Dave Brubeck passed away today. He was 91. The great jazz legend, a regular at Elaine’s whom I got to meet a few times, was most famous for his recording of “Take Five,” written by Paul Desmond. But he had hundreds of his own compositions, and was probably as influential as Miles Davis, John Coltrane or a half dozen other jazz pioneers. A lovely guy, a great life, and an amazing legacy. RIP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faJE92phKzI
Kathleen “KT” McFarland’s real story is much more interesting than the one Bob Woodward dug up about her, General Petraeus and Roger Ailes. Two things: first no one seems to recall that McFarland once briefly considered challenging Hillary Clinton for the U.S. Senate seat from New York. That blew up in her face like a cigar in a Three Stooges sketch. Among other things, her then 16 year old daughter, Camilla, now 22, was caught shoplifting in ritzy Southampton, Long Island. http://tinyurl.com/bjuqcj8
But before that, McFarland crossed my radar. I wrote a story about her and her extremely wealthy investment banker husband, Alan, in New York magazine back in 1995. In 2006, when McFarland was involved in the Senate run mess, I wrote about it again in my Fox411 column. It was only subsequently that Ailes started putting her on Fox News, apparently not knowing the whole back story.
So here it is, from 2006, the recap from 1995 of how Kathleen “KT” McFarland somehow wrangled custody of Alan’s late wife’s child, who is now an adult but was eight years old when the everything happened to him. And he was worth millions of millions of dollars.
from 2006: I guess I kind of ignored the story of Kathleen Troia McFarland, a possible Republican contender for the New York Senate and competition for Hillary Clinton. All the local New York papers have been all over McFarland, however, skewering her on a number of subjects.
The gist of their anger is that she’s a wealthy housewife who somehow inveigled herself into local politics.
But this is what the papers don’t know about McFarland’s background. I wrote about her and her husband a little over a decade ago in New York magazine when they were involved in a strange story. The title of my article was “Who Gets the Park Avenue Kid?” It was in the Oct. 2, 1995, issue. It’s a story that would make Dominick Dunne clap with glee because it was the talk of New York society.
Here’s what happened: Kathleen’s husband, Alan McFarland, has a first wife, Ellen “Nell” Sawyer. Nell and Alan had two children, Gavin and Andrew. But David Sawyer, Nell’s new husband, had none. The couple adopted a little boy named Luke, who by 1995 was 8 years old.
Nell Sawyer had had such an acrimonious divorce from McFarland. She really despised him, and didn’t want him to get her hands on her enormous wealth.
Nell was the daughter of multimillionaire Clifford Michel, one of the founding partners of the great Wall Street investment firm Loeb Rhoades. In their 1987 divorce, McFarland lost a Southampton mansion named the QE III, among other things. It was a bad scene. McFarland, cut off from the Michel money, then married Troia and started a new family.
Fast forward to 1995. Nell Sawyer was suffering from breast cancer. Unexpectedly, that summer, her husband, David, suddenly died. David Sawyer is another story altogether: His Sawyer/Miller public relations company was a force in geo-political chaos.
He was a power player and a not a terribly nice guy. It turned out after he died that he’d played fast and loose with pension monies due his first wife. They’d been married for 25 years.
Alas, two weeks after David Sawyer died, so did Nell Sawyer. Suddenly, little Luke was orphaned. Nell Sawyer had made plans for her son, however. In May 2005, she’d added a codicil to her will designating friends Leola and Robert McDonald as his guardians. She chose back-up guardians should the McDonalds be unavailable.
What was clear was that Ellen “Nell” Michel McFarland Sawyer did not want her little boy to be raised by her ex-husband and Kathleen Troia McFarland. But neither of the designated couples ever took Luke.
Mysteriously, and without question, the boy immediately went to live with his mother’s ex-husband and his second wife. According to court papers, the now 17-year-old Luke’s court-appointed guardians became his older brother Gavin, then 23, along with Gavin’s mom, Luke’s step mom, the possible next senator from New York: Kathleen Troia McFarland.
This was specifically against Ellen Sawyer’s wishes. She disliked Alan McFarland so much that in 1992, she wrote in her will that she didn’t want him to raise her child or get back the Southampton mansion she’d won in their divorce:
“It is my strong wish and desire that in no event shall the Southampton residence be sold, given, or otherwise transferred to my former husband, Alan R. McFarland, nor shall he be permitted to enjoy its use in any way.”
And the house? According to public filings, its six full bathrooms and four bedrooms were sold by Ellen Sawyer’s estate exactly one year after she died to Texas banking magnate Gerald J. Ford for $5.25 million. It was an all-cash deal.
Today– December 2012– the McFarlands’ summer home is a 5,400 square foot Southampton mansion valued at around $4 million.
Original link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,188882,00.html#ixzz2EBG1vQth
“Who Gets the Park Avenue Kid?”: http://tinyurl.com/aj7lnev
The Academy documentary committee winnowed the huge list of eligible films from 2012 to these fifteen. This omitted a lot of popular films including one about songwriter/actor/nice guy Paul Williams (“Rainy Days and Mondays,” “We’ve Only Just Begun”) that everyone should see, and Amy Berg’s “West Memphis Three.” Also out is the popular “Queen of Versailles.” (The committee no doubt concurred that this material was better covered by Joe Berlinger’s three “Paradise Lost” films.) I do think “Ethel” doesn’t belong on the list. But “Bully,” “The Gatekeepers,” and “Chasing Ice” are all of immediate importance. My sentimental favorite is “Searching for Sugar Man.” Just the idea of Rodriguez getting on that stage would be tremendous. On the other hand, the kids from “Bully” have made a lasting impact on the culture all year long.
Here’s the list of finalists:
“Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” Never Sorry LLC
“Bully,” The Bully Project LLC
“Chasing Ice,” Exposure
“Detropia,” Loki Films
“Ethel,” Moxie Firecracker Films
“5 Broken Cameras,” Guy DVD Films
“The Gatekeepers,” Les Films du Poisson, Dror Moreh Productions, Cinephil
“The House I Live In,” Charlotte Street Films, LLC
“How to Survive a Plague,” How to Survive a Plague LLC
“The Imposter,” Imposter Pictures Ltd.
“The Invisible War,” Chain Camera Pictures
“Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God,” Jigsaw Productions in association with
Wider Film Projects and Below the Radar Films
“Searching for Sugar Man,” Red Box Films
“This Is Not a Film,” Wide Management
“The Waiting Room,” Open’hood, Inc.
Well, now, we’ve seen Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.” Technically, there’s a reviewing embargo until something like December 15th. So I can’t review it or tell you much about it except that it’s a kind of soul food spaghetti Western with a mad dash of Mel Brooks. Without getting into too much detail, though, it’s time to fit “Django” into the big Academy Award jigsaw puzzle. Today we’re going to have voting from the mostly irrelevant National Board of Review followed by the Los Angeles Film Critics. Other cities’ critics groups are going to start announcing their awards, followed by the Golden Globe nominations on the 13th. The Oscar nominations won’t be announced until January 10th. But everyone wants to know what to do, who goes into what category, etc.
So far the Best Picture category–10 choices– would be — in no particular order– Argo, Silver Linings Playbook. Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, Les Miserables, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The Master, and then choices among Amour, Rust & Bone, The Sessions, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Skyfall, and now Django. There’s no question that Django could be among the top 10. And Tarantino must be considered as Best Director. Whether you like his oeuvre or not, there’s a masterful and mature quality now to what he’s doing. Plus, his Q&A last night before several groups really demonstrated his overall brilliant comprehension of filmmaking. He’s somehow become more fascinating than ever. With Spielberg, Affleck Russell, Hooper and Bigelow, Paul Thomas Anderson ahead of him, Tarantino is not going to be out of the discussion.
The actors: I know there’s a push for Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Supporting Actor. This is not out of the question. DiCaprio is also full of surprises, and underrated too often. Go back and watch Blood Diamonds or J. Edgar or The Aviator. He is the rare combination of a movie star and an actor. As he gets older, he’s going to function more and more as a character actor, a la Jack Nicholson.
Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz are superb in “Django.” They function as a team as much as Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master.” They have a special magic. I don’t know what to do with them. The lead actor category is very full already– Phoenix, Daniel Day Lewis, Denzel Washington, John Hawkes, Hugh Jackman. Who do you take out? Who do you put in? It’s a killer. Foxx’s character, as you’ll see in the film, has the biggest arc and grows the most. Waltz, however, is sparkling. When Tarantino found him, he must have thanked his lucky stars.
One thing’s for sure: there is great music in “Django.” I think their song nominee is “Who Did That to You?” by John Legend, written with Paul Epworth. That, plus “Suddenly” from “Les Miz” and the five songs listed on our front page poll, gives us at least seven terrific songs this season. A bumper crop, to be sure.
It was one of the most moving and heartfelt salutes I’ve been to ever: a memorial for the greatest press agent/publicist of them all, Lois Smith. After the event that was held last month in L.A. I didn’t think we could do better. But Leslee Dart put it together, and Rosie O’Donnell hosted it at the 92nd St. Y in a bright red jacket to toast our pal Lois, famous for the red coat and the red lipstick.
Meryl Streep spoke, Mandy Patinkin spoke, and sang from “Sunday in the Park with George”; Lois’s actress daughter Brooke and her publicist granddaughter Brianna (both chips off the old block) reminisced, fighting back tears; Peter Travers or Rolling Stone represented the press and did a great job, making me recall our good old days at the original Russian Tea Room. Robert Redford’s name was invoked a lot was Robert Altman’s.
Some of the stars who showed up included Bill Murray, Joel Coen and Frances McDormand, John Slattery and Talia Balsam, author Hannah Pakula (her late great husband Alan was Lois’s friend and client), and Terry McDonell. Everyone had a good laugh and a good cry. Rosie O’Donnell kept it moving and was very funny to distract the crowd with a running riff on Clare Danes in “Homeland” thanks to Mandy– who by the way wouldn’t tell anyone anything about the show. And Slattery refused to tell us anything about “Mad Men.”
What did we learn? That Lois called anyone “ducks” whose name she couldn’t remember. She was everyone’s Earth mother, she loved her family and she brought civility to a raucous world. And when the internet introduced chaos into the world of celebrity, she left.
“She had this idea that we could have personal lives,” Streep observed. And by the way, Meryl looked really stunning, very slim, and fashionable, just like a movie star. Then she stayed and gabbed with everyone, and had a nice long chat with McDormand during the small reception.
Lois, you were loved. I am so proud that I knew you and learned from you. Now you and Marilyn Monroe and Altman and Sidney Lumet and our old friend John Springer are having a great time, I know it.
Keep refreshing for more details….
Earl Shuman called me yesterday. Who is Earl Shuman? He wrote the lyrics to “Hey There Lonely Girl,” the classic hit from 1970 sung by Eddie Holman and still heard daily on oldies stations all over the world. Earl is 89 years old and very much alive and with it. He lives right here in Manhattan. And he’s unamused that Alicia Keys is singing two lines from the chorus of his song in the middle of “Girl on Fire,” her new hit. Don’t get him wrong: he likes “Girl on Fire.” He just wants to be paid for use of his song, along with the estate of his late collaborator Leon Carr.
Shuman is still writing music and very active. He’s working on a song right now with Michael Feinstein, in fact. But he’s best known for “Hey There Lonely Girl” plus, he said, many movie themes, and hit songs by the legendary Patti Page from the 1950s. He has 317 credits on the ASCAP data base. He liked the word ‘lonely.’ In 1953, one of his first big big hits was “Seven Lonely Days” by Georgia Gibbs, the Taylor Swift of her day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcNU2Dr5c5M
Shuman and Carr also wrote the 1964 off Broadway musical of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” a little gem that should be revived.
Earl told me that this has happened before with “Hey There Lonely Girl.” Both Anita Baker and the Beastie Boys helped themselves to a portion of the song. In the end, they paid. “We worked it out, got credit,” he said. Why Alicia Keys, who helps herself to samples from the buffet of the musical canon often, didn’t just clear the rights to “Hey There Lonely Girl” instead of, uh, appropriating it, is anyone’s guess. But rest assured, Earl Shuman has a good lawyer, and he’s on the case.
Earlier story:
http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/11/25/alicia-keys-girl-on-fire-also-a-lonely-girl-from-1970
UPDATE: “Scandalous” will close on Sunday after all. Kathie Lee Gifford made a good effort, but the show was not good, and the audiences just weren’t there. See more below.
From Tuesday morning: The really not very good musical “Chaplin” has finally put up a closing notice for January 6th. How they made it this far is a mystery. “Scandalous” can’t be far behind. The Kathie Lee Gifford musical played at 37.6% capacity last week, taking in just over $370,000. Granted, the box office was up from prior weeks, but not remotely enough to keep going without tremendous problems.
I told you about the whole financial backing of “Scandalous” a couple of weeks ago: http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/11/20/scandalous-musical-backed-by-amway-family-and-christian-right-barely-holding-on. Then the New York Times, perhaps in an homage to this column, did the same thing. “Scandalous” is backed by money from the billionaire family that owns Christian right wing-pitched pyramid direct sales company Amway. Its other backer is the Foursquare Church founded by the musical’s subject, Aimee Semple McPherson.
There does seem to be a limited audience for “Scandalous,” which might have been better off pared down and playing in an off Broadway theater. At this rate een Amway reps won’t be able to keep it alive on the Great White Way. Expect a closing notice right after Christmas. A good try by Kathie Lee in the long run. And the Amway family, called Devos, won’t even miss the money. If only they’d included Milton Berle as a character. Now that would have been scandalous!
The big auction of Michael Jackson costumes and memorabilia on Sunday took in over $5 million–way, way more than expected according to Julien’s Auction house in Beverly Hills. And who spent the most? Why, Lady Gaga. She sent an emissary who bought up 55 items totaling around a million bucks, I am told. She Tweeted from South Africa afterwards to her 31 million followers: “The 55 pieces I collected today will be archived & expertly cared for in the spirit & love of Michael Jackson, his bravery, & fans worldwide.”
Well, well. Some crazed Michael Jackson fans were concerned that some of the autographs in the auction weren’t geniune. But everything was on the up and up. The pieces belonged to Jackson’s costume designers, who keep the money after giving a cut to Julien’s, to the Jackson estate, and to two charities. Still, it’s a good haul. And it’s the last one unless someone knows something else. “It’s the last big collection of Michael Jackson costumes,” said a source from Julien’s. And good for Lady Gaga aka Stephanie Germanotta.
EXCLUSIVE by PAULA SCHWARTZ, special to Showbiz411– Sunday night Hugh Jackman sang Amanda Seyfried the sexiest, most luscious and gorgeous rendition of Happy Birthday imaginable and then he gave her a lap dance.
First, following a private screening of “Les Misérables” at a private soirée at Porter House in Manhattan, Jackman announced, “Tonight is a special night and I am going to sing one song.” Guests squealed and oohed and aahed and moved quickly to get as close to the Jean Valjean actor as possible without getting thrown out by security.
“It is the birthday of Amanda Seyfried. Amanda, come up here,” Jackman told his Les Miz co-star, who plays his adopted daughter Cossette. “Sit here Amanda,” Jackman said in sultry, silken tones, and half straddled her. “I once gave Barbara Walters a lap dance, and I promised her I would never do that again but seeing that she’s not here tonight,” Jackman purred, running his hand down Seyfriend’s dress. The piano chords began to play the familiar birthday song, and Jackman crooned, “She’s very innocent this girl…Amanda…Cossette…Yes it’s one of those father-daughter relationships,” he purred.
“Les Miz” co-stars Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen, director Tom Hooper, producer Cameron Mackintosh and lyricist Alain Boublil hooted and cheered, along with celebrity guests who included Lorraine Bracco, Tony Danza, Michael Kors, Anna Wintour and Chelsea Clinton.
After being in the spotlight, Seyfried moved into a quiet corner of the room. After we wished her Happy Birthday, she said. “Well almost. It’s in 2 ½ hours.” She told me she was delighted and happy by Jackman’s serenade but not surprised. “He’s so generous nothing he does surprises me, but I really appreciate him singing one last song.”
It was nearly midnight when Jackman and Russell Crowe (who has a buzz cut for “Winter’s Tale,” which he is shooting in New York) hugged and we overheard them make plans to meet and bring their guitars.
Tom Hooper — who’d been in Hollywood on Saturday night for the Academy Governor’s Ball– looked tired from non-stop promoting of “Les Miz,” which opens Christmas Day. (“The King’s Speech” also opened wide on Christmas Day two years ago.) I’ve already seen “Les Miz” twice I told him. “Seriously? Were you made to or did you do it by choice?” he asked seriously. As to what he hopes people will take from the musical, he said, he hopes they will “think about some of the bigger issues it talks about, the suffering around the world, but also close to their hearts, about parental love and personal transformation and redemption.”
More from the “Les Miz” party to follow…
I was a little worried last week when the Sundance Film Festival annouced its competition films. The slate didn’t look so strong. But now the premieres out of competition and the documentaries are really star studded. The documentary part features films by Barbara Kopple, Alex Gibney, RJ Cutler and even Dave Grohl. The fiction films, as it were, have loads of bold face names. I’m a little concerned though that the Steve Jobs movie, Jobs, starring Ashton Kutcher, is a non starter. It’s been slated to close the festival. Closing night films are never good. And no one stays at Sundance until the last day unless they’re out of their minds. It’s all about the first five or six days at most. Make of it all what you will. But movies that play the last weekend at Sundance are usually marquee productions that piffle out in the end. Maybe “Jobs” will break the rule. Let’s hope.
PREMIERES
A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated dramatic films of the coming year. Presented by Entertainment Weekly.
A.C.O.D. / U.S.A. (Director: Stuart Zicherman, Screenwriters: Ben Karlin, Stuart Zicherman) — Carter is a well-adjusted Adult Child of Divorce. So he thinks. When he discovers he was part of a divorce study as a child, it wreaks havoc on his family and forces him to face his chaotic past. Cast: Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O’Hara, Amy Poehler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clark Duke.
Before Midnight / U.S.A. (Director: Richard Linklater, Screenwriters: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater— We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna. Before the clock strikes midnight, we will again become part of their story. Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Xenia Kalogeropoulou, Ariane Labed, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick.
Big Sur / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Polish) — Unable to cope with a suddenly demanding public and battling advanced alcoholism, Jack Kerouac seeks respite in three brief sojourns to a cabin in Big Sur, which reveal his mental and physical deterioration. Cast: Jean-Marc Barr, Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucas, Radha Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, Henry Thomas.
Breathe In / U.S.A. (Director: Drake Doremus, Screenwriters: Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones) — When a foreign exchange student arrives in a small upstate New York town, she challenges the dynamics of her host family’s relationships and alters their lives forever. Cast: Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, Amy Ryan, Mackenzie Davis.
Don Jon’s Addiction / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Joseph Gordon-Levitt) — In Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s charming directorial debut, a selfish modern-day Don Juan attempts to change his ways. Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, Rob Brown.
The East / U.S.A. (Director: Zal Batmanglij, Screenwriters: Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling) — An operative for an elite private intelligence firm goes into deep cover to infiltrate a mysterious anarchist collective attacking major corporations. Bent on apprehending these fugitives, she finds her loyalty tested as her feelings grow for the group’s charismatic leader. Cast: Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell, Shiloh Fernandez, Patricia Clarkson.
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete / U.S.A. (Director: George Tillman Jr., Screenwriter: Michael Starrbury) — Separated from their mothers and facing a summer in the Brooklyn projects alone, two boys hide from police and forage for food, with only each other to trust. A story of salvation through friendship and two boys against the world. Cast: Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Anthony Mackie, Jeffrey Wright.
jOBS / U.S.A. (Director: Joshua Michael Stern, Screenwriter: Matt Whiteley) — The true story of one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history, jOBS chronicles the defining 30 years of Steve Jobs’ life. jOBS is a candid, inspiring and personal portrait of the one who saw things differently. Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons, Matthew Modine. CLOSING NIGHT FILM
The Look of Love / United Kingdom (Director: Michael Winterbottom, Screenwriter: Matt Greenhalgh) — The true story of British adult magazine publisher and entrepreneur Paul Raymond. A modern day King Midas story, Raymond became one of the richest men in Britain at the cost of losing those closest to him. Cast: Steve Coogan, Anna Friel, Imogen Poots, Tamsin Egerton.
Lovelace / U.S.A. (Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, Screenwriter: Andy Bellin) — Deep Throat, the first pornographic feature film to be a mainstream success, was an international sensation in 1972 and made its star, Linda Lovelace, a media darling. Years later the “poster girl for the sexual revolution” revealed a darker side to her story. Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Hank Azaria, Adam Brody, James Franco, Sharon Stone.
The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman / U.S.A. (Director: Fredrik Bond, Screenwriter: Matt Drake) — Traveling abroad, Charlie Countryman falls for Gabi, a Romanian beauty whose unreachable heart has its origins in Nigel, her violent, charismatic ex. As the darkness of Gabi’s past increasingly envelops him, Charlie resolves to win her heart, or die trying. Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, Rupert Grint, James Buckley, Til Schweiger.
Prince Avalanche / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Gordon Green) — Two highway road workers spend the summer of 1988 away from their city lives. The isolated landscape becomes a place of misadventure as the men find themselves at odds with each other and the women they left behind. Cast: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch.
Stoker / U.S.A. (Director: Park Chan-Wook, Screenwriter: Wentworth Miller) — After India’s father dies in an auto accident, her Uncle Charlie comes to live with her and her mother, Evelyn. Soon after his arrival, India suspects that this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives but becomes increasingly infatuated with him. Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver, Nicole Kidman.
Sweetwater / U.S.A. (Directors: Logan Miller, Noah Miller, Screenwriter: Andrew McKenzie) — In the late 1800s, a fanatical religious leader, a renegade Sheriff, and a former prostitute collide in a blood triangle on the rugged plains of the New Mexico Territory. Cast: Ed Harris, January Jones, Jason Isaacs, Eduardo Noriega, Steven Rude, Amy Madigan.
Top of the Lake / Australia, New Zealand (Directors: Jane Campion, Garth Davis, Screenwriters: Jane Campion, Gerard Lee) — A 12-year-old girl stands chest deep in a frozen lake. She is five months pregnant, and won’t say who the father is. Then she disappears. So begins a haunting mystery that consumes a community. Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Holly Hunter, Peter Mullan, David Wenham. This six-hour film will screen once during the Festival.
Two Mothers / Australia, France (Director: Anne Fontaine, Screenwriter: Christopher Hampton) — This gripping tale of love, lust and the power of friendship charts the unconventional and passionate affairs of two lifelong friends who fall in love with each other’s sons. Cast: Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel, James Frechevile.
Very Good Girls / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Naomi Foner) — In the long, half-naked days of a New York summer, two girls on the brink of becoming women fall for the same guy and find that life isn’t as simple or safe as they had thought. Cast: Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Boyd Holbrook, Demi Moore, Richard Dreyfuss, Ellen Barkin.
The Way, Way Back / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash) — Duncan, an introverted 14-year-old, comes into his own over the course of a comedic summer when he forms unlikely friendships with the gregarious manager of a rundown water park and the misfits who work there. Cast: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Liam James.
DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES
Renowned filmmakers and films about huge subjects comprise this section highlighting our ongoing commitment to documentaries. Each is a world premiere.
ANITA / U.S.A. (Director: Freida Mock) — Anita Hill, an African-American woman, charges Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas with sexual harassment in explosive Senate hearings in 1991 – bringing sexual politics into the national consciousness and fueling 20 years of international debate on the issues.
The Crash Reel / U.S.A. (Director: Lucy Walker) — The jaw-dropping story of one unforgettable athlete, Kevin Pearce; one eye-popping sport, snow boarding; and one explosive issue, traumatic brain injury. An epic rivalry between Kevin and Shaun White culminates in a life-changing crash and a comeback story with a difference. SALT LAKE CITY GALA FILM
History of the Eagles / U.S.A. (Director: Alison Ellwood) — Using never-before-seen home movies, archival footage and new interviews with all current and former members of the Eagles, this documentary provides an intimate look into the history of the band and the legacy of their music.
Linsanity / U.S.A. (Director: Evan Leong) — Jeremy Lin came from a humble background to make an unbelievable run in the NBA. State high school champion, all-Ivy League at Harvard, undrafted by the NBA and unwanted there: his story started long before he landed on Broadway.
Pandora’s Promise / U.S.A. (Director: Robert Stone) — A growing number of environmentalists are renouncing decades of antinuclear orthodoxy and have come to believe that the most feared and controversial technology known to mankind is probably our greatest hope.
Running from Crazy / U.S.A. (Director: Barbara Kopple) — Mariel Hemingway, granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, strives for a greater understanding of her family history of suicide and mental illness. As tragedies are explored and deeply hidden secrets are revealed, Mariel searches for a way to overcome a similar fate.
Sound City / U.S.A. (Director: Dave Grohl) — Through interviews and performances with the legendary musicians and producers who worked at America’s greatest unsung recording studio, Sound City, we explore the human element of music, and the lost art of analog recording in an increasingly digital world.
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks / U.S.A. (Director: Alex Gibney) — In 2010, WikiLeaks and its sources used the power of the Internet to usher in what was for some a new era of transparency and for others the beginnings of an information war.
When I Walk / U.S.A., Canada (Director: Jason DaSilva) — At 25, filmmaker and artist Jason DaSilva finds out he has a severe form of multiple sclerosis. This film shares his personal and grueling journey over the next seven years. Along the way, an unlikely miracle changes everything.
Which Way is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington / U.S.A. (Director: Sebastian Junger) — Shortly after the release of his documentary Restrepo, photographer Tim Hetherington was killed in Libya. Colleague Sebastian Junger traces Hetherington’s work across the world’s battlefields to reveal how he transcended the boundaries of image-making to become a luminary in his profession.
The World According to Dick Cheney / U.S.A. (Directors: R.J. Cutler, Greg Finton) — How did Dick Cheney become the single-most-powerful nonpresidential figure in American history? This multi-layered examination of Cheney’s life, career, key relationships and controversial worldview features exclusive interviews with the former vice president and his closest allies.