Character, CASH, Comedy...and Bean

By Myriam Lechuga

In a thriller about a nice couple being held hostage by an unpredictable criminal the last thing one may expect to find is comedy. But comedy is what we do find in CASH.

Though there are scenes that are written and acted to be humorous, a great deal of the comedy is character driven. The funniest character of them all is Pyke as played by Sean Bean. The laughter comes from either Pyke’s reaction to the other characters or the other characters’ reaction to Pyke’s very precise, but slightly skewed, world view. After all, would your average criminal demand a “have a nice day” from someone they’ve almost beaten to a pulp? However, when we laugh at that scene, we are also a bit horrified at ourselves for doing so. This is very clever of writer/director Stephen Milburn Anderson to have the audience feel complicit in this dangerous game.

Some of the funniest scenes are between Pyke and the various everyday people he encounters on his way to finding and recovering the money he feels belongs to him and his brother. Of course the British accent, and the” ever so polite” way he introduces himself in people’s lives keeps us, as well as the actors on screen, slightly off balance. Kudos go to Mike Starr, Antony Thekkek, Glenn Plummer, Michael Mantell , and Josh Blue, for memorable scenes with Sean Bean as Pyke . Next time I need to get a loan from my neighborhood bank I’m taking Pyke with me!

Anderson takes a risk by making some of the humor politically incorrect. It works in this case because Pyke is clearly a “stranger in a strange land”, sartorially and in every other way. It works also because Sean Bean always makes his villains human and even charming. You know when you’re watching the film you should fear and hate Pyke, yet our sympathies are surprisingly swayed towards him, and against our hostage couple, all through the film. That is how an actor weaves his magic.

I am sure Sean Bean had a great deal of fun playing Pyke and his twin brother Reece. He creates a full human being (or two) on screen from his quirks and mannerisms, to his impeccable suits and ties, to his determined, yet mocking delivery of the dialog. The movie revolves around him, and even the hostage couple, Sam (Chris Hemsworth) and Leslie(Victoria Profeta) Phelan, are reacting to Pyke /Sean for most of the film rather than driving the movie action forward. More surprising then is the moment when performances and actions take an unexpected turn.

CASH’s hidden treasure is in its unexpected humor, clever characters, and memorable performances by supporting players and leading actors alike. Go and see CASH.

The film opens nationwide in the US on April 9.

The Film CA$H Casting Call: Cast yourself by placing yourself in the official movie poster!

CA$H stars notorious bad boy Sean Bean (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Lord of the Rings), 2011's hottest star Chris Hemsworth (Marvel's upcoming THOR, Star Trek) and The Drew Carey Show's Victoria Profeta (Push). CA$H, a quirky psychological thriller, releases March 26th in select cities; April 9th nationwide.

Be the face of the CA$H movie poster with this special partnership with PhotoFunia!

www.photofunia.com/cash

1. Choose Sean, Chris or Victoria and upload a clear picture of your face. A side profile image works best for Chris; an over-the-shoulder pose works best for Sean; and a frontal view is most compatible for Victoria.

2. Save the picture and upload as your profile picture for Facebook, Twitter and Myspace.

3. Click "Publish" to share this on your Facebook. While you're at it, join The Film CA$H Fanpage!

Get Your New CASH Facebook Profile Pic Today!

IMMORTAL THOUGHTS--Meet the People Who Bring You the New Film CASH

Meet the creative team behind the new Sean Bean film, CASH. Immortal Thoughts. Headed by the Producer of CASH, Naveen Chathappuram, this US based motion picture production house is commited to providing in-depth, original films to audiences worldwide.

Please click here to read more about Immortal Thoughts!

CA$H SHOWCASES “INKED UP” CAST, INCLUDING UNIQUE “TATTOO MAN”

UPCOMING MOVIE CA$H SHOWCASES “INKED UP” CAST,
INCLUDING UNIQUE “TATTOO MAN”

Tattoos are featured prominently in the upcoming film CA$H, starring Sean Bean (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Lord of the Rings) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Star Trek). CA$H will open March 26th, 2010 via Roadside Attractions.

The film showcases tattoos on lead star Bean, who is known to have tattoos in actual life, including a “Nine” in Elvish in reference to the nine members of the Fellowship in Lord of the Rings, all of whom got similar tattoos; and a “100% Blade” tattoo in honor of his favorite football team, Sheffield United.

The film also features Bruce Potts, known for his fully-inked face and head.



“Tattoos personify what is important to you,” said CA$H producer Naveen Chathappuram. “The Ben Frank tattooed on Sean Bean’s neck in CA$H says it all. He wants his money from Chris Hemsworth, and that’s all that matters to him.”

The casting of Bruce Potts was a deliberate move by the filmmakers; in fact, CA$H Director Stephen Milburn Anderson saw the brightly-tattooed Potts at an Albuquerque coffee shop and was intrigued by his face. Although Anderson didn’t approach Potts at the time, he jokingly told his wife, “I’ve got to cast that guy in a movie. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”

Years later, when Anderson and Chathappuram began filming CA$H, Anderson immediately thought of the matchless face at the Albuquerque coffee shop and began his pursuit of the so-called “tattoo man.” A friend of Anderson’s at the University of New Mexico knew exactly who he was.

“It turns out he was a professor at the University of New Mexico,” laughed Anderson. “People have asked about the brilliant makeup job on Bruce Potts in CA$H. They’re always floored to hear that it’s not makeup. It’s the real deal.”

“We wanted someone who the audience could look at and think, ‘Wow, this guy is really edgy,’” added Chathappuram. ” Bruce Potts was exactly who we were looking for. His tattoos are a work of art.”

The film’s fixation with tattoos emerges from Anderson’s personal interest in the industry.

“It’s ironic because I don’t have a tattoo myself. But I see a lot of people with tattoos that are really fascinating and attractive,” Anderson said. “Naveen and I thought it would add a new dimension to Sean Bean’s character. Once Sean Bean saw the $100 bill design, he really liked it.”

In sync with the money theme, Roadside and the filmmakers have collaborated with www.Eventful.com/cashfilm to offer moviegoers a chance to “Demand” the film and cash in on $2,500.

CA$H is a quirky psychological thriller that explores the power money can wield over humans. When a struggling young couple, Sam (Chris Hemsworth) and Leslie Phelan (Victoria Profeta) find a suitcase full of cash, they think their luck will take a turn for the better—until the strange and sinister criminal Pyke Kubic (Sean Bean) arrives at their doorstep, looking to collect what he believes is rightfully his. What follows is an action-packed adventure through the streets of Chicago as the three are pulled deeper and deeper into a desperate spiral of deception and violence… All in the name of cash. Joining Anderson and Chathappuram is executive producer Prema Thekkek.

www.thefilmcash.com

CASH: Double the Trouble

Great review of CASH on Cinemablend.com and the acting talents of stars Sean Bean and Chris Hemsworth:

Sean Bean has been playing killer bad guys for years, with little or no credit for it. He was the most unsung part of Fellowship of the Ring, but that movie doesn’t work without what he brought to the deeply twisted, conflicted character of Boromir. He’s the biggest reason why it’s the best of the three. What I’m getting at here is that Sean Bean is a badass actor, one you can’t really have too much of. So good news, the new movie CA$H has two of him.

Also involved is the most unsung part of Star Trek
Chris Hemsworth, the guy who made half the planet tear up in under five minutes of action as he sent his ship on a suicide mission to save his wife and newly born son. Together they may make something special happen.

To read the entire review:

www.cinemablend.com

Brand New U.S. CASH Trailer--Watch it Now!!!

A picture's worth a thousand words, a brand new U.S. CASH trailer featuring Sean Bean can be worth Million$.

CASH is the Must See Film of 2010

We are thrilled about all the fantastic press coverage for CASH since the announcement of the film’s March 26 US theatrical release date. All agree CASH is the must see Indie Film of 2010.

The press buzz started in the summer of 2009 when Variety tweeted the CASH producers about the film's success at Cannes:

www.variety.com

The buzz in the press has only gotten bigger after the recent announcement that Los Angeles distributor Roadside Attractions will open the film theatrically on March 26th. Below is just a sampling of the CASH coverage:

Screen Rant says:

After having a good showing and building up a decent amount of steam at last year’s American Film Market, the film Cash has been floating around, working on a distribution deal. The news now is that Three Good Men, the studio behind Cash, has struck a deal with Roadside Attractions for a theatrical release on March 26th, 2010 and Lionsgate will handle the DVD release. That’s good news for fans of both Bean and Hemsworth.

www.screenrant.com

The Hollywood Reporter says:

The Chicago-set action thriller features Hemsworth and Profeta as a couple who find a suitcase full of cash that brings with it a sinister character played by Bean.

www.hollywoodreporter.com


ScreenDaily says:

Roadside Attractions has acquired all US rights to the crime thriller Ca$h starring Sean Bean and newcomer Chris Hemsworth.
Roadside will release the film theatrically on March 26 and Lionsgate will handle DVD and other US ancillary markets through the partners’ output deal.

wwww.screendaily.com

Moviehole- Hemsworth Flick Bowing March 26:

Chris Hemsworth had been in the U.S. only a few weeks when he auditioned for CA$H. We saw immediate potential in him, and CA$H became his first film, added Anderson.

www.moviehole.net


Cinematical says:

Stephen Milburn Anderson's thriller CA$H, stars Chris Hemsworth (the upcoming Thor) and Victoria Profeta as a struggling couple. They find a suitcase full of money, which brings "strange and sinister" Sean Bean to their door.

www.cinematical.com

Congratulations to CASH for all the great press coverage. We can't wait for the film to open on March 26.

Exciting Times Ahead!

Note: It's CASH--not CA$H

Stephen Milburn Anderson’s CASH (CA$H), starring Sean Bean and Chris Hemsworth, will release this Spring; announcement is placed on www.thefilmcash.com amidst concerns that fans will confuse Anderson’s CASH for a low budget film of the same name.

CASH (CA$H), starring Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson & the Olympians) and Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek, Thor), will release Spring of 2010, states the official website for the film (www.thefilmcash.com).

The clarification comes at a time when a low budget film of the same name, starring a cast of unknowns, has appeared online.

“We wish the other film good luck, and want to reassure Sean Bean and Chris Hemsworth fans that CASH, directed by Stephen Milburn Anderson, will release this Spring. You can expect an official announcement by early February,” said producer Naveen Chathappuram.

The film bearing the same name was previously titled “Bullets, Blood & a Fistful of Ca$h.”

One Sean Bean fan page suggests that the sudden name change may have occurred to “piggyback” off of marketing efforts and pre-release buzz on Anderson’s CASH; the film has already established a firm fan base through an innovative marketing strategy.

“There’s been a lot of anticipation building up for CASH,” said blogger Carol at The Mighty Bean. “CASH will bring two hot and current actors, Sean Bean and Chris Hemsworth, together on one screen. The excitement has been building up for some time now.”

The film had a successful run at Cannes due to its marketing campaign, which will expand nationally once the release date and distributor is announced.

CASH is a quirky psychological thriller that explores the power money wields over humans. In CASH, the bad economy has taken a toll on Sam (Chris Hemsworth) and Leslie's (Victoria Profeta) marriage and finances. When the couple finds a suitcase full of cash, they think their luck will take a turn for the better... Until the strange and sinister criminal Pyke Kubic (Sean Bean) arrives at their doorstep, looking to collect what he believes is rightfully his. As Pyke leads Sam and Leslie on a tumultuous adventure through the streets of Chicago, each are pulled into a desperate spiral of deception and violence, all in the name of cash. Joining Anderson and Chathappuram is executive producer Prema Thekkek.

CASH is made by Three Good Men, in association with Immortal Thoughts, Golden Wings Cinema and Tomahawk Films. Media 8 Entertainment, which produced and distributed the Academy Award winning Monster, acts as the World Sales Agent for the film.

Why Zeus? Why Stark? Why Sean?

Have you wondered lately why Sean Bean was selected to play Zeus in Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief or to play Lord Eddard (Ned) Stark in HBO's pilot for Game of Thrones? or for Pyke and Reese in CASH? Why has Bean been chosen for these particular roles?

Why Zeus?

To many women in the world Sean Bean is a Greek God. So it was really no surprise that he was selected to play Zeus in Percy Jackson. If you add to that his powerful and very “godlike” deep voice there was no one else they could have selected. Zeus is describe as “king of the gods, the god of sky and weather, law, order and fate, a regal man…” who also seduced women “…in the form of a swan; a bull; a golden shower; and a satyr…” It had to be Sean, the man who seduced Lady Chatterley playing Game Keeper Mellors , playing the part of this mythical lover and god. (The movie is based on a children's book, so we may not see all facets of Zeus in this role). Sean Bean is also one of the few men in this world that can look extremely masculine and dangerous wearing a “skirt”, something we have proof of from the movie Troy. In Troy he played another Greek legend, Odysseus, to perfection and garnered many accolades for his performance as this trickster and traveler.

Chris Columbus, the Director of Percy Jackson, explained in a recent interview why he selected Sean Bean as Zeus :

“I had such a terrific experience working with British actors. It wasn’t just necessarily that they were all Brits; it was a matter of finding who would be believable as gods.

They had to have an other-worldly quality about them. People like Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd and Pierce Brosnan all seem to exist in this world, and also in another world as well. It is hard to explain. I just believe that Brits have been around forever.” To read the entire interview go to:
http://www.nst.com.my/




Why Ned Stark?

Sean Bean will prove to be the perfect selection for Lord Eddard (Ned) Stark if a pilot based on George RR Martin’s book A Game of Thrones, part of his great fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire, becomes an HBO series. Ned is a good hearted and honorable man tossed into a nest of human vipers . He comes from the land of Winterfell, a harsh and cold land, and many think the Starks are also harsh and cold. Ned Stark is also a leader of men, a tested warrior, who is loyal to the men who serve him, and loyal to lifelong friends like the monarch of this mythical land of Westeros, Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). Sean is perfect for this role because he has played similar men with many of the same human layers; for example Richard Sharpe in the Sharpe series and Boromir in Lord of the Rings. But as Ned he also has to be a tender father to his children, especially to two girls. A father of girls fits Sean Bean entirely too well, since in real life he is the father of three lovely daughters. He is one of those rare actors who can wear chain mail and sword onscreen and look to all the world like those are the clothes he wears weekends at home.

Sean as an actor is a man for all times, and for mythical and real kingdoms and he will surprise many that know only his Hollywood bad guy roles with his range and versatility. The author of this fantasy series is on record as saying "he couldn't imagine a better Ned" than Sean Bean. If the series is picked up by HBO, Sean Bean will be Lord of the Fantasy Series World.

Why Norway??

We interrupt this article for news of a new brave warrior role for CASH star Sean Bean:

http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/rogaland/1.6954171

If you don't read Norwegian the article is about a new movie Sean will be filming soon in Norway called "The Age of Heroes". Right now news of the film seems to come only from the Norwegian press, and from interviews with Sean's co-star in the film, fellow British actor Danny Dyer. The film is set in World War II. Sean Bean and Danny Dyer also co-starred recently in the UK film Outlaw. (Article link thanks to Toastie on TMB).

Why Pyke and Reese?

For the answer to that question look for the imminent release of The Film CASH.

By Myriam

Screen Rant Has Great Praise for CASH

Sean Bean and Chris Hemsworth are in Search of CASH

Moola, greenback, cheddar, lettuce, Benjamins, dough, c-note, buck or cash – whatever term you use to describe it, everyone needs more money (even James Cameron, apparently). Have you ever found some money on the ground and kept it? Of course you have. Everyone does that, there’s no way to figure out who dropped that lone twenty or fifty dollar bill, so might as well keep it! But what if the money was in a wallet? That changes the whole game. You could take the money out and return the wallet saying you found it empty – or, if your moral standards are slightly higher, just return it like you found it.

Personally, I find money all the time laying around (mostly at restaurants on empty dirty tables :-) ) and I keep it. There’s no sense in letting someone else find and keep it. Let’s say though that the amount was significantly higher and you found it in a briefcase or duffel bag. What would you do then? Spend it or return it? What if the owner of the money started looking for you instead of you looking for him? That would sure change things in a hurry.

Such is the premises behind the new film Cash starring Sean Bean (Black Death, Lord of the Rings), Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Red Dawn) and directed by Stephen Millburn Anderson (South Central), who also wrote the screenplay. Cash was filmed by Three Good Men in association with Immortal Thoughts, Golden Wings Cinema and Tomahawk Films and was produced by Naveen Chathappuram with Prema Thekkek serving as executive producer.

I like the thought behind Cash and I’m a big fan of Hemsworth, who was on screen for only a few minutes in last summer’s Star Trek reboot but managed to really make a name for himself. He followed that up with a solid performance in A Perfect Getaway and I’m hoping he really nails his portrayal of Jed in the Red Dawn remake and, of course, the god of thunder Thor.

Sean Bean is no slouch either. He became a fanboy favorite after his role as Boromir in Lord of the Rings and he brings get depth to his characters in movies like Ronin, Troy and Equilibrium. He also has a way of playing a great bad guy in National Treasure, Flightplan and The Island, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do as Pyke Kubic and his twin brother Reese Kubic in Cash.

If you don’t already know, Screen Rant is a big promoter of original movie ideas coming out of Hollywood. Sure, we like the big mainstream stuff and some remakes are catching our eye – but there’s nothing more refreshing than a seeing a movie that doesn’t have a lot of hype behind it get picked up and made available to a wide audience. My sources tell me that an announcement regarding the distribution and release date for Cash will be made by early February.

To read the rest of the article go to:

www.screenrant.com

Sean Bean- Exclusive - PODCAST #3 - The Film CASH

Sean Bean talk about his dual role in The Film CASH.

The film was completed on October 28th and is now ready for distributor screenings. The CASH producers are estimating release of the film in three to five months from now.

Cannes: How Did It Go?

Now that the Cannes Film Festival has officially ended, we are left in a state of perplexed wonderment. We are anxiously waiting on news on how CA$H did in Cannes - And we hope it went well! Word has it that they added an extra screening...

But we can report that the CA$H Marketing Team had a private screening of the movie at the Gene Siskel film center in Chicago, which means more people are getting to see this exciting film! http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/

Stay tuned folks, when the news hits, you'll be the first to know right here!

Hot of the Press ! Ca$h! News from the Evanston Review

Northfield producer shows Chicago's potential in 'Ca$h'

May 21, 2009

By J.T. MORAND jtmorand@pioneerlocal.com

Movie producer Naveen Chathappuram wants to solidify Chicago as a movie-making locale.

At the same time, "Ca$h," Chathappuram's first major motion picture shot in Chicago intended for wide distribution, is putting the producer's company, Immortal Thoughts Productions, on the map.

Chathappuram, who was raised in Downers Grove and attended Columbia College, always thought Chicago, with all its dichotomies, was overlooked by Hollywood. He opened the Immortal Thoughts office in Northfield and set his sights on producing movies in the Windy City.

"My aim was to shoot in Chicago. It just went with my vision," he said. "To me, L.A. has gotten old, it's gotten boring to me."

"Ca$h" addresses the old dilemma of greed vs. morality, but it's not stale. The issue is being scrutinized today more than ever.

In this psychological thriller, some good fortune lands in the lap of a Chicago couple down on their luck, Sam and Leslie Phelan, played by Chris Hemsworth and Victoria Profeta. But, when the sinister Pyke Kubic, played by Sean Bean, shows up, the couple's fortune could be more trouble than it's worth. The couple is dragged by Kubic through one hair-raising situation after another on the streets of Chicago.



Immortal Thoughts has produced a couple films called "Beyond the Sun," a low budget effort in 2001, and "Nothing But Life," featuring some Bollywood stars and released in India in 2005. "Ca$h" was written and directed by Stephen Milburn Anderson, who also directed "South Central," "Hearts of Stone," and "Dead Men Can't Dance" among other films.

Anderson wrote the script, originally called, "The Root of All Evil," in 1993, because he was fascinated by the influence of money at that time. Fast forward 16 years, when swindlers like Bernie Madoff, sub prime mortgages and exorbitant bonuses for executives of failing companies dominate the news. Money still seems to be the root of all evil.

"It's come to be incredibly apropos," Anderson said of the story.

"I can't believe how relevant it is to these times," Chathappuram added.

Chathappuram said if a script doesn't grab him in the first five pages, he sets it down.

But, "Ca$h" was different.

"I read the whole script," he said. "It was very captivating."

Anderson originally set the film in Los Angeles, but changed his mind after visiting Chicago at the request of Chathappuram, who said Chicago was the better city in which to shoot. He agreed that Chicago, a city he'd never been to before, was better suited to "Ca$h."

He said the Phelans are more Chicagoan than they are Angelino -- they're rooted, hard-working and down to earth.

"In L.A., people are there for a job," he said. "But in Chicago, people are there because they like to live there."

Anderson, who lives in New Mexico, said another of his scripts, which is about to start shooting, is also set in the Windy City.

"I fell in love with Chicago," he said.

Producer and director are confident "Ca$h" will get picked up because it addresses many of today's financial concerns such as foreclosure, debt, unemployment and desperation in an action-packed way. They're anticipating a fall release in wide distribution.

Media 8 Entertainment, which produced and distributed the Academy Award-winning "Monster," is serving as the sales agent for "Ca$h," which was shown at the March du Film at the Cannes Film Festival last week with hopes of finding a distributor for the film.

Plus, the rising star power of Hemsworth, who appears at the beginning of the new "Star Trek" blockbuster as James T. Kirk's father and the always threatening Bean, whose works include "Lord of the Rings," "National Treasure" and "The Hitcher," are strong selling points.

"That," Chathappuram said, "is going to add to the glow of our film."

For source of article and more photos of CASH! click on link below:

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/evanston/entertainment/1576706,entertainment-north-cash-052109-s1.article


2009 Digital Chicago, Inc.

Photos: CASH! The Film Fan Blog thanks CASH!

Cast News: Chris Hemsworth cast as Thor

CA$H! star Chris Hemsworth has been cast as Thor in Marvel Studios live action mega movie directed by Kenneth Branagh and scheduled for release in 2010. Chris will play the character in two movies, Thor and The Avengers. No wonder the man is smiling.



The story was first reported on Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily.

Who is Thor? According to Wikipedia Thor is a fictional superhero based on the deity of the same name from Norse mythology, who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Oh yes, there is also a report that Chris was just cast in the remake of the movie Red Dawn.

Of course, we can all see Chris later this year starring in CA$H! with Sean Bean. Stay tuned for reports from Cannes and the Marche du Film in the coming weeks. The Cannes premiere of CA$H! is scheduled for Monday, May 18.

In Cannes

Going to Cannes next week? Here's your chance to see CASH! at the Marche du Film.

In parallel to the Festival de Cannes, the Marché du Film, since its creation in 1959, has become platform of exchanges between professionals from all around the world. Each year, producers, international sellers, distributors and financiers meet up in Cannes to form partnerships for tomorrow’s films.

See below for screening times and information:

CASH!

Completed(Feature)
Duration : 108 minutes
Genre : Action/Adventure
Country(ies) : USA
Language(s) : ENGLISH
Director(s) : Steven Milburn ANDERSON
Cast : Sean BEAN, Chris HEMSWORTH, Victoria PROFETA
Producer(s) : Naveen CHATHAPPURAM


Market status
CAN Screening (Premiere)

Screenings

May 18

12:00 LERINS 2

May 19

18:00 LERINS 2

CASH is an action-driven psychological thriller in which a stroke of good luck for Sam (Chris Hemsworth) quickly turns into a deadly game, when the strange and sinister criminal Pyke Kubic (Sean Bean) appears at their doorstep.

Details
Market History : Cannes 2009 (Premiere)



Production Schedule
Year of production : 2009

www.Cinando.com.

Chris Hemsworth Star Trek Now- CA$H Later

CA$H! star Chris Hemsworth can be seen on movie screens now in Star Trek. Chris plays George Kirk, father to future Star Fleet officer James T. Kirk.

Star Trek premiered April 30 in Los Angeles and below we see Chris Hemsworth's arrival at this star packed event:



"Chris Hemsworth (Kirk, Sr.) delivers an outstanding... performance as Kirk’s father, with Jennifer Morrison (Kirk’s mother) doing an equally amazing job. Their work together in the first major pivotal scene in the film is some of the best acting in the entire flick, and will almost certainly make any fan get misty-eyed." StellarCross.org



Click on photo to see a video interview with Chris Hemsworth at the Star Trek Premiere.


Chris Hemsworth next film CA$H! will premiere later this year.

Kray Twinz Behind -the- Scenes on the set of CASH!

See the Kray Twinz hard at work on the music for CASH! Click on the link below for more photos and a report on their work for the film:

www.desihits.com

Sean Bean Gets His Irish Up

At times, I think being an Anglophile is as much ingrained in the blood as it is being related to a country by birth. I’d mentioned in a previous post that the first time I saw Sean Bean was in The Field and Patriot Games, where he plays a young Irish farmer and an IRA terrorist, respectively. My own background consists of both Irish and English ancestors and I’d been raised with a good sense of both countries, their histories, their troubles and travails where I could see and empathize with the both sides of the equation. Films often enhance the experience and take you into a place and into the psyche of a certain character and I soon found out that Sean Bean was more than capable of taking me into a familiar world and expanding its horizons.

So imagine my surprise to find out that the fine Irish actor I had newly discovered was actually from Yorkshire. It’s not just a matter of jumping the Irish channel to England, but the distinction between the North and South of England as well. Some people outside the UK may not be aware there is a great difference, but it is not just the contrast between say, a posh English accent from the South and the discernible Northern accent of Sean’s birth…a mix of ‘sex and steel’ as one astute female observer noted. But it is also about his animal sense of place. A bit of ‘up the country’ in Sean’s ability to play those characters from the ground up, charging those roles with an innate sense of pride and gritty realism that makes him distinct amongst his peers. There’s a stand and fight sense about Sean Bean; a tradition long held dear on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Perhaps it is these character traits that drew a director’s or a producer’s eye towards Sean, for these early films. Did they somehow perceive or sniff out an Irishman in the making? Whatever it was, their keen foresight would prove largely prophetic for it was just the beginning in showcasing Sean’s flair for perfecting accents and absorbing people from all walks of life.

Sean Bean’s first appearance in a film as an Irishman was in the part of Dominic O’Brien in Catherine Cookson’s The Fifteen Streets, 1989. When Sean was first cast, Producer Ray Marshall had a challenge:

He needed someone dashing, a bit rough around the edges, but also something of a charmer. He instantly knew Sean Bean was right for the role of Dominic O'Brien. It was a casting made in heaven. And thanks to his role in the drama set on the Tyne docks in 1910, Sean Bean became a household name and international film star.
Jun 26 2001 Evening Chronicle

Dashing? A bit rough around the edges? Aye, Sean Bean was their man, all right. And he would prove perfect for the role of the brash, arrogant younger brother of the sensible, and even tempered John O’Brien.
The Fifteen Streets tells the story of turn-of-the-century Great Britain, where a Northern factory worker (Owen Teale) and an aristocratic school teacher fall deeply in love, only to find their passion sorely tested by their class and cultural differences. The story becomes further complicated when the naive and child-like Nancy from across the way becomes pregnant and everyone suspects John to be the father.




In his second role as an Irishman, Bean plays the slow-witted son of Bull McCabe in The Field, 1990. This time Sean was up against some true giants of his profession, keeping company with the likes of Richard Harris and John Hurt. These acting greats did not overshadow Bean’s ability to perform; in fact the challenge enhanced his work, proving that he could stand up to seasoned veterans with ease.
With very little dialogue, Bean was able to take us into the heart and mind of Tadgh McCabe; a son who bears the monstrous responsibility of a tragedy that occurred in the family years ago and who bears the brunt of his father’s anger. Emotions flicker over Sean’s face like clouds across a landscape; alternately playing light and dark in fleeting glimpses that threaten us with their presence. We are drawn in, unaware of it trespassing into our own emotions as we watch this grown man struggle to deal with his father’s irrational ideas and bullying tirades. When Tadgh finally meets a tinker’s daughter, we see him struggle to act like the man he so badly wants to become beneath his father’s relentless rule.



This may be one of Sean’s earliest roles but it remains one of my favorites for the sheer range of feeling he shows in a glance, the way he sets his jaw or in the slump and crouch of his body as he tears through the Irish countryside, seeking escape from unexpressed thoughts and confusion.


The fire and bravado we saw executed in Sean’s earlier portrayal of Dominic would serve him well when he came up for the role as Sean Miller in Patriot Games 1992. In this film, Bean plays an Irish terrorist bent on revenge for the killing of his younger brother by Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) who foils a splinter faction of the IRA’s attempt to kill a member of the Royal Family. Obsessed with killing Ryan and his family, Bean displays his hatred in wordless vitriol.


Despite its many violent episodes, the film remains bloodless. Perhaps that can be traced to Mr. Clancy's fascination with technology, and to his way of treating human characters only slightly less methodically than he treats machines. The Ryans are so generically happy, and the terrorists so generically bad, that it's a wonder Mr. Noyce can create any real tension or surprise. But he has cast the villainous roles particularly well; the fierce-looking Sean Bean is outstandingly good as Ryan's main antagonist, and Patrick Bergen brings the right air of calculation to the terrorist mastermind he plays. Several of the film's main sequences, like an encounter between Mr. Bean's Sean Miller and David Threlfall as the police inspector who has been his captor, derive their horror from the looks of pure loathing that these terrorists bestow upon their prey.
Patriot Games by Janet Maslin New York Times, June 5, 1992



Sean’s Belfast accent was flawless and his deep-seated hatred for those who had destroyed his family sprang from genes you would have sworn were fast-rooted in troubled Irish soil.

To think that Bean was simultaneously filming Lady Chatterley, playing the sensitive Yorkshire gamekeeper Mellors which would quickly ensure his place as every woman’s ‘bit of rough’ whilst portraying a Belfast assassin who kills with calculated coolness and ferocity is astonishing.

One can’t help but wonder how we will see Bean pull off his two distinct roles and mindsets in the upcoming Ca$h. If experience has anything to teach us, it tells us to grab a passport and brush up on your Baedeker; Sean’s about to take you on a trip you’re not soon likely to forget.

Traci Moore