In Contention

Tag: Betty Anne Waters

  • EXCLUSIVE: Casting Sam Rockwell in ‘Conviction’ (clip)

    Think fast: when was the first time you remember seeing Sam Rockwell on the big screen?  Most people probably caught up with him in the late-1990s in films like “Safe Men,” “The Green Mile” and “Galaxy Quest.” Others perked up, surely, when George Clooney had the vision to give him the starring role in “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.” For me, it was a near walk-on in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

    He’s come a long way since taking on the role of a punk kid in the Foot Clan factory.  I’ve loved him in pretty much everything, be it his aptly named Jimmy Silk in David Mamet’s “Heist,” his equally compelling grifter in Ridley Scott’s “Matchstick Men,” his underrated portrayal alongside Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” or, certainly, his pitch-perfect work in last year’s sadly forgotten (come awards season) “Moon.”

    This year the actor is poised to potentially break out into the Oscar scene with a quality, lived-in piece of work in Tony Goldwyn’s “Conviction.” Rockwell stars as Kenny Waters, a Massachusetts bad boy wrongfully imprisoned and eventually freed through the diligence of his sister, Betty Anne, who put herself through law school in order to prove his innocence.  Fox Searchlight has provided us with an exclusive clip featuring Goldwyn and Betty Anne Waters discussing the casting of the role.  Check it out after the jump.

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  • ‘Conviction’ on ABC’s Nightline

    Tony Goldwyn’s “Conviction” will open in limited release next Friday, October 15.  I’m a fan.  It “never feels manipulative even though it’s painting in extremely familiar dramatic strokes,” I wrote last week.

    The film was featured on ABC’s Nightline Monday night. Once you get past the unfortunate spelling out of the title’s double meaning, there are interviews with Hilary Swank and the real-life Betty Anne Waters, among others, and a brief mention of the unfortunate ending that was left out of the film.

    “In real life, the Hollywood ending was undercut by a tragic accident,” David Wright narrates. As Waters says, yes, it’s tragic, but Kenny Waters died free. I still think that could have served the film quite well thematically.  Meanwhile, Swank says, “This movie is the reason why I’m an actor.  These types of stories are what inspire me and move me and give me hope.”

    Check out the full video of the segment after the jump.

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  • ‘Betty’ now ‘Conviction,’ TWC nabs ‘Miral’

    Apologies for the two week dry spell.  I thought I’d be able to update along the way as I trekked out to Ohio to play meet the parents (which, thankfully, couldn’t have gone better), but alas, quick stops in hotels and 10 hour driving days made that much more difficult than I thought it would.

    Anyway, I’m back in pocket now with a (relatively) cleared out schedule for the rest of the summer.  Nothing much is happening on the western front besides the Seattle film fest.  Chad is out of town for the moment and couldn’t put up the box office columns, but it appears “Shrek Forever After” took the top spot for a third-straight week.  I don’t imagine anyone has much to say about that, in any case.

    Two nuggets dropped today, however.  The first involves Julian Schnabel’s “Miral,” which is a heavily anticipated, potential Oscar title for many readers and could be a play for “The Visitor” breakout Hiam Abbas.  The Weinstein Company has acquired domestic distribution rights, adding to a stable that already includes Sundance titles “Blue Valentine” and “The Company Men,” as well as “The King’s Speech” and UK hit “Nowhere Boy,” among others.  It’ll be interesting to see how that very Sony Classics-esque slate is handled during the season.

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  • OFF THE CARPET: Handicapping 2010 a year in advance

    Hilary Swank in Betty Anne WatersUncle.

    I told myself I wasn’t going to write this column this year, let alone make predictions, but some of you were just too cute in your emails and Twitter DMs asking for something akin to my annual year-in-advance take on the race, so I struck a balance: a column and contenders list, but no charts and no predictions.  Fair enough?

    The 2010 Oscar season looks, from afar, to be a muted affair.  Most of the films that look like competitors on paper have a distinctly “small” vibe.  Of course, no one knows when a film like “The Blind Side” will decide to come along and sweep the heartland and the Academy at large off its feet.  Maybe Tony Goldwyn’s “Betty Anne Waters” will play that role this year.  Maybe not.

    There are a considerable amount of actors and actresses with multiple performances on the way, more than usual, I’d say.  And most encouraging, the original screenplay field seems to be much more robust than the adaptations.

    Last year the big dogs looked to be “Amelia,” “Invictus” and “Nine,” and we all know how that turned out.  In fact, it happens with some frequency.  So why bother getting too deep into all of this now?  And to say nothing of the fact that, perhaps mercifully, nothing on the horizon appears to have that level of awards-baiting appeal.  No major filmmakers looking to cozy up to Oscar.  No big stars that seem overdue and are going for it with an obvious role.  None of that, really.

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  • Searchlight and Hilary Swank, take two?

    (from left) Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell in Betty Anne WatersThis is one of the films I’ve had an eye on for next year’s Oscar season.  Perhaps a second try will prove better than this past year’s Searchlight/Swank outing.  The press release, in part:

    Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley announced today that the company has acquired North American and select international rights from Omega Entertainment to the riveting true life drama BETTY ANNE WATERS. Directed by Tony Goldwyn and written by Pamela Gray, BETTY ANNE WATERS stars Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo, Minnie Driver, Juliette Lewis and Peter Gallagher. The film was produced by Andrew Sugerman, Andrew S. Karsch and Tony Goldwyn. The film is scheduled to be released in Fall 2010.

    “Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell, backed by an extraordinary supporting cast, deliver powerhouse performances in Tony Goldwyn’s emotionally resonant film,” said Utley and Gilula. “We are excited to be distributing this inspirational story of hope and unconditional love.”

    For more on the story (which could prove Oscar bait for Sam Rockwell as well), check out this Boston Globe piece.  If “The Blind Side” can do it…