redwood highway ( film )
redwood highway is an indie film starring shirley knight as an intrepid grandmother who walks 60 + miles along the redwood highway to get from her retirement home to her granddaughter’s wedding on the oregon coast .
tom skerritt and shirley knight with director gary lundgren on the set of redwood highway .
redwood highway is a delightful and inspiring film. i completely recommend it. it’s available on netflix and amazon prime .
director gary lundgren with actresses michelle lombardo and shirley knight on the set of redwood highway .
and i began the long journey toward bringing redwood highway to life. looking back, it was
exactly five years ago, our cast and crew was running all over southern oregon together shooting redwood highway. thanks for the memories .
friday, may 23rd, 2014 meet the crew of redwood highway * location: varsity theater, 166 e. main st. , ashland < map >
monterey media announced today the acquisition of u. s. and canada rights to “no god, no master, ” “redwood highway” and “a farewell to fools. ”
monday, may 26th, 2014 meet the local cast of redwood highway * * location: varsity theater, 166 e. main st. , ashland < map >
made in southern oregon and starring two - time academy award nominee shirley knight and screen legend tom skerritt, redwood highway is receiving positive reviews from variety, the hollywood reporter, and others, confirming what festival audiences experienced during its award - winning festival run over the past year: redwood highway is a solid piece of filmmaking with strong performances, writing and direction .
“redwood highway” starring oscar nominee shirley knight and tom skerritt is a family - themed tale on seventy - five year old marie’s (knight) decision to walk the 100 mile highway - long trip to her granddaughter’s wedding that along way forces her to confront physical obstacles as well as the lingering troubles of her past. “red wood highway” will release theatrically in april 2014 .
several years ago gary lundgren and i began the long journey toward bringing redwood highway to life. looking back, it was one of the best experiences of my life. i wrote this song to be the end credit roll for the film, and though it was later recorded by the amazing laura veers, it' s still worth sharing. to everyone who made redwood highway such a great movie, thanks for the memories. including jeff pevar for producing the song .
after winning several best film awards at indie festivals, “redwood highway” is getting its share of attention in hollywood, and the director and producers of the film have strong reason to believe their film might start a whole movement, as it focuses attention on the largest, most underserved audience in the world – people over 50. for decades boomers and senior citizens have been largely ignored by the film industry, but now that they represent the largest demographic in the country, their time has finally come .
“i saw “redwood highway” at a film festival and i think it’s an important film for everyone to see, in every generation, ” ashland resident jan sneider - brown, 76, said. “it’s a film about a strong senior protagonist who overcomes great odds to heal her life, and a journey familiar to what many seniors encounter in their own quest to heal. it’s about the human journey more than just one person. ”
sofat and the southern oregon industry hope that 2012 is merely the start of another busy decade of filmmaking, and is already working hard to springboard the results and ramifications of night moves and redwood highway into future filmmaking activity .
solid acting overcomes a lack of dynamic tension in this family - friendly film .
bringing together the creative streams of film, television, and media in oregon .
get an insider’s view of the documentary film process and hear from two inspiring documentary filmmakers who have been challenging ideas and opening minds through the power of film .
gary kout is the founder and executive director of southern oregon film and television and a producer on redwood highway, as well as having worked on four other feature films in southern oregon. he was the production supervisor on the 2011 academy award - winning animated feature rango, starring johnny depp, and has line - produced over 100 national commercials .
one of the best experiences of my life. i wrote this song to be the end credit roll for the film, and though it was later recorded by the amazing laura veers, it' s still worth sharing. to everyone who made redwood highway such a great movie, thanks for the memories. including jeff pevar for producing the song .
night moves stars jesse eisenberg, dakota fanning and peter sarsgaard and was shot entirely in southern oregon in the late fall of 2012. the film won the grand prix at the deauville film festival and was nominated for a golden lion at the venice film festival .
this suspenseful and character - driven, slow - burn thriller is written and directed by gary lundgren (calvin marshall, redwood highway), and was beautifully shot on the majestic oregon coast by award - winning cinematographer patrick neary. michelle lombardo and danforth comins co - star .
“it’s hard to believe that 45% of the population would be ignored at the box office, ” james twyman, the producer and co - screenwriter of “redwood highway” said. “today most films are made for people under twenty - five. interest in storydriven films with a protagonist over the age of sixty are rare. the reason is simple – the executives who are making decisions don’t believe older people go to the movies in big enough numbers. we intend to change that with “redwood highway”. ” twyman has launched ageless cinema to make films specifically to meet that need .
“calvin marshall” was filmed entirely in southern oregon in the winter of 2007. the filmmakers took full advantage of the strong crew and cast available in the region. many sofam members were employed on the film. the film enjoyed a successful festival run, premiering at the austin film festival in october, 2009, and ending with a sold - out showing at the ashland independent film festival in april 2010. the film is now being released in select theaters across the country .
most impressive is the lead performance of knight, as noted by stephen farber in his review in the hollywood reporter: “it is always satisfying when a fine actor gets a chance to be rediscovered. [ shirley knight ] relishes her return to the limelight in “redwood highway”, and audiences will be delighted by her warm, stirring performance. ”
a perfectly fine walkabout through the scenic roadways and nearby woods of southern oregon, “redwood highway” delivers in high spirits and fine thesping what it lacks in dynamic tension and narrative consistency. anchored by a warm, full - bodied turn by septuagenarian shirley knight as a spunky but troubled retirement - home resident, and backed by fine support from [ … ]
“redwood highway was a thrill to make and so we’re excited for audiences to experience the beauty of southern oregon and fall in love with these characters, ” gary lundgren, the director and co - screenwriter said. “our entire cast and crew is proud to have a theatrical release around the country and we’re grateful for the enthusiastic responses so far. ”
sign up: stay on top of the latest breaking film and tv news! sign up for our email newsletters here .
a week of special screenings of “calvin marshall” followed by a discussion and q & a with the film’s local cast and crew .
for more information on the film, including trailers, behind - the - scenes footage, and a theatrical dates, please visit urltoken .
a distant distaff cousin to such oldster - on - a - mission road movies as the straight story and nebraska, gary lundgren' s redwood highway offers shirley knight as a woman determined to walk the 80 miles to her estranged granddaughter' s seaside wedding. sincere and bolstered by lovely oregon scenery but often rather dull, the picture would do well to secure a family - cable berth after what is sure to be a quick theatrical run .
the sofam film insider screenings are recurring events bringing professional filmmakers together with local audiences and filmmakers to explore what it takes to make a movie .
the film features an all - star cast: george clooney, matt damon, cate blanchett, bill murray, john goodman, bob balaban .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. what a space it opens…
bennett left the franchise before the sixth film and finished his long and distinguished career back in media. he is now a resident of ashland, oregon .
once veera and mahabir are in love, the film suddenly finds itself without apparent options, and its metaphorical highway becomes something of a dirt road through the woods on a foggy evening. the ultimate resolution becomes fairly inevitable at a certain point, however much one might wish it to not happen. the last few minutes of
highway
are very awkward, especially in contrast to the lyrical sweep of the previous hour and a half or so, and lead to an extremely muddled final image, which suffers in contrast to the clarity of the rest of the piece. and so it ends, and too bad .
© 2008 - southern oregon film and media | po box 1265, ashland, or 97520 | (877) 434 - 5676 (i film so) | sofam @ urltoken sofam is not responsible for the content on websites that are linked to from this site. some content might be considered offensive or not be age appropriate .
get an insider’s view of how an independent movie gets made, how you can attract recognizable talent, and how to make a high - quality film on an indie budget .
there' s rarely a way to compliment a director for trying without it seeming both condescending and like foreshadowing a lengthy exegesis of their film' s failure. but it is important to note that imtiaz ali is not some run - of - the - mill hack, and that when he goes awry, it' s from having tried something interesting that didn' t work, rather than trotting out shopworn banalities. there' s a lot to like in ali' s latest ,
highway ,
which is a gorgeously assembled, ambitious piece of work, although it doesn' t coalesce into a holistically successful film .
“redwood highway” follows the character of marie vaughn (shirley knight) who decides to sneak away from the senior community where she lives in grants pass, and walk over 80 miles to the coast to attend her granddaughter’s wedding. along the way she must confront the demons of her past, including haunting memories of her former husband. marie meets characters like a kind woodworker expertly played by tom skerritt, and a helpful bar owner played by michelle lombardo. overcoming both odds and blisters, marie proves that you’re never too old to have a great adventure, and heal your life .
redwood highway follows the character of marie vaughn (shirley knight) who decides to sneak away from the senior community where she lives in grants pass, and walk over 80 miles to the coast to attend her granddaughter’s wedding. along the way she must confront the demons of her past, including haunting memories of her former husband. marie meets characters like a kind woodworker expertly played by tom skerritt, and a helpful bar owner played by michelle lombardo. overcoming both odds and blisters, marie proves that you’re never too old to have a great adventure, and heal your life .
the mission of sofam is to promote and strengthen the development of film, video, and multimedia production in southern oregon and to serve as the voice of those industries in the region .
for, whatever else can be said about it in terms of it working or not working ,
highway
is a kind of film there should be more of: an impeccable display of craft, with both a brain and heart, that tries something new. its peaks are wonderful; the one among which not yet mentioned being
pataka gudhi ,
the song immediately post - interval, the proverbial
good a. r. rahman song ,
which textually coincides perfectly with veera' s first realization of her complete freedom from her stultifying home life. if not for the film' s tendency to drift off into the ether to the complete loss of all its momentum and purpose, and for the horribly awkward conclusion ,
highway
might be a very good movie indeed. instead, it' s an inconsistent, if intermittently splendorous, work. there are, to be perfectly clear, far worse things in life .
southern oregon film and television (or sofat for short), the membership - based local professional association and de - facto film commission for the region, assisted both productions. sofat provided strong recommendations about the filmmakers to local public agencies and private businesses, which helped to acquire locations, smooth the various permit processes, and perpetuate the already pro - filming attitude in southern oregon .
with crashing waves along the coast and soaring redwood trees blanketing miles of uncrowded parkland, this is one of california’s most spectacular regions. the largest city, eureka, is roughly a 5 - hour drive north of san francisco—but what a drive: see lush wine country, charming hamlets, spouting whales, and breathtaking sunsets .
he was asked to help reboot the star trek feature film franchise after the first film met with some dissatisfaction at paramount studios. after reviewing all of the original series shows, he conceived of the continuation of the “space seed” episode, an idea which became star trek ii: the wrath of khan. following the critical and box - office success of that film, bennett stayed at the producing helm for the next 4 films. he also wrote star trek iii, co - wrote star trek iv and star trek v. as sharp eye will also spot him among the cast in iii and v .
the fourth feature film based on the star trek science fiction media series, it completes the story begun in star trek ii: the wrath of khan and continued in star trek iii: the search for spock. leonard nimoy directed the film. nicholas meyer, writer and director of the wrath of khan, and harve bennett wrote the final version of the script. principal photography started on february 24, 1986, with many real locations used as stand - ins for locations around san francisco. effects house industrial light & magic assisted in postproduction chores, including the creation of animatronic whales. composer leonard rosenman wrote the film’s score .
the american riviera rolls out the red carpet for this glittering event, which brings a - list actors, directors, producers, and others from the film industry to this beautiful central coast city... .
marie is my kind of woman. fit, bold, and not in need of anybody’s permission. marie may a bit too mad at the world as the film begins, but she isn’t too rigid to change .
here’s a film festival with an entertaining twist—it’s got music videos too. this long - running weeklong event, presented at downtown’s nokia theatre / l. a. live complex, includes a diverse mix of ...
night moves, the latest film from critically - acclaimed director kelly reichardt, was the first film to roll cameras. reichardt’s last two films, wendy and lucy and meek’s cutoff, were both multiple award nominees and winners at major festivals. continuing her preference for filming in oregon thanks to its wide range of locations, film - friendly environment, experienced crews, and competitive incentives, reichardt and longtime screenwriting partner jonathan raymond set their latest story of eco - terrorism in the small communities and beautiful landscapes of southern oregon. the movie stars jesse eisenberg (the social network), dakota fanning (the twilight series) and peter sarsgaard (an education) .
gary kout, a producer on the film and the executive director of southern oregon film and television, is very proud of the level of work coming out of southern oregon. “the high - level skills of the local crew, the brilliance of our local actors, the beauty of our locations and the film - friendly attitude in southern oregon, all contribute to a robust and growing environment for making all types of media, not the least of which are theatrical quality feature films. ” in fact, those attributes of the local industry helped propel ashland to the # 2 top town spot on moviemaker magazine’s best places to live and work as a moviemaker 2014 list .
in this narrow strip of coastal hills and valleys, discover romantic towns, including carmel by the sea, historic monterey, and elegant santa barbara, nicknamed' the american riviera.' the region’s classic drive along highway one, linking san francisco to los angeles, visits big sur, hearst castle, wine country, and kick back surf towns .
tom skerritt is a favorite of mine. i’ve loved him since way back in the days of picket fences, an unforgettable show with an unforgettable cast. he has a small part in this film, but it’s nice to see him .
thanks to our familiarity with the local industry, director gary lundgren, my fellow producer james twyman, and i cast several local actors, many of whom perform with the acclaimed oregon shakespeare festival and have strong hollywood film and tv credits .
i suppose i didn’t really need to point out that this 2014 film was an indie production. can you imagine that a hollywood production would star shirley knight in a leading role (despite the fact that she absolutely kills in this part) ?
i love tom skerritt. i wish he' d had a larger roll in the film. the main character reminded me of my mother, a little lost with her roll in life now that she' s older in age and ...
the voyage home’s humor and unconventional story was well received by critics, fans of the series and the general audience. it was financially successful, earning $ 133 million worldwide. the film earned four academy award nominations, for best cinematography, best effects, best music and best sound .
to leave off on a higher note than the film itself does ,
highway
has a number of virtues. anil mehta' s cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, with some sublime panoramic shots once veera and mahabir get to himachal pradesh in northern india. and, as for veera and mahabir, alia bhatt and randeep hooda give passionate if slightly raw (especially in bhatt' s case) performances. their chemistry is terrific, even if the continuity from scene to scene flags a bit in places. when they' re at their best, though, the two leads are a delight to watch, and bhatt in particular should have a long career ahead of her if she continues to get good parts in interesting films .
the film industry has always been a tough nut to crack, but this seemed like a new strain of disillusionment. as their professor, i felt powerless in my ability to encourage them about an industry that had imploded. but then i discovered from my academic colleagues that the problem was much more widespread and not restricted to filmmaking or the arts. we’re talking about a generation that experienced the trauma of 9 / 11 as children. this and other injustices had seemed to give them an innate sense of mistrust when it came to the adults running our country, let alone the film industry .
david raines is a film sound designer and re - recording mixer based in los angles. mr raines has recently contributed to the sound of patriots day (peter berg), the november man (roger donaldson), stonehearst asylum (brad anderson) as well as bythe sea and unbroken (angelina jolie) .
harve bennett began his involvement with entertainment in radio and transitioned to film through a degree at the ucla films school. his first many years were as a tv executive for abc and screen gems, where he was involved with such productions as “the mod squad”, “the seix million dollar man” and “the bionic woman. ”
black road is also a genre film that is meant to be as entertaining as it is unsettling. and i hope that in its own small way it shows that an ideal government would go out of its way to meet its people in the trenches and work tirelessly to foster financial stability and meaningful work in their communities .
other veteran actors, like tom skerritt and james le gros (“drugstore cowboy”, “justice”), received similar high praise in this and other reviews and fill in the spaces wonderfully, while newer faces like zena grey (“house”) and michelle lombardo (“californication”) bring nuanced performances and texture that helps the film turn the corner from fun to profound .
the film offers frequent flashbacks to marie' s own wedding day and visions of her long - dead husband, suggesting she is carrying a weight of nostalgia that needs to be left somewhere along the road. but the script does little with the theme and lundgren' s execution is clumsy, failing to support what is clearly meant to be a showcase role for knight .
after world war ii, film noir came along with its jaded protagonists trying to survive in a dark world. black road was inspired by a similar kind of desperation. for too many in this country, the american dream is an oasis that fades away as we race towards it. as an ex - military cyborg, dylan has all the potential in the world, but he ends up an outcast scrambling to survive in a new society that over - promises and under - delivers .
southern oregon has been the backdrop for many feature films, starting all the way back in 1914 with grace’s visit to the rogue valley. though generally an uncommon event, a strong flurry of filming began in 2000 with at least one independent film being shot every year in the area. then in 2010, filmmaking came to a screeching halt with no films being made, and in 2011 there were only two micro - indies with budgets in the $ 100, 000 range or less .
song of the new earth is a lyrical documentary about one man’s quest to integrate modern science and ancient mysticism through the transformative power of music and sound. the film, from director ward serrill (the heart of the game), editor eric frith (eden), producers betsy chasse (what the bleep do we know! ?) and sophie jane mortimer, features the life journey of renowned sound healer, psychotherapist and modern day mystic tom kenyon from a young aspiring nashville musician to an internationally revered sound alchemist .
combine the glitz of hollywood, top movies from around the world, and some of the best celebrity spotting anywhere, and it’s easy to understand why california’s film festivals draw serious cinefiles and casual fans alike. some of california’s festivals let you get a jump on the pre - oscar buzz with premieres and screenings of soon - to - be contending films—plus appearances by stars and leading directors. plus they’re set in star locations, like palm springs and santa barbara, so there’s plenty to do before and after you go to the movies .
this is an interesting film that illustrates a growing problem in america between children and parents. the challenging question is: is it too soon for mother to give up her independence, even if she may not be as safe at home? the director touchingly proves that the elderly can continue to make a contribution to society, and they often understand youth more than their children do. it does move a bit slowly at some points, but never so much that i was tempted not to watch. a 4. 5 would be a more fair rating than a 4 .
producer sophie jane mortimer worked in the world of non - profit marketing and communications in the uk before joining woody creek pictures as a producer. she co - produced something in the water, a short film about the seattle music scene which was aired nationally on pbs and idea man, for vulcan productions, a series of short films to promote paul allen’s memoir. she is currently producing catching fire, a documentary about fuel efficient cookstoves that are saving lives and forests in africa and treestory, a documentary about humanity’s relationship to trees. song of the new earth is her first feature documentary .
get an insider’s view of the independent film process from one of the indie world’s most prolific and creatively successful producers. neil kopp has produced all manner of content from music videos to commercials to features, including all of the critically acclaimed films by kelly reichardt: old joy, wendy and lucy, and meek’s cutoff. he also was a producer on paranoid park directed by gus van sant. and he’s an oregonian! neil and his fellow producers were nominated for the cassavettes award at the 2007 independent spirit awards for old joy, and was also awarded the producers award at the 2008 independent spirit awards .
kelly is a senior at southern oregon university and will graduate with a degree in emerging media and digital arts, with an emphasis in video production. she is very interested in all the encompassing arts as well, including drawing, photography and even dance. over the past few years, she has been writing, directing and producing her own short films for various classes and having a great fun focusing on satirical shorts. she is in charge of “transcribing” in which she gets to sort through all the important audio for the film. she will also help with initial editing as well as being a camera assistant to our two cinematographers. she’s ecstatic to be working with some amazingly talented people on the 5 women: 4 season’s crew .
oneal latimore has a passion for understanding and documenting complex and esoteric subject matter, to bring experiences to a wider audience. so naturally, when he heard about this project he had an immediate interest both academically and personally. this film allows him to utilize the diverse array of studies that have been a part of his academic journey; and also fulfills his need for wild environments for his ongoing spiritual journey. oneal completed his undergraduate degrees from southern oregon university; graduating with honors (cum laude ,) in anthropology and emerging media and digital arts, as well as a minor in education. his academic background has provided him with a unique foundation and perspective that continually contributes to his growth as a visual anthropologist, cinematographer, and educator .
about jana carole jana carole is currently a staff screen story analyst for columbia pictures, a division of sony pictures, and has analyzed thousands of scripts in her near 3 decade career. she started in the theater industry as a stage manager at the oregon shakespeare festival before moving down to hollywood. she worked as a producer’s assistant for tv movies, as development assistant and story analyst for guber - peters entertainment, and as a researcher and story editor for columbia pictures. she taught story development and criticism at ucla and been president of the story analysts union. she also works as a professional photographer. in between all of that, she has been active in non - profits as chair of the ashland schools foundation and ashland high arts advocates, and screens films for the ashland independent film festival .
that’s really all there is to the story. michael and the family send out the police to try to find the wanderer, but she manages to elude them on back roads. along the way, marie encounters a variety of people who supply some diversion. the most engaging episode recounts her flirtation with a widower, played expertly by tom skerritt. she also receives aid from a bartender (michelle lombardo), and gets to enjoy some female solidarity with the other patrons. when she stops at the desolate motel where she spent her honeymoon, she runs into a threat from some menacing druggies, but this melodramatic episode is out of keeping with the rest of the film. in addition, a few dreamy flashbacks to marie’s early life are a little too truncated and cryptic to add much heft to the present - day story .
you currently have tickets in your cart. please remove them before logging out .
“no god, no master” starring oscar nominee david strathairn, follows u. s. bureau of investigation agent william flynn (starthairn) as he investigates a 1919 anti - democratic anarchist bombing campaign against prominent politicians and businessmen. “no god, no master” is set to debut theatrically spring 2014 .
“a farewell to fools” starring oscar nominees gerard depardieu and harvey keitel follows the unique story of a world war ii - era romanian village as it collectively endeavors to pressure a village madman ipu (depardieu) into claiming responsibility for the death of a german soldier in order to avoid a village - wide massacre by the nazis. shoreline and monterey have planned to assemble a spring 2014 theatrical release .
eric kohn and anne thompson discuss their favorite films of the year so far. they also debate several new releases and share some streaming recommendations .
in an episode dedicated to the show within the show, “glow” illustrates its grand capacity for storytelling, and the very good tv podcast breaks down how .
rules weren’t meant to be broken when it comes to tv episode lengths, but these 10 examples — introduced on the very good tv podcast — are clear exceptions .
after studying under cinematographer ed lachman, shevaun mizrahi forged her own unique filmmaking path with its own set of rules .
the actress and director both love the genre, but as they told indiewire, they also knew it needed to be retrofitted to tell the true story of catherine weldon and sitting bull .
lane and schoenbrun discuss how her interest in morgellons disease patients (“the pain of others”) and his exploration of the slenderman myth (“a self - induced hallucination”) led them to make archival films from youtubes .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4. 01 transitional / / en
urltoken
daily box office (sun .) | weekend box office (jul. 6–8) | # 1 movie:' ant - man and the wasp' | showtimes
© urltoken, inc. or its affiliates. all rights reserved. box office mojo and imdb are trademarks or registered trademarks of urltoken, inc. or its affiliates. terms of use and privacy policy under which this service is provided to you .
screen veteran shirley knight sinks her teeth into one of the best roles of her career. twitter
fortunately, knight is always front and center, and she manages to be alternately feisty, astringent, stubborn and wonderfully open to experience. although the actress may have lost the youthful radiance that enhanced her performances in sweet bird of youth, the group and the rain people, she still exudes charisma. le gros is another underused, undervalued actor who delivers a subtle, multifaceted portrayal. in fact, almost all of the performances achieve perfect pitch. this is a tribute to lundgren’s direction, and he also makes excellent use of the serene oregon locations. one scene in which a deer wanders into marie’s makeshift camp is particularly delicate and haunting. the musical score by john morgan askew works smoothly without ever overpowering the story .
it looks like you may be having problems playing this video. if so, please try restarting your browser .
marie vaughn (shirley knight) hates living in her retirement home. she fights with her son michael (james le gros) about it constantly. when her granddaughter naomi (zena grey) uninvites her to her wedding because she’s such a negative old biddy, marie decides to go to the wedding to spite everyone. and she’s going to get there on her own two legs .
she starts trekking across oregon’s beautiful countryside and along the way meets people who treat her like an old friend such as pete (tom skerritt) and stacia (michelle lombardo). they help her with first aid, places to sleep and offers of rides. she refuses the rides .
marie spends several nights camping in the woods, one night sleeping in a treehouse pete built, and one night sleeping in stacia’s house after beating everyone at pool in stacia’s bar .
her son has every cop in oregon out scouring the country looking for her. she eludes them all without even trying .
in addition to the friendly folks who encourage her along the way, she also runs afoul of a couple of meth heads who want to steal all her money. that scene was the only scary moment in the trek to the coast .
through it all she’s dealing with memories of a lost love from long ago, a sailor named tommy. there are parallels between her relationship with tommy and her granddaughter’s upcoming wedding on the beach. marie thinks she sees her tommy several times and even has imaginary conversations with him .
she makes it, of course, that’s completely predictable, but she does it with panache, and comes out at the end a wiser woman .
you' ll find lots of stories there that aren' t on this blog! come visit .
with: shirley knight, james le gros, zena grey, michelle lombardo, sam daly, barret o’brien, danforth comins, catherine e. coulson, j. p. phillips, geoff whitman, douglas rowe, tom skerritt .
we meet marie (knight) in motion, perambulating through the opening credits roll. she’s trying to avoid her son (le gros, “justified, ” “scotland, pa. ”), who’s visiting the facility to which he’s engineered her relocation (though given her feistiness and his mellow vibe, it’s a bit unclear how he managed the feat). he’s intent on convincing her to attend the wedding of her granddaughter, naomi (zena gray, “house”), which she opposes, haunted by a history she doesn’t want visited on the kid. still, considering her misgivings seem to revolve around having been the young bride of a doomed soldier, and that naomi’s intended is the drummer in a band, it’s tough to follow the throughline. but no matter: marie’s shoes are made for walking, and knight accomplishes this with verve and empathy .
deciding to attend the wedding on her own terms, she sneaks out the front door of the retirement home, determined to face her demons while retracing her steps 80 miles to the same windswept beach where her past and naomi’s future seem destined to collide, depending on your tolerance for extended symbolism. at various stages in her days - long journey, marie discovers she needs the help of strangers, including a kindly sheriff (barret o’brien), a kindly crafts shop owner (skerritt) and a kindly barmaid (michelle lombardo). luckily, most of those she meets are fairly well versed in medicine .
the plot is predictable and ill formed, even as traveling with marie is a delight. and the second unit certainly makes the most of her journey, highlighting the autumnal glory of the titular oregon landscape and the rugged beauty of the pacific coast .
knight manages to run the gamut of marie’s emotions, often with the slightest of changes in expression: the momentary hurt of being old and invisible to the young; the frustration at needing the help of others; the joy of her surroundings; the realization of her greatest mistake and of her chance for deliverance. skerritt is a calming influence in a role he can play practically in his sleep (and the sculptures in his crafts shop, credited to kevin christman, are pretty cool). lombardo (“californication”), in a less vampy part, is luminous just the same. as the lone unsavory character marie meets, sam daly is quickly dispatched to allow for more walking .
reviewed online, los angeles, april 14, 2014. mpaa rating: pg - 13. running time: 90 min .
production: a monterey media release of an ageless cinema presentation of a james twyman production in association with elsewhere films and joma films. produced by twyman, gary kout. executive producers, guy mommaerts, chiyo mommaerts, karen kozleski. co - producer, anne lundgren .
crew: directed, edited by gary lundgren. screenplay, lundgren, james twyman. camera (color, hd), patrick neary; music, john morgan askew; production designer, dave marshall; costume designer, claudia everett; sound, kent romney; re - recording mixers, jim fitzpatrick, david raines; associate producer, shelly heyward; casting, christine sheaks
with: shirley knight, james le gros, zena grey, michelle lombardo, sam daly, barret o’brien, danforth comins, catherine e. coulson, j. p. phillips, geoff whitman, douglas rowe, tom skerritt .
© copyright 2018 variety media, llc, a subsidiary of penske business media, llc. variety and the flying v logos are trademarks of variety media, llc. powered by urltoken vip
basically the story of a man forced to finally see the injustice around him. riley’s movie is designed to do the same thing to you. …
roger ebert' s speech on empathy for the
11th hour
series on april 9th, 1994, being republished here in honor of his birthday june 18 .
roger ebert was born on this day in 1942, and died a little over five years ago. i owe a good part of my success…
a look back at robert zemeckis' half - animated classic, who framed roger rabbit, on its 30 - year anniversary .
a tribute to the late tab hunter, a gay matinee idol and hollywood trailblazer .
it opens with veera (alia bhatt), convincing her fiancé to take her for a drive to escape their all - consuming wedding preparations. the fiancé, under duress, complies, and per his fears about straying too far from the house at night, when they stop at a gas station, veera is abducted by masked bandits making an escape. when her abductors find out who she is—the daughter of an extremely rich and influential man—the leader of the group panics and mahabir (randeep hooda), veera' s initial abductor, takes her and sets out on his own to ransom her, seething with anger at the ruling classes. and yet, from this decidedly unpromising starting point, romance first buds and then flowers between veera and mahabir .
it' s to ali' s credit that he controls the tone and pace to such a degree that the romance feels organic, rather than a screenwriter' s contrivance. veera finds, in fairly short order, that being held hostage by a band of quasi - radical bandits is actually less constricting than upper - class bourgeois life. her ease with the bandits throws them all for a bit of a loop, and gradually chips away at mahabir' s monolithic, humorless exterior and before he knows it, he' s taken with her incongruous pleasantness, and he begins to see her as a young woman rather than a symbol of the hated plutocracy .
an interview with terry gilliam, director of
the man who killed don quixote .
the ebert club is our hand - picked selection of content for ebert fans. you will receive a weekly newsletter full of movie - related tidbits, articles, trailers, even the occasional streamable movie. club members also get access to our members - only section on urltoken
set in the autonomous, rebel state of jefferson in 2029, this futuristic thriller stars sam daly (the office, daly show) as cyborg drifter dylan grant – a failed military experiment. he’s 100% human but is assisted by his artificial intelligence implant, “clyde” (voiced by andrew wilson). aimless and broke, dylan urges clyde to help him find work and a new beginning on the reckless but “free” jefferson coast .
after saving a mysterious woman’s life outside a night club, dylan is sucked into her dark world becoming her lover and accomplice. going against clyde’s wishes, dylan and lisa (leilani sarelle) plot to negotiate a financial settlement with her maniacal ex - husband sterling (simon templeman) – a tech tycoon who’s developing unregulated warfare technologies and testing (on unsuspecting subjects) the hypnotic, addictive properties of the black root plant he grows on his private compound. if only dylan can keep lisa and sterling from killing each other, he may just walk away with a small fortune and a new life – with or without clyde’s help .
in the fall of 2013, i wrote the first draft of black road while teaching a screenwriting course in the evenings. the idea was that such an arrangement might improve both disciplines. the writing turned out to be as difficult as ever, and the students’ frustration over their career of choice was especially palpable that term. i imagined their filmmaking future looming ahead like an endless, black road. they were upset about the economy and the job market – and they craved assurance that they would land on their feet .
it was this kind of wariness that my story’s main character gradually inhabited in my writing process. dylan was already a cast - off drifter, but now he was charged with something more potent than apathy. he was anxious and bursting with pent - up anger. and he was determined to finally seize control and make something of his life .
black road is a character driven mash up of classical noir conventions in a futuristic land of opportunity. if the libertarians ever get a petri dish like the state of jefferson, i have to wonder if their ideological fantasies will inadvertently create a kind of paradise for some and new lows of evil and abuse for others. like founding father james madison once said, “if men were angels, no government would be necessary. ”
living in a retirement community, estranged from her family, marie decides to journey 80 miles on foot to attend her granddaughter' s wedding. along the way, she discovers that you' re never too old to learn something about life & yourself .
our agreements with the content provider don’t allow purchases of this title at this time .
click here to start your six - month trial to get unlimited access to thousands of movies and tv shows, including award - winning prime original series and movies .
by placing your order or playing a video, you agree to our terms of use. sold by amazon digital services llc. additional taxes may apply .
a woman in an assisted living center likes taking very long walks. after a terrible argument with her son and granddaughter, over her granddaughter' s decision to marry young, the old gal finds herself estranged. she swears that she will take revenge on her daughter by refusing to attend the wedding. she regrets the ultimatum and, in an impulsive move, she loads up a backpack and begins a long walk to the wedding. its a couple days' worth of walking and she is never far from her own first love. like an odyssey, each experience she has enlightens her, and the viewer. to understand that junction between the fear that one' s own experience will be repeated, and the hope that one' s granddaughter will enjoy the happiness in an early marriage that her grandmother was denied, that is the internal walk this old woman takes. plus she spends the night in a tree house with tom skerritt. lovely scenery, a simple story, and a nice way to spend 90 minutes .
this movie is charming and very well done as well as a feel good story. shirley knight is perfect as the displaced senior moved from all her familiar places and friends into an assisted living environment where she didn' t want to be. her family lived a good distance from her home and moved her to be closer and more able to help her when needed. good intentions can be the road to ruin. when she runs away from the assisted living development the real story begins. the area where this movie was filmed is some of the most beautiful country in oregon. the movie is worth seeing for the scenery alone. i loved the area and the story was very sweet. don' t miss this movie if you like a good story with very good people in it .
nice movie. i' ve experienced people wanting to help me when i' ve been in awkward spots so i know these moments can happen. i' ve been privileged to see some lovely country but never any of oregon so this movie is as close as i' ll ever be and i' m happy the cinematography was so brilliant. the movie does start a bit slow so be patient, but the pace is nice. any faster and the self - discovery couldn' t have occurred as the journey turns out to be not only geographic but of herself .
this was a thoughtful in depth and beautiful movie for the solitude mind of growing mature! thinking of the memories, that keep you pushing forward only to pull strength from them. marie was bamboozled by her son to move away from her loving surroundings of bend, oregon, to be closer to him because it was time - consuming to visit her, marie walked daily keeping her strength and endurance up, trying to take her mind off where she was stabled. her granddaughter is to wed an older man in the brookings, oregon area and marie was a tad ticked off... . in apology and spite this incredible and spirited woman ties up those hiking boots (keen, more than likely) and takes off on an 80 mile glorious scenic journey of the oregon coast, new friendships, and beautiful haunting memories ~ grand movie for all ages of maturity !
this was a feel good movie that was a light and easy way to spend an evening. the plot is pretty simple, and a lot of it is left up to your imagination of what is going on in her thoughts and what exactly is happening with the visions of' thomas,' who i believe was her husband that had passed on many years ago. the story was uplifting to see all the good people she meets along the way - and it was great the way she dealt the the scary meth head druggie guy that was trying to rob her! i can see the allure of a long walk to help you think about life, especially since marie' s has changed so much in recent years with her being moved from her hometown to the retirement community (which most of us would happily move into with the pool, breakfast buffet, fireplaces in the rooms, and hot tub !) overall, it was a nice movie that was clean and entertaining. while it would be safe for the whole family, i think the movie is more aimed toward adults, as some of the issues are deep and i am not sure a child would really understand. the movie also had a lot of beautiful scenery of oregon, so that' s a plus as well.
redwood highway is a 2013 american independent drama film directed by gary lundgren , produced by james twyman , and written by lundgren and twyman . the film stars shirley knight and tom skerritt . 
redwood highway is a 2013 american independent drama film directed by gary lundgren, produced by james twyman, and written by lundgren and twyman. the film stars shirley knight and tom skerritt.
redwood highway is a 2013 american independent drama film directed by gary lundgren, produced by james twyman, and written by lundgren and twyman. the film stars shirley knight and tom skerritt.