1930s Los Angeles, a city both exotic and vulgar, glamorous and raunchy. L.A. is the city ... more
of first and last resort, where all dreams are supposed to come true, bustling with people from everywhere in search of health and wealth, fame and fortune. So it...
Colin Farrell (The New World Alexander) and Salma Hayek (Frida Once Upon a Time in ... more
Mexico) sizzle in this adaptation of John Fante's classic novel of desire in the desert. Farrell plays Arturo Bandini a would-be writer seeking fame fortune and a b...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Arturo Bandini is a twenty-year-old burgeoning writer spending his days hungry for ... more
success life and food in a dingy hotel in Los Angeles. Full of the enthusiasm of youth and the thrill of having one short story published the reality of poverty and prejudice has hit him hard. He meets a local waitress Camilla Lopez and embarks on a strange and strained love-hate relationship. Slowly but inexorably it descends into the realms of madness. Fante depicts the highs and lows of the emotional state of Bandini with conviction but without easy sentiment. In Ask the Dust Fante is truly 'telling it like it is' as a poverty-stricken son of an immigrant in 'perfect' California.
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Atmospheric 'horror' movie dominated by its hypnotic tone and suspense; makes beautiful use of the Namibian desert Disadvantages: Those looking for gore won't find it here
I'm not sure when I first saw Dust Devil except that it comes under that category of late one night I ended up watching some film, I know not why, and was amazed. Such is Dust Devil. Then, yesterday, I saw the DVD, and heedless of price I bought it, knowing that it is practically a 'lost' film, though it was only originally released in 1992. I didn't want to get home, search the internet for the cheapest price, only to find it out of stock, out of stock.
The DVD is in fact a director's cut, or as the credits at the end note, the restored version. Miramax removed some portion of the film and I don't know what or why. There are deleted scenes on the DVD that you can understand the omission of. They don't feel right. Except, that is, for one scene regarding the ringing of telephones that links together several strands of the plot ...
Advantages: Superb acting and beautiful cinematography Disadvantages: I didn't want the film to end!
, The Householder, A Room With A View, The Deceivers, Howards End, Maurice and The Bostonians. 5 second trailers are shown for many of the productions.
Ismail Merchant then discusses several of these, saying how he felt about choosing people to play the various parts. He states how they had a budget of $2 million to make Heat and Dust and it was one of Merchant Ivory's most successful films. He also says how their films are "of the mind, heart and intelligence".
As DVD extras go, there weren't many, but what there were, were interesting to view.
WHERE TO BUY
You can pick up a copy of the DVD from SelectCheaper.com for £5.99 or from 101cd.com for £10.99, or even from sendit.com for £14.99. I'm pretty sure you can get it even cheaper on ebay if you hunt around. It's also available from amazon.co.uk from £11.99.
ABOUT MERCHANT IVORY ...
Advantages: Huge menu. Trendy, yet comfortable décor. Suitable for every kind of occasion. Disadvantages: Main course portions rather miserly and over-priced for what you get on your plate.
Having spotted a "two main courses for the price of one" voucher on Money Saving Expert, dining at Ask was a no-brainer when we planned to celebrate my birthday recently. I'd never before dined at any Ask outlet, so I was very keen to give them a whirl, and the discount voucher certainly helped tip the balance.
For those of you unfamiliar with the group, Ask are a chain of Italian restaurants. Their emphasis is on informal dining in contemporary, yet trendy looking surroundings. The group has 115 different city centre outlets dotted throughout the UK, a large percentage of which are located in listed buildings or places of local interest. For example, the restaurant in Chichester (where we dined) is located in a large white Georgian looking building. Ask restaurants tend to be located in heart of city centres, thus making them ...
Bollinger28 10.11.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ask!, London
Arturo Bandini is a down-and-out writer in 1930s Los Angeles who dreams of making it big. He begins a relationship with Camilla Lopez, a waitress who also wants to rise above her station.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
PATHE DISTRIBUTION; 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Making of featurette, Commentary by director Robert Towne and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, Trailer
Aspect Ratio
1.78, 16:9
Sound
5.1 Surround
Professional reviews
Review
A piece of exquisite cinema (Hollywood Reporter, 04/09/2006)
DVD Description
Arturo Bandini (Colin Farrell, MIAMI VICE) is a down-and-out writer in 1930s Los Angeles who dreams of making it big. He begins a relationship with Camilla Lopez (Salma Hayek, TIMECODE), a waitress who also wants to rise above her station. Of Italian origin, Arturo decides to move to Los Angeles to write his first novel and to escape his roots. With little money, he moves into a shabby guest house populated by a number of eccentric characters and develops writer's block. Arturo meets fiery Mexican waitress Camilla in a cafe and the two soon trade insults. An intense courtship develops despite Arturo wanting a relationship with a blue eyed, blonde woman and Camilla wanting a relationship with a rich white American man. Arturo and Camilla seek to overcome the shame they feel over their ethnicity and forge a strong relationship. Written for the screen and directed by Robert Towne--the Oscar winning writer of CHINATOWN--ASK THE DUST is a sumptuous period piece that shows Depression-era Los Angeles as a grand and lonely place. The tale of passion and prejudice greatly benefits from the sizzling chemistry between Farrell and Hayek and ASK THE DUST is a stunningly shot film.
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