George Hickenlooper Movies
- 2010
The true story of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff heads to the movie screens with Kevin Spacey in the lead. George Hickenlooper directs from a script by Norman Snider. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Spacey
Mental illness stretches a loving family to the breaking point in this independent drama. Chris Marino (Devon Gearhart) is a ten-year-old boy growing up in a small oceanside community in Florida. Chris's father John (Joe Pantoliano) is a construction worker who is struggling to hold the family together under difficult circumstances -- his wife and Chris' mother, Mary (Marcia Gay Harden), has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and while they've been pursuing a variety of treatment options, Mary's condition continues to slowly deteriorate as she hears phantom sounds, has hallucinations, and becomes increasingly paranoid. While Joe tries to explain Mary's disease to Chris, her actions have turned her into an increasingly frightening and embarrassing stranger to her son, and Mary is clearly aware of the toll her condition has taken on the family but cannot help herself. After a violent incident results in a call from the police, Mary enters a mental hospital, and as Joe begins to buckle under the pressure of his circumstances, he quits his job and devotes all his spare time to building a sailboat, a project that reminds him of better days for Mary and himself. Canvas was the first feature film from writer and director Joseph Greco, who drew inspiration from the story of his mother, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was growing up. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Pantoliano, Marcia Gay Harden, (more)
The true story of one woman's brief and ultimately tragic flirtation with fame in the 1960s provides the basis for this biographical drama. In 1943, Edie Sedgwick (Sienna Miller) was born to a wealthy and socially prominent family, and she grew up with beauty and money, but also a history of mental illness; she was hospitalized with an eating disorder in her late teens, and by the time she was 21, two of her seven siblings had died before their time. In 1964, Edie moved to New York City, and quickly made a splash on the Manhattan social scene; she became friendly with the famous pop artist Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce), who was fascinated by her gamine loveliness and her quirky personality. Warhol wasted no time in casting her in one of his underground movies, and she quickly became a crucial part of his retinue of "superstars." Fashion icon Diana Vreeland (Illeana Douglas) was convinced Edie had the looks and charm to also become a successful model, and soon she was gracing the pages of Life, Vogue, and Glamour. But Edie's instability was hardly helped by her new fast-lane lifestyle, and when she met Billy Quinn (Hayden Christensen), a folk rock singer-songwriter often cited as "the voice of a generation," he persuaded her that Warhol and his associates were simply using her fame and beauty for their own gain, and she found herself torn between two powerful mentors, one of whom had become her lover as well. Factory Girl also co-stars Jimmy Fallon, Mena Suvari, and Tara Summers as regulars at the Warhol "Factory." The character of Musician was inspired in part by Bob Dylan, who was romantically involved with Edie Sedgwick for a brief time. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sienna Miller, Hayden Christensen, (more)
During the embattled final months of Jean-Bertrand Aristide's second term as president of Haiti, Aristide's allies recruited street gangs from the nation's poorest cities to act as strong-arm men, helping to shut down resistance to Aristide and quiet those who opposed him. Called chimères (or "ghosts"), these gang-bangers became a powerful part of Aristide's forces until the president was removed from office by a coup d'etat in 2004. Dutch filmmaker Asger Leth combines mockumentary reenactments with footage shot in the ghettos of Cité Soleil during Aristide's final days in this powerful drama that follows two brothers and chimères, Billy (James Petit Frere) and 2Pac (Winson Jean). Billy dreams of someday leaving behind the gang life and becoming part of Aristide's political machine, while 2Pac has become disillusioned with politics and wants to become a rap star in the manner of his hero and namesake, Tupac Shakur. In a place where political allegiances shift every day and brutal violence is commonplace, Billy and 2Pac's relationship is already a tense one, but matters become even more difficult between them when they both fall in love with the same woman -- Lele (Eleonore Senlis), a French social worker who understands the power these men hold better than they do themselves. Ghosts of Cité Soleil features a musical score by Wyclef Jean of the Fugees, who also appears in the film in a scene in which he discusses music and politics with 2Pac. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
When Rodney Bingenheimer was just a teenager -- a diminutive, long-haired kid who was picked on a lot -- his mother, a divorced autograph hound, dropped him off in front of the home of actress Connie Stevens and essentially said, "Good luck." Stevens was on location shooting a movie and Bingenheimer says he didn't see his mother again for five or six years after that. The Mayor of the Sunset Strip, a documentary by George Hickenlooper (Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse), tracks Bingenheimer's rise from the 1960s, when he was a groupie -- eventually landing his first show-business job as a double for Davy Jones on The Monkees -- through stints as a successful club owner and influential DJ to his current status as a fading musical icon. The film takes us from the innocent pop of Brian Wilson and Sonny & Cher through the raucous heyday of L.A.'s punk scene and beyond. Hickenlooper also delves into Bingenheimer's relationships, showing him mourning his neglectful and unbalanced, but beloved, mother and visiting with his father, who never attempted to make contact with Bingenheimer after his mother abandoned him. He also pines for a close friend, Camille Chancery, and helps out a seemingly hopeless middle-aged wannabe rock star, Ronald Vaughan. While Bingenheimer used his skills as a consummate hanger-on and his genuine enthusiasm for rock & roll to become a central figure in the L.A. music scene for a couple of decades and is lauded in the film for his good taste and good nature by celebrities from Cher to David Bowie to Gwen Stefani, his current life is shown to be somewhat sad and lonely. The Mayor of the Sunset Strip is chock full of cameos and features a star-studded soundtrack. It was shown at the 2003 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rodney Bingenheimer
George Hickenlooper directs this psychological drama about an impoverished writer lost in a world of money, power, and male escorts. Though happily married with a young child, Byron Tiller (Andy Garcia) is struggling to make ends meet as a novelist. His last work, called "Hitler's Child," had an ignoble run in the bookstore bargain bins and his editor is not interested in his latest work about migrant workers. One day, he is approached by a dapper Brit named Luther Fox (Mick Jagger) who actually read Tiller's last opus. Luther explains that he runs an escort agency named Elysian Fields, which caters to rich women looking for intelligent companionship. Desperate for any kind of income source, Tiller takes the job while keeping the whole thing a secret from his loving wife (Julianna Margulies). He soon is rubbing elbows with the beautiful wife (Olivia Williams) of an aging Pulitzer Prize-winning writer. Gradually, Tiller finds himself immersed in this strange new world that he cannot quite understand, much less explain to his spouse. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Garcia, Mick Jagger, (more)
An unproduced screenplay written by the late Orson Welles (penned in collaboration with actress Oja Kodar, Welles' significant other in his later years) forms the basis of this drama of political gamesmanship and blackmail. Blake Pellarin (William Hurt) is running for governor of Missouri in a close race going into its final week when a figure from his past reappears. Kim Mennaker (Nigel Hawthorne) was Pellarin's one-time mentor and father figure (after Blake's dad died in the Korean war) who left the United States when public disclosure of his homosexuality ended his political career. This visit from an old friend soon proves less then welcome; when Pellarin was a teenager, he participated in a photo session organized by Mennaker in which he was snapped in sexually compromising positions with both a woman and a man. These photos could put a stake through the heart of Pellarin's life in politics, and Mennaker soon makes clear this is hardly the only dirt he has on Blake. Mennaker also has a ready audience for his stories -- Cela Brandini (Irene Jacob), a European reporter looking for scandal, even though she's having an affair with Pellarin. When Pellarin's wife (Miranda Richardson) and bodyguard (Ewan Stewart) get wind of Blake's indiscretions, his candidacy becomes a disaster waiting to happen. Director George Hickenlooper adapted Welles and Kodar's screenplay with critic F.X. Feeney; among his previous credits, Hickenlooper directed the short film Some Folks Call It A Sling Blade, a short film later expanded by Billy Bob Thornton into his award-winning feature Sling Blade. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Nigel Hawthorne, (more)
A failed actor discovers how little it takes to be a V.I.P. in a small town -- and what can happen when you abuse that small amount of fame -- in this independent drama. Philip Van Horn (Trevor St. John) left his tiny hometown of Cuba, Missouri, to move to Hollywood, with big dreams of making it as an actor. Thirteen years later, Philip has nothing but a handful of walk-ons and bit parts to show for his ambitions, and he returns to Cuba to visit his mother Rose (Karen Black) feeling like a failure. However, most of the locals treat him as if he's a big shot -- after all, he's been in movies with Jeff Bridges and Molly Ringwald, so he must be some sort of star, right? Philip knows better, but he doesn't let on, since he hopes his new reputation in town will attract the attention of Dorothy (Mary Stuart Masterson), his unrequited crush from high school who still lives in Cuba. However, the last 13 years have been much crueler to Dorothy than Philip; she's now a depressed, alcoholic hairdresser involved with Ezra (Jon Favreau), a racist thug who thinks that blacks are to blame for his inability to get out of town. Dorothy and Philip soon fall into a romance, which does not please Ezra, who already has a number of local drug dealers after him. Karen Black and writer/director George Hickenlooper both won awards for their work on this film at the 1998 Hermosa Beach Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Stuart Masterson, Jon Favreau, (more)
The second volume in a series of videos collecting great short films, this program includes La Jetee, Chris Marker's poetic science fiction story that inspired Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys; A Girl's Own Story, a poignant look at adolescence from director Jane Campion that's paired with a documentary on the making of Campion's The Portrait Of A Lady; and The Big Brass Ring, based on a story by Orson Welles, in which Malcolm McDowell plays a politician doing verbal battle with a reporter (the video also includes an interview with the film's director, George Hickenlooper). Six other shorts also appear. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The first installment of this magazine on DVD compiles a variety of short subjects. Highlights include Some Folks Call It A Sling Blade, directed by George Hickenlooper; an interview with filmmaker Michael Apted; Goreville by Seth Henrikson and Dave Sarno; and Henry Rollins: Easter Sunday in NYC by Albert Watson. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
This tightly woven, fast-paced thriller begins when Amanda (Kelly Lynch), a sexy gal on in-line skates, trips because alcoholic ex-cop/security expert Jim Holland (Joe Mantegna) bumps into her. Something between the two clicks and they spend the night together. Jim has no idea that he has just been victimized until one of his less-than-savory clients is robbed of a fortune. He sets out on Amanda's trail and discovers that she acted in cahoots with her sister Molly. Eventually, he learns where they stashed the cash and decides that he's been so down on his own luck lately that perhaps he should keep the money. Things become more complicated when he realizes that the client he has been protecting is a ruthless drug dealer who is hell-bent on killing the larcenous sisters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Mantegna, Kelly Lynch, (more)
In this drama set in Los Angeles, a group of Yale graduates spend their days as mindless workers at a mundane job and their nights as mooching barflies who enjoy cutting down other patrons with their smart-mouth comments. The main character John loses his roommate and must move into the filthy apartment of Andy, a strange sort who collects and paints Nazi soldier figurines. John later gets a temporary job with a conniving slum lord. Following a failed romance, John suffers a "controlled mental breakdown." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Cochrane, Kyra Sedgwick, (more)
- 1993
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A disturbed man looks back at his past as he faces an uncertain future in this dramatic short subject. Teresa (Molly Ringwald), a young journalist, is sent on assignment to a state-run mental hospital, where she is to interview Karl Childers (Billy Bob Thornton), soon to be released after spending 25 years in the facility. While Jerry Woolrich (Jefferson Mays), the hospital's administrator, isn't sure that it's a good idea for Karl to be questioned by a young woman, he allows a compromise -- Teresa will be permitted to hear Karl tell the story of how he came to be committed, but she can't ask him questions. Teresa is then ushered into a dimly lit room, where Karl relates the harrowing tale of his miserable childhood and how, at the age of 13, he killed his mother and her lover with a kaiser blade. Star and screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton and director George Hickenlooper originally produced this short film in hopes of expanding the story into a full-length feature; the award-winning Sling Blade followed three years later, but by that time, Thornton had opted to direct the film himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Bob Thornton, Molly Ringwald, (more)
Night of the Living Dead meets Gone with the Wind, in which the Blue and the Gray have to battle the Ghoulish and the Undead. When the Confederate army accidentally unleashes a supernatural voodoo baddie, the spirit starts organizing an army full of dead soldiers, and soon a take-no-prisoners Civil War battle ensues -- one not found in the Ken Burns documentary. This film stars reigning straight-to-video king Corbin Bernsen. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1992
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This video offers a profile of filmmaker Bogdanovich's first great movie, The Last Picture Show, as Cybill Shepherd, Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms and Sam Bottoms, Polly Platt, Randy Quaid and others reveal the impacts that the film had on their lives. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
An intimate look at the making of Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 classic Apocalypse Now, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse combines the usual documentary interviews with outtakes from the film and rare documentary footage, some shot on the set by Eleanor Coppola. Not long after the arrival of Francis Ford Coppola and crew in the Philippines, the shooting schedule begins spiraling out of control; the film's cost has soon far surpassed the original budget, with the ending still unwritten. As the problems mount, from lead Martin Sheen's heart attack to the disappearance of several helicopters needed for a scene (because they went to fight in a nearby war), the making of the film begins to frighteningly resemble its subject -- an unending tale of madness and obsession in the jungle. The film provides a remarkably immediate look at the filmmaking process and the personalities involved, especially Coppola, who publicly acts the autocrat but privately proclaims his belief that he is making an awful film, and Marlon Brando, whose rambling, mumbled improvisations are among the documentary's highlights. Even more impressively, the documentary explores how, despite the chaotic environment, the filmmakers somehow managed to produce an acclaimed, lasting work of art. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
