In the Pipeline: The Life Before Her Eyes
Magnolia Pictures would like you to know that The Life Before Her Eyes (known as In Bloom when it played Toronto in 2007) from Vadim Perelman is coming to NY and LA on April 18th with a wide release coming a week later on April 25th. Click on the new one-sheet to see the gi-normous version.
I’m not a huge fan of Perelman’s The House of Sand and Fog, but he got some good performances out of a great cast. I’m hoping he can do the same here with Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen, Down in the Valley, Across the Universe).
Ms. Wood has seemed on the verge of something amazing for the last couple of years, though she hasn’t quite gotten there yet. In this she plays Diana, a high school student whose life is shattered by a tragic act of school violence. Thurman plays Diana as an adult. She leads a seemingly normal life, but continues to cope with the tragedy.
Decide for yourself at the official website.
Filed under: Upcoming
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Well it should tell you something that I’ve already watched the trailer for this several times. Too many weird swimming pool shots for my taste. I remember enjoying Sand and Fog and I didn’t even realize this was the same person, so that will bring my viewing likelihood up. Still, I’m not really grabbed in any way by the trailer. Initially I thought it involved some kind of time warp/dreaming of the future sequence, but that doesn’t appear the case. Maybe this will benefit from coming out during a slow time of the year. What’s Uma Thurman been up to since the Bills? My Super Ex-Girlfriend? Yeah…I missed that…
I did enjoy Evan Rachel Wood in Across the Universe, but I know many people couldn’t stand her. I need to see that again, by the way. It may go from a “like” to a “love” with just one additional viewing.
I also enjoyed House of Sand and Fog, and saw the trailer for this in a theatre just before Christmas. It struck me as something missable. But like Daniel I’ll keep an open mind now I know who directed it.
I really like Ms. Wood and my interest in this mainly begins and ends with her.
I’ve really got to catch Universe, damnit. So many people I know absolutely hated it and I let them influence me.
Uma has so far squandered her post-Bill resurgence. It’s too bad. She’s good in the right thing.
Craig, I still haven’t seen Universe either. One of my friends loved it, but he hated No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood so I couldn’t take him seriously at all. ;-)
It’s hard to take a fellow like that seriously.
I like Wood, I thought the production design for AtU looked terrific and I love The Beatles, so I really should catch it. Maybe this weekend if I have time.
Did you know that Evan Rachel Wood is my fiancé? Just for your information, and this post almost gave me a, um, heart attack. Anytime her name is mentioned I go crazy.
I loved Across The Universe, okay it was flawed and clichéd, and not everyone enjoyed it, but for me, it was the best musical of last year – tied with Once.
Thirteen is one of my favourite films ever, for personal reasons, her performance was incredible, so amazing, extraordinary, I cannot even think of any reasonable superlatives to give her. One of my favourite screen performances ever.
I even loved her in Running With Scissors, and I know I am in the minority of people who actually enjoyed that film.
I liked Sand and Fog a fair bit, it depressed me, but it was well-made.
Having said all this, I am worried about Life Before Her Eyes. It looks….I am just not sure. It could go either way. The trailer SUCKS.
Uma is not the actress I thought she was. Maybe she is, but just does not get the right roles. I mean I adored her in Pulp Fiction, and Kill Bill, but nothing else. She was okay in Prime.
Anyways, I am in for Before Her Eyes, but I cannot wait until Evan gets a role that is appreciated enough for her to get some real attention. She is one of the best actresses of her generation, and I hope she leaves M. Manson soon, so she can concentrate on her career and not Gothicism or whatever.
*I am going to watch Thirteen right now*
Aggghhh…I forgot about Manson! We need to band together Nick and put a stop to that. Between the two of us, I think we’ll manage.
Yeah, I kind of hated Running With Scissors, but it was no fault of Ms. Wood’s.
Did you see Down in the Valley? Far far from perfect, but still pretty good.
I hope you’re right about Universe, I know sometimes our tastes go in different directions, but I really want that one to be good.
Nick, I agree. The trailer for this absolutely sucks. I saw it in theaters a couple of times and was unimpressed.
Across the Universe and Once were tied for your favorite musicals of 2007? I’ll definitely have to check out the former then. Once was indeed a stellar little movie. I’ll get back to you about Universe. :-)
Did you see Hairspray and Sweeney Todd? Obviously both of those didn’t compare to Once or Universe for you if so. I did enjoy Hairspray. Though the music isn’t even comparable to Sondheim, it is catchy and the talented, energetic cast really made the movie. It was charming in its own way.
Sweeny Todd was a fine adaptation of Sondheim’s magnificent musical play. Though it didn’t make my top 10 for 2007, I did enjoy it. I’m still partial to the stage play and to a cast of actors with genuine singing talent, who can make the most out of the music itself as well as the words. That doesn’t make a difference for some people but it does for me. While I enjoyed the performances of the cast while watching the film, I wouldn’t buy the soundtrack. I wouldn’t want to just listen to them sing, lol.
2007 was a great year for musicals, but Hairspray, Sweeney Todd, and Once are beginning to recede a little for me as time passes. Across the Universe is still vivid in my mind, and it’s the one I’ll watch again and again.
I read someplace that the actors sang almost all their numbers live — no lip-syncing. I really expected to dislike AtU, but it won me over from the very first shots. I’d convinced myself ahead of time that something so high-concept would feel contrived and forced, so I was happy to discover it was anything but. Really flowy style and surprisingly naturalistic for all the surreality. Totally sincere and from the heart.
Looking forward to getting the DVD because I really liked Taymor’s commentary track on Frida.
Feel apprehensive about The Life Before Her Eyes. Didn’t much like House and Sand and Fog. I might be ready to see Uma stabbed in the chest with a syringe of adrenaline again if she doesn’t cease with the languid dreamy stuff.
We’d be a good team ;)
I saw Down In The Valley, I don’t really have an opinion on it, I couldn’t really get into it…..
I hope you enjoy it too, you should watch it with an open mind. don’t take it too seriously, have a good time. All I can say.
Allison, I saw Sweeney, it was good but I was a little underwhelmed, and Hairspray I have seen so many times and not all of them were voluntary so I a little bored of it. I don’t think those two measure with Once, but I had the best time wacthing Universe. I am starting to worry about Universe though, I know it is not for everyone, so I won’t be surprised if it is not up to your standards or whatever you call it. I would like you to enjoy it though. I ordered it on dvd, hope it arrives soon.
“I might be ready to see Uma stabbed in the chest with a syringe of adrenaline again if she doesn’t cease with the languid dreamy stuff.” Same here!
Ryan, I actually don’t think the actors in any of those movies lip-synched. While it’s true that the soundtracks were recorded first, when they actually filmed they did sing out loud still, probably along with the recording. Otherwise it would have looked as if they were holding back.
I’ll definitely be checking out Universe, given the good feedback from you and from Nick.
Nick, I agree with you about Sweeney. It was a good movie, one of Burton’s better ones, but I was not blown away by it the way other viewers were.
“I might be ready to see Uma stabbed in the chest with a syringe of adrenaline again if she doesn’t cease with the languid dreamy stuff.” ahahaha.
Ok AtU is going in the queue. If you don’t hear me say anything about it, it means I hated it.
Oh, random thought right here, as much as I want her to have my babies, I am a little bored of Evan playing the angst-filled teen. She will never top her Thirteen performance unless she spreads to wings and tackles a completely different role.
*Evan, I get it, you know you are the Queen of teen angst and you changed my life the first time, but it is time to move on love…..*
Agreed on the sullen teen thing.
I just hope she doesn’t flame out like Winona.
I would kill myself it that were to happen to Evan…..poor Winona {I like to pretend she is on an island somehwere just planning the perfect comeback}.
Ryan, I totally feel you on the first shot of AtU. Chills, if I remember. Man, some of those sequences were insane, both on a creative and a psychological level. Obviously not as macabre as Frida Kahlo’s art, but The Beatles have some pretty trippy ideas in their songs anyway. Some excellent cameos, too. I think it will be pretty much what you’re expecting, Craig, but maybe a couple of the numbers will win you over. They’ve got to have about 20 songs in there. As far as I understood the recording was all done on set, too.
I was underwhelmed by Sweeney and I skipped Hairspray. Obviously I loved Once. Can I throw I’m Not There in for musicals from 2007?
I’ve liked Evan Rachel Wood since I saw her in “Thirteen” (I thought she deserved an Oscar nomination for that film), and I thought “Down in the Valley” was one of the most underrated films of its year.
But I despised her in “Across the Universe” almost as much as I hated the film. She grated on my nerves every time she appeared on screen. I hope “The Life Before Her Eyes” fixes that, because she’s undeniably talented.
I thought “In Bloom” was a better title though.
Man, I need to see Across the Universe, it seems. Maybe an idea for a Weekend Double Feature (TM) together with Yellow Submarine? I just love that movie… A Hard Day’s Night would be fun too, though, and appropriate since I’m seeing I’m Not There again this Sunday.
“I thought she deserved an Oscar nomination for that film” So did I!!!
And I agree on the title “In Bloom”, way better.
See, I knew some people didn’t like her in it! I hardly noticed her, I think because I was so entranced by the music.
Don’t watch “Across the Universe” together with “Yellow Submarine” - it will just make AtU look even worse - especially when held up next to the actual Beatles.
Daniel, I’m Not There can definitely be thrown in as one of the musicals of 2007.
Good call on I’m Not There Daniel…not just one of the best musicals, but one of the best period.
Most people seem to have Matthew’s reaction to AtU which is why I steered clear of it. Oh well. I’m comitted now.
Not just one of the best musicals, but one of the best period.
Amen, Brother. Amen.
Hooray! It’s an exceedingly difficult movie to categorize, but the music is full front and center. And the Dylan-inspired soundtrack is fantastic (so is Into The Wild’s, but I can’t go that far as a “musical”). Same goes for Walk Hard, which I gave a “musical” tag but didn’t enjoy anyway.
“I’m Not There” - now THERE’S a movie. :-)
I’m always happiest when we agree on stuff. It’s a weakness, I know.
My previous comment wasn’t very well fleshed-out Alison, but I didn’t intend the juxtaposition of abruptly veering tangents to imply that I thought Sweeney or Hairspray were lip-synced.
(though I guess my point was that Across the Universe seemed the most spontaneous musical of the year.)
I’m a sucker for musicals in which somebody starts humming and the whole world transforms and unfolds into a fever dream all around them, expanding like one of those cool Hoberman spheres.
(Closest thing to that sort of contagious mind-altering sensation in real life are the vertigo and night sweats induced by Celine Dion.)
LOL, I’m not a big Celine Dion fan either.
I hated Across the Universe, but it wasn’t Evan Rachel Wood’s fault. Her version of “Blackbird” is one of the good scenes in the movie.
The movie is worth seeing though for the handful of good parts it has.
Ok, Blackbird being one of my favorite Beatles numbers…that pretty much seals the deal.
Wait a sec…she’s dating Marilyn Manson? Wow, that guy really get the girls.
I’d point out they might get married, but that breaks my no gossip rule.
Not that anyone cares, but the link to the ‘gi-normous’ copy of the poster was broken, but now it’s fixed.
Hmmm…
Such a lot of love for Across The Universe from a LOT of people I respect and admire. I thought it was godawful despite the earnest, hard working cast. They all sang well and tried very hard. But Julie Taymor’s staging did them no favours.
Should have been groundbreaking cinema of the highest order (and Ms. Taymor may actually have one or two similar to that in her. I thought Frida was wonderful). But instead I found ATU trite, unfocused and a really huge waste of my precious time.
I’ve had Across the Universe sitting on the shelf from Netflix for over a month now, so I suppose I might have to finally dust it off and watch it this weekend.
For those of you with the Bluray version still saying “Long wait” in your queue (all 2 of you), yeah I’m THAT guy. Sorry.
That’s a horrible poster. It just screams direct-to-video.
It seems like such an innocent little movie, yet it’s inpsired such strong degrees of love and hate. Am I the only one who is fascinated by this?
Matthew. I was kind of waiting for someone to say that.
I think Frida elicited a similar response. Any of the outside-of-the-box directors are going to cause division among us, or so I would contend. For my money, I still thoroughly enjoyed seeing it in the theater. I wish I would have gone twice since I don’t think it would be the same on video, but if you have a nice set-up you might be able to get into it.
I wasn’t a big fan of “House of Sand and Fog,” I found it to be strained and over the top and never for a minute believable.
However, I LOVED Ben Kingsley’s performance, and was actually pulling for him to win the Oscar that year. That is one of the few times where a performance has moved me when the film utterly failed to.
Daniel, I really like “Frida” a lot…but I thought AtU was a mess…almost as if Julie Taymor threw off all the restraints and was trying far too hard to be new and different. It all seemed forced to me.
I liked Frida quite a bit. AtU is sitting on my coffee table at home so hopefully I’ll have a full report on your desk on Monday morning.
We’re on the same HoSaF page Matthew. I liked all the performances actually. The story itself just didn’t hold up for me.
I can’t say the same for Ron Eldard though, his performance in HoSaF is one of the worst I have ever seen in a “quality” film.
I totally forgot about him….which says something I think.
Ron Eldard has played the same basic character far too many times. Talk about typecasting…
He’s always “that guy from ER” to me.
Eldard was awful in House of Sand and Fog. The screenplay, though, would have probably sabotaged a better actor to some degree. His character was a mess on more levels than one.
Kingsley was exceptional.
Connelly was quite good.
The screenplay was all over the place, starting off weakly (I like the introduction of Kingsley’s character, though) then gradually becoming better, until it became a soap opera-turned-unbelievable thriller.
One of the more uneven films from this past decade, I thought. The two lead performances are enough to make it a film you need to see, but it has significant issues. There was a great film in there somewhere, I think.
Shohreh Aghdashloo was pretty good as well.
Yes, she was–I meant to mention her. I knew I was forgetting somebody.
She was even good, though rather briefly seen, in The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
Since people are weighing in on Across the Universe, I’ll add that I liked it. When it worked, it worked — and when it didn’t, well. . . there was that.
Taymor gets lots of points for audaciousness, and I actually appreciated the fact that the Beatles song arrangements were different than the originals.