Winter’s Bone

2009 in review

Posted December 31, 2009 by admin

Okay, it’s the last day of the year and this blog will be a year old tomorrow, so I am posting a recap of everything that’s happened in 2009.

Hope everyone has a great time tonight and a fantastic year ahead.

See you in 2010!

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The year started with Terminator promo and press tours. The show returned with the last nine episodes in the Friday slot in mid-February.

Later that month, Garret was spotted filming Winter’s Bone in Missouri. The film will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in late January. If anyone plans on going, the Sundance screening schedule is here.

The Last House on the Left opened on March 13. The reviews ranged from excellent to free branding campaign and the film made it to several lists of best horrors of the year. In October, it won a Reaper Award for Best Theatrical Release in 2009.

Toward the end of the month, Garret played his fifth character on T:SCC, the Skynet virus from the future. Previous four were George Laszlo, Cromartie, the Beastwizard and John Henry.

In late March, the first pictures from Burning Bright appeared online. Burning Bright was later renamed to Ravenous and it still awaits theatrical release. In November, it was screened at the AFM. The first reviews were pretty positive.

In early April, Water Pills had its U.S. premiere at the Florida Film Festival. Jasmine Jessica Anthony walked away with a grand jury award for best performance.

Also in April, two series finales aired two days apart. Garret snuffed the TV crew and gave Damian Lewis his final headache in Life on April 8. Life season two was released on DVD on August 25.

The Terminator finale aired on April 10. Despite cancellation, the show made it to #8 on the list of the Top 10 Most Pirated Shows in 2009. Last year, it was the only new show among the top 10, at #4.

In the meantime, Garret joined Delroy Lindo and Roslyn Ruff in Things of Dry Hours, a play by Naomi Wallace about communists in 1930s Alabama. Rehearsals started on April 21.

The first trailer for The Road hit the web on May 15.

On May 18, Fox announced that they would not be picking up Terminator for a third season. Even though there has been talk of a possible TV/DVD movie, Terminator rights are currently up for grabs and in limbo until February 2010.

On May 20, Garret appeared in the season finale of Criminal Minds.

Two days later, Things of Dry Hours went into previews at the New York Theatre Workshop. The show premiered on June 8 and ran through June 28. Critics liked the cast, but were divided on the writing.

At some point over the spring/summer, Garret was cast in Madeleine Stowe’s Unbound Captives, an independent western epic with Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz and Robert Pattinson. If they get financing in time, the film will go into production in March (at the earliest).

In late July and early August, Garret filmed two TV guest appearances, on CSI and Lie to Me, and a short film, One Night Only.

The Last House on the Left was released on DVD in mid-August.

Later that month, Garret was spotted filming the season three finale of Burn Notice. The episode will air in March 2010.

The trailer for One Night Only was released on September 2.

On September 3, The Road had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Ten days later, it was screened in Toronto.

Terminator: The Complete Season Two was released on DVD on September 22.

On September 24, the CSI season 10 premiere aired. “Family Affair” is one of the five hours of television nominated for an ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) Award this year.

Speaking of CSI, in a fine display of Terminator fanboyism, the last episode before the break, Better off Dead, had a bunch of people stealing Cromartie’s music and killing each other. Also, a killer described as a Terminator.

On October 13, Oliver Sherman, an independent drama with Molly Parker and Donal Logue, went into production in North Bay. The film will most likely premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2010, but Canadians might get an early screening in the spring.

On October 21st, Garret appeared on Lie to Me.

And two days later, on Law & Order: SVU.

The Road finally saw its U.S. premiere at AFI fest in early November. On Thanksgiving, it got a limited release. Even though the film has been vastly overlooked in the early awards season, the reviews were mostly positive and it scored a few acting nods (Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Kodi Smit-McPhee) from several critics’ societies (Broadcast Film Critics, Utah Film Critics, St. Louis Film Critics).

On November 13, Garret appeared on White Collar.

And the next day, One Night Only had its premiere in New York.

In November, Garret was cast in two new projects. The comedy pilot Keep Hope Alive, with Martha Plimpton, Cloris Leachman and Lucas Neff, was filmed earlier this month. If it gets picked up, it will be aired in the 2010/11 season.

The other project, John Sayles’ film Baryo, starts shooting in February in the Philippines. The crew is already there, building the set and preparing for the shoot. You can follow the updates on the new production blog, at johnsaylesbaryo.blogspot.com.

And that about wraps it up. If 2010 is even half as eventful, it will be another excellent year.

Expanded release for The Road, first pictures from Winter’s Bone

Posted December 7, 2009 by admin

The Road will get an expanded release in the U.S. on December 18. Brad Brevet at Rope of Silicon writes:

On December 18, The Road will be expanding and I have been told by a Weinstein Co. rep they are targeting 53 additional markets around the US. Now when I say “targeting” that means they are still working on confirming theatres. So while your city’s name may be on this list it still isn’t 100-percent confirmed.

Garret Dillahunt,The Road,The Road movie,The Road pictures,The Road Gang Member

And Collider has the first few pics of Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone, which premieres next month at Sundance. You can find them here.

Jennifer Lawrence,Winter's Bone,Debra Granik,Sundance

Updates: Winter’s Bone, The Road, Baryo, Keep Hope Alive, Water Pills

Posted December 2, 2009 by admin

The Sundance Film Festival has released the lineup for 2010. Winter’s Bone is one of the films that will be screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition program.

Winter’s Bone (Director: Debra Granik; Screenwriters: Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini)—An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact. Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Kevin Breznahan. World Premiere.

The shorts lineup will be announced on Monday, December 7. One Night Only should be among the contenders.

The UK trailer for The Road has appeared online at Guardian.co.uk. The film opens in the UK in January.

And speaking of, The Road has been nominated for a Golden Satellite award, Best Art Direction category.

Best Art Direction
Terry Gilliam, Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
Nathan Crowley, Patrick Lumb and William Ladd Skinner, “Public Enemies”
Eddy Wong, “Red Cliff”
Chris Kennedy, “The Road”
Ian Philips and Dan Bishop, “A Single Man”
Barry Chusid and Elizabeth Wilcox, “2012” [Indiewire.com]

Baryo went into pre-production in November. The team is already on location in the Philippines. They set up a blog, The Baryo Film Project, so that’s the place to look for updates. Filming doesn’t start till February.

The Hollywood Reporter had a brief announcement about Garret joining Keep Hope Alive the other day.

Garret Dillahunt has landed a co-starring role on Greg Garcia’s comedy pilot for Fox, “Keep Hope Alive.”

The show centers on Jimmy (Lucas Neff), a 25-year-old man raising an infant with the help of his quirky family after the mother of the baby, with whom he had a one-night stand, ends up on death row.

Dillahunt will play Jimmy’s dysfunctional father and boss, who is not thrilled to find himself a grandfather and worries that the baby might carry her mom’s homicidal gene.

“Hope” marks Dillahunt’s return to Fox, where he co-starred on the drama series “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” He also co-starred on the big screen in “No Country for Old Men.” [via Reuters]

Last week, they were looking for a couple of teens to play the young Garret and Martha Plimpton. [JaxObserver.com]

And finally, some footage from Water Pills has emerged on Justin Mitchell’s site. He was the director of photography on the film. You can see the clip here. Credit goes to Winona-Ryder.org for finding it.

OK, one more. Burn Notice will return a week earlier than originally announced, on Thursday, January 21 at 10/9c. This means that the season three finale will air some time in early March, as expected.

Winter’s Bone headed for Sundance?

Posted May 30, 2009 by admin

There is some news about a possible premiere date for Winter’s Bone. Springfield Business Journal Online has a lengthy article about the film (the production side of things anyway) and it looks like it might premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, which will run from January 21 to January 31 next year. Source:

Most of “Winter’s Bone,” which is based on a 2006 novel of the same name by West Plains author Daniel Woodrell, was filmed in and around Forsyth, the hilltop Taney County seat that overlooks Taneycomo and Bull Shoals lakes. The movie, written and directed by Debra Granik, is about an Ozarks teen whose methamphetamine-cooking father has jumped bail on a bond collateralized by the family’s home. (…) [Producer Anne] Rossellini and Granik are now editing “Winter’s Bone,” and the duo hope to premiere the movie – if accepted – at the Sundance Film Festival early next year. [SBJ.net]

Winter’s Bone – first casting side

Posted March 12, 2009 by admin

Below is the text snagged from first casting side for Garret’s character, Sheriff Baskin, in Winter’s Bone. It’s the scene that sets the plot in motion, in which he meets the film’s main character, the meth dealer’s daughter, and delivers some bad news to her.

EXT. REE’S HOUSE – DAY

Ree, in a big overcoat, is chopping wood. Snow is pelting on her face and neck as she splits the wood. She’s got headphones on and the music is fueling her chopping.

She takes a break and sits on the woodpile, enjoying the beauty of the snowfall which is covering everything. The valley seems in twilight though it is mid-day. Ree sees headlights approaching her house.

A police car pulls up and Ree walks over to see what’s up. She sees her two brothers in the back seat.

She storms around the hood to the driver’s side. SHERIFF BASKIN, 30s, opens his door a crack.

REE
They didn’t do a goddamned thing!
What the hell’re you tryin’ to pull?

Ree steps back as the sheriff steps out of his car.

SHERIFF BASKIN
Hold on, girl – I just brung’em
down from where the bus stopped.
Just give’em a ride is all.

She blushes, embarrassed by having jumped to conclusions.
She sees that her relatives across the way are watching; she can see curtains parted, shapes moving.

REE
You boys don’t need to do no ridin’
around with the law. The walk
ain’t that far.

She points to the woodpile.

REE (CONT’D)
Now get up there and bring them
splits into the kitchen.

SHERIFF BASKIN
I was on my way here anyhow.

REE
Now why in the hell would that be?

SHERIFF BASKIN
Ask me inside. I need to talk some
with your momma.

REE
She ain’t in the mood.

SHERIFF BASKIN
Ask me in or watch me go in anyhow.
Whichever way you like it best.

REE
Goin’ to be like that, huh?

SHERIFF BASKIN
Listen, I didn’t drive close on two
hours just to see your smilin’
face, girl. I got reasons. Ask
me in or follow, it’s goddamn cold
out here.

Baskin heads up the stairs to the door, and Ree jumps ahead of him, stopping him at the door.

REE
Stomp your shoes. Don’t track melt
all over my floor.

Baskin dramatically stomps the snow from his feet, making the porch planks vibrate and the snow fall from the railings.

SHERIFF BASKIN
Good enough?

Ree shrugs and holds the door open for him.

INT. REE’S HOUSE – DAY

Clothes are strung in three lines across the kitchen. Behind a line of clothes Ree’s mother, CONNIE, 39, is sitting by the pot-belly stove. Baskin looks at Connie then back at Ree.

REE
You better just tell me.

SHERIFF BASKIN
Could be we should talk on the
porch then.

EXT. REE’S HOUSE, PORCH – DAY

Ree and Baskin stand awkwardly and silent. The porch is surrounded by a veil of falling snow. Ree notices her cousins, BLOND MILTON and SONYA, both late 30s, cutting down the hanging meat in their yard. They keep looking over at Ree’s porch, very curious about Baskin’s presence.

SHERIFF BASKIN
You know your father’s out on bond,
don’t you?

REE
So what?

SHERIFF BASKIN
Looks like he’s been cookin’ again.

REE
I know that’s the charges you laid
against him. But you ain’t proved
it on him. You got to prove it
every time.

SHERIFF BASKIN
That won’t be no hard thing to do.
But that ain’t even why I’m here.
Why I’m here is, his court date is
next week and I can’t seem to turn him up.

REE
Maybe he sees you comin’ and ducks.

SHERIFF BASKIN
That could be. But where you all
come into this is, he put this
house here, and your timber acres
up for his bond.

REE
He what now?

SHERIFF BASKIN
Jessup signed over everything. If
he don’t show for trial, see, the
way the deal works is you all lose
this place. It’ll get sold from
under you. You’ll have to get out.
Got somewhere to go?

Ree is taken aback but doesn’t want Baskin to see her shock.
She stretches over the rail and lets the snow land on her neck.

REE
I’ll find him.

SHERIFF BASKIN
Girl, I’ve been lookin’ and…

REE
I’ll find him.

After a moment Baskin turns to leave. Across the creek Blond Milton and Sonya stop to look, openly staring at him. He waves to them, but neither move a twitch in response. He goes down to the steps.

SHERIFF BASKIN
Make sure your daddy gets the
gravity of this deal.

Garret Dillahunt Official Site