New York, I Love You is the second in the Cities of Love series; this is a ongoing film of anthology films that focus on stories of love, love of the romantic kind and love of the city in which they are set. For those not familiar with the definition of an anthology film it is a group of short films, usually based around the same topic. All of these short films have differing directors and writers and are stitched into one movie.
The first in the Cities of Love series was Paris, Je T’aime. While the differences in the “style” of Paris vs. New York are subtle the basic differences are that Paris was much more fanciful, and the Paris installment did not “stitch” together; while I love Paris, Je T’aime very much it did suffer from each vignette feeling separate and cut off from the others. New York, I Love You does not suffer from this; in order to feel more cohesive New York does not simply jump into the next short, instead it segways or transitions to each new story by meandering around the city. Characters even pop in and out of the background of each others stories to further the feeling of a cohesive environment that all these stories are set in.
My favorite story in the entire film probably had to be the segment with Ethan Hawke. He plays a writer who tries to smooth talk a woman outside of a bar.
I know that what I saw of New York, I Love You was a preview screening this appeared to be a fully finished version of the film – titles, credits and all – and yet I remember hearing that New York, I Love You would contain the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett is even listed in the directors credit on IMDB and yet her short film segment is not in the movie. I did enjoy the directorial debut of Natalie Portman though.
This is not a film series that everyone will enjoy. However, if you want to experience a non-typical movie, or just something very fun, beautiful and meaningful this is something you should see. New York, I Love You is not a typical romantic comedy.
Directors: Faith Akin, Yvan Attal, Allen Hughes, Sunji Iwai, Wen Jiang, Scarlett Johnasson, Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Martson, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner, Andrei Zvyagintsev & Randall Balsmeyer
Maggie: Jacinda Barrett
Molly: Rachel Bilson
David: Orlando Bloom
Mr. Riccoli: James Caan
Johnny: Hayden Christensen
Isabelle: Julie Christie
Gus: Bradley Cooper
Alex: Chris Cooper
Lydia: Drea de Matteo
Garry: Andy Garcia
Writer: Ethan Hawke
Jacob: Shia LaBeouf
Mitzie: Cloris Leachman
Ex-Girlfriend: Blake Lively
Rifka: Natalie Portman
Hooker: Maggie Q
Camille: Christina Ricci
Abe: Eli Wallach
Anna: Robin Wright Penn
Prom Boy: Anton Yelchin
Showing posts with label drea de matteo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drea de matteo. Show all posts
Friday, March 6, 2009
Friday, September 12, 2008
Prey for Rock & Roll
The most interesting thing about Prey for Rock & Roll is that it is a very gritty tale of the life of yet-to-be-successful rockers in LA – and they’re a chick band. This is a very independent film that most people have not heard of, thought it is at least worth watching once.
Prey for Rock & Roll follows the members of Clam Dandy who are all friends, all dedicated to their craft and all hoping that they can fall into their big break. The compelling thing about the story is that at one point or another all of these women admit that they are most likely never going to get that big break, yet that cannot give up because music is what makes them a complete human being. The film follows them through the ups and downs of their life in LA; one is addicted to drugs and needs to clean up, two are in a lesbian couple that deals with the complications of being a couple that lives and plays together, one is becomes a victim of rape, and the lead beings a relationship with the brother of a band member. The film is gritty, dirty and deals with female musicians in a way that I have not seen in another film; in fact I am not sure if there is another fictional film about female rockers out there.
What I greatly enjoy about this film is the frankness with which it deals with its characters and their issues. I don’t know if that frankness comes from the director or the writers, but it is refreshing to see the film deal with things like rape and drug addiction in the case of our female protagonists and not shy away from the emotional turmoil, stress and even the joy they take in their daily lives. These women are not glamorized, and nothing is glossed over because it is too dark or depressing. All of this lends to make very genuine, real female characters.
The music in the film is also a treat as the filmmakers had the actors learn and perform the songs. The actors actually toured through the country performing in an effort to make some publicity for the film. I think that this effort and dedication shows in the soundtrack and makes the entire film feel that much more real.
While I don’t think everyone will enjoy this film I do believe that it has a unique story to tell and unique characters to relay it and is well worth the watch.
Director: Alex Steyermark
Writers: Cheri Lovedog & Robin Whitehouse
Jacki: Gina Gershon
Tracy: Drea de Matteo
Faith: Lori Petty
Sally: Shelly Cole
Animal: Marc Blucas
Jacki: OK, two dykes, a wannabe rock star, and a tequila guzzling speed freak walk into a restaurant. I always imagined it would be a bit more, I don't know, glamorous. I mean we'd be in this big beautiful office, we'd sign on the dotted line, and we'd cut to band on stage, playing to thousands of adoring fans. Wow, I can't believe that my whole future is hanging in the balance at the Big Drip Cafe.
Prey for Rock & Roll follows the members of Clam Dandy who are all friends, all dedicated to their craft and all hoping that they can fall into their big break. The compelling thing about the story is that at one point or another all of these women admit that they are most likely never going to get that big break, yet that cannot give up because music is what makes them a complete human being. The film follows them through the ups and downs of their life in LA; one is addicted to drugs and needs to clean up, two are in a lesbian couple that deals with the complications of being a couple that lives and plays together, one is becomes a victim of rape, and the lead beings a relationship with the brother of a band member. The film is gritty, dirty and deals with female musicians in a way that I have not seen in another film; in fact I am not sure if there is another fictional film about female rockers out there.
What I greatly enjoy about this film is the frankness with which it deals with its characters and their issues. I don’t know if that frankness comes from the director or the writers, but it is refreshing to see the film deal with things like rape and drug addiction in the case of our female protagonists and not shy away from the emotional turmoil, stress and even the joy they take in their daily lives. These women are not glamorized, and nothing is glossed over because it is too dark or depressing. All of this lends to make very genuine, real female characters.
The music in the film is also a treat as the filmmakers had the actors learn and perform the songs. The actors actually toured through the country performing in an effort to make some publicity for the film. I think that this effort and dedication shows in the soundtrack and makes the entire film feel that much more real.
While I don’t think everyone will enjoy this film I do believe that it has a unique story to tell and unique characters to relay it and is well worth the watch.
Director: Alex Steyermark
Writers: Cheri Lovedog & Robin Whitehouse
Jacki: Gina Gershon
Tracy: Drea de Matteo
Faith: Lori Petty
Sally: Shelly Cole
Animal: Marc Blucas
Jacki: OK, two dykes, a wannabe rock star, and a tequila guzzling speed freak walk into a restaurant. I always imagined it would be a bit more, I don't know, glamorous. I mean we'd be in this big beautiful office, we'd sign on the dotted line, and we'd cut to band on stage, playing to thousands of adoring fans. Wow, I can't believe that my whole future is hanging in the balance at the Big Drip Cafe.
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