Daniel Knauf Movies
- 2003
The carnival rolls into Tipton, where they find themselves less than welcome. The town is in bad shape, and the sheriff, Lyle Donovan, knows Samson (Michael J. Anderson), and his business, and warns him not to set up shop. Jonesy (Tim DeKay) takes Ben (Nick Stahl) into town for supplies, where Ben sees a truck with "Big Sky Farms" written on the side, just like in the old photo he found of his mother. Before he can pursue it, he's recognized by the grandmother of the little girl he healed in the first episode, and swarmed by a crowd. This gives Jonesy the idea to present the carnival to Tipton as a revival, with Ben as a faith healer. Samson gets the endorsement of a local preacher by promising him a cut of the gate. The show goes off pretty well, with Ruthie (Adrienne Barbeau) posing as a cancer victim whom Ben lays hands on. Apollonia (Diane Salinger) gets Sofie (Clea Duvall) to give Ben a lift into town so he can look for the farm truck. This leads him to Becca Donovan (Deborah Strong), a sick old woman who was friends with Scudder (John Savage), and knows that Ben has the same gift. Before she can tell him more, her son, the sheriff, shows up and throws Ben out. On the way back to the show, Sofie gets into an argument with Ben over his secretiveness, and Ben is late for his faith healing show, which Lyle interrupts to demand that Ben heal his dying mother. Meanwhile, Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown) is making great progress turning Chin's into a church for the migrants. But the local city council tries to stop him, incurring his supernaturally powerful wrath. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2003
This calculatedly bizarre 12-episode cable drama series incorporated elements from Something Wicked This Way Comes, the Tod Browning film Freaks, and the entire David Lynch oeuvre. Set in America's Dust Bowl in 1934, the series chronicled the fortunes of a seedy carnival/burlesque troupe as it moved from one flyspeck town to another. Unfolding in a slow, deliberate and deceptively casual manner, the basic plot line boiled down to an allegorical battle between "a creature of light and a creature of darkness." The former "creature" was Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl), a chain-gang escapee with a mysterious past and an even more mysterious gift for healing, who had latched on to the carnival almost by accident; the latter was sinister evangelist Brother Justin (Clancy Brown), who held the town of Mintern, CA, in thrall with a combination of charisma and mind control. Other characters included Samson (played by Twin Peaks alumnus Michael J. Anderson), the all-wise dwarf who narrated the series and who ran the carnival on behalf of the seldom-seen Management; Samson's right-hand man, Jonesy (Tim DeKay); sexy snake charmer Ruthie (Adrienne Barbeau); surprisingly prescient mentalist Lodz (Patrick Bauchau); tarot card reader Sofie (Clea DuVall) and her comatose mother Apollonia (Diane Salinger); "lizard man" Gecko (John Fleck); strong man Gabriel (Brian Turk); bearded lady Lila (Debra Christofferson); singing Siamese twins Alexandra and Caledonia (Karyne Steben, Sarah Steben); and Brother Justin's slightly unhinged sister, Iris (Amy Madigan). Created by Daniel Knauf, Carnivàle premiered September 14, 2003, on HBO. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
When the traveling carnival comes upon Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl), out in the Oklahoma dust in 1934, he's trying to bury his recently departed mother, while a man from the bank threatens to bulldoze their little house. Jonesy (Tim DeKay) helps out, gathering a group of carnies together to dig a grave. He notices the broken chain on Ben's leg, and when they pull out, with police sirens in the distance, the carnival takes Ben with them. Samson (Michael J. Anderson), the dwarf who runs the carnival, later tells Jonesy that "Management" had been expecting the mysterious stranger. Soon, Ben meets Lila (Debra Christofferson), the bearded lady; Lodz (Patrick Bauchau), the blind mentalist who peers into Ben's frightening dreams; and Sofie (Clea Duvall), a young woman who reads tarot cards and has a telepathic link with her mother, Apollonia (Diane Salinger). Ben isn't particularly friendly, and, though he has no prospects, isn't interested in joining the carnival when Samson offers to take him on, at Management's behest. After rescuing Sofie from some ruffians in town, she does a tarot reading for him, and nearly scares him off, speaking to him of his "hidden talent." Ben has an inkling of what that terrible power might be. Meanwhile, out in California, Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown) preaches to his flock with the help of his devoted sister, Iris (Amy Madigan). Crowe, like Ben, plagued by mysterious and horrific visions, reveals a strange power of his own when he confronts a destitute woman who stole from the church's collection plate. The premiere episode of Carnivàle was written by the show's creator, Daniel Knauf, and directed by Rodrigo García (Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her). ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Ben (Nick Stahl) has another horrible dream of war, and Justin (Clancy Brown) makes an appearance. When Ben wakes up, Lodz (Patrick Bauchau) is watching over him. He knows the dreams are getting worse, but Ben still won't talk to him. Sophie (Clea Duvall) has a falling out with Jonesy (Tim DeKay) when he makes an insinuating comment about her recent friendship with Libby (Carla Gallo). Sophie spends the afternoon dancing with Libby, and when Rita Sue (Cynthia Ettinger) sees them together, she persuades Sophie to join their act, despite the strong disapproval of both Apollonia (Diane Salinger) and Libby, who thinks Rita Sue is manipulating her friend. Samson (Michael J. Anderson) sends Ben on an errand, with cash and the carnival's pickup, to find and hire a new freak. But Ben gets bad directions from a devious rival carnie (John Doe) along the way. When Jonesy complains to Stumpy (Toby Huss) about his problems with Sophie, Stumpy suggests that Jonesy's real problem is that he hasn't been with a woman in too long, and offers the services of his wife, as he's been unable lately to fulfill her needs. Sophie's first night onstage goes badly when Jonesy drunkenly attacks a man who paws her. Meanwhile, Justin is given barbaric treatment at an insane asylum, and explains to a clueless psychiatrist that he's discovered that he is "the left hand of God." Tommy Dolan (Robert Knepper) continues to trumpet Justin's cause on his radio show. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
1934. The Dustbowl. The last great age of magic. In a time of titanic sandstorms, vile plagues, drought and pistilence - signs of God's fury and harbingers of the Apocalypse - the final conflict between good and evil is about to begin. The battle will take place in the Heartland of an empire called America. And when it is over, man will forever trade away wonder for reason. See the conflict of good vs. evil played out against a pair of vivid and unusual backdrops: a traveling carnival working the American Dustbowl circuit, and an evangelical ministry in California.
- Starring:
- Nick Stahl, Clancy Brown, (more)
- 2003
Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl) and Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown) share a strange dream of a man in a tuxedo (John Savage) and a WWI German officer. Apollonia (Diane Salinger) silently pressures Sofie (Clea Duvall) to convince Ben to return to their tent, perhaps for another Tarot reading. As the troupe prepares to move on, Ben goes to clean out the "baggage trailer," as ordered by Jonesy (Tim DeKay). Amid the clutter he finds a trunk that contains the same tux the man in his dream was wearing, and a yellowed photograph of a young woman. He pockets the photo and leaves, only to have Samson (Michael J. Anderson) tell him that Jonesy was playing a prank on him. There is no "baggage trailer," and sure enough, when Ben looks again, it's vanished. Jonesy is increasingly jealous of the attention that Sofie is paying to Ben, but he can't express his feelings to her. For his part, Ben finds himself drawn to Ruthie (Adrienne Barbeau), the strongman's mother. In her determination to contact Ben, the previously catatonic Apollonia manages to rise from her bed and find him, telling him, "You're the one," before collapsing. Later, Ben learns from Ruthie that the man from his dream was Scudder, who was once billed as "The Gentleman Geek," and that the woman in the photo was Scudder's girl. But Ben recognizes another surprising connection. Meanwhile, Crowe, inspired by Reverend Balthus' (Ralph Waite) words about Babe Ruth, uses his dark power to convince a community leader with a terrible secret to give up his dance hall business, Chin's, and donate the building for Crowe's use as a church for the migrant community. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
