Ivans Xtc

Ivans Xtc
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBernard Rose
Screenplay by
  • Bernard Rose
  • Lisa Enos
Based onThe Death of Ivan Ilyich
by Leo Tolstoy
Produced byLisa Enos
Starring
Cinematography
  • Ron Forsythe
  • Bernard Rose
Edited byBernard Rose
Music by
  • Matt Schultz
  • Elmo Weber
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 12, 2000 (2000-09-12) (TIFF)
  • July 7, 2002 (2002-07-07) (NY/LA)
  • July 19, 2002 (2002-07-19) (United Kingdom)
Running time
93 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$136,000[1]
Box office$47,027[2]

ivansxtc is a 2000 British-American independent drama film co-written by Bernard Rose and Lisa Enos, produced by Enos and directed by Rose, the first of several Enos-Rose collaborations, including Snuff-Movie (2005), Kreutzer Sonata (2008) and Mr. Nice (2010). The film stars Danny Huston, Peter Weller, and Lisa Enos, with Rose and Enos' actual CAA agent, Adam Krentzmen, playing the role of fictional "Media Talent Agency" agent Barry Oaks. Other key roles include Morgan Walsh (Vukovic) as Lucy Lawrence, and SLC Punk director James Merendino as director Danny McTeague.

The story follows a Hollywood agent, Ivan Beckman (Huston), who must force a smile and carry on with business as usual with the agency's biggest client, Don West (Weller), in the face of a cancer diagnosis. The film, loosely based on Leo Tolstoy's 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich, was also inspired by the rise and fall of talent agent Jay Moloney.[3]

Cast

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Production

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Filming took place in July 1999 in Sherman Oaks and Los Angeles, and was originally intended as a "Dogme 95" film in which the key collaborators (Enos, Rose, DP Ron Forstye, Production Coordinator Morgan Vukovic, etc.) would be credited as "The Filmmakers". It was shot at 60i fps on the Sony HDW-700A HD video format digital camera, which proved problematic for theatrical distribution.[1][4]

Release

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On its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, the film was ranked at #71, behind The Salton Sea, The Singles Ward and a re-release of Beauty and the Beast.[5]

Reception

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Ivans Xtc received mostly positive reviews. On film aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 77% rating, with an average score of 6.8/10, sampled from reviews from 30 critics.[6] It scored a 67/100 (citing "generally favorable reviews") on Metacritic, based on reviews from 14 critics.[7]

Accolades

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Awards
Award Category Recipients and nominees Result
British Independent Film Awards Best Foreign Independent Film – English Language Nominated
Independent Film Festival of Boston Narrative Bernard Rose Won
Independent Spirit Awards Best Director Bernard Rose Nominated
Best Supporting Male Peter Weller Nominated
Best Male Lead Danny Huston Nominated
Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award Bernard Rose and Lisa Enos Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b Tonguette, Peter. "ivansxtc. and the Future of Digital Filmmaking: An Interview With Bernard Rose". The Film Journal. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  2. ^ "Ivans XTC". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  3. ^ Rose, Steve (2002-07-13). "The Guide: Film: Huston, he has a problem: Actor/director Danny Huston distinguishes himself from the rest of his high-achieving family in Ivans xtc, as a drug-addled Hollywood casualty". The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-12-28 – via Proquest Global Newsstream.
  4. ^ "ivans xtc". Artistic License Films. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  5. ^ "June 7–9, 2002, Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  6. ^ "Ivans XTC. (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  7. ^ "Ivansxtc". Metacritic. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
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