The Blackout (1997 film)

Last updated
The Blackout
The Blackout (1997 film).jpg
Directed by Abel Ferrara
Written byAbel Ferrara
Marla Hanson
Chris Zois
Produced by Edward R. Pressman
Clayton Townsend
Starring Matthew Modine
CinematographyKen Kelsch
Edited byAnthony Redman
Music by Joe Delia
Production
company
Distributed by Destination Films
Release date
  • June 11, 1997 (1997-06-11)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$110.000 [1]

The Blackout is a 1997 American drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Matthew Modine. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. [2]

Contents

Plot

Matty is an actor and popular film star who is tired of Hollywood life and moves to Miami, where he makes a marriage proposal to his French girlfriend Annie. She is not ready to marry him, and it is revealed that she had an abortion. Depressed because he lost his baby (though it was he who initially asked for abortion), Matty, together with his friend Micky, go out for a wild night. At a nightclub, they meet a young waitress also named Annie and at the end of the night Matty passes out.

A year and a half later, Matty lives in New York, leads a clean life visiting AA meetings and has a relationship with an attractive model named Susan. He is still obsessed with his former girlfriend Annie, and about the mysterious missing part of his night back in Miami. Matty travels back to Miami to look up some old friends as well as try to find Annie 2 (the waitress), who vanished without a trace. Matty eventually learns that some secrets from his past are best left unrevealed.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Hunt</span> American actress and director

Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress and director. Her accolades include an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Turturro</span> American actor

John Michael Turturro is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his varied complex roles in independent films. He has appeared in over sixty feature films and has worked frequently with the Coen brothers, Adam Sandler, and Spike Lee. He has received a Primetime Emmy Award and nominations for four Screen Actors Guild Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Modine</span> American actor (born 1959)

Matthew Avery Modine is an American actor. He rose to prominence through his role as U.S. Marine Private/Sergeant J.T. "Joker" Davis in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987). Other films include Birdy (1984), Vision Quest (1985), Married to the Mob (1988), Gross Anatomy (1989), Pacific Heights (1990), Short Cuts (1993), Cutthroat Island (1995), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and Oppenheimer (2023). On television, he portrayed Dr. Don Francis in the HBO film And the Band Played On (1993), the oversexed Sullivan Groff on Weeds (2007), Ivan Turing in Proof (2015), and Dr. Martin Brenner in Netflix's Stranger Things (2016–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daphne Zuniga</span> American actress (born 1962)

Daphne Eurydice Zuniga is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1982 slasher film The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982) at the age of 19, followed by a lead role in another slasher film The Initiation (1984) two years later.

<i>Birdy</i> (film) 1984 American drama film

Birdy is a 1984 American drama film based on William Wharton's 1978 novel of the same name. Directed by Alan Parker, it stars Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. Set in 1960s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the film focuses on the friendship between two teenage boys, Birdy (Modine) and Al Columbato (Cage). The story is presented in flashbacks, with a frame narrative depicting their traumatic experiences upon serving in the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abel Ferrara</span> American film director

Abel Ferrara is an American filmmaker, known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use and redefinition of neo-noir imagery. A long-time independent filmmaker, some of his best known movies include the New York-set, gritty crime thrillers The Driller Killer (1979), Ms .45 (1981), King of New York (1990), Bad Lieutenant (1992) and The Funeral (1996), chronicling violent crime in urban settings with spiritual overtones.

<i>The Real Blonde</i> 1997 film by Tom DiCillo

The Real Blonde is a 1997 film directed and written by Tom DiCillo, and starring Matthew Modine, Catherine Keener and Maxwell Caulfield. It is a satire of New York's fashion and entertainment industries.

Michael C. Flessas, is the birth name of American actor Michael Flessas, who is of Greek ancestry. Flessas' most notable film role was Angry Man in the Cannes Film Festival 2000 Palme d'Or winning film Dancer in the Dark directed by Danish film director Lars von Trier. Originally, the director himself considered playing the role but, instead, the role was given to Flessas. Dancer in the Dark starred Icelandic singer/actress Björk who won the Best Actress award at Cannes for her role. French film icon, César Award winner, and Academy Award nominee Catherine Deneuve, and other noteworthy artists such as Academy Award and Tony Award winner Joel Grey, Peter Stormare, David Morse, and Stellan Skarsgård also performed in the multiple prize winning film. One of Björk's songs for the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song.

<i>Career Girls</i> 1997 Mike Leigh film

Career Girls is a 1997 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh which tells the story of two women, who reunite after six years apart. The film stars Katrin Cartlidge and Lynda Steadman. The women were originally thrown together when they shared a flat while at university and the film focuses on their interpersonal relationship.

<i>Jindabyne</i> (film) 2006 Australian drama film

Jindabyne is a 2006 Australian drama film by third time feature director Ray Lawrence and starring Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Deborra-Lee Furness and John Howard. Jindabyne was filmed entirely on location in and around the Australian country town of the same name: Jindabyne, New South Wales, situated next to the Snowy Mountains.

<i>Mary</i> (2005 film) Italian film

Mary is a 2005 drama thriller film, written and directed by American director Abel Ferrara. The film stars Juliette Binoche, Forest Whitaker, Marion Cotillard, Matthew Modine and Heather Graham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harper Simon</span> American singer-songwriter

Harper James Simon is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He is the son of Paul Simon and Peggy Harper. Simon has appeared on several studio albums, and has been featured in films and television shows, including HBO's Girls. In 2010, Simon released his self-titled solo album, followed by his second album Division Street released in 2013.

<i>Illuminata</i> (film) 1998 film by John Turturro

Illuminata is a 1998 romantic comedy film directed by John Turturro and written by Brandon Cole and Turturro, based on Cole's play Imperfect Love. The cinematographer was Harris Savides. The puppet sequences were done by Roman Paska. Music for the 'Tuccio Operatic Dream Sequence' was composed by Richard Termini.

<i>Streamers</i> (film) 1983 film directed by Robert Altman

Streamers is a 1983 film adapted by David Rabe from his play of the same name. The film was directed by Robert Altman and produced by Robert Michael Geisler and John Roberdeau, who later produced The Thin Red Line. The cast includes David Alan Grier as Roger, Mitchell Lichtenstein as Richie, Matthew Modine as Billy, Michael Wright as Carlyle, George Dzundza as Cokes, and Guy Boyd as Rooney.

<i>Go Go Tales</i> 2007 Italian film

Go Go Tales is an independent 2007 film by Abel Ferrara. Ferrara based the film on The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, directed by John Cassavetes. It stars Willem Dafoe as a strip club owner and co-stars Bob Hoskins, Asia Argento and Matthew Modine. Ferrara had the cast improvise much of their lines. He described the film as his "first intentional comedy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Cannes Film Festival</span> Awards gathering for films

The 50th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 May 1997. The Palme d'Or was jointly awarded to Ta'm e guilass by Abbas Kiarostami and Unagi by Shohei Imamura. Jeanne Moreau was the mistress of ceremonies.

<i>R Xmas</i> 2001 film

'R Xmas is a 2001 American crime film directed by Abel Ferrara. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. Its U.S. release was delayed by StudioCanal's difficulty in finding a domestic distributor and internal financial troubles. It eventually received a small theatrical release in November 2002 from Pathfinder Pictures before being released on DVD shortly after by Artisan Entertainment. In 2022, the film was released on Blu-Ray by Shout! Factory.

<i>Nebraska</i> (film) 2013 film directed by Alexander Payne

Nebraska is a 2013 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne, written by Bob Nelson, and starring Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Stacy Keach, and Bob Odenkirk. Shot in black-and-white, the story follows an elderly Montana resident and his son as they try to claim a million-dollar sweepstakes prize on a long trip to Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Cannes Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 67th Cannes Film Festival was held from 14 to 25 May 2014. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the main competition section. The Palme d'Or was awarded to the Turkish film Winter Sleep directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

Fly by Night is a stage musical written by Will Connolly, Michael Mitnick, and Kim Rosenstock, and conceived by Kim Rosenstock.
The show was first developed and presented by Yale Summer Cabaret in 2009, and had a workshop at The American Musical Theatre Project at Northwestern University in 2011.

References

  1. "The Blackout (1997) - JPBox-Office".
  2. "Festival de Cannes: The Blackout". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.