Coriolanus

Caius Martius ‘Coriolanus’ (Ralph Fiennes), a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling and ambitious mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs in order to secure the office. When the public refuses to support him, Coriolanus’s anger prompts a riot that culminates in his expulsion from Rome. The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city.

Opens Friday, January 20, 2012.

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HappyThankYouMorePlease

Josh Radnor (CBS‘ Emmy-nominated ―How I Met Your Mother) wrote, directed and stars in happythankyoumoreplease, a sharp comedy centered on a group of 20-something New Yorkers struggling to figure out themselves, their lives and their loves.

On his way to a meeting with a publisher, aspiring novelist Sam Wexler (Radnor) finds Rasheen, a young boy separated from his family on the subway. When the quiet Rasheen refuses to be left alone with social services, Sam learns the boy has already been placed in six previous foster homes and impulsively agrees to let the boy stay with him for a couple days. Dropped into Sam‘s chaotic, bachelor lifestyle, Rasheen is introduced to Sam‘s circle of friends; Annie (Malin Akerman) who has an unhealthy pattern of dating the wrong men, as well as an auto-immune disorder which has rendered her hairless, Mary-Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) whose potential move to Los Angeles threatens their relationship, and Mississippi (Kate Mara), an aspiring singer/waitress who tests Sam‘s fear of commitment. When Sam‘s unexpected friendship with Rasheen develops, he realizes adulthood is not about waiting for the right answers to get the life you want, but simply stumbling ahead and figuring them out in the process.

Featuring a brilliant young cast and music from breaking indie musicians, happythankyoumoreplease deftly captures the uncertainty and angst of what it is to be young, vulnerable, and desperate to find out who you are – or perhaps more importantly, who you want to be.

Opens in limited release March 4th.

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Maya Entertainment Acquires Mark Ruffalo’s Feature Directorial Debut

MAYA ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES MARK RUFFALO’S FEATURE DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

SYMPATHY FOR DELICIOUS

THEATRICAL RELEASE SET FOR SPRING 2011

Film Stars Ruffalo, Christopher Thornton, Juliette Lewis,
Orlando Bloom and Laura Linney

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 4, 2010) – Maya Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to Sympathy for Delicious, the feature film directorial debut from Mark Ruffalo, to be released theatrically in Spring 2011. The seven-figure deal positions the film as a key project in Maya’s first quarter 2011 theatrical release strategy.

Written by Christopher Thornton, who also stars in and produced the project, Sympathy for Delicious follows the true story of a newly paralyzed DJ who gets more than he bargained for when he seeks out the world of faith healing. The film also stars Ruffalo, Juliette Lewis, Orlando Bloom and Laura Linney and is based on Thornton’s real-life experiences. The film was produced by Corner Store Entertainment’s Scott Prisand, Matt Weaver and Andrea Sperling, with Mark Ruffalo and Christopher Thornton. The film was awarded a Special Jury Prize for Directing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Maya also has made a deal with Tom Ortenberg’s One Way Out Media to come on board as a marketing consultant on the project.

“After its successful premiere at Sundance this year, we’re so excited to be releasing this powerful and moving film and working with Mark Ruffalo on his award-winning directorial debut,” said Tonantzin Esparza, Director of Acquisitions for Maya Entertainment. “It’s an honor to collaborate with Mark on a project that has been so important to him.”
Ruffalo added, “This film has been a very personal project for me, and I know Maya will be a wonderful partner to have in our corner.”

Ruffalo will next begin production on Marvel’s The Avengers, in which he plays “The Hulk.” He joins Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johanssen and Jeremy Renner.

The deal for Sympathy for Delicious was negotiated by UTA Independent Film Group co-head Rena Ronson on behalf of UTA client Mark Ruffalo and Wendy Rutland, with Tonantzin Esparza on behalf of Maya Entertainment.

About Maya Entertainment
Maya Entertainment Group, Inc. distributes, acquires, and produces multicultural and Latino themed film and television product for all distribution platforms throughout the world. Recent theatrical and home video releases include the Official 2010 Sundance selection The Dry Land starring America Ferrera, Jason Ritter, Wilmer Valderrama, and Melissa Leo; and the action-drama Across the Line starring Aidan Quinn, Mario Van Peebles, and Andy Garcia. Maya recently completed its second annual Maya Indie Film Series, a branded and sponsored theatrical showcase which toured 8 cities nationwide. Now in its third year of business, Maya Entertainment has established a library of over 100 titles all available via retail, rental and VOD. On the horizon, Maya Entertainment is expanding its production and distribution slate as the premier source for Latino-themed and multicultural, quality entertainment.

Review – A Single Man

A Single Man is a movie that I have a serious love/hate relationship with. But before I continue, I must warn you that this will be a spoiler-filled review, as it is impossible to detail my major complaint with the film without discussing the scene in question.

A Single Man is a beautiful film about grief and moving on. It centers on George (Colin Firth), who plays a British-born English professor living and working in Los Angeles in the 1960’s. His long-term partner (Matthew Goode) dies a sudden tragic death and he is forced to move on. That’s pretty much it, as plot goes. It’s basically a day in his life…how he deals with his grief and how the various interactions he has with people that day shape and change his outlook.

The film is directed by Tom Ford, who was already a famous fashion designer before he decided to get behind the camera and make this movie. As first-time filmmakers go, this is quite a debut. The film is exquisitely painted and gorgeously photographed. He uses various recurring motifs such as clocks and close-ups of people’s eyes. (But don’t ask me to explain the reasoning behind that!) The costumes and set design are impeccable, re-creating the 1960’s to great detail. All of the performances are amazing in this movie, starting with the best: Colin Firth. I believe this is by far the best performance he has given to date and I would be quite pleased if it led him to an Academy Award. Julianne Moore gives a rollicking fun yet brief performance as George’s next-door-neighbor, best friend and fellow expatriate. Also wonderful is Nicholas Hoult as a student who enters George’s life at the right place and time.

This is one of the best films I have ever seen in regards to showing how people deal with grief. It is impossible to watch the film without your heart breaking for George. To see him left alone, unable to see his lover again or even attend the funeral. To watch as he so resolutely tries to go on with his life and retain his composure. To see the profound loss and loneliness he feels that leads him towards suicide. And it fills your heart with joy to watch him fill that hole in his heart, even if only a little bit…enough to keep him from pulling that trigger. You watch him discover that even in the darkest pit of despair, there is hope and see him find new love, wherever it may lead him. And then, after this glorious rebirth, he dies. THIS is my problem with the movie.

I have many problems with this ending. First, I think it does a major disservice to everything that comes before it in the movie. The story was told and a beautiful story it was. So to tack on a “kill the puppy” ending is just ridiculous. Some people may argue that this is the way the story ended in the book by Christopher Isherwood, which this film is based on. But I’ve never read the book so I have no idea if the ending is the same, and I feel the movie should stand on its own merits anyway. Killing off George after seeing his epiphanic transformation is just insulting…especially for someone like me. As a gay man I have spent my whole life needing positive gay male images in my life (as anyone in a minority group would need). Mostly I’ve been stuck with the funny sidekick or, sadly, tortured souls and lecherous villains. I think that’s why this movie hit me so hard. It’s a masterfully crafted piece about a very realistic gay character dealing with grief and overcoming it. To kill him off just adds to the age-old trend of gay characters never achieving happiness.

A Single Man

From the Weinstein Company site: A SINGLE MAN is based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, it is the story of a British college professor (Colin Firth) who is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long time partner. The story is a romantic tale of love interrupted, the isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition, and ultimately the importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life.

A SINGLE MAN is produced by Tom Ford through his Los Angeles based production company, Fade to Black, in association with Chris Weitz and Andrew Miano of Depth of Field, and Robert Salerno of Artina Films. The screenplay is written by Tom Ford and David Scearce.

Open limited release December 11th.

Whip It

Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with Whip It!, the story of an ex-beauty pageant contestant named Bliss (played by Juno’s Ellen Page) who leaves her crowns behind after joining a roller-derby team. While her mother would prefer that Bliss unlace her skates and step back before the judges, the rebellious teen instead seeks the wisdom of rowdy mentor Malice in Wonderland (Kristen Wiig) in learning the tricks of the circuit track. The Mandate Pictures production was written by roller derby star-turned-screenwriter Shauna Cross. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Opens Friday October 2nd.

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