Ned Rifle

Last updated

Ned Rifle
Ned Rifle film poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Hal Hartley
Screenplay byHal Hartley
Produced byHal Hartley
Matthew Myers
Nelleke Driessen
Bruce Weiss
Starring Liam Aiken
Aubrey Plaza
Parker Posey
James Urbaniak
Thomas Jay Ryan
Martin Donovan
Karen Sillas
Robert John Burke
Bill Sage
CinematographyVladimir Subotic
Edited byKyle Gilman
Music byHal Hartley
Production
company
Possible Films
Distributed by Fortissimo Films
Release dates
  • September 7, 2014 (2014-09-07)(TIFF)
  • April 1, 2015 (2015-04-01)(United States)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$395,292 [1]

Ned Rifle is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Hal Hartley. It is the third and final film in a trilogy following characters introduced in Hartley's 1997 film Henry Fool and 2006 sequel Fay Grim . [2] Ned Rifle stars Liam Aiken as the title character, reprising his role from the other two films, as well as Aubrey Plaza, Parker Posey, James Urbaniak, and Thomas Jay Ryan.

Contents

The film premiered on September 7, 2014 at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. [3]

The film was released in select theaters and on demand beginning on April 1, 2015. [4]

Plot

Kept in a school run on devout Christian lines, at age 18 Ned is free to leave. His mission in life is to find and kill his rogue father Henry. On visiting his mother, Fay, who is serving a life sentence for terrorism, she cannot tell him her husband's whereabouts and suggests he contacts her brother Simon, who is a writer in New York. Also anxious to see Simon is a penniless postgraduate named Susan, who wants to write about his work. Learning that his father was last heard of working in Seattle, Ned rushes off to the airport. Susan follows him, because she has her own reasons for wanting to find Henry, and Ned reluctantly teams up with her, though he keeps refusing a romance with her.

In Seattle, he learns that his father has lost his mind and is being kept in a special clinic. In fact, Henry shams madness in order to enjoy a quiet life among good books (as Fay does too, though not by choice). Ned abducts his willing father, planning to shoot him in open country, but discovers that Susan has found his revolver and removed its ammunition. She then makes off with Ned's father, money, and gun. Reaching a motel near Spokane, she reveals that she was the 13-year-old girl whose parents burst in just as she had lured Henry to her bed. For that, he got seven years. Now they can carry on legally and their night of passion disturbs the whole motel. Ned meanwhile has traced the pair and in the morning is waiting outside for them to emerge. Susan, having completed her unfinished business with Henry, shoots him dead. Ned bursts in, and in a struggle with Susan accidentally stabs her to death. Outside, armed police are waiting for him.

Cast

Production

Development

Like Henry Fool (1997) and Fay Grim (2006), Ned Rifle was directed, written, co-produced and composed by Hal Hartley. While promoting Fay Grim in 2007, Hartley mentioned the possibility for a third film, hinting that Aiken's character Ned would be the story's focus. [5] Hartley started writing Ned Rifle around 2012, and finished the script in two weeks. [6] The film is titled after Hartley's pseudonym, Ned Rifle, the credited name that he typically uses as composer on his films. [7] Ned Rifle was originally a character that Hartley made up for college writing assignments. For the third film, he thought it sounded like a better title than Ned Fool or Ned Grim. [8]

The storyline is done on a smaller scale compared to Fay Grim, more in line with Henry Fool. This was done in part because of a small budget, and also because Hartley did not want to make another big-production project. [9] He wanted the storyline to be simpler and more linear than Fay Grim. [7] Hartley said the structure of Ned Rifle was heavily influenced by his 2011 short film Meanwhile , which chronicles a man "as he goes from one situation to the next". [7] The character Susan and her relationship with Henry are briefly mentioned in Henry Fool. Re-watching the film over the years, Hartley regretted that the topic of this relationship was not expanded upon. While writing Ned Rifle, he felt that the story was lacking something. Upon watching Henry Fool again, he decided to incorporate Susan into the story. [10]

In May 2013, Fortissimo Films acquired the global sales rights for the film at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. [11] On November 6, 2013, Hartley launched a fundraising campaign to produce the film through Kickstarter, seeking a total of $384,000 and offering various incentives to those who donated $1 or more. [2] The main cast, as well as some crew members, appeared in several videos promoting the campaign. [2] On November 25, Hartley added a $9,000 reward tier offering the film's distribution rights for seven years in the United States and other countries, notably the first Kickstarter to propose offering film distribution rights. [12] Subsequently, Kickstarter notified Hartley that selling distribution rights is a form of investment, which is forbidden by Kickstarter's terms and conditions, and Hartley removed the option. [13] The Kickstarter campaign ended on December 4, with 1,789 donors raising $395,292. [2]

Casting

Liam Aiken, Parker Posey, James Urbaniak, and Thomas Jay Ryan reprise their roles from the first two films. In addition, Martin Donovan, Karen Sillas, Robert John Burke, and Bill Sage had worked with Hartley on his other previous films. [8]

Casting for the character of Susan took months, with 60 to 70 women auditioning for the part, some of whom would later get other roles in the film. [10] Gemma Arterton was reportedly attached at one point. [11] In March 2014, it was announced that Aubrey Plaza joined the cast, [14] playing the role of Susan. Hartley cast Plaza after seeing her prior acting performances, including Parks and Recreation . [8] Her part in the 2012 film Safety Not Guaranteed convinced him that she would be right for the role of Susan. [10] [15] Plaza sought advice from Posey and Donovan to prepare for the role. [16]

Filming

In March 2014, Hartley scouted locations in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, as well as locations that could double for parts of Washington state. [17]

Principal photography began in early April 2014, and took place entirely in New York. Filming locations included Brooklyn, Long Island City, [18] [19] and the SUNY Purchase campus. [20] Urbaniak said, "Every time I revisit the character of Simon Grim I have to relearn how to be awkward and uptight". [16] Posey shot her scenes in a day. [6] [8] Filming wrapped on April 26, [21] after 22 days. [18]

Release

A teaser for Ned Rifle was released on July 22, 2014. [22] The film premiered on September 7, 2014 at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. [23] It was also screened in the Panorama section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival on February 6, 2015. [24] The film's US debut premiered at SXSW in Austin, Texas on March 13, 2015 [25] and was available for viewing on demand on Hartley's official website beginning on April 1, 2015. [26] The film was released in a limited release on the same day. [27]

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 78% based on 32 reviews, and an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Ned Rifle serves as a satisfying conclusion to Hal Hartley's "Henry Fool" trilogy - and one of the strongest late-period works from a distinguished filmography." [28] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [29]

Related Research Articles

Hal Hartley is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and composer who became a key figure in the American independent film movement of the 1980s and '90s. He is best known for his films The Unbelievable Truth, Trust, Simple Men, Amateur and Henry Fool, which are notable for deadpan humour and offbeat characters quoting philosophical dialogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippa Gregory</span> English historical novelist, born 1954

Philippa Gregory is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is The Other Boleyn Girl (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association and has been adapted into two films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parker Posey</span> American actress and musician (born 1968)

Parker Christian Posey is an American actress and musician. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award nomination, a Satellite Award nomination, and two Independent Spirit Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Aiken</span> American actor

Liam Aiken is an American actor. He has starred in films such as Stepmom (1998), Road to Perdition (2002), and Good Boy! (2003), and played Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), based on the series of books. He also starred in the films Nor'easter (2012), Ned Rifle (2014), The Bloodhound (2020), and Bashira (2021).

Paul Boocock is an actor and writer based in New York City. His third solo comedy/performance piece, Boocock's House of Baseball, was nominated for two 2006 New York Innovative Theatre Awards - including best performer in a solo show.

<i>Amateur</i> (1994 film) 1994 film by Hal Hartley

Amateur is a 1994 crime comedy-drama film written and directed by Hal Hartley and starring Isabelle Huppert, Martin Donovan, Elina Löwensohn, and Damian Young. The story revolves around a former nun who gets mixed up in pornography, violence and international crime, but ends up intact in the convent she left.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Urbaniak</span> American character actor (born 1963)

James Christian Urbaniak is an American character actor. He is best known for his roles as Simon Grim in three Hal Hartley films: Henry Fool (1997), Fay Grim (2006) and Ned Rifle (2014), Robert Crumb in American Splendor (2003), Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture on the animated series The Venture Bros. (2003–2023), Grant Grunderschmidt on Review (2014–2017), and Arthur Tack on Difficult People (2015–2017).

<i>Henry Fool</i> 1997 American film

Henry Fool is a 1997 American black comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Hal Hartley, featuring Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, and Parker Posey. Set like previous Hartley films in less affluent parts of Long Island, it recounts how the lives of a fatherless family are overturned by a mysterious outsider and how, as in The Unbelievable Truth, expectation and reality again conflict.

<i>Fay Grim</i> 2006 American film

Fay Grim is a 2006 espionage thriller film written and directed by Hal Hartley. The film is a sequel to Hartley's 1997 film Henry Fool, and revolves around the title character, played by Parker Posey, the sister of Simon Grim. The plot revolves around Fay's attempt to unravel an increasingly violent mystery in Europe.

Thomas Jay Ryan is an American actor. He may be best known for his starring role in the 1997 film Henry Fool.

This Is That Productions was one of the leading independent feature film production companies. Established in 2002, and based in New York City, the company was founded and fully owned by Ted Hope, Anne Carey, Anthony Bregman, and Diana Victor. The four partners previously worked together at the groundbreaking Good Machine, which Ted Hope co-founded in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aubrey Plaza</span> American actress, comedian, and producer (born 1984)

Aubrey Christina Plaza is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), played Julie Powers in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023), and featured as the Shadow King and Lenny Busker in the FX superhero series Legion (2017–2019). In 2022, she starred in the second season of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus, for which she received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.

Ercan Özçelik is a German actor with Turkish roots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kickstarter</span> US-based crowdfunding platform

Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of February 2023, Kickstarter has received US$7 billion in pledges from 21.7 million backers to fund 233,626 projects, such as films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, board games, technology, publishing, and food-related projects.

<i>Meanwhile</i> (2011 film) 2011 American film

Meanwhile is a 2011 American film written and directed by Hal Hartley.

<i>The Driftless Area</i> 2015 film

The Driftless Area is a 2015 Canadian-American neo-noir dramedy film directed by Zachary Sluser and starring Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel, and John Hawkes. Alia Shawkat, Aubrey Plaza, Frank Langella, and Ciarán Hinds also appear in supporting roles. The film is based on the 2006 novel of the same title by Tom Drury, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sluser.

<i>Addicted to Fresno</i> 2015 film by Jamie Babbit

Addicted to Fresno is a 2015 American dark comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit and written by Karey Dornetto. The film stars Natasha Lyonne and Judy Greer as two sisters that find themselves in trouble after housekeeper Shannon Jackson (Greer) accidentally kills a guest at the hotel employing her and younger sister Martha (Lyonne). The film had its world premiere on March 14, 2015, at South by Southwest. It was released in the United States on September 1, 2015, through video on demand, and was given a limited theatrical release on October 2, 2015, by Gravitas Ventures.

<i>Krisha</i> 2015 American film

Krisha is a 2015 American drama film written and directed by Trey Edward Shults in his feature-length directorial debut, starring his real-life aunt Krisha Fairchild, and is the feature-length adaption of the 2014 short film Krisha also directed by Shults.

<i>Cabin Fever</i> (2016 film) 2016 American film

Cabin Fever is a 2016 American horror film directed by Travis Zariwny and written by Eli Roth and Randy Pearlstein as a remake of Roth's 2002 film of the same name and the fourth installment in the Cabin Fever franchise. The film stars Samuel Davis, Gage Golightly, Matthew Daddario, Nadine Crocker, and Dustin Ingram. The film was released on February 12, 2016, by IFC Midnight. The film was universally lambasted by critics and underperformed at the box office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellenton massacre</span> 1876 U.S. racial confrontation

The Ellenton riot or Ellenton massacre occurred in September 1876 and took place in South Carolina in the United States. The massacre was preceded by a series of civil disturbances earlier that year following tensions between the Democratic Party and the Republicans. Author Mark M. Smith concluded that there was one white and up to 100 blacks killed, with several white people wounded. While John S. Reynolds and Alfred B. Williams cite much lower numbers.

References

  1. ↑ "Ned Rifle by Hal Hartley". Kickstarter. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "NED RIFLE by Hal Hartley". Kickstarter . Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  3. ↑ Hartley, Hal (August 19, 2014). "The Toronto Film Festival premiere of Ned Rifle will be Sunday September 7 at 6pm. Passes are available now. Single tickets go on sale August 31st" . Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  4. ↑ Salon Staff. "Watch Aubrey Plaza go grocery shopping in this exclusive clip from Hal Hartley's "Ned Rifle"". salon.com.
  5. ↑ "Parker Posey and Hal Hartley Interviewed – FAY GRIM". Collider. May 7, 2007. Archived from the original on July 9, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Kohn, Eric (April 2, 2015). "Hal Hartley's Grim Family: An Oral History From 'Henry Fool' to 'Ned Rifle'". IndieWire. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Sicinski, Michael (March 31, 2015). "'Just a Normal Guy with Completely Predictable Middle-Class Morality': Hal Hartley on Ned Rifle". Filmmaker . Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Spitz, Marc (April 4, 2015). "Hal Hartley's epic oral history: The "Henry Fool" trilogy, Parker Posey and the real sage of '90s indie film". Salon. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  9. ↑ Wilner, Norman (April 1, 2015). "Interview: Hal Hartley & Liam Aiken". Now . Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 Coffin, Lesley (April 1, 2015). "Interview: Hal Hartley on the End of the Grim Family Trilogy". The Mary Sue. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Brzeski, Patrick (May 14, 2013). "Cannes: Fortissimo Takes Sales Rights to Hal Hartley's 'Ned Rifle'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  12. ↑ Bernstein, Paula (November 25, 2013). "Hal Hartley Explains Why He is Offering Distribution Rights to 'Ned Rifle' as Kickstarter Backer Reward". Indiewire . Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  13. ↑ Saperstein, Pat (November 25, 2013). "Updated: Hal Hartley Can't Offer Distribution Rights as Kickstarter Reward". Variety . Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  14. ↑ McNary, Dave (March 13, 2014). "Aubrey Plaza Joins Hal Hartley's 'Ned Rifle' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  15. ↑ Gayne, Zach (April 6, 2015). "Interview: Hal Hartley And Aubrey Plaza Talk Ned Rifle". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  16. 1 2 Olsen, Mark (April 2, 2015). "Cinefamily salutes indie director Hal Hartley, new film 'Ned Rifle'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  17. ↑ Colangelo, Lisa L. (March 4, 2014). "Indie film director Hal Hartley uses Queens as the backdrop for his new project". Daily News . Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  18. 1 2 "Hal Hartley and Aubrey Plaza Talk 'Ned Rifle' and 'Dirty Grandpa' at SXSW". Collider. March 30, 2015. 5:30. Retrieved June 3, 2022– via YouTube.
  19. ↑ "We've enjoyed having @PossibleFilms at #thepaperfactoryhotel today filming the new Ned Rifle movie. #nedrifle #hollywoodinqueens". Twitter. April 11, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Film director and Purchase alum Hal Hartley was on campus earlier this week filming scenes from "Ned Rifle," the final chapter in the Henry Fool Trilogy". SUNY Purchase. April 17, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Principle [sic] Photography Wrapped". Kickstarter. April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Ned Rifle World Premiere". Possible Films . Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  23. ↑ Jagernauth, Kevin (July 22, 2014). "TIFF 2014 Lineup Includes 'The Imitation Game,' 'While We're Young,' 'Nightcrawler,' 'Men, Women & Children' & More". Indiewire . Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Panorama 2015: Probing the Past to Shape the Future". Berlinale. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  25. ↑ Wiese, Christina. "SXSW Announces 2015 Features Lineup". SXSW . Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  26. ↑ "www.possiblefilms.com". Hal Hartley . Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  27. ↑ McNary, Dave (December 3, 2014). "Hal Hartley's 'Ned Rifle,' Starring Aubrey Plaza, Set for Spring Release". Variety . Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Ned Rifle (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Ned Rifle Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved February 20, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.