Review: Gregg Araki's 'White Bird in a Blizzard' starring Shailene Woodley and Eva Green

NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Sundance Film Festival. White Bird in a Blizzard is available now On Demand.

It's easy to dismiss White Bird in a Blizzard as Shailene Woodley's Havoc, the Anne Hathaway yawner that showed her frisky, naked side in an attempt to break The Princess Diaries stigma she was trapped in. While it may have worked for her, obviously it did, Woodley has always been mature beyond her years, and so as she flashes her nude bod and embraces her character's raw sexuality, it doesn't seem like such a wild step for her; more like a natural progression. It helps that the film is directed by Gregg Araki, whose films usually have more going on beneath the surface than just stories of teen angst and sexual yearning.

White Bird in a Blizzard is based on the novel by Laura Kasischke, adapted by Araki and spruced up with his penchant for the surreal and slightly dysfunctional. Part mystery, part languid coming-of-age story, the film is set in the 1980s, a period that seems to be a particular favorite for Araki, although his hold over the time is purely surface in this case. Vivacious high school student Kat Connors (Woodley) comes home one day to find her totally unhinged mother Eve (Eva Green, at her insane best) fully dressed and sleeping in her room, appearing totally unaware of her surroundings. There's tension between them, but not the normal tension between a parent and child. There's sadness and a touch of hatred on both sides; nothing like the outright venom Eve holds for Kat's father, Brock (Christopher Meloni, tightly coiled), a sad-sack pushover who doesn't seem to know how to handle a house full of strong-willed women. Within a few days, Eve has up and disappeared without a trace or a good-bye note.

The mystery of Eve's disappearance is never far from Araki's attentions, but it lurks in the background of a story that's mainly about Kat's angry steps into womanhood. The chain-smoking, skimpy outfit-wearing Kat knows what she wants, and has no problem going after it. She's literally dating the boy next door, a shirtless dunce (Shiloh Fernandez) who suddenly seems disinterested in sex. So Kat gets what she needs elsewhere, banging the studly cop (Thomas Jane) investigating Eve's disappearance. Kat has no problem going into the gory details of their carnal encounters, describing them in earnest to her best friends (Gabourey Sidibe and Mark Indelicato), a pair of outsiders who happily eat up her stories with a spoon.

We come to learn that Kat used to be overweight, but has shed the pounds and is only now coming to realize her powers over men. But as we watch her develop into a sexual vixen, flashbacks walk us through Eve's deteriorating mental state. Eve wants to be youthful and adventurous again, and sees Kat as a vampire sucking the life right out of her just as much as her boring marriage. As she becomes more erratic, it only becomes more suspicious that nobody seems to be all that concerned about her disappearance. With a slightly out-of-phase tone that's less his "Teenage Apocalypse" trilogy and more Mysterious Skin meets Twin Peaks(Laura Palmer herself, Sheryl Lee, makes an appearance), Araki explores ideas of body image and female identity with an unusual spin, backed by all of the director's favorite '80s pop hits. But Araki has a difficult time mustering up a lot of energy for the story at times, punctuated by pointless therapy sessions between Kat and her shrink (Angela Bassett). It takes forever for things to get moving, and even when they do it often doesn't seem to be going anywhere until Kat's past and present converge in a twist that David Lynch would be proud of, even if it comes out of nowhere.

Eva Green doesn't get a ton of screen time but she's a dominating presence even though her performance is pure camp in the Mommie Dearest mold. She'd tower over everyone if it wasn't for Woodley, again showing remarkable range from insecure teen to confident woman. It's a role that may turn off some of her fans, especially those who know her from the ABC Family days, but at least Woodley has chosen worthy material to make such a bold step. White Bird in a Blizzard lacks momentum as a tawdry mystery, but it's worth seeing for Woodley, Green, and Araki's intoxicating sense of mood.

 Rating: 3 out of 5

Read More

New Trailer for Gregg Araki's 'White Bird in a Blizzard' Starring Shailene Woodley

You wept for her in The Fault in Our Stars and cheered for her in Divergent, but in White Bird in a Blizzard you may be a little bit turned off (or turned on) by the character Shailene Woodley plays. Directed by Gregg Araki, the guy who gave us the "Teenage Wasteland" trilogy in the '90s and helped re-establish Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a serious actor with Mysterious Skin, the film gained a lot of attention at Sundance due to the hypersexual performance by Woodley and the Lynch-ian tone established by Araki.

Following on the recently released poster a new trailer for White Bird in a Blizzard has been released and if nothing else it shows a side of Woodley nobody has ever seen until now. Woodley plays teenaged Kat Connor, a girl just maturing into womanhood, who is coping with the sudden disappearance of her unstable mother, played by Eva Green in full psycho mode.  Christopher Meloni plays her hapless father, while Thomas Jane is a local cop and sexual conquest, while Shiloh Fernandez is her dim-witted boyfriend who simply isn't enough man for her. Angela Bassett co-stars as a therapist while Gabourey Sidibe is Woodley's best friend. Despite the clear Twin Peaks influence the film doesn't totally live up to what Woodley and Green deliver, saying in my review that it "lacks momentum as a tawdry mystery". How audiences react to Woodley here is going to be very interesting because it could have some blow back on her bigger studio projects.

White Bird in a Blizzard hits VOD on September 25th and theaters October 24th.

Read More

See a Different Side of Shailene Woodley in Clip from 'White Bird In A Blizzard'

It hasn't taken long for audiences to absolutely fall in love with Shailene Woodley, and for good reason. Not only has she starred in some great movies, but she has shown a maturity well beyond her age. She's finely tuned her ability to play both strong and fragile characters with equal vigor so that no matter what role she's in we always want to cheer her on. And with The Fault In Our Stars out right now and making people weep openly for her character, it's a wonder what those same audiences will think of  Woodley in White Bird In a Blizzard.

A new clip from Gregg Araki's film has been released and, as noted in my review from Sundance, Woodley is really putting herself out there and embracing her character's raw sexuality. Yep, Woodley plays something of a sexual vixen during parts of this story, as seen in this footage where she's frequently making out with Shiloh Fernandez. There's also a considerable amount of nudity and aggressive sex with Thomas Jane, so this is one movie parents will want to leave the Woodley-loving kids at home for.

So what's the movie about since this clip looks more like a Depeche Mode music video? Woodley plays high school student Kat Connors, a girl whose lunatic mother (played deliciously by Eva Green) suddenly disappears, throwing Kat's life and that of her sad-sack father (Christopher Meloni) into disarray. The story spans years with Araki combining mystery and coming-of-age elements with a vintage spin, but overall the film doesn't work as well as Woodley's shocking performance deserves.

White Bird In a Blizzard hits VOD September 25th and theaters October 24th.

Read More

Sundance Review: Gregg Araki's 'White Bird in a Blizzard' Starring Shailene Woodley

It's easy to dismiss White Bird in a Blizzard as Shailene Woodley's Havoc, the Anne Hathaway yawner that showed her frisky, naked side in an attempt to break The Princess Diaries stigma she was trapped in. While it may have worked for her, obviously it did, Woodley has always been mature beyond her years, and so as she flashes her nude bod and embraces her character's raw sexuality, it doesn't seem like such a wild step for her; more like a natural progression. It helps that the film is directed by Gregg Araki, whose films usually have more going on beneath the surface than just stories of teen angst and sexual yearning.

White Bird in a Blizzard is based on the novel by Laura Kasischke, adapted by Araki and spruced up with his penchant for the surreal and slightly dysfunctional. Part mystery, part languid coming-of-age story, the film is set in the 1980s, a period that seems to be a particular favorite for Araki, although his hold over the time is purely surface in this case. Vivacious high school student Kat Connors (Woodley) comes home one day to find her totally unhinged mother Eve (Eva Green, at her insane best) fully dressed and sleeping in her room, appearing totally unaware of her surroundings. There's tension between them, but not the normal tension between a parent and child. There's sadness and a touch of hatred on both sides. Nothing like the outright venom Eve holds for Kat's father, Brock (Christopher Meloni, tightly coiled), a sad-sack pushover who doesn't seem to know how to handle a house full of strong-willed women. Within a few days, Eve has up and disappeared without a trace or a good-bye note.

The mystery of Eve's disappearance is never far from Araki's attentions, but it lurks in the background of a story that's mainly about Kat's angry steps into womanhood. The chain-smoking, skimpy outfit-wearing Kat knows what she wants, and has no problem going after it. She's literally dating the boy next door, a shirtless dunce (Shiloh Fernandez) who suddenly seems disinterested in sex. So Kat gets what she needs elsewhere, banging the studly cop (Thomas Jane) investigating Eve's disappearance. Kat has no problem going into the gory details of their carnal encounters, describing them in earnest to her best friends (Gabourey Sidibe and Mark Indelicato), a pair of outsiders who happily eat up her stories with a spoon.

We come to learn that Kat used to be overweight, but has shed the pounds and is only now coming to realize her powers over men. But as we watch her develop into a sexual vixen, flashbacks walk us through Eve's deteriorating mental state. Eve wants to be youthful and adventurous again, and sees Kat as a vampire sucking the life right out of her just as much as her boring marriage. As she becomes more erratic, it only becomes more suspicious that nobody seems to be all that concerned about her disappearance. With a slightly out-of-phase tone that's less his "Teenage Apocalypse" trilogy and more MysteriousSkin meets Twin Peaks (Laura Palmer herself, Sheryl Lee, makes an appearance), Araki explores ideas of body image and female identity with an unusual spin, backed by all of the director's favorite '80s pop hits. But Araki has a difficult time mustering up a lot of energy for the story at times, punctuated by pointless therapy sessions between Kat and her shrink (Angela Bassett). It takes forever for things to get moving, and even when they do it often doesn't seem to be going anywhere until Kat's past and present converge in a twist that David Lynch would be proud of, even if it comes out of nowhere.

Eva Green doesn't get a ton of screen time but she's a dominating presence even though her performance is pure camp in the Mommie Dearest mold. She'd tower over everyone if it wasn't for Woodley, again showing remarkable range from insecure teen to confident woman. It's a role that may turn off some of her fans, especially those who know her from the ABC Family days, but at least Woodley has chosen worthy material to make such a bold step. White Bird in a Blizzard lacks momentum as a tawdry mystery, but it's worth seeing for Woodley, Green, and Araki's intoxicating sense of mood.

Read More

First Trailer for 'White Bird in a Blizzard' with Shailene Woodley and Eva Green

Now that Sundance has revealed its full festival slate of movies, there are a few that arrive with considerably more buzz than others. One that will surely open to jam-packed screenings is Gregg Araki's White Bird in a Blizzard, which has Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Gabourey Sidibe, Thomas Jane, Christopher Meloni, and Shiloh Fernandez starring in the adaptation of Laura Kasischke's novel.

With its debut now only a couple of weeks ago, the first trailer has been released, suggesting this is Araki more in Mysterious Skin territory than Kaboom. Woodley plays Kat Connors, a young woman whose life is upended when her troubled mother (Green) sudden disappears. It's a little odd seeing the 33-year-old Green playing mom to the 22-year-old Woodley, but otherwise this looks extremely promising.

Araki will be shopping for distributors when White Bird in a Blizzard plays at Park City next month.


White Bird In a Blizzard Trailer VO by Sébastien Boulogne

Read More

First Look at Shailene Woodley and Eva Green in Gregg Araki's 'White Bird in a Blizzard'

She may have already earned a Golden Globe nomination and won an Indie Spirit Award, but things are only just now starting to really blow up for Shailene Woodley. Now that the whole Spider-Man thing seems to be behind her (she's clearly not ever coming back), she has a potential Hunger Games-sized blockbuster in Divergent on the way. But at the same time she's also sticking to smaller indie projects that have helped cultivate a devoted audience, such as this year's The Spectacular Now and the upcoming adaptation of The Fault In Our Stars. One film that many seem to be overlooking is Gregg Araki's White Bird in a Blizzard, and we're getting our very first images from it.

Based on Laura Kasischke's novel, the film boasts a solid cast of Woodley, Eva Green, Chris Meloni, Gabourey Sidibe, Angela Bassett, and Shiloh Fernandez in the coming-of-age story of Kat Connors, who learns to deal with life after her mother suddenly disappears. As the images suggest, there's more going on here than just a simple "missing persons" case as Kat is haunted by vivid dreams of something terrible.  Not that we should ever expect Araki to make a "simple" movie about anything.

It's still a little early for a release date on this one, but if it premieres at Sundance like Araki's films usually do, expect a distributor to pick it up.

Read More

Angela Bassett joins Gregg Araki's 'White Bird in a Blizzard'

Two Angela Bassett stories in the span of a few hours? This is a very good day, indeed! The talented actress just saw her adaptation of Black Nativity get the long-awaited green light, and now she's revealed on her Facebook page her involvement in Gregg Araki's developing indie drama, White Bird in a Blizzard.

Joining Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, Gabourey Sidibe, and Shiloh Fernandez, the story centers on a young woman whose life spins out of control with the disappearance of her mother. Bassett will play Dr. Thaler, but that's really all we know about her character right now. The whole story is being kept largely under wraps, but given Araki's past credits we can probably expect it to be much more complicated than it sounds.

Bassett will be seen next in Antoine Fuqua's White House invasion flick, Olympus Has Fallen.

Read More

Christopher Meloni, Eva Green, and Gabourey Sidibe join Gregg Araki's 'White Bird In A Blizzard'

Say what you will about controversial west coast filmmaker Gregg Araki, but he's helped elevate a lot of young stars' careers to the next level. His "Teenage Apocalypse" trilogy featured early appearances by Rose McGowan, Ryan Phillippe, Heather Graham, Mena Suvari, and more, while he also gave Joseph Gordon-Levitt his first serious dramatic turn in 2004's Mysterious Skin. His next film, White Bird In a Blizzard, will star another fast-rising talent in Shailene Woodley(The Descendants), and he's building a great cast to go along with her.

Already co-starring Shiloh Fernandez, Araki has now added Eva Green(Dark Shadows), Gabourey Sidibe(Precious), and Christopher Meloni(Law & Order: SVU) to star in the film about a young woman who sees her life turned upside down when her mother disappears. Expect there to be a lot more to it than that considering this is an Araki flick.

Meloni has a couple of big films coming up, appearing in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, and also in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. Sidibe can be seen now in Seven Psychopaths, and Green will star in 300: Rise of an Empire. [Deadline]

Read More

Shiloh Fernandez joins Gregg Araki's latest, 'White Bird'

Shiloh Fernandez certainly hasn't suffered any ill effects from the laughably bad Twilight ripoff Red Riding Hood from a couple years ago. He's actually seen his stock only go up at a faster rate, with roles in Brit Marling's The East upcoming, and a role in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead(been talking about that a lot lately). Now he can add another promising film to his slate, joining the latest film from the eccentric mind of Gregg Araki.

Fernandez will join Shailene Woodley and Eva Green in White Bird, Araki's first film since the apocalyptic teen comedy Kaboom. While many of Araki's films would be part of the latest wave of "new queer" cinema, he's occasionally ventured out of those confines. Kaboom would be one example, and so would his underrated threesome comedy, Splendor. It's hard to tell where White Bird falls in that regard. All we know is that it involves a woman whose life spirals out of control after the disappearance of her mother.

Fernandez will be seen next opposite Amber Heard in Syrup(trailer here),  a new advertising comedy which should premier at the Sundance Film Festival. [Deadline]

Read More

Sure Shots: Shailene Woodley; Tommy Lee Jones; Rafe Spall

* Shailene Woodley has kept a fairly low profile since turning so many heads in last year's The Descendants. She's set to star in James Pondoldt's The Spectacular Now, and that was about it until today. The controversial Gregg Araki(Nowhere, The Doom Generation) has tapped her to lead his upcoming film, White Bird. The plot sounds a little bare, which usually means Araki has something crazy planned. Woodley will play a troubled young woman who sees her life only get worse when her mother mysteriously disappears. It's early days on this one, as there's no start date or other cast involved just yet. [Variety]

* Nobody plays bad ass lawmen better than Tommy Lee Jones, so it's no wonder Luc Besson wants him for Malavita, his mob comedy starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro. Based on the book, Badfellas, the film follows an ex-mafia family who move to Normandy under the Witness Protection Program. While they try to blend in with their neighbors and start a new life, it isn't long before their old life comes calling, and they start taking care of business in the old ways. Jones will play an FBI agent and the family's handler who tries to help them assimilate to their new life. Filming begins this August. [Variety]

* Rafe Spall, last seen meeting a most gruesome fate in Ridley Scott's Prometheus, is set to star in the indie drama, Son of the South. Produced by Spike Lee and directed by his longtime editor, Barry Alexander Brown, the film tells the true story of Bob Zellner, a white author growing up in hyper racist Alabama. The son of a minister and grandson of a KKK member, Zellner would overcome his upbringing and fight for civil rights. Jacqueline Emerson, who played Foxface in The Hunger Games, will play his fiance. Marianne Jean Baptiste, Lou Gosset Jr co-star. [ThePlaylist]

Read More

Sure Shots: Ben Foster; Oscar Isaac; Gregg Araki

* Ever since The Messenger proved to be a phenomenal success for it's star, Ben Foster, and director Oren Moverman, the two have been inseparable. Foster pops up for a scene stealing supporting role in his cop flick, Rampart, and the two have even begun their own production company. Screen Daily reports that the two are set to team up again on Foster's as yet untitled directorial debut, which may shoot as soon as this summer. No details are available yet, other than Moverman will co-produce the feature. Foster is one of the more exciting actors around, always taking the less conventional roles, so I expect he'll do something equally challenging for his debut as a filmmaker.

* As Oscar Isaac gears up for what will probably be his most important role yet as part of The Coen Brothers' folk music film, Inside Llewyn Davis, he's already keeping an eye towards what he'll be doing afterwards. Variety reports he'll star in Inertia, a Spanish-language action thriller directed by Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego(Apollo 18) and produced by Jaume Collet-Serra(Orphan). Filming should begin this summer, with Lopez-Gallego hopefully not falling back on the "found footage" style that flopped so badly last time.

* What? Gregg Araki, the director behind the super violent, homosexual flights of fancy like Nowhere, The Doom Generation, and The Living End is making a cop film? Say wha!? Apparently that's the case, as he's said to be casting up his next film, The Womb, described by a producer as a "twisted cop thriller". Ok, "twisted" I get, and since this is Araki don't be surprised if space aliens turn up or if every member of the force is snorting blow off eachother's badges. Araki's last film was the college set sex comedy, Kaboom, starring Juno Temple.

Read More