Jeff Beck’s musicianship and melodic skills place him at the top of the game, and fans of the guitar god can check out his recent journey to Japan . Live in Tokyo, which features the musician performing such tracks as “Stratus,” “Led Boots,” “Cause We Ended as Lovers,” “Big Block,” and “A Day in the Life,” comes out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital formats on November 24.
The concert was filmed at Japan’s Tokyo Dome City Hall on April 9, 2014, and the event features Beck playing with his new backing band, which includes drummer Jonathan Joseph, guitarist Nicolas Meier, and bassist Rhonda Smith. Always bringing a unique spin on covers, I’m personally excited to see his version of Charles Mingus’ signature tune ‘Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.’
Live in Tokyo is being released by Eagle Rock Entertainment, which also put out the previous Beck titles Performing This Week . . . Live at Ronnie Scott’s and Rock ‘N’ Roll Party.
Opening Friday, The Judge centers on a high powered lawyer (Robert Downey Jr.) who returns to his childhood home after his mother passes away. Reuniting with his family has its share of bitterness, as his strained relationship with his father (Robert Duvall), the town’s resident judge, is seemingly at the point of no return.
Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel) is Samantha, Hank’s (Downey Jr.) ex-girlfriend, an old friend who provides the lawyer with a temporary respite from his familial struggles (Vincent D’Onofrio and Jeremy Strong co-star as Hank’s brothers).
During The Judge press conference, Farmiga elaborated on how Sam provides Hank with a slight semblance of balance:
“I found Sam’s spiritual frequency really alluring in this sweaty Turkish bath of this really unsettled and frenetic (group) of males. She has a serenity to her spirit. Her heart is elastic – she’s like a rubber band until this guy comes and snaps it too hard.”
Click on the media bar below to hear Vera Farmiga discuss the “romantic investigation” behind The Judge:
As expected, Gone Girl debuted at the #1 spot at this weekend’s box-office, scoring another hit for filmmaker David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). The horror film Annabelle also had a great opening, narrowly missing the top spot with $37.2 million, with the Denzel Washington flick The Equalizer having a solid outing with $19 million. here’s the top 10:
1. Gone Girl – Another hit for director David Fincher, with Oscar nomination buzz surrounding Rosamund Pike’s performance. $38 million
2. Annabelle – $37.2 million
3. The Equalizer – $19 million in its second weekend, and it’s already grossed $104 million worldwide.
4. The Boxtrolls – $12.43 million
5. The Maze Runner – $12 million
6. Left Behind – The faith based feature, starring Nicolas Cage, debuts with $6.85 million.
7. This is Where I Leave You – Family comedy, budgeted at $19.8 million, has made $29 million domestically. Over the weekend, it turned in $4 million.
8. Dolphin Tale 2 – $3.53 million
9. Guardians of the Galaxy – $3.03 million. Domestic total: $323.36 million.
10. No Good Deed – $2.5 million this weekend, but this Idris Elba/Taraji P. Henson flick has surpassed expectations with a $50.16 million domestic haul.
Gunsmoke In Tucson doesn’t carry such A-list Western stars as John Wayne or James Stewart and it wasn’t directed by the likes of John Ford, Anthony Mann, or revered B-movie filmmaker Butt Boetticher.
Movie buffs may recall Mark Stevens from The Snake Pit or the 1946 noir The Dark Corner, but Gunsmoke in Tucson’s most familiar face is Forrest Tucker, best known for his work on the TV series F Troop. Thomas Carr, who spent a majority of his career directing TV shows (Wanted: Dead or Alive, Rawhide), is Tucson’s filmmaker. But who needs big stars when the film’s blessed with a first rate story?
The flick’s opening moments starts with a shot of a hangman’s noose, as a thief is ready to die for attempting to steal a horse. While the man’s son Chip vows revenge, Chip’s levelheaded brother John knows their dad must pay the ultimate price for his crimes.
Years later, we run into Chip Coburn (Mark Stevens), a hardened horse rustler and leader of the Blue Chip gang (Chip’s right hand man, played by John Ward is appropriately named Slick). Just out of jail, Chip’s bent on grabbing his own piece of land and settling down with a redheaded saloon girl named Lou (Gale Robbins), even if he continues to work on the wrong side of the tracks.
But John (Forrest Tucker), now a straight-laced U.S. marshal, is keeping steady watch over his little brother, and isn’t afraid to throw his kin back in jail (or worse, shoot him dead in his tracks) at a moment’s notice.
Also standing in Chip’s way is Ben Bodeen (Vaughn Taylor), a corrupt land baron who doesn’t mind killing and robbing his way to success. Bodeen has also taken Lou as his wife, upping an inevitable showdown with Chip.
Although Gunsmoke in Tucson is framed as a story of two brothers, the narrative mainly focuses on Chip’s major dilemma. How can a horse rustler exist in a world where he’s not part of the town’s criminal underpinnings? Does Chip join forces with the land baron and exact their evil on Tucson, or will he turn reluctant Good Samaritan and help his brother bring Bodeen to justice?
Gunsmoke in Tucson – Warner Archive
Though the film does belong to Stevens (who could pass for Dana Andrews’ long lost brother), Tucker has the flick’s most elaborate action sequence. Armed with a Winchester, U.S. Marshal John Brazos (Tucker) takes on Bodeen’s men on a dusty homestead. Shot in CinemaScope, it’s a scene that would have been great to watch on the silver screen.
Armed with a first rate narrative and solid performances, Gunsmoke in Tucson (80 minutes, Warner Archive) may not possess the proverbial, A-list cast and crew, but it still packs a solid punch.
Paul Thomas Anderson, who last collaborated with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix on The Master, traverses more comedic territory this time around, as he tackles an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel Inherent Vice.
A shaggy dog mystery featuring Joaquin Phoenix as a way in over his head private eye, Inherent Vice was screened for select press members at the New York Film Festival (as reported in this Indiewire piece).
I interviewed Josh Brolin, who plays police officer “Bigfoot” Bjornsen in the film, and during the chat he talked about working with Paul Thomas Anderson on Inherent Vice (the discussion occurred while Brolin was promoting the overlooked Spike Lee directed feature Oldboy, and he mentions his Oldboy character Joe Doucett in the clip):
Inherent Vice has a limited run December 12 (for Awards consideration) and opens nationwide January 9.
Édgar RamÃrez, seen earlier this year as a priest fighting demons in Deliver Us From Evil, reaches epic heights as Simón BolÃvar in The Liberator. Chronicling the evolution of the South American icon was certainly a daunting task for filmmaker Alberto Arvelo, and though the director mounts various BolÃvar campaigns to visually arresting affect, much of The Liberator’s success rests with RamÃrez’s inspired performance.
We are introduced to BolÃvar as a Venezuelan who’s born into privilege, and his youthful confidence is tempered by his insightful beliefs on equality and social justice, lessons imparted by his tutor Simon Rodriguez (Francisco Denis). After his marriage (a luminous Maria Valverde plays his wife) ends in tragedy, BolÃvar is initially disillusioned and directionless, until he leads a campaign to liberate northern South America.
Édgar Ramirez in The Liberator (Cohen Media Group)
Simon BolÃvar is a near mythic figure, and having been known as fighting over 100 battles against the Spanish Empire and riding over 70,000 miles on horseback, it’s easy to see why Arvelo infuses The Liberator with grand scale storytelling (Gustavo Dudamel’s sweeping and resonant score adds to the mix).
But amidst the battles and BolÃvar’s speeches, the film’s biggest takeaway is RamÃrez, who effectively portrays the inner struggles that reside within this iconic figure. RamÃrez knows that before one portrays a legend, he must play the actual man (BolÃvar died of tuberculosis at 47).
Filmed in Spain and Venezuela, The Liberator is also pleasing to the eye, as Arvelo and crew get the most out of the project’s reported $50 million budget. Now playing in limited release, The Liberator (119 minutes, R) is a narrative that should be seen on the big screen, especially if you love historical epics.
**In the audio clip below, RamÃrez explains how Simón BolÃvar’s personal loss inspired his lifelong quest for freedom and liberty:
Opening October 10 in New York and Los Angeles, Whiplash centers on Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller in a breakout role), a driven jazz drummer who risks it all to learn from revered instructor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). Fletcher’s emotionally and physically abusive methods push Andrew to the brink at the prestigious music conservatory, and their battle of wills serves as the story’s heart and soul.
The picture is inspired by director/writer Damien Chazelle’s own life in the music world. “I asked Damien some technical questions with drumming because he is a better jazz drummer than I am,” said Teller at the Whiplash press conference. “I was using him for that as much as I could, but for the character, it was all there on the page. It was very clear what Andrew Neyman was all about. For Andrew, he wants to be the greatest drummer of all time and that’s really his sole kind of desire.”
Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons – Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics, CR: Daniel McFadden)
Miles Teller’s extensive music background started on the piano at just six years old. Eventually he would move on to drums, and those well honed skills helped ease Whiplash’s seemingly steep learning curve.
Click on the media bar below to hear Miles Teller talk about his music background (J.K. Simmons is also heard on the clip):
Released this week on DVD, Lucky Them (IFC Films, 96 minutes, R) centers on Ellie Klug (Toni Collette), a Seattle rock journalist who’s assigned by her magazine’s editor (Oliver Platt) to search for Matthew Smith, a music legend who disappeared years ago. A reluctant Ellie is forced to write a story about her ex-boyfriend to increase the magazine’s flagging business and, in turn, save her job.
Helping Ellie’s mission is Charlie (Thomas Haden Church), an eccentric former love interest who documents (he’s an aspiring filmmaker) their journey to find her presumed dead lover. The Blacklist’s Ryan Eggold also stars as the struggling musician who romances his way into Ellie’s life and all too jaded heart.
Thomas Haden Church & Toni Collette in ‘Lucky Them’ – (IFC Films)
Directed by Megan Griffiths, the project took years to get off the ground, as co-writer/producer Emily Wachtel initially pitched the project to late actor Paul Newman. Although Newman, who died in 2008, was interested in the project, his flagging health made his participation impossible (Newman’s widow Joanne Woodward is credited as an executive producer on Lucky Them).
Filmed on a shoestring budget by Megan Griffiths, Lucky Them’s biggest challenge is getting viewers to sympathize with Ellie Klug, as she comes across as self-centered and dismissive from the get go. The root of Ellie’s crisis, however, lies in her refusal to deal with her past scars and attempt to move on with the present. As a music junkie, her domicile is filled with records, CDs, and a whole pile of memories she refuses to deal with. Her quixotic mission to find Matthew may bring some much needed closure.
Thomas Haden Church brings his distinct cadence and comedic delivery to the proceedings, and Charlie is Lucky Them’s most unpredictable element. Although the big mystery is whether Matthew is still alive, Charlie’s eccentric point of view leads to memorable exchanges with Ellie, as she eventually warms up to his refreshing candor.
Griffiths directs the film with a sure hand, as she’s not afraid to lead her story in different and unexpected directions. The final chapter, when Ellie comes face to face with a surprising revelation, gives the narrative a surprising and subtle level of resonance.
Toni Collette in Lucky Them (IFC Films)
There is a slight twist to Lucky Them that, if Megan Griffiths desired, may have led to more “box-office” business to the film (it was released earlier this year). But Griffiths takes a page out of Ellie Klug’s playbooks, preferring that viewers eventually uncover the big secret sans any media fanfare. It’s a creative decision that should be applauded, as many filmmakers would have trumpeted the film’s “twist” just to scrounge up more business.
I refuse to spoil the ending of Lucky Them, and if you check out the film – try to see it with fresh eyes. Sometimes the past should be left behind, and whether it’s Seattle, Los Angeles, or the ends of the earth, playing the same old song isn’t the way to go. There’s always music just around the corner, and Lucky Them spins quite an arresting, and at times heartbreaking, tune.
Special Features: The DVD comes with a featurette and behind the scenes look at the making of Lucky Them. Both segments, though brief, offer an informative look at the diligent, 10-year journey it took to get the film made. Actors Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church, Nina Arianda, Ryan Eggold, Ahna O’Reilly, and Oliver Platt, as well as cinematographer Ben Kutchins, director Megan Griffiths, and screenwriter/producer Emily Wachtel are among the cast and crew that are interviewed on the bonus features.
Third Person (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 137 minutes, R), which was just released this week on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD, is an ambitious narrative centering on love and betrayal that takes place in Paris, Rome, and New York. Directed and penned by Paul Haggis (Crash, In the Valley of Elah), the project took Haggis over two and a half years to finish.
Some moviegoers were perplexed and frustrated by the film’s ambiguity and puzzle laden storyline, but if you’re inspired by non-linear, perspective shifting tales (Third Person is partially inspired by such films as Blow-Up and The Passenger), then Third Person is worth your attention.
The three storylines from Third Person are as follows:
Paris: Â Liam Neeson is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer who’s suffering a creative crises. Selfish and self-indulgent to the core, he spends his day with a younger colleague (Olivia Wilde) who’s trying to get her own career off the ground. Though both of them are madly in love with each other, continued manipulations and deceit drive a wedge to their union.
Liam Neeson, Olivia Wilde in Third Person – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rome: Adrien Brody is a businessman who becomes instantly infatuated with a gypsy (Moran Atias) while drinking at a bar. Upon learning the woman’s daughter was kidnapped, he gets embroiled in an operation that places his life in danger.
Adrien Brody and Moran Atias in ‘Third Person’ – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
New York: A former soap opera actress turned maid (Mila Kunis) is in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband/artist (James Franco). Even with a competent lawyer by her side (Maria Bello), her continued irresponsibility leads to dire consequences.
Mila Kunis in Third Person (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Eventually, all of these stories intersect in a huge twist that can, depending on the viewer, be deemed infuriating or creatively invigorating.
Special features on this disc include:
The Making of Third Person (9:50)- The featurette on the making of the flick, contains the opening Paul Haggis comment: “I always hope the same thing when I’m making a film, which is just to write an interesting story and then tell it well.” Liam Neeson, Adrian Brody, Moran Atias, Olivia Wilde, Mila Kunis, Maria Bello, and producer Michael Nozik are among the cast and crew interviewed on the segment.
Filmmaker Commentary – Paul Haggis, Moran Atias, producer Michael Nozik, production designer Laurence Bennett, and editor Jo Francis are on the commentary track. If you’ve already the seen the movie and are a bit confused with the story’s final chapter, this commentary breaks everything down and leaves no questions left unanswered.
Q&A With Paul Haggis (33:29) – A KCET Cinema Series Q&A moderated by Pete Hammond, this special feature is a must watch if you’re curious about Paul Haggis’ writing process. Haggis is very lively and frank during the chat, and Hammond was more than up to the task as the interviewer.
In the media clip below, Mila Kunis explains why she loved exploring her character in Third Person:
Third Person is now out on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.
Although Kate Walsh may have carved out a solid dramatic career thanks to her work on TV series Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and most recently Fargo, the actress also has a comedic background. Those seeds were planted years ago during her days at Chicago’s Piven Theatre Workshop.
“I’ve always kind of lived in both worlds,” said Walsh, whose new show Bad Judge premieres on NBC tomorrow night at 9 pm et/pt. “I always did comedy and drama (but) then Grey’s Anatomy came along and hit and that’s what I became known for.”
With Bad Judge, Walsh stars as Rebecca Wright, a judge who lays down the law in her courtroom but finds her life outside the legal system a bit chaotic for her own good. Carousing, boozing, and not plain giving a darn does have its appeal, and viewers can expect Wright to partake in all sorts of mayhem.
BAD JUDGE — “Pilot” — Pictured: Kate Walsh as Rebecca — (Photo by: John Fleenor/NBC)
In our video below, Kate Walsh talks about her improv days in Chicago, where she met Bad Judge executive producer (and Anchorman filmmaker) Adam McKay and a host of talented performers.
Bad Judge, co-starring Tone Bell, debuts October 2 on NBC (9 pm et/pt)
