Global Heresy

Last updated
Global Heresy
Global Heresy.jpg
DVD cover
Directed by Sidney J. Furie
Written by Mark Mills
Produced byHarel Goldstein
Gary Howsam
Mark Shorrock
Gary Tuck
Starring Peter O'Toole
Alicia Silverstone
Joan Plowright
CinematographyCurtis Petersen
Edited by David Ostry
Music by Jonathan Goldsmith
Production
companies
GFT Entertainment
Ultimate Pictures
Distributed by Screen Media Films (United States)
Alliance Atlantis (Canada)
Release dates
  • June 28, 2002 (2002-06-28)(Canada)
  • September 3, 2002 (2002-09-03)(United States)
Running time
106 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Canada
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12 million [1]

Global Heresy (alternately titled Rock My World in the United States and Canada) [2] is a 2002 comedy-drama film directed by Sidney J. Furie, and starring Peter O'Toole, Joan Plowright, Alicia Silverstone and Martin Clunes. The film centers on a highly successful American rock band recovering from the loss of their leader by going into seclusion in the United Kingdom.

Contents

Plot

When a rock band at the top of their game suddenly loses their band leader/bass player, their musical direction becomes questionable. All the band members know is that the leader's clothes were found at the edge of a waterfront and he has not been seen since. To replace their missing leader, they hire a new bassist, Natalie (Alicia Silverstone), who shakes up their thoughts of the band. However, the biggest changes come when the band decides to go into seclusion to develop new songs and a new sound. They rent a mansion from an aristocratic couple, Lord (Peter O'Toole) and Lady Foxley (Joan Plowright), who are in need of money. When the staff hired to be on hand when the band arrives do not show, the couple decides to act as the butler, Benson, and the cook, Margaret. The obvious conflicts between the two cultures occur, but a respect for each other gradually follows. Meanwhile, the band's recording company is trying to trick them into signing a contract that obliges them to make the music as the company requires, denying their "creative control". Towards the end of the film, the status quo becomes further shaken when the original band leader shows up and admits that his disappearance had been a planned publicity stunt.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Toronto. [3]

Reception

Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail awarded the film two and a half stars out of four. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter O'Toole</span> British actor (1932–2013)

Peter Seamus O'Toole was an English actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he received several accolades including the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivier Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alicia Silverstone</span> American actress (born 1976)

Alicia Silverstone is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller The Crush (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further prominence as a teen idol when she appeared in the music videos for Aerosmith's songs "Cryin'”, "Amazing" and "Crazy". She went on to star as Cher Horowitz in the teen comedy film Clueless (1995), which earned her a multi-million dollar deal with Columbia Pictures. In 1997, she starred in the superhero film Batman & Robin, playing Batgirl.

<i>Clueless</i> 1995 film by Amy Heckerling

Clueless is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone with supporting roles by Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, and Paul Rudd. It was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert Lawrence.

<i>Drowning by Numbers</i> 1988 British film

Drowning by Numbers is a crime comedy-drama 1988 British-Dutch film directed by Peter Greenaway. It won the award for Best Artistic Contribution at the Cannes Film Festival of 1988.

<i>World in Action</i> British investigative current affairs programme

World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television for ITV from 7 January 1963 until 7 December 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its production teams often took audacious risks, and the programme gained a solid reputation for its often-unorthodox approach. The series was sold around the world and won numerous awards. In its heyday, World in Action drew audiences of up to 23 million in Britain alone, equivalent to almost half the population.

<i>Hard Core Logo</i> 1996 Canadian film

Hard Core Logo is a 1996 Canadian music mockumentary film directed by Bruce McDonald, adapted by Noel S. Baker from the novel of the same name by Michael Turner. The film illustrates the self-destruction of punk rock, documenting a once-popular band, the titular Hard Core Logo, comprising lead singer Joe Dick, fame-tempted guitarist Billy Tallent, schizophrenic bass player John Oxenberger, and drummer Pipefitter. Julian Richings plays Bucky Haight, Dick's idol. Several notable punk musicians, including Art Bergmann, Joey Shithead and Joey Ramone, play themselves in cameos. Canadian television personality Terry David Mulligan also has a cameo, playing a fictionalized version of himself.

<i>The Entity</i> 1982 American film

The Entity is a 1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Sidney J. Furie, and starring Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, David Labiosa, Maggie Blye, Jacqueline Brookes, and Alex Rocco. The film follows a single mother in Los Angeles who is raped and tormented by an invisible poltergeist-like entity in her home. It was adapted for the screen by Frank De Felitta from his 1978 novel of the same name, which was based on the 1974 case of Doris Bither, a woman who claimed to have been repeatedly sexually assaulted by an invisible assailant, and who underwent observation by doctoral students at the University of California, Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Howlett</span> English record producer and musician

Liam Paul Paris Howlett is an English record producer, musician, songwriter, co-founder and leader of the British electronic band the Prodigy.

<i>Hot Press</i> Irish music and politics magazine

Hot Press is a monthly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.

<i>Project Grizzly</i> (film) 1996 Canadian film

Project Grizzly is a 1996 documentary about Canadian inventor Troy Hurtubise. The film follows Hurtubise's obsession with researching the Canadian grizzly bear up close ever since surviving an early encounter with such a bear. The film was directed by Peter Lynch and produced by the National Film Board of Canada who approached Hurtubise after reading his 1990 book White Tape: An Authentic Behind the Scenes Look at Project Grizzly.

<i>No Direction Home</i> 2005 documentary film by Martin Scorsese

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan is a 2005 documentary film by Martin Scorsese that traces the life of Bob Dylan, and his impact on 20th-century American popular music and culture. The film focuses on the period between Dylan's arrival in New York in January 1961 and his "retirement" from touring following his motorcycle accident in July 1966. This period encapsulates Dylan's rise to fame as a folk singer and songwriter where he became the center of a cultural and musical upheaval, and continues through the electric controversy surrounding his move to a rock style of music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutton Valence School</span> Independent school in Maidstone, Kent, England

Sutton Valence School (SVS) is a private school near Maidstone in southeast England. It has 560 pupils. It is a co-educational day and boarding school. There are three senior boarding houses: Westminster, St Margaret's and Sutton.

The Juno Awards of 1983, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 5 April 1983 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by Burton Cummings and Alan Thicke at the Harbour Castle Hilton in the Metropolitan Ballroom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Michell</span> South African-born British film director (1956–2021)

Roger Harry Michell was a British theatre, television and film director. He was best known for directing films such as Notting Hill and Venus, as well as the 1995 made-for-television film Persuasion.

<i>Equus</i> (film) 1977 British-American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet

Equus is a 1977 psychological drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Peter Shaffer, based on his play of the same name. The film stars Richard Burton, Peter Firth, Colin Blakely, Joan Plowright, Eileen Atkins, and Jenny Agutter. The story concerns a psychiatrist treating a teenager who has blinded horses in a stable, attempting to find the root of his horse worship.

<i>Something of Value</i> 1957 film by Richard Brooks

Something of Value is a 1957 American drama film directed by Richard Brooks and starring Rock Hudson, Dana Wynter, and Sidney Poitier. The film was reissued under the title Africa Ablaze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casino (band)</span>

Casino is a British rock/alternative band from Birmingham that was active in the early 2000s. By 2001, the band's songs had been featured on American television shows including The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. A demo tape landed their songs onto the soundtrack of the 2002 film Global Heresy starring Alicia Silverstone and Peter O'Toole, and the band were flown to Toronto to coach the cast on how to look like rock stars.

<i>Desert Mice</i> 1959 British film by Michael Relph

Desert Mice is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Michael Relph and starring Alfred Marks, Sid James, Dora Bryan, Irene Handl, John Le Mesurier and Liz Fraser. The screenplay was by David Climie. A group of ENSA entertainers with the British army in the North Africa desert during the Second World War thwart a Nazi plan. The title is a play on the Desert Rats.

<i>Finnegan Begin Again</i> American romantic comedy film

Finnegan Begin Again is a 1985 American made-for-HBO romantic comedy film directed by Joan Micklin Silver, shot by Robby Müller, and starring Mary Tyler Moore and Robert Preston. The movie was filmed in the Fan District of Richmond, Virginia, and premiered on HBO on February 24, 1985, before being released on video. The supporting cast features Sam Waterston and Sylvia Sidney.

References

  1. Kremer, Daniel. Sidney J. Furie: Life and Films. The University Press of Kentucky, 2015. p 310
  2. Foundas, Scott (11 November 2002). "Rock My World". Variety . Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  3. The Hollywood Reporter (24 November 2000). "O'Toole, Plowright In Rock-Band Film". San Francisco Gate . Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  4. Lacey, Liam (28 June 2002). "Old pros get silly, with gusto". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 24 December 2020.