don ' t let go ( film )
greg gould’s cover of en vogue’s classic hit don’t let go comes with a heart - wrenching short film .
max receiving his' outstanding directorial achievement' for' don' t let go,' at the stony brook, long island film festival .
caption: max receiving his' outstanding directorial achievement' for' don' t let go,' at the stony brook, long island film festival .
max receiving his' outstanding directorial achievement' for' don' t let go,' at the stony brook, long island film festival. - max myers
greg’s reworking of don’t let go is haunting, and adds extra weight to the lyric “i won’t be satisfied till we’re taking those vows, together we can make it right. ”
don' t let go is a true documentary about windsurfing. filmed in 10 different countries over the past two years, the film captures all aspects of being a pro windsurfer .
don’t let go” is a true documentary about windsurfing. filmed in ten different countries, we captured all aspects of being a pro windsurfer. from travelling to remote destinations, riding the biggest waves, competing on the world tour, suffering serious injuries and fighting hard to come back. there are good and bad times! whatever - keep your dreams alive and don' t let go .
don' t let go is a true documentary about windsurfing. filmed in 10 different countries over the past two years, the film captures all aspects of being a pro windsurfer. from traveling to remote destinations, riding the biggest waves, competing on the world tour, suffering serious injuries, and fighting hard to come back. there are good times and bad times, but wherever you are, keep your dreams alive and don' t let go .
exclusive: stephen dorff and melissa george have stepped into the leading roles for tolkien writer david gleeson’s mystery thriller don’t let go. the project marks gleeson’s return to directing following disney’s cowboys & angels and the front line .
then, in 2002, you write and direct
don' t let go .
you won an achievement award at stony brook for this film... your cast included an oscar winner... how was this experience as a filmmaker ?
frozen is the most successful animation film of all time, making around £1 billion at the box office. it also won oscars for best animated film and best original song for let it go in 2014 .
ellis: “what you’ve got ain’t nothin’ new. this country’s hard on people. ya can’t stop what’s comin’. they ain’t all waitin’ on you. that’s vanity .
this pitch deck for “don’t let go” was taken to the cannes film festival by the producer to secure financing. each image was retouched and color corrected, lens flares were added to execute the directors vision for the look of this film. we received tons of positive feedback from the investors at the festival. the director said they were very happy. so, this film may be coming soon to a theater near you .
wilson plays jimmy ray in' don' t let go'. he' s a rockabilly star who' s a legend both because of his great hits and because he gave up music very young when his brother was killed. now, ... see full summary »
max myers is an award - winning writer / director and professor of screenwriting and directing at hollywood' s columbia college. his most recent film credit is for
irish jam ,
a film starring eddie griffin. myers has written and directed
don' t let go ,
starring oscar - winner katharine ross, scott wilson, bo hopkins and shari belafonte. his upcoming film ,
62 pickup
is currently in production with eddie griffin attached to the film .
a wholesome and tuneful drama about generational friction set against a contempo rockabilly backdrop, “don’t let go” reps a grafting of family - friendly narrative onto distinctive music with readily identifiable iconography. hybrid feels as defiantly out of step with mainstream trends as the hermetically sealed yet enduring world of the music itself, suggesting auds on the [ … ]
don' t let me go is a movie starring natalia dyer, isabelle fuhrman, and joel courtney. an ailing father, who is about to undergo a potentially life - threatening surgery, takes his teenage kids into the woods to try and recapture their early closeness, before he and his wife... see full summary »
is there anything you can share about it? no, it’s totally top secret. [ laughs ] i don’t want to get killed by my editor .
don' t let go
reps a grafting of family - friendly narrative onto distinctive music with readily identifiable iconography. hybrid feels as defiantly out of step with mainstream trends as the hermetically sealed yet enduring world of the music itself, suggesting auds on the lookout for one or both elements will support item fervently, while the uninitiated will merely shrug .
sheriff ed tom bell: “i don’t know, he ought to. he’s seen the same things i’ve seen, and it’s certainly made an impression on me. ”
an interview with terry gilliam, director of
the man who killed don quixote .
so far ,
don' t let go
has been my most memorable experience but i have a feeling that
62 pickup
is going to be by far my most enjoyable. the devil and the angel was the most challenging because we were shooting on manhattan' s lower east side without permits. now, that was tough but that' s how i cut my filmmaking teeth .
some parts of this page won' t work property. please reload or try later .
thanks erick, i’ll let max myers, the author of the post know. he’s a brand new contributor, an indie film veteran and screenwriter. all i did was the edits and popped in the images .
wilson plays jimmy ray in' don' t let go'. he' s a rockabilly star who' s a legend both because of his great hits and because he gave up music very young when his brother was killed. now, years later he has two sons and they have a band. jimmy ray is an alcoholic, still consumed by his grief and angry with his sons for wanting to play music. his wife, katharine ross, tries to mediate .
any other projects in the works? do you do other forms of writing? if imdb is correct, up until this year you' ve averaged a film project about every five years... yet, when you do a film project you really go for it... writing, directing... do you work regularly in film? teach? write ?
“i had two dreams about him after he died. i don’t remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin’ him in town somewheres and he give me some money and i think i lost it. ”
written by oscar - nominated writer ronan blaney (the short boogaloo and graham) and gleeson, don’t let go follows a loving couple, ben and hazel slater, as they struggle to cope with the loss of their child from a devastating accident. hazel begins to fear for her husband’s sanity as he becomes convinced that he can bring her back if only he can hold on to her hand in a recurring dream but then they start to wonder if it is, in fact, a dream .
but you need that in the film. one of my biggest worries was how are we going to do that. watching someone type a book review is not exciting on film .
there’s a significant twist in “don’t breathe” (again, don’t watch the previews) that produces shock value (and allows for even more disturbing material later on) but it almost feels like a misstep in that it pushes lang’s character towards a definitive villain role. i like the idea of a battle of wills—in a home within an abandoned neighborhood—between characters that occupy grayer areas in terms of morality. there are also a few plot turns in the final act that require more suspension of disbelief .
a wholesome and tuneful drama about generational friction set against a contempo rockabilly backdrop, “don’t let go” reps a grafting of family - friendly narrative onto distinctive music with readily identifiable iconography. hybrid feels as defiantly out of step with mainstream trends as the hermetically sealed yet enduring world of the music itself, suggesting auds on the lookout for one or both elements will support item fervently, while the uninitiated will merely shrug. theatrical and fest prospects are modest, while the goodie - goodie nature that limits pic’s multiplex appeal will bolster its presence in ancillary and on homevid .
[ anton chuckles ] “alright. let me ask you something. if the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule? ”
at the heart of the film, as young people who made a very bad decision try to survive long enough to get out of a house that has turned into a fortress, “don’t breathe” is tense and even relatable. there are millions of young people, especially in detroit, trying to escape their bad decisions. “don’t breathe” becomes a battle of wills between two people who have done very bad things but justified their actions to themselves. the talented levy and lang allow us to understand their characters' polarizing choices, and place us right there in the house—with the petty criminal and the man with the dark secret, holding our breath .
film festivals, no matter how big or small, are to the indie filmmaker what air is to humans - we can' t do without them and thank god for all the people that work tirelessly to make them happen .
the other two main characters are maddie’s mom, dr. whittier, played by anika noni rose, and her nurse, carla, played by ana de la reguera. dr. whittier is a tough part because she doesn’t always seem sympathetic. when i saw the movie, i couldn’t believe how well she pulled it off. i get lots of mail about the book, and sometimes people really, really [ get frustrated ] with the mom. i don’t. i sort of understand her. and anika noni rose really pulls that off .
mccarthy’s novel can be hard to swallow, yet truthful in its societal observation; namely, that society is in decline, there can be consequences for bad behavior, the good guys don’t always win and yes, all roads lead to the graveyard. just some are shorter than others .
the men of “don’t breathe” are given almost no defining character traits whatsoever, and that’s to the film’s detriment. you can feel alvarez rushing to get to the centerpiece when he could have taken a beat or two to give us a reason to care about money and alex beyond the former being a tough guy and the latter being the nice one. rocky / levy fares a little better, as the actress imbues a few very short scenes with a palpable dose of urgency. she doesn’t rob for profit or need; she is stealing money that’s just sitting in a safe to save her life and that of her sister. she’ll get the cash, they’ll all flee detroit to california, and everyone will live happily ever after. the complex morality of rocky’s dilemma is one of the most interesting narrative elements of “don’t breathe. ” in theory, we shouldn’t be rooting for a young lady to steal money from a blind man, but we do .
an interview with writer / director boots riley about his incendiary new film ,
sorry to bother you .
and that moral complexity takes a sharp turn when things go wrong in the main event of “don’t breathe. ” without spoiling nearly as much as the previews do, let’s just say that these three low - level criminals vastly underestimate both the current situation in their target’s home and its resident’s certain set of skills. the mvp of this midsection is arguably cinematographer pedro luque, who works with alvarez to very clearly define the blueprint of the house and where our characters are within it. unlike a lot of modern horror, which uses quick cuts and shaky camerawork to induce fear, alvarez and luque understand that we’ll relate to the predicament of “don’t breathe” the more clearly we can define what’s going on. as lang and levy play a game of cat and mouse through this maze, it’s best to know where the walls are. and, of course, it’s more effective when alvarez and company pull those walls away in a basement that feels like a neverending series of shelves, replicating the protagonist’s confusion and fear .
transplanted brit helmer max myers displays a go - for - broke enthusiasm for this indigenous american music, and his good - looking young leads sport tasteful versions of the pomaded hair, sneer, tight t - shirts, tattoos and vintage cars ‘n’ geetars vital to the milieu. yet too often that vitality gets in the way of basic storytelling .
one of the greatest neo - noir westerns ever shot, the coen brothers 2007 film adaptation of cormac mccathy’s 2005 novel, no country for old men, won four academy awards. pulitzer prize winner mccarthy’s acclaimed neo - noir crime novel tells you everything about the film in the title. this is hard to do. both the book and the film are impossible to forget .
the stars of frozen have shared snippets of three songs from a short follow - up film to the oscar winning animation hit .
academy award® nominees carey mulligan and keira knightley, co - star with talented newcomer andrew garfield (the social network) in this poignant and powerful film. kathy (mulligan), ruth (knightley) and tommy (garfield) are best friends who grow up together at an english boarding school with a chilling secret. when they learn the shocking truth they embrace their fleeting chance to live and love. based on the acclaimed novel by kazuo ishiguro (the remains of the day), never let me go is an intriguing exploration of hope and humanity .
frozen is the most successful animated film of all - time at cinemas - and a full - length sequel is planned for 2019 .
side note: even the coen bros. film “the big lebowski” is a crime piece wrapped in a modern day comedy. jeff bridges’ character (the dude), barely gasps in the film that he has somehow, inexplicably been cast into the role of private detective .
so how do they solve that problem? [ laughs ] i don’t know if i’m allowed to say! but stella really figured it out. there are parts of the movie where i was like, “oh. that’s a better way to do that. i wish i’d thought of that. ” it’s weird to critique your own work through someone else’s lens .
the author also swooned over the trailer’s music, especially naughty boy’s “runnin’ (losing it all), ” which features beyonce and arrow benjamin. “i’m a ridiculous beyonce fan. when i saw that, i was like: ‘okay, i’m done. my life, my career is all set. i actually don’t need to do anything else now, ’” yoon says .
the trailer suggests a lot of dream sequences with her visualizing herself in the world, like at the beach, or in the water… yeah, they do the magic of film! her imagination gets writ large on the screen. nothing that couldn’t possibly happen in the world happens. but her imagination gets splashed up there .
what have been your favorite film experiences? (people, films? however you wish to interpret this question). what about your most challenging ?
irish jam
was released on dvd on march 14th. for more information on upcoming films by max myers visit the american independent film company .
the short - film follows olaf, who is voiced by josh gad, and his quest to find the perfect christmas tradition for the two princesses .
the film depicts princess anna' s struggle to break a spell cast by her sister, princess elsa, which keeps their land in eternal winter .
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…
you pointed out in one of your e - mails that
irish jam
ended up being about 35% of what you actually wrote. not to have you burn any bridges, but it sounds like you wanted to direct the film? what happened? (as much as you can say). i recall that when you actually purchased the film (which is, in itself, rather sad) you were rather dismayed at the film' s end result ?
at its best, fede alvarez ’s “don’t breathe” is a tight, confined thriller—the kind of morality play that toys with audience loyalty and works to convey its protagonists' predicament by making us feel claustrophobic right alongside them. for long passages, the movie plays out in real time, and alvarez and his team have a remarkable sense of film geography, established in a beautiful unbroken shot that defines the space for this largely one - setting exercise in terror. alvarez was also wise to reunite with “ evil dead ” star jane levy, an actress who can do a lot with very little in terms of character development and is remarkably fearless physically, and even wiser to cast stephen lang, a fantastic character actor for decades who has been given one of his most memorable roles here. like a lot of films of this breed, “don’t breathe” gets a little less interesting as it proceeds to its inevitable conclusion, replacing tension with shock value, but it works so well up to that point that your heart will likely be beating too fast to care .
the 21 - minute feature, which includes four new songs, will be screened ahead of disney' s new film coco at uk cinemas on 25 and 26 november .
the story is covered in hard bark and as bleak as life can be, so if you’re looking for one that’s filled with pc infected, new age ‘the glass is half full ’ philosophy, this ain’t the novel or film for you. but, if you’re looking for a book full of blistering prose, cracking dialogue, taught suspense, then it just might be .
i had been aching to write and direct my first flick, so i raised some money, found a producer, lawrence elmer fuhrmann jr. , whom i' m still friends with and could not have done it without his expert help and guidance and shot the film. i was lucky that i had a good cast and crew because we had little to no money, no permits and everybody ate pizza. it was tough but an amazing experience and i learned that you can never have too much money or too much time. but what it really taught me was to be as prepared as you can. when you make a film, you' re macarthur leading your troops into battle and if you show the slightest insecurity or can' t answer the barrage of questions, you might as well pack up and go home .
the coin toss scene in the gas station is, to me, the single most chilling scene ever put into a movie. i hope they teach it in film school .
nathalie lichtenthaeler is producing for wide eye films along with executive producers michael helfant and bradley gallo from amasia entertainment, who are co - financing the film in conjunction with the irish film board, bai, northern ireland screen and section 481 tax incentives. original music will come from dutch dj / producer ferry corsten who is marking his feature composing debut .
what if you couldn’t touch anything in the outside world? never breathe in the fresh air, feel the sun warm your face…or kiss the boy next door? “everything, everything” tells the unlikely love story of maddy, a smart, curious and imaginative 18 - year - old who due to an illness cannot leave the protection of the hermetically sealed environment within her house, and olly, the boy next door who won’t let that stop them. maddy is desperate to experience the much more stimulating outside world, and the promise of her first romance. gazing through windows and talking only through texts, she and olly form a deep bond that leads them to risk everything to be together…even if it means losing everything .
crew: camera (color), carlos gaviria; editor, richard h. fields; music, keith allison; production designer, w. brooke wheeler; costume designer, joe i. tompkins; sound (dolby digital), don johnson. reviewed at mpaa screening room, washington, d. c. , march 7, 2002. (in westchester film festival, n. y .) running time: 87 min .
the film, which is currently shooting in ireland, also stars simon delaney (the good wife), sean mahon (anthropoid) and and charlotte bradley (veronica guerin) .
supporterd by: swox surf protection, fiat freestyle team, mystic, gun sails, long horn, o' neill, quatro, jp, starboard, saarland film, g - shock .
can you tell me about your background? where you' re from... what got you interested in film? how young were you when you started, and how did you start ?
you really brought up a great
teaching point
for me as a critic... sometimes, we critics can be quick to assign
blame
, if you will, for a film' s weaknesses. you made me really think deeper about a film' s script... if i' m perceiving a lack of cohesion or clarity... is it, perhaps, because the original script has been so altered? is it because the original vision for the film has been diluted? it seems like your vision for
irish jam
was massively diluted .
i am so excited to share a sneak peek of
when we' re together” from # olafsfrozenadventure! in theaters 11 / 22 with # pixarcoco and the soundtrack is out 11 / 3. can' t wait! @ kristenanniebell @ joshgad
how do you make it in film? in
hollywood ,
if you will? my initial impression of you was that you communicated well, were assertive, and also knew how to network. your initial e - mail to me was direct without being offensive. that' s quite the gift to have. are these traits necessary to have to make it in film? i hate to ask the stereotypical question, but i have to admit it' s one of my favorite questions... what advice would you give someone who wanted to break into film? what about a writer who wanted to get their screenplay produced ?
well, all i have to say is wow, i really love the film, i was on the edge of my seat all the way through the film. i think the direction of the film was brilliant howard did the best he could to bring out the best he could with the film. angela was perfect for the role, really delivered the character to her depths with a sublime performance. one thing i loved about the film a' lot is the story line was brilliant, a mother figure fights to get her child back, if there' s one thing i find so annoying about films is when a woman who is a bad ass, a strong minded woman, fighting for survival, it is all then taken away because it ends up becoming a male (lover) that she is fighting for and her drive, fight to survive and live for. and for once it was not about this. she is a mother, who is trying to be a hero for her child, and it was brilliant. brilliant job from everyone involved .
entertainment weekly: did you have a lot of involvement in the filmmaking process — or was this a case of handing off the story and letting them run with it? nicola yoon: they let me see the first draft of the script and give notes on that. then i met stella and we just hit it off. we had a vulcan mind - meld. i’m convinced it’s because she has jamaican ancestry and i’m from jamaica. her vision is just amazing and was exactly like mine, including more of the whimsical elements of the book in the film .
you have a film in pre - production? can you tell me anything about
62 pickup
? you' re back directing again? you' re also producing this time... how' d this happen ?
but “safe” maybe isn’t the right word for the new neighbor, a teen named olly (nick robinson, jurassic world .) it’s not that he’s threatening. how dangerous can a boy with a bundt cake be? it’s the yearning to venture further with him that could prove deadly for madeline .
max myers initially contacted the independent critic to express his thoughts about my review of
irish jam ,
a film for which myers is credited as screenwriter. after exchanging two e - mails, max myers agreed to this interview with yours truly .
your first imdb listing is
the devil & the angel
from 1997. you wrote and directed it. that' s a lot of responsibility for your first film... how did that come about? what did you learn from it ?
no, i never studied film in college or even went to film school. in fact, i left school when i was fifteen and joined a rock - n - roll band as a drummer. i toured for many years and finally got sick of living out of a suitcase. i gave up playing, bought a computer, switched it on and started writing. fortunately, it has never stopped pouring out of me. so for the next several years, i just wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote. i had never achieved great commercial success as a drummer and had to take day jobs. these inevitably were either as a bouncer, which i did for several years or as a waiter or bartender. but all the while i kept honing my gig. when my friends would go out, i stayed in and wrote but it never became tedious because for me, writing is the greatest gift of expressive creation there is .
llewellyn’s wife, carla jean moss, portrayed by the amazing kelly macdonald, is initially unaware that he found and kept the money. unfortunately, in one of the last, and, for me, saddest scene of the film, she finds herself face - to - face with chigurh .
these themes are not new to crime fiction, but mccarthy’s presentation is unique. in most classic noir fiction — say chandler, hammett, et cetera, the authors offer a style and prose that is oft - copied, rarely equaled. although most of them haven’t done real crime or time in prison, the reader is given a captivating, and often - cryptic observation of a particular era .
the girl is tended to by her strict, doctor mother (anika noni rose, dreamgirls) and a sympathetic nurse, carla (ana de la reguera, narcos .) her mother wants to protect her at all costs, which means keeping her locked away, even from temptation. carla doesn’t see much harm in letting a little bit of the world in, as long as it’s safe .
one of the most memorable scenes occurs between the sheriff, who has decided to retire and ellis, portrayed by the incredible veteran actor, barry corbin. once a lawman, now confined to a wheelchair, the memorable exchange captures the sherriff’s sense of hopeless desperation, arguably the film’s message and ellis, the voice of reality .
i had originally wanted to direct
irish jam
myself, but at that time, did not have my own company and had very limited contacts. i have now rectified that and am happy to say that my company, the american independent film company is doing quite well. anyway, i digress with this shameless promo, okay, where was i? oh, yeah, so john eyres had been given the script by a mutual friend, took an option and three years later made the flick. film is collaborative art and if you' re not willing to accept that, then you' re in the wrong business. and thereby lays the rub .
your second novel, the sun is also a star came out last year, will that also be adapted into a film? yes, that’s been optioned by mgm and warner bros. and tracy oliver [ barbershop: the next cut ] is writing the script. i think she just started, so we’re going down the road .
it seems like you really enjoy being both writer and director... why is that? when you first contacted me it was in response to my review of
irish jam ,
a film for which you are credited as the screenwriter... my understanding is you actually wrote the lead role with eddie griffin in mind... can you explain ?
besides tolkien at fox searchlight / chernin ent. , gleeson recently completed writing ’twas the night for paramount pictures with karen rosenfelt producing. he previously wrote the end of history for original film and sony pictures and also wrote down to a sunless sea which he wrote for focus features for morgan freeman to produce and co - star in. gleeson also wrote red giant for mattel entertainment and 20th century fox .
that’s an important part of maddie. she can’t leave her house, so she has to explore the world through her own creativity and imagination. one of the earlier drafts of the book had her being very sad, but i realized if you were in that situation you would make your peace with it. and the way she did that was to bring the world inside. she makes these architectural drawings and book reviews, and does everything she can to explore the world — to the extent she can .
however, the scene is a trap for you, the viewer. one expects after the dialogue exchange that contains the film’s most memorable line, spoken by bardem: “what business is it of yours where i’m from, friendo? ” that he’s going to kill the gas station owner. yet when he does in fact win the toss, chigurh gives him the coin, smiles and lets him live. bait and switch. brilliant .
credits: eyes shut productions and goldberg films presents a flo jung film produced by michael a. goldberg, leon jamaer, manuel grafenauer, marc hene, flo jung starring: boujmaa guilloul, camille juban, robby swift, flo jung, robby naish, philip köster, graham ezzy, victor fernandez filmed on location: morocco, guadeloupe, chile, maui, spain, germany, france, peru and elsewhere. graphics by: bjoern gottschall, nude design photos by: maxime houyvet copyright 2012, all right reserved .
i first started making up little scenes as a very young boy and acting them out for my family and that led me to the great english tradition of saturday morning pictures. i remember back then, that for 6 pence, i got to see several cartoons, a couple of serials, the pathe newsreel and two features. it was practically a whole days entertainment. film fascinated me from the first time i ever saw a big screen movie. it was and still is, a completely magical experience. fantastic worlds created by great writers, directors and actors and something for which i was truly grateful for .
stories that say something about the human condition. something that someone, somewhere can learn something from; either about themselves, the journey they' re on or what' s really going on in society. and last and by means least, a film that enables the viewer to escape and be entertained for its duration. i' ll continue as i' ve always done, which is to write what interests me, not that which i feel the market place is looking for. i am slowly building my company so that i can make the films i want to. i also write way too much material for just me to direct, so i' ll be putting some of my properties on the market .
independent films seem to be sort of
in style
right now... yet, in reality, i' d have to say the term is pretty loose anymore. it' s certainly great to have smaller films being made, but it seems like for every true small, low - budget film you get several others that are really
sony classics ,
fox searchlight ,
etc. likewise, while i love landmark theatres (which we just got here) it' s pretty obvious that they have a tie - in to at least half (or more) of the films they show and it seems like most of their films are on the upper - end financially for indie films. how is hollywood for the truly independent filmmaker these days ?
irish jam
was not just a fish - out - of - water romantic / comedy, it was about racism, greed, honor, integrity and how love and forgiveness are the most powerful gifts that we can bestow not only on each other, but as importantly, on ourselves. after having purchased a copy from target for $ 14. 99, i was confused when i watched it. my girlfriend looked over at me and pointedly asked me to explain the ending to her, which i was at a loss to do, so yeah, it' s quite different from my script. to this day the producers have never given me a copy and in fact, i was invited to the screening the day after they screened the film and now i see why .
an alcoholic former rockabilly star (scott wilson) is mad at his sons for wanting to follow in his musical footsteps .
with: jimmy ray stevens - scott wilson charlene stevens - katharine ross johnny blue stevens - brad hawkins billy joe stevens - levi kreis wes - james keane young billy joe - justin shilton young jimmy ray - michael davison christina - christine carlo sueanne - tanya garrett hazel - irma p. hall
the boss
- bo hopkins
black - and - white prologue establishes the 1958 success of the texas tumbleweeds, a typically high - energy rockabilly outfit fronted by swaggeringly sincere siblings jimmy ray and billy joe stevens (michael davison, justin shilton). when billy joe is killed by a greaser while protecting his brother (who’s romancing the tough’s gal), jimmy ray is so grief - stricken that he gives up music for the bottle .
forty years later, jimmy ray (scott wilson), now a quiet, bitter alcoholic who tinkers in his junkyard, refuses to attend the concerts of his sons billy joe (levi kreis) and johnny blue (brad hawkins), who are burning up the local texas circuit as leaders of the texas two - tones. although they all live under the same roof, the boys are virtually estranged from their father, with only mom charlene (katharine ross) keeping them together .
when a texas tumbleweeds compilation is issued to commemorate the group’s 40th anni, the boys decide to organize a fund - raising concert at the same drive - in where their uncle was murdered .
in the interim, billy joe buys a vintage guitar from junk - shop owner hazel (irma p. hall) that turns out to be his late uncle’s long - lost ax. as the climactic concert unfolds, it’s a foregone conclusion that jimmy ray will strap on the hollow - body guild and rip into his old hit, flanked by his grinning sons .
short shrift is given to such promising plot threads as jimmy ray’s faithful pal wes (james keane), johnny blue’s squeeze christina (christine carlo) and, particularly, beefy, blissed - out bo hopkins as a placid promoter known only as “the boss. ”
pic’s chief dramatic surprise is vet wilson, who shakes off script’s early emphasis on the boys to sell a character bewildered by his own conflicting emotions but helpless to check his impotent rage. fledgling c & w heartthrob hawkins limns the period with the same intensity he displayed in 1999 cbs miniseries “shake, rattle & roll, ” while newcomer kreis looks like an appealingly rougher blend of harry connick and early bruce springsteen .
although her role is underwritten, ross still has the same mix of come - hither comfort and fiery defiance first seen in “the graduate” more than three decades ago .
tech credits are pro, particularly the muscular aural attack of the soundtrack, which features 17 classic and newly minted tunes. that’s rockabilly vet mac curtis as himself, performing his own composition “bop with me. ” locations in and around lindsay and porterville, calif. , stand in nicely for rural texas .
production: a pardner prods. presentation, in association with hemisphere entertainment, of a jimmy ray production. produced by ken schur, brad wilson. co - producers, ralph portillo, jamie elliott, janet schur. directed, written by max myers .
with: jimmy ray stevens - scott wilson charlene stevens - katharine ross johnny blue stevens - brad hawkins billy joe stevens - levi kreis wes - james keane young billy joe - justin shilton young jimmy ray - michael davison christina - christine carlo sueanne - tanya garrett hazel - irma p. hall
the boss
- bo hopkins
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if you’ve never read eddie bunker (rip), who had done the crime and the time, you know he offered an unapologetic view from the other side. both have their own truth and both have merit. one takes you along on a wave of edgy story and sarcastic dialogue, the other takes you along on a wave of brutal realism, underscored with gritty dialogue .
i doubt that cormac mccarthy’s ever done crime, but he’s certainly done some hard traveling on the streets and backroads of america. he is an accomplished master of story and dialogue .
in the filmed adaptation, the protagonist, sheriff ed tom bell, portrayed by tommy lee jones, laconic and dry as the tex - mex desert the story is set in, pursues the antagonist, anton chigurh, with as much fear as doggedness. he and his deputy (garret dillahunt ,) arrive at the double - wide home of llewellyn moss (josh brolin .) moss is the sap that found 2 million dollars after stumbling upon numerous bodies in a drug deal gone bad. he believes it’s his lucky day. he’s wrong. it’s not. soon enough, he realizes just how dangerous his situation is, underscored by this dialogue exchange between the cops :
the son - of - a - bitch is anton chigurh, portrayed by javier bardem, one of the greatest villains to ever slide off a crime fiction novel and into your very being. he hunts moss with equal parts glee and determination. and that’s the beauty of the story. it’s so believable, so gripping, that one has to take moments to force air back into long vacant lungs .
carson wells (portrayed by woody harrelson), another hunter / killer, is hired by the corporation that owns the 2 mill. they not only want it back, but retribution against chigurh whom they had hired to track llewellyn moss in the first place. only chigurh wants it for himself, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal .
eventually, wells and chigurh meet in a hotel and the scene is played out with resolute brutality .
anton chigurh: “and you know what’s going to happen now. you should admit your situation. there would be more dignity in it. ”
although there is much brutality, there are moments of sheer terror, but not in the way one has come to expect from a thriller or horror. no. what i’m referring to is the gas station coin - toss scene, beautifully brought to chilling life by javier bardem and the little known, but equally brilliant character actor, gene jones .
“okay. ” [ chigurh pulls a coin out of his pocket, flips it and locks eyes with her. ] “this is the best i can do. call it. ”
[ she stares at him, incredulous, ] “i knowed you was crazy when i saw you sitting there. i knowed exactly what was in store for me. ”
inevitably, he kills her. but her death is more than just another awful murder. it’s the final coffin nail in a crime spree that has held both viewer and reader, in a trance inducing, death grip .
the corporate man who hires wells to kill chigurh, is killed by the latter .
the two men that work for the corporate man that hired chigurh, are killed by him .
the desk clerk in the first hotel that llwellyn moss stays at, is killed by chigurh .
carla jean’s mom, portrayed by the brilliant beth grant, dies of cancer .
chigurh arguably kills sheriff ed tom bell’s desire to continue as a peace officer .
and, surprisingly, we’re not sure if chigurh kills the nervous accountant when he does kill the corporate man .
i’ll leave the final opinion on life, death and the necessity of it all, to sheriff ed tom bell in his exchange with his wife, portrayed by the wonderful tess harper .
“but the second one it was like we was both back in older times and i was on horseback goin’ through the mountains of a night. goin’ through this pass in the mountains. it was cold and there was snow on the ground and he rode past me and kept on goin’. never said nothin’. he just rode on past and he had this blanket wrapped around him and he had his head down and when he rode past i seen he was carryin’ fire in a horn the way people used to do and i could see the horn from the light inside of it. ‘bout the color of the moon. and in the dream i knew that he was goin’ on ahead and that he was fixin’ to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold and i knew that whenever i got there he would be there. and then i woke up. ”
new all things crime blog contributor max myer’s life has been as colorful as his writing. at age 12, he landed on the mean streets of east london, where he joined a rock - n - roll - band, learned to play drums and a respectable blues harp, and did some serious amateur boxing. he left home and school when he was 15, eventually moving into tour management and sound mixing, working and playing for many famous musicians from such notable european acts as mungo jerry, manfred mann, wings, berlin rock ensemble and moonraker. inevitably, he was drawn to the american shores…
in the early 90s, max relocated to new york and started a music production company, but soon the collapse of wall street left him homeless and penniless. he drew upon his early days as an amateur boxer and informed by his experiences in the violent neighborhoods of east london, took on a succession of jobs as doorman and bouncer at some of new york’s edgier nightclubs. it was in this era that he continued his street education, joining a biker gang and experiencing firsthand the lawlessness and corruption of society’s underbelly .
by 1994, he recognized there was no future for him on the streets, so he took a job waiting tables and began his writing career. his first big break came in 1997 when he landed a development deal with martin scorsese’s cappa productions, under the guidance of barbara de fina. succumbing to the lure of hollywood, max moved west where he continues to write, direct and teach .
in 2011, max was a guest on the indie directors panel at the sag - aftra conservatory summer intensive program. he also lectured on filmmaking for actors, create your own content and was honored with, an evening with max myers .
2013, max is once again a guest on the indie directors panel at the sag - aftra conservatory summer intensive. he is also giving an acting lecture, “from acting to being. ”
i think it is is a good evocative description of a great book and movie. i still need to see “the big leboswski” and of course was knocked out by “blood simple. ”
agreed; the coen’s are amazing and the dude was 100% a detective. good call, mate .
excellent piece, got me to wanting to see the movie again, and possibly read the book, though i’m not a huge of mccarthy’s writing style. (of course, i came to like james ellroy, so… )
thanks for the kudos, dana and good to hear from you. have no fear, reading the book is completely different from reading other books by cormac. clean, stripped - down crime novel prose. it’s actually an easy read .
i know that feeling very well. by the way, dana, when are you going to write a guest crime post or two for us? it would be much appreciated .
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my mum is from germany and my dad is from london. they met just after the war in germany and that' s where i was born; in a british military hospital in a town called iserlohn.
do n't let go is an american independent feature film released in 2002 , written and directed by max myers . it won an outstanding directorial achievement award at the stony brook film festival in new york , the best picture award at the westchester film festival ( ny ) and a prism award in los angeles . 
don't let go is an american independent feature film released in 2002, written and directed by max myers. it won an outstanding directorial achievement award at the stony brook film festival in new york, the best picture award at the westchester film festival (ny) and a prism award in los angeles.
don't let go is an american independent feature film released in 2002, written and directed by max myers. it won an outstanding directorial achievement award at the stony brook film festival in new york, the best picture award at the westchester film festival (ny) and a prism award in los angeles.