Here’s your first look at David O. Russell’s AMERICAN HUSTLE. The drama stars Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence.
A fictional film set in the 1970’s in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock our nation, AMERICAN HUSTLE tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper).
DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that’s as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving’s unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down.
Really feels like David O. Russell from his THREE KINGS days.
Just as with his previous films (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, THE FIGHTER), AMERICAN HUSTLE defies genre, hinging on raw emotion, and life and death stakes. The film is written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell and will undoubtedly find a place in this year’s Oscar race.
AMERICAN HUSTLE will be in theaters December 13, 2013.
Iconic filmmakers and A-list stars attended the 2012 Governors Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, CA, Saturday, December 1. The biggest names in Hollywood gathered to celebrate the indelible contributions of honorees D.A. Pennebaker, George Stevens Jr., Hal Needham, and Jeffrey Katzenberg to filmmaking and the world. The guest list included Seth MacFarlane, host of the upcoming 85th Academy Awards ceremony, as well as the show’s producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Also on hand were Richard Gere, Amy Adams, Helen Hunt, Bradley Cooper, Will Smith, Ewan McGregor, David O. Russell, Kathryn Bigelow, John Lasseter, Robert Zemeckis, Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, Kristen Stewart, Christopher Nolan and many more.
Writer/director/producer George Lucas (left), Oscar-winning director/producer Steven Spielberg (center) and Oscar-winning director/writer/producer Robert Zemeckis.
LINCOLN filmmakers – Oscar®-nominated writer Tony Kushner, Oscar®-winning director/producer Steven Spielberg and Oscar winning cinematographer Junusz Kaminski.
A video clip kicked off the evening saluting the history of the Academy’s Honorary Award, which was begun in 1948 to honor achievements outside the categories of the existing Oscars. This year, three honorees received Honorary Awards for their work, which ranged from Needham’s death-defying stunts to Pennebaker’s groundbreaking documentaries and Stevens’ landmark film preservation, while Katzenberg was recognized for his trailblazing philanthropic efforts.
The Academy blogged the ceremony live and concluded with, “As the night’s four honorees reunited for a group photo on the stage at the close of the evening, each man’s words continued to resound and providing an inspiring example to future generations of filmmakers and benefactors to come.”
Here’s a glimpse of the awards presentations in these various videos below.
The Governors Awards ceremony was produced by Don Mischer, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Charlie Haykel, and Julianne Hare, and highlights from the evening will also be presented when the recipients appear as part of the 85th Academy Awards on February 24, 2013.
Actress Kristen Stewart and Actress Quvenzhane Wallis.
Oscar®-nominated director/writer/producer David O. Russell (left), Oscar-winning actor Warren Beatty (center) and journalist Tom Brokaw.
Actor Dwight Henry (left), Governors Awards producer Cheryl Boone Isaacs (center) and actress Quvenzhane Wallis.
Oscar®-winning director/producer Steven Spielberg (left) and Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper.
Actress Leslie Mann (left), Oscar®-nominated writer Tony Kushner (center) and producer/writer/director Judd Apatow.
Oscar®-winning director/producer Steven Spielberg (left), Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper (left center), actor Badley Cooper (right center) and Oscar-winning producer Bruce Cohen (center).
Oscar®-winning actor Kirk Douglas (left) with wife Anne (right) and Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks.
Oscar®-winning actress Annette Bening (left), Honorary Award recipient George Stevens Jr. (center) and actor Richard Gere.
Oscar®-nominated composer Alexandre Desplat (left), Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow (left center), actor
Édgar Ramírez (right center) and Oscar-winning writer/producer Mark Boal.
Oscar®-nominated actress Amy Adams.
Oscar®-winner Helen Hunt.
Oscar®-nominated actress Jackie Weaver (left), Oscar-nominated director/writer/producer David O. Russell (center) and actor Bradley Cooper.
Actress Emayatzi Corinealdi (left) and actor David Oyelowo.
Oscar®-nominated actress Virginia Madsen.
Actor Ewan McGregor.
85th Academy Awards host Seth MacFarlane.
Oscar®-winning writer/director Quentin Tarantino.
Oscar®-winning actor Tom Hanks, Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient Jeffrey Katzenberg and Oscar®-nominated actor Will Smith.
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient Jeffrey Katzenberg and Oscar®-nominated actor Will Smith.
Oscar®-nominated actor John Hawkes.
Oscar®-nominated Director Michael Mann and Oscar®-nominated writer/director/producer Christopher Nolan.
Oscar®-winning director/producer John Lasseter (right) and wife Nancy.
85th Academy Awards producers Neil Meron (left) and Craig Zadan.
Writer/director David O. Russell has been tackling difficult family issues since his breakout comedy/drama SPANKING THE MONKEY back in 1994. He followed that up with the more whimsical FLIRTING WITH DISASTER. His most recent hit, the based on a true story THE FIGHTER, also dealt with a family in crisis. His newest screen work, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, again has the family dynamic as its focus and concerns a subject that has been touched on more frequently in the cinema recently: mental illness. Going back to THE THREE FACES OF EVE to A BEAUTIFUL MIND the movies have attempted to portray this subject in a compassionate manner. And with LININGS, Russell (working from Matthew Quick’s novel) attempts to meld this with a romantic (occasional) comedy. It’s quite the tightrope walk.
In the opening scenes of the film we meet Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) as he prepares to leave a Baltimore mental health facility. After a violent episode with his wife, Pat was been remanded there and a restraining order was issued. His mother Dolores (Jackie Weaver) signs him out and drives him back to the family home in Philadelphia where they surprise Pat Sr. (Robert DeNiro), a diehard Eagles fan and sports bookie hoping to open a sandwich shop. Pat soon re-connects with old pal Ronnie (John Oritz), whose wife Veronica (Julia Stiles) insists that Pat come over for Dinner in a few days. Ah, but it’s a set-up! Also at the Dinner is Veronica’s kid sister Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a recent widow also dealing with mental and psychological problems. The two don’t connect romantically, but begin a tenuous friendship. Then Tiffany strikes a deal: she will get a letter from Pat to his estranged wife (he obsessively pine for her) if he will be Tiffany’s dance partner in an upcoming competition. As they train, the damaged pair strive to return to normalcy and perhaps built on this new relationship
To make this tricky subject matter work ,the actors must be capable of bringing these broken characters to life. This exceptional cast hits it out of the park (or perhaps I should say they score a touchdown). The two leads, best known for franchise films (Cooper with the HANGOVER films and Lawrence for the just starting HUNGER GAMES) , truly bring their A game and tread that tricky balance of comedy and dark tragedy. Cooper proves he’s much more than a pretty face (and abs) as this fragile and often violent man in transition. He’s trying so hard to stay upbeat, that his erratic outbursts are heart-wrenching. This is a real guy with big, big problems. The same could be said for Lawrence’s Tiffany except the she uses her sexuality to lash out at the world. Happily her friendship with Pat helps her to focus on life (primarily via dance). Lawrence gives a mature performance that builds on her fine work in WINTER’S BONE. She’s forging quite a career.
The two are backed by a superlative supporting cast bringing this story to vivid life. Oritz scores big laughs as the hen-pecked Ronnie who ‘s always there for his pal. Another pal who garners big laughs is Chris Tucker in a small role as Pat’s group therapy buddy, Danny. He pops up only a few times, but is a very welcome brief comic relief (without resorting to his usual high-pitched shrieking). Weaver is terrific as the polar opposite of her ANIMAL KINGDOM maternal monster. The real stand-out (and a bit of a surprise) is DeNiro in a sympathetic restrained performance as Pat Senior. He truly loves his son and somewhaow believes his son’s problems are a result of his neglect. He desperately wants to connect and bond before it’s too late. Despite his effort he can’t seem to mend his family. Much of his recent work has seemed so much like parody versions of previous roles but his subtle, quiet work here is refreshing. A scene between senior and junior as the elder admits his parental failings is a heartbreaker that should reward him with another Oscar nod.
Russell makes wonderful use of the suburban settings and keeps the story moving at a nice even pace. No showy camera tricks or stylistic flourishes detract from the moving, compelling script and nuanced performances. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is an engaging look at two lost souls that more than desire to find that ‘silver lining’.
Life doesn’t always go according to plan…Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything — his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert DeNiro) after spending eight months in a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat’s parents want is for him to get back on his feet – and to share their family’s obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he’ll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.
The Weinstein Company presents SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, a family drama, comedy and love story based on the bestselling novel by Matthew Quick, written and directed by David O. Russell (FLIRTING WITH DISASTER). Starring Bradley Cooper (HANGOVER, LIMITLESS), Jennifer Lawrence (THE HUNGER GAMES, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS), Robert De Niro (LIMITLESS, MEET THE PARENTS) Jacki Weaver (ANIMAL KINGDOM), Anupam Kher (BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM), and Chris Tucker (RUSH HOUR, JACKIE BROWN). Rounding out the cast are Julia Stiles, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham and Dash Mihok. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is in theaters November 21st.
The Weinstein Company and WAMG invite you to enter to win a pass to the advance screening of SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK on November 19 at 7PM in St. Louis.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING. 2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED. 3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: For which 2010 drama was David O. Russell nominated for an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Directing?
WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
The film is RATED R.
Masanobu Takayanagi is the director of photography, Judy Becker is the production designer. Mark Bridges is the costume designer, and Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers are the editors. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is produced by Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon. Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, George Para, Michelle Raimo and Bradley Cooper are the Executive Producers.
Twitter was all aflutter on Sunday evening when the new, moody trailer for THE FIGHTER showed up during a commercial break for AMC’s season finale of MAD MEN at the 20 min. mark. Pete Hammond over at Deadline.com reported:
This promotional gambit was first tried by Paramount on last season’s Mad Men finale for their major 2009 contender, Up In The Air. That’s because Mad Men is a hot TV ticket, and usually an Emmy contender in its own right, and sure to draw a large contingent of movie awards voters. In fact, one of Mad Men’s consultants has been Frank Pierson, former President of the Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.
The official reason for the spot, according to a Par spokesperson, is that the audience for the show is “high end, smart, savvy – the ultimate tastemakers“ and we think the show is an ideal place to showcase a special piece on the film.”
Here’s the original.
Synopsis:
THE FIGHTER is the inspirational, true story of these two brothers who, against all the odds, come together to train for a historic title bout that will unite their fractured family, redeem their pasts and, at last, give their hard-luck town what it’s been waiting for: pride. The story unfolds on the gritty, blue-collar streets of Lowell, Mass, where Dicky was once known as “The Pride of Lowell” having gone the distance with the world champion Sugar Ray Leonard. However, after losing that fight, like the town of Lowell, Dicky’s fallen on hard times. His boxing days are behind him and his life has become shattered by drug abuse. Younger brother Micky, meanwhile, has become the family’s fighter and fading hope for a champion. But despite all of his work, Micky’s career is failing and he loses fight after punishing fight. Dicky and Micky’s tougher-than-nails mother, Alice (MELISSA LEO), manages his career and Dicky serves as his highly unreliable trainer. When Micky’s latest fight nearly kills him, it looks like it could all be over – until his iron-willed new girlfriend, Charlene (AMY ADAMS), convinces him to do the unthinkable: split with his family, pursue his own interests and train without his increasingly volatile and criminal brother. Now Micky has the chance of a lifetime as he earns a shot at the World Championship. But when his brother and dysfunctional family reenter his life, they must all reconcile their pasts and become more than just a family in name. With Micky and Dicky reunited, this becomes more than just a fight – it’s an all-out comeback for these brothers, their family, and their city. When it’s over, Micky will have become a World Champion, a Hall of Fame legend, and the new “Pride of Lowell”. THE FIGHTER is a moving and often humorous drama about fighting for the people you love.
From Paramount Pictures, THE FIGHTER will be in theaters December 2010.
Visit the film’s official site here or on Facebook here.
Coming this December, here’s the first trailer for David O. Russell’s THE FIGHTER starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo.
Count on multiple Academy Awards nominations on this film. This “Based on a true story” is exactly the kind of film that Oscar wins are made of. ROCKY…CHARIOTS OF FIRE…anyone? I’d have no problem seeing that statue in the hands of Wahlberg, Bale or even Russell on February 27, 2011.
Synopsis:
THE FIGHTER is a drama about boxer “Irish” Micky Ward’s unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO’d by drugs and crime and Ward’s eventual world championship in London.
From Paramount Pictures, THE FIGHTER will be in theaters December 2010.
Visit the film’s official site here or on Facebook here.
The New York Timeshad an interesting story on David O. Russell’s THE FIGHTER starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. Many oscar pundits see the film receiving more than a few nominations with its mid-December 2010 release.
During the St. Louis premiere of THE OTHER GUYS earlier this month, Wahlberg briefly talked to WAMG’s Melissa Howland about his upcoming film.
Here are excerpts from the NYT article:
THE FIGHTER has those elements, plus Christian Bale, and the extraordinary passion of Mark Wahlberg, who started training almost four years ago for the lead role as the real-life boxer Micky Ward.
But the movie still had to survive a grueling behind-the-scenes struggle before landing on the schedule at Paramount Pictures, which plans to release it on Dec. 10, as the awards season hits full stride.
Wahlberg fought hard to get THE FIGHTER made. “Many times I thought it wasn’t going to happen,” said Mr. Wahlberg, who spoke by telephone last week.
Mr. Wahlberg, who spent several years waking before dawn to work on his physical conditioning, recalled thinking, “If I don’t get this movie done the way I want to, I’m going to use this training on somebody in a bad way.”
Rob Moore, Paramount’s vice chairman, acknowledged that his studio had been wary of THE FIGHTER, which promises to become Mr. Russell’s first major release since his I HEART HUCKABEES fizzled for Fox Searchlight Pictures in 2004.
THE FIGHTER is a biopic that follows the ups and downs of a come-from-behind welterweight and his half-brother, and like a lot of adult-oriented dramas, “ultimately, these are tougher movies,” Mr. Moore said. “They’re all about execution.”
Mr. Wahlberg noted, struggle is nothing new when it comes to the story of Mr. Ward and Dick Ecklund, both of whom were written off more than once before Mr. Ward’s triumph, in 2000, in a junior welterweight title fight that figures in the film. “These are guys who against all odds achieved their goals and realized their dream,” Mr. Wahlberg said. “It wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Have a look at a few scenes from the set of THE FIGHTER due in theaters on December 10, 2010. It will be a packed weekend at the theaters with the release of THE FIGHTER, the Johnny Depp/Angelina Jolie thriller THE TOURIST, and the third installment in the Chronicles of Narnia series, THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER.
Photos Courtesy: Copyright – Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. Source: NYTimes.com
David O. Russell is going Rocky on us, as he will be directing Relativity Media’s new movie ‘The Fighter’ to be distributed by Paramount, which is expected to begin shooting this July.
The movie tells the story of “Irish” Mickey Ward, a fighter from Boston who was helped by his half-brother Dicky Eklund to the world lightweight championship. Eklund (Bale) is remembered for his career prior to drugs and crime, when he went toe to toe with Sugar Ray Leonard, and then afterwards when he trained Ward (Wahlberg) Rocky-style.
I have to admit, I would have rather seen Arronofsky direct this, but due to the long-running issues with getting the project off the ground, Arronofsky backed out and moved on. However, that’s not to say Russell isn’t a capable director. The project has also gone through it’s share of actors, including Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, before steeling on what looks to be Bale and Wahlberg, although they are apparently still negotiating.
One thing’s for sure, filming in a boxing frame of mind, Wahlberg shouldn’t do anything to “piss” Bale off or they may find themselves in real-life fisticuffs as a result of Bale’s temper.
Finally, the director of one of my absolute favorite comedies (I Heart Huckabees) has finally got some new work coming out. David O. Russell (Flirting with Disaster, Three Kings) will direct ‘Aaron and Sarah’ for Fox 2000.
The story of ‘Aaron and Sarah’ is a romantic comedy that follows a nerdy dude who meets a popular girl his freshman year in high school. The two become friends over their four-year high school career, through four proms and one funeral.
Chad Gomez Creasey and Dara Resnik Creasey wrote the screenplay, which was originally titled ‘B.F.F.’ The movie has been described as a teen comedy that hearkens back to those of director John Hughes’ films, which is sort of new territory for Russell. ‘Nailed’ is set to come out this year, his first since 2004 when he finished ‘I Heart Huckabees’ and ‘Soldiers Pay’.
Dawn Campbell: “You can’t deal with my infinite nature, can you?” Brad Stand: “That is so not true. Wait … what does that even mean?”
This is just a tasty little morsel of the philosophically quirky humor that’s so brilliantly written with great abundance into I [Heart] Huckabees. The film is written and directed by David O. Russell and is easily one of my all-time favorite comedies. A comedy that’s way beyond what is normally considered, well … normal. The film has an incredible ensemble cast, including Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, Jude Law, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, Jason Schwartzman and Isabelle Huppert.
