Film News

New film in development: Arkansas Traveler (and other updates)

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Garret Dillahunt,Arkansas TravelerThe news I mentioned yesterday:

Garret has a new film in development called Arkansas Traveler. It’s a western written by Deadwood’s Sean Bridgers, still in the development stage, with Bridgers and Angela Bettis also attached to star. (Go here for the synopsis.)

Last week, they filmed an extended trailer for the film. Blue Springs Journal was there and wrote a really good article about it.

“…Understanding that period and understanding it on a level that other people don’t – that rubs off on the actors and the performance,” Bridgers said.

Bridgers, an actor by trade, is familiar with period pieces. He played Johnny in HBO’s frontier series, “Deadwood,” as did the star of “Arkansas Traveler,” Garret Dillahunt, who played Francis Wolcott. Dillahunt also played Ed Miller in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”

Garret Dillahunt,Sean Bridgers,Arkansas Traveler“When I’ve been around and heard the actors talk about being around a historical setting, it really makes their jobs easier to transport into that era,” Bears said.

The cast and crew of “Arkansas Traveler” tread carefully around one of the log buildings as the inescapable mud from the rain the day before makes for sloppy, unsure footing. Wide Awake Films and the co-directors production company, Travelin’ Productions hope the “teaser” they filmed here in Missouri last month will translate into a feature-length Hollywood film. — Blue Springs Journal

And in other news:

Page updates: Burn Notice (screencaps), Gary Unmarried (screencaps), Baryo (pics), Arkansas Traveler (page & synopsis)

The Road hits DVD & Blu-ray shelves on May 25

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From Fangoria:

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced a DVD/Blu-ray date for THE ROAD (pictured), director John Hillcoat’s adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel, set in a postapocaplyptic future through which a father and his young son struggle to survive.

The bleak survival thriller hits disc May 25. No special features, if any, have yet been announced to accompany the movie, which stars Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce. It’ll be presented in anamorphic widescreen, with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio; retail price is $27.96 for the DVD, $34.95 for the Blu-ray.

And you can pre-order both on Amazon:

New interview (Baryo)

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Inquirer.net got around to talking to Garret and James Parks before they wrapped production in the Philippines. For the complete article, go here.

Dillahunt and fellow Hollywood actors James Parks and Chris Cooper were just as amazed when they visited the set of independent filmmaker John Sayles’ “Baryo”—a turn-of-the-century village nestled between rice fields and a rainforest—somewhere in Maribojoc, 30 minutes away from the city.

Unlike Cooper, who’s a veteran of Sayles films, Parks and Dillahunt are first-timers. But like Cooper, they were both bowled over by the set built by Filipino production designer Rodell Cruz and his team.

The shoot of “Baryo” in Bohol was facilitated by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

“The set does so much for us as actors,” Dillahunt said. “I compare it to my experience on (the HBO Western series) ‘Deadwood’ where there was not a single reminder of the 20th century on the set. It’s the same on the set of ‘Baryo.’ Seeing the beauty of the jungle and the rice fields helps us get into character. It’s a real treat.” (…)

Before flying to Bohol, Dillahunt worked on the pilot of a TV show that hasn’t aired yet. “It’s called ‘Keep Hope Alive,’ aptly named because I did it so I could afford to do ‘Baryo,’” he said. (…)

Like Cooper, Dillahunt and Parks received voluminous research material on the Philippine-American War from Sayles. “John’s very thorough. The bio for my character is not necessarily evident in the script, but it makes him more human, more detailed. It encourages you, as an actor, to go further,” said Dillahunt. (…)

Dillahunt regards “Baryo” as “important… on a personal level” because it allows him to work with his heroes, Sayles and Cooper.

“John has assembled a good group … He attracts people who want to do things that they can be proud of. In the end, that also makes me better in my craft. I guess, my motivation’s kinda selfish, really.” [Inquirer.net]

Baryo update and some older clips

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Some details about Garret’s character in Baryo showed up today on yet another blog to watch, Extras in Paradise. This is from a Q & A with John Sayles:

EA – Are any of the characters based on the journal authors?

[John Sayles] – A lot of the soldiers are compilations of the soldiers I read about in many diaries. More specifically Chris Cooper’s (Colonel Hardacre) is based on an actual Colonel named Hellroarin’ Jacob Smith. Lieutenant Compton’s character is based on a volunteer officer, which would have been one of the better educated Americans who came to the Philippines for… glory or something. They eventually had to choose to go home or sign up as an officer. Compton’s plays one of those men who begins to pick his head up and see what’s going on. Rafael is based on any of the 100,000 or Filipino mayors who suffered by being caught between the American’s and the rebels.

And I’ve finally uploaded a few clips from Maximum Bob and the early movies. You can find them here: Maximum Bob, By Courier, Last Call, Remembering Sex.

Here is one from Maximum Bob, with Liz Vassey:

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Winter’s Bone wins a prize at Berlinale

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Two quick updates today.

Winter’s Bone has won an independent jury prize at the Berlin Film Festival, which closes on Sunday.

The independent juries judging the line-up for the 60th Berlin International Film Festival spread the joy far and wide this year, picking an eclectic mix of titles from across all the Berlinale sections.

The FIPRESCI association of international film critics honored Danish drama “A Family” from director Pernille Fischer Christensen as the best film in competition this year. FIPRESCI picked Japanese feature “Parade” from Isao Yukisada as the best Panorama title and Oscar Ruiz Navia’s “Crab Trap” as the top film running in the Forum sidebar.

The Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas went to “Shahada,” the student film from first-timer Burhan Quarbani, which was a surprise addition to the Berlinale competition while the International Confederation of Art House Cinemas honored Jan Hrebejk’s “Kawasaki’s Rose” with its Panorama prize. Debra Granik’s Sundance hit “Winter’s Bone” won the Confederation’s prize for best Forum film. [Hollywood Reporter]

And here is another blog to keep an eye on for Baryo updates: http://billytango.blogspot.com/