Zac Efron - Richard Samuels (M&OW - Spoilers) #11 ~ "Sometimes you remember a week for the rest of your life."

bettybaby · 09-30-2009, 06:51 AM

Welcome to the "Me and Orson Welles" Thread #10

"Me and Orson Welles" Synopsis – IMDb
Set in 1937, the story centers on a high school student (Efron) who, while strolling the streets of New York, happens upon the yet-to-open Mercury Theatre and is noticed by its mercurial founder, Orson Welles. The man lands a bit part in "Julius Caesar," the production that catapulted Welles to the top, and spends the next week learning about life and love.

Production Notes (Courtesy of Cinema is Dope)

Alternative (longer) summaries of the novel can be found here.
Another synopsis can be found on the movie page of the Isle of Man Film website here.

Cast & Characters – credits on IMDb

Zac Efron..................................Richard Samuels
Christian McKay............................Orson Welles
Claire Danes...............................Sonja Jones
Ben Chaplin................................George Coulouris
Kelly Reilly...............................Muriel Brassler
Eddie Marsan...............................John Houseman
Leo Bill...................................Norman Lloyd
James Tupper...............................Joseph Cotten
Zoe Kazan..................................Gretta Alder

Directed by................................Richard Linklater

Latest News...

Zac Efron is a revelation in Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles | Film | guardian.co.uk

Me and Orson Welles: TEAM EFRON NEEDS YOU!! | Facebook

Other official/affiliated sites:

Deauville adds films to lineup

Early Look at Zac Efron in Me and Orson Welles! - rollcreditsonline.com

Filming & Release Info

Release date: U. S.:November 25th; UKecember 4th.
Detailed information on the filming of the movie can be found in this post
TPTB went to Cannes 2008 and presented some footage there. There were several articles mentioning M&OW in the Cannes coverage: THR (13 May), IndiWIRE (13 May), Variety (14 May), THR (17 May), Variety (20 May), THR (21 May) and WSJ (16 May)
M&OW premiered at TIFF08: official press release from TIFF (13 Aug 2008), Variety (13 Aug 2008), THR (13 Aug 2008)
Linklater’s new film to screen at SXSW (Austin360.com, 14 Mar 2009)
Me and Orson Welles will screen at the Woodstock Film Festival which runs from Sep 30 through Oct 4, 2009 (Woodstock Film Festival Press Release, 29 Apr 2009)

Articles & Interviews

Most Recent:

Claire Danes: Danger, High Voltage! - BlackBook

Richard Linklater Talks Zac Efron, ‘School of Rock 2,’ Future of Filmmaking - BlackBook

Zac Efron - The 2009 TIME 100 - TIME

Confirmation of the project at The Hollywoodreporter (18 Jan 2008): Efron hangs with 'Welles'
Official press release from the Isle of Man Film (30 Jan 2008).
Claire Danes joins the cast (IoM Today - 30 Jan 2008)
Claire Danes, Ben Chaplin, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan, Leo Bill, Imogen Poots and Aidan McArdle join the cast: Variety - 31 Jan 2008, Hollywoodreporter - 1 Feb 2008, ComingSoon.net - 30 Jan 2008
Zac talks a bit about the project: Zac Efron Gets Serious For ‘Orson Welles And Me’ (MTV Movies Blog - 7 Feb 2008)
Kelly Reilly is playing Muriel Brassler, cast is currently rehearsing for film (Daily Mail - 14 Feb 2008)
Linklater, Carli & Samuelson talk about making the film on IoM ('Zac Efron - what's all the fuss about?') (IoM Today - 6 March 2008)
James Tupper joins the cast as Joseph Cotten (Hollywoodreporter - 6 March 2008)
Eddie Marsan talks about his role in M&OW (indieLONDON - 16 April 2008)
Official Raconteur Reader blog writes about the casting of Christian McKay as Orson Welles (and then the scoundrel said... The official blog of The Raconteur - March 2008; original blog entry deleted since then)
From a New York Times Bestseller to the Silver Screen, Kaplow Speaks on Recent Film Success (The Alternative Press, 17 June 2008)
Interview with James Tupper: Bouncing back is all in a day's work (The Province, 7 July 2008)
Interview with Toronto's Co-Director Cameron Bailey (indiWIRE, 19 Aug 2008)
Director P.O.V.: Richard Linklater – Helmer reinvents '30s New York at Pinewood (Variety, 16 Oct 2008)
10th Annual Woodstock Film Festival to Bestow Its Highest honor on Filmmaker Richard Linklater (Woodstock Film Festival Press Release, 29 April 2009)

Images

This picture of Orson Welles and Arthur Anderson (the real life apprentice who Richard Samuels is based on) in 1937 inspired Robert Kaplow to write the book:
Various pictures from the filming of the movie can be found in this post
First official movie and BTS stills courtesy of Twitch via First Showing (20 Aug 2008), Cinema is Dope (5 Sep 2008)
Pictures of the M&OW premiere @ TIFF08 on Sep 5th, 2008 in Toronto featuring Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay, Richard Linklater

Videos

Video of the press conference on 4 March 2008 @ IoM (courtesy of IoM Today)
First clip of M&OW (Richard's audition scene in front of the Mercury Theater) - 05 Sep 2008, courtesy of LA Times

Reviews
Trade press and general media, established critics and movies sites:

A full list of TIFF08 reviews can be found in this post. A few selected key reviews:
- Toronto: Richard Linklater premieres 'Me and Orson Welles' (LA Times, 5 Sep 2008)
- Toronto Watch: Me and Orson Welles (Thompson on Hollywood @ Variety, 6 Sep 2008)
- Film Review: Me and Orson Welles (The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep 2008)
- Toronto Review: Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles (First Showing, 6 Sep 2008)
- TIFF Review: Me And Orson Welles (CinemaBlend, 6 Sep 2008)
- Orson Welles lives at the Toronto International Film Festival (Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer, 7 Sep 2008)
- A CHAT WITH ZAC EFRON (...and the winner is, 7 Sep 2008)
- Me and Orson Welles (Variety, 8 Sep 2008)
- TIFF Review: Me and Orson Welles (Cinematical, 11 Sep 2008)
- Toronto Film Festival Day 8: Zac Efron Gives Second Best Performance in 'Welles' (moviefone, 12 Sep 2008)
- Toronto International Film Festival: Me and Orson Welles (CHUD, 12 Sep 2008)
- TORONTO: ‘Good,’ ‘Me and Orson Welles,’ ‘Every Little Step,’ ‘The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond,’ ‘The Hurt Locker’ (InContention, 11 Sep 2008)
- The Toronto Film Festival Wrap-Up (ComingSoon.net, 15 Sep 2008)
SXSW: As a surprise, Linklater unveils his latest (Austin360.com, 16 Mar 2009)
SXSW: Annette Kellerman hangs with ME & ORSON WELLES... really!!! (Aint It Cool News, 18 Mar 2009)
Me and Orson Welles Trailer Online | The Movie Blog (The Movie Blog, August 12, 2009)
James King... MOVIES: Zac Efron does a High School....Shakespearian Tragedy. (James King Movies, August 19th, 2009)
Zac Efron in ‘actually quite a good actor’ shock! (me-me-me.tv, August 19th, 2009)
Zac Efron film set for December release - Isle of Man Today (iomtoday.co.im, August 21st, 2009)

Additional Info

Get Robert Kaplow's novel at Amazon
Pictures of Orson Welles' original 1937 production of "Julius Caesar" in the Mercury Theatre
Premiere listing of the original 1937 play of Julius Caesar at the Broadway Internet Database

Featured Video Clip of the Moment

Teaser Trailer(17 Again DVD)

UK Trailer

Official U.S. Trailer

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Previous Threads
#1: Because Zac fascinates us in 1937 and 2008
#2: b/c the hairdresser already yelled "CUT!"
#3: b/c we'd let Zac fill our quadruple space anytime
#4: b/c we are waiting for Richard in his bathrobe
#5: because he will take TIFF by storm
#6: b/c only Richard can make a Wheaties jingle sound great
#7: b/c we're loving all the great reviews we're getting
#8: because we're counting down the days until October
#9 :B/C we don't think it's too much to ask for a U.S. release...channeling!
#10 :#10: Because we love that reviews are putting him in the same class as Leo and Johnny!
The opening post gets updated with new information as it becomes available. If you want to be added to the supporters list, please either leave a message in the thread or send me a PM to one of the Mods.

JustღBreathe · 09-30-2009, 07:02 AM

New thread.

Thanks Betty

nyychick2 · 09-30-2009, 07:46 AM

Thanks for opening Betty!

I love all the positive buzz this movie is getting. It might be one of the movies that benefits from the Academy increasing Best Picture to 10 movies.

*PassionateJ* · 09-30-2009, 08:28 AM

new thread! Great title, bc I love that quote!!!

Amazing review post from EHS:

Wellesnet: The Orson Welles Web Resource Blog Archive Richard Linklater’s ME AND ORSON WELLES is easily one of the years “Ten Best films”

Quote:

Richard Linklater’s ME AND ORSON WELLES is easily one of the years “Ten Best films”

Last night, I saw ME AND ORSON WELLES, and to be truthful, although I was quite excited about seeing it, I was a bit worried that all the hype I had heard beforehand would lead me to view the picture as a huge disappointment.

After all, I had only heard good things about the movie since it had played at Toronto a year ago, but there was this strange underlying feeling about the quality of the film, and why no major distributor had picked the film up for release, especially if it was supposed to be so good!

Well, after actually seeing Me and Orson Welles, I can dash all of the reservations I had to the (other side) of the wind! I suddenly realized what idiotic thinking I was falling back on. How stupid of me, allowing supposed “independent” companies, who are controlled by “the corporate elite” to determine what kind of films the public should see in these times! That is truly an exercise in absurdity.

It is also just the kind of problem that Orson Welles himself had to face in his last years as an independent filmmaker. Just look at all the independent film companies who wouldn’t back Orson Welles in any o f his last cherished film projects, such as The Big Brass Ring, The Dreamers, King Lear and The Cradle Will Rock.

In any case, before I saw Me and Orson Welles, I had reviewed the many different accounts of Welles’s staging of Julius Caesar, so I was fully prepared to totally dislike the film if it showed a highly inaccurate portrayal of Welles, as Tim Robbins did so badly, in his terrible film, The Cradle Will Rock, and as some hack director did, in that awful HBO TV movie, RKO 281.

So I was rather delighted when Me and Orson Welles turned out to be such a magnificent and largely accurate account of Welles’s staging of his 1937 stage production of Julius Caesar!

Before this, my favorite Richard Linklater film was Tape. Now, it is his wonderful recreation of 1937 New York and the Mercury production of Julius Caesar, along with Christian McKay’s marvelous turn as Orson Welles, in Me and Orson Welles.

In fact, Me and Orson Welles, is easily one of the best movies of the year, and I can’t believe it won’t be nominated for a “Best Picture” Academy Award, now that there are ten slots to fill.

Of course, the key to getting the film nominated as best picture, will be to get enough actors in the Academy to actually see the movie. The Actors branch is the largest in the Academy, and they generally determine the final five nominees. But this year, because Me and Orson Welles concerns a masterful theatrical production of a Shakespearian play, and is really all about acting, I can’t imagine any AMPAS acting member who sees it, would NOT think it was worthy of a spot as one of the TEN best picture nominees!

In that spirit, I present a list of possible Academy Award nominations I think Me and Orson Welles should be considered for:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BEST PICTURE: Richard Linklater, Marc Samuelson and Ann Carli.

BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Holly Gent Palmo and Vince Palmo.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian McKay.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Dick Pope.

BEST ART DIRECTION: Laurence Dorman.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Nic Ede.

BEST FILM EDITING: Sandra Adair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

nyychick2 · 09-30-2009, 08:44 AM

That would be so awesome if McKay and Linklater got noms, but baby steps. So needs to get out into theaters first.

V-Nessa · 09-30-2009, 08:55 AM

Thanks for the new thread!

gigi0315 · 09-30-2009, 09:06 AM

Thanks for the new thread, Betty!

Jamie Choate · 09-30-2009, 10:00 AM

TFTNT.

I like the poster. I assume that's what that was in the last thread?

It's awesome that the movie is getting such rave reviews. Linklater rarely disappoints.

Zac Efron's # 1 fan · 09-30-2009, 10:50 AM

Betty thanks for opening the new thread. Jessica thanks for posting that.

bettybaby · 09-30-2009, 01:14 PM

love that review obviously

i'm still a little disappointed with the poster

.......i don't get why we can't be in charge of marketing

BreakingFree · 09-30-2009, 01:43 PM

Awe, thanks for the new thread! The poster is okay IMO, but bleh, they could have done something better,

bettybaby · 09-30-2009, 02:20 PM

yes, yes, of course i don't completely dislike it.....its just they could have done so much better............cough I'M IN MARKETING cough

juju81 · 09-30-2009, 04:50 PM

I agree with you, the poster is not that great...

for another great review !

Quote:

chrisger21: just back from 'me and orson welles'... with new fave film star zak ephron. its well worth a watch.

christine gernon (chrisger21) on Twitter

Zak Ephron

bettybaby · 09-30-2009, 09:12 PM

oh dear

oh well.....its what he said that counts

JustღBreathe · 09-30-2009, 09:14 PM

I know..

But really...Zac Efron is not even a difficult name to write or spell...
Why people do this??


Fan Forum > Archived Celebrities > Zac Efron > Richard Samuels (M&OW - Spoilers) #11 ~ "Sometimes you remember a week for the rest of your life."