Tag Archives: Lenny Abrahamson

frank

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk-hWzq67w4]

What you may need to know:

1. Frank is the fourth film directed by Lenny Abrahamson, after Adam & Paul (2004), Garage (2007) and What Richard Did (2012).

2. It is a fictional story loosely inspired by Frank Sidebottom (Michael Fassbender), the persona of cult musician and comedy legend Chris Sievey.

3. One of Variety’s most anticipated films of SXSW.

4. Michael Fassbender in a papier–mache head, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Domhnall Gleeson. What’s not to like?

5. In cinemas on May 9th.

frank-film.com

Previously: Frank’s A Million

Totally Frank

Howya Head

Broadsheet Trailer Park’s ‘Delboy’ is on holiday.

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[Top: the audience at the premiere of Frank at Sundance and , above, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lenny Abrahamson and Scoot McNairy meet the press]

‘Frank’, the much-anticipated film from Lenny Abrahamson had its premiere at Sundance on Friday night.

How did that go?

“A faceless Michael Fassbender stars in this weird and wonderful musical comedy from director Lenny Abrahamson.” “…amid so much arch weirdness, “Frank” proves remarkably accessible. Behind its inscrutable exterior beams a welcoming smile.” – Variety

“Pleasingly and perhaps surprisingly, given the extremities of the material, the cast plays crazy with cool, measured aplomb.” “Even those unmoved by the film’s admittedly oblique emotional subtext, meanwhile, should appreciate it as a virtuoso showcase for Fassbender, exuding eerie frontman magnetism even with his face invisible for the bulk of the film.” – Hitfix

“The bizarrely brilliant “Frank” demonstrates that quirkiness need not be a four-letter word in the language of movies. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but this terrific and sublime experience, and strikingly original film, is mandatory watching for the adventurous viewer.” – Indiewire

“Frank”s biggest achievement is how it effortlessly slides from silliness to sympathy. Come for Fassbender wearing a goofy head and all of the extremely funny jokes, stay for the profound reflection on art, commerce, madness and companionship. This is, I feel, a very meaningful film, but it also has a good beat. 9/10” – Screencrush

“Indeed, the movie’s weightiest issue is the final tonal shift into more directly messaged, darkly dramatic waters. Thankfully, even if the shift immediately jars, Frank’s cast – both with and without giant head – rise to the challenge. Guaranteed to polarise, Frank is destined to go down in curio history.” – TotalFilm

Pic: Film4Insider

Previously: Howya Head

Totally Frank

frank

Making its premiere this week at Sundance is ‘Frank’, Lenny Abrahamson’s tale of eccentric entertainer Frank Sidebottom. Starring Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson and Maggie Gyllenhaal, the film follows Jon (Gleeson) who joins a band, and heads with them to a cabin in the woods to record an album. And leading them all is the mysterious and talented Frank (Fassbender), joined by his sidekick Clara (Gyllenhaal).

Release date: May 2nd Ireland & UK

First clip from Frank with Michael Fassbender (The Movie Bit)

Thanks Victor

Frank Sidebottom: the true story of the man behind the mask (Jon Ronson, The Guardian)

Previously: Howya Head

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(L-R) Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson

Lenny Abrahamson’s  Fassbender/Gleeson headlining ‘Frank’ will premiere at the Sundance Festival next month.

Frank is based on the memoir by Jon Ronson about a wannabe musician (Gleeson) who joins an avant-garde rock band led by the enigmatic Frank Sidebottom (Fassbender) — a musical genius who hides himself inside a large fake head.

Any excuse really.

Fassbender and Poehler Make the Sundance Premieres Cut (Brooks Barnes, New York Times)

Previously: Meanwhile In Mexico

frankthefilm.ie

Lenny Abrahamson, award-winning director of Garage, What Richard Did, Adam and Paul and Prosperity is to direct the screen adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s Man Booker nominated novel Room.

Room has sold over 2 and a half million copies worldwide and tells the story of a mother and child held captive in a shed.

If it’s consistency you’re looking for in directing, Lenny arguably, is yer only man.

Fair play though, in fairness.

Lenny Abrahamson to direct Room adaptation (Screen International)

Previously: Broadsheet Trailer Park: What Richard Did

Emma On Booker Shortlist

Pics: (Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland), ContactMusic.com

First location picture (taken this week) from the set of Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank (2013), based on the memoir by Jon Ronson.

From left: Maggie Gyllenhall, Michael Fasssbender (who plays Frank) and Domhnall Gleeson.

Frank is  “a fictional story loosely inspired by Frank Sidebottom”, the persona of cult musician Chris Sievey who died in 2010.

Any excuse to play this.

Thanks Neil Roddy

Lenny Abrahamson, director of southside noir What Richard Did (2012).

Sense in a world gone all schoolmarmish.

Abrahamson admits to having some intellectual purchase on that [Ross O’Carroll Kelly] world. The son of a lawyer, he was educated at The High School in Rathgar, Trinity College Dublin and at Stanford University. He must have pondered how life has changed for the metropolitan middle class. Are they really taking the handcart to Hades?

“That is certainly a question I asked myself a lot while I was doing it,” he says. “Maybe the young people I met seem more sophisticated, but essentially it hasn’t changed much. Every generation thinks the one coming up has more licence than they did. And it’s never true. We all drank our heads off. We had sex quite young. None of those things was shocking to me. We all did that ‘deep conversation’ thing we thought so profound. Maybe there is a greater expectation for the material things in life now. That would be the main difference.”

 

*applause*

Lenny Abrahamson – The Kids Aren’t Alright’ (Donald Clarke, Irish Times)

Pic ContactMusic.com

Ah.

Lenny’s other movie opens on Friday.

(Thanks Lars Biscuits)