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The 2001 Season of the Town Hall Feature Film Seminar
 The 2000 season opened on Feb 12 with The Company Man. A bumbling high school grammar teacher in the 1960's is recruited by the CIA to help them in a plot to overthrow Cuba's Fidel Castro, inadvertently leading to the events of the Bay of Pigs. Cast: Anthony LaPaglia, Woody Allen, Denis Leary, Alan Cumming, Doug McGrath. Directed by Doug McGrath, Peter Askin. Written by Doug McGrath, Peter Askin. Produced by Rick Leed, John Penotti, James W Skotchdopole. Paramount Classics. Rated PG-13, running time 81 minutes.
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Subsequent films were:
February 26, 2001 The Dish
 On July 20, 1969, six hundred million people sat glued to their televisions for man's first steps on the moon. It is an image permanently ingrained in our collective consciousness, but one that almost didn't make it to the airwaves. Based on true-life events, The Dish is a waggish homage to the small-town heroes responsible for a historically almost calamitous blunder. Cast: Sam Neill, Patrick Warburton, Tom Long, Kevin Harrington, Genevieve Mooy. Directed by Rob Sitch. Written by Rob Sitch, Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro, Jane Kennedy. Produced by Rob Sitch, Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro, Jane Kennedy. Warner Brothers. Rated PG-13, running time 101 minutes.
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March 12, 2001 Maze
 Lyle Maze (Rob Morrow) lives in his self-contained world, creating sculptures that intrigue the New York art community where he lives. Outwardly, he’s a success, but because of his Tourette’s syndrome Rob secretly despairs of ever finding true love. Enter Callie (Laura Linney), his best friend Mike’s (Craig Sheffer) girlfriend. Mike is the only person Lyle lets into his inner world, and their friendship means a lot to Lyle. As Callie and Lyle come to depend on each other more and more, Lyle is faced with a dilemma: How can he break every rule he’s lived his life by and learn to let love in—especially if it means betraying his best friend? Cast: Rob Morrow, Laura Linney, Craig Sheffer and Rose Gregorio. Written and Directed by Rob Morrow. Produced by Paul Colichman, Mark R. Harris and Stephen P. Jarchow. Flashpoint. Running time 98 minutes. |
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March 26, 2001 Shadow Magic
 Beijing, 1902, at the Feng Tai Photo Shop. Master Ren prepares for a formal portrait of Lord Tan, China's most famous opera star, while chief photographer Liu, neglecting his duties for the moment, tinkers with a Victrola. Lord Tan arrives with a retinue, including his beautiful daughter, Ling, who exchanges glances with Liu. Meanwhile, a foreigner, Raymond Wallace, has set up the first crude movie theatre, Shadow Magic, with which he hopes to make a fortune and return to England. Liu's fascination with useless and disapproved foreign gadgetry leads him into a double life working for both Ren and Wallace. Cast: Jared Harris, Lu Liping, Lu Peigi, Xia yu and Xing Yufei. Written and Directed by Ann Hu. Produced by Ann Hu, Cheng Zheng, Sandra Schulberg and Zhang Xia. Sony Pictures Classics. Rated PG, running time 112 minutes. |
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April 9, 2001 The Golden Bowl
 Set in England and Italy between 1903 and 1909, The Golden Bowl is adapted from the Henry James novel by the acclaimed and award-winning filmmaking team of Ismail Merchant, James Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who have had great past success with James, namely in their films based on his novels The Bostonians and The Europeans. Such literary adaptations as these, as well as A Room with a View, Maurice, Howards End, The Remains of the Day, and now The Golden Bowl, are clearly a Merchant Ivory forte - the team has thirty-one Academy Award nominations and six Oscars for their screen adaptations, including two for writer Ruth Jhabvala, between them. But these films are also consistent showcases for their actors' best work, and The Golden Bowl is no exception. Thurman's passionate Charlotte Stant is her most challenging role so far; Nolte is a revelation as the brilliant and subtle Robber Baron; and screen legends Huston and Fox stand out in their supporting performances. Jeremy Northam's Prince is infused with a rare sophistication; and Kate Beckinsale shines as a seemingly naive beauty who proves to have the strongest will of all. Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Anjelica Huston, Nick Nolte, Jermey Northam, Uma Thurman, James Fox and Madeline Potter. Written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Directed by James Ivory. Lions Gate Films, Rated R, running time 134 minutes.
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April 23, 2001 Fast Food, Fast Women
 Overworked Manhattan coffee shop waitress Bella isn't looking forward to her 35th birthday. Stuck in a relationship with a married man for far too long, Bella takes a chance on frustrated novelist/taxi driver Bruno. In her coffee shop world, Bella witnesses she's not alone in the bittersweet battle against romance's difficulties. Despite love's accompanying twists and turns, everyone holds out for the best. And the persistent Bella discovers fairy tales can come true...even in New York City. Cast: Anna Thomson, Louise Lasser, Jamie Harris, Robert Modica, Austin Pendelton, Victor Argo, Angela Tom and Valerie Geffner. Written and Directed by Amos Kollek. Lot 47 Films. Rated R, running time 96 minutes. |
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May 7, 2001 Divided We Fall
 Based on a true story, Divided We Fall is a bittersweet drama filled with unexpected twists, set in a small Czech town occupied by German forces during the last years of World War II. It is a film that intermingles decent people and traitors, heroism and collaboration, and genorosity and cowardice. Through its compassionate lens, there are no easy judgements. Divided We Fall was the acadamy nominee for Best Foriegn Language Film. Cast: Anna Siskova, Boleslave Polivka, Csongor Kassai, Jaroslave Dusek, Jiri Pecha. Directed by Jan Hrebejk. Produced by Ondrej Trojan and Pavel Borovan. Sony Pictures Classics. Running time 117 minutes. |
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May 21, 2001 Songcatcher
 After being denied a promotion at the university where she teaches, Doctor Lily Penleric, a brilliant musicologist, impulsively visits her sister, who runs a struggling rural school in Appalachia. There she stumbles upon the discovery of her life -- a treasure trove of ancient Scots-Irish ballads, songs that have been handed down from generation to generation, preserved intact by the seclusion of the mountains. Starring: Aiden Quinn and Janet McTierny, Hyatt Baas, director. Tri-Mark Pictures.
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June 4, 2001 75 Degrees in July
It's hot as Texas in July -- in fact, it is Texas in July -- but the emotional climate is, well below freezing in writer-director Hyatt Bass' debut feature. A sensitively handled drama about a family whose less-than-happy reunion reveals no end of bitter divisions. A Stockyard Films presentation. Featuring Jo Beth Anderson, Shirley Knight, Jed Colburn, William Moses, Letty Anderson, Karen Sillas, Kay Colburn, Heidi Swedberg, Rick Anderson and Harris Yulin. Produced by Hyatt Bass, Jeanne O'Brien. Directed, written by Hyatt Bass. |
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June 18, 2001 Diamond Men
After a heart attack, a jewelry salesman is forced to train his replacement in the business. However the real trouble begins when his sex-crazed replacement introduces him to the ladies of "The Altoona Riding Club". Featuring Robert Forster, Donnie Wahlberg, Bess Armstrong, Jasmine Guy, George Coe and Kristin Minter. Written, Directed & Produced by Dan Cohen, Released by Half Fast Films. |
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