+ Best Shooting Star Actor of the Year: Channing Tatum + Best New York Movie of the Year + Best Autobiographical Movie of the Year
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| The Italian poster for Dito Montiel's A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is a nicely balanced creation |
Dito is a young man who feels trapped in Queens, New York anno 1986 by friends without a future, a stupid dog-walking job, violence and a father, who has surrounded his son in a fortress of his love. - So Dito escapes.
The first 20 minutes of this film made me want to turn it off, because it portrays a gang of very antisocial brats; but if you begin watching and feel like I did, I implore you to stay with them even still, because the story will get to you. - With a vengeance. In the group of juveniles here, I especially recognized the deeply rootless Antonio (Channing Tatum (She's the Man (2006))), who is indeed a character that is hard to forget.
The film is borne by debuting great New-Yorker writer-director Dito Montiel's (Boulevard (2014)) personal involvement, - which is natural since this is based on his own same-titled 2001 memoirs, - and Montiel's various more or less smart inventions in the storytelling, along with stellar performances from in particular Chazz Palminteri (A Bronx Tale (1993)) as Dito's father, Shia LaBeouf (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)) as the young Dito, and Dianne Wiest (Cookie (1989)) as his mother.
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is a strong coming-of-age drama about the universal theme of leaving your crib.
Related posts:
Dito Montiel: 2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
The Son of No One (2011) or, The Past Returns!
Cost: Unknown
Box office: 2 mil. $
= Uncertain - but likely a huge flop
[A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints premiered in January (Sundance Film Festival) and runs 98 minutes. Shooting took place mostly in the actual New York locations. Montiel has explained that most of the major characters are composites of different people he knew growing up. The film opened #41 in 8 theaters to a 94k $ first weekend in North America, where it peaked at #40 and in 60 theaters (different weeks) and grossed 517k $ (26 % of the total gross). The film's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 483k $ (24.2 %) and Mexico with 323k $ (16.2 %). The film's budget was likely low, perhaps between 2-3 mil. $, which would still make it a huge flop. It was nominated for 3 Independent Spirit awards, won a National Board of Review award, 2 prizes at Sundance and 2 awards at the Venice Film Festival. Montiel returned with Fighting (2009). Robert Downey Jr. (Richard III (1995)) returned in The Shaggy Dog (2006); LaBeouf in Bobby (2006), and Palminteri in Push (2006). A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is certified fresh at 76 % with a 6.57/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints?
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