There’s a shot at catching a press-industry screening of Death of a President later this morning, as well as a public screening of Black Sheep, which hadn’t apparently sold as of last night, despite expectations to the contrary. Having missed it yesterday (the press-industry screening was full by the time I got there), I asked an IFC guy for his reaction. “It’s good, it’s funny,” he said. “Tell me what you think when you see it.”
Newmarket pacted yesterday to handle the U.S. distribution of DOAP, which has picked up a lot of heat (some of it adverse) because of its fictional depiction of an assassination of President George Bush. There’s also said to be ardent interest in acquring Sarah Polley’s feature directing debut Away From Her, a coping-with-Alzheimer’s story with Julie Christie.
I got into a small VIP theatre screening of Anthony Minghella‘s Breaking and Entering (Weinstein Co., 12.8 limited), a smart, well-written, not entirely successful drama about…well, a lot of things. A short list would include social inequity, trust, thievery, infidelity and caring for errant children in modern-day London. It costars Jude Law, Robin Wright Penn, Juliette Binoche, Vera Farmiga (in a standout supporting role as a Russan prostitute), Ray Winstone.
It’s the infidelity aspect that caught my attention, and I probably won’t be alone. Law’s character — a well-to-do architect — is the infidel, you see, and there’s no way to brush aside his own personal history with this subject, not to mention his having played a philanderer in Mike Nichols’ Closer.
I have to leave already — the DOAP screening starts in less than an hour — and I’m frankly wondering about my ability keep burning the candle at both ends. As usual, I expect to file some stuff later on this afternoon. I have a Todd Field interview scheduled for 2:45 or thereabouts, and several other things to attend to. My head is spnning, the wheels are turning….the pressure is on again.