John Hawkes

John Hawkes Talks THE SURROGATE, LINCOLN, Working with Daniel Day-Lewis, and More at Sundance

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 4th, 2012 at 10:23 am

Led by a truly remarkable performance by John Hawkes, writer-director Ben Lewin‘s The Surrogate blew me away at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.  The film’s based on the true story of Mark O’Brien, a 36-year-old poet and journalist with an iron lung, who decides that he no longer wants to be a virgin.  With the help of his priest (William H. Macy) and a professional sex surrogate (Helen Hunt), we follow his amazing journey.  Trust me, The Surrogates is great on so many levels (which explains why there was a bidding war; Fox Searchlight won), and it’s definitely going to be a contender at the 2013 Academy Awards.  For more on the film, here’s Matt’s review.

Shortly after seeing the film, I sat down with John Hawkes for an extended interview.  We talked about being at Sundance, how he prepared for The Surrogate, the responsibility of playing a real person, his preference between a few takes or a lot, and so much more.  In addition, since Hawkes just worked with Steven Spielberg on Lincoln, he talked about how Tony Kushner‘s screenplay drew him to the project and what it was like to work with Daniel Day-Lewis.  Hit the jump to watch.

John Hawkes to Star in JACKIE BROWN Prequel, SWITCH

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 4:38 pm

The well-received performance by John Hawkes in Sundance’s audience award-winner, The Surrogate, has helped to land the star a role in Switch, the Jackie Brown prequel. Starring opposite Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def), the duo will portray younger versions of Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie. The same characters were respectively played by Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson in Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 film, Jackie Brown. From writer/director Dan Schechter (Goodbye Baby), Switch is an adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel, “The Switch,” which is scheduled to start production in May. Hit the jump for more.

Hilarious New Trailer for EASTBOUND & DOWN Season Three

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: January 31st, 2012 at 1:55 pm

“Look at y’all jumping around like a bunch of child molesters at Chuck E. Cheese.” Damn it’s good to have Kenny Powers back, or at least know that his return to HBO for the third (and maybe final) season of Eastbound & Down is coming on February 19th, less than a month away. Now a new trailer straight from HBO promises a great duo between Danny McBride and Jason Sudeikis as Powers’ new best friend and fellow ball player and we catch a quick glimpse of the return of Will Ferrell, Steve Little, and John Hawkes too. The trailer really does speak for itself so you can check it out after the jump.

Sundance 2012: THE SURROGATE Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 4:17 pm

In the movies, pretty adults are supposed to have sex.  The male lead and the female lead need to be our idealized selves in an ideal relationship and they need to have attractive people sex.  But in the real world, people find a way to fall in love and get it on even if they don’t have chiseled abs or amazing breasts.  And then there are those people where, due to their physique, we wonder if sex is even an option and we’re sure that thought has crossed their minds as well.  And no matter our physique, we’ve all probably wondered if we’ll ever find love.  Those thoughts—of finding love and sex—crossed the mind of writer and poet Mark O’Brien.  At the age of six, O’Brien’s body was ravaged by polio and he was placed in an iron lung, which he could only leave for a few hours at a time.  As John entered his 40s, he still hadn’t had sex or found love, and in Ben Lewin‘s The Surrogate—a movie based on O’Brien’s real experiences—he searches for both.  The Surrogate comes right up to the line of being painfully sentimental and mawkish, but strong direction and amazing lead performances make the film inspirational, funny, and genuinely heartwarming.

Sundance 2012: First Images from THE END OF LOVE, FILLY BROWN, THE FIRST TIME, and THE SURROGATE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 30th, 2011 at 2:16 pm

Today, the 2012 Sundance Film Festival announced their In-Competition line-up, and that means we’re about to get a boatload of new images from upcoming films.  After the jump you’ll find synopses and the first images from The End of Love (starring Mark Webber, Michael Cera, and Amanda Seyfried), Filly Brown (starring Gina Rodriguez, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Edward James Olmos), The First Time (starring Dylan O’Brien, Brittany Robertson, and Craig Roberts), and The Surrogate (starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, and William H. Macy).

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19 – 29th.

Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced; DRIVE, 50/50, and THE ARTIST Up for Top Prize

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 29th, 2011 at 9:15 am

The nominations for the 27th Annual Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning with The Artist and Take Shelter each nabbing five nominations. In addition to The Artist and Take Shelter, Drive, 50/50, The Descendants, and Beginners will duke it out for the top prize. Absent from the Best Feature list is Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, though the film was recognized in Best Supporting Male (Corey Stoll) and Best Cinematography. Also of note, Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes landed nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Male for Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Ryan Gosling and Woody Harrelson were both singled out in Best Actor for Drive and Rampart respectively.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominations. Recognizing the best in independent film, the awards will be handed out on February 25th, the day before the Oscars.

2012 Oscar Preview: Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 24th, 2011 at 9:20 am

Ah, November. Leaves are falling, colder weather is here (depending on where you live), and the 2011 movie season is coming to a close. While angry shoppers and red Starbucks cups generally mean it’s time to start preparing for the many awkward/tense family encounters that are sure to come, it’s also time to start thinking Oscar. We’ve seen a few contenders throughout the year, but a plethora of heavyhitters will be opening over the next 5 weeks.

To aid in your Oscar polls (or to quench your curiosity) we’ve compiled a state of the race preview as of this lovely Thanksgiving week. Granted, a lot can change from now until February, but a good portion of the major players have already been screened and we’re starting to get a sense of how it could all play out. We’ll be examining all the major categories over the next four days, kicking things off with the infamously unpredictable Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Hit the jump to see where things stand.

John Hawkes MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE Interview

by Christina Radish    Posted: October 22nd, 2011 at 11:40 am

Martha Marcy May Marlene is a psychological thriller about a young woman (played by Elizabeth Olsen) who undergoes a crisis of identity after escaping a cult-like farming community where she suffered unspeakable abuses. As her past memories flash throughout her present, the audience gets to catch glimpses of manipulative community leader Patrick (John Hawkes), who is as chilling as he is charming.

At the film’s press day, the always complex and fascinating actor, John Hawkes, spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about wanting to layer this character in a way that would keep him from becoming clichéd, approaching this more as a misguided community than a cult, not judging the character so that the audience never quite knows what to make of him, and quickly seeing how special and dedicated an actress Elizabeth Olsen is. He also said that he’s about to start work on Steven Spielberg’s movie about Lincoln and, although he cannot talk about it, the script is “really wonderful.” Check out what he had to say after the jump:

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 21st, 2011 at 6:34 am

[This is a re-print of my review from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival]

Martha Marcy May Marlene is a powder keg of tension, paranoia, and regret that will have you captivated with incredible direction and amazing performances. Centering on a young woman who escapes from a cult only to discover that she can’t re-assimilate, the storytelling is always restrained, intelligent, and compelling. In his debut feature film, director Sean Durkin brilliantly ties together haunting cinematography, intense sound design, and smart editing. Elizabeth Olsen gives a breakthrough performance as the haunted Martha, and costar John Hawkes continues to amaze. Never showy but always compelling, Martha Marcy May Marlene is one of the best films I’ve seen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

International Trailer and Poster for MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 1st, 2011 at 6:52 am

The international trailer for Martha Marcy May Marlene has gone online and it makes the film look a little too much like an intense thriller rather than the unnerving, creepy flick that gets under your skin.  However, the trailer also highlights John Hawkes’ incredible performance as a seductive and violent cult leader and I’m hoping he’ll stand-out in the increasingly crowded Best Supporting Actor race.

Hit the jump to check out the international trailer and poster.  The film also stars Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, and Hugh Dancy.  Martha Marcy May Marlene will play at the Toronto International Film Festival, open domestically in limited release on October 21st, and is due out in the UK in early 2012.

2 Creepy Trailers and 2 Weird Posters for MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 22nd, 2011 at 10:53 am

Fox Searchlight has released two new posters that will lead you to two new trailers for Martha Marcy May Marlene.  The movie is about a young woman (Elizabeth Olsen giving a breakthrough performance) who escapes from a cult but struggles to re-assimilate into normal society.  It was one of the best films I saw at Sundance and it continues to be one of the best movies I’ve seen all year.

The way you can get to the new trailers is by scanning the giant QR code on the poster using a barcode scanner app from your phone.  It seems like something done for the sake of using QR codes, and while I think they can used well, they’re not really appropriate for this movie. Martha Marcy May Marlene could have easily been made 30 years ago since it rarely uses any modern technology, and certainly not in anyway that’s crucial to the story.  Thankfully, the QR codes lead you to trailers that convey the creepiness of the movie and hopefully they’ll encourage folks to check out the flick.  We’ve embedded the trailers along with the posters after the jump.  Martha Marcy May Marlene opens October 21st in limited release.

EASTBOUND AND DOWN Season One and Season Two Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: August 19th, 2011 at 8:00 am

One of the great things about Danny McBride is how he creates different iterations of his comic persona. McBride usually plays one form of white trash or another but The Foot Fist Way’s Fred Simmons is different than Kenny Powers, and way different than the characters in Your Highness and The Pineapple Express. All are delusional egotistical assholes, but each offer different dilemmas and delights. Kenny Powers – the main character of Eastbound and Down – was a superstar and he’s still got the swagger long after he lost his arm and his money, and even when he’s hiding out in Mexico. It’s a different sort of delusion than his other characters: Kenny’s someone desperately clinging to the time when they were still hot shit, while the majority of his other characters never hit those heights, and it makes all of the difference in the world. Our review of the season one and season two Blu-rays of Eastbound and Down follow after the jump.

Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Hawkes, James Spader and More in Talks to Join Spielberg’s LINCOLN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 5th, 2011 at 4:17 pm

A slew of actors are now in negotiations to join the cast of Steven Spielberg’s long-in-gestation Abraham Lincoln biopic Lincoln. Daniel Day-Lewis is set to star as our nation’s 16^th president, with Sally Field attached to play his wife Mary Todd. Now, the names of those currently in negotiations to join the project are as follows (deep breath): Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Hawkes, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill (Fair Game), Joseph Cross (Milk), David Costabile (Breaking Bad), Byron Jennings (Julie & Julia), Dakin Matthews (True Grit), Boris McGiver (The Wire), Gloria Reuben (ER), Jeremy Strong (The Happening) and David Warshofsky (Taken). Now that’s one hell of a cast.

Jones will play Pennsylvanian Republican congressman Thaddeus Stevens, a strong supporter of abolishing slavery and a man crucial to the legislation that funded the Civil War. Gordon-Levitt is in talks to play Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd. Robert was Abraham’s eldest son and the only one to live past his teenage years. No word on who the other actors will be playing, but one assumes that Lincoln’s cabinet will make up a good deal of the roles. Hit the jump to read the full press release. Lincoln is set to start filming in Virginia this fall, with a 4^th-quarter 2012 release.

Trailer for MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 4th, 2011 at 11:28 am

One of the best films I’ve seen so far this year is the haunting and emotionally complex drama Martha Marcy May Marlene.  Now Fox Searchlight has released a trailer for the flick and it does a good job of selling how the story jumps around in time and showing the fractured psyche of its protagonist (Elisabeth Olsen in a breakthrough performance).  I also love how it closes out with John Hawkes singing and giving you a hint of how disturbing he is in this film.  I honestly believe he’s headed towards another Oscar nomination for his work in this film.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and click here to read my Sundance review.  Martha Marcy May Marlene will play at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.  It opens in the U.S. on October 7th.

Helen Hunt Joins John Hawkes in THE SURROGATE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 27th, 2011 at 3:21 pm

Academy Award Winner Helen Hunt has joined the cast of the indie drama The Surrogate. Recent Oscar nominee John Hawkes is set to play the role of Mark O’Brien in the film based on a true story. O’Brien was “a paraplegic polio victim who lived most of his life in an iron lung, paralyzed from the neck down.” Hawkes’ character sets out to find a sex surrogate willing to take his virginity, and Variety reports that Hunt will take on the role of his surrogate. Rhea Pearlman also has a role in the film.

Hunt’s character struggles with her own life, coming to terms with explaining her profession to her 12-year-old son. Ben Lewin wrote and will direct the period flick set in the 1980’s. Lewin himself is a polio survivor.

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