|
Update -
08/06/06:
  I
have more information regarding the film - SHADOWS OF
ATTICUS. First off, here's an
interview with Peter
that was published in the Kansas City Star. The
story involves the successes and struggles of a young
girl named Belle Lawlor (Vivien Cardone) who undergoes a
drastic personality change after her mother dies. She
rebels against her father and is sent to her
grandfather's farm in Kansas. There are a variety of
animals that she interacts with. Peter has the role of
Hock Banyon, Belle's grandfather.
Kansas City was chosen as the
shooting location because everyone at Waldo West Productions lives in the area along
with the director and screenwriter. Director Dennis
Fallon says his film is about a broken family and all
the things they have to put together because of the
death and the things they have to mend. Despite shooting
on a luxurious horse farm and having a cast like Peter
Coyote, Peter Boyle and Vivien Cardone, Fallon is proud
of keeping his budget under three million. "When you see
this film, you are going to be like, how in the world
did you get all this for fewer than three million? It’s
going to look great."
Doug Delaney, who penned the script,
adds, "The real story is about wounded people and
animals. It's very surprising how very indirectly they
can heal each other." Delaney said Kansas City Executive
Producer Charles W. Nelson helped tremendously in making
his screen play a big production. He continues, "This
movie's only being made because of Nelson's love for
animals. This is a film the kids will like, and the
adults will love."
 Last
month Peter was up in Calgary doing a cameo role in a
boxing film for Rod Lurie, creator of "Commander in
Chief". It's called RESURRECTING THE CHAMP and
stars Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson. The script is
based on a true story, adapted from several articles by
LA Times writer J.R. Moehringer. Film production began
June 19th with the wrap party held a few days ago.
Hartnett plays a 30-year-old sportswriter whose
desperation for a big story leads him to track down a
homeless man he believes was once a famous fighter. The
journalist and the reluctant subject (Jackson) form a
father-son bond while the scribe gets a heartfelt story,
or so it seems. Peter, in the role of a fight manager
named Epstein, says, "It's a real character turn and
hopefully I'll be hard to recognize." [Anyone
remember another Coyote film co-starring Jackson?]
Last
month PBS aired "Woody Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home,"
narrated by Peter. The 90-minute film, written and
directed by Peter Frumkin, was a key part of the 20th
anniversary season of the prestigious series,
"American Masters". It included interviews with Pete
Seeger and Bruce Springsteen, family members,
biographers Ed Cray And Joe Klein, And folklorist Guy
Logsdon. It also featured rarely seen home movies and
family photos from the Woody Guthrie Foundation and
Archives and recently discovered radio recordings and
original Guthrie artwork. Neil Genzlinger of the
NY Times had glowing words for Peter's narration
in his July 12th TV review of the documentary. "Woody
Guthrie is the subject of tonight’s installment of
'American Masters' on PBS, but first a word about the
narrator. The disembodied voice for these types of
documentaries often goes unmentioned, which is as it
should be; the program, after all, is not about the
person reading the script. But here the choice, Peter
Coyote, is a particularly nice fit. Mr. Coyote’s voice,
clear and mellow yet unpretentious and with a hint of
mournfulness, is one that you might imagine Guthrie
himself as having if you saw only his photograph. It’s
actually a little disappointing when Guthrie’s real
voice, a nasal whine, is heard on the program via old
tapes."
 Narrated
by Peter, the 53-minute documentary "The Damnedest,
Finest Ruins" is now available on DVD. On April 18,
1906, a massive earthquake struck Northern California.
In three terrible days San Francisco was wiped from the
earth. This film paints a riveting portrait of courage
and chaos. James Dalessandro, author of the best selling
novel, 1906, uses rare photos and actual film of
the disaster to create a captivating story of human
courage and political incompetence, underscored by the
music of Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, who performed five
hours before the disaster and barely made it out alive.
 On
July 25th DEEPWATER
was released on DVD. The film tells the story of young
drifter Nat Banyon (Lucas Black) who ends up saving the
life of eccentric motel owner Herman Finch (Coyote).
He's then offered a handyman job in return, but life in
the ramshackle town of Deepwater isn't what it seems and
before long, Nat finds himself ensnared in a web of
deceit and trickery. Ken Eisner of Variety claims
this low-budget neo-noir looks like more than a million
bucks, thanks to the vision of debut helmer David S.
Marfield, who adapted the story from a Southern Gothic
novel by Matthew E. Jones. He adds, "It also
offers one of the strongest, most unusual turns yet by
Peter Coyote as a rural tycoon who is either an evil
manipulator or an outsized good ol' boy."
DVD Review describes it as a
"small movie that deserves as much attention as it can
get, especially for its director. Deepwater is an
evocative throwback to the film noir of the 1940s and
David S. Marfield displays a shining talent... Peter
Coyote has a plum role, effectively chewing the scenery
as a delectably nasty villain." And Video Business
agrees with "This limited-budget film is extremely
well made and first-time director Marfield uses stylish
visual effects to lend a hallucinogenic cast to the
proceedings... Coyote, a fine actor, plays his colorful
character ambiguously enough to keep viewers guessing as
to where he stands." When the film premiered at the
Seattle International Film Festival last summer, The
Seattle Post Intelligencer film reviewer wrote,
"Here's a taut and tense twist on an already tightly
wound noirish classic and modern thrillers like 'The
Postman Always Rings Twice,' 'Blood Simple' and 'Body
Heat.' This world premiere by David S. Marfield, whose
cinematic influences definitely show (add 'Psycho' to
the mix of movies above), subverts everything we think
will happen. He does it with stylish pulse and visual
creativity and with a solid cast."
Here are some new movie stills:
The screenplay, also written by
Marfield, was based on the novel by Matthew F. Jones.
Around six years ago English film company, Halcyon
Entertainment, approached Jones about filming
Deepwater. He accepted and was invited to
participate in its Vancouver-based shoot in the fall of
2003. Jones had envisioned his tale set in the
Adirondacks, but his producers wanted a California
location. They settled on a Canadian spot that was a
perfect reproduction of his original conception of
Deepwater's setting, down to its pivotal motel.
Appropriately, the Vancouver town was named Clearwater.
According to Jones, the film is "a very interesting
adaptation," and Coyote's performance is excellent.
Director Marfield admits "Peter Coyote still haunts me to
this day after his awe-inspiring role in Bitter Moon.
He was always my first choice for this movie."
 The
ABC drama series, COMMANDER IN CHIEF, which
earned star Geena Davis a Golden Globe Award, debuted in
September 2005 with big numbers. However, ratings
declined steadily until the series was pulled in its
second season after 18 episodes. It was a show that
"could've, would've, should've" in the TV world. Peter
had the recurring role of Vice President Warren Keaton.
Fans will be glad to learn that two DVDs have been
released. Part 1 covers the first ten episodes with Part
2 containing the last eight episodes.
BLAST
FROM THE PAST: The summer between filming Roman
Polanski's Bitter Moon and Pedro Almodovar's
Kika, Coyote spent some time in Paris. Here are some
photos taken in July 1992:
Update -
08/01/06:
I have been on an extended holiday
this summer on the Maine coast - no telephone, no TV, no
computer - hooray! I returned home for 12 hours
last Thursday only to turn around and head to PA to
attend my son's wedding, so once I unpack my dancing
shoes and beach sandals, I'll be back online to post the
latest updates. Please check back this week. Thanks!
Update -
06/11/06:
Peter is presently in Kansas filming
SHADOWS OF ATTICUS with first-time director
Dennis Fallon. Shooting began May 15th and will wrap up
shortly. The cast also includes Vivien Cardon,
Evan Parke Peter Boyle and April Bowlby. The
three-million-dollar Waldo West Production is described
as a family drama intended for "G" audiences.
As
many of you know, ABC ultimately pulled the plug on
COMMANDER IN CHIEF and it will not return for the
fall lineup. However, ABC Entertainment President
Stephen McPherson has left open the possibility of
bringing back Commander sometime next season in the form
of a two-hour TV movie. The show got off to a promising
start in the ratings last fall, then steadily lost
ground, even after returning this spring from an 11-week
hiatus with a less-competitive time slot and a renewed
promotional push. The final three episodes, which were
pulled from ABC's schedule for the duration of the May
ratings "sweep," will air on May 31, June 7 and June 14,
concluding the series' prime-time run, network
executives said.
|
