Cinema is Dope

[ View Image (1024×682) ]

Being surrounded by seven sisters could not have been an easy existence for Barry, except perhaps in moments like this one.

“The idea was to emphasize the unique place that Adam and Emily’s characters occupy in the film by surrounding them with non-actors. This was especially important in the case of Barry’s sisters. Paul (Thomas Anderson) didn’t want to hire actors because he wanted to capture the raw awkwardness of family, where people nag and talk over each other and don’t wait for their cues.”

“I went to meet with these two sisters and in talking discovered that they had two cousins. So of the seven sisters in the film, six are non-actors and four are related. It was kind of crazy, especially given that we asked some of the women to bring their husbands along, but they all gelled perfectly. They had no fear.”

- Casting director Cassandra Kulukund on casting Barry’s sisters in Punch-Drunk Love

Caption:
(From L. to R.) Elizabeth (Mary Lynn Rajskub) introduces her friend Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) to her brother Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) hoping that the two may hit it off in the Revolution Studios/New Line Cinema presentation of Punch-Drunk Love, distributed by Columbia Pictures.

(Read more…)

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

Striking framing, colors and strong classic look mark this famous scene from Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love.

“Paul wanted Hawaii to be the antithesis of minimalism, so we were looking for gorgeous sunsets and flowers, anything that would make it a romantic escape for Barry and Lena. We managed to find a great hotel that required virtually no dressing, in a beautiful spot, with beautiful furniture.”

- Production designer William Arnold on crafting the Hawaiian location shoot in Punch-Drunk Love

Caption:
Adam Sandler and Emily Watson star in the Revolution Studios/New Line Cinema presentation of Punch-Drunk Love, distributed by Columbia Pictures.

(Read more…)

[ View Image (1024×699) ]

One of the best parts of falling in love is when you do so without even realizing it… as is the case here.

“Both apartments are generic, but for different reasons. Because it’s not really clear where she comes from, we didn’t want to leave any clues about Lena’s history. Whereas Barry’s place is reflective of the blandness in his life, so there is no passion showing on his walls or in his furniture.”

- Production designer William Arnold on crafting the apartment locations for Lena and Barry in Punch-Drunk Love

Caption:
Adam Sandler stars as Barry Egan and Emily Watson stars as Lena Leonard in the Revolution Studios/New Line Cinema presentation of Punch-Drunk Love, distributed by Columbia Pictures.

(Read more…)

[ View Image (1024×685) ]

What can I say, I love this film even more with each passing viewing. Not necessarily Sandler’s best comedy depending on your own personal taste, but this is certainly indisputably his finest film performance by far.

“Paul (Thomas Anderson) makes movies with the music already fixed in his head – it’s a huge, integral part of his work. So integral to this project, in fact, that Anderson asked friend and frequent collaborator Jon Brion (Magnolia) to create a temporary score to be played on set during production.”

- Producer JoAnne Sellar on the music in Punch Drunk-Love

“Paul suggested different tempos, then my engineer and I recorded a series of 10-minute ensemble percussion pieces that the actors listened to between takes to give them an idea of the scene’s rhythm.”

- Composer Jon Brion on working on Punch-Drunk Love

Caption:
Adam Sandler stars as Barry Egan in the Revolution Studios/New Line Cinema presentation of Punch-Drunk Love, distributed by Columbia Pictures.

(Read more…)