By Mr. Will Wong
The Holidays are a time for inspiration and Academy Award winner George Clooney is back with just that, directing THE BOYS IN THE BOAT. Based on Daniel James Brown’s 2013 best-selling Book of the same title, this is the story of the 1936 University of Washington Rowing Team overcoming destitution during the Great Depression to compete for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. The Team today remains one of the most prestigious in the sport.
We recently got to participate in a global press junket with the Cast and Creators of THE BOYS IN THE BOAT. Joining us were:
George Clooney, Director
Callum Turner, Joe Rantz
Joel Edgerton, Coach Al Ulbrickson
Hadley Robinson, Joyce Simdars
Grant Heslov, Producer
George Clooney is asked about the challenges of making Rowing look intense and exciting.
Clooney: “It’s like Formula 1 in a way – you can’t see speed from far back and you have to be up close. We had to come up with the math to make Rowing look exciting and engergetic.”.
Producer Grant Heslov comments on the battle of securing rights to adapt the New York Times Best-Seller.
Heslov: “We chased the Book when it first came out, and I’m still mad about we didn’t get it.”.
Clooney explains what drew him to bringing THE BOYS IN THE BOAT to the big screen most.
Clooney: “It’s a Depression-era story. Washington was a new state then and a new part of the world. Rowing was on the map here compared to the legacy schools. These men were lumperbacks and got together like The Beatles, and together could be good enough to win the Olympics. They wound up being incredible men who made an incredible team.”.
“I like good stories. I think it’s fun when you can see how they’ve written the Book or the Play. It’s always interesting to find a way to make it a film, it’s very different way to tell a story.”.
English Actor Callum Turner recalls the grueling preparation process for his role as Joe Rantz.
Turner: “None of us knew how to row. It was February and the river is snowing, we’re wearing tight shorts, it’s freezing cold and we have no skills on the boat. We weren’t in a good place and you could see the pain in George’s face. We had to learn a new skill and be in unison – the hardest part about Rowing. If one person is off by a millimetre, the boat suffers.”
Clooney: “They trained every day for five months.”.
Turner: “We ate together, went out together, exercised together, but didn’t sleep together”, he jokes. “The Book so rich, the story so true. It is a beautiful underdog story.”. “It’s remkarable what he was able to achieve.”.
Hadley Robinson gained global recognition on HBO series WINNING TIME, but tackles a different sport here. She plays Joyce Simdars, Joe’s wife.
Robinson: “I’m doing a lot of clapping and a lot of cheering! I love it and I love a period piece. This is an interesting time in history. These people are destitute, struggling to make ends meet. They’re all working to put food on their plates. I love working in this time period. Finding the hope and light within people going through so much. They have such high hopes and need to have light because they’re in this situation.”.
Joel Edgerton plays Coach Al Ulbrickson, a role he looked forward to playing, having had multiple coaches in his life.
Edgerton: “I just loved when I first talked to George and read the Script. He was described as this coach who seemed to derive zero pleasure from his job. I often look at coaches and think, ‘Why are you even doing this?’. I started to realize behind those grimaces, there’s guys who care too much and it reminds me of the relationships between fathers and sons. They’re like dads to me. I had many coaches who were just like tough dads and I really wanted to please them. I was excited to play a coach and not go through what Callum went through.”.
Heslovrov comments on the boats seen in the Film.
Heslov: “We had to build all the boats. Those old boats are made out of wood and incredibly heavy. These boats were made out of fiberglass to look like wood. We had to make about 25 boats.”.
Turner: “The Rowers went into the boats and they were amazed. One of the most grueling experiences of my life. They gave us an Olympic gold medal-winning coach and therapists. The last two weeks were the races and we had to build towards that moment.”.
Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release THE BOYS IN THE BOAT in theatres Christmas Day.
(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)
By David Baldwin
Hannah (Hadley Robinson) is a young fashion designer barely keeping it together under the weight of mounting anxieties. She keeps having sharp pains in her stomach due to all of the stress and one night, the pains get so bad that a literal appendage with eyes and a mouth violently pushes itself out of her. This monstrous entity can talk too and it seems keen on fueling her anxieties.
I am not going to lie to you – I laughed out loud the moment the “Appendage” appears. Kudos to the behind-the-scenes team for doing all the effects practically, but this ghastly creature is more hilarious than it is terrifying. That is, until Writer/Director Anna Zlokovic pulls the rug out and Hannah’s life starts to get increasingly more twisted as a result of this literal growing manifestation of anxiety and self-doubt. Zlokovic has adapted from her own wicked Short Film here (starring SXSW Queen Rachel Sennott as Hannah) and makes some very interesting choices along the way. Sometimes they are predictable, sometimes unpredictable, and other times positively outrageous. Not all of it works unfortunately, with some subplots and ideas introduced and forgotten within the same breath. I admire the ridiculous swings the film takes though and its lean and mean running time. I just thought there would be more to it.
All of that said, Robinson is terrific, absolutely relishing in the chaotic journey Zlokovic puts Hannah through. She is very much lock in step with the tone of the picture and has a way with pivoting her emotions with chilling precision. Schitt’s Creek’s Emily Hampshire does well in her juicy supporting turn as Claudia, who has a special connection with Hannah, and I loved the standout work from Desmin Borges and Brandon Mychal Smith (who starred together on the criminally-underrated FX show You’re the Worst). I only wish they got even more to do here!
APPENDAGE screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:
Mar 11 at 11:15am at Alamo Lamar C
Mar 14 at 9:45pm at Alamo Lamar E
Mar 16 at 2:00pm at Alamo Lamar C
Amy Poehler directs and stars in new Feature MOXIE, coming soon to Netflix. What a Cast on this!
Synopsis:
Vivian (Hadley Robinson), a seemingly shy 16-year-old, has always preferred to keep her head down and fly under the radar. But when the arrival of a new student (Alycia Pascual-Peña) forces her to examine the unchecked behavior of her fellow students running rampant at her high school, Vivian realizes she’s fed up. Inspired by her mother’s (Amy Poehler) rebellious past, Vivian anonymously publishes an underground zine called Moxie to expose bias and wrongdoing in her high school, and unexpectedly sparks a movement. Now at the center of a revolution, Vivian begins to forge new friendships with other young women and allies, reaching across the divide of cliques and clubs as they learn to navigate the highs and lows of high school together. Directed by Amy Poehler and based on the novel by Jennifer Mathieu, MOXIE also stars Lauren Tsai, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Nico Hiraga, Sydney Park, Josephine Langford, Clark Gregg, Josie Totah, Anjelika Washington, Charlie Hall, and Sabrina Haskett, with Ike Barinholtz and Marcia Gay Harden.
See the Trailer:
MOXIE arrives on Netflix March 3, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Netflix)
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