Could acoustic lightening strike twice? 2006 was a mythical, magical year for John Carney when Once took the Sundance Film Festival and film world by storm. With buffer items Zonad (2009) and The Rafters (2012) only whetting our appetite for another Carney gem, 2013’s surprise box office indie hit Begin Again (with Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo and Adam Levine) sort of got us back in the saddle. We now come full circle back to another micro film with potentially lots of heart. Considered a cousin to Once, Carney enlists U2’s Bono and The Edge for the this when Irish eyes are smiling coming-of-ager romance. Currently in the midst of a certain restructuring, the Weinsteins picked up Sing Street in at the Cannes Film Fest in 2014 and it was kept off the 2015 slate. Could this semi-biographical tale be tuned up as a crowd-pleasing Park City item?
Gist: This tells the story of 14-year-old Cosmo,...
Gist: This tells the story of 14-year-old Cosmo,...
- 11/25/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
How about we call it “Twice”? Director John Carney so desperately wants to recreate the success of “Once” with his latest pop-musical fairy tale, “Can a Song Save Your Life?,” that it’s almost embarrassing, even if there are a number of good things to say about it. Enough good things, in fact, that the Weinstein Co. already snatched the movie up out of Toronto for a reported $7-odd-million. And you can easily see why: It possesses the kind of shameless sentimentality that sells. And a shallowness that’s ultimately depressing. Why depressing? Only because Carney seems capable of so much more, and Mark Ruffalo is one of the more charming actors around, and Keira Knightley is a goddess. Granted, Carney has made a couple of errant choices post-“Once,” the gentle Irish fable that starred Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and inspired the current, Tony-winning musical (a movie adaptation...
- 9/9/2013
- by John Anderson
- Thompson on Hollywood
His 2006 true-life fairytale swooned Sundance audiences picking up the Audience Award World Cinema – Dramatic Competition and then Best Song at the Oscars. Once filmmaker John Carney has made a pair of films since in 2009′s Zonad and 2012′s The Rafters, but we think that despite the budget and the fact that with post-prod began in August, that with a return to a strong musical element and a cast that includes a mixture of established indie vets and singers (Sundance does have an appreciation for films that bring in musical talents), Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo (see set-pic above), Adam Levine, Catherine Keener, Hailee Steinfeld, Mos Def, Cee-Lo and James Corden, that there might be a window of opportunity to include Can A Song Save Your Life? to the Premieres line-up. Tech crew includes Cinematographer Yaron Orbach (Please Give) and Production Designer Chad Keith (At Any Price).
Gist: Seduced by dreams of...
Gist: Seduced by dreams of...
- 11/19/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Talk to Kirsten Sheridan, director of August Rush and her latest Dollhouse (pictured and premiering in the Panorama section of the 2012 Berlinale) about The Factory, the collective she co-founded with fellow filmmakers John Carney (Once) and Lance Daly (Kisses), and it soon becomes apparent that Ireland’s recent financial woes have done little to dampen Dublin’s Diy spirit. If anything the collapse has, ironically, helped artists, Sheridan theorizes, by making their outsized dreams affordable. Indeed, in a thriving economy just meeting the rent on a space big enough to house everything from production studios, to a fully equipped camera department and editing facilities, to a digital cinema and a recording studio, would leave no time for these Factory friends to actually collectively create.
Which is exactly what they’ve been doing in this one-stop, mom-and-pop shop since 2009. And now that Carney’s The Rafters is also due to be released,...
Which is exactly what they’ve been doing in this one-stop, mom-and-pop shop since 2009. And now that Carney’s The Rafters is also due to be released,...
- 2/16/2012
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Academy Award Nominee Mark Ruffalo (upcoming The Avengers, The Kids Are All Right, Zodiac) and Scarlett Johansson (upcoming The Avengers, Iron Man 2, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) are set to star in Can A Song Save Your Life? written and to be directed by John Carney (Once), it was announced today by Exclusive Media Co-Chairmen Nigel Sinclair and Guy East.
Exclusive Media will produce and finance the feel good romance.
Seduced by dreams of making it in the big city, Gretta (Johansson) and her long-time boyfriend move to New York to pursue their passion for music. She.s heartbroken when he dumps her for the fame and fortune of a big solo contract, leaving Gretta all on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when a down-on-his-luck record producer (Ruffalo) stumbles upon her singing in a local bar and is immediately captivated by her raw talent and inspiring...
Exclusive Media will produce and finance the feel good romance.
Seduced by dreams of making it in the big city, Gretta (Johansson) and her long-time boyfriend move to New York to pursue their passion for music. She.s heartbroken when he dumps her for the fame and fortune of a big solo contract, leaving Gretta all on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when a down-on-his-luck record producer (Ruffalo) stumbles upon her singing in a local bar and is immediately captivated by her raw talent and inspiring...
- 2/3/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
[1] Steve Carell has been slowly transitioning toward more dramatic roles ever since he quit The Office to focus on his rising film career, but some of his choices have sounded a bit questionable, at least on paper. One of the stranger ones he's been attached to [2] is the lead in The Dogs of Babel, an adaptation of Carolyn Parkhurst's debut novel. The premise of the story -- a grieving man tries to teach his dog to speak -- is so aggressively quirky that it's easy to see how the film could veer away from heartfelt toward silly or schmaltzy. So it's something of a relief to hear that Mandate Pictures has tapped a guy who may actually be able to pull off that tough balancing act: Once director John Carney. More details after the jump. The Hollywood Reporter [3] writes that Carney has just finalized a deal to helm the movie,...
- 11/3/2011
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
Ever since he's left The Office, Steve Carell's movie career has grown busier than ever. One of his upcoming projects is the drama Dogs of Babel, which he's been attached to star in since February. Now the production is one step closer to going before cameras as John Carney has been hired to direct. Most people will recognize Carney's name from the indie hit Once from a few years back, although he has also recently wrapped filming on another film called The Rafters. With Carell, he'll tell the story of a linguistics professor who, in an effort to learn more about his wife's death, attempts to teach his dog to speak since the canine was present at the time of her death. It looks as if we'll be seeing Carell tackle more dramatic roles in the near future, looking to branch out further from his funny man status. Not...
- 11/3/2011
- by Aaron
- FilmJunk
"Once" director John Carney has been hired to direct the Steve Carell-led drama "Dogs of Babel" for Mandate Pictures and Sekretagent Productions reports The Los Angeles Times.
Based on Carolyn Parkhurst’s debut novel, the story concerns a professor (Carell) who tries to coax his dog to speak out about the death of the professor's wife, to which the canine was the only witness.
Jamie Linden adapted the script while Carell and David Heyman will produce. Carney's next effort is the just finished shooting indie supernatural drama "The Rafters".
Based on Carolyn Parkhurst’s debut novel, the story concerns a professor (Carell) who tries to coax his dog to speak out about the death of the professor's wife, to which the canine was the only witness.
Jamie Linden adapted the script while Carell and David Heyman will produce. Carney's next effort is the just finished shooting indie supernatural drama "The Rafters".
- 11/3/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Once hit theaters in 2007, and discounting Zonad, that’s too long for John Carney to not make another film. When someone crafts a movie as beautiful and entertaining as his semi-musical, you immediately want his next work to hit theaters. He has The Rafters ready to open next year, while this summer brought news of a big project for him: Can A Song Save Your Life?, a Judd Apatow-produced musical that has Scarlett Johansson lined up to star.
24Frames now reports that Carney is in final talks to take on The Dogs of Babel, which has already landed Steve Carell for the lead role. Based on Carolyn Parkhurst‘s novel, the story follows “a professor who tries to coax his dog to speak out about the death of the professor’s wife, to which the canine was the only witness.” I’ve said it before and I’ll say...
24Frames now reports that Carney is in final talks to take on The Dogs of Babel, which has already landed Steve Carell for the lead role. Based on Carolyn Parkhurst‘s novel, the story follows “a professor who tries to coax his dog to speak out about the death of the professor’s wife, to which the canine was the only witness.” I’ve said it before and I’ll say...
- 11/2/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
When music-fuelled romantic drama Once hit it big back in 2006, you might have expected writer/director John Carney to be snapped up to direct some work on some Hollywood project starring a big name. But instead, he opted to handle a remake of his own comedy short Zonad before switching tracks for supernatural drama The Rafters. Now, though, he might be on to a bigger job, entering final negotiations to direct Dogs Of Babel.We talked about the project back in February, when Steve Carell first became attached. Don’t go worrying that this is going to be some huge action comedy, though: Dogs is a rather more maudlin drama about a linguistics professor investigating his wife’s death.You see, while the police consider her death an accident, Paul Iverson (Carell) thinks otherwise. And with the couple’s dog Lorelei the only living witness to the incident, Iverson begins...
- 11/2/2011
- EmpireOnline
John Carney earned art-house acclaim and Sundance cred for his romance Once but he just landed the biggest directing gig of his career with Dogs of Babel. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Carney joined the adaptation of the Carolyn Parkhust novel starring Steve Carell as a college professor who discovers his wife dead at their home and teaches their dog to speak in order to learn what happened. Carell just appeared opposite Ryan Gosling in the relationship comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love. After Once, Carney returned to his native Ireland and directed the low-budget movies Zonad and The Rafters.
- 11/2/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
John Carney earned art-house acclaim and Sundance cred for his romance Once but he just landed the biggest directing gig of his career with Dogs of Babel. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Carney joined the adaptation of the Carolyn Parkhust novel starring Steve Carell as a college professor who discovers his wife dead at their home and teaches their dog to speak in order to learn what happened. Carell just appeared opposite Ryan Gosling in the relationship comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love. After Once, Carney returned to his native Ireland and directed the low-budget movies Zonad and The Rafters.
- 11/2/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
The Rafters, anyone familiar with this title? Well, of course not, because it looks like Irish director John Carney (2007 Once helmer) really enjoys mysteries. So, if you’re Carney’s fans, I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear he already has new project, supernatural thriller titled The Rafters. And when I say – ‘he already has’, [...] John Carney to Direct The Rafters Supernatural Thriller is a post from: FilmoFilia...
- 5/25/2011
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
There was once a director that made a really great musical, but who wants to now direct a ghostly horror film. Director John Carney gave us one of the most emotional love stories that has been released in recent memory with Once. Though a film of that nature is not one we would typically cover on this site, I implore you to check it out and dare you to not be affected by the moving simplicity of the film. News has come out that writer/director John Carney is currently in post-production on a new horror film entitled The Rafters. The film stars Marcella Plunkett (Once, The Tudors) and Killian Scott. Keep reading to check out an official synopsis of the upcoming horror film as well as an early production photo.
Twitch broke the news regarding the film. Below is the official synopsis of the film.
Ghosts stalk an old guesthouse in the Aran islands,...
Twitch broke the news regarding the film. Below is the official synopsis of the film.
Ghosts stalk an old guesthouse in the Aran islands,...
- 5/24/2011
- by Michael Haffner
- Destroy the Brain
Irish director John Carney, who helmed the much loved Best Song Oscar winner "Once", has shot the supernatural thriller "The Rafters" according to the scholar and gentlemen that is Todd Brown from Twitchfilm.
The story is set in an old guesthouse in the Aran islands where two American backpackers vie for the affections of a young woman who is, literally, haunted by her past.
The cast is mostly unknowns including Marcella Plunkett, Killian Scott, Sean Donegan, Maire O’Neill and Des Nealon. The project is currently in post-production after conducting a shoot late last year.
The story is set in an old guesthouse in the Aran islands where two American backpackers vie for the affections of a young woman who is, literally, haunted by her past.
The cast is mostly unknowns including Marcella Plunkett, Killian Scott, Sean Donegan, Maire O’Neill and Des Nealon. The project is currently in post-production after conducting a shoot late last year.
- 5/24/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
After making one of the more interesting music-based films in some time with the 2007 film, Once, director John Carney has gone on to direct one relatively small feature, Zonad, but has otherwise stayed out of the limelight. However, apparently he’s been secretly working on a new project, unlike anything he’s done yet.
Read more on John Carney to helm The Rafters...
Read more on John Carney to helm The Rafters...
- 5/24/2011
- by Joshua Brunsting
- GordonandtheWhale
John Carney's newest film, The Rafters, looks as though it will be much darker with plenty of ghostly chills. Carney directed the Oscar winning drama Once and Tribeca selected scifi comedy Zonad, but has taken a different path with his lastet film currently in post-production.
Here is a description:
Ghosts stalk an old guesthouse in the Aran islands, as two American backpackers vie for the affections of a young woman who is, literally, haunted by her past.
The Rafters was written and directed by Carney and stars Marcella Plunkett, Killian Scott, Sean Donegan, Maire O'Neill, and Des Nealon. Not much else is known about the thriller at this time. It sounds like an interesting take on your typical ghost story. I
Source: Twitch (http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/05/once-director-john-carney-goes-ghostly-with-the-rafters.php)...
Here is a description:
Ghosts stalk an old guesthouse in the Aran islands, as two American backpackers vie for the affections of a young woman who is, literally, haunted by her past.
The Rafters was written and directed by Carney and stars Marcella Plunkett, Killian Scott, Sean Donegan, Maire O'Neill, and Des Nealon. Not much else is known about the thriller at this time. It sounds like an interesting take on your typical ghost story. I
Source: Twitch (http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/05/once-director-john-carney-goes-ghostly-with-the-rafters.php)...
- 5/24/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
The fantastic music fueled film Once took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song, not to mention becoming an indie favorite back in 2006. Now director John Carney is heading into darker and less musical territory as Twitch has learned the filmmaker is already in post-production on a new supernatural thriller called The Rafters. In the film, ghosts stalk an old guesthouse in the Aran islands, as two American backpackers vie for the affections of a young woman who is, literally, haunted by her past. With Carney writing and directing, it should be more than just the usual fare we've come to expect from films like this. Here's a piece of concept art from The Rafters: The film features the on-screen talents of Marcella Plunkeet (who played the ex-girlfriend in Once), Killian Scott ("Love/Hate"), Sean Donegan, Maire O'Neill and Des Nealon. With a relatively unknown cast like ...
- 5/24/2011
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Irish director John Carney has remained relatively quiet since his 2007 sleeper hit "Once"--while he did make the low-fi sci-fi-comedy "Zonad" which featured at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009, to say that film didn't exactly reach the heights of the filmmaker's previous effort would be a major understatement. That might explain then why, without the knowledge of many, Carney's next film is already in post-production after shooting late last year. Titled "The Rafters," the film is described as a supernatural thriller set at "an old guesthouse in the Aran islands [as] two American backpackers vie for the affections of…...
- 5/24/2011
- The Playlist
Once has been my favorite feel-good film for a while now, and it's a movie I recommend to almost anyone who, when they hear about my job, ask me what movies they should see. I have yet to come across anyone who doesn't like it, though this is the internet, so I'm about to be proven wrong in the comments I'm sure. Anyway, the director of the film, John Carney, hasn't been up to much since, but now is gathering up an equally unknown cast for a new horror film called The Rafters, a piece of...
- 5/24/2011
- by Paul Tassi
- JoBlo.com
One flick that made a splash at last year's Tribeca Film Festival was sci-fi comedy Zonad from award-winning director John Carney (Once). And though it was out of our genre of choice, we're happy to hear that Carney is now doing something we can sink our teeth into.
According to Twitch Carney will be at the helm of the upcoming supernatural thriller The Rafters starring Marcella Plunkett, Killian Scott, Sean Donegan, Maire O'Neill, and Des Nealon. The flick, now in post production, tells the story of what happens when ghosts stalk an old guesthouse in the Aran islands as two American backpackers vie for the affections of a young woman who is, literally, haunted by her past.
Look for more on this one as it comes. In the interim check out some concept art.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Start your haunting in the comments section below!
According to Twitch Carney will be at the helm of the upcoming supernatural thriller The Rafters starring Marcella Plunkett, Killian Scott, Sean Donegan, Maire O'Neill, and Des Nealon. The flick, now in post production, tells the story of what happens when ghosts stalk an old guesthouse in the Aran islands as two American backpackers vie for the affections of a young woman who is, literally, haunted by her past.
Look for more on this one as it comes. In the interim check out some concept art.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Start your haunting in the comments section below!
- 5/23/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
John Carney - director of the Oscar winning drama Once and Tribeca selected scifi comedy Zonad - is taking a turn into some darker territory with his upcoming thriller The Rafters.Ghosts stalk an old guesthouse in the Aran islands, as two American backpackers vie for the affections of a young woman who is, literally, haunted by her past.Now in post-production, The Rafters stars Marcella Plunkett, Killian Scott, Sean Donegan, Maire O'Neill, and Des Nealon. Given Carney's presence as both writer and director I would expect something far more sophisticated than your standard bump and jump ghost story here, something rooted much deeper in its characters and atmosphere. We'll bring more as we get it....
- 5/23/2011
- Screen Anarchy
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