Review: Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater' starring Gael Garcia Bernal

How does one go about making a film about torture that isn't so tough to watch? You have it be the directorial debut by The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, that's how. Rosewater is based on the true story of journalist Maziar Bahari, who actually appeared on Stewart's show as a guest in a goof segment; only to have that appearance used against him as evidence he was an American spy. It's almost too ridiculous, the satirical elements peeking through in a story that demands we take it seriously, but that's also probably the reason why Stewart chose this as first feature.

On a nightly basis, The Daily Show is an exercise in helping the bad medicine go down smoothly. Using humor to deliver ugly news about our screwed up political system is what Stewart does best, and we love him for it. He tries to do the same with Rosewater, but with very mixed results. Based on Bahari's memoir, "Then They Came for Me", the film largely centers on the 100+ days he spent in captivity at the hands of the Iranian government. A Canadian-Iranian journalist covering the controversial 2009 Iranian Presidential elections, Bahari was on hand when the disputed results led to violent rioting in the streets. Capturing acts of brutality against the protestors, Bahari was taken from his home, paraded in front of his worried mother (the great Shohreh Aghdashloo), and locked away in solitary confinement. The anguish on her face, the product of having seen her activist husband daughter taken never to be seen again, is probably the most gut-wrenching moment Stewart allows.

Stewart focuses on the absurdity of Bahari's predicament rather than the darkness of it. Of course he's not a spy, but the officials holding him captive need a confession as a means of discouraging the protestors. The problem is that they aren't especially effective jailors, or at least the man nicknamed "Rosewater" (Kim Bodnia) is depicted as a joke; someone who merely wishes to keep his job and appease his bosses. As far as depictions of torture go, Rosewater is probably the tamest ever, and it undercuts the implication that Bahari was put through such terrible physical and mental abuse. That's not to say he doesn't go through a lot; his pregnant wife is used against him on more than one occasion, playing on fears he'll never see his newborn son grow up. Stewart injects jokes in odd places, some of which (like a random jab at New Jersey) sound like unused gags from a 'Daily Show' staff meeting. Other times the comedy serves to expose hidden details about both captor and captive. Bahari regaling "Rosewater" with phony stories of perusing erotic massage parlors is a funny highlight, although it only goes to show what a clown his keeper really is. It's hard to escape the thought that Bahari didn't go through all that much, at least not based on what's depicted on screen. His book tells us otherwise, but clearly it was Stewart's decision to leave out the darker stuff to keep this as audience-friendly as possible. A more stressful depiction would have helped balance the fact that we know Bahari's story is ultimately a happy one.

It's interesting to see the choices Stewart makes as a director, with some working out better than others. Visually he delivers a nifty representation of the growing uprising through a series of tweets and hashtags spreading across the city, and his use of archival footage of the protests is impactful. He lightly brushes against political oppression and media censorship, but doesn't go too far into exploring either.  Gael Garcia Bernal doesn't make for the most obvious choice to play Bahari, but in moments it's obvious why it was a good decision. Bernal is an actor who is very easy to believe in. With his big smile and charming disposition we can't help but feel for him when things are at their worst, yet we also want to cheer when his hope is restored. The best performance may actually be from Bodnia, who shows the complexities in his middle manager-esque torturer beautifully in a short amount of time.

How far is Stewart planning to go in this new phase of his career? That much is unclear at this point, and a lot of it may have to do with how well the movie performs. Rosewater was an attempt to tell his friend's story in a way that would appeal to The Daily Show's casual audience, when it really needed was to show the hard and ugly truth. 

 Rating: 3 out of 5

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First Trailer and Poster for Jon Stewart's Directorial Debut 'Rosewater' Starring Gael Garcia Bernal

Remember when Jon Stewart was just one of many faces on MTV?  Sure, he had the network's first legit talk show but did anybody expect him to become who he is now? While that show was short-lived it gained him a lot of fans, enough that when Craig Kilborn exited The Daily Show (talk about lame career moves) it was Stewart who took over. The rest, as they say, is history, and now Stewart sets his sights on some Oscar gold with his directorial debut, Rosewater.

The first trailer for Rosewater has been released and it looks like a sure-fire contender, which might explain the late year release date. Gael Garcia Bernal stars as journalist Maziar Bahari who went to Iran covering the presidential elections only to be arrested an detained for 118 days. During that time he was subject to extremely harsh interrogation by a captor who smelled like rosewater. It's material that's right in Stewart's wheelhouse, and he was inspired to make the film after reading Bahari's memoir and interviewing him on The Daily Show. It was an earlier appearance on the show that  Bahari's captors used against him during interrogations to try and prove he was a spy, and it will be interesting to see if that aspect is covered in the film.

Co-starring Shohreh Aghdashloo and Kim Bodina, Rosewater will debut at Telluride before opening on November 7th.



Rosewater Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Gael García Bernal, Jon Stewart Drama HD by MovieTrailerz

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First Look at Gael Garcia Bernal in Jon Stewart's Directorial Debut, 'Rosewater'

For those who find Jon Stewart insufferable on The Daily Show each evening, and I am certainly not one of those people, imagine how he'll be if he wins an Academy Award. While that may have seemed like an impossibility some time ago, Stewart did take some months off from the hit show to make his directorial debut with Rosewater. And Open Road Films must think highly of it because they've just given it an Oscar-ready release date on November 7th.

Along with the announcement comes the first image from Rosewater (courtesy of EW), and it features star Gael Garcia Bernal. He plays BBC journalist Maziar Bahari, whose memoir chronicles the 118 days he spent in an Iranian prison after heading there to cover the Presidential election protests. Accused of being a spy, Bahari was blindfolded, tortured, and interrogated repeatedly by a captor he could only identify by the smell of rosewater.

Bahari's story was one Stewart wanted to tell after the journalist's prior appearance on the show was used against him by his captors. After cracking a joke with EW about having having people arrested before becoming their friends, Stewart got serious in talking about why he wanted to make this his first movie...

Stewart: “It may not be what people expect from me; it’s not a comedy. I hope people view it for what it is—a love letter to expression and the importance of it. It’s everything.”

 Shohreh Aghdashloo co-stars as Bahari's mother, while Kim Bodnia plays his captor "Rosewater".

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15 Actors Deserving of Oscars Attention (But Probably Won't Get It)

Unlike the Best Actress field, which is pretty damned boring and uninspiring this year, the Best Actor race is not only tight, but a healthy mix of veterans and those making their first real push for gold. We can probably count on Tom Hanks sailing in for Captain Phillips, along with Robert Redford for All is Lost, assuming his momentum holds up. Chiwetel Ejiofor seems like a lock for 12 Years a Slave, while Matthew McConaughey and Bruce Dern have the inside track for the final two spots. What do they have to worry about? Leonardo DiCaprio may slip in now that everybody has finally seen what he does in The Wolf of Wall Street, and maybe Christian Bale and his hairpiece can get in for American Hustle.

As usual, though, there are a ton of actors who are on the outside looking in with no shot at anything, whether it's as Best Actor or in the Best Supporting field. And this year it was especially tough just trying to limit my choices to fifteen. So I had to be especially strict not to include anybody who is even remotely in the awards discussion, which unfortunately meant keeping out James Franco for Spring Breakers. Believe it or not he and his gold grills and cornrows have been getting a little bit of a push, so he's off the list. But is anybody talking about Isaiah Washington for his magnetic, deeply troubling performance as John Allen Muhammad in Blue Caprice? Gael Garcia Bernal was the face an entire movement in the Chilean political drama, No, but lack of awareness and the early release date have left him forgotten. Miles Teller and Ben Foster turned up the heat in The Spectacular Now and Ain't Them Bodies Saints respectively, while Simon Pegg has never been forced to act with more nuance than he does in The World's End. Sam Rockwell quietly had one of the best years of his career with A Single Shot and The Way Way Back, two movies that couldn't be more different, while nobody was more charismatic than Riz Ahmed The Reluctant Fundamentalist.  Dwayne Johnson went dramatic in Snitch but it was his coke and 'roided up performance in Pain & Gain that was the real showstopper, and it's sort of sad that Joaquin Phoenix is being passed over for Spike Jonze's Her. Nobody else spent more time alone on screen while carrying the emotional and physical burden of a romantic couple.

So here we go. Feel free to leave a comment or email me with your thoughts, criticisms, second opinions, whatever. And be sure to check out all of our end of the year coverage here. 

Skylan Brooks- The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete



 Dwayne Johnson: Pain & Gain



Simon Pegg- The World's End



Jake Gyllenhaal- Prisoners



Sam Rockwell- A Single Shot & The Way Way Back



Dennis Quiad- At Any Price




John Gallagher Jr.- Short Term 12



Ali Mosaffa- The Past



Ben Foster- Ain't Them Bodies Saints



Mads Mikkelsen- The Hunt



Riz Ahmed- The Reluctant Fundamentalist



Miles Teller- The Spectacular Now



Gael Garcia Bernal- No



Isaiah Washington-Blue Caprice



Joaquin Phoenix- Her

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Jon Stewart sets Gael Garcia Bernal to star in his directorial debut, 'Rosewater'

The pairing of political humorist Jon Stewart and overtly-political actor Gael Garcia Bernal is so perfect that it's almost a shock it's actually happening. Last March we learned that Stewart would be taking a 12-week summer hiatus from The Daily Show to film his directorial debut, Rosewater, based on BBC journalist Maziar Bahari's memoir, Then They Came For Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity and Survival. Filming doesn't get underway for awhile yet, but Stewart knows he wants Bernal in the lead role of the tortured journo.

Bernal, who has starred in such political dramas as The Motorcyle Diaries and this year's terrific Chilean election film, No, has signed on to star in Rosewater, according to sources at The Wrap. The Mexican actor will play Bahari, a London journalist who spent 118 days in an Iranian prison after heading there to cover the Presidential election protests. Accused of being a spy, he was tortured and interrogated repeatedly. Blindfolded, the only distinct characteristic he can remember of his captor was that he smelled like rosewater. In a horrible bit of irony, it was Bahari's appearance on Stewart's show that his interrogators used as evidence he was a spy.

Stewart optioned the book a couple of years ago, and will produce along with providing the screenplay. During Stewart's break, his duties as anchor of the hit Comedy Central series will be covered by John Oliver.

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Sure Shots: Gael Garcia Bernal; Al Pacino; Chris O'Dowd

* Fresh off what many are calling his finest performance in the Chilean political drama, No, Gael Garcia Bernal is hooking back up with its producers for a film that will take him to Argentina. He and Alice Braga (City of God) will star in El Ardor, which follows a mysterious figure who emerges from the Argentinian rainforest to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a farmer, murdered by mercenaries who then took over his property. Written and directed by Pablo Frendrick, the film is being described as a modern day Western. [THR]

* Continuing what has been a fascinating recent run of projects, David Gordon Green is already lining up his next project to follow-up Prince Avalanche and the recently-completed Southern drama, Joe. He'll co-write and direct Manglehorn, and he's targeting Al Pacino as a potential star. If he comes aboard, Pacino would play an ex-con who 40 years earlier had given up the woman he loves for a "big job", and now lives a hermetic existence in a small town. After a dramatic attempt to start over, a terrifying moment exposes him as a man with a very dark past. [Deadline]

* Chris O'Dowd is set to join his Girls co-star Adam Driver in Coward, a new comedy from Ceremony director, Max Winkler. Set in the 18th century, Driver plays a nobleman who chickens out of a duel by hiring a criminal (O'Dowd) to take his place. When the criminal wins, he goes on a hot streak of victories until he completely assumes the nobleman's identity. [TheWrap]

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Review: 'No', starring Gael Garcia Bernal

Chilean director Pablo Larrain has followed the reign of dictator General Augusto Pinochet from violent beginning to uplifting end with his "Pinochet Trilogy", carving out the definitive look at 15 years in Chile's political history. A nominee for this year's Best Foreign Language Oscar award, No is an incredible and prescient real life story of how a savvy ad campaign brought about real political change, without the need for violence and intimidation.

We've seen in a show like Mad Men just a surface taste of how advertising can work, but No really gets into the guts of the operation. Gael Garcia Bernal plays Rene, a skillful and creative ad exec working in 1988 Chile during Pinochet's regime. When we first meet him, Rene is pushing his latest "big idea" to a room full of clients, claiming to have captured the fresh new style of Chile's youth. What he gives them is a generic ad for soda, packed with "hip" teens, rock music, and a mime. It's lame, and Rene knows it. He needs a real challenge, and he's about to get the biggest of his career.

The thing about Rene is that despite already having a failed marriage under his belt, he's still a youngster who rides his skateboard into work everyday. It puts him in a unique position where his age is both a boon and hindrance, and it turns out to be both when he's approached with an unusual new product to sell. The "product", pure and simple, is hope. Pinochet had taken power under violence, and now in the face of increasing opposition, he agreed to hold a plebiscite to determine if he should be given another 8-year term, or if a form of democracy would be instituted.

The "Yes" campaign for Pinochet, and the "No" opposition are each given 15 minutes a day of uncensored public TV time to make their case, and Rene reluctantly takes the job despite his colleagues thinking it a hopeless cause. In a prelude to our current bumper sticker mentality when it comes to politics, Rene smartly figures out that their time shouldn't be spent bashing Pinochet with negative ads. Instead, it should be about coming up with catchy themes that uplift rather than tear down. If that means coming up with a snazzy, hopeful jingle everyone can sing, then so be it. The truism "If you're explaining, you're losing" has never been more accurate.  Rene's shallow, easy-to-follow approach gives their underdog cause some serious bite.

Larrain lays out a compelling political procedural that isn't afraid to make fun of politics or the inherent silliness of using Coca-Cola ad techniques to sell something of real importance. The director goes to painstaking lengths to recreate the look of the period, superbly shooting the film in vintage U-matic video, giving the numerous commercial spots a grainy texture. The amount of actual footage he was able to cobble together is impressive, even grabbing old spots with Richard Dreyfuss, Jane Fonda, and more pushing for the "No" campaign.

If only the rest of the film was nearly as engrossing and inspired, but the surrounding stories don't do much to build Rene as a character. His pining over his ex-wife doesn't really amount to much, and the feud with his boss, who is working for Pinochet's side, also feels like a tacked-on subplot. It's Gael Garcia Bernal, who is in practically every scene, who gives the film its heart. His performance is something to behold, as we see Rene go from a paid operative doing a job, to realizing that he's the core of a grassroots movement capable of doing some amazing things. When he also figures out that certain powers may turn to violence to make sure he fails, his fear for his family is palpable.

No doesn't have much new to say, and it's a little thin outside of the core story, but it's an authentically presented look at a fascinating moment in world political history.

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1st trailer for 'No', starring Gael Garcia Bernal

Chile's official entry for the Oscars, Pablo Larrain's political crowd-pleaser No has been building a swell of buzz ever since it won top honors at Cannes. Sony Pictures Classics clearly has big plans for the film, along with star Gael Garcia Bernal, and as we get closer to its release date a first U.S. trailer has finally debuted.

Based on the stageplay El Plebiscito and adapted by Pedro Peirano, the film is set against the 1988 referendum to oust Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and institute a democratic system. The campaign was notable for the way unconventional advertising tactics played a huge part in the final result, with Bernal playing an ad exec leading the charge against Pinochet. Shot completely in analog, the film has a gritty and earthy quality fitting for the period Larrain is trying to depict.

No opens in limited release on February 15th....

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Gael Garcia Bernal and Ashley Hinshaw to star in 'Deserted Cities'

Just a couple of weeks ago Gael Garcia Bernal was replaced by Jared Leto in Matthew McConaughey's The Dallas Buyers Club, a disappointing trade-off in my opinion. But at least it sounds like Bernal had a good reason for dropping out, as he's currently filming a promising film in Mexico City, titled Deserted Cities.

Variety reports Bernal will be joined by Ashley Hinshaw(About Cherry) in the indie political drama from director Roberto Schneider(Tear This Heart Out). A comic adaptation of Mexican author Jose Agustin's novel, the film follows a man's attempts to regain the love of his feminist wife(Veronica Echegui), after she hits the U.S. heartland to attend an international writer's conference. The story was set in the 1980s but will get a modern update. Hinshaw's role is unclear at this point but we can presume she'll be in the U.S. portions, right? The film is said to deal largely with U.S./Mexico relations.

While this sounds pretty good already, what really has me intrigued is the presence of Pan's Labyrinth production designer Eugenio Caballero. So the film should at least have a very distinctive look.

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Gael Garcia Bernal joins Matthew McConaughey in 'The Dallas Buyer's Club'; Hilary Swank drops out

As Matthew McConaughey has sorta refashioned his image over the last year, it's become interesting to see the types of films he's been taking on. One that he developed a particular fondness for is The Dallas Buyer's Club, a intriguing real life story that would have the actor playing Ron Woodruff, an AIDS patient who ruffles the feathers of the FDA. Hilary Swank had been expected to be a part of the film as well, but now she's out, and Gael Garcia Bernal is in, although not in the same role. Duh.

The titular "club" is a group of AIDS sufferers that Woodruff began supplying with illegal and underground drugs not approved by the FDA. Woodruff had been diagnosed with the virus in 1986, and saw his health improving using this form of treatment, so he started giving it to other patients until the government started to take notice. Bernal will play an effeminate patient that Woodruff meets in the hospital.

McConaughey gave up a role in The Butler in order to see this project through, and just based on the premise it sounds like potential Oscar bait. Jean-Marc Vallee(The Young Victoria) will direct when the film finally gets off the ground. [THR]


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Rumor: 'Robocop' remake may include Gael Garcia Bernal, Edward Norton, Sean Penn, and Rebecca Hall

Ok, rumor time, folks. Take this one with a serious grain of salt, but if it pans out Joel Kinnaman will be the least recognizable face in Jose Padilha's Robocop remake. By an extremely large margin. 

The Tracking Board, a boom or bust news site if there ever was one, has reported that Gael Garcia Bernal(The Science of Sleep), Edward Norton, and Rebecca Hall(The Town) are circling major supporting roles in the film. They also state that Sean Penn is being looked at for a role as right wing news reporter who sticks to his guns. Norton would play...well, a scientist named Norton who helps bring Alex Murphy back to life as Robocop. Hall would play Clara, Murphy's former wife before he died, and now is in a relationship with his old detective partner, Jack Lewis, played by Bernal.

The roles make sense in relation to Paul Verhoeven's 1987 film, but there's no sourcing for the info so it's hard to hold completely credible. If it were to pan out, though, that would be an incredible roster which should take a lot of the pressure off of Kinnaman.

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Diego Luna taps Michael Pena to play Cesar E. Chavez in his directorial debut

Although Michael Pena has had a very busy year, appearing in Battle: Los Angeles, 30 Minutes or Less, Tower Heist, The Lincoln Lawyer, and the upcoming Gangster Squad, none of those roles I think adequately convey how great he truly is.  For a better example of what he can do, one would have to look back at 2008's The Lucky Ones, in which he plays a returning soldier facing an uncertain reunion with his love. It's an amazing performance which unfortunately has gone mostly unseen. but hopefully Pena is about to get the recognition he has so long deserved.

Variety reports he'll play civil rights and labor activist Cesar E. Chavez in the directorial debut from Diego Luna(Y tu Mama Tambien). Titled simply Chavez, the film will chronicle his work in the 60s and 70s, which included organizing the largest farm worker strike in U.S. history. His birthday on March 31st is celebrated in California as a state holiday.  America Ferrera(Ugly Betty) will play Chavez's wife, with Rosario Dawson as his top aide, Dolores Huerta.  If you're wondering where to find Luna's frequent on-screen partner, Gael Garcia Bernal, he's listed as one of the film's producers.

The script comes from Hotel Rwanda scribe, Keir Pearson, even more reason to believe this may be Pena's first real shot at some awards love. Filming begins in Mexico next month, so it may even be ready by the end of the year.

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Gael Garcia Bernal will don the mask for Fox's terrible sounding 'Zorro Reborn'

When news dropped last April that Fox was planning some sort of new franchise featuring the masked, whip-wielding vigilante Zorro, it seemed like a good idea. Until you read a little further and realized they wanted to put him in a post-apocalyptic future in a film titled Zorro Reborn. It sounded dreadful then, and despite the awesome casting news, with Gael Garcia Bernal(Y tu Mama Tambien) taking on the lead, it still reeks of a horribly misguided idea.

Bernal is a fantastic actor, although he's never been one for these types of tentpole flicks. He's been a part of no less than half a dozen Academy Award nominated movies, although he's been branching out into genre fare a bit more lately with Letters to Juliet and the upcoming Will Ferrell comedy, Casa De Mi Padre.

When the project was first announced,  visual effects wiz Rpin Suwannath was said to be directing, but that is apparently no longer the case. The script comes from Glenn Gers, Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy, the writers behind Harker, the Dracula film being prepped by Jaume Collet-Serra. If this was Zorro vs. Dracula I'd be all over it.

Last year, some lip service was paid to the film being similar to the old Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns, but I'm betting it winds up looking more like Priest. Call it a hunch. [Variety]

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Plot revealed for Will Ferrell's untitled Spanish-language comedy

If you saw Will Ferrell's final episode of Saturday Night Live back in 2002, you might've noticed him holding up a sign at the end. It read "Matt Piedmont is the best in the biz". Well, even with that ringing endorsement, you probably still don't know who Piedmont is. He's a writer who won an Emmy for his work on SNL, and last year he cast Ferrell, Diego Luna, and Gael Garcia Bernal for his upcoming Spanish-language comedy, which at the time was titled "Case de mi padre". Nothing else was really heard about the film until now.


 Collider received a plot synopsis for the film, as well as what appears to be a new name for it, or at least a working title...

This movie is currently called UNTITLED SPANISH COMEDY and stars Will Ferrell, Gael Garcia Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries), DIEGO LUNA (The Terminal) and GENESIS RODRIGUEZ (TV’s Entourage & “Dona Barbara”) Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell) has lived and worked on his father’s ranch in Mexico his entire life. As the ranch encounters financial difficulties, Armando’s younger brother Raul (Diego Luna), shows up with his new fiance, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez). It seems that Raul’s success as an international businessman means the ranch’s troubles are over as he pledges to settle all debts his father has incurred. But when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul’s business dealings turn out to be less than legit, all hell breaks loose as they find themselves in a war with Mexico’s most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal)…

Anchorman, Latin-style? That's the image I'm getting out of this description, which could be a lot of fun if done right. No word on a release, but it's currently in post-production so expect to hear more soon!

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