The First Rule Of Chuck Sep 21, 2008
In Friday's movie adaptation of "Choke," Sam Rockwell, as Victor, spends a good part of his screen time dressed as a village smithy - with nothing but sex and scams on the brain. "Really, you add up the elements of a sex-addicted Colonial theme park worker who deliberately chokes in restaurants in order to [afford to] keep his mother in a mental hospital. I just thought, 'That's a movie,' " says Clark Gregg, the film's director, who also wrote the screenplay. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
DVD Report: This week's new releases (Sept. 14) Sep 14, 2008
Writer-director David Gordon Green ("Undertow") finds endless sources of small-town drama in the lives of an awkward high schooler (Michael Angarano, "24") and the troubled adults all around him, including waitress Kate Beckinsale and ne'er-do-well husband Sam Rockwell. (Warner, $28. (Boston Globe)
Dennings revels in her dark side Sep 8, 2008
" In the meantime, Dennings' chemical soup of cynicism and wisecrackery is finding fans in Hollywood. She just finished shooting Robert Rodriguez's dark children's film Shorts, as well as John Hindman's The Dream of The Romans (about a celebrity author who writes a "New Bible"). But her dream project, End Zone, has yet to be greenlit. "It's based on a Don DeLillo novel and it was supposed to be me, Sam Rockwell and Josh Hartnett. The plot is centred around football but it's really about nuclear... (Toronto Sun)
Back to the good old ways Sep 7, 2008
"Choke" An adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's darkly comic novel about a sex-addicted conman (Sam Rockwell) who pays for his mother's nursing home bills by forcing himself to choke in public and bilking money out of the sympathetic. Anjelica Huston plays mom, and the actor Clark Gregg directs. (Boston Globe)
Author O'Nan coming to Farmington Sep 7, 2008
There may also be questions about the movie of "Snow Angels," which came and went last year - never making it to Hartford, despite good reviews and a cast of respected names, including Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale and Olivia Thirlby from "Juno.". Warner Independent Pictures, the studio that marketed the film, collapsed as "Snow Angels" was to arrive in theaters, but O'Nan expects it to do well on DVD when it is released Sept. 18; the director, David Gordon Green, also did "Pineapple Express,"... (New Britain Herald, CT)
Choke to open Raindance Festival Sep 4, 2008
The film, about a man who cons people into paying for his ailing mother's medical bills, stars Sam Rockwell and Angelica Houston. The festival will also include documentaries about the Arctic Monkeys, Patti Smith and The Beatles. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
MUSTSEE-FILM Sep 3, 2008
Sam Rockwell stars as a sex addict and medical-school dropout who works as a historical re-enactor at a theme park. He's also a grifter who takes in diners at pricey restaurants by pretending to -- you guessed it -- choke. (Scripps Howard News Wire)
Movie Cornucopia Aug 31, 2008
Sam Rockwell stars as a sex addict and medical school dropout who works as a historical re-enactor at a theme park. He's also a grifter who takes in diners at pricey restaurants by pretending to - you guessed it - choke. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Complete list of fall films Aug 31, 2008
Choke (R): Sam Rockwell stars as a man who pretends to choke on food in restaurants, only to have people save him - and send him money. Meanwhile, he's a sex addict. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
IF YOU LIKE ... : Something for everyone this fall Aug 29, 2008
Based on a novel by Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk, it features a sex addict (Sam Rockwell) who schemes his way through life by pretending to gag in restaurants and bilking the good Samaritans to pay hospital bills for his mother. estrogen-rich. (USA Today -- Life)
Meg Ryan, Simon Pegg bring fall laughs Aug 28, 2008
And normally dramatic actors, such as Adrien Brody, Robert De Niro and Sam Rockwell, want to show they can get you giggling, too ... Sam Rockwell is a man who masquerades as a choking victim in restaurants to gather money for his ailing mother (Anjelica Huston) ... Starring: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Brad William Henke, Kelly MacdonaldDirector: Clark GreggStory: Victor Mancini is a sex-addicted, med-school dropout, who works in a colonial reenactment theme park, and keeps his ailing mother... (MSNBC -- Movies)
Do you believe...in casting Cher as Catwoman? Aug 26, 2008
As for the Riddler, of course Johnny Depp is the obvious choice, but i would like to see Ryan Gosling, Sam Rockwell, or Ed Norton ( not likely given his role as the Hulk). And as far as the Penguin goes, there is only one choice: Phillip Seymour Hoffman. (Entertainment Weekly)
Highlights of Hollywood's fall, holiday schedule Aug 25, 2008
Sam Rockwell and Angelica Huston star. COLLEGE: Drake Bell and a couple of buddies are campus pledges fighting back against their fraternity tormentors. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
SAM ROCKWELL 'CHOKES UP Aug 24, 2008
SAM ROCKWELL 'CHOKES UP - New York Post ... SAM ROCKWELL 'CHOKES UP ... Sam Rockwell gets so much enjoyment out of researching his roles, one might think he's just in it for the free field trips. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Peaches Geldof, John Cusack, John Woo Aug 14, 2008
Palahniuk told the BBC that he wrote the book, which features characters who work in a Colonial Williamsburg-like theme park, while listening to Radiohead's album "Pablo Honey." The film, directed by Clark Gregg, was screened at Sundance this year and stars Anjelica Huston and Sam Rockwell. It is to be released on Sept. 26. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Olivia Thirlby has the spirit of independents Jul 13, 2008
Her roles included a small part in "United 93" and a quirky teenager in "Snow Angels," a 2007 Sundance film starring Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell that grossed about $400,000. Her parts in upcoming films, including another with Peck ("Safety Glass," starring Hilary Duff), are smallish. (Boston Globe)
Drew Barrymore Loses the Long Face Jul 8, 2008
"They're two peas in a pod, they're made for each other," Barrymore's Charlie's Angels costar Sam Rockwell told People just last month. "They're like Mr. and Mrs. Warmth.". (E! Online)
LAFF 08: Choke Jul 3, 2008
And yet, as adapted from the printed page by writer-director Clark Gregg and actor Sam Rockwell, the guy is somehow. well, sympathetic. (IGN FilmForce)
Kevin Bacon Joins Cast of My One and Only for Herrick Entertainment Jun 21, 2008
Bacon will next star in Ron Howards Frost/Nixon, opposite Sam Rockwell, Michael Sheen, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall and Frank Langella, and in HBOs Taking Chance, which will come out next year. He is repped by Endeavor, William Morris and attorney Frederic N. Gaines. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Nantucket festival stresses ease over edge Jun 15, 2008
"Choke" Based on the cult novel by Chuck Palahniuk about a colonial theme park employee (Sam Rockwell) who's also a sex addict (recovering, maybe) and a scam artist. Yes, it's a comedy, albeit on the dark side. (Boston Globe)
First-Ever Vegas Icon Award Presented to James Caan Jun 14, 2008
Other award recipients include Anjelica Houston, Don Cheadle, Rosario Dawson, Viggo Mortsensen and Sam Rockwell. Tickets for this event are $25 and can be purchased on the CineVegas Film Festival web site, , or by calling 888-8VEGAS8. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Columbia Pictures to Develop My Fair Lady With CBS Films Jun 7, 2008
Through his company, Toledo Productions, he produced the feature film Lawn Dogs with Sam Rockwell, and a critically acclaimed miniseries of Gulliver's Travels starring Ted Danson. He has been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and three Golden Globes, and has won five British Academy Awards and three Emmys. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Chuck Palahniuk up to Snuff Jun 5, 2008
Clark Gregg does a great job directing and Sam Rockwell gives an inspired performance. What Brad Pitt was to Tyler Durden, Sam Rockwell brings to "Choke." He's sort of the person you don't think about because they fit so perfectly. (The Daily Texan, TX)
The sounds of 2 writers talking Jun 1, 2008
A movie of his 2003 novel "Choke," starring Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston, won a jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival and is scheduled for release Aug. 1. Both writers live outside Portland -- Palahniuk in Southwest Washington, Vlautin in Scappoose -- and love to find unusual places to work. (OregonLive, OR -- Living)
Reel Summer Fun May 11, 2008
Sam Rockwell stars in "Choke," based on another strange Chuck Palahniuk book about a con artist who stages his own choking near-deaths for monetary gain. Aug. 8. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
'Snow Angels:' A beautiful, bleak movie May 9, 2008
Your Connection to the. Web Search powered by YAHOO. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Sony lands 'Moon' rights May 6, 2008
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has picked up distribution rights in all English-speaking territories for Liberty Films' "Moon," starring Sam Rockwell. Story centers on a man who mines the precious gas that holds the key to reversing the Earth's energy crisis. (Variety)
De Niro Takes a Road Trip Apr 9, 2008
According to Variety, he will be joined by Drew Barrymore (Charlie's Angels), Kate Beckinsale (Underworld) and Sam Rockwell (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) on the project, with Waking Ned helmer Kirk Jones set to direct. The movie revolves around a widower (played by De Niro) who decides to take a road trip with his grown up kids after the death of his wife. (IGN FilmForce)
All-star cast lined up for "Everybody's Fine" Apr 9, 2008
BEIJING, April 9 -- Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell are lined up to star in "Everybody's Fine," a remake of Giuseppe Tornatores Italian drama "Stanno Tutti Bene.". Kirk Jones, who last directed the Emma Thompson family film Nanny McPhee, will direct Fine beginning later this month in "Connecticut.". (Xinhuanet, China)
In brief: Cruise's Hitler flick delayed again Apr 8, 2008
Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore and Sam Rockwell will star as his children. The movie is written and directed by British director Kirk Jones, who previously helmed Nanny McPhee and Waking Ned. (Guardian Unlimited -- Film)
De Niro, Barrymore top 'Fine' cast Apr 8, 2008
Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell are set to star in the Kirk Jones-directed "Everybody's Fine.". Miramax Films acquired worldwide rights on the film that will begin shooting in Connecticut later this month. (Variety)
Bobby Brown: 'I Died Three Times' Apr 5, 2008
At one point yours truly was standing just on the perimeter of a circle that included Clooney, Bruce Willis, Sam Rockwell, Clive Owen, Harvey Weinstein and sultry-looking Oscar-nominee Patricia Clarkson in a chic black cocktail dress. When Clooney who knows how to hold the attention of other movie stars in a circle around him wasn t paying total attention to the anecdotes and jokes, he was signaling a very blonde, chic Ellen Barkin so she wouldn t feel left out. (Fox News)
Critic's corner Apr 3, 2008
A wealthy Manhattan couple (Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga) struggle with their 9-year-old bundle of terror (Jacob Kogan). The trouble with very-bad-kid thrillers is that your own parental instincts kick in. (Boston Globe)
New releases Mar 29, 2008
When one couple, played by Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell, can't make things work, it all takes a forced turn into banal ugliness. This is a movie straining hard for thunder, especially in the bogus finale. (Boston Globe)
'Angels' ' Beckinsale relies on creative side in choosing films Mar 29, 2008
Co-starring (with Sam Rockwell) in such a volatile and deeply downcast piece of work was a challenge that Beckinsale relished. It was freeing for me to fully enter the mood and the emotional landscape of the character, she said. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
The bleakness in 'Snow' cuts to the bone Mar 29, 2008
Annie (Kate Beckinsale) and Glenn (Sam Rockwell), parents of a 3-year-old little girl, have split and you can't blame Annie for trying to keep her distance since. Glenn, who tried to kill himself after their parting, has become a booze-guzzling, born-again-religious, self-mutilating mess; and unfortunately for Annie, he claims to want her and their little family back. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Fest Traveler: AFI Dallas Mar 26, 2008
MORE FESTIVAL ARTICLES Festival builds on auspicious bow3/25/08 5:10pm Celebs honored at festival3/25/08 5:04pm Temerlin, Cain work well together3/25/08 4:49pm 3/25/08 4:41pm What to do at the AFI Dallas Film Festival3/25/08 4:28pm What: AFI Dallas Int'l Film FestivalWhen: March 27-April 6Where: Victory Park (fest epicenter), AMC NorthPark 15, Angelika Film Center, Landmark Inwood Theater, Majestic Theatre, Landmark Magnolia Theatre, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Nasher Sculpture... (Variety)
'Snow Angels': Cold comfort Mar 24, 2008
Starring Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell and Michael Angarano ... Glenn (a dopey-looking Sam Rockwell) is moving back in with his parents after a period of unemployment and separation from his wife and daughter. (Toronto Star)
That Dreadful Feeling Mar 22, 2008
Starring Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Olivia Thirlby and Amy Sedaris ... He and his pitch-perfect cast, led by Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell, make you care about the denizens of a small Pennsylvania town, circa 1980s. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Lots of ugliness, little loveliness in a small town Mar 21, 2008
Annie and Glenn (Sam Rockwell) have broken up, but he can't bring himself to let go ... Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Nicky Katt, Olivia Thirlby, and Amy Sedaris. (Boston Globe)
Angels bedeviled by cheating hearts Mar 21, 2008
In opening scenes, Glenn (Sam Rockwell), a reformed alcoholic and born-again Christian, stalks ex-wife Annie (Kate Beckinsale) in ... Snow Bored: Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale star as estranged spouses in Snow Angels. (Boston Herald)
An unpredictability you can rely on Mar 21, 2008
The only constant in Sam Rockwell's career seems to be the oddball, off-centre characters he plays ... Sam Rockwell occupies uniquely unstable ground among American film actors ... Sam Rockwell in Snow Angels. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Well-crafted touches don't rescue big picture Mar 21, 2008
Starring Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano ... A waitress with a young daughter, Annie (Kate Beckinsale) is wary of the efforts of her estranged husband, Glenn (Sam Rockwell), to insinuate himself back into the fold. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Snow Angels Review Mar 19, 2008
Based on Stewart O'Nan's novel, Snow Angels stars Kate Beckinsale (Underworld) as Annie, a waitress at a small-town Chinese restaurant who bounces between relationships with her coworker Barb's (Amy Sedaris) husband Nate (Nicky Katt) and her own former high school sweetheart Glenn (Sam Rockwell), who is recovering after an attempted suicide. Meanwhile, high school student Arthur (Michael Angarano) begins to entertain the romantic attention of an attractive new student named Lila (Olivia Thirlby)... (IGN FilmForce)
Rediscovering female artists Mar 17, 2008
His interview with "Snow Angels" star Sam Rockwell is on Page 22, and he talks with director Patricia Riggen about her family-themed immigration movie, "Under the Same Moon," on Page 26. Also in Screens: Michael Ordoa's piece on the three young actors in Owen Wilson's latest star vehicle, "Drillbit Taylor" (Page 24). (San Francisco Chronicle)
One Manly Move Mar 16, 2008
Boy, is Sam Rockwell tired of playing the kid. At 39, the Bay Area native is proud of his acting career. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
'Snow Angels' lays down a somber tale Mar 15, 2008
Snow Angels* * (out of four)Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Griffin Dunne, Amy SedarisDirector: David Gordon GreenDistributor: Warner Independent PicturesRating: R for language, violent content, some brief sexuality and drug useRunning time: 1 hour, 46 minutesOpens Friday in the USA ... At the same time, the small town in which they live faces a tragic loss as another marriage of Annie (Kate Beckinsale), Arthur's former babysitter, and Glenn (Sam Rockwell) flames out in... (USA Today -- Life)
Brandeis festival to fete Tony Goldwyn Mar 9, 2008
It features Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell (617-495-4700, ). SCREENINGS OF NOTE: "Once," the sweet movie starring Glen Hansard and Mark ta Irglov as street buskers that won the Academy Award for original song is the opening feature of the Boston College Irish Studies Film Series on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the West Newton Cinema (617-552-3938, ). (Boston Globe)
'Snow Angels' To 'Pineapple Express': The Year Of David Gordon Green Mar 8, 2008
And with "Snow Angels" garnering awards talk for Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell and the director, 2008 could very well become the year of David Gordon Green. "I like when people say dramatic things in a funny tone, or when they're laughing while they're crying," he said of the real-life balance between comedy and drama that so few filmmakers can capture. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Snow Angels and Married Life: Wedded Blisters Mar 8, 2008
" The hammers of hell beat in the hearts of these frosty folk; for Snow Angels, like a bunch of other films set in cold climates (The Ice Storm, The Sweet Hereafter, Affliction, A Simple Plan, Fargo, this year's Sundance winner Frozen River), is about people who will do anything to get warm, even if it means getting burned. Cheating on their spouses, for a start; and for one doomed family, a lot worse. Here's the town's topography of restlessness. Annie (Kate Beckinsale) has split from her... (Time.com)
'10,000 BC' hopes to make history Mar 7, 2008
Warner Independent opens David Gordon Green's drama "Snow Angels," starring Kate Beckinsale, Michael Angarano and Sam Rockwell, in two theaters. Other specialty debuts include Slowhand's "Bar Starz," which opens in 50 theaters; Eros' "Black ," which plays in 30; and IFC's "Paranoid Park," which unspools in two. (Variety)
Sadly, 'angels' Falls In 2nd Half Mar 7, 2008
" Exception: indie film directors. It's the happy days that make them lock up the equipment. David Gordon Green's "Snow Angels," based on a Stewart O'Nan novel, is funny, beautifully written, nicely observed, sweetly familiar. For the first half. The hookups and breakups of teens and adults in a middle-class northern suburb make for a refreshingly unschematic structure. A waitress at a Chinese restaurant (the excellent Kate Beckinsale, whose return to indieland is welcome) and her awkward but... (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Stewart O'Nan meets his director Mar 1, 2008
a dark drama starring Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell, opens in March. ( to see our previous post about the film and watch its trailer. (Columbus Telegram, NE)
Kate Beckinsale's new movie Feb 7, 2008
Sam Rockwell co-stars as Beckinsales creepy estranged husband. Check out the trailer below and let me know what you think in the comments. (Columbus Telegram, NE)
Visual 'Jesse James' hits the shelves this week Feb 3, 2008
Still, a good Sam Rockwell and a better Paul Schneider can't steal the focus from Affleck. If the real Ford wasn't this way, he should have been. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Mischa Barton's Quirky Hit, U2's 3-D Trip And More Sundance '08 Memories Jan 29, 2008
"Choke," starring Sam Rockwell as a sex-addicted con man, managed to talk its way to a Special Jury Prize, while a hip-hop-flavored comedy starring everyone from Method Man and Josh Peck to Mary-Kate Olsen and Ben Kingsley, pleased enough fans to garner the Audience Award. "American Teen," a documentary following the lives of four seniors at an Indiana high school, took home the Directing Award, while another doc, "Trouble the Water," won Grand Jury Prize honors for its narrative first-person... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Sundance honors films with a political edge Jan 28, 2008
The competition also sandbagged films with recognizable stars, with the exception of a special jury prized given to the ensemble cast of Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly MacDonald and Brad Henke in Choke, director Clark Gregg's adaptation of Chuck (Fight Club) Palahniuk's novel. Filmgoers also get a vote at this festival, and audience awards went to Josh Tickell's documentary Fields of Fuel, which travels the arc of U.S. oil dependence from Rockefeller to Iraq; and to Jonathan Levine's... (USA Today)
Big-name films fail to find buyer audience Jan 28, 2008
Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston and Kelly Macdonald star in the adaptation of a Chuck Palahniuk novel about a guy (Rockwell) who fakes choking to scam those who try to save him. The film went to Fox Searchlight. (USA Today)
'Frozen' wins grand prize at Sundance Jan 28, 2008
There were several special jury prizes: In the U.S. dramatic competition, a Spirit of Independence award was given to director Chusy Haney-Jardine for Anywhere, USA, and a nod for work by an ensemble cast went to Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald and Brad Henke for Choke; in the American documentary field, director Lisa F. Jackson was singled out for The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo; while in world dramatic cinema, a special jury prize was specified for Ernesto... (Variety)
Stories of struggle take top honours Jan 28, 2008
The same was true of Choke, starring Sam Rockwell, which sold for $5-million and won a special jury prize for its ensemble cast. None of the comedies appear to have the momentum to be the next Napoleon Dynamite, Little Miss Sunshine or Juno. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
'Frozen River,' 'Trouble the Water' win at Sundance Jan 28, 2008
" Actors in the adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel include Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston. Among other Sundance honors: -- Directing, U.S. drama: Lance Hammer, "Ballast. " -- Directing, U.S. documentary: Nanette Burstein, "American Teen. (San Francisco Chronicle)
'Frozen River' Best Drama at Sundance Jan 27, 2008
The U.S. dramatic jury, which included Marcia Gay Harden, Diego Luna and Sandra Oh, presented a special jury prize for work by an ensemble cast to "Choke." Actors in the adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel include Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston. Among other Sundance honors. (Washington Times)
New DVDs: 3:10 to Yuma, Sunshine Jan 25, 2008
Joshua Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga star in this creepy tale of a bad-seed child, playing parents to a precocious boy (Jacob Kogan) who begins to act out in subtle and sinister ways after his parents bring his new baby sister home from the hospital. DVD, $27. (MSNBC -- Movies)
Coogans Hamlet 2 sells for $10 mil at fest Jan 24, 2008
Choke, starring Sam Rockwell, sold to Fox Searchlight with trade papers putting the deal at $5 million. Actor-director-writer Clark Gregg adapted the screenplay from Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuks 2001 novel. (MSNBC -- News)
Sundance sales continue slowly Jan 24, 2008
Other films that sold Monday and Tuesday were the Steve Coogan high school comedy "Hamlet 2," which sold world rights to Focus Features for $10 million, one of the biggest deals ever at Sundance; the edgy thriller "Choke," starring Sam Rockwell, which Fox Searchlight acquired for $5 million for the world (less several territories), and the spiritual drama "Henry Poole is Here," starring Luke Wilson, for which Overture scooped up U.S. rights for $3. 5 million. (Variety)
