About Time: Love, Family and Time Travel

At the age of 21, Tim Lake discovers he can travel in time. The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim's father tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can't change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life -- so he decides to make his world a better place... by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as you might think.

Moving from the Cornwall coast to London to train as a lawyer, Tim finally meets the beautiful but insecure Mary. They fall in love, then an unfortunate time-travel incident means he's never met her at all. So they meet for the first time again -- and again -- but finally, after a lot of cunning time-traveling, he wins her heart. Tim then uses his power to create the perfect romantic proposal, to save his wedding from the worst best-man speeches, to save his best friend from professional disaster and to get his pregnant wife to the hospital in time for the birth of their daughter, despite a nasty traffic jam outside Abbey Road. But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can't save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere.

From Script to Screen

The genesis for About Time ignited from a conversation that Curtis had with a friend about what they would do if they were told that they had only 24 hours left to live. "We both decided that we'd want a very normal day at home with the family, doing the things you normally do," recalls Curtis. "I thought it was an interesting observation, and the next step was how I would be able to incorporate this into a movie. It would have to be about someone who could manipulate their final day or manipulate their life in some way to enable them to come to that conclusion. That's when I thought about time travel."



Curtis says that About Time is an evolution for him, as his early work very much focuses upon the relationships among friends. He shares: "Four Weddings is, in many ways, as much a film about friendship as it is about love. There were a lot of friendships in Love Actually as well." Naturally, Curtis' interest in human dynamics evolved as he grew older. "With my mum and dad passing away within the last five years, and with my children all growing up, I am a family man most of all. This film has as much to do with a brother and sister, a father and mother as it has to do with love. And, of course, when two people fall in love, they are finally going to turn into a mother and a father, and you see that happening during the course of the film."

The comedy reunites Curtis with Working Title producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, for the eleventh time in 25 years. Remembers Bevan: "We did our first film together in 1983 called The Tall Guy. All of Richard's films have a lot of familiarities, but are always breaking new ground. The authenticity of a Richard film is that it will make you laugh, cry and think. About Time returns to the 'Curtisian' world in the same vein as Love Actually, Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral, but this feels more grown- up and more reflective. He set out to make a movie to reflect on the good and bad things in life and to make you appreciate what's in front of you."

Although Fellner finds it difficult to believe that they've spent a quarter of a century creating work together, he's similarly impressed by his longtime friend's evolution as a filmmaker. He notes: "Richard never settles for good. He pushes himself as an artist to best his previous work, and audiences respect that drive. His stories are so deeply personal, so intimate that it's impossible not to be drawn into them. I appreciate that he finds humor in the pathos of our everyday experiences and makes the humdrum extraordinary."



While love and family were integral in the creation of Curtis' vision, the time-travel aspect would make scripting a very calculated endeavour. Curtis was careful to make sure rules were in place for Tim and his Dad as they travel through time, so as to make the film's concept less fantasy and more endearing. So, what exactly are those rules? The first is that time travel may not happen before a man in this family is 21. The second is that one must go into a small dark place -- such as a cupboard, closet or wardrobe -- clench his fists and think of the specific time, date, place and address of where he wants to go. The third is that he can only go to an event in his own past that he can remember; he can't go into the future or way back into history. The fourth? Every decision he makes will have ramifications on his future.

Producer Nicky Kentish Barnes adds that she admired the unorthodox narrative put forth by the film's writer/director. She says: "About Time is very autobiographical, in a sense; it's bits of Richard's life all put together in a beautiful and well-crafted story. The story is very emotional; we had grown men crying on reading the script. It is a slight, sort-of- magic realism with the time-travel aspect, but it adds to the emotional content, rather than feeling that it's taking you out of the story."

With the shooting script locked, Curtis and his producers set about the exciting task of finding a young couple who could give voice to his words, along with a set of family and friends to populate this unique world.

Directed by: Richard Curtis
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Margot Robbie, Domhnall Gleeson, Lydia Wilson, Vanessa Kirby
Screenplay by: Richard Curtis
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: November 8, 2013

Gimme Shelter: Incredible Path to Motherhood as a Pregnant, Homeless Teenager

Based on the inspiring true events, Gimme Shelter centers on the courageous story of Agnes "Apple" Bailey (Vanessa Hudgens) and her incredible path to motherhood as a pregnant, homeless teenager. Forced to flee her abusive mother (Rosario Dawson), and turned away by her Wall Street father (Brendan Fraser), Apple finds herself on a desperate and isolated journey of survival. In the depths of despair, she meets a compassionate stranger (James Earl Jones), who ultimately leads her to salvation and unprecedented support in a suburban shelter for homeless teenagers. With gained confidence, and the warmth of her new home, Apple breaks from her inhibiting past, embracing the future with clarity and hope.

About The Production

Ron Krauss has been writing, producing and directing intensely personal movies since his first short film, Puppies for Sale (starring Jack Lemmon), began collecting rave reviews and international awards in 1998. Whether making documentaries or narrative films, Krauss' focus is always on reflecting real-life issues with compassion, hope and authenticity. When his recent project, Amexica, a devastating drama about human trafficking, was screened at the United Nations, Krauss unexpectedly discovered the subject of his next film.

There he was introduced to Kathy DiFiore, a remarkable woman who was being honored at the UN for her work with teenaged mothers. Formerly homeless, DiFiore managed to put her life back together before founding Several Sources Shelters, a network of resources devoted to helping women in need. "I was immediately intrigued," Krauss says. "I arranged to visit one of her shelters and I was awed by what I saw."

At the shelter, Krauss met pregnant, homeless teenagers as young as 15 who had been turned out of their homes with nowhere to go. His initial thought was that he had found the perfect subject for his next documentary. Moving into the shelter to get an up-close look at the lives of these young women, their babies and the dedicated workers who support them, Krauss stayed a year and recorded close to 200 hours of interviews with the shelter's residents.

As he learned more and more about his subjects, the compelling stories he heard fired his imagination and he began to reconceive his ideas about the project. "The shelter began to seem like holy ground to me," he says. "As I became close to several of the girls and heard their stories, I began to write this screenplay based on their lives."

Being at the shelter was a profound, even life-changing experience, says Krauss. "It opened my eyes. Just like the movie, I went from fall to winter, spring and summer with the girls. Even for me, staying there was one of the hardest times of my life. The girls who live there are relying on this place for survival."

He witnessed first-hand how lives are changed through DiFiore's work. "When I'd only been there a short time, I saw a young girl standing in front of the shelter," the filmmaker recalls. "She didn't have a coat and it must have been 18 degrees outside. I thought she lived there, so I let her in. When Kathy showed up, it turned out she wasn't a resident. In fact, no one there knew her. She had heard about the shelter and walked about 25 miles to get there, with no coat and three months pregnant."

Fortunately, there happened to be a bed available at the shelter. "All this time, she had been acting like everything was fine, but in reality she was desperate for a place to stay," says Krauss. "When she heard there was room for her, she grabbed me and hugged me so hard she almost knocked me over. That hug was the inspiration for the movie."

The girl, Darlisha Dozier, became one of the primary inspirations for Apple's story. "Darlisha came from a very abusive home," says Krauss. "There's a shockingly violent incident in the movie between Apple and her mother that really happened to Darlisha. She has a small part in the film, as does a girl named Alison Bailey, who also provided inspiration for the character. The story is real and the girls are real."

Another pivotal part of the story is Apple's relationship with Tom Fitzpatrick, her biological father. The character is based on a real-life Wall Street executive whose young daughter is a resident at the shelter. "Teen homelessness and pregnancy are not limited to any economic strata," observes Krauss. "It happens to rich and poor families. I felt those two characters embodied some of the most important things I learned."



To ensure the film would be as authentic as possible, Krauss began to involve the girls themselves in the writing process. He scheduled "script nights" where they would read sections of the movie and share their thoughts on the story as it developed. "They helped me find the reality of their lives," Krauss says. "They shared their deepest emotions about what it is to be homeless, to not know where you're going to be tomorrow."

When Krauss eventually showed his script to people in the entertainment industry, he was surprised by the overwhelming emotional response he received. "Homeless teens and crisis pregnancy are an unusual subject for a mainstream film," he says. "I wasn't sure anyone would care. In fact, there was enormous interest. Many young actresses saw this as a showcase for their talent. The character is in virtually every scene and goes through so much."

While he was writing the script, Krauss says he never imagined casting a Hollywood star in the lead role. He had planned to scour local high schools in search of an unknown with the emotional transparency and resilience to embody Apple's formidable spirit. But after meeting with Vanessa Hudgens, best known as perky A-student Gabriella Montez in the three High School Musical films, Krauss began to reconsider. "Vanessa was a little different from anyone else I met," he says. "And she was hungry for the transition."

In fact, the actress was so eager to play the part that she came to her audition in character as Apple. "I knew I could bring her to life," Hudgens says. "It was an opportunity to completely transform myself. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't see myself. The story, which is based on the lives a several young women who stayed at the shelter, is completely terrifying, which was all the more reason why I wanted to do it."

Her transformation and her enthusiasm for the role impressed Krauss, but the filmmaker kept his options open, narrowing down the field to a mixture of about a dozen rising stars and complete unknowns. Then, in an unusual move, he screened their auditions for the girls at the shelter.

"I was already focused on Vanessa, but I needed confirmation from them," he says. "They had no idea who she was. Some of them had never even been to a theater until I took them to a movie night while I was staying there. But they confirmed what I already felt. They said that Girl Number 8-Vanessa-was the most like them."

Landing the role was just the beginning of a long and challenging journey for Hudgens. As Apple, she is a far cry from the actress and pop singer that her fans look up to. Drastically deglamorized, Hudgens is almost unrecognizable after adding about 15 pounds to her diminutive 5'1" frame. The only makeup she wears is designed to mask her wholesome beauty.

"I chopped all my hair off," she says. "I had a neck tattoo with fake piercings and I wore baggy old clothes. When I walked around the building I lived in and no one recognized me, I started to get really excited about the role. The hardest thing was trying to stay away from paparazzi. I wanted the way I looked to be a complete surprise.'

Love, Air and Sex: Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Breaking up is hard to do. Desperate and lonely, Stan (Michael Stahl-David) learns that his ex, Cathy (Ashley Bell), will be in Austin for the weekend and hops on a flight to the Lone Star State in hopes of “accidentally” running into her. But, another breakup crisis greets him in Austin between his friends Jeff (Zach Cregger) and Kara (Sara Paxton), who are hell-bent on keeping Stan and Cathy apart. Cavorting through Austin’s honkytonks, nightclubs, and a cutthroat air-sex competition, Stan and Cathy find bouncing back from their heartache to be unexpectedly complicated.

Director: Brian Poyser
Starring: Ashley Bell, Zach Cregger, Sara Paxton, Michael Stahl-David, Addison Timlin, Justin Arnold, Marshall Allman
Screenwriter: David DeGrow Shotwell, Steven Walters, Bryan Poyser
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Studio: Tribeca Film
Release Date: February 7, 2014

Alan Parker 1987 Angel Heart Interview

The following interview with Alan Parker took place in New York on February 17, 1987, as Angel Heart was beginning its theatrical run.

JOHN A. GALLAGHER: How did you break into the feature film business?

ALAN PARKER: I wanted to write originally. To be honest, I had no aspiration to be a director. It was always writing that most interested me. I grew up in a working class background in London, which makes it quite difficult within the very rigid English class system. I didn't go to university, but what I did do was get into advertising. The important thing about advertising in England is that it's very egalitarian, so if you've got a few bright lines they'll let you do it. I was fortunate enough to be able to start as a copywriter. It was the early days of television commercials in England. They'd just begun. They'd either fly over American directors or you'd get rotten commercials. Somebody gave us some money to experiment in the basement of the advertising agency where I worked. With a 16mm camera we just did lots of commercials. Suddenly there was somebody who could work a spectral light meter, somebody could work a Nagra tape recorder, somebody could operate the camera. I was actually the only one who couldn't do anything, so I said, "What shall I do?" and they said, "You better say action." Everybody knows that's the easiest job on a commercial, so I said "Action" and "Cut," and suddenly I was a director. It sounds like a glib story but it's perfectly true! Michael Seresin and David Puttnam were in the same advertising agency. One day David said to me, "Let's try and get into films." I said, "Don't be ridiculous." He said, "Write a screenplay," which I did, and it became his first film and my first film. It's a film we don't have on our resumes, thank God.

JAG: How did Bugsy Malone come together?

AP: Pragmatic exercise, really. Most of the things that I'd written at that point were parochial, about me, about growing up in England, about things I understood. The scripts kept coming back with a rubber stamp on them saying "parochial," which was irritating. It was a very depressed period of filmmaking in England. I really didn't know anything about making American subjects, but what I did know a little was American movies, so Bugsy was really a parody of the American gangster film and the American musical. I'd worked a lot with kids and I had four very young children of my own at the time. When you do have young children like that you're very sensitive to the kind of material that's available for them. This was pre-Star Wars ( 1977) and Raiders of the Lost Ark ( 1981). The only kind of movies they could see were Walt Disney movies, and you knew when you were in a Disney movie then because all the adults were tilted at an angle, asleep. I thought it would be nice to make a movie that would be good for the kids, and also the adults that had to take them. So to be absolutely honest, Bugsy Malone was a pragmatic exercise to break into American film. It was financed in England, and Paramount picked it up for distribution in America.

JAG: How did Midnight Express happen?

AP: David Puttnam was about to take a job in Los Angeles at a company called Casablanca. Almost simultaneously, I had come over. They wanted me to do a thing called The Wiz, which Sidney Lumet eventually did ( 1978), but I didn't like the project very much. I was walking along Fifth Avenue, and somebody came out of Columbia Pictures with this book manuscript and asked if I'd like to read it. It was Midnight Express. I read it on the plane going home and I spoke to David quite independently. He said he was taking this job at Casablanca, and it turned out that Casablanca owned the book. He said, "If you do the film, I'll take the job," so it worked out very well. I wanted to do something that was different from Bugsy Malone. I wanted to do something that showed the other side of me, because I didn't want to be put in a pigeon hole of what kind of director I was, so it was a definite reaction to that.

JAG: At what point did Oliver Stone join the project?

AP: Oliver had been employed by Casablanca. He came to England and sat in the back office of our offices in London, popping away. Every so often we would send in sandwiches and beer, and at the end of it came this fantastic screenplay. He did a terrific job.

Russell Crowe talks American Gangster

It was more than a decade ago – in 1995 to be exact – when Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington first worked together and the bond they formed way back then has been strengthened on American Gangster.

A lot has happened since they made the futuristic thriller Virtuosity – not least both winning Academy Awards®, Crowe for Gladiator and Washington for Training Day – but they have stayed in contact and admired each other’s work from a distance.

And Crowe never forgot one night in particular after a long day’s filming on Virtuosity when, over cigars and brandy, the two men had a long chat.

“About half way through the shoot Denzel came to my trailer one night with two cigars and a bottle of cognac,” recalls Crowe. “He knocked on the door and was like ‘shall we have a drink?’ And I was like ‘cool, come on in.’

So we sat there and we were chatting for about half an hour, forty minutes, and I always remembered something he said and for me doing American Gangster is a partial pay back for that.

He sat there and said ‘you know, I’ve never said this to any other actor, but man, I wish I was playing your role. So when I got the American Gangster script I knew how much Denzel wanted to do it because I’d been following it from a distance for a couple of years and seeing the machinations and then saw the production fall apart.”

So they sent me the script and I read it and the thing is, what’s great about it is the character of Frank Lucas – on the page it was Frank and really there wasn’t any other half at that time, there was nothing going on. And that conversation, all those years ago, came to mind because I’m reading it going ‘man, I wish I was playing Frank Lucas!’

So the process of getting involved in this is really a form of repaying him, a certain loyalty from 12 years ago.”

American Gangster is Crowe’s third film with Sir Ridley Scott and there will be more – they are currently filming the thriller Body of Lies and plan to shoot Nottingham next year.

For Crowe, the friendship and close professional association with Scott has come about naturally since they first worked together on Gladiator, a project that would win Crowe his Oscar and also claim the Academy Award ® for Best Film. It was to be six years before they were back together again, on the romantic comedy A Good Year, and the actor believes that maybe they should have been reunited sooner.

“We probably should have done it straight after Gladiator because we knew then that we really enjoyed each other’s company and we enjoyed the way each other works. But I suppose it’s not a usual thing and he went off and did his stuff and I went off and did mine.