Best Movie |
  Far From Heaven – Director Todd Haynes walks a fine line in his exploration of 1950’s American sexual and racial discrimination and repression, reviving the melodrama to the very edge of camp, yet attaining a real emotional wallop. Haynes has achieved perfection in every aspect of filmmaking here, displaying a confident maturity far beyond his earlier works. His homage to such films as All That Heaven Allows and Imitation of Life transcends them. Simply put, Far From Heaven is a masterpiece. –lc
Public Winner: Punch-Drunk Love – Walking into Punch-Drunk Love, a sense of anticipation and bewilderment overwhelmed me: “What would a romantic comedy by Paul Thomas Anderson– starring Adam Sandler, no less- look like?” Walking out: “ahaaaa!”, and “of course!” In Punch Drunk Love, P.T. Anderson, creator of the ensemble masterpieces Boogie Nights and Magnolia, does it again, with genre-bending panache. Part homage to the Classic Hollywood romantic comedies, part commentary on the intricacies of modern day issues and romance, Punch-Drunk Love succeeds in packing a wallop of a punch. –sd also nominated: 13 Conversations About One Thing, Donnie Darko, The Piano Teacher, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Y Tu Mamá También |
Best Director |
Todd Haynes for Far from Heaven – Among the film’s many wonders is the extraordinary alchemies that Todd Haynes performs. While fashioning a replica and homage, he creates a thing beautifully his own. While hypnotically immersed in 50s minutiae, he offers a looking glass for the neo-conservative here and now. Far From Heaven is a film for the eyes, intellect, and heart. –nr
Public Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson for Punch-Drunk Love – Paul Thomas Andersonhas done the impossible. He’s made a smart, and I mean wickedly, insanely smart, Adam Sandler comedy. Not only that, but he took his signature style – complex camera shots, long elaborate multi-character plots – and turned it on its head while still remaining true to his heart and his talent. P.T. delivered a short, tight movie that still feels like it has the grandeur and scope of the best Iranian film, yet takes place almost entirely in warehouses and hotel rooms. And did I mention that he made me not hate Adam Sandler? Impossible! He must be some sort of wizard. –cm also nominated: Pedro Almodóvar for Talk to Her, Michael Haneke for The Piano Teacher, Richard Kelly for Donnie Darko, Zacharias Kunuk for The Fast Runner, Mira Nairfor Monsoon Wedding, and Phillip Noyce for Rabbit-Proof Fence |
Best Actress |
Isabelle Huppert for the role of Erika Kohut in The Piano Teacher (La Pianiste) – Huppert strips herself bare to play the buttoned up professor with twisted desires. She snaps on her leather driving gloves like surgical rubber ones, all steely resolve. A passerby who bumps her on the street never knows the utter rage and hatred projected for a few seconds at his back. Interest is expressed by the tiniest quiver of the lower lip while happiness is shown by a smile never quite realized. As lit by cinematographer Christian Berger, Huppert can appear old and haggard, beautiful and ageless, or even, on one scene, corpselike. –lc
Public Winner: Julianne Moore for the role of Cathy Whitaker in Far from Heaven – Playing muse to Todd Haynes once again, Moore delivers another genius star turn. By layering style (50s stilted) with substance (how society has shaped, reduced, and imprisoned her) a heartbreaking portrait on the loss of emotional freedom emerges. –nr also nominated: Jacqueline Bisset for the role of Frances in The Sleepy Time Gal, Emmanuelle Devos for the role of Carla in Read My Lips (Sur mes lèvres), Maggie Gyllenhaalfor the role of Lee Holloway in Secretary, Lena Headey for the role of Kaisa in Aberdeen, Catherine Keener for the role of Michelle Marks in Lovely & Amazing, and Maribel Verdú for the role of Luisa Cortés in Y Tu Mamá También |
Best Actor |
Jake Gyllenhaal for the role of Donnie Darko in Donnie Darko – This nervy young actor sprang full-blown on audiences lucky enough to see Donnie Darko in its super-brief theatrical run. Running from genial and gentle to dangerous and disturbing, the range of his acting abilities was there for everyone to see. For this fortunate few, Gyllenhaal’s success in supporting roles in The Good Girl, Lovely and Amazing, and Moonlight Mile was as satisfying as it was unsurprising. –sb
Public Winner: Adam Sandler for the role of Barry Egan in Punch-Drunk Love – Adam Sandler uses his comedic characters as a jumping off point for his character, Barry Egan’s, social and emotional weaknesses. Showing us the darker and sadder side of his characters, Sandler plays Barry straight-to-the-bone, never jockeying for a laugh or making fun of the character. Sandler’s performance enables us to love, yet fear for Barry. –im also nominated: Gael García Bernal for the role of Julio Zapato in Y Tu Mamá También, Nicholas Cage for the roles of Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman in Adaptation, Anthony LaPaglia for the role of Leon Zat in Lantana, Lin Cui for the role of Guo Liangui in Beijing Bicycle (Shiqi sui de dan che), Stellan Skarsgaard for the role of Tomas in Aberdeen, and James Spader for the role of Mr. Grey in Secretary |
Best Supporting Actress – It’s a Tie! |
 Patricia Clarkson for the role of Eleonor Fine in Far from Heaven – Clarkson plays Eleanor Fine, best friend to Julianne Moore’s Cathy Whittaker in Todd Haynes’ vision of the 1950’s. Although she’s picture perfect in the clothing and hairstyles of the time, with a seemingly endless supply of advice and party accoutrements, something makes Eleanor stand out. She seems a bit tarnished compared to Cathy’s angelic image. She enjoys the cocktails at their ladies’ afternoon soirees, boldly addresses taboo topics such as the sexual drive of the husbands in her social circle and clearly loves to gossip. She assures Cathy that they are best friends and would be supportive through anything, but shows her true colors when scandalous rumors circulate and even more shocking news comes directly from Cathy. Ultimately, Eleanor is just like the other country-club matrons and her soothing words are not to be taken at face value. –hn
Public Winner: Isabelle Huppert for the role of Augustine in 8 Women (8 Femmes) – Turning her earlier work in The Piano Teacher on its head, Huppert plays Augustine, a bitter spinster living with her mother, with such brilliant comedic flair that you will forget that she also played Erika Kohut. Not only does Augustine get her own signature song (“Message Personnel”), but she also is arguably the hammiest of the eight main roles. Huppert gets to storm through the mansion, arguing with, yelling at, and insulting anyone who crosses her path, and darn it if she doesn’t look like she’s enjoying it. –nt also nominated: Ronit Elkabetz for the role of Judith in Late Marriage (Hatuna Meuheret), Edie Falco for the role of Marly Temple in Sunshine State, Helen Mirren for the role of Mrs. Jane Wilson in Gosford Park, Bebe Neuwirth for the role of Diane in Tadpole, Julianne Nicholson for the role of Ella Smalley in Tully, and Sarah Peirse for the role of Kate in Rain |
Best Supporting Actor |
Alan Arkin for the role of Gene in Thirteen Conversations About One Thing – Director Jill Sprecher artfully guides her carefully cast ensemble with Alan Arkin as linchpin. Gene English is a divorced father of a junkie son, soured on life, who dances to the desires of the bosses upstairs in his insurance firm. He finds the cheerfulness of Wade ‘Happy’ Bowman to be a personal affront and bets his senior adjuster buddy Dick that he can take the smile off of Happy’s face, but comes to regret and rectify his venal actions. Arkin is a master of the soliloquy, whether comedic or dramatic, and he plays his signature line, ‘Fortune smiles at some and laughs at others,’ to both ends of the spectrum. He makes his character’s quiet display of compassion sing. –lc
Public Winner: Chris Cooper for the role of John Laroche in Adaptation – This role is a far cry from the many buttoned-up reserved characters that Cooper has played in the past. John Laroche is an unlikely romantic interest — his front teeth are missing, his hair stringy and ungroomed, and he spends much of his time chest-deep in the swamp searching for species of his beloved orchids, potentially facing arrest at any moment for trespassing in the Florida Everglades. Yet his intelligence, dedication and passion for life are utterly intoxicating. He is by turns the most egotistical, outrageous and interesting man that Susan Orlean has ever met and she is quickly swept away by him; as are we, the viewers. As the line between truth and fiction blurs and the story takes more bizarre turns we are completely caught up in the joy of his performance. –hn also nominated: Glenn Fitzgerald for the role of Earl Coates in Tully, James Franco for the role of Joseph ‘Joey’ Nova in City by the Sea, Sean Harris for the role of Ian Curtis in 24 Hour Party People, Dennis Haysbert for the role of Raymond Deagan in Far from Heaven, and John C. Reilly for the role of Phil Last in The Good Girl |
Best Original Screenplay |
Donnie Darko , screenplay by Richard Kelly – Richard Kelley’s Donnie Darko mixes science fiction, suburban angst, teen comedy, 80s pop hits, time travel, Lynchian nightmare visions, and first love in a way that meshes together so perfectly, so seamlessly that there’s no way to imagine it any other way. With a special ear for snappy, quick, but not contrived dialogue (“You’re not a bitch. You’re bitchin’!”) and such cleverly humorous notions that you can’t help but think of them almost every day (“Sparkle Motion” the pre-teen lip-synch group), Kelly’s script for his first feature film feels like he’s been making movies for 20 years – and this is the pinnacle of an illustrious career. Luckily for us, it’s just the beginning. –cm
Public Winner: Adaptation, screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman – Half the fun involved in this nomination is the category. It would follow that the post-modern creator of Being John Malkovich would create a work that leaves the debate open: is this film-titled Adaptation and revolving around adapting a book to a screenplay-an adapted screenplay or an original? I wonder what the writer(s?) would have wanted, but Adaptation truly is an original work. The film revolves around such inconsequential topics as evolution, creative force & genius, art, meaning, emotional paralysis and yes, to a lesser extent, orchids. Kaufman has created a masterpiece of reflexivity and emotion, of deep meaning and humor.–sd also nominated: Far from Heaven, screenplay by Todd Haynes, Lovely & Amazing, screenplay by Nicole Holofcener, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, screenplay by Jill Sprecher and Karen Sprecher, and Y Tu Mamá También, screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón |
Best Adapted Screenplay |
Lantana , screenplay by Andrew Bovell, based on his play, “Speaking in Tongues” – Bovell scripts finely crafted suspense, losing none of the dramatic power that is found in theatre. The story is a great slow burn reminiscent of the best of film noir. Love, lust, romance, fidelity, honesty and ultimately, identity, are explored through the intertwined lives of three Australian couples. The viewer is kept in delicious suspense as the characters attempt to explain the mysterious death of one of the leading ladies and answer the questions that are posed as their lives unravel through the twists and turns of the plot. –hn
Public Winner: Lord of the Rings, The: The Two Towers, screenplay by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair and Peter Jackson, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien – The second book in the Lord of the Rings saga was considered nearly impossible to adapt. The cohesive fellowship of the first film is shattered, the struggles are on a much larger scale than before, and the story that was once one large whole has split into three smaller pieces. However, through skill and cinematic wizardry, the team behind this screenplay managed to tie all of the scattered elements of the plot together while jettisoning the dead weight of some of Tolkien’s writing. –nt also nominated: 8 Women (8 Femmes), screenplay by Marina de Van & François Ozon, based on the play by Robert Thomas, Piano Teacher, The (La Pianiste), screenplay by Michael Haneke, based on the novel by Elfriede Jelinek, and Secretary, screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson and Steven Shainberg, based on the short story by Mary Gaitskill |
Best Cinematography |
Edward Lachman for Far from Heaven – It is difficult to imagine a more thrilling or unabashedly-romantic example of cinematography in the last decade or perhaps in all of cinema. Lachman (whose work on The Virgin Suicides was also critically acclaimed) has infused this film with lush, bold palettes, and the saturated (almost surreal at times) effect is all the more wonderful because it takes its cues from its time and place (shot on location in Hartford, Connecticut in the throes of autumn color). Two particularly magical moments: a grouping of suburban housewives on an impossibly-green lawn, all wearing carefully-composed ensembles of warm browns, oranges, coppers, reds and golds that pick up their hair and skintones as lovingly as Wyeth captured Helga; and Julianne Moore and Dennis Haysbert (he’s a Portier simulacrum, but she is a fiery solitaire) discuss a wayward pale orchid-hued scarf, blown from Moore’s neck to Haysbert’s hand, and he rightfully identifies her as its owner, declaring, with subtle knowing: “It’s the color, it just…seemed right.” –pa **Public Winner!
also nominated: István Borbás, Jesper Klevenas, and Robert Komarek for Songs from the Second Floor, Norman Cohn for The Fast Runner (Atanarjuat), Benoît Delhomme for What Time Is It There?, Emil Hristow for Tuvalu, Emmanuel Lubezki for Y Tu Mamá También, and John Toon for Rain |
Best Cast – It’s a Tie! |
Gosford Park – Director Robert Altman once again works with an ensemble cast to create a darkly humorous social commentary. In Gosford Park we are transported to the English countryside for a shooting party at a country manor, generally the setting for a plot-driven mystery, and instead are treated to a character study. The British class system and its xenophobia are progressively exposed as the story unfolds and each character’s life comes into focus. Prominent British actors perform alongside younger talents, with a few Americans thrown into the mix. Many characters seem familiar and clearly have long-established connections whereas others are meeting for the first time, creating the initial chaos of the film. Once everyone’s social positions are made clear, the hidden histories and connections between the characters can be explored to create a richly layered result. –hn **Public Winner!!
also nominated: 8 Women (8 Femmes), Last Orders, Lovely and Amazing, and Monsoon Wedding |
Best Documentary |
 Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) – The husband and wife team of director A.J. Schnack and producer Shirley Moyers both follow the standard documentary format and deviate from it. We know we’re in for something different when the filmmakers segue to Lincoln, Massachusetts’ Chairman of the Board of Selectman declaring the documentary begun from a discourse by Illinois Senator Paul Simon on his state’s famous president of the same name. Talking head commentaries from the band’s former record promoter, manager, fellow musicians and fans are kept visually interesting by each speaker’s signature sepia photo of TMBG over his or her shoulder. Their subjects are illustrated by cutting to TMBG live performance footage, videos, and dramatic lyric readings by Janeanne Garofalo, Andy Richter and former Spinal Tap members! —lc
also nominated: Bowling for Columbine, The Cockettes, Daughter from Danang, and My Father the Genius |
Buried Treasure – It’s a Tie! |
 waydowntown – Gary Burns‘ intelligent and insightful film is a funny and thought-provoking examination on the dehumanization of corporate culture using a true-life model in downtown Calgary. Four co-workers bet to see who can avoid going outdoors the longest in their work/apartment complex. A smart, taut screenplay, inventive camerawork and strong performances blend to make a surprisingly funny and intriguing film. Don McKellar is superb as a suicidal misfit. –mrc
also nominated: All or Nothing, Baran, Happiness of the Katakuris, Swimming, Yana’s Friends |
Best Short Film |
 Just Like Golf by E.S. Wochensky (USA – 26 minutes) – Just Like Golf documents a school bus demolition derby. It takes a rare kind of individual to smash a school bus. In rural Little Valley, New York, we find quite a few characters craving to crash their way to glory. Just Like Golf weaves images of the county fair, mechanics’ shops, and interviews bus drivers, culminating in a jaw-dropping view of what a school bus demo is all about.E.S. Wochensky has studies at the Liason of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto, Chicago Filmmakers, and SUNY Fredonia. TECHNOLOGY, a short experimental, has been shown at several festivals including the United States Super 8mm Festival at Rutgers University and the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. He is currently producing a feature length documentary, chronicling people and change in his hometown of Springville, New York.Just Like Golf is 2001’s 1st place Chlotrudis Award winner AND 1st place Audience Award Winner! Congratulations, E.S.!
Tunanooda by David Zackin ( USA – 10 min.) – An animated story of lifeguarding and lunchmaking. David Zackin was raised in Newton, MA, attended the Rhode Island School of Design, studied animation, and has recently moved to Chicago. Tunanooda is 2002’s 2nd place Chlotrudis Award winner. Congratulations, David!
Hannah Can’t Swim by Randall Good (USA – 20 minutes) – Hannah, infatuated with a stranger on a train, writes anonymous letters arranging a rendezvous on her isolated island. Randall Good just graduated with a BFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology School of Film and Animation in Rochester, NY. His previous work, Shower (2001), has been screened at festivals across the USA. Hannah Can’t Swim is 2002’s 2nd place Audience Award winner. Congratulations, Randall! also nominated: Earthquake by James Brett (UK – 2 minutes) – “Earthquake! Run for the hills you fools, run for the hills! Aaaaaaaargh!” Trained as an actor, James Brett is an award-winning filmmaker working in the UK and USA. After early success as a recording artist, James directed videos for Sleeper, REM/The Troggs and members of the Chemical Brothers. James moved to Los Angeles with his screenplay, Charles Bukowski’s The Buried Life. He graduated from the prestigious American Film Institute with Welcome and Deadtime, two short films which won prizes and acclaim at festivals worldwide. Deadtime won 3rd prize in the First Annual Chlotrudis Awards Short Film Festival. After helming Roland Joffe’s cult TV comedy-drama, MTV’S UNDRESSED, James returned to the United Kingdom to set up Makefilm, his feature film development/production company. As a director, James is known for his offbeat sense of humour, comedic timing and immaculate photography. He currently directs commercials and TV and is developing his first feature. Faithful by Marzena Grzegorczyk (USA – 15 minutes) – A mysterious letter implicating Robert in a lengthy extramarital affair sparks a conflict among three women: his wife, her sister and his alleged lover. Soon his unfaithfulness becomes marginal as the three women confront the limits of their own honesty while trying to uncover the truth. Marzena Grzegorczyk received her MFA in 2001 from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television, specializing in directing and cinematography. Faithful, which she wrote, directed and co-produced, is her MFA thesis. She shot and/or written and directed over a dozen of shorts which were screened at film festivals in San Francisco, Atlanta, and Switzerland (e.g. English is for Optimists, The Island at the End of the World, Slovenka). She was the cinematographer on Desertopia, a Student Emmy Award winning documentary about the Salton Sea, California (dir. Meri Pritchett) which is currently airing on various PBS stations across the USA. A Warsaw (Poland) native, she resides in Los Angeles and is working on her first feature. Girl 24 by Meredith Root (USA – 12 minutes) – Girl 24 tells the story of a strange desert laboratory where three robots are engaged in the process of creating life. The film unfolds mysteriously, with the motivation of the robots and the purpose of their lab work unclear. Slowly their design is revealed: a girl is born. As she explores her surroundings, the robots are seen monitoring her actions. Her self-education culminates when she maps the constellations of the night sky. Meanwhile, the robots are making preparations for their next creation; there is only room for one. Meredith Root is a Milwaukee based animator whose previous work has show nationally at such venues as The Pacific Film Archives in Berkeley, CA, and The Knitting Factory in NYC. She is an Assistant Professor of Film at The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where she delights in teaching animation. Nine by Jennifer Campbell (USA – 26 min.) – In this uplifting documentary, nine breast cancer survivors prepare for the world’s largest two-day rowing event. The film follows the women’s stories as they bond and share hope from their first meeting through the race. Holly Metcalf, an Olympic Gold Medalist, instructs the women. This film shows us an amazing strength and hope that is not usually part of the stereotypical cancer survivor portrayal. Campbell made her first documentary at age fourteen. Entitled A Tribute to Pop, the video chronicled the achievements of her late grandfather, a local sports hero. Since then, she has been making films about ordinary people who do extraordinary things. In addition ot being a filmmaker, Campbell is also a high school teacher and rowing coach. The Offering by Paul Lee (Canada – 10 min.) – Inspired by The Young Man and His Death, a ballet choreography written by Jean Cocteau (1889-1963). The Offering is based on the filmmaker’s personal grief over the premature passing of beloved friends – people who have left this world at the prime of their lives, before their full potentials were realized. “Their departure from my life also brought me face to face with my own mortality. As I entered middle age during the making of this film, I find myself questioning my own faith in life and confronting the ephemeral transience of youth and beauty, in this elegiac meditation on the nature of the passing of life and of love.” Paul Lee was born in Hong Kong in 1963, and moved to Toronto in 1976. Since 1991 he has organized and curated film festivals in Canada, U.S.A., Japan and Thailand. In addition to his programming activities, Paul also specializes in producing films for first-time filmmakers and in international co-productions. In 1994 he made his first short film Thick Lips Thin Lips, which has won eight awards, and was screened at over 100 film festivals worldwide after its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. In 1995 he made his second film These Shoes Weren’t Made For Walking, which has won six awards, and was screened at over 50 film festivals after its premiere at the Sydney Film Festival. The Offering is his third film. Saving Human Lives by Joe Pickett (USA – 5 min.) – Taking place in desolate rural Minnesota, this film, a strong argument against the dangers of hitchhiking, aims to annoy. Saving Human Lives is a test of will, challenging the audience’s tolerance of an uncomfortable and irritating situation. It’s also kind of funny. Shot on 16mm reversal, Saving Human Lives was filmed on various roadsides and ditches between St. Paul and St. Cloud in some of the coldest weather ever. Saving Human Lives features the acting of Joe and Mark (who also co-wrote). It was photographed by Matt, who with Joe’s help, edited. A team effort indeed! Matt, Joe, and Mark belong to local filmmaker’s collective, Cine-Magic Pictures, an up-and-coming company. “Up-and-coming” refers to the fact that they have a website: www.cine-magic.com. Survival of the Fittest by Tricia Ward (USA – 7 min.) – A comic tale on the potential application of current genetic research. In the not-so-distant future, a yuppie couple visits a fertility clinic with a difference where they’re shown how their potential offspring will turn out. Tricia Ward hails form Dublin, Ireland where she studied Microbiology at Trinity College. While working at Harvard Medical School, she took screenwriting at the Harvard Extension School. Tricia abandoned her career as a medical journalist to complete a Certificate in Film Production from the New School University in New York. Her first short film, Raging Nuns, won the New School Award, 2000 and was shown at the Galway Film Fleadh. Survival of the Fittest is her second short. Target Audience by David Kittredge (USA – 12 min.) – His parents are away, the beer is gone, his best friend just passed out, and he’s about to find out that the most dangerous part of a Saturday night could be a late-night infomercial… David Kittredge lives and works in New York City. His previous short film Fairy Tale screened at over twenty festivals worldwide and was distributed on DVD by Picture This Entertainment. He is also the executive producer of Triple Fire Productions, which specializes in smart, edgy, independently-oriented films and videos. A Touch of Tutelage by Thea St. Omer (USA – 14 min.) – “One student. One professor. The desk between them.” An ode to the special relationship that sometimes develops between a student and a professor. Born in New Jersey and raised in California, Thea St. Omer attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate student. In 1996, she enrolled in New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she is currently an MFA candidate in Film Directing. She is the recipient of the Helena Rubenstein Scholarship, the Benjamin J. Hooks Scholarship, the Steven J. Ross Scholarship and the New York Women in Film and Television Scholarship. Thea is currently raising finishing funds for her latest project, a 35 mm, B&W documentary film about the faces and places of New York City. |
Special Awards |
Chloe Award |
Gertrudis Award |
 “2002’s recipient of the Gertrudis Award is Glenn Fitzgerald. I hadn’t yet seen Tully last fall when Chlotrudis Board member Laura Clifford suggested Glenn Fitzgerald as the recipient of this year’s Gertrudis Award. I was familiar with Glenn’s terrific performance as Jeffrey Norman in Series 7: The Contenders, so I quickly caught Tully and understood Laura’s enthusiasm. But what else had he done? My next step was look up Glenn’s filmography, and that’s when I realized that he was the perfect candidate. Glenn’s career was filled with memorable roles in independent films that had been Chlotrudis favorites over the years.
Look back on Glenn’s career and you’ll find a rich tapestry of independent film work. The Brooklyn native got his start in television appeareances, including “Law and Order” and “Homicide,” before making his big screen debut with a supporting role in Manny & Loalongside last year’s Gertrudis Award recipient, Scarlett Johanssen. That same year he caught people’s attention as Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin’s LSD proferring son, Lonnie in Flirting with Disaster. You’ve also probably seen Glenn in The Ice Storm, The Sixth Sense, Finding Forrester, or possibly in his starring role in A Price Above Rubies. He appeared in the multiple-Chlotrudis nominated Judy Berlin and recently as a neo-nazi in The Believer. Today many more have seen him in his recurring role in HBO’s smash series, “Six Feet Under.” Glenn has also made waves in New York’s theatre scene. In 2000 he garnered heaps of critical praise and a Lucille Lortel Oustanding Lead Actor nomination for his sensitive turn as a security guard in Kenneth Longergan’s hit Lobby Hero at Playwrights Horizons. Most recently he co-starred in Blue/Orange, winner of London’s Olivier Award for Best New Play. Yet it’s 2002’s Tully that has put Glenn on the map for Chlotrudis Awards. Tully, directed by Hilary Birmingham, tells the story of a father and two sons struggling to hold onto their farm in modern day Nebraska. Elder son Tully is handsome and popular with the ladies. Younger son Earl is more introspective, while dad, Earl Sr., is somber and solitary… ever since his wife died when the kids were young. As Earl, Glenn shows us a young man who is slightly awkward with his family, and less experienced with the ladies than his older brother, but more perceptive and worldwise than Tully with is blustering brashness. As with all of his characters, both extreme and simple, Glenn sinks into his roles with a naturalness that hides the actor and brings the character to the fore. Perhaps that’s why you recognize his face, but can’t quite place where you’ve seen him before. We’ll certainly be watching Glenn, and you can bet we’ll remember his name.” –mrc “I didn’t begin to recognize Glenn Fitzgerald until about the fourth time I went out of my way to check credits for an actor’s name. Fitzgerald is the type of actor who disappears into his roles, equally believable as an intense neo-Nazi assassin, a cancer stricken goth, a yuppie dot-commer or a sensitive midwestern farm boy. This actor has built a strong body of work making memorable contributions to each film he’s been in. Now when I see the name Glenn Fitzgerald listed in the cast of an upcoming film, not only do I know who he is, but look forward to yet another fine performance.” –lc |
Wendigo