Hugo Weaving Featured in Two New Pro-Equality PSAs, Attends STC's The Present Opening
Though Hugo has mostly been taking an extended break since Waiting For Godot ended its London run. I do apologize for not getting his few but very welcome public appearances posted here in anything resembling a timely manner. Since the last entry I've lost a beloved pet and adopted two new ones, I work three part-time jobs with highly unpredictable hours, and I've had all sorts of other distractions from family, friends and other Life Complications, not all of them bad. I do update my Twitter feed most days because most of my friends tend to congregate there, but do appreciate the context this forum allows.
I was lucky enough to attend a screening of Hugo's film Healing, costarring Don Hany, Xavier Samuel and Mark Leonard Winter, on August 14 in New York City. Though I sometimes fault my own "cussed orneriness" about waiting to see Hugo's films on a big cinema screen (whether or not there's any hope of such a screening actually materializing) this is one instance where I'm absolutely glad I did. The DGA Theatre in New York City offered Craig Monahan's beautiful film the pristine visual/sound presentation it deserved. Monahan himself attended, discussed making the film and took questions from the audience after the screening, discreetly but definitely suggesting the film's US distributor had dropped the ball dumping the film straight to DVD with no fanfare and a risibly inaccurate cover illustration "showing Hugo Weaving looking like he did in The Matrix." ;) The DGA screenings in New York and, last week, in Los Angeles are part of Monahan's attempt to get the film properly seen here after too few film festivals took a chance on it, seeming to prefer "edgier" fare, though at this stage I would consider a prison-set film NOT fixated on violence and rape to be ahead of the pack. I'll offer some thoughts on the film later; if any of you fans has a chance to see this film in a theatre-- or on high-quality HDTV equipment with decent surround-sound-- you should go for it. In some ways I'm disappointed I wasn't able to first witness Strangerland under such optimal conditions, but I'm still hopeful I might get that chance later. That, The Key Man and The Turning are Hugo's only indie films since 2005 that I haven't managed to see in a theatre. Yes, I actually managed to see The Tender Hook in a theatre too. Still can't quite believe that happened... but just goes to show you never know what opportunities might come up, so always be ready. ;)
#WeCanDoThis and #IStandWithAdam TV Spots
Hugo Weaving lent his presence to two important public service announcements that aired on Australian TV to coincide with internet awareness/hashtag campaigns. The first, #IStandWithAdam, depicts many prominent Australian actors, politicians and athletes voicing their support for Adam Goodes, an Indigenous Australian athlete who has faced racist taunts and jeering from some Australian-rules football fans. (Goodes plays for The Sydney Swans; Hugo is a long-standing fan often spotted at games.) Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh, among many others, also appear in the two-minute spot. You can read more about the campaign at The Age, BBC Online, The Sydney Morning Herald and ABC.
via The Age
About a week after the #IStandWithAdam spot appeared, Hugo also joined in the marriage-equality campaign #WeCanDoThis. Rather shockingly, even the US was ahead of Australia on this important issue... ideally this lapse will soon be rectified. Marriage equality has been the law of the land in my state for ten years now and has done nothing to impinge on the sanctity of "straight marriage"... even for people on their third or fourth straight marriage. ;)
via Australian Marriage Equality
Here are a few of my caps from both PSAs.
Hugo Attends Opening of STC's The Present
On August 8, Hugo attended the premiere of Sydney Theatre Co's new production of the rarely-mounted Chekhov play The Present, starring Cate Blanchett, Richard Roxburgh, Jacqueline McKenzie and Susan Prior. Reviews have been generally positive; you can read a few at The Guardian, Limelight Magazine, The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Here are the only four pics of Hugo at the premiere that I've been able to find thusfar, along with my favorite of the production photos.
Hugo Weaving at the opening night performance of STC's The Present Photo: Jennifer Polixenni Brankin/Getty Images
Photo: Jennifer Polixenni Brankin/Getty Images
Photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage
Photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage
Cate Blanchett, Richard Roxburgh and the cast share a quiet evening at home ;) Production photo by Lisa Tomasetti (full set of her photos here)
Strangerland DVD/Blu-Ray
A month after it was (barely) released to US cinemas, Strangerland debuted on DVD and Blu-Ray August 18. (It has been available on these formats in Australia for a couple of months.) Though the cover art is different, both the R4 and R1 home releases seem to feature similar bonus features, though the Australian DVD breaks them down into smaller categories (ie by actor/director). You can also rent the film via Netflix and the streaming services that offered the VOD when the film came out last month (Amazon, Vudu, iTunes.) Some of the more comprehensive/well-written assessments of the DVD/Blu-Ray (and the film itself) appear at Galveston News, Film Ireland, Edge Media Network,
There are also contests to win a copy of the US Blu-Ray and poster at several sites, including The Film Stage, Slant Magazine and Dread Central. (Though, IMHO, there should be a rule that only sites which give a film positive or supportive reviews should get free copies to dole out.) ;)
And you can read more info on the locations for the film at Screen NSW.
The Dressmaker
The Adelaide Film Festival will hold a preview screening of The Dressmaker (starring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Sarah Snook, Liam Hemsworth and Hugo) on 16 October in advance of its 29 October Australian release. For more details go here. The film's world premiere (specific date TBA) will be at the Toronto International Film Festival in September... ie less than a month away! ;)
Author Rosalie Ham spoke to News 7/Yahoo about her excitement over seeing her novel adapted for the screen, as well as her role as an extra in the dance hall scene. The video interview is several minutes long but, alas, features no Hugo footage apart from what's already in the trailer.
There are two new paperback versions of Ham's novel: a more generic reprint (still an improvement over the sickly pink-and-green original cover design) and a film tie-in which come out next month. I impatiently ordered the first one offered, which turned out to be the generic one, but since Hugo's character isn't depicted on either version, I can't complain. The film tie-in, available for pre-order, features Kate Winslet as she appears on the film's poster.
I've read a few pages and already love Ham's caustic, witty "voice", which could be problematic when it comes to adaptation... either the omniscient third-person wit has to be filtered into character dialogue (which can work if done judiciously) or through voiceover narration (please, don't do this. It rarely works). I have a history of "book snobbery" dating back to when I was 6 and proclaimed the book version of The Wizard of Oz to be better than the beloved 1939 film version. (I now concede I was wrong... both are equally good.) This summer I got a taste of how the other side feels when I fell in love with an adaptation of a popular novel without having read it, then despaired that the novel filled in all the narrative gaps in different ways than my imagination had. ;) So I'm nervous about whether I should continue reading the book before seeing the film. Previously I have read the book in almost every instance when Hugo starred in an adaptation, and his skill (and that of his costars and collaborators) has usually gotten me over any drastic changes from the book. But I do understand when some people complain that the film version of V for Vendetta is substantially different from the graphic novel-- because it IS. In this case I love both for very different reasons. For the most part, the novel and cinema versions of (The) Last Ride are complementary as well... though anyone who disliked Kev's fate in the film can seek solace in the novel. So I have to decide what to do... but what I've read of the novel so far is a sharp-edged delight.
Healing review to follow soon. Spoiler alert though: I loved it. Shouldn't be missed by any fan of the actors, Craig Monahan or wild raptors.
I was lucky enough to attend a screening of Hugo's film Healing, costarring Don Hany, Xavier Samuel and Mark Leonard Winter, on August 14 in New York City. Though I sometimes fault my own "cussed orneriness" about waiting to see Hugo's films on a big cinema screen (whether or not there's any hope of such a screening actually materializing) this is one instance where I'm absolutely glad I did. The DGA Theatre in New York City offered Craig Monahan's beautiful film the pristine visual/sound presentation it deserved. Monahan himself attended, discussed making the film and took questions from the audience after the screening, discreetly but definitely suggesting the film's US distributor had dropped the ball dumping the film straight to DVD with no fanfare and a risibly inaccurate cover illustration "showing Hugo Weaving looking like he did in The Matrix." ;) The DGA screenings in New York and, last week, in Los Angeles are part of Monahan's attempt to get the film properly seen here after too few film festivals took a chance on it, seeming to prefer "edgier" fare, though at this stage I would consider a prison-set film NOT fixated on violence and rape to be ahead of the pack. I'll offer some thoughts on the film later; if any of you fans has a chance to see this film in a theatre-- or on high-quality HDTV equipment with decent surround-sound-- you should go for it. In some ways I'm disappointed I wasn't able to first witness Strangerland under such optimal conditions, but I'm still hopeful I might get that chance later. That, The Key Man and The Turning are Hugo's only indie films since 2005 that I haven't managed to see in a theatre. Yes, I actually managed to see The Tender Hook in a theatre too. Still can't quite believe that happened... but just goes to show you never know what opportunities might come up, so always be ready. ;)
#WeCanDoThis and #IStandWithAdam TV Spots
Hugo Weaving lent his presence to two important public service announcements that aired on Australian TV to coincide with internet awareness/hashtag campaigns. The first, #IStandWithAdam, depicts many prominent Australian actors, politicians and athletes voicing their support for Adam Goodes, an Indigenous Australian athlete who has faced racist taunts and jeering from some Australian-rules football fans. (Goodes plays for The Sydney Swans; Hugo is a long-standing fan often spotted at games.) Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh, among many others, also appear in the two-minute spot. You can read more about the campaign at The Age, BBC Online, The Sydney Morning Herald and ABC.
Click to viewvia The Age
About a week after the #IStandWithAdam spot appeared, Hugo also joined in the marriage-equality campaign #WeCanDoThis. Rather shockingly, even the US was ahead of Australia on this important issue... ideally this lapse will soon be rectified. Marriage equality has been the law of the land in my state for ten years now and has done nothing to impinge on the sanctity of "straight marriage"... even for people on their third or fourth straight marriage. ;)
via Australian Marriage Equality
Here are a few of my caps from both PSAs.
Hugo Attends Opening of STC's The Present
On August 8, Hugo attended the premiere of Sydney Theatre Co's new production of the rarely-mounted Chekhov play The Present, starring Cate Blanchett, Richard Roxburgh, Jacqueline McKenzie and Susan Prior. Reviews have been generally positive; you can read a few at The Guardian, Limelight Magazine, The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Here are the only four pics of Hugo at the premiere that I've been able to find thusfar, along with my favorite of the production photos.
Hugo Weaving at the opening night performance of STC's The Present Photo: Jennifer Polixenni Brankin/Getty Images
Photo: Jennifer Polixenni Brankin/Getty Images
Photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage
Photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage
Cate Blanchett, Richard Roxburgh and the cast share a quiet evening at home ;) Production photo by Lisa Tomasetti (full set of her photos here)
Strangerland DVD/Blu-Ray
A month after it was (barely) released to US cinemas, Strangerland debuted on DVD and Blu-Ray August 18. (It has been available on these formats in Australia for a couple of months.) Though the cover art is different, both the R4 and R1 home releases seem to feature similar bonus features, though the Australian DVD breaks them down into smaller categories (ie by actor/director). You can also rent the film via Netflix and the streaming services that offered the VOD when the film came out last month (Amazon, Vudu, iTunes.) Some of the more comprehensive/well-written assessments of the DVD/Blu-Ray (and the film itself) appear at Galveston News, Film Ireland, Edge Media Network,
There are also contests to win a copy of the US Blu-Ray and poster at several sites, including The Film Stage, Slant Magazine and Dread Central. (Though, IMHO, there should be a rule that only sites which give a film positive or supportive reviews should get free copies to dole out.) ;)
And you can read more info on the locations for the film at Screen NSW.
The Dressmaker
The Adelaide Film Festival will hold a preview screening of The Dressmaker (starring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Sarah Snook, Liam Hemsworth and Hugo) on 16 October in advance of its 29 October Australian release. For more details go here. The film's world premiere (specific date TBA) will be at the Toronto International Film Festival in September... ie less than a month away! ;)
Author Rosalie Ham spoke to News 7/Yahoo about her excitement over seeing her novel adapted for the screen, as well as her role as an extra in the dance hall scene. The video interview is several minutes long but, alas, features no Hugo footage apart from what's already in the trailer.
There are two new paperback versions of Ham's novel: a more generic reprint (still an improvement over the sickly pink-and-green original cover design) and a film tie-in which come out next month. I impatiently ordered the first one offered, which turned out to be the generic one, but since Hugo's character isn't depicted on either version, I can't complain. The film tie-in, available for pre-order, features Kate Winslet as she appears on the film's poster.
I've read a few pages and already love Ham's caustic, witty "voice", which could be problematic when it comes to adaptation... either the omniscient third-person wit has to be filtered into character dialogue (which can work if done judiciously) or through voiceover narration (please, don't do this. It rarely works). I have a history of "book snobbery" dating back to when I was 6 and proclaimed the book version of The Wizard of Oz to be better than the beloved 1939 film version. (I now concede I was wrong... both are equally good.) This summer I got a taste of how the other side feels when I fell in love with an adaptation of a popular novel without having read it, then despaired that the novel filled in all the narrative gaps in different ways than my imagination had. ;) So I'm nervous about whether I should continue reading the book before seeing the film. Previously I have read the book in almost every instance when Hugo starred in an adaptation, and his skill (and that of his costars and collaborators) has usually gotten me over any drastic changes from the book. But I do understand when some people complain that the film version of V for Vendetta is substantially different from the graphic novel-- because it IS. In this case I love both for very different reasons. For the most part, the novel and cinema versions of (The) Last Ride are complementary as well... though anyone who disliked Kev's fate in the film can seek solace in the novel. So I have to decide what to do... but what I've read of the novel so far is a sharp-edged delight.
Healing review to follow soon. Spoiler alert though: I loved it. Shouldn't be missed by any fan of the actors, Craig Monahan or wild raptors.