Bay Area in film
“Blue Jasmine,” the new Woody Allen film, stars Cate Blanchett as Jasmine, described in many reviews as a combination of a younger, non-Jewish version of Ruth Madoff, the wife of swindler Bernie Madoff, and Blanche DuBois, the tragic central character of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Jasmine’s husband (Alec Baldwin) is a big-time Wall Street crook whose downfall leaves her broke. She’s forced to move to her sister’s (Sally Hawkins) modest Mission District apartment in San Francisco. There Jasmine meets and derides her sister’s working-class ex-husband (Andrew Dice Clay, 55) and blue-collar boyfriend (Bobby Cannavale). A rich diplomat (Peter Sarsgaard) seems to be Jasmine’s lifeline. Also look for Michael Stuhlbarg, 45 (“Boardwalk Empire”), as Dr. Flicker, a shnooky dentist. Check imdb.com for a list of the many Bay Area locales where scenes were shot. The film is already playing in San Francisco and Oakland; it opens Aug. 23 in Sacramento, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa.
“Lovelace” purports to tell the true story behind the making of the 1972 porno film “Deep Throat” and covers events that followed its release. Linda Lovelace, the original film’s star (played in the new film by Amanda Seyfried), later claimed that she was coerced into making the movie.
Appearing in significant supporting roles are Hank Azaria, 49, as the film’s director, and Adam Brody, 33, as the late Harry Reems, who co-starred opposite Lovelace in “Deep Throat.” James Franco, 35, who was raised in Palo Alto, has a cameo as Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner.
The film, which opens Friday, Aug. 9, was written and directed by San Francisco–based filmmakers Rob Epstein, 58, and Jeffrey Friedman, 61. Epstein has won two Oscars for his documentaries (“The Life and Times of Harvey Milk” and “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt”). He shared his second Oscar with Epstein. In 2010, the duo was profiled in j. (http://tinyurl.com/kkk7gvm) upon the release of their first feature, “Howl,” about the late Allen Ginsberg.
Ashton Kutcher has the title role in “Jobs,” about the late Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs, who was born in San Francisco and grew up in Palo Alto. It begins with Jobs in college and ends with his return to head Apple in 1997 and the launch of the first of the “i” products. Josh Gad, 32, co-stars as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, with Lesley Ann Warren, 66, appearing as Jobs’ mother. The film opens Aug. 16.
Tales from the Vineyard
The HBO comedic film “Clear History” premieres at 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10. Larry David, 63, stars as Nathan Flomm, a character who quits his job as a marketing executive and moves to Martha’s Vineyard following a dispute with his boss (Jon Hamm). Floom gives up his shares in the company right before it hits it big with a new electric car. Kate Hudson, 34, co-stars as his boss’ wife, with Liev Schreiber, 45, in a large but uncredited role as a Russian gangster. (Showtime, Schreiber’s current boss, is responsible for the “noncredit”).
Martha’s Vineyard is also the setting for “The Vineyard,” a new ABC Family reality show in which 12 young adults share a house and work at a restaurant on the island. One is Daniel Lipshutz, 20, a hunky University of Wisconsin student who is a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Jewish frat, and also works as a personal trainer. The first of eight episodes was on July 23, with new shows airing at 10 p.m. Tuesdays.
Columnist Nate Bloom, an Oaklander, can be reached at [email protected].