Molly Parker

Oliver Sherman – first reviews

Garret Dillahunt,Oliver ShermanOliver Sherman premieres tonight at the Toronto Film Festival. The first couple of reviews – both pretty positive – are already online.

“There’s little doubt, however, that the film boasts an impressive undercurrent of suspense, as one is never entirely sure if the whole thing is meant to come off as a subtle character study or as something just a little more sinister (ie what is Sherman up to, exactly?)

Dillahunt’s remarkably subtle performance certainly goes a long way towards holding the viewer’s interest, yet it’s worth nothing that the narrative is occasionally just a little bit more predictable than one might’ve liked (ie when Sherman offers to carry two plates of hot dogs, you just know something is going to go horribly wrong).

And while this does ensure that the movie is often more effective as an actor’s showcase than as a fully realized cinematic experience, Oliver Sherman is certainly never dull and it’s also worth noting that the expectedly low-key finale does pack far more of an emotional punch than one might’ve anticipated.” [Reelfilm]

Molly Parker,Oliver Sherman“These sorts of domestic thrillers were quite popular in American cinema back in the early ’90s, with movies like Unlawful Entry and Pacific Heights ushering in Christian anxieties about cultural change negatively affecting the traditional family unit. But this particular film is Canadian, and first-time feature writer/director Ryan Redford isn’t interested in employing cheap thrills to sell his narrative. He takes his time with the characters, building conflict organically and allowing the tension to come from quiet, passive-aggressive remarks and escalating pseudo-threats.

Resultantly, while occasionally awkward in editing and scene composition, this xenophobic parable shows a maturity and acuity beyond most character-based psychological thrillers, taking a highbrow approach to the subject. What’s more, it shows a new talent in the Canadian filmmaking scene, being one of the more assured debuts to come from English-speaking Canada in quite some time.” [Exclaim]

Garret Dillahunt,Donal Logue,Oliver Sherman

Oliver Sherman – Hollywood Reporter article

The Hollywood Reporter has an article about Oliver Sherman.

Molly Parker and Garret Dillahunt are reuniting on the indie drama “Oliver Sherman” from Canadian producer the Film Works.

Parker (“Swingtown”) and Dillahunt earlier worked together on HBO’s “Deadwood” and next on the upcoming adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” set for theatrical release on Nov. 25.

In “Oliver Sherman,” Dillahunt plays a disconnected war veteran who goes in search of a soldier, played by Donal Logue, who saved his life during the war and is now quietly living in a rural town with a wife (Parker) and two children.

The project, to shoot in northern Ontario, marks the first feature from writer-director Ryan Redford. Antonio Calvache is DOP, while Paul Stephens and Eric Jordan of the Films Works share producer credits.

Mongrel Media will release the indie picture in Canada. [THR]

Donal Logue cast in Oliver Sherman

Garret Dillahunt,Donal Logue,LifeDonal Logue will be joining Molly Parker and Garret on the set of Oliver Sherman when the film goes into production in October. He has been cast as Franklin Page, Sherman’s old war buddy and Irene’s husband. Now, they’re just looking for a baby to play the Pages’ younger kid.

Below is a snippet from the casting sides for Franklin, just for some backstory. It’s from pages 9 and 10 so it doesn’t spoil any plot points that aren’t mentioned in the synopsis, but if you don’t want to know anything about the characters either, you probably shouldn’t keep reading.

________________________
EXT. FRONT PORCH

Franklin and Sherman are seated on the porch steps with beers in hand – they’ve had a few now and Sherman seems to be loosening up, if only a touch.

SHERMAN
So how’d you end up around these parts?

FRANKLIN
Had a hard go of it, that first year out.
(holding up his beer)
Too much of this stuff. Always fleeing from one
town to the next. Guess I thought if I kept moving,
the past couldn’t take aim.

He sips.

FRANKLIN
Eventually, I wound up in a mill job around here.
I walk into the office that first day, and man oh man,
there she is. Irene. The first time I saw her I knew
she was the one I wanted to spend everything on — all
the money I’d saved, the experience I’d gained, the love
I’d never been able to give away. So I did.

SHERMAN
A wife and kids. Just like we used to talk about.
Dream about.

Franklin glances back into the house to make sure his wife isn’t listening in.

FRANKLIN
(hushed)
I don’t remember many dreams of domesticity, Sherman.
I remember us sitting around playing poker with girls
on our laps.

Sherman cracks a smile as he remembers fondly.

SHERMAN
You’re right, Frank. That’s right. You see any of them
boys anymore?

FRANKLIN
No, I’ve kind of lost touch, actually. You?

SHERMAN
Not much. Would see some at the hospital now and then.

The mood turns a bit solemn at the mention of the hospital.

FRANKLIN
How long were you in there?

Sherman says nothing for a second, then answers in a murmur:

SHERMAN
Oh, eleven, twelve months.

FRANKLIN
Has it really been five years already?

Sherman nods.

FRANKLIN
Man.

They sit in quiet.

FRANKLIN
Well, you know, I remember hearing once that everything
takes about five years. A serious illness, a broken heart,
you name it. Anything bad takes about five years to come
to terms with. I don’t know: maybe now, right now,
is your time.

Sherman mulls the notion over, then takes a swig of his beer.

SHERMAN
Maybe it is, Frank.

Three new films: One Night Only, Oliver Sherman, Unbound Captives

Okay, the film news, finally. Garret has several projects lined up, two of them in the very near future.

First up is One Night Only, a short film with Kristen Wiig, that starts shooting one of these days in New York.

The mystery project, Oliver Sherman, is a psychological thriller written by Ryan Redford that goes into production in September in Toronto. Garret will play Oliver Sherman, a “damaged soldier who seeks out an old platoon buddy and his wife and tries to put some demons to rest.” Molly Parker will also star.

The third film, still a few months away, is Unbound Captives, a western drama/romance/epic set in the 1860s, written by Madeleine Stowe, who is also attached to direct it. (Interesting story about that here.)

The film is expected to start shooting toward the end of the year on locations in New Zealand and New Mexico. The story follows a woman named May (Rachel Weisz), whose two children are kidnapped and husband killed by the Comanche. She is rescued by a frontiersman, Tom Dearborn (Hugh Jackman), who later helps her search for the kids. Garret will play Jackman’s brother Jack and Robert Pattinson (Little Ashes, Twilight) has been cast as May’s son Phineas. John Toll (Braveheart, The Thin Red Line) will be the cinematographer. Producer Ashok Amritraj recently told the Deccan Herald that they are targeting an early 2011 release date.

And, to recap, between then and now:

The Last House on the Left is out on DVD on August 18
Life season two will be released on August 25
The Road might will premiere in Venice some time in early September (TBA July 30)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles season two comes out on DVD on September 22
The CSI season premiere airs on September 24
Lie to Me episode 2×02 airs on October 5
The Road opens wide on October 16
Burning Bright is still slated for release in 2009, but no exact date yet
Winter’s Bone might premiere at Sundance in late January, but we won’t know for sure until December, when they release the official lineup

Finally, here is some footage of Garret’s co-stars trashing equipment on the set of Burning Bright, from The Hollywood Edge: