"Rains" and "Glory"

Before the Rains has two press screenings scheduled for today, so hopefully a lot of reviews & co will follow. In the meantime, here are a couple of things to tide you over:

• Now Toronto (thanks for the tip, Tez!) has a mixed to positive review of the film:

  An affair between a married English plantation owner (Roache) and a married servant girl (Das) in colonial India highlights the sharp contrasts between the two cultures in this vivid historical drama. When the relationship is revealed, with startling and unexpected consequences for everyone involved, it is the Englishman’s right-hand man and confidante, TK (Rahul Bose), who finds himself most at odds with both his Indian heritage and his new colonial customs. While the story feels at once heartfelt and somewhat passionless, the film is beautifully shot, and in the end it’s the face of TK, a man trapped in a country at a crossroads, that stays with you.

• Andrew saw Before the Rains on Friday night and posted about it on his blog. *Spoiler alert: he discloses a crucial detail about the plot*

  Needless to say we actually got in to see the movie Before the Rains. There were a lot of Indian women behind us who were super-pumped about being there, so I think the director and some of the actors are a pretty big deal over in India. It turns out that it was the world premiere for the film. The director, producers, and actors were all there. In fact, for some of the actors, it was the first time they had even seen the film. The movie was actually pretty enjoyable--maybe due in large part to the strange feeling of being one of the first people to see it. It was certainly more captivating than most mainstream Hollywood movies that hit major theaters. It was really strange watching the movie, then afterwards seeing the actors up on stage talking about it. ("Hey, didn't we just see that lady shoot herself?"). Apparently the Indian actress Nandita Das (third from the left in my photo) is pretty famous in India. But more importantly, as you all are obviously thinking, is the blonde woman to her left (or on the right side of the poster). That's right. That would be Elizabeth Bennet from the 1995 Pride & Prejudice movie (the one with Colin Firth). The girls I was with were pretty excited about that. Obviously I could have cared less--mostly because I didn't realize this until after they pointed it out to me after we left, at which time I wished I could have gone back to see for myself.

  Read more of Andrew's post to hear about his experience standing in line for rush tickets. Funny story!

At Box Office Mojo, there is a long interview with actor Jon Voight, who talks about Jennifer Ehle's other upcoming film, Pride and Glory.

Box Office Mojo: Are there directors with whom you want to work?

Jon Voight: I'd love to do another Michael Mann movie—I did Ali and Heat—but I'm very fortunate to have worked with the directors I have. I've done a movie we haven't talked about called Pride and Glory with Edward Norton and Colin Farrell and a wonderful ensemble of New York actors and actresses. I haven't seen it but I've heard it's terrific and I sense that it's going to be very gritty, complex and powerful. It's the story of a family of policemen—I don't want to give it away—and the temptation for corruption that exists in police work. It has a classic feel to it—like a family structure story, like Death of a Salesman. There's a tragic aspect and a pretty deep theme. I have very high hopes for it.

Box Office Mojo: Did you enjoy working with Pride and Glory writer and director Gavin O'Connor?

Jon Voight: I did. He was wonderful. He's a very good writer. He directed Miracle. This is darker and more personal and I think it's going to be very strong.

Box Office Mojo: How do you regard Edward Norton as an actor?

Jon Voight: He's extraordinary—a very, very fine actor. I enjoyed working with Colin Farrell too. They're both very bright and very intense. There's a certain kind of acting and energy that I haven't been part of in a while—because they don't make those kinds of films anymore, almost like a Seventies film yet it has a classic structure.