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FABULOUS FOUR – Review

*Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullally, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Bette Midler in THE FABULOUS FOUR. Courtesy of Bleecker Street*

Bette Midler. Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mullally are the fabulous four actresses cast as best friends in THE FABULOUS FOUR, the latest comedy entry in the recent string of gal pal comedies featuring older, big-name actresses and silly antics. I might call them “broad comedies” but then someone might slap me (insert rim shot). While some of those comedies have been a bit forced, leaning heavily on too-familiar jokes, THE FABULOUS FOUR is fun, a lighter and more relaxed version, and less fully-packed with far-fetched comic bits. This femme-centric comedy about aging, friendship and new beginnings is femme-helmed too, with Australian writer/director Jocelyn Moorhouse at the helm and scriptwriters Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly backing her up.

In THE FABULOUS FOUR, four women who have been friends for decades, ever since college, gather in beautiful Key West for the second wedding of one of them. Bette Midler plays the bride, Marilyn, recently widowed and a recent transplant to quirky Key West, but taking the plunge back into the sea of matrimony after a whirlwind romance with a local widower (Bruce Greenwood).

Although the four have stayed in touch, there has been a long-standing rift between Marilyn and her one-time best friend Lou (Susan Sarandon). In college, Marilyn was fun-loving and unfocused, who needed steady, studious pre-med student Lou to keep her on track to graduation. All four were roommates in New York after college, as they launched their careers and Lou went to medical school. But the two best friends had a falling out after Marilyn stole Lou’s boyfriend, and then married him.

Lou has never forgiven Marilyn but Marilyn still misses her old bestie and would love to have her at the wedding. So, of course, the other two, Kitty (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Alice (Megan Mullally) decide to trick Lou into coming to Key West – a ruse that works like catnip for book-loving, cat-loving Lou.

Yeah, pretty far-fetched, but the film does have a lot of fun with the Key West locale, and all things Ernest Hemingway, with plenty of those six-toed cats. As it happens, all these women have done well for themselves financially, so there is no limit to the fun they can have in pricey Key West. Marilyn lives in large home with a lovely back garden in expensive Key West, where she recently moved. Lou is a successful cardiac surgeon, Alice is a successful recording artist and music producer (with a taste for younger guys) and Kitty has a prosperous business growing cannabis and making cannabis-infused gummies, much to the disapproval of her very-religious daughter. With money no object, these gals have a great time. I’d say a high time but, again, someone might smack me.

Like all of this recent spate of comedies with major older female stars, there are plenty of antics and silliness, with high hopes that hilarity ensues. This one is less breathless than some of them, and the antics are less over-the-top and overly-familiar (mostly), which helps make the whole comedy funnier, more easy-going, and enjoyable.

There is also great chemistry between the women in this cast, especially between Susan Sarandon and Bette Midler, who are the major focus of the plot. But all of them contribute to the comedy, with Sheryl Lee Ralph a standout as a kind of brains of the outfit. Hemingway and literature get a good shout-outs too, in among the mojitos, daiquiris, beaches and hang-gliding. There are serious moments, of course, as the characters deal with a number of matters around aging, friendship, family and being open to new adventures and new beginnings. And an added bonus are two of Sarandon’s own cats, judging by the credits.

The bottom line is that THE FABULOUS FOUR is fun, a light summer treat with enjoyable performances from a truly fabulous cast in one gorgeous locale.

THE FABULOUS FOUR opens Friday, July 26, in theaters.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

Meryl Streep And Tom Hanks Headline New Trailer In Steven Spielberg’s Oscar Hopeful THE POST

Opening during awards season on December 22 is the much anticipated THE POST from 20th Century Fox.

Steven Spielberg directs Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in THE POST, a thrilling drama about the unlikely partnership between The Washington Post’s Katharine Graham (Streep), the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks), as they race to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned three decades and four U.S. Presidents. The two must overcome their differences as they risk their careers – and their very freedom – to help bring long-buried truths to light.

THE POST marks the first time Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have collaborated on a project. Streep has been nominated for 20 Academy Awards, winning three Oscars (THE IRON LADY, SOPHIE’S CHOICE and KRAMER VS. KRAMER), while Hanks has been nominated 5 times and garnered two back to back Oscars for PHILADELPHIA and FORREST GUMP.

In addition to directing, Spielberg produces along with Amy Pascal and Kristie Macosko Krieger. The script was written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer, and the film features an acclaimed ensemble cast including Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Rhys, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bradley Whitford and Zach Woods.

THE POST will be released in select theaters on December 22, 2017 and in theaters everywhere on January 12, 2018. Fox’s other BIG Oscar hopeful, opening on December 20th, is THE GREATEST SHOWMAN which stars Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum.

Check out the official site foxmovies.com/movies/the-post

L-R: Tom Hanks (Ben Bradlee), David Cross (Howard Simons), John Rue (Gene Patterson), Bob Odenkirk (Ben Bagdikian), Jessie Mueller (Judith Martin), and Philip Casnoff (Chalmers Roberts) in Twentieth Century Fox’s THE POST. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise.

Meryl Streep stars as Kay Graham in Twentieth Century Fox’s THE POST. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise.

Tom Hanks (as Ben Bradlee) and Meryl Streep (as Kay Graham) star in Twentieth Century Fox’s THE POST. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise.

MARK FELT: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE – Review

As we reach that light-at-the-end-of the-tunnel that concludes the 2017 movie year, theatres are now filled with stories “inspired by true events” and “biopics”. This new release is a bit of both, like last weekend’s MARSHALL, this tells the story of one man, while focusing on one major event or incident of his long life. Unlike the former Supreme Court justice, this person was not well known by the general public. However, his “nickname” became legendary, thanks in part to a Best Picture Oscar winner. Though the film’s title may sound seem like hyperbole, it presents much evidence to support it in MARK FELT: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE.

We first meet mark Felt (Liam Neeson) on a crisp May morning in 1972 as he readies himself for another day in DC as Deputy Associate Director of the FBI (the number three guy at the Bureau). After kissing his wife Audrey (Diane Lane) goodbye, he is driven to the White House for a meeting with three of President Nixon’s top aides, the three Johns, Mitchell, Ehrlichman, and Dean (Michael C. Hall). With the elections only a few months away, they pressure Felt to “crack down” on the counter-culture groups. Felt reminds them that the FBI doesn’t take its orders from the oval office. Days later, the nation is stunned by the death of the bureau’s founder, J. Edgar Hoover. It’s assumed that Felt will take over as acting director until the president appoints L. Patrick Gray (Martin Csokas) to the position. While his wife, friends, and colleagues are shocked, Felt tries to work smoothly with his new boss. The next month, the Watergate Hotel break-in occurs. As Felt oversees an investigation into the burglary, he is pressured by Gray to “wrap it up” quickly. When Felt learns of the burglars connections to Nixon aides like E. Howard Hunt. he believes that Gray is acting on orders from the White House, a violation of the founding principles of the FBI. In order to get the truth out, Felt passes files on to Time magazine reporter Sandy Smith (Bruce Greenwood) at an out-of-the-way diner. Later, after hearing of the Washington Post’s articles, he meets with reporter Bob Woodward (Julian Morris) after hours at a desolate parking garage. Woodward will refer to his source only as “Deep Throat”. Gray and his advisors now have a new mission: find the “leak”. Felt must constantly watch his back as Washington and the nation is thrown into turmoil. How long can his involvement remain a secret?

In the title role, Neeson combines the gravitas of Aslan, Zeus, and Qui-Gon Jinn with a touch of the menace of Bryan Mills from the TAKEN series along with the a hint of the weary sadness of Oskar Schindler. With his silver pompadour Felt is a regal mature lion with little tolerance for the petty fools that surround him. This deflects the inquiring questions that jab him as the “mole hunt” begins. Neeson has an easy chemistry with Lane, who is regulated to the cliché “woman on the phone” far too often. While Felt seems unable to vent, she lets out her rage and frustration that their sacrifices appear to have meant nothing to those choosing a new FBI chief. The diner exchanges also crackle thanks to the superb delivery of Greenwood as the prodding, probing reporter. Tony Goldwyn and Josh Lucas also shine as Felt’s Bureau BFFs who respect and trust him above all others. And kudos to the producers for thinking “outside the box” by casting the talented comic actor/writer Ike Barinholtz (SNATCHED, SISTERS) as the cynical, suspicious filed agent, Angelo Lano. Plus Csokas makes a terrific “arch-enemy” as the devious , plotting Gray with Hall’s Dean a conniving cohort. Oh, and welcome back to Tom Sizemore as the seedy, “not afraid to get his hands dirty” agent Bill Sullivan whose withering stare speaks volumes.

With a cast like this, the film should be a riveting historical/ political thriller. Yes it should, but the pedestrian direction from Peter Landesman (who also adapted the books by Felt and John D. O’Connor) never allows the story to break out and really breathe. This flick moves at a snail’s pace, with little sense of urgency as new characters are introduced with bits of clumsy dialogue (“Well, Mark Felt and Bill Sullivan, together again”). Since it covers the same events, this film can’t help but suffer in comparison to the iconic journalism thriller ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (that Oscar winner still retains its power). The vintage fashions and hair styles of this new flick look authentic, but the muted, dark cinematography give the movie a cold, dingy feel. The addition of a side story of Felt trying to locate his daughter Joan, who seems to have been swallowed up by the “hippie” movement feels wedged in as a way to give the principals more humanity. It only serves to slow the pace even more (I was reminded of the love story forced into THE CAINE MUTINY). Unlike the 1976 Redford/Hoffman classic (wonder it it’s streaming), MARK FELT: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE feels like a dusty museum piece, hastily erected just before the gift shop exit.

2 Out of 5

Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Alison Brie, Carrie Coon And Bruce Greenwood Starring In Steven Spielberg’s THE PAPERS

Tom Hanks (left) and Steven Spielberg in BRIDGE OF SPIES

Twentieth Century Fox and Amblin Entertainment’s riveting drama inspired by actual events, THE PAPERS, began principal photography in New York on Tuesday, May 30th. Academy Award winning director Steven Spielberg helms a powerhouse cast including Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in THE PAPERS.

In June 1971 The New York Times, the Washington Post and the nation’s major newspapers took a brave stand for freedom of speech and reported on the Pentagon Papers, the massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned four decades and four US Presidents. At the time, the Post’s Katherine Graham (Streep) was still finding her footing as the country’s first female newspaper publisher, and Ben Bradlee (Hanks), the paper’s volatile, driven editor, was trying to enhance the stature of the struggling, local paper. Together, the two formed an unlikely team, as they were forced to come together and make the bold decision to support The New York Times and fight the Nixon Administration’s unprecedented attempt to restrict the first amendment.

THE PAPERS marks the first time Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have collaborated on a project. In addition to directing, Spielberg will also produce along with Amy Pascal and Kristie Macosko Krieger.

The script was written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer and features an acclaimed ensemble cast including Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Rhys, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bradley Whitford and Zach Woods.

An Amblin Entertainment production, THE PAPERS will be distributed domestically by Twentieth Century Fox and will be in select theaters December 22nd, going wide January 12th, 2018. Internationally, the film will be distributed through Amblin’s deals with Universal Studios, Reliance Entertainment, eOne and other international distribution partnerships.

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of GOLD In St. Louis

GOLD is the epic tale of one man’s pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street.

Also features Edgar Ramirez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Bill Camp, Joshua Harto, Timothy Simons, Craig T Nelson, Stacy Keach, and Bruce Greenwood.

The score is from composer Daniel Pemberton. Pemberton was Golden Globe nominated this year for Best Original Song for GOLD. He co-wrote the original song along with Iggy Pop and Danger Mouse.

Directed by Stephen Gaghan, GOLD opens in St. Louis, Friday, January 27.

WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of GOLD on MONDAY, JANUARY 23 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.

Answer the following:

What’s the name of the 1974 thriller film, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York, that had to do with a South African gold mine?

TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.

WEBSITE: http://gold-film.com/

Rated R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity.

WILDLIKE – The Review

She is a tiny little woman, a girl really, her eyes big and scared, she chews nervously on her sleeves, she looks at everyone with suspicion and maybe a bit of hope. She wears way too much eye makeup and her nail polish is always chipped and fading. She looks lost and alone in a waiting area of what may be a train station, airport or bus station. It is a waiting area for a ferry to Juneau, Alaska.

Her Mother is ill and Father deceased. Mother will be entering a hospital in Seattle, Washington, where they live, Mother can’t take care of her anymore. She is being sent to Juneau to stay with an Uncle, (known only as Uncle, played by Brian Geraghty). This is MacKenzie, the fragile but resourceful heroine of WILDLIKE.

At first her Uncle seems to have been sent from Heaven. She gets her own room in a nice home, a brand new phone, she gets to visit where Uncle works and seems to have dreams for a future of her own with maybe a job, boyfriend, a home. She is only 14.

And, as it must, reality comes crashing in. Uncle comes into her bed, several times. Later he will blame her for what occurs, naturally. She takes all the cash she can from Uncle and at the first opportunity runs off, leading to an adventure where we hope that she will not end up victimized further or worse.

She sleeps in unlocked cars, tries to scam backpackers staying in a nice hotel she cannot afford. She learns to use her own emerging womanhood to get what she needs.

Her goal is to get back to Seattle, she stumbles, more or less by chance into the company of Rene Bartlett (Bruce Greenwood) another back packer. His goal is to hike the trail through the Denali (used to be McKinley) National forest. The last thing he wants is an inexperienced, unprepared teenage tag along, but that is exactly what he gets.

As they must MacKenzie and Bartlett hike the trail together and learn much about each other and themselves. MacKenzie hit it lucky when she attached herself to Bartlett. He is a good and decent man and does the right thing. He even goes to Juneau and confronts Uncle, after he discovers what transpired, and does not do what we expect.

This is not a typical Hollywood movie with explosive behavior and dialog. This is the kind of character and story driven project that has a hard time getting into multiplex theaters, where the blockbuster mentality rules what gets exhibited.

All the actors are excellent but the movie belongs to Ella Purnell, who showed such promise in The Intruders and Kick Ass 2 and Maleficent. Here is a young actress rapidly coming into her own. Bruce Greenwood is also simply astonishing. A familiar presence from the Star Trek films he makes a good and decent man, (a type we don’t see much in movies anymore) into a believable and interesting character.

The Alaskan wilderness is a character unto itself. Movies seem to come in cycles, WILDLIKE is coming at the end of a cycle of films like Into The Wild, The Way, Wild and A Walk in the Woods where characters are isolated in wilderness settings, often taking a long hike on a well traveled path, and in the process learning about themselves.

WILDLIKE is a masterpiece of that type of story, we come to care very deeply about MacKenzie, and Bartlett, and hopefully something about ourselves in the process.

Five out of five stars

GOOD KILL – The Review

GOOD KILL is one of those films that owes everything to its headlining actor. Written and directed by Andrew Niccol, the film is highly character-driven and heavy on the solemn, brooding emotional atmosphere. A well-written film, GOOD KILL wears its heart on its sleeve and makes no qualms about its political tendencies, but primarily is carried by its star’s performance.

Ethan Hawke plays Major Thomas Egan, a man resigned to spending the rest of his career in a metal box piloting unmanned drones via remote control joysticks. Egan has a wife and child, but has become distant and isolated within himself as he begins to question the ethics of his military and the morality of his actions under orders.

Niccol directs the film with enough prowess to maintain the viewer’s attention, but the down-trodden mood of the film occasionally takes its tole, leaving the audience wanting a touch of comic relief or adrenaline-refueling action from time to time, a desire never fulfilled. Recall viewing LEAVING LAS VEGAS, but tone it way down and transplant our central character from Sin City to the southwest desert and that’s where the film resides emotionally.

GOOD KILL addresses some very real, very important contemporary issues, even if they do already feel somewhat played out and old news, but the upside and unique twist is that the film focuses on how one man copes and assimilates all this heaviness internally and externally. We see how it affects his career, his family, and even his health. Egan suppresses his feelings, hif anger and remorse, leaving his wife neglected and in the dark as to what he finally does. Once he does finally let her in just a little as to what he does, its proves to be too little too late.

In keeping with a broader genre and thematic trend, Egan has also slipped into alcoholism. While dramatically appropriate and entirely believable, this aspect of Egan’s character generally plays out as cliche and stereotypical. Rather than adding to Egan’s character-development and story progression, the alcohol mainly just serves as visual texture and dramatic noise.

What conveys the emotional impact and harsh reality most clearly is Hawke’s performance. From his subdued vocal projection, his ability to pause and be silent more than is comfortable, his body language and especially his facial emotions and slight little gestures that say so much, this is where the strength of the film emerges. This means its also a film you need to watch attentively, really giving your full attention and mindfulness to Major Egan’s experience.

Supporting Hawke are Zoe Kravitz as Airman Vera Suarez and Bruce Greenwood as Lt. Colonel Jack Johns, his co-pilot and commanding officer, respectfully. Suarez spots the laser while Egan pilots the drone and ultimately pulls the trigger of the missile that will takes lives, all under the often reluctant command of Johns. The three central characters share a common philosophy and concern, but have taken very different paths in how they deal with these complex dilemmas.

Bruce Greenwood is perfectly cast as Egan’s commanding officer, serving as a sort of casual father-figure under the guidelines of the U.S. military. Johns understands Egan’s struggle, even empathizes, but also manages to keep his reactions and emotions in check, at least for a while. Kravitz, on the other hand, plays her part with reasonable confidence but ultimately I fear serves as marginally more than eye candy against a typically more male-driven culture. With that said, January Jones serves up a far more dramatically appropriate feminine role in Egan’s little slice of Hell as their relationship slows fizzles out and then ends with a bang, as does Egan’s career once all things have gone too far.

GOOD KILL, referring ironically to the military jargon used to confirm a successful missile strike, often feel artificial while the characters are at work in the glorified metal trailers from which they pilot the drones, but during these times in the over-sized sardine cans, we see tensions rising within Egan’s psyche and how its ripping him apart from the inside out when he leaves the box and spirals dangerously near oblivion in the real world. Fortunately, GOOD KILL does not end on an entirely negative note and we can feel even just a tad hopeful, courtesy of an optimistic open ending.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Ethan Hawke Stars In First Trailer For Andrew Niccol’s GOOD KILL

Director Andrew Niccol (LORD OF WAR, IN TIME, THE HOST, GATTACA) reunites with Ethan Hawke in this new trailer for GOOD KILL.

The movie had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.

Guy Lodge (Variety) wrote GOOD KILL is, “a tense war drama notable for its tact and intelligence.”

A fighter-pilot turned drone-pilot, based in Las Vegas, fights the Taliban by remote control for twelve hours a day, then goes home to the suburbs and feuds with his wife and kids for the other twelve. But the pilot is starting to question the mission. Is he creating more terrorists than he’s killing? Is he fighting a war without end? One soldier’s tale with epic implications.

The film also stars Bruce Greenwood, Jake Abel, January Jones, and Zoe Kravitz and will open in 2015.

SLIFF 2014 Review – WILDLIKE

Review by Dana Jung

WILDLIKE screens at 5:00pm Saturday, November 22nd at the Tivoli Theatre as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival. Ticket information can be found HERE

The “fish out of water” story is nothing new. Even in as remote a location as Alaska, there have been numerous films and TV shows going back to at least NORTHERN EXPOSURE (and its predecessor TWIN PEAKS) that chronicle the effects of living in remote isolation on a person used to the big city. But no project in recent memory has utilized the extreme open spaces and majestic grandeur of the Alaskan outback in such a beautiful way as the new film WILDLIKE.

Mackenzie (Ella Purnell) is a troubled teenage girl who is shipped off to live with her uncle in Alaska. With no father and a mother who is undergoing treatments for some never-explained illness, Mackenzie is struggling, as all teens do, to find her identity. But the added complications of being uprooted at a vulnerable age are only the tip of the iceberg, for Mackenzie’s seemingly friendly uncle turns out to be an abuser, so Mackenzie seizes the first opportunity to run away, into the Alaskan countryside, with nothing but a small backpack and a little cash, and her wits.

Director Frank Hall Green expertly uses the breathtaking visuals of the Alaskan wilderness as a metaphor for the cold isolation that Mackenzie feels. How often, as teens, has one felt that they were all alone in the world? This magnificent backdrop only accentuates the girl’s feelings of withdrawal from human contact, not even to able to connect with a boy her own age without resorting to seduction. Things begin to change for Mackenzie, however, when she meets Bart (Bruce Greenwood), a widower with his own set of personal issues. After several stops and starts, a relationship slowly begins to develop between the lost teen and the man dealing with loss.
Greenwood has always been a strong and versatile actor capable of playing anything from villains to Starfleet captains to JFK. In WILDLIKE, Greenwood gives one of his best performances as the gruff but perceptive Bart. The way in which he chokes back emotion as he tells Mackenzie about his wife provides the perfect touching counterpart to the sadness in the young girl. Purnell (last seen as a young Angelina Jolie in MALEFICENT) is ideally cast as Mackenzie. With her heavy eye makeup and perpetually dour expression, she is in many ways the typical surly teenager. It is Purnell’s nuanced performance that gives the portrayal the depth needed to sympathize with and root for her from beginning to end. Whether nervously chewing on her shirt sleeve, or letting happiness creep across her face at the prospect of a better future, Purnell makes MacKenzie such a memorable character that you only wish good things for her.

SLIFF 2014 Interview: Frank Hall Green – Director of WILDLIKE

WILDLIKE will screen at 5:00pm Saturday, November 22nd at the Tivoli Theater as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival. Ticket information can be found HERE. Frank Hall Green will be in attendance to answer questions about his film

In writer-director Frank Hall Green’s WILDLIKE, Mackenzie (Ella Purnell of “Malificent”), a troubled but daring teenage girl, is sent by her desperate and struggling mother to live with her uncle (Bruce Geraghty of “The Hurt Locker”) in Juneau, Alaska. Although her uncle initially seems like a supportive caretaker and friend, the relationship takes an uncomfortably sinister turn, and Mackenzie is forced to run away. Trying to make her way back to Seattle alone to find her absent mother, Mackenzie instead ends up going ever deeper into the Alaskan interior. Lost and with no one else to turn to, she shadows a backpacker, the loner Bartlett (Bruce Greenwood of “Star Trek”), who proves an unlikely father figure with scars of his own. Together, they cross the wilderness and discover sanctuary in the last frontier.

Frank Hall Green took the time to talk to We Are Movie Geeks about WILDLIKE

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman November 18th 2014

We Are Movie Geeks: Have you been to St. Louis before?

Frank Hall Green: I have but it’s been a long time.

WAMG: Where did you grow up?

FHG: I grew up in Atlanta.I went to college at NYU in Manhattan and graduate film school there, so I’ve been in New York for most of my life now.

WAMG: Was WILDLIKE your first feature is a director?

FHG: Yes it’s my first narrative feature as a director.

WAMG: How did you come up with this particular story?

FHG: It’s really the confluence of a few ideas and desires. The central issue of sexual abuse is something that had come into my mind a long time ago. It’s an important social issue and I knew a couple of people who had had experiences that they had shared with me. When I was developing an idea for my first feature I read an article in the New York Times that talked about the percentage of women who have undergone some sort of sexual assault and how it’s really at epidemic proportions. I thought that would be interesting to tackle perhaps in a way that has not been presented before. At the same time that was going on, I had taken a backpacking trip to Alaska in 2003. I’m something of an avid backpacker and I usually take a trip like that about once a year. I have gone through Denali and some of the places that part goes through in the movie. I recognized Denali as a beautiful location and natural backdrop for a story. For a first feature, I knew I wanted to do something outdoors in nature. I wanted to do something of a journey, something of an adventure, something with the trajectory of a character going out in nature. These things all came together very easily into one story.

WAMG: Was Bartlett based on you or on anyone you know?

FHG: I think all the characters have a little bit of me in them, since I have to write them from scratch. But no, he’s more of a figment of my imagination than anything else. He is the character in the movie that is the least flawed. The great thing about Bartlett is that he has total acceptance of Mackenzie because he has no agenda with her.

WAMG: How much of the journey that McKenzie takes in the movie did you and your crew actually take?

FHG: We pretty much took the entire, exact Journey. In fact, we’ve taken it several times now. I began writing the script back in 2008, have been writing it off and on, and had a completed draft in 2010. I went back to Alaska for about 10 days and I did specifically take Mackenzie’s journey. I took the ferry boat which is a two day run up through Anchorage into Denali National Park and across the state. And then when I had producers, we took the trip again and scouted locations. During the shooting of the journey we covered 3000 miles.

WAMG: Where did you guys stay at night when you were out in the wild?

FHG: It’s wild and it’s very vast but often times we were shooting just hundreds of yards off the road. Off a dirt road sometimes and we would go out in the middle of nowhere and make a journey from point A to point B and stop along the way and shoot at different spots, but we would always be near some sort of lodge or inn or rustic accommodation where we could put the whole crew up. There were some crew members that were up for it and wanted to do some hard-core camping but we had to keep things professional and make sure everyone got plenty of rest.

WAMG: Did you have any weather-related problems?

FHG: Remarkably, we did not. Weather was not a problem for us. We got incredibly lucky in that it actually rained when we wanted it to rain. We had fabulous weather and the people of Alaska were extremely accommodating. The hard thing was just doing the very long days and seeing the script become real day by day over five weeks.

WAMG: Tell me about filming the scene with the bear. Where did that bear from?

FHG: That bear’s name is Joe Boxer. They call him JB for short and this is his second credit. That’s the same bear that was in INTO THE WILD. JB lives in the Anchorage Wildlife Conservation Center which is run by a wonderful guy named Mike Miller who started it. It’s a massive place with huge enclosures for various types of animals. They’re not trained but they have been raised in captivity for whatever reason. Many can’t fend for themselves in the wild. JB was taken in there as a cub. Mike said we could come down and shoot inside the pen. You can see in the movie that it doubles well as Denali as there are mountains all around where the Center is. It’s quite wild. Mike took a tractor with a front loader on it and put actors Bruce Greenwood and Ella Purnell and the director of photography Hillary Spera in it and picked them up and drove them into this massive enclosure that has 15-foot high fences around the perimeter. He then dropped them down inside of it. Mike got out with a pitchfork and a bucket full of hot dogs. He would throw down some hotdogs and JB would wander toward the hotdogs and toward them wanting more more. At this point Mike would throw another hotdog which would send JB back out further away. So JB would sort of do these circles and Hillary and the actors just got out there and did the scene. We did this for about 30 minutes and got some great shots.

WAMG: Tell me about casting Ella Purnell in the role of McKenzie. She’s a Brit, right?

FHG: Yes she is and she did a terrific accent. I tried to find a girl who was age-appropriate and fit the style of the film and had sort of a natural tone. I had a casting director, Stephanie Holbrook, who was fantastic and we were struggling to find the right person. We had met with several agencies out in LA and had held several auditions. After this I was sort of exasperated and went back to my hotel and there was a movie on called NEVER LET ME GO. It’s a British film with Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan. Keira Knightley’s character has a younger version who was played by Ella Purnell. When Ella came on the screen I watched her for about five minutes and I knew she would be perfect for Mackenzie. I had just happened to meet with Ella’s agent that day so I called the agent at midnight and we talked.

WAMG: Did she have any problems with the physical demands that you asked of her?

FHG: She did not, no. She’s a real go-getter, so not at all. I think the hardest thing was that she joined the production about a year and a half before filming. I went to London a couple of times and met with her and her mother and made sure they were comfortable with the subject matter of the movie and make sure she was willing to go 100% with the production. Ella and I did a lot of talking and skyping. I gave her a lot of material, some of which was hard for her to absorb, but she did some research on her own to get in to the mindset of what some young girls have gone through. Everyone had a blast shooting in Alaska. Day after day of beautiful scenery really kept us going.

WAMG: Was the entire movie shot in Alaska?

FHG: Yes, everything.

WAMG: I noticed when McKenzie is being sexually abused by her uncle the first time she doesn’t put up much of a fight. Was this character supposed to have had a history of being abused?

FHG: Yes, Brian Geraghty who plays the uncle, and Ella and I all talked about there having been an episode earlier where the uncle had crossed the line in a number of ways, probably multiple times, so the Mackenzie character is not surprised when it happens But I have found in my research that it’s very common for young women to become in this sort of frozen state, to not be able to do anything and in a lot of cases it is eerily quiet – nothing is said.

WAMG: Brian Geraghty does a good job as the uncle. I recognized him from FLIGHT.

FHG: Yes, he was in THE HURT LOCKER as well.

WAMG: That’s right, he had a big part in THE HURT LOCKER. Did you consider any other actors for the role of Bartlett?

FHG: We considered a lot of actors. We had a whole pool of people that we were looking at, but we really liked Bruce Greenwood. He’s a Canadian actor and he had gotten his start in films by director Atom Agoyan. I had just seen him in a film by Kelly Reichart called MEEK’S CUTOFF. I got on the phone with him and we talked for about an hour and a half and hit it off. I think it was luck of the draw that we came together, he is just perfect for the role. I think the tone and the mood and the look and feel of the movie was reflected in the script. I worked really hard to put on paper what I wanted it to look like. That way, when the actors read it, they had a real feel for what it was going to be.

WAMG: What filmmakers have inspired you?

FHG: I’m a big fan of Kelly Reichert, and some of the more quiet, neo-realist directors like her.

WAMG: Did you grow up a movie buff?

FHG: I did in a way. I grew up more an artist and sculptor and photographer. My father used to buy movies from the Columbia House Movie Club and he amassed a big collection of films from the 40s and 50s and 60s, art film and foreign film, most of which I had no idea what they were. When I was in high school I got on this kick of coming home every day after school and popping one of these movies in. So by the time I got into college, I was pretty well informed in film. I got the film bug when I was at NYU as an undergraduate even though I was a photography major and that set me on my current trajectory.

WAMG: What are your release plans for WILDLIKE?

FHG: We have a wonderful sales agent Kevin Iwashina who is handling the picture. He’s going to be talking to distributors pretty soon and we hope to get the movie out of there. We’re determined that it’s seen by a lot of people. The audience response so far has been great so we’re just excited to keep showing it more and more.

WAMG: What’s next for Frank Hall Green?

FHG: I’m a producer as well so I’ve got some things coming up. I have a small movie called REMITTANCE shot in Singapore and the Philippines which is coming out in six months and then I’ve got a project that I’m just starting, an adaptation of a book called Boy 21 by Matthew Quick who wrote SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. That will be directed by Lasse Hallstrom, so I’m really excited about that.

WAMG: Good luck with WILDLIKE and all of your future projects.

FHG: Thanks and I look forward to my visit to St. Louis.

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Five out of five stars

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Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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