Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard Are Spies In "Allied"

By Darlene Donloe

The opening scene of the drama Allied has Brad Pitt parachuting behind enemy lines.

He plays Max Vatan, a World War II British intelligence officer stationed in North Africa in 1942.

He’s there on a mission to assassinate a German official. He is paired up with a French Resistance fighter named Marianne Beausejour, aptly played by Marion Cotillard. Beausejour, who has never met Vatan, pretends to be his loving wife. Careful not to blow their cover, the two must keep up appearances in order to gain the confidence and access to the German elite.

When the mission in completed, the two spies fall in love, marry and become parents. Everything is fine, well, as fine as anything can be when you’re part of the intelligence community.

Vatan’s world is rocked when his superiors inform him that his wife may be a double spy.

Refusing to believe the allegations, Vatan, who truly loves his wife, sets out to prove them wrong.

Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard

That’s when the movie starts to kick in. From that point on every move Vatan makes and every move Beausejour makes look and seem suspicious.

Is she a spy or isn’t she?  The audience literally doesn’t find out until the very end of the film.

Out in theaters nationwide November 23, Allied (Paramount Pictures) is being marketed as a sexy, suspenseful thriller.

There is some notable intrigue in this old-fashioned film, and more than a few sexy model-like close-ups of Brad Pitt. Not that there is anything wrong with that!

Surprisingly, this “sexy” thriller displays very little chemistry between the two leads.  There is a love scene that takes place during a sand storm that should, in theory, melt the screen. It doesn’t. The sound of the sand is annoying. The heat that should rise from their claimed love is only lukewarm.

Brad Pitt

Ironically, Cotillard’s character says several times during the film, “I keep the emotions real. That’s why it works.” It’s ironic because the film lacks emotions.

Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump/What Lies Beneath) directs this interesting drama. There are several old school sweeping vista shots giving the film a special texture. Zemeckis’ film is a throwback to a particular era, most notably the Casablanca-ish film noir of a bygone time. The story is inviting, but the execution doesn’t quite pull it all together. Both Cotillard and Pitt, who has done several WWII films, give good performances, but their romance seems stiff.

Marion Cotillard

The film feels a bit like Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Allied, directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Steven Knight, stars Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Lizzy Caplan, Matthew Goode and Simon McBurney.

ON THE DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent) Allied gets an L (likeable).

Allied is Rated R: (for violence, some sexuality/nudity, language and brief drug use);

Running time: 2 h 4 min.

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#Allied

26th Annual NAACP Theatre Award Winners

By Darlene Donloe

The best in Los Angeles theatre was lauded this week at the 26^th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards, held at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.

Joe Morton

The show, hosted by Wendy Raquel Robinson and Miguel Nunez, honored Joe Morton with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

“To say this leaves me speechless is an understatement,” said Morton. “Theater gives me a voice.”

Samuel Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson

Actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson received the Trailblazer Award.

“Theater has always been a home for me,” said Jackson. “Because of the theater I know what true love is. That’s where I met my husband.”

Jackson is married to fellow actor Samuel L. Jackson who was in attendance to support his wife.

Rory Pullens, the executive director of Arts Education for Los Angeles Unified School District, received the Humanitarian Award.  Pullens was honored for his focus on increasing access and equity to the arts for all students.

Singer Ledisi, who is currently the ambassador for the San Francisco Chapter of the Recording Academy, was awarded the Spirit Award.

Entertainer Obba Babatunde performed a spirited version of the classic Mr. Bojangles.  There was also a performance by Black Lives Matter and a special performance by Tammi Mac, who presented a snippet from her award-winning show, Bag Lady.

Ron Hasson

Ron Hasson, president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP and a national board member was in attendance to congratulate the nominees and the winners.

“There is always a need in Hollywood to have people of color see their heroes and sheroes,” said Hasson. “It is important to acknowledge those who have entertained us over the years.”

Miguel Nunez spoke about the importance of the event. 

Miguel Nunez

“Everybody likes to be recognized for the work they do,” said Nunez. “We don’t do it for the recognition, though. But, it’s still good to be recognized for your efforts.”

Loretta Devine

“It’s wonderful to be recognized by your peer group,” said actress Loretta Devine. “It gives you the incentive to keep working.”

Kenny Lattimore

“This kind of show is important because we are celebrating ourselves,” said singer Kenny Lattimore. “It’s important to celebrate the stories that come from us.  We have beautiful stories.  It’s most important for us to tell our stories so people can get to know us.”

Paul Jackson Jr. and his wife, Michaela

Musician Paul Jackson Jr. said the awards show was important because “it honors us.”  “You can’t wait for someone else to pat you on the back. Pat yourself on the back. Tell someone, ‘I like what you're doing.’ Be encouraging to someone.”

Kenny Leon

“Anything that presents our culture in a positive light is good,” said director Kenny Leon. “We should always take time to celebrate ourselves.”

Herb J. Wesson, Jr.

"It's always important to recognize our own," said Herb J. Wesson, Jr., president, Los Angeles City Council, Council member, Tenth District. "We support the NAACP. One of the greatest organization around. This is an important event. We need this kind of show more than ever right now."

Wren T. Brown

Wren T. Brown, founder/producing artist director of the Ebony Repertory Theatre won an award for Best Producer – Equity for The Gospel at Colonus.

“In the words of Winston Churchill, 'what a great tragedy if one day you were figuratively tapped on your shoulder and was ill prepared,'” said Brown. “Ladies and gentleman I have been preparing for this role of producer all of my life. I mean that very earnestly. You don’t just learn it in a couple of years.  It’s about understanding what it means to be sensitive to a musician, to an actor, to a singer, to a director, to a designer. It’s not just finding money to produce the effort.  It’s about an accumulated entity of all of those dynamics coming together in such a way that you produce a professional opportunity. My definition as producer is the producing of opportunity. I’m so thankful I’ve been able to do that at the Ebony Repertory Theatre.”

Multiple theater award winners included Motown the Musical, The Gospel At Colonus, Dreamscape, Recorded in Hollywood, The Best of Enemies and Love Soul Deep.

Following is a complete list of winners:

Best Choreography – Equity

Motown The Musical – Patricia Wilcox and Warren Adams

Best Choreography – Local

Ucarmen – Lungelo Ngamlana

Best Costumes – Equity

Motown The Musical – Esosa

Best Costumes – Local

Detroit 67 – Michaela Mendiola

Best Director – Equity

Fences – Gregg T. Daniel

Best Director – Local

Dreamscape – Rickerby Hinds

Best Director of a Musical – Local

Recorded In Hollywood – Denise Dowse

Best Ensemble Cast – Equity

The Gospel At Colonus

Best Ensemble Cast – Local

Recorded In Hollywood

Best Lead Female - Equity

The Best Of Enemies – Tiffany Rebecca Royale

Best Lead Female – Local 

Dreamscape – Rhaechyl Walker and Natali Micchiche

Best Lead Male – Equity

Satchmo at the Waldorf – John Douglas Thompson

Best Lead Male – Local

Dreamscape – John “Faahz” Merchant

Best Lighting – Equity 

Fences – Karyn D. Lawrence

Best Lighting - Local

I And You – Jeremy Pivnick

Best Music Director – Equity

The Gospel At Colonus - Abdul Hamid Royal

Best Music Director – Local

Recorded In Hollywood – Stephan Terry

Best One Person Show - Local

Keena Unbranded – Keena Ferguson

Best Playwright – Equity

Motown the Musical – Berry Gordy

Best Playwright – Local

Changes – Wallace Demarria

Best Producer – Equity

The Gospel At Colonus – Wren T. Brown

Best Producer – Local

Recorded In Hollywood – Dolphins of Hollywood Productions, LLC and Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners

Best Set Design – Equity

Satchmo at the Waldorf – Lee Savage

Best Set Design – Local

Pieces – Helleaux Studio Design

Best Sound – Equity

Motown The Musical – Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook

Best Sound – Local

My Children! My Africa! – Warren Davis

Best Supporting Female – Equity

To Kill A Mockingbird – Earnestine Phillips

Best Supporting Female – Local

Love Soul Deep – Nadine Ellis

Best Supporting Male – Equity

The Best Of Enemies – Shon Fuller

Best Supporting Male – Local

The Conversation – Danny De Lloyd

Ellis Hall Nominated For NAACP Theatre Award

(Los Angeles, CA)  -- Ellis Hall, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and actor has been nominated for a 26^th Annual NAACP Theatre Award for his role in “The Gospel of Colonus” in the category of Best Ensemble.  The awards show celebrating “Salute to Black Theatre” will be held on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016.

Ellis Hall is known as ‘The Ambassador of Soul” for many reasons.  Hall is a prolific singer, songwriter, and musician that plays every instrument, has a strong 5 octave vocal range and was the lead vocalist/keyboardist for soul-funk band Tower of Power. He performs with most elite symphony orchestras worldwide including: His first being the Hollywood Bowl under the direction of his mentor Ray Charles. Since then he has performed with prestigious 81-piece orchestras including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with Marvin Hamlisch conducting to playing with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, and most recently the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

Ellis’ first orchestra concept show was “Ray, Motown and Beyond” featuring such hits as Motown’s Heard It Through the Grapevine and Tower of Power’s Some Days Were Meant for Rain. With the second half of the show paying tribute to Ray Charles featuring hit songs like, I Can’t Stop Loving You, Unchain My Heart, Hit the Road Jack, and Georgia on My Mind. In September 2016, he will debut his second show, “Soul Unlimited” (conducted by Jeff Tyzik) where he “Ellis-izes”songs from David Bowie’s Let’s Dance to Something by George Harrison (which Ellis recorded on his CD Straight Ahead featuring Billy Preston on organ).

Born in Savannah, Georgia and raised partly in Claxton, GA. Ellis has been blind since he was 18 years old, but that doesn’t stop him from is mission in life.  In fact, it has been the driving force behind the creation of a 3,800 songs catalog full of Soul, Gospel, Blues and Pop compositions. Among these works is the official song for his hometown of Claxton Georgia. He has worked along side other greats such as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Natalie Cole, Patti LaBelle, Toby Keith, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Bobby Womack, George Duke, Sheila E., Kenny G and many more. In addition, he was one of the former lead vocalist of the California Raisins.

Ellis has also successfully had his hand at Hollywood, recording and performing songs for live action and animated films such as “The Lion King 2,” “Shrek 2,” “Chicken Run,” “Invincible” and “Bruce Almighty". The Ambassador has even taken acting roles in “Big Momma’s House”(Martin Lawrence) and the crime drama “Catch Me If You Can” (Leonardo DiCaprio). Along with all of these amazing films that he was a part of, Mr. Hall was nominated for an Ovation Theater Award for his first stage role in “The Gospel At Colonus" where he not only sang and acted but also walked the stage and stair props with nearly no assistance.

Hall has a sense of humor and doesn't mind making fun of himself. 

 Says Hall, “When people ask me about my blindness, I tell them, ‘I didn’t pay the electric bill on time...so they cut the lights out on me!"

For more information on Ellis Hall: www.ellishall.com 

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling Set To Receive Award At Santa Barbara International Film Fest

The Award Honors their Performances in Lionsgate’s La La Land

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced today that Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling will be presented with the 2017 Outstanding Performers of the Year award on Friday, February 3, 2017 for their remarkable performances in Damien Chazelle’s dazzling La La Land, from Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment label. This marks the first time Stone has been honored by the festival and will be a return for Gosling who was the inaugural recipient of the Cinema Vanguard Award in 2008. 

The tribute, which will take place at Santa Barbara’s historic Arlington Theatre, will be moderated by SBIFF's Executive Director Roger Durling. The 32^nd annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place from Wednesday, February 1 through Saturday, Feb. 11.

Durling stated, “Ryan and Emma’s luminous performances in La La Land remind us of the transformative and magical role of cinema.  We are so proud to celebrate them and this incredible film and its nod to the classic love stories of Old Hollywood with a contemporary twist.” 

Gosling and Stone will join a recognized group of previous Outstanding Performer Award recipients, including Brie Larson and Saoirse Ronan, Steve Carell, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence, Viola Davis, James Franco, Colin Firth, Penelope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet and Charlize Theron.

Written and directed by Academy Award^® nominee Damien Chazelle, La La Land, set in modern day Los Angeles, tells the story of Mia (Stone), an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Gosling), a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts.

The festival announced that Warren Beatty (Rules Don’t Apply) will be honored with its Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film and will honor Aaron Taylor Johnson (Nocturnal Animals), Dev Patel (Lion), Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures, Moonlight), Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Ruth Negga (Loving), Simon Helberg (Florence Foster Jenkins), and Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), with the Virtuoso Award among additional, yet to be announced, honorees.

For more information, and to purchase tickets, festival passes and packages, please visit www.sbiff.org.

About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 30 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting 90,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.

SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community through free programs like its 10-10-10 Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Mike’s Field Trip to the Movies, National Film Studies Program, AppleBox Family Films, 3rd Weekend and educational seminars. This past June, SBIFF entered a new era with the acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre.  The theatre is SBIFF’s new home and is the catalyst for program expansion and marks the first time that Santa Barbara has had a 24/7 community center to expand their mission of educational outreach.

47th International Film Festival of India First Platform To Debut Qube Wire Distribution Service

Latest digital offering from Qube Cinema to manage distribution of movies screening at the region’s largest film festival

Qube Wire, the newly launched digital cinema distribution service from Qube Cinema, has today announced its partnership with the 47^th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), taking place in Goa between November 20-28. As a prelude to the international roll-out of the service, which aims to eliminate the outdated process of physical Digital Cinema Package (DCP) transportation, Qube Wire will act as the official distribution partner for the festival.

Engaged by IFFI, the Qube Wire platform will debut its dedicated festival module, managing the Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) and Key Delivery Messages (KDMs) of screenings at the event. Eliminating the risk of problematic drive failures and corrupted content associated with the physical transit of product, this year the digital platform will act as a centrally operated hub for all content, transforming the distribution process and ensuring KDMs are targeted to the correct screens. Following the festival, Qube Wire will optionally retain content on the platform so content owners can transfer titles to any other festival or distributor in future, simply by assigning additional KDMs.

Launched at this year’s American Film Market, Qube Wire is a unique service offering filmmakers online access to over 130,000 screens around the world that are reachable via the platform, built through partnerships with key international digital cinema companies. Through a highly secure web interface with award-winning security architecture utilizing Thales Hardware Security Modules [HSMs], the new platform offers unmatched protection, and allows filmmakers to quickly generate as many KDMs as required for their encrypted DCPs.

Rajesh Ramachandran, President of Qube Cinema said of the partnership, “The International Film Festival of India has grown over the past several years to become a formidable force in the region’s cultural landscape today, and a voice of authority on Indian cinema. In nurturing new innovations, talents, technologies and cultures globally, the Festival shares a vision with Qube Wire as we aim to strengthen the relationship between filmmakers internationally, and offer unique services to aid the distribution of product to the far corners of our industry. As a brand founded in India, we are proud to reaffirm our support of the region’s cinema at such a prestigious platform and are hopeful that we can continue to connect filmmakers and festivals globally in the future.”

“The Directorate of Film Festivals respects the creativity of all filmmakers and strongly supports any technology and procedures which help film distribution. We are happy to have Qube Wire on board as a technical partner for the 47^th International Film Festival of India,” said C. Senthil Rajan, Director, IFFI.

The International Film Festival of India has become a key destination for Indian and international filmmakers and talents working to showcase their projects to an international audience. The festival aims to provide a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of film; contributing to the understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos.

About Qube Cinema:

Qube Cinema is a leading international manufacturer and provider of end-to-end digital cinema technology and mastering solutions. Qube Cinema draws on decades of experience in cinema and provides a seamless digital environment for exhibitors, filmmakers and post-production companies with DCI-compliant products that are flexible, reliable and highly cost-effective.

For further information, visit www.qubecinema.com

About Qube Wire:

Qube Wire is a path-breaking online digital cinema key management and distribution service from Qube Cinema, Inc. – a pioneer of end-to-end digital cinema and mastering solutions.

Revolutionizing relationships between producers and distributors and aiming to eliminate the outdated process of physically transporting DCP’s globally, Qube Wire offers filmmakers access to over 130,000 screens around the world, built through partnerships with key digital cinema companies. Efficiently allowing users to manage content through a secure web interface, the patent-pending technology centrally manages data flow to ensure quick, cost-effective delivery of content; removes pain points of KDM management and DCP duplication; assigns movie rights to territories globally; and enforces multi-level approvals for KDM requests.

To sign up for the Qube Wire service, visit: www.qubewire.com