Your Name Here

Last updated
Your Name Here
Your Name Here film poster.jpg
Directed byMatthew Wilder
Written byMatthew Wilder
Based onPanasonic
by Matthew Wilder
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDavid McFarland
Edited byTanner Stauss
Music byMichael Roth
Production
companies
Distributed by Shoreline Entertainment
Release date
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$350,000

Your Name Here (formerly Panasonic) is a 2008 American surreal dramatic fantasy biopic loosely based on the life of Philip K. Dick. [1] [2] [3] Written and directed by and the feature film directorial debut [4] of Matthew Wilder, [5] [6] [7] it stars Bill Pullman and Taryn Manning in the lead roles. [8] [9]

Contents

Plot

During the summer of 1974, science-fiction writer William J. Frick (Bill Pullman) is having a meltdown. Despite having numerous popular titles to his credit, Frick is penniless. His ex-wives and ex-girlfriends are hounding him, and the IRS has sent Agent Duke (Dave Sheridan) to investigate his property and holdings. Bikers are mixing meth in his garage and having drug parties in his home. His final masterpiece, an account of his collision with God in an East L.A. taco stand, is nearly complete and actress Nikki Principal (Taryn Manning) encourages his writing, telling him that it has the power to change the world. However, after an inadvertent dose of a powdery white substance, Frick wakes up to discover himself lost in a series of alternate realities.

Cast

Production

Matthew Wilder first wrote the screenplay and cast it under the working name Panasonic [10] (meaning 'all sounds at the same time'), until the title was changed as a result of Panasonic Corporation suing Wilder for trademark infringement. [9] While still being referred to as Panasonic, it was announced in July 2006 that filming would begin the following August. [11] However, filming actually took place in September, captured on Digicam HD during a 15-day period that month in Huntington Park and other Los Angeles locations. [9] The project was in post-production in 2007, [1] with its name changed to Your Name Here. [3] The project premiered June 13, 2008 at the Cinevegas Film Festival, [12] and later screened in Spain at the Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival [13] and in Canada at the Montréal World Film Festival. [14] [15]

Critical response

The reviewer at JoBlo panned the film, writing that it was a "sad sack excuse for a movie didn’t help me start my day on a good foot". [16] He expanded that the film's characters were bland and it never expanded on their backgrounds. It was offered that the film's jumping "in and out of what was obviously NOT a true reality" made it difficult to become invested in the project. [16] It was felt that Traci Lord's character of Frick's foul-mouthed former-wife Julie was funny at first but was overdone to the point of no longer being entertaining. Bill Pullman was praised for bringing his ability to an otherwise stale role of Frick as was Taryn Manning for her work as Nikki, but what ruined the film for the reviewer was it being a "rinse and repeat, go everywhere yet nowhere jamboree of snoozes." [16] The reviewer decried the "low-rent, crappy locations", the film's repeated use of "mind-f*ck clichés", and the overall "sad-sack" cinematography. [16] Variety agreed, writing the film "flubs an opportunity for a full-bore B-movie romp in a series of overextended, flat episodes" by director Matthew Wilder who allowed too many scenes to run overlong. [2] Las Vegas Weekly noted that Pullman's character of Frick looked like Michael Douglas and bemoaned that his "acting is fine, but it’s got no context" while at the same time noting that Traci Lords gives "what is probably her career-best performance as, ironically, a frumpy housewife." [17] They also noted that with its relatively small budget "the production has a curious emptiness to it, as if it were all shot in one abandoned warehouse hastily redressed for each new locale". [17] They concluded the film was a disservice to Philip K. Dick's legacy. [17] The Hollywood Reporter appreciated that Bill Pullman was cast in a role where he was "able to stretch in a vehicle that showcases his unappreciated comic talents", but offered that the film "ultimately proves too impenetrable for its own good." [4]

Conversely, Film Threat granted that while the project was "not for everyone", it reminded "of some odd literary films like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Naked Lunch ," [18] and promised viewers that "if you stick with Your Name Here until the end, you will be rewarded. For all its oddities and confusion, the ending come across as very powerful and quite sad." [18] It was appreciated that in the film's extrapolating from events surrounding the life of Philip K. Dick, it acted as an homage both to the man's fiction and to the 1970s. They praised Taryn Manning for showing "some serious acting chops as Nikki and described Bill Pullman's Frick as "simply brilliant. You can almost see the fried wheels in his brain spinning as he, along with we, try to figure out what the heck is going on." [18]

Awards and nominations

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References

  1. 1 2 Jacks, Brian (May 17, 2007). "Bill Pullman Is Kind Of, But Not Really, Philip K. Dick". MTV News . Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Koehler, Robert (July 7, 2008). "Review: 'Your Name Here'". Variety . Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Brunton, Richard (May 18, 2007). "Philip K. Dick film changes to William J. Frick". Filmstalker. Archived from the original on 2007-08-20. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Rechtshaffen, Michael (July 23, 2008). "review: 'Your Name Here'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  5. ↑ Fischer, Martha (August 8, 2006). "Another Dick Biopic!". Moviefone . Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  6. ↑ Agent Orange, reviewer (June 20, 2008). "Bill Pullman is Philip K. D.... I mean, William J. Frick in 'Your Name Here'". Quiet Earth . Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  7. ↑ staff. "Bill Pullman is in negotiations". July 31, 2006. Production Weekly. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ Buchanan, Jason. "Your Name Here (2008)". AllMovie . Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 Kemp, Cal (June 17, 2008). "CineVegas X: Matthew Wilder Interview - 'Your Name Here'". Collider. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  10. ↑ Production Weekly (August 1, 2006). "Bill Pullman As Philip K Dick In indie flick Panasonic". Empire . Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  11. ↑ Fischer, Martha (July 31, 2006). "Pullman is Dick". Moviefone. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  12. ↑ Cling, Carol (May 8, 2008). "CineVegas unveils anniversary lineup". Review Journal.
  13. ↑ "Sitges.- Matthew Wilder se inspira en Philip K.Dick para crear el protagonista de 'Your name here'". Hispanidad (in Spanish). Europa Press. October 4, 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  14. ↑ Seguin, De (August 6, 2008). "Montreal unveils competition titles, full line-up". Screen Daily . Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  15. ↑ Kelly, Brendan (August 13, 2008). "Montreal fest battles for top titles". Variety . Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  16. 1 2 3 4 The Arrow, film reviewer (October 9, 2008). "Your Name Here (2008)". JoBlo . Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  17. 1 2 3 Bell, Josh (June 14, 2008). "Your Name Where?". Las Vegas Weekly . Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  18. 1 2 3 Lewis, Don R. (June 16, 2008). "Review: 'Your Name Here'". Film Threat . Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  19. ↑ Nagle, Matt (June 25, 2008). "Tacoma Club Owner Stars in 'our Name Here'". Tacoma Weekly . Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  20. ↑ staff. "Plot, Details & Awards, 'Your Name Here' (2008)". Moviefone . Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  21. ↑ staff. "Your name here, between reality and fiction". October 4, 2008. Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival . Retrieved April 4, 2014.
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