Seven Days in Utopia: Film Review

our editor recommendsRobert Duvall Turns 80 An otherwise cornball, inspirational tale about finding God through golf, Seven Days in Utopia must be given full credit for coming up with something new in movies: To learn what happens at the end, you've got to go online. After carefully building up to a climactic scene in which the underdog hero must sink a long putt to win a sudden-death playoff, the camera looks away, narration intones to the effect that the protagonist now has a higher calling so it doesn't matter much in the big picture whether he won or not and, if you actually want to know who came out on top, you must go towww.didhemaketheputt.com. This homemade, whole milk, finger-lickin'-good, G-rated piece of American cheese isn't the sort of thing most urban viewers are accustomed to consuming but, if Vision Entertainment knows how to reach down-home Christian audiences, Utopia will find open arms across a wide swath of the Bible Belt and through the South. Based on David Cook's best-selling 2009 novel "Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia," which has been particularly popular among struggling athletes, the spiritually-oriented film also has the wit to gently kid the idea that God might take a personal interest the outcome of sporting events, a belief that seems quite common among Southern school football teams and even in the NFL. Obvious in theme and intent and dedicated to hitting every point right on the head, this independent production boasts a very fine fine cast and most certainly possesses the sincerity of its convictions in the existence of a higher meaning to life than sport scores and financial rewards. "How can a game have such an effect on a man's soul?," Robert Duvall's wise old guy queries in voice-over both at the beginning and the end, just before we see young Texas golfer Luke Chisholm (Lucas Black) experience a total meltdown during a tournament. He's so distraught after this potential career-crusher that he crashes his car through a fence. But the fence's owner, rancher Johnny Crawford (Duvall), far from minding, takes the lad in and, suggesting that it might change his life, invites him to be his guest for seven days in the tiny town of Utopia. And Utopia it quickly seems to be. Ensconced in a deluxe cabin, waited on hand-and-foot by the lady of the house (Kathy Baker) and immediately admired up and down by the lovely red-haired waitress (Deborah Ann Woll) at the picture-perfect town cafe, Luke couldn't be blamed for thinking he might have died and gone to heaven. Like some zen master, former golfer Johnny, who has his own private course, uses unorthodox means to get Luke to relearn the sport from square one, from finding a new grip through inner conviction to discovering how to snatch victory from certain defeat by taking Luke up in a small plane, cutting out the motor and having him figure out how to glide to safety. Under Johnny's tutelage, it's all as easy as pie; in one short week, Luke not only gets his game back but is inspired by example to quit drinking and is shown the way to the Lord in the bargain. And, oh yes, the waitress is learning to be a horse whisperer, so material for a sequel is there if warranted. Lessons learned, Luke enters the Texas Open and stuns the golfing world by tying the top player (real-life pro K.J. Choi), prompting the playoff. Black looks pretty good swinging the clubs and, once he shakes off Luke's residual bitterness, opens his characterization up with humor and ready accessibility. Duvall can play an avuncular cowboy sage in his sleep, but there's truly no one on Earth you'd rather see dishing out homespun aphorisms, so it's pointless to resist the pleasure of watching him do what he can do better than anyone else. Baker and Melissa Leo, as the waitress' mom, are not asked to exhibit a fraction of their talent, but they further class the joint up. Matthew Dean Russell, a veteran visual effects hand, overshoots, overcuts and simply tries to hard, especially in the beginning. But his evident affinity for the material gradually overcomes the programmatic point-making of the storytelling (four writers are credited on the script), allowing the film to eventually find its way and retain its purity of intent. OPENS: September 2 (Vision Entertainment) PRODUCTION: Utopia Films CAST: Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, Melissa Leo, Deborah Ann Woll, Brian Geraghty, Joseph Lyle Taylor, Jerry Ferrara, K.J. Choi, Kathy Baker DIRECTOR: Matthew Dean Russell SCREENWRITERS: David L. Cook, Rob Levine, Matthew Dean Russell, Sandra Thrift, based on the novel "Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia" by David L. Cook PRODUCERS: Mark G. Mathis, Jason Michael Berman EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David L. Cook, Jess Stainbrook, Joseph Coors Jr., Ray C. Davis, Robert A. Innamorati, Rick Jackson, Phil Myers, Ken Herfurth, Lucas Black, Robert Carliner, Mary Vernieu, Lou Waters DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: M. David Mullen PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Clark Hunter COSTUME DESIGNERS: Molly Maginnis, Amy Maner EDITOR: Robert Komatsu MUSIC: Klaus Badelt with Christopher Carmichael G rating, 99 minutes Robert Duvall Melissa Leo

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'America's Got Talent' Hairstylist Russell Latham Dies at 54

Russell Latham, a renowned Hollywood hairstylist who worked on NBC summer hit America's Got Talent since its 2006 debut, has died. He was 54. Details of his death were not immediately available.our editor recommendsEmmy Nominations 2011: Full ListRelated Topics•Obituaries Responsible for the look of the judges and contestants on the show, Latham came to work despite having to go through hours of dialysis each week, and America's Got Talent in July received an Emmy nomination for outstanding hairstyling for a multicamera series or special - the show's first-ever nom. PHOTOS: 2011 Emmy Nominees The crew of more than 200 shared a moment of silence onstage last week, and this week's shows were dedicated to him. Latham also headed the hair department for Paula Abdul's short-lived CBS show Live to Dance. A native of Waco, Texas, who graduated from Baylor University, Latham ran the hair departments of such network daytime soap operas as Loving, Sunset Beach and The Young and the Restless for which he earned a Daytime Emmy nom and played the sought-after hairstylist in Genoa City, Wis. He served as department head on the Q Television Network - a defunct cable channel targeted to lesbian, gay and bisexual audiences - and designed and ran up to eight live shows daily. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths As a celebrity hairstylist, Latham tended to such stars as Betty White, Bea Arthur, Regis Philbin, David Hasselhoff, Leslie Uggams, Florence Henderson and All My Children's Patricia Barry. For several years, he wrote a column, "Coif-y Talk," for Soap Opera Digest. Survivors include his brother Charles and nephews James, Charles Jr, Frank III, Robert and John. Related Topics Paula Abdul Obituaries America's Got Talent

Olivia Munn Describes Calling Attacking Young Boys A Billion-Dollar Mistake

La, Calif. -- Olivia Munn might joke about Attacking Young Boys about the giant screen, however in real existence she views herself a genuine fan. Im a Belieber, one hundred percent, the actress told Access Hollywood on Thursday in the junket on her new movie, I Have No Idea How She Will It, where her character jokes about Attacking Young Boys being born to some single teen mother. Look, Attacking Young Boys would be a mistake. Teens dont conceive purposely, OK? the open actress told Access. However, that mistake converted into a big idea! The 31-year-old actress joked more future celebrity babies from teen moms may help with this national financial problems. So, I believe teens all over the world, load up! Olivia told Access. Allows have Biebers! The economy requires a little boost. Allows have Biebers! I Have No Idea How She Will It with Nicole Kidman, Greg Kinnear, Christina Hendricks and Busy Philipps hits theaters on September 16. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved.These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ryan Reynolds really wants to remake Dinner For Eight

The Eco-friendly Lantern may have the ability to use his forces to produce anything he is able to envision in the imagination, but when there's one script that film's star want to make appear it's Dinner For Eight.Ryan Reynoldstold DVD & Blu-ray Review magazine it's among his favourite films and it is ripe for any remake."I've movies which i could watch again and again and also over again but when there's one film Let me remake it's Dinner For Eight. A lot of society f*ckers all getting together and out-assholing one another. That may be done today," he stated.Additionally, it seems like among the actor's other favourite films would bond with the top his wish list if your studio was brave enough to consider carrying out a retread..."I really like The Philadelphia Story. I seem like it's timeless - you could do this it now, you could do this after that it, you could do this it at any time,Inch Reynolds told DVD & Blu-ray Review's About The Couch section."The connection between Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn is amazing and that i would love to determine a movie enabling you to perform a dynamic like this nowadays." Problem 159 of DVD & Blu-ray Review magazine has gone out in 31 August 2011.

Rosamund Pike Will get One Shot

Jack Reacher will get a lady leadAs reported not 7 days ago, author/director Christopher McQuarrie and also the good folk at Vital happen to be working hard putting three stars through their paces to cast One Shot's female lead. Well, time waits for no-one, not really Jack Reacher (although he'd punch it hard if he ever discovered). The votes have been in along with a decision continues to be arrived at: as Deadline Hollywood reviews, Rosamund Pike is about the verge of registering for that Reacher campaign. Pike, so great recently in Barney's Version as well as an Education, joins Tom Cruise within the Reacher saga. All of the talk to date continues to be about the height discrepancy between Cruise and the character, therefore it is worth mentioning he provides a few inches on Pike too. But, seriously, who's calculating? Ahem. Since it's many fans knows, One Shot sees Reacher putting his muscular frame and thunderdome-sized brain to operate puzzling the situation of the lone sniper. The guy continues to be billed using the murder of 5 males, but is what it really appears or are more dark forces at the office? Helping him discover is going to be Pike's Helen Rodin, a nearby defence lawyer designated to protect the supposed shooter. Pike is definitely an actress we are very interested in within this parish. She's gifted and has a perfect American accent. We can not see her inside a gun fight but Reacher is much more than able to being careful from the shooting-and-punching business. Hayley Atwell and Clash From The Titan's Alexa Davalos would be the unlucky two to lose out. . The Main One Shot shoot will get going ahead soon, having a theatrical release scheduled for early 2013.

In all her 'Gloria'

The HBO doc "Gloria: In Her Own Words" highlights activist Gloria Steinem, whose early work was minimized due to her good looks."It's not just the problem of women who are considered attractive -- whatever that is -- it's also the problem they're dismissed in another way if they're not attractive," Steinem said at a La Grenouille lunch on Aug. 10.Guests were asked if attitudes about being female and pretty have changed.Kim Cattrall: "God I hope so, that's all I can say."Leslie Stahl: "Dramatically, obviously."Christine Baranski: "Now they're doing TV shows about Playboy Bunnies and stewardesses and really, guys, haven't we gotten past that point? It kind of blows my mind but the battle continues."Sheila Nevins: "Let's put it this way: It doesn't hurt to have people look twice."Debra Winger: "As a nation we're all (messed) up with 'pretty.' As my father would say, 'That's pretty ugly -- and pretty apt to stay that way.' "Also lunching: Candice Bergen and Fran Lebowitz. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

'Contagion' Infects Seven New Posters, Jason Momoa Writing 'Conan 2'

Prepare yourself to be infected with excitement for Steven Soderbergh's upcoming "Contagion." Six new character posters for the thriller have hit the web courtesy of Yahoo! Movies, each one touting the warning, "Don't talk to anyone. Don't touch anyone." The cautionary words are paired with each of the flick's stars -- Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet -- in various degrees of distress. A seventh poster teases, "The world goes viral September 9," with a biohazard warning for many of the world's biggest cities. "Contagion" certainly isn't beating around the bush when it comes to its end-of-the-world premise here. Click on after the jump to read the rest of today's film news! Jason Momoa Is Writing "Conan 2" "Conan the Barbarian" might not be out in theaters yet, but that hasn't stopped leading man Jason Momoa from being hard at work on the sequel's script. Crave Online recently spoke to the star, who said he was waiting to see if his submission will be accepted for the sequel. "[I]t's about the villain, what that villain is going to extract from Conan, and where as an actor I want to go with Conan," Momoa teased. "You know, no one's going to know what I want to do better than me." Sony Calls For "Smurfs 2" Prepare to be smurfed again. Sony has staked out August 2, 2013 as the release date for a sequel to "The Smurfs," Deadline says. The first flick is new to theaters, but did well opposite "Cowboys & Aliens" and has racked up already $135 million worldwide. So far no other films are slotted for that release date. "The Lincoln Lawyer" Hits The Small Screen After becoming a solid success earlier this year, "The Lincoln Lawyer" is being sent to the small screen as a TV series. Variety is reporting ABC has ordered a pilot script to be co-written by "Lincoln Lawyer" film scribe John Romano and the original novel's author, Michael Connolly. It sounds to us a lot like the process "Friday Night Lights" went through to reach the small screen -- and look at how successful that series turned out. So we're hoping for good things from this news. "The King's Speech" To Head To Broadway In 2012 ShowBiz411 has learned that "The King's Speech" is being turned into a major theater production. Casting director Gabrielle Dawes is currently finding actors to fill the major roles that David Seilder penned for the screen and will soon be bringing the play to the London stage. It will open at Guilford's Yvonne Arnaud Theater in January for a short engagement, then head to London's West End in March before coming to Broadway in the fall. Tell us what you thought of today's Dailies in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Swerve

A Duo Art production. (Worldwide sales: Moviehouse Entertainment, London.) Created by Helen Leake, Kent Cruz, Craig Lahiff. Executive producers, Mark Vennis, Gary Phillips, Bryce Menzies.With: Jason Clarke, Emma Booth, David Lyons, Travis McMahon, Vince Colosimo, Robert Mammone, Chris Haywood, Roy Billing, Greg Stone.Staple pulp crime elements -- a woman, a gun, a stranger, a crooked cop along with a suitcase filled with hot cash -- are nicely moved around a dusty outback town within the juicy Aussie thriller "Swerve." Scripter-helmer Craig Lahiff's first feature since his 2002 social drama "Black and Whitened," pic packs enough pace, suspense and quality thesping to beat some minor plot wobbles. Amazingly, yet to get a local distributor, "Swerve" has niche claims in selected areas, and really should score strong ancillary action nearly everywhere. Greatly within the tradition of the Jim Thompson potboiler, pic opens with two large bangs in the center of nowhere. Speeding along a highway after detonating a explosive device in the contact's vehicle, an unknown drug dealer meets a spectacularly staged demise while swerving to prevent a mind-on collision with distressed blonde driver Jina (Emma Booth). Preventing to assist the sexy dish is Colin (David Lyons), a great-searching guy having a pressing appointment within the mining capital of scotland - Damaged Hill. Determining to complete the best factor, Colin hands within the cash-filled suitcase he finds in the crash site to Frank (Jason Clarke), police boss and large guy out and about within the outpost of Neverest. Finding Colin also offers a military background, Frank demands he stay the evening with him and the wife, who naturally works out to become Jina. It isn't lengthy before Jina, whose jealous husband likes kinky sex play, begins making bed room eyes at Colin. With shifty local businessman Mike (Vince Colosimo) and cold-eyed villain Charlie (Travis McMahon) hiding about the sidelines, narrative slips and 35mm slides nicely when the suitcase is taken away in the police station and begins altering hands. Though credibility is sort of strained by ale some figures to outlive sequences within an abandoned mine shaft as well as on a speeding train, the execution is really confident and aesthetically exciting most auds will gladly simply roll together with things. A lot of the movie's punch comes from the elusive character of Jina and Colin's relationship. Booth's fine-updated perf keeps auds speculating whether the suffering wife is playing the angles on every guy round her, and Lyons adroitly shows the excellent guy who apparently really wants to help Jina although not mattress her. Clarke ramps some misconception remarkably as control freak Frank manages to lose his grip when past misdemeanors return to haunt him. Shot round the rocky, warmth-baked Flinders Ranges in South Australia, pic sports classy widescreen imagery by lenser David Foreman. Score by Paul Grabowsky is really a mixed bag. Jazzy, up-tempo early pieces don't always mesh using the gritty drama, but his moody string plans later in proceedings are directly on the cash. The relaxation from the technical jobs are professional. Directed, compiled by Craig Lahiff. Camera (color, widescreen, HD-to-35mm), David Foreman editor, Sean Lahiff music, Paul Grabowsky production designer, Tony Cronin art director, Chris Jobson costume designer, Ruth P La Lande seem (Dolby Digital), Pete Cruz, Martyn Zub stunt planners, Glen Boswell, Bernie Ledger assistant director, Andy Energy casting, Angela Heesom. Examined at Melbourne Film Festival (Australian Showcase), August. 3, 2011. Running time: 85 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

The First World War from Above

Fergal Keane examines a cache of recently discovered aerial footage and photographs of the conflict. A 48 minute film taken by a French airship in the summer of 1919, following the route of the Western Front, reveals the devastating impact of the war on the land, while a collection of 150,000 photos taken by First World War pilots, intended to provide commanders with a revolutionary view of the battlefield, tells human stories that were visible only from above