influential films

Archive for the ‘influential films’ Category

The Man Who Fell To Earth

March 8, 2024

The Graphic Novel

Written by Dan Watters and drawn by Dev Pramanik

Mysterious extra-terrestrial Thomas Jerome Newton falls to Earth on a mission to save his drought-ridden home planet of Anthea from ecological destruction.

Determined to find a way to transport water back to his dying world, Newton begins selling patents for advanced technology, but his success soon makes him a target for both the government, and a sinister rival corporation.

As his mission drags into years, Newton finds himself seduced by the excesses of our world and becomes desperate to return home to his family.

An all-new, fully-authorised graphic novel adaptation of the cult 1976 movie starring David Bowie and directed by Nicholas Roeg.

The film, based on the classic science fiction novel by Walter Trevis, sees an extra-terrestrial called Thomas Jerome Newton (played in the movie by David Bowie) land on Earth in search of water to save his dying home planet.

Using his advanced scientific knowledge, Thomas Newton becomes incredibly rich and uses his wealth to search for a way to transport water back to his home planet. But as his mission on Earth drags on, Newton becomes seduced by the excesses of our world and grows increasingly desperate to return home, unaware that he has become a target of interest for the U.S. Government and a sinister corporation, eager to exploit him.

The all-new graphic novel also features exclusive bonus material including a 10-page article on the production of the original film and is illustrated with dozens of rarely seen on-set photographs. As well as cover concepts, character designs, a ‘script to art’ section chronicling the development of the artwork, and a reproduction of the original movie poster.

Book details:

Title: The Man Who Fell To Earth

Authors: Dan Watters

Illustrator: Dev Pramanik

ISBN: 978178737013

Language: English

Pages: 128

Format: Hardback/Illustrated

Weight: 1.25 pounds

Dimensions: 11.75 x 7.77 x 0.64 inches

Publisher: Titan Comics

Tags:Dan Watters, David Bowie, Dev Pramanik, graphic novel, Man Who Fell to Earth, The, Nicolas Roeg, Science Fiction, Thomas Jerome Newton, Titan Comics
Posted in Bowie, David, Graphic Novels, influential films, Man Who Fell to Earth, The, Other Writers, Roeg, Nicolas, Science Fiction, Tevis, Walter | Leave a Comment »

Almost Famous

June 22, 2014

Almost Famous is a 2000 comedy-drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe, telling the coming-of-age story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while on the road with a fictitious 1970s rock band named Stillwater. The film is semi-autobiographical, Crowe himself having been a teenage writer for Rolling Stone.

The film received positive reviews, and received four Oscar nominations, with Crowe winning one for best original screenplay. It also earned the 2001 Grammy Award Best Compilation Soundtrack Album. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert hailed it the best film of the year.

The film is based on Cameron Crowe’s experiences touring with rock bands Poco, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. In a Rolling Stone article, he talks about how he lost his virginity, fell in love, and met his heroes, experiences that are shared by William, the main character in the film.

Crowe compiled an alternate version of the film for home video called Almost Famous: Untitled, which was a compilation of both released footage and his favorite deleted scenes. It runs for about forty minutes longer than the theatrical release and was subtitled “The Bootleg Cut“.

Cast

Patrick Fugit as William Miller

Michael Angarano as Young William

Billy Crudup as Russell Hammond

Frances McDormand as Elaine Miller

Kate Hudson as Penny Lane

Jason Lee as Jeff Bebe

Zooey Deschanel as Anita Miller

Anna Paquin as Polexia Aphrodisia

Fairuza Balk as Sapphire

Bijou Phillips as Estrella Starr

Noah Taylor as Dick Roswell

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs

Terry Chen as Ben Fong-Torres

Jay Baruchel as Vic Munoz

Jimmy Fallon as Dennis Hope

Rainn Wilson as David Felton

Mark Kozelek as Larry Fellows

Liz Stauber as Leslie Hammond

John Fedevich as Ed Vallencourt

Eric Stonestreet as Sheldon the Desk Clerk

Almost Famous – A Film by Cameron Crowe

www.rjdent.com

Tags:Almost Famous, Billy Crudup, Cameron Crowe, Kate Hudson, Peter Frampton, R J Dent, Stillwater
Posted in Almost Famous, Film, influential films, Music | Leave a Comment »

The Wicker Man

September 18, 2013

The Wicker Man is a 1973 British horror film directed by Robin Hardy and written by Anthony Shaffer. The film stars Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Britt Ekland. Paul Giovanni composed the soundtrack. The film is now considered a cult classic.

Shaffer read David Pinner’s 1967 novel Ritual, in which a devout Christian policeman is called to investigate what appears to be the ritual murder of a young girl in a rural village. Shaffer decided that it would serve well as the source material for the project.

Inspired by the basic scenario in Ritual, Shaffer wrote a screenplay which centres on the visit of Police Sergeant Neil Howie to the isolated island of Summerisle, in search of a missing girl the locals claim never existed. Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island practice a form of Celtic paganism.

Shaffer wanted the film to be ‘a little more literate’ than the average horror picture. The idea of a confrontation between a modern Christian and a remote, pagan community continued to intrigue Shaffer, who performed painstaking research on paganism. Working with director Robin Hardy, the film was conceived as presenting the pagan elements objectively and accurately, accompanied by authentic music and a believable, contemporary setting.

The image of the wicker man, which gave the filmmakers their title, was taken from a paragraph in The Gallic War, Julius Caesar’s account of his wars in what is now France. Caesar wrote:

‘The whole of the Gallic nation… believe that unless one human life is offered for another the power and presence of the immortal gods cannot be propitiated. They also hold state sacrifices of a similar kind. Some of them use huge images of the gods, and fill their limbs, which are woven from wicker, with living people. When these images are set on fire the people inside are engulfed in flames and killed. They believe that the gods are more pleased by such punishments when it is inflicted upon those who are caught engaged in theft or robbery or other crimes; but if there is a lack of people of this kind, they will even stoop to punishing the guiltless.’ (Julius Caesar, The Gallic War, 6.17).

The Wicker Man, released in 1973, became a cult classic. Hardy and Schaffer also collaborated on a novelization of their film.

In 2011, a spiritual sequel entitled The Wicker Tree was released.

It was directed by Robin Hardy, and featured an appearance by Christopher Lee. Hardy first published the story as a novel, under the name Cowboys for Christ.

First announced during April 2000, filming on The Wicker Tree began on 19 July 2009. It follows two young American Christian evangelists who travel to Scotland; like Neil Howie in The Wicker Man, the two Americans are virgins who encounter a pagan laird and his followers.

Here is a trailer:

Those involved in the production of the film have given conflicting statements regarding the identity of Christopher Lee’s character, referred to only as ‘Old Gentleman’ in the credits Writer/director Robin Hardy has stated that the ambiguity was intentional, but that fans of The Wicker Man will immediately recognise Lee’s character as Lord Summerisle.

Recently, it was announced that a fully-restored print of The Wicker Man is due to be released on DVD as The Wicker Man (The Final Cut). Robin Hardy has confirmed this.