“‘Parade’s End’ is based on the series of four books by British novelist Ford Madox Ford, which were published between 1924-28. Set against the backdrop of World War I, it tells the story of a complex and destructive love triangle among a conservative English aristocrat (Cumberbatch), his beautiful but cruel socialite wife (Hall), and a vibrant young suffragette.”

7 photosRebecca Hall

A word from Rebecca: “You could not get more white and middle class and English than me.”

Film festivals have made me really sensitive to first time features. If a first time director on a truly low budget can make a film that holds your interest, that’s a victory. If Martin Scorsese made A Bag of Hammers it would be a disappointment, but director Brian Crano made a movie that holds up with Hollywood fare, so if his next idea is more ambitious he could have the chops.

Ben (Jason Ritter) and Alan (Jake Sandvig) steal cars by posing as complimentary valets. Warning, if your funeral offers free valet service, don’t trust them. Alan’s sister Melanie (Rebecca Hall) wants the boys to get real jobs but really, waiting tables can’t compete with stealing cars.

They rent their side apartment to Lynette who moves in with Kelsey (Chandler Canterbury), and it’s clear she’s neglecting him. Lynette tries to get work but employment agencies won’t place her with limited skills. So when she leaves Kelsey alone, Alan wants to take care of him. That’s his conflict with Ben.

So Bag of Hammers tells a story with a beginning, middle and end. Alan and Ben have a lifestyle, something shakes it up, and they resolve it. I don’t think the story of car thieves taking care of a kid is going to to the box office, but people will see it, they’ll like it, they’ll move on, but the film can play.

Sandvig, who also co-wrote the script, keeps things light with his one-liners. They may not be quotable to college stoners, but they’re entertaining. Ben’s conflicted attempts to become a purse snatcher are pretty funny.

The dramatic moments are powerful. When Ben breaks the news to Kelsey, Ritter’s performance is sincere. They never play the heartwarming child card so it’s not obnoxious. Ben, Melanie, Alan and Kelsey all have some traumatic stories to tell.

Shot on the Red camera, the picture totally holds up. On a big screen, it looks like a Blu-ray. It’s clear, it’s sharp. That goes a long way toward making it look like a real movie. Obviously they had a bit more money than the shoestring indies who make do with consumer models, but Crano uses the frame well.

When picking a movie to see, whether on a film festival schedule or at a multiplex or on demand menu, A Bag of Hammers is a good choice. I knew two of the leads before so that makes it comfortable, and it’s well done so not a bad discovery.

In Bruce Willis, Stephen Frears has found his Dink Heimowitz. Willis is in negotiations to join Lay The Favorite, Take The Dog. Based on Beth Raymer’s best-seller, Lay The Favorite: A Memoir Of Gambling, the film is about a cocktail waitress who becomes one of Vegas’s top bookies.

Willis’ Heimowitz character is a former New York bookmaker who coaches Rebecca Hall‘s Raymer. It’s unlikely he will use a car to kill a helicopter in this film. However, he may have  that opportunity soon enough…

While 20th Century Fox continues to look for a Die Hard 5 script that doesn’t suck, Willis has been interviewing directors to helm the project. At the top of his list is Daniel Espinosa of Snabba Cash and the upcoming Safe House. At this rate, we may see John McClane take on terrorists before his 60th birthday. (Vulture)

^{There can be only one.}

As is the trend nowadays, Baz Luhrmann is using the casting process of his new film as an opportunity to meet Natalie Portman. The director is in search for an actress to portray Daisy Buchanan opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire in his adaptation of the classic novel, The Great Gatsby.

Luhrmann workshopped the script with DiCaprio, Maguire, and Rebecca Hall but wants to expand his efforts to find the right fit. Though Hall still remains in the running, the director is also planning to shoot tests with the usual suspects: Keira Knightley, Amanda Seyfried, Abbie Cornish, Michelle Williams, Scarlett Johansson, and the recently-single Blake Lively. I see what you’re doing there Baz, and I’m disappointed. I’d expect that kind of behavior from John Mayer. Not from you. (Deadline)

Four young actresses are in the running to play opposite Casey Affleck in The F Word. Rebecca Hall, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rose Byrne, Deborah Ann Woll are expected to camera test for the female lead in the quirky, romantic comedy that appeared on the 2008 Black List. It tells the story of a couple who would like to date, but decide to be friends instead while wrestling with their attraction to one another over a long period of time.

Personally, I think all of these actresses are perfect choices for the project and would like to see their careers take off. Sadly, there can be only one. It all depends on who tests best on-camera and freaks out the least when a naked Affleck crawls into her bed in the middle of the night. I think Rebecca Hall has a leg-up on this one. (Production Weekly via The Playlist)

^{Miss New England 2008}

Attractive women in New England are few and far between, so when you meet one you had better jump on it. It doesn’t matter where you meet. The bar, the Market Basket, and the bank that you are currently robbing are all perfectly acceptable places to pick up a comely, young lass. And that’s exactly what Ben Affleck does in the trailer for his second directorial effort The Town.

In this daring sequel, Jeremy Renner plays Will Hunting and Affleck reprises his role as Chuckie, who are now bank robbers inexplicably (note to self: fact check this later). Chuckie meets Rebecca Hall during a robbery and develops an attraction to her, even though he’s got Blake Lively at home in denim cut-offs. Then Don Draper shows up and is all Mr. FBI Guy and there are a few shoot-outs and Slipknot masks. All in all, it looks really good! I’ll see it.

WATCH A MOODY MEDITATION ON WHAT DRIVES ONE TO STEAL, AND ALSO BLAKE LIVELY IN DENIM CUT-OFFS AFTER THE JUMP…

The Town Trailer – Watch more Movie Trailers