ScreenCrave.com » andy garcia

5 Days of War: Movie Review

Laura Aguirre — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:42:51 +0000

Director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) returns to the big screen with 5 Days of War, which offers tons of explosions and battle sequences. 5 Days covers the events of the 2008 Russian-Georgia War through the eyes of Thomas Anders (Rupert Friend), an American war correspondent. And though the action is entertaining, because the true story is far more complex than the film, it suffers from some misleading information about an important event in history.

The Players:

Directed by: Renny Harlin
Written by: Mikko Alanne (screenplay), David Battle (based on a screenplay by)
Stars: Rupert Friend, Richard Coyle, Val Kilmer, Andy Garcia
Music by: Trevor Rabin
Cinematography by: Checco Varese

Plot:

An American war correspondent, his cameraman, and a young Georgia native are unintentionally at ground zero during the first Russian airstrikes against Georgia at the start of 2008′s five-day war between Russia and the Georgian Republic. As panic sets in, the three try to escape to safety only to witness – and film – attacks, explosions and the execution of many innocent civilians.

The Good:

Action/Adventure: Harlin knows how to put together kick-ass battle scenes and he wastes no time jumping right into the action. In the first few minutes the central characters are caught in a crossfire, which sets the frenetic tone of the film. The film is virtually non-stop action - and the characters are always running and on-the-go because there’s no time to sit down and chat with air-strikes and bombs going off every few minutes. Character development is done through the action, which works well because the film is structured around five days of non-stop war (hence the title).
Richard Coyle: Though the film has good performances, it’s Richard Coyle that really pops. As Friend’s British sidekick and cameraman, the character’s unapologetic personality could have been one-dimensional and annoying, but Coyle creates a character that is both likable and funny. It’s a star-making performance.
Andy Garcia’s Speech: Playing the part of Georgia president Saakashvili is Andy Garcia. He plays a small, but crucial role in the film. One of the best scenes in the entire film comes at the end when he delivers a powerful speech in front of Georgians (these were real Georgian extras). It’s admirable to see Garcia get deeply emotional in front of so many people.
The Anti-War Message: Though the Georgian soldiers are portrayed as brave and heroic, they are never celebrated for their actions. If the film is limited by only giving one side of the story, it still manages to put forth an anti-war message by showing how innocent civilians are tortured and killed in front of their families. These scenes may be hard to watch, but it’s with the intention of showing that war is ugly and heartless regardless of who is right or wrong.
The Real People: The end of the film offers documentary footage of the real survivors talking about the relatives they lost. Most of them are brought to tears when retelling their stories, and it’s hard not to join them – that kind of real pain cannot be faked.

The Bad:

Val Kilmer: Kilmer plays the part of the Dutchman, a veteran war journalist who encourages Anders to join him in Georgia (he does this through video chat, while taking a bubbly bath). He’s only seen a few times throughout the film, and each time he’s making goofy comments that make his character annoying. Being a guy who’s covered many wars, he could have served as as interesting mentor or father figure to Anders. Though this could be a fault on the writers and not him. Still, he’s easily replaceable.
One-sided Angle: Though the film is decidedly anti-war, Harlin’s version of the 2008 Russia-Georgia War is decidedly pro-Georgia. Here, Georgian military is heroic and their actions are only to save their country from the evil Russians, while the Russians are heartless criminals and are dressed in guerrilla uniforms and covered in tattoos. This film suggests that Georgia had no fault in this war, even though Human Rights Watch released a comprehensive and lengthy report that concluded both sides were at fault. On top of that, the American media also gets a share of the blame. The main character struggles to find a network who would broadcast his footage – all anyone cares about is the Beijing Olympics. The message here is clear – Georgia was abandoned by the world and left to rot in the hands of cold-blooded killers.

Overall:

5 Days of War‘s message is lost in its propaganda, which is too bad because it does deliver awesome battle sequences and explosions. It just could have been so much more.

Rating: 6/10

5 Days of War is available in select theaters now.

Trailer:

5 Days of War is in theaters September 2, 2011.

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City Island Theatrical Trailer

Krystal Clark — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:53:01 +0000

The first theatrical trailer has been released for the upcoming comedy, City Island. The film is written and directed by Raymond De Felitta, and features an all star cast including star and producer Andy Garcia. It’s already earned some well deserved attention on the festival circuit, by winning the Audience Award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. And with the release of the trailer the general public finally gets to see what all the hype is about…

City Island centers on a family man from the Bronx named Vince Rizzo. He’s a corrections officer by trade, but longs to be a professional actor. He secretly takes acting classes every week amidst his wife’s speculation that he’s having an affair. One day his teacher asks him to reveal his biggest secret in front of the class, which unleashes a chain of events that sends him and his family’s life into a tale-spin.

His fiery wife is played by Golden Globe winner Julianna Margulies (“The Good Wife“), while his children are portrayed by Steven Strait, his real life daughter Dominik García-Lorido, and Ezra Miller. Strait is the long lost son who happens to be an ex-con, who Vince decides to introduce to the rest of the family without telling them his true identity.

Here’s the trailer…

What do you think of City Island? Are you interested in seeing the film?

New York, I Love You Trailer Starring EVERYONE

Mali Elfman — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:25:25 +0000

This is quite possibly one of the biggest cast of directors and actors out there. New York, I Love You is a combination of 12 short films that take place in New York. The film follows (or rather pays omage to) the style of Paris, Je T’Aime. Each film has a different director, different actors, but they all come together in one way; they are about finding love in New York.

The film includes a series of short films directed by Jian Wen, Mira Nair, Brett Ratner, Allen Hughes, Shekhar Khapur, Natalie Portman, Fatih Akin, Joshua Marston and Randy Balsmyer. The film’s ensemble cast includes actors from all different genres including: Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Andy Garcia, Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Natalie Portman, Irrfan Khan, Emilie Ohana, Orlando Bloom, Christina Ricci, Maggie Q, Ethan Hawke, Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thilrlby, Blake Lively, Drea de Matteo, Julie Christie, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf, Ugur Yucel, Taylor Geare, Carlos Acosta, Jacinda Barrett, Shu Qi, Burt Young, Chris Cooper, Robin Wright Penn, Eva Ammuri, Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman.

Check out the trailer below…

For something that could seem so hectic, it’s actually very easy to take in. It’s nice to see such a wide variety of talent together. It seems like it’s a great excuse for some bigger stars who haven’t really done the romantic dramedy scene yet (Orlando Bloom, Shia La Beouf) to give the genre a try, as well as a place for up and comers (Rachel Bilson, Olivia Thirlby) to work with some big names.

The film will be in theaters October 28th.

Will you go and see it?

Anthony Hopkins to Star in Hemingway Biopic

Krystal Clark — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:34:04 +0000

I feel as if I can breathe a sigh of relief regarding Academy Award winning actor Anthony Hopkins. When I saw him earlier this year at the SAG and Academy Awards he looked a bit off. He looked sick almost, and I began to worry. I hoped that he was getting in character for a role that would explain his new look, and I think that was the case. According to EW, Hopkins has officially signed on to star in the biopic of legendary writer Ernest Hemingway. We reported on the film a while back when it was in the earlier stages of development.

There were rumors swirling around that Hopkins was loosely attached to star in the feature, but no confirmation was ever given. EW says that the actor will star in the film entitled Hemingway & Fuentes which will be produced and directed by Andy Garcia. Garcia will be wearing several hats for this project as he co-wrote the script and will star alongside Hopkins as Gregorio Fuentes. Fuentes is said to have been the inspiration behind the sea captain Santiago who is featured in Hemingway’s story The Old Man and the Sea. The other writer of the film’s screenplay is Hilary Hemingway, the niece of Ernest and an author in her own right.

Other casting prospects include Annette Benning in the role of Mary Welsh, Hemingway’s wife. The offer is still on table for the actress to join, and I hope she does. Benning is so talented and she deserves a role that will bring her home the gold. Am I the only who noticed that both times Hilary Swank won her Oscars Benning was unfortunately nominated that same year?

According to Andy Garcia’s agent Clifford Stevens this project has been in the making for years. It is a “labor of love” for the aspiring director. Garcia is another passionate actor who never got the attention he deserved. If this film is done right it can be a beautiful homage to a talented man, and showcase some of Hollywood’s finest.

Do you think Hopkins can pull of Ernest Hemingway? Who else would you consider for the part?

Interview with Andy Garcia for Pink Panther 2

Mali Elfman — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:00:05 +0000

The Pink Panther 2 is coming out this weekend and what can I say, it’s got an amazing cast! The film stars, Steve Martin along with John Cleese, Andy Garcia, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, and even has an appearance by Jeremy Irons if you can believe it. Andy Garcia appears in the film as a member of The Dream Team, which helps Insp. Jacques Clouseau who is played by Steve Martin (again) to find The Pink Panther (again).

Garcia has been busy the past few years with movies like The Pink Panther, but also his own independent projects such as City Island which he currently looking to distribute. Looks like he does little and big all at the same time!

Check out the interview below where Garcia talks about making Steve Martin blush on the set of Pink Panther 2, producing his own films, and much more...

How long did it take to get your character’s name down?

Andy: [Laughs] That was easy. It was written. Jessica Drake was the dialect coach for the film, and we tried to find the right accent. The movie is full of crazy accents. It’s part of the charm of Pink Panther. The crazier the accent, the better. It has to be crazy and almost over-the-top. But, being that this character was an Italian from Rome trying to speak English, and not an Italian American, she pulled from her library about half a dozen different Romans talking English, and then we found one that we felt was the funniest and that suited my tone of voice and register, and we started working on that accent. She was great. And, we had fun with it. You try to get to the point where you don’t think abut it anymore and you understand the rules of the dialect — what to pronounce and not to pronounce, and why you’re “s” might turn into a “z,” and all that kind of stuff.

But, you must have more room for comedy with something like this, so that it doesn’t have to be die-hard accurate, right?

Andy: Right. And, also, the stranger the better.

You’ve done so many serious and dramatic roles, and this is slapstick comedy. Is it fun for you to just let go?

Andy: It was a lot of fun. When I first moved to L.A., I was involved in an improvisational comedy group that performed in the cabarets here and the Comedy Store, among other places. And, I’ve always been a great fan of comedy. I don’t really watch much TV at night, other than maybe a little late night thing or I’ll watch the Golf Channel for a little bit. But, when I do watch TV I search out comedies. I prefer to watch “Everybody Loves Raymond” than going to an hour drama. It’s something I enjoy. I enjoy the art form of comedy very much. So, given an opportunity to do something with Steve Martin, Alfred Molina and John Cleese, it was very nostalgic for me because the Pink Panther was something I grew up with and they were movies that I really enjoyed. It was just a gas. I said, “I would love to be in a Pink Panther movie. Are you kidding me?” Just to see that little Pink Panther in the beginning, running around to the Henry Mancini tune had a lot of fond memories for me.

Was it fun getting to work with Steve Martin?

Andy: Oh, yeah. He’s a joy.

Were there any good outtakes?

Andy: There were some gag reels. I’m sure there’s some stuff out there. We had a lot of laughs. Sometimes it was when the camera wasn’t even rolling, and we were just hanging out. It was pretty raunchy. I wanted to make my character more raunchy than what ended up in the film, but they kept saying, “I don’t think that’s gonna fly.” I’d say things with double meaning, and Sony didn’t want to go in that direction. I said, “But, the adults will get it. The kids won’t know what I’m saying. I’m not using bad words.” And, he said, “Yes, but maybe the parents won’t appreciate it.” It was a battle I lost.

Did you get to improv a lot on set?

Andy: A little bit, yeah. Sometimes I’d ask Steve, “What if I say this?,” because he wrote it and I wanted to respect that. I remember saying one thing that had a double meaning and he got embarrassed. I couldn’t believe Steve got embarrassed and turned red. He’s very pale, so I could see the red. [Laughs] It was the scene I have with Emily Mortimer, when we’re going down the hallway. She said, “Okay, it’s time for lunch. We can eat Japanese, French, Italian and surely not English because nobody wants to eat English.” That was her line, as we were walking down the hallway. And, I said to Steve, because I’m always doing things to make you jealous, what if I said “I would like to eat French, since Emily’s character is French,” and Steve turned red and said, “Oh, I don’t think so.” I embarrassed him and I didn’t anticipate that I could embarrass him. He didn’t go for it. That’s just one of the many examples of Vicenzo getting out of control.

You perform sometimes is a band as well, is music more of a passion for you than acting?

Andy: It was, initially. It was my first passion, before I consciously said I wanted to act. I was always enamored with film. That was a real escapist thing for me. I would do a lot of that, as a young boy. But, music was something I was very consumed with, from a very early age. I used to go to sleep with the radio next to my bed, really low, and I used to sing. In those days, I was mostly listening to Motown. And then, the Cuban music began to take over and push Motown out. I started studying it and collecting it. I discovered Cachao, and it turned my life around, musically.

What are you doing in the music realm now?

Andy: I produced the last four records in Cachao’s life, and I did a musical documentary on his life, before he passed away. Cachao: Uno Mas, which I produced, is going to play at the Miami Film Festival. He passed away this past year. A lot of the players that would play with him, who live in the Los Angeles area, asked me to continue the traditions of the band, so we’ve stayed together and we’ve been playing different shows. We played at the Nokia Theatre over the holidays. George Lopez asked us to open for him, so we did that. When I can get the guys off the road, because they’re all-star players, who play with people like James Taylor, we play together. They want to keep traditional Cuban music alive in their lives, so we made a pact to stay together and continue, in the traditional sense. We call if the Cachao movement.

Can you tell us about your participation with City Island and what’s going on with it?

Andy: We just showed it for the first time. It’s an independent movie that I produced this summer, that I also act in, with Julianna Margulies playing my wife and Emily Mortimer playing my muse in it. Alan Arkin is in it. My daughter, Dominik, is in it, Ezra Miller, and Steven Strait. It’s about a dysfunctional Italian American family in City Island, New York, and it’s a dramedy with a Little Miss Sunshine type of tonality to it. I play a correctional officer, who clandestinely tells his wife that he has a poker game once a week, but he’s actually taking acting classes. He wants to be an actor. But, also, in the process, he meets, in prison, a son that he abandoned, very early on in his life. He’s from a previous relationship. They separated and she purposely kept the boy away from him, so he lost track of him. He discovers him in prison and brings him home without telling him. He’s on provisional parole, where he can be released to someone willing to take responsibility for him, so he does that without telling him that he’s his son. So, he brings him into his house, and some complications begin to happen.

Does Dominik play your daughter in it?

Andy: Yeah.

She’s done that before, right?

Andy: Andy Davis cast her as my daughter when she was 12, in Steal Big Steal Little. He said, “What about your daughter playing your daughter? We need a 12-year-old and she’s 12 years old, and she’s your daughter.” I said, “Well, she does act. She’s been acting since she was 5. But, it’s up to you. You talk to her about it and, if she wants to do it, that’s between you and her. I’ll embrace it, but it’s got to be your thing with her.” I told him, “I want you to tell her what her responsibilities would be. Leave me out of it. I support it, but it’s between you and her.” So, he did.

What’s it like acting with your daughter?

Andy: She’s a great actress. She’s ready to go. She was in The Lost City, the movie I directed, with me. She played my sister-in-law. And, my little boy, Andres, who’s now 7, was the little boy in the movie that played her son. And then, Daniella, my other daughter, also did a scene in the movie with Bill Murray, at the end of the film. She’s also at Cal Arts in the theatre program. I have a bunch of stray bullets, like myself, in the family. My little boy and I were watching highlights of the Tiger Woods U.S. Open last year and I said, “You know why Tiger is such a good golfer?,” and he said, “I know papi, practice.” I always tell him, “You’ve got to practice to be good at anything. If you don’t practice, you’re not going to be good.” He said, “Papi, don’t worry about those things. When I grow up, I’m going to be an actor.” [Laughs] I said, “But, you’ve still got to practice.”

Do you enjoy producing?

Andy: I produce out of necessity. If I have an idea that I want to tell, or an idea comes my way, if I can contribute to it getting made than I take on that responsibility. The reality is that, you can’t expect someone else to take it on for you. If you want something to get made, what are you prepared to do for that ultimate goal? It’s easy to produce, if you can take it to Warner Bros. and they go, “When can you start? We love it,” and they throw a bucket of money at you. That’s easy. But, when everyone says, “It’s very nice, but no thank you, we’re looking for other things,” and you get turned down by everyone, and you still have this story. You have to decide what you’re prepared to do. Are you going to say, “Oh, forget it! We’ll give up on the idea,” or do you continue to say, “Let’s see what we can do to get this thing made.” That’s more frustrating, but also more rewarding, at the end of the day. The Lost City took me 16 years to get made. And, City Island, when I got involved, took us about 2 ½ years to finally get it financed, and we were able to get it made. Do I say, “I need to produce”? No. I do it as part of the effort of getting something made. It’s rewarding because it’s an accomplishment. If you want to tell a director’s story, you have to take responsibility for it. You can’t expect other people to fight the fight for you.

Does City Island have distribution?

Andy: No. We just showed it, for the first time, to some distributors, and it will be going to the Market in Berlin. We’re in the process of selling it now.

In the case of The Lost City, where you’re the producer, the director, the composer and the star, was that exhausting or was it even more exhilarating?

Andy: It was more exhilarating. And, I produced it with Frank Mancuso, Jr., so he took the brunt of the physical production and the organization, and gave me the opportunity to think about producing it from a creative standpoint, and doing the directing and the acting, and all that. He was a great partner for me. You don’t do it alone. You’re not the only guy doing everything. Sometimes a producer is just a financier. Sometimes a producer is involved more as a creative element in the piece. But, there are delineations of jobs. There are production managers, production supervisors, line producers, producers, creative producers, etc. I don’t mind the responsibility, but it usually comes out of the desire to get something done and taking some responsibility for that journey.

What was the worst audition experience you ever had?

Andy: Probably the most insensitive one. Sometimes there’s a lot of insensitivity in the audition process. One of the things that the actors should negotiate is that, in any audition, an actor should be hired to read with other actors. It doesn’t have to be the normal scale, for when you’re working professionally, but even if it’s $100, someone should come in and read, for three or four hours. That actor gets a chance to show his stuff, and he pays for his gas or some of his rent that day, and the fellow actor should have a chance to read with other actors, as opposed to reading with casting directors. Not to say that they’re not good readers, but some of them are not. They’re also in a judgmental state.

I remember, one time, I went into an audition. This was many, many years ago, like maybe 1978, when I first got here, so I was probably in my early 20′s. I would get one audition, every eight months. And, after waiting and waiting, I remember going in for this TV pilot or something, and I was ready to start and then the phone rang. She picked up the phone and looked at me and said, “Go ahead.” She wanted me to do the audition, as she was talking on the phone. So, I looked at her and said, “No. I’m going to go back outside and wait about another 20 seconds, and then I’ll come back in and, if you’re not off the phone, I’m leaving.” And, she said, “Okay, wait a second,” and she said, “I’ll call you right back,” and hung up the phone. She was completely flustered because no one had probably ever said that to her, since she was the casting director. It was just disrespectful. You don’t have to like my acting, but you should do your job with more respect. You should respect the people that are there, trying to provide something for you. Things like that happen pretty frequently. There are a lot of great casting directors, but there are a lot of moments of insensitivity, in the acting process, which is unfortunate.

Did that get you the job?

Andy: No, not at all.

Do you have any advice for young actors?

Andy: Don’t do it.

Really? What about your kids, who all want to act?

Andy: No. That really comes from Matt Damon. He said that’s what he tells young actors because, if that discourages them, then they shouldn’t have been doing it. I thought it was an interesting philosophy. Plus, it leaves a little bit more room for us guys who are still trying to make a living. What I tell my own children, and what I tell young actors, is take your craft seriously and prepare like if you’re going to be a doctor. Be prepared so that, when an opportunity comes, you’re ready. And, every time you go into an audition, the room is yours, not theirs. It’s your moment. You have to control the room. It’s not about getting the job, but it’s about making an impression that resonates with the people in that room, so that they don’t forget you.

When you are working with less experienced actors, like with Yuki Matsuzaki and Aishwarya Rai in this film, is there anything you do to help make them feel more comfortable and less intimidated by working with someone like you?

Andy: Jeff Bridges is probably one of the most generous actors I’ve ever worked with. He certainly set the barometer for me to measure everybody else by because I worked with him very early on in my life here. You can’t get a more generous and gracious individual than Jeff Bridges. And, he said, “My philosophy is that I’m the host. I’m here every day, so I have to be the most important supporting actor in the movie. The movie is in my rhythm. A guy comes off the street to do one scene, he’s stepping into our rhythm, so it’s important for me, as the protagonist, to make it comfortable to do his thing, and to engage him in our process and make him feel at ease. It’s my responsibility. Everyone else is going to be uncomfortable, but if I can be gracious, hospitable and welcoming, it takes the pressure off.” I thought that was a great lesson. That was a gift from Jeff to me, and Jeff was a gift to me himself. It’s a philosophy that I’ve tried to carry on. The more I can feed someone on camera, the better the whole is going to be. And, the more they can feed me on camera, the better my performance is going to be. That’s my philosophy.

If they want to bring the Dream Team back for Pink Panther 3, are you signed up or on board for it?

Andy: I’m not signed, but I’m prepared to negotiate. [Laughs]

Check out the Pink Panther 2 in theaters February 6th, 2009.

ScreenCrave.com » andy garcia

5 Days of War: Movie Review

The Players:

Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 6/10

Trailer:

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