Of the seven previous films Alexander Payne directed, three were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, he was nominated three times for Best Director, and won two Academy Awards for Adapted Screenplay. That’s not a bad record.
All of his films deal with the human condition in one way or another and have received critical acclaim. Sideways, About Schmidt, The Descendants, Election, Citizen Ruth, Nebraska, And To reduce has now been added to Payne’s directorial filmography with his latest film. The survivors who reunites him with his people Sideways Paul Giamatti stars in the story of three people who form a temporary bond and family of their own during the Christmas holidays when circumstances force them to stay at a high school in the east. Giamatti is a grumpy associate professor, Da’Vine Joy Randolph is the school’s cook, and freshman Dominic Sessa is a student whose parents have left him alone for the holidays. It is one of Payne’s most acclaimed films of all time and one of only two for which he did not receive a script (the other being Nebraska). But the film clearly arose from his own vision, partly inspired by a 1935 Marcel Pagnol film called ” hake, and now the first “historical” film in the director’s career. Not only did he make the film in 1971, but he also made a film that looks like it could have come from that time, an era where humanity was at the center of the scene.
Payne joins me this week for this week’s edition of my Deadline video series. Behind the lens. Among other things, we talk about his latest film, some expected future projects and the many films that have inspired him and his own films over the years. And at the end, you’ll learn the name of the film that brought us together at a revival at a theater in downtown LA just hours after we returned from Cannes. You don’t want to miss it.
To watch our conversation and go “behind the lens” with Alexander Payne, click the link above.
Join me every Friday during Oscar season for a new edition of Behind the lens.
Source: Deadline
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
