ( now a handsome , amnesia - stricken man ) and the wicked witch ( now an unpredictable opium addict ) will be grounded by familiar faces that many viewers will recognize from other television projects and movies , including marvel villains and a particular person of interest . so before you tune in to the series premiere of emerald city , get to know the 12 performers who will be guiding you on this strange trip down the yellow brick road…

when a tornado transports dorothy gale from lucas , kan . , to the faraway land of oz , her arrival sets in motion a prophecy about a disastrous event known as the beast forever and strikes fear into the land ' s almighty ruler , the wizard . on her quest to meet the wizard in emerald city , dorothy encounters witches , an amnesiac soldier , a sheltered little boy and many more mysterious beings who will ultimately shape the future of oz and dorothy ' s place in it .

emerald city has given us a refreshingly diverse lead in arjona ( born in puerto rico and raised in mexico ) , who tv audiences may remember as an i . a . detective whose number came up on person of interest season 4 , as well as the girlfriend of closeted , ill - fated paul woodrugh on true detective season 2 . you ' ll be able to see her on the big screen in the 2018 sequel pacific rim : uprising , alongside the force awakens ' john boyega .

if you have a question about a film victoria program or service , please review our staff list to find the best person to assist . if you ' re not sure who to speak to please contact us .

on the night the movie opened in san francisco , orson welles found himself alone with william randolph hearst in an elevator at the city ' s fairmont hotel . aware that his father and hearst were friends , welles extended an invitation to the magnate to attend the film ' s premiere . hearst turned down the offer and , as he was about to exit the elevator at his floor , welles remarked , " charles foster kane would have accepted . "

deadline is now reporting that adria arjona ( true detective ) will join the cast as well . like most of the roles in the film so far , mum ' s the word on what her role will entail .

adaptations of novels and comic books are not going away ; if anything , in tv , they’re starting to seem more common than original concepts . while there’s nothing wrong with this trend , there are degrees of difference when it comes to previously published intellectual property . those taking on iconic stories with broad awareness in mainstream popular culture have to bring something new and different to the party . but “emerald city” only intermittently displays the kind of sustained energy that comes from a comprehensive , deep and truly exciting new vision .

a couple move to sydney from a small town , and soon become lured by the bright lights of the big city . colin , the scriptwriter husband , is corrupted by his editor and then falls for his . . . see full summary »

jackson cohen ( dracula , the raven ) will play lucas , described as handsome , mysterious and quick - witted . dorothy finds him , beaten , bloodied , and moaning on a post outside the ruins of his village . the sole survivor of what appears to gave been a mass crucifixion , he remembers nothing of his past , not even his name . he joins dorothy on her journey to the emerald city , and as they survive challenge after challenge , he proves his loyalty to the brave but bewildered newcomer .

the show had a long road to getting on the air . it first landed a straight - to - series order for the 2014 - 2015 season , but nbc opted to pass on the ambitious series , which at that time , was being developed by matthew arnold and josh friedman . then , for the next season , the network retooled the series with david schulner , giving yet another straight - to - series 10 - episode order in spring 2015 , though nbc did not put “emerald city” on the schedule until early 2017 .

in emerald city , in the blink of a tornado’s eye , 20 - year - old dorothy gale ( arjona ) and her k9 police dog are transported to another world , one far removed from our own — a mystical land of competing kingdoms , lethal warriors , dark magic and a bloody battle for supremacy . this is the fabled land of oz in a way you’ve never seen before , where wicked witches don’t stay dead for long and a young girl becomes a headstrong warrior who holds the fate of kingdoms in her hands .

principal photography which began in late june 1940 , finished just a few days over schedule on october 23 . the movie was ready for release in february 1941 . the controversy surrounding the film delayed its opening until 1 may 1941 .

“emerald city” was a darker take on the classic “wizard of oz , ” following 20 - year - old dorothy gale , played by adria arjona , and her k9 police dog from kansas who , after a tornado , are transported to another world far away — a mystical land of competing kingdoms , lethal warriors , wicked witches , dark magic , and a bloody battle for supremacy . vincent d’onofrio starred as the wizard , and other cast members are oliver jackson - cohen , ana ularu , gerran howell , jordan loughran , and mido hamada .

sal : yeah we have contacts in l . a . now man , we did the george lynch and faster pussycat support , and we blew ‘em away . the promoter from that show said ‘come over’ , craig goldy said ‘come over’… we’re focussing on next year . joe’s been in touch with craig goldy about the destiny’s bridge thing [ emerald city won the perth leg on the destiny’s bridge band competition ] , and he thinks that might happen later this year , but it’s already been a year so who knows… we’re looking at doing a live album…

alan ladd makes an uncredited appearance as one of the reporters at the end of the film ( the one " with the pipe , " as indicated in the credits list ) , discussing kane and " rosebud " just before the furnace finale .

perhaps as an unconscious creation , a small maybe . but the symbolism exactly matches william jennings bryan ( known as " the lion " of the silver movement ) and his attempts to get the usa off the gold standard ( yellow bricks ) . even his dalliance is heroin ( the poppys ) is detailed . dorothy ' s silver slippers were the answer to the problem – the banking establishment wanted the gold standard , and it was ruining america – dorothy ( the people ) , scarecrwo ( farmers ) , tin woodsman ( factory workers ) and bryan the lion . the emerald city with it ' s " phony " big head represents the usa ' s march towards oligarchy , or rule by those who can afford gold . we have now arrived at that city , and it ' s never been more important to understand what baum wrote and meant .

this may be slightly off topic but i recently watched the film " chapter 27 " , a film about david chapman and the assassination of john lennon . in the film chapman has a strange attachment to a post card depicting the characters from " the wizard of oz " . this attachment is never explained , at least not to my understanding . when i was watching this film i instantly began to think of rumors i heard of chapman being a victim of mind control to kill lennon . when i saw the post card i thought of the theory that " the wizard of oz " was a " trigger " for mind control . being used to awaken a dormant hypnotized state of mind . i was wondering if you could maybe do an article on the these theorys and or the movie " chapter 27 " . the movie is f * * * * * g creepy and if chapman really was a victim of mind control someone deffinetly added symbolizm that they thought only they would under stand .

gregg toland used faster film and much more powerful lighting that made it possible to get deep focus shots . toland also used a self - blimped ( self - muffling ) camera , which meant that orson welles had the freedom of greater camera movement .

in new york city the last wave of irish carpenters , painters , electricians , plumbers and bricklayers who had emigrated during the construction boom of the late 1980 ' s now find themselves being replaced by a fresh wave of manual labor , this time from south america and eastern europe .

according to orson welles , the nightclub set was available after another film had wrapped and that filming took 10 to 12 days to complete . for these scenes welles had dorothy comingore ' s throat sprayed with chemicals to give her voice a harsh , raspy tone .

barbara scharres , program director of the gene siskel film center , and radio personality mike houlihan said that that irish comedy hit “the young offenders” and “the dunning man , ” which is adapted from irish - american writer kevin fortuna’s short story , will also be shown .

to keep studio execs off his back , orson welles claimed the cast and crew were " in rehearsal " during the first few days of shooting , when in fact they were actually shooting the film . it took a number of days before the studio caught on .

adria arjona is on the rise . after recently scoring her first series regular role in tnt’s untitled miami drama and her first recurring stints on cbs’ person of interest and the upcoming season of hbo’s true detective , the young actress has landed her first series lead . arjona has been cast as dorothy in emerald city , nbc ’s 10 - episode straight - to - series wizard of oz drama . the project , originally developed during the 2013 - 14 season , was r ecently resurrected with a new writer / executive producer , david schulner . he is now joined by shaun cassidy , who also will serve as executive producer .

although marion davies is frequently held up as the model for susan alexander kane , the character was more likely to have been influenced by opera - singer - turned - film - actress hope hampton and opera - singer - turned - botanical - garden - founder madama ganna walska .

with pre - production of the sequel well underway , casting announcements have been coming in hot and fast recently . following the score of the up - and - coming john boyega ( star wars : the force awakens ) , the film has since cast scott eastwood ( gran torino ) , singer cailee spaeny , and jing tian ( the great wall ) , and levi meaden ( aftermath ) . it was recently revealed that the previous film ' s star , charlie hunnam ( sons of anarchy ) , would not return for the sequel due to scheduling conflicts .

limbo is a shared environment not limited to a single subconscious . it is referred to earlier in the film as " unconstructed dream space " . it is filled with cobb ' s decaying city because he is the only one in the group who has experienced limbo before . had cobb not spent 50 years there , it would have supposedly been empty space . a second theory is the city is the remains of what cobb and mal had created . when saito died from the gun shot wound , he entered the limbo in which cobb and mal had been . some say that it is not limbo , and that it is cobb ' s dream ( for how can cobb and ariadne purposely put themselves in limbo ) . a point to refute this is that fischer was in it , but maybe he was just a projection . mal is a projection , so why couldn ' t fischer also be ?

for more information about the film center , call 312 - 846 - 2800 ( 24 - hour movie hotline ) or 312 - 846 - 2600 ( general information , 9 : 00 am - 5 : 00 p . m . , monday - friday ) , or visit urltoken .

in the original script , kane ' s son survives into adulthood and joins a radical group attempting to overthrow the government . 33 years after the film ' s release patricia hearst - granddaughter of willam randolph hearst - was kidnapped by and brainwashed into joining the radical symbionese liberation army .

these likeable , but no longer fresh - faced rogues , who left ireland in an era of closeted oppression and sectarian violence , have spent their adult lives self - medicating in a foreign city . it’s time for a change , and someone in the crew might have just the right idea . tickets : £16 book tickets


the messenger is a 2009 war drama film starring ben foster , woody harrelson , samantha morton , steve buscemi , and jena malone .

it is the directorial debut of oren moverman , who also wrote the screenplay with alessandro camon .

the film premiered at the 2009 sundance film festival and was in competition at the 59th berlin international film festival where it won the silver bear for best screenplay and the berlinale peace film award ' 09 .

the film received first prize for the 2009 deauville american film festival .

the film has also received four independent spirit award nominations ( including one win ) , a golden globe nomination , and two academy award nominations .

the messenger ( 2009 film )

the messenger ( 2009 film ) <EOT> the messenger ( 2009 ) …review and / or viewer comments • christian spotlight on the movies • christiananswers . net

( " sõnumitooja " , 2009 ) and meeting the film director leeni linna . she was also the author of the film

looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the messenger ( 2009 ) near you .

omnilab media co - financed the production and release of this compelling 2009 war - drama feature film .

the messenger was a good film that went ignored for the most part except for original screenplay .

april 29 - may 2 a single man ( 2009 , usa , 99 m . ) ; the messenger ( 2009 , usa , 105 m . ) ; the imaginarium of dr . parnassus ( 2009 , uk / canada / france , 122 m . ) ; the last station ( 2009 , germany / russia / uk , 112 m . ) ; the cove ( 2009 , usa , 92 min . ) , sponsored by mission savvy and emily jones yoga ; the maid ( 2009 , chile / mexico , 95m . ) ; broken embraces ( 2009 , spain 127 min . ) , a serious man ( 2009 , usa , 105 m . ) , an education ( 2009 , uk , 105 min . )

featured in zombieland / a serious man / whip it ( 2009 ) . see more »

district 9 ( 2009 , us / nz / can . / s . afr . )

omnilab media co - financed the production and release on this compelling 2009 war - drama feature film starring 2010 academy award nominated for best supporting actor , woody harrelson .

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2009 marked the year of the hurt locker . kathryn bigelow’s film topped over 60 % of critics’ top 10 lists , which was 10 % more than any other film . it also went on to win the best picture oscar at the academy awards .

as many of you know , i am a huge fan of death metal . as many of you don’t know , i also have a passion for film and i just saw what i believe to be the best film of 2009 :

an extraordinary anti - war film that does not engage in polemics . the messenger ' s extreme effectiveness is due to the brilliant acting of ben foster and woody harrelson .

- the ghosts of his former girlfriends . of the two films released in 2009 based on dickens ' beloved story - this , and disney ' s

woody harrelson , left , and ben foster play army visitors no family wants to meet in " the messenger . "

yesterday , we brought you quentin tarantino’s top 8 films of 2009 and today we have john waters , another film buff / director , listing his best of the year . i always find anything that waters writes or says to be entertaining and his thoughts on these ten films are no different . here’s what he thought were the top 10 films of 2009 :

the first director they approached about “the messenger” was sydney pollack , whom mr . moverman had once chatted up in a starbucks .

( los angeles ) september 29 , 2009 – screen gems and constantin film announced today that “resident evil : afterlife , ” the next installment in the widely successful “resident evil” film franchise has begun production in toronto , canada . the fourth film , which will be shot and released in 3 - d , is a first in the “resident evil” film franchise . most of the key creative players , who turned the “resident evil” film franchise into a global phenomenon , will be reprising their roles in “afterlife” .

virine grey shoulder bag , cross body bag , messenger bag , everyday bag , handbag , tra . . .

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an article last sunday about the film “the messenger” misstated , at one point , the rank of the character played by woody harrelson . as the article noted elsewhere , he portrays a captain named tony stone , not a sergeant .

the messenger is a grim and crushing film . it packs such a punch that it will leave you staring blankly at the screen until the credits finish rolling . the messenger is one of the most powerful anti - war films i have ever seen , made all the more impressive by the fact that it doesn’t take sides and it doesn’t have to preach . it simply examines the cost of war through the tragedy of a human death — and the messenger shows that even one death is a price too high .

“the messenger” is rated r ( under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian ) . it has sex , nudity and strong language .

“first shown at the berlin film festival four years ago , the sun is finally receiving its welcome american theatrical release , which means that one of the best movies of 2005 is now also one of the best of 2009 . ” — manohla dargis , new york times

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the messenger is a haunting yet powerful film from oren moverman featuring an outstanding leading performance from ben foster . audiences who want to see a war film without any political message or heavy - handed ideas about war will definitely see this as something more refreshing . while it’s not an easy film to watch due to its approach , it is a film that doesn’t go for conventions . featuring incredible supporting performances and appearances from woody harrelson , samantha morton , jena malone , and steve buscemi . it’s a film that is very real but also has poignant ideas about what families and soldiers go through with loss . in the end , the messenger is a brilliant yet chilling film from oren moverman . oren moverman films : rampart - ( time out of mind ) - ( the dinner ( 2017 film ) )

unveiling his horror film antichrist , the film - maker had provocative statements aplenty to distribute to the world ' s press . just how seriously can we take them ?

this article explores the relationship between film and international law by reference to the feature film zero dark thirty ( 2012 ) . the authors examine this film in the context of international law , while also considering related questions of genre , torture , gender and targeted killing .

with the insight and sensitivity of an insider , the messenger illuminates the sometimes invisible victims of war - - the survivors - - and a pain that is tolerated but never quite healed .

informing people that their children have died in a war is an unfortunate reality and the messenger tackles this subject . the premise of the film and the plot is quite fascinating , but i can ' t help the feeling more could ' ve been done with it . there are moments of brilliance in this film that highligh the talents of ben foster ( this guy is so underused in hollywood ) and woody harrelson . both turn in great performances , but it does not totally make up for the somewhat lacklustre or underwhelming narrative of the messenger .

in addition , disney ' s / pixar ' s animated film up , the second animated film ever nominated for best picture ( and the first computer - animated film ever nominated for best picture ) , won two oscar awards : best animated feature film and best original score , and was one of the top moneymakers of the year ( at $ 293 million to date ) .

the acquisition was made between madman’s paul wiegard and nick batzias , and omnilab media ' s executive producers on the film , christopher mapp , david whealy and matthew street at the 2010 sundance film festival .

raising eyebrows . . . lars von trier ( centre ) unveils antichrist at the 62nd cannes film festival with the film ' s stars willem dafoe and charlotte gainsbourg . photograph : regis duvignau / reuters

the script for “the messenger , ” which mr . moverman wrote with alessandro camon , has been purged of melodrama , and also of the glum indie - film conventions that weigh down so many forays into local realism . though there are a few scenes that seem more written than lived , the film as a whole is remarkably textured , with room for humor as well as anguish .

june 24 , west virginia premiere of still bill ( 2009 , usa 78 min ) at capitol center theater in conjunction with festivall , featuring an introduction by and q & a with director damani baker .

“some jobs are dirtier than others , and after seeing director and co - writer oren moverman’s beautifully acted new film the messenger , you’ll be better acquainted with some of the most grueling work a human being can be called upon to perform . ” — michael phillips , chicago tribune

55 year - old james cameron ( his second nomination ) for avatar . [ note : cameron previously won three oscars , all for titanic ( 1997 ) ( best picture ( producer ) , best director , and best film editing ) . he was personally up for the same three oscars in 2009 . ]

oren moverman’s directorial debut attempts to differentiate itself from the recent glut of war movies by focusing on the emotional fallout when soldiers don’t come home . the film follows two officers assigned to deliver the bad news to the families of deceased soldiers . whilst the hook maybe different , the messenger still ends up covering familiar ground because the film is as much about the emotional trauma and social dislocation of the messengers as it is about the news they are delivering to the unsuspecting parents and wives of their dead colleagues .

every film that has ever been nominated for an academy award in any category . enjoy !

“the messenger” will probably leave you sad and pensive , but it’s ultimately a film about love and hope . it’s a dark , tough road that ultimately showcases the change in the lives of two men . while clearly a movie only for discerning adults , it’s a movie that will make you think .

that the director spent four years in the israel defense forces , absorbing viscerally what he calls the “emotional landscape” of war , distinguishes the film too .

while 2009 in many ways was a weak year for movies , at least in the mainstream , if you looked into international cinema , there were lots of films to be admired . here’s my personal top 20 films of 2009 —they’re the ones that were the most emotionally affecting and psychologically haunting . the tried and true formula : the experience + the resonance = great movie . it has to be great in that moment and months later , unlike say , “ avatar ” which was fun but forgotten about an hour later .

unlike our 2008 picks , we stuck explicitly to 2009 films , not including pictures that are set for a 2010 release that we saw earlier this year at cannes and the toronto international film festival ( nicolas winding refn ‘s spiritual horror viking film , “ valhalla rising ” and bong joon - ho ‘s oedipal murder mystery drama , “ mother ” being the two that would easily penetrate this list if they were technically not 2010 films ) .

the film is premised on the verbal communication of urgent information , yet its many non - verbal moments provide the greatest strength and clarity .

one day early last year oren moverman , an israeli - american screenwriter directing his first film , “the messenger , ” met his two lead actors , woody harrelson and ben foster , outside t . g . i . friday’s at penn station in new york for a field trip to washington .

i ' m a film buff and music critic who is more interested in the daring yet provocative pieces of art .

dramas aren ' t drawing audiences ( unless they ' re dramas loaded with action ) , but comedies continue to do well at the box office . that said , there were a lot of disappointing laffers released in 2009 ( year one , land of the lost , observe and report , etc ) . thankfully , there were enough decent comedies to make up for the ones that just didn ' t work . here are my picks for the funniest movies of 2009 . remember , these are my personal favorites - feel free to disagree .

the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .

much of the critical attention has been concentrated on the performances and it is easy to see why because it is the one genuine standout element in the film . …

directed by oren moverman with a script co - written with alessandro camon , the messenger tells the story of a young u . s . army staff sergeant who accompanies a captain to give notice to families of fallen soldiers . during one trip , the young soldier falls for a widow as he deals with his own ethics issues while befriending his superior . a war drama that plays to the iraqi war of the 2000s , it is a film that explores what families and soldiers go through when they have to deliver the news of death to families . starring ben foster , woody harrelson , samantha morton , jena malone , and steve buscemi . the messenger is a harrowing yet mesmerizing film from oren moverman .

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ok , i haven’t seen everything . i didn’t see “ paris ” starring juliette binoche , but most people seemed to think it was mediocre ( i love binoche , so i will see this eventually ) . the cannes 2009 runner - up “ un prophete ” has been seen by many ( including several other playlist members ) , but technically does not come out in the u . s . until february , 2010 , so it wouldn’t be included here . many critics , including roger ebert are including “ silent light ” in their 2009 picks , but it came out for a week in new york during christmas of 2008 , so i included it in those picks . i suppose if i included it here , it would crack the top 5 , but again , for my specific purposes , we’re going to consider it a 2009 film . go see it , as it is a radiant picture .

tall and bald , with a loose - limbed , cargo pants - wearing , backpack - on - one - shoulder casualness , mr . moverman spoke in his film distributor’s loftlike office in downtown manhattan about the odyssey of making “the messenger , ” which , with a budget under $ 10 million , he portrayed as the little war movie that could .

wasn’t zombieland at number 41 on this list ? if so , can you please put it back ? it was one of 2009’s most acclaimed pictures and on a lot of lists , and it needs some recongition from the amount of top 10s it was placed on .

“the messenger , ” though , directly appealed to colonel sinor , who had been in charge of what he called the army’s “killed - in - action branch” in 2005 . “i knocked on those doors myself , ” he said .

an interesting story , some very strong performances , and a somewhat weak , melodramatic and romantic sub - plot pretty much sums up my thoughts about the messenger . a recommendable effort by first - time director oren moverman .

screengems will distribute “resident evil : afterlife” in the u . s . and sony pictures will distribute in certain select foreign territories . screengems previously handled u . s . distribution of “resident evil” , “apocalypse” and “extinction” . constantin film will retain all german - language rights . metropolitan film export , headed by samuel hadida and victor hadida , will distribute the film in france .

this admittedly did not go down too well with some journalists who had clearly been left bewildered and angry after watching his new horror movie antichrist at the cannes film festival . here is a film that wants to be watched behind splayed fingers .

this list collects every film from the starting list that became they shoot pictures don ' t they ' s 1000 greatest films . this…

but the messenger is nevertheless an interesting , often powerful and moving , soldier drama with some amazing performances which is enhanced by some decent handheld camerawork . the camera more or less works as a passive observer in the most emotional parts , and " stays in the background " so that the focus stays on the performances of the actors .

oren moverman co - wrote and directed this great film focusing on the impact the war of iraq has on its soldiers and their families . the hurt locker got a lot more critical attention , but in my opinion the messenger is also a great movie with a lot of psychological depth and great performances from the entire cast . it is a movie you won ` t want to miss if you are interested in good acting and character driven films . it is not a popcorn action film and some may find it slow , but it is a…

this is a well acted film telling a story rarely heard about the people who report military deaths to survivors and the prices they pay to do so .

tickets for movies that matter : rbg in charleston from showclix . join us at the underground cinema by wviff for june ' s movie that matter mondays film : rbg about the film : an intimate portrait of an unlikely rock star : justice ruth bader ginsburg . with unprecedented access , the filmmakers

with 2015 upon us , we figured it was a good time to look back on the movies the millennium has brought us . we’ve dug into the archives and are re - running our best of the 2000s pieces , from way back in 2009 when the playlist was a little blogspot site held together with tape and string . each list runs down the top 10 films of each year ( it’s possible that , half - a - decade on , we’d put them in a different order and even change some of the movies , but we wanted to preserve the original pieces untouched as far as possible ) . check out 2000 , 2001 , 2002 , 2003 , 2004 , 2005 , 2006 , 2007 and 2008 if you missed them , and today we continue with 2009 . fyi , unlike the other pieces , which were compiled by group , 2009 were the picks of editor - in - chief rodrigo perez only , and also went to twenty picks . if he were to do them again , they’d probably look very different , too…

" the messenger " is the first film directed by oren moverman , a combat veteran of the israeli army , whose earlier screenplays included the bob dylan biopic " i ' m not there " ( 2007 ) and the extraordinary " jesus ' son " ( 1999 ) . this is a writer ' s picture , no less than a visual experience that approaches its subject as tactfully as the messengers do . no fancy camerawork . it happens , we absorb it .

the messenger stars woody harrelson and ben foster – two us army officers who return home from a tour in iraq and are assigned to the army ' s casuality notification service , tasked with delivering the tragic news to the families of fallen soldiers . one solider finds himself drawn to a woman , whom he has just delivered the news of her husband’s death . the film reveals itself as a surprising , humourous and very human portrait of grief , friendship and survival .

[ foster and harrelson ' s ] interplay , on the job ( ruining the day of one unfortunate person after the next ) and off . . . provides the backbone of this erratically paced film .

the soldiers in the film wear a unit patch with a large " 22 " on it . this is a fictional unit . the actual 22nd infantry division was a " phantom division " that never actually existed . it was created in world war ii to fool german intelligence . the patch created is different from the one in the film , though . see more »

eople shoot the messenger because it feels good , and also because the messenger is not neutral . the messenger is complicit with the bad news ; he has agreed to convey it and tacitly endorses the system of which it is a byproduct . emotionally , the messengers in this interesting american indie by oren moverman get shot at point - blank range every day . but they shoot first . ben foster plays staff sergeant will montgomery , a decorated soldier recovering from injuries sustained in iraq . with three months to go before his enlistment period ends and he returns to civilian life , montgomery is redeployed to the casualty notification team under the formidable command of captain tony stone , played by woody harrelson : they will be a two - man outfit whose job is to show up in uniform at the houses of next of kin and inform them that their sons and husbands and wives and daughters have been killed on active service .

the messenger is packed chock - full of dramatic moments , all handled exquisitely by moverman , but one scene in particular toward the end of the film will grip you like nothing you’ve seen before , and it’s worth the price of admission alone . it is a scene in which montgomery shares his experiences in iraq with stone , who eventually breaks down in tears . foster is astonishing here and in my opinion , this scene alone should net him an oscar .

48 year - old woody harrelson ( his second nomination ) , for his performance as captain tony stone , an alcoholic military officer struggling with his job to bring casualty " messages " ( from the casualty notification office ) to the families of slain soldiers , in director oren moverman ' s debut feature film the messenger ( two nominations and no wins ) ( harrelson was previously nominated for his lead role in the people vs . larry flynt ( 1996 ) )

" the ballad of narayama " is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…

november 6 - 15 , fall film festival at capitol center theater american violet ( 2008 , usa 108 min ) ; goodbye solo ( 2008 , usa 91 min ) ; coal country ( 2009 , usa 84 min ) ; 2009 oscar - nominated live action shorts ; o’horten ( 2007 , norway 90 min ) , food , inc . ( 2008 , usa 94 min ) , the hurt locker ( 2008 , usa 131 min ) , dead snow ( 2009 , norway 91 min ) , harvard beats yale 29 - 29 ( 2008 , usa 105 min ) , lemon tree ( 2008 , israel106 min ) , the class ( entre les murs ) ( 2008 , france 128 min ) , the secret of the grain ( 2007 , france 151 min ) , pray the devil back to hell ( 2008 , usa 72 min ) , rudo y cursi ( 2008 , mexico / usa 103 min ) , departures ( 2008 , japan 130 min ) , summer hours ( 2008 , france 103 min ) , anvil : the story of anvil ( 2008 , canada 80 min ) , little ashes ( 2008 , uk / spain 112 min ) , waltz with bashir ( 2008 , israel 90 min )

while the movie as a whole is thoroughly engrossing and all the movie references and subplots involving the cinema world undoubtedly enrich his story , this is a pretty minor film from the filmmaker . — kirk honeycutt , hollywood reporter

early in 2009 , 27 years after that initial blast of opprobrium , the thing ' s reputation has recovered sufficiently for its producing studio , universal , to deem it worthwhile to announce the monster ' s return in a prequel . matthijs van heijningen , whose cv consists largely of drinks commercials , is set to direct a screenplay by ronald d moore , erstwhile executive producer and writer of star trek , roswell high and battlestar galactica . the prequel will be set in the norwegian camp , which , as we already know from carpenter ' s film , is doomed .

this is a powerful drama focusing on what war does to the mind , ethical dilemmas and how people cope with loss . yet all i ' ll ever remember about the messenger is woody harrelson saying : " i ' d like to strap her on and wear her like a government issued gas mask . "

unfortunately , the hysterical reaction to the film has confirmed that able - bodied society , or at least its representatives on festival committees and funding boards , would prefer stories about disabled people to be consoling or uplifting . bafta made the headlines last year when it cancelled a screening of freak show . " it said my film showed an inappropriate representation of disability and raised too many questions , " scoffs butchins . " one funding organisation said it felt the film wasn ' t ' disability - empowering ' . " and while freak show will play next week in the london international documentary festival , it is perhaps more typical of the general response that butchins was recently invited to screen it in a canadian horror film festival .

we ' ve seen countless war films about the battlefield , filled with graphic and shocking images that depict war as the ultimate hell on earth . some of those films ( saving private ryan , platoon ) are incredible while others ( windtalkers , pearl harbor ) are not . the messenger is a film that doesn ' t concern itself with the battlefield . it is about the aftermath , when soldiers are employed to visit the families of those killed in action and give them the horrible news . it is an undoubtedly gripping picture , filled with moments of mourning , sadness , and insanity . the story is ultimately about grief that never goes away but has to nonetheless be overcome . ben foster , woody harrelson , and samantha morton give career defining performances . this film is an absolute masterpiece that portrays the " war is hell " theme in a way that truly has never been seen before in film .

rbg by andy white | may 18 , 2018 | front page slider , underground cinema | 0 comments join us at the underground cinema by wviff for june ' s movie that matter mondays film : rbg about the film : an intimate portrait of an unlikely rock star : justice ruth bader ginsburg . with unprecedented access , . . .

meryl streep had a busy 2009 , lending her voice to fantastic mr fox , playing the attractive older woman at the center of love triangle in it ' s complicated , and tackling the role of legendary chef julia child in julie & julia . streep is good in all three of her 2009 films , but her incredibly engaging take on julia child , going over - the - top and seeming to love every minute of it , stands out amy adams also shines as an office worker who sets out to conquer julia ' s entire mastering the art of french cooking cookbook while blogging about her experiences . i can ' t cook , but this movie made me want to whip up a soufflé . it ' s a delicious treat you should not watching when you ' re hungry . more »

in 2009 , the academy decided to return to featuring an expanded field of nominees for best picture . from now on , there would be ten films nominated for best picture instead of five - the last time this happened was 1943 ( 66 years ago ) . [ note : from 1931 to 1943 , the oscars had between eight and 12 best picture nominees . ] this change was expected to result in :

“how exactly do i know you again ? ” mr . pollack responded when mr . moverman contacted him about “the messenger . ” soon the veteran director was deep inside the script , with the two screenwriters sitting “literally at his feet” in his new york apartment , mr . moverman said . but mr . pollack wanted them to refocus the film on the romantic attraction between the iraq veteran and the war widow : “i make movies about love stories that can’t happen , ” he said , according to mr . moverman . it did not work out . ( mr . pollack died in 2008 . )

hey man , thanks for writing . the guy who wrote the review of the messenger for our site ( “intothedarkness” ) doesn’t write for us much any more . i’ve e - mailed him to see if he knows what song it is . it’s been a long time since i saw the movie , and i don’t remember the music during that scene . i did find this listing of all the songs in the movie’s soundtrack :

6 . “the hurt locker” kathryn bigelow ‘s ‘hurt locker’ is a kind of reverse action film . while heart - pounding detonations go off and shots are fired , this film , set during the conflict in iraq , is actually more powerful for the action that doesn’t happen . defusing bombs is the name of the game for enlisted adrenaline junkies who get off on handling live wires — damn if there has been an “action film” this tense , riveting and intelligent in years . bigelow excels in setting pulses racing when seemingly nothing is happening . case in point ? jeremy renner ‘s paralysis in a grocery store , overwhelmed by the choice of cereals in the real world , is one of the most breathtaking scenes in the film . living with a job where every day might be his last , he’ll never be the same .

every year i try to see as many of the oscar nominated films as possible . i deliberately left the messenger for near the end because the subject matter seemed so damned depressing i wasn ' t expecting much from it . turns out i actually liked it more than i thought i would and the things i didn ' t like about it had nothing to do with its subject .

is one of the most intelligent of rom - coms to come out this decade . the narrator begins the film by saying it ' s not a love story , yet there ' s a whole lot to love about

in the best animated feature film category , hayao miyazaki ' s critically - acclaimed ponyo was left out , as was the heavily - marketed animation cloudy with a chance of meatballs . also ignored was shane acker ' s 9 , a frightening , awe - inspiring pg - 13 cgi - animated , post - apocalyptic film about small burlap " stitchpunk " robots who attempt to survive in a dark world full of terrifying machines ; the film itself was an expansion of acker ' s oscar - nominated short 9 ( 2004 ) .

the best picture winner the hurt locker , a low - budget film from summit entertainment with a production budget of $ 15 million , turned out to be the lowest - grossing winner of all - time , at $ 14 . 7 million at the time of its win . it was also the fifth consecutive r - rated best picture winner , and the second of only two best picture winners to be a film festival acquisition ( the first was in 2005 ) .

“the messenger” was filmed over 28 days last year . the six casualty - notification scenes were each shot with a hand - held camera in one long take . mr . moverman separated mr . harrelson and mr . foster from the actors playing the next of kin until the shooting began : “ben and woody didn’t know who would open the door to them , ” he said . “it was very , very intense . ”

“the real star of this show is director lee daniels . he’s the one who conjures the film’s eerie mix of kitchen - sink realism and gothic symbolism , its deft back - and - forth between the horrific and the sublime . ” — chad vognar , dallas morning news

in 12 min in the movie the messenger , what is that song called they also play the song when ben foster punches the wall because he up set that his love is get married to another guy . im a solder and i can relate to his anger when that happens . i have to know who sings it . please let me know , howyadoin535 @ urltoken thank you

is tough . i can only imagine how tough it must be then to be a soldier whose job it is to go around to other soldiers’ families to tell them of their loss . such is the subject matter for “the messenger , ” a sad , but deeply moving , picture that details the mindset of soldiers carrying the weight of delivering such terrible news to loved ones .

disney / pixar ' s up ( five nominations , with two wins for best animated feature film and best original score ) , the second animated film to be nominated for best picture , following beauty and the beast ( 1991 ) , the first cg - animated best picture nominee , and the first to receive a best picture nomination since animated films received their own category in 2001 ( see below ) .

5 . “the headless woman” an eerie and intentionally disorienting experience about the after affects of a woman undergoing a random car accident , lucrecia martel ’ s film enigmatically places you in a claustrophobic mental crawlspace that blurs the lines between reality and depth perception autism . it might be the first film that frighteningly ( and subtly ) makes you feel like you’re taking on the first symptoms of schizophrenia . a disembodying and haunting piece of cinema .

there was also some debate - among contributors and here at the observer - about how to define a british film . did it need to be shot here ? funded here ? feature predominantly british talent , in front and behind the camera ? sort of . . . in truth we resisted hard - and - fast criteria ( we ' re in good company ; check out the website of the uk film council , which explains how films can be arranged according to different degrees of britishness ) . instead we followed a loose cultural test - did the film feel british ? these 25 do .

“in the end , moon raises disturbing ethical questions about science and bioengineering , but it’s the emotional questions the film poses — about memory , about family , about identity — that really resonate . ” — steven rea , philadelphia inquirer

the cast is good and the entire movie played very low key . foster does a decent job as montgomery and samantha morton is fine as the widow . harrelson does standout though and you can see why he was nominated . although he gets a couple of emotional moments he ' s at his best at the beginning of the film when he ' s showing montgomery the ropes . he ' s tough and no - nonsense and yet he delivers the news of death with dignity . he ' s easily the best part of the film .

but that’s it . if it weren’t for that weekend getaway with woody and ben , this would have been an easy 8 , but the messenger is nonetheless a very easy movie to recommend . great performances , a choice script and a powerhouse concept to work off of make for one of the more affecting war dramas i’ve seen in recent memory .

i really did like this film . it was just advertised as a film about this lonely war mother falling in love with this soldier , when that was only like the side story . woody harrelson ( who i met ) , is just so good here , adding comedy to a role that could have been so seriously cheesy . nice review brah !

many reviewers compared carpenter ' s film unfavourably to christian nyby ' s the thing from another world ( produced by howard hawks , often credited as the film ' s auteur ) , which had been based on the same source material , john w campbell ' s 1938 novella who goes there ? variety wrote : " what the old picture delivered – and what carpenter has missed – was a sense of intense dread . " which is funny , because in 1951 , the same paper had said of nyby ' s film : " the resourcefulness shown in building the plot groundwork is lacking as the yarn gets into full swing . cast members . . . fail to communicate any real terror . "

“the messenger” is a tough movie to watch . tougher than seeing soldiers die through brutal violence is watching the reaction of their loved ones , knowing they can do nothing about it . it’s a painstaking job and one that takes its toll on the viewer , as well as the two main characters . it also has a strong message about the connections people have and the ones they make . it shows how much people need help , support , and encouragement .

“the messenger , ” which opens on friday in new york and washington , reflects this fierce intimacy . it is a war movie , but the war , unlike in most films about iraq and afghanistan , is completely off screen ; nothing explodes , and flashbacks to baghdad or tikrit do not occur . the film instead focuses on the relationship between two casualty - notification officers — a crusty career sergeant ( mr . harrelson ) and a wounded soldier just back from iraq ( mr . foster ) — whose mission is to knock on doors and deliver news of death to next of kin .

“the messenger” is about as realistic a movie as you’ll find , and because of that the depiction of two soldiers struggling with their own personal demons leaves the viewer with several content issues . the language and sexual dialogue is explicit , and there are a couple of scenes with gratuitous sexual content . director oren moverman does not shy away from any aspect of these soldiers’ lives , even when it may have been the better choice to do so .

16 . “the limits of control” perhaps the most misunderstood film of 2009 . a swirling , mantra - like dream and a deceptively funny piece of minimalist art , jim jarmusch ‘s “the limits of control” stars a stoic isaach de bankolé in a performance sorely undervalued this year by impatient , short - sighted critics . mark my words , like mind - benders such as david lynch ‘s “ mulholland drive , ” alain renais’ “ last year at marienbad , ” or even jarmusch’s own “ dead man” ( which also received poor reviews and now is a cult classic ) , this psychedelic masterpiece will one day get its proper due . in some circles , it already has .

hen larry and andy wachowski were pitching the matrix to their producers , they played them a dvd of an 82 - minute japanese cartoon and said : " we wanna do that for real . " the film was 1995 ' s

anderson offered a small glimpse of what can be expected in the new film : “alice’s battle with the umbrella corporation isn’t finished . last time we saw alice , she let them know she was coming after them . it’s time to settle the score . ”

cinematographer bobby bukowski does a great job with the film‘s photography that is mostly straightforward with a heightened brightness for its daytime exterior scenes . even as the nighttime exterior and interior scenes are shot with dark lights to complement the troubled moods some of the characters are going through as bukowski’s work is worth noting . editor alexander hall does a superb job with the editing in creating cuts that plays to the sense of longing and emotion in will’s journey . even as there’s some rhythmic cuts to play up to reactions while creating a leisured pace throughout the entirety of the film .

at one point in “the messenger” a soldier , just back from an overseas tour of duty , is telling a story during a welcome - home party with some friends . it starts out as a funny reminiscence of a local character he knew in iraq , but when the anecdote takes a gruesome turn , the laughter is replaced by uncomfortable silence . nobody gets the point of what he’s saying , or maybe nobody wants to hear it , and the happy mood of the reunion fractures .

19 - year - old billy lynn is brought home for a victory tour after a harrowing iraq battle . through flashbacks the film shows what really happened to his squad - - contrasting the realities of war with america ' s perceptions .

the film is about a soldier becoming a messenger to give notices to families of fallen soldier with a hard - ass captain while falling for a woman . that’s essentially the film’s plot as it’s mostly told through a loose form of storytelling . in reality , the film is a character study about a young man trying to deal with his new assignment along with his own issues from the war and at home . for will montgomery , he’s leading a complicated life where has to go see doctors about his left eye and at one point , he meets a returning soldier ( jeremy strong ) as that soldier tries to live a life in denial . stabilizing his life is his assignment to give notices to families though it isn’t easy where at one point , he gives notice an angry father ( steve buscemi ) . it’s in this widow named olivia where will finds not just comfort but a life outside of duty though he realizes that she is having a hard time with her own issues .

critics fell over themselves praising this dynamite film about the casualties of war . audiences stayed hands off . wake up , people . kathryn bigelow , in the directing tour de force of the year , uses a strong script by embedded journalist and rs contributor mark boal to take us deep into an elite u . s . bomb - disposal squad in baghdad . jeremy renner excels as the unit leader , showing how war becomes a drug . a stunning film on every level .

quentin tarantino ' s and the weinstein company ' s inglourious basterds ( eight nominations , with one win for best supporting actor ) , a world war ii fantasy / comedy about flamboyant american lt . aldo raine and his troupe of jewish soldiers who sabotage nazi installations behind enemy lines . the film was nominated for best original screenplay despite sharing the same english title as quel maledetto treno blindato ( 1978 ) , another film about american gis wreaking havoc behind enemy lines

the animated feature film winner was the heavily - favored , best picture - nominated disney / pixar film up ( with five nominations and two wins including best original score ) , a cgi - animated film about cantankerous , bitter 70 year - old widower carl fredricksen ( voice of edward asner ) who launched his house into the air using hundreds of helium balloons to travel to south america , while slowly befriending an accidental 8 year - old stowaway boy scout named russell . it was the third consecutive oscar in this category for disney / pixar , following ratatouille ( 2007 ) and wall - e ( 2008 ) , that has now won 5 / 9 awards since the new category was established in 2001 .

broke box office records following a tidal wave of positive word - of - mouth online , tweets proclaiming its hilarity , and great reviews . the ballsy buddy film set a new record for an r - rated comedy , smashing the record set by

what stands out from a filmmaking standpoint are the performances , particularly that of woody harrelson and ben foster . these two are perfect for their roles and bring the most to every scene . the film has an understated feel that lets whatever is happening on screen speak for itself .

“the film glides to a perfect landing , leaving several characters changed , one coldly untouched and nothing up in the air at all — except , perhaps , the question of what this very talented crew is going to do next . ” — stephen whitty , newark star - ledger

a decent character study whose main strength lies in two great performances by foster and harrelson , who shine in a sad story that deals with the psychological consequences of a terrible job , but the film also suffers from some tiresome pacing and unnecessary scenes .

it could have easily been a formula film , and the trailer shamelessly tries to misrepresent it as one , but george simmons learns and changes during his ordeal , and we empathize . — roger ebert , chicago sun - times

one of the loudest laughs during the first screening was at von trier ' s dedication of the film to andrei tarkovsky . von trier today called tarkovsky " a real god " with whom he had a religious relationship . " i know he saw my very first film and hated it very much , which is fine . he ' s the generation before me and i feel related to him . i feel related to bergman as well , [ but ] he didn ' t feel related to me . "

eastwood , tackling a sports movie very different from million dollar baby , paces the action beautifully , right up to one white - knuckle moment late in the film ( involving a plane ) when you suddenly realized how invested in the story you’ve become . — moira macdonald , seattle times

this divide is perhaps most painful when it splits lovers , friends and close family members . but as “the messenger” demonstrates with sensitive acuity , it is not necessarily a clear and simple line , and people who seem to live on the same side — servicemen on duty together , a veteran and a widow , a husband and a wife — can find themselves estranged and unable to communicate what they have in common .

" notification " : a documentary about u . s . army casualty notification officers and the families of fallen soldiers by joe kelly and john vernon audio commentary with oren moverman , lawrence inglee , ben foster , and woody harrelson " going home " : reflections from the set " variety " screening series q & a with oren moverman , woody harrelson , alessandro camon , lawrence inglee , ben foster , and bobby bukowski " the messenger " shooting script

surprisingly , the film was co - financed by a british company , manga films , an offshoot of island records . andy frain , the movie ' s executive producer , says : " i wanted to do a blend of east and west : western storytelling combined with japanese artistry and a great soundtrack – we were talking to massive attack at one point . " but his suggestions were largely ignored , he says . the critics were lukewarm , and the film only reached a sizeable audience on video and dvd .

i have to say that these lowbrow picks rather undermine my confidence in the rest of the list – or they would do , were it not for the fact that brody has some great and in fact inspiring choices . he ' s right about manoel de oliveira ' s a talking movie . it is a brilliant if eccentric film , a cult classic . it deserves wider currency . and i was thrilled to see his choice of alexander payne ' s sublime short film 14th arrondissement .

the scenes where stone and montgomery reveal the news of a soldier ' s death to their family are the strongest moments in the film . they are handled and filmed well and really carry an emotional impact . each family that is told is different from the others and each one reacts a little bit differently and yet remarkably the same . as individual scenes they ' re great .

everyone takes it differently , and the film develops the two characters as they meet survivors , notably samantha morton as a new widow , and steve buscemi as an angry father . following the army way , they would never see these people again . it doesn ' t work out that way .

the seasoned list - maker will know how to combine the obscure choices with the mainstream ones , and this latter consideration is important . the seasoned lister knows that the more mor candidates provide the resonant c - major chords which give solidity and plausibility to the list . but having got those locked down , you can pick the difficult , recondite films – the ones that many people might not have seen yet and the picking of which may possibly , just possibly , amaze and disconcert your fellow film scribes .