2007
The owner of these props from Way Of The Gun
posted these photos online:
Mr. Longbaugh's Hero Death Jacket
Worn throughout the movie Way Of The Gun
by Benicio as Mr.Longbaugh. Custom made jacket.
The jacket is loaded with bullet holes and tons of dirt and fake blood.
Found in the pockets of the jacket above were two 45 rounds,
one 9mm case, two lighters and a handful of ear plugs.
(Source: YourProps.com)
October 31, 2007
The following article was published today in The Boston Globe:
If you ask Benicio Del Toro what he brought to his new movie,
what changes he made to Things We Lost in the Fire -
what bits he added in, or dialogue he tweaked - he shrugs
and says, "We would have to open the first version of the script.
Right now, the movie is what it is. It's a strange feeling -
What did I bring in? You get confused." He doesn't
remember, in other words.
But Susanne Bier does. "I'll give you a couple of
examples of his magic," the Danish director says.
She starts with the first scene he's in as Jerry Sunborne,
lawyer-turned-junkie. It's at the wake for his best friend
from childhood, played by David Duchovny, who was shot on
the street trying to help a woman being beaten by her husband.
Del Toro's character shows up with unkempt hair, a rumpled suit,
tie askew, and the sleepy eyes that are the actor's trademark.
He lights a smoke and offers one to another man at the wake,
a neighbor of his dead friend. The neighbor takes a few puffs and
tosses the cigarette aside. That's when Del Toro reaches down,
uses his finger to extinguish the butt and puts it in his pocket.
That's nowhere in Script 1, 2 - any script - that "very little
gesture telling a whole thing about the character," Bier says.
"He just did that."
She moves ahead to one of the last scenes, long after
Del Toro's Jerry has been taken in, as a human
reclamation project, by his friend's widow, played by Halle Berry,
whose character is trying to raise two children - a girl, 10,
and boy, 6 - through their collective grief. It's time for Jerry to
head out from the protective womb of the family's garage.
He must say goodbye to the little girl, who doesn't want him to go
and locks herself in her room. The script called for Del Toro to
talk to her through the door, Bier recalls, but he suggested that
they slash his dialogue. They did leave in an "I love you,"
but Del Toro proposed that his other lines be replaced by a gesture,
him slipping a note under the girl's door. The audience did not even
need to see the letter or hear it read. Less is more.
Suggestion over statement.
"It replaced a whole lot of words and actually did something which
was much more affectionate in a very simple way," says the director.
Of course, as a film is being released - Things We Lost in the Fire
hit screens earlier this month - directors are supposed to gush
about their stars, whether they have Oscars or not. But
the 47-year-old director buys some credibility for her insistence
that this one is a "true genius" by 'fessing up that it was not
always easy to collaborate with an actor who "came to the set
every morning having rewritten every scene he was doing."
Bier, who was making her first film in English, figures it was
an 85/15 proposition: 85 percent of his ideas were inspirations,
and keepers, the rest not quite.
To research the role, Del Toro consulted a medical authority
on addiction, sat in on recovery groups and had ex-addicts
tell him how heroin withdrawal was "like the worst case of flu
you've ever had." But most "didn't want to turn the page,"
to go into much more detail, he says, so he turned to
William S. Burroughs's novel "Junky," which did. He invented
a scenario for why a man who grew up with Duchovny's
upper-middle-class character and became a lawyer
might have ended up shooting up in an addict's alley,
envisioning this guy from a country club family that looked good
from the outside but wasn't and who didn't feel normal until
he took drugs. "You know, he's immensely secretive," Bier sums it up,
"and I think you want to open that door. You want to know
what that secret is, even if it doesn't exist."
(Source: The Boston Globe)
October 30, 2007
In an article by Eliezer Ríos Camacho published by El Vocero,
Benicio shared details of his preparation for his role in
Things We Lost In The Fire:
"I prepared by talking to people who have experienced
what it is like to fall into the habit of drugs,
and by attending meetings of support groups that help people
who want to break that habit. All the characters are difficult.
One of the struggles as an actor is to look truthful,
to tell the truth. I wanted to send out the message that
we need to help these people," Benicio explained.
He also described his experience of working with Halle Berry:
"Working with her was fantastic. She was very generous and
made everything easier. Additionally, this is the first time
that I have been directed by a woman (Susanne Bier)."
When asked how he feels about the critics in the
USA and Canada claiming that his performance is worthy
of being nominated for an Oscar, Benicio said with a gesture
of surprise and modesty: "I do not know. I have no control
over that. It does not bother me, and I imagine, yes, but
it is something that whether
it happens or not, it's
good."
Asked if introducing the film would also mean to see it,
Benicio said no, and explained: "We are here for the old one
(while he
smiled and pointed to his father, Gustavo Del Toro)..."
Following the screening of Things We Lost in the Fire,
the audience gave it a resounding applause. Benicio, who
was accompanied to the event by Laura Bickford - producer
of the films The Argentine and Guerrilla- did not stay to watch
the film, so that those present went to congratulate his father,
who was obviously happy and proud about the praise of
Benicio's excellent performance in the this movie.
Benicio with his father, Gustavo Del Toro.
(Source: El Vocero)
October 31, 2007
The following article was published today
in El Nuevo Herald by Charles Cotayo:
Actor shows his power
Since he won an Oscar for his role as police officer
Javier Rodríguez in Traffic (2000), Benicio Del Toro has shown
he possesses an artistic quality unusual in modern cinema:
the gift of precision. Be it with a humorous or dramatic character,
his level of credibility is like no other. However, when asked where
he gets that ability to be so convincing, he responds in a quiet
voice: "I don't know."
"I read the script, I try to understand the storyline, do some
research and start from there," explains Del Toro during an
interview from New York. "I do my homework and remain
open when I'm in front of the camera."
In Things We Lost in the Fire, already in theaters and
costarring with Halle Berry and David Duchovny, Del Toro becomes
one with his character, Jerry Sunborne. He is a man looking for
light in a world that has become dark after a tragedy in this film
directed by Susanne Bier, "For him (Sunborne), a hero is
someone who doesn't give up," points out Del Toro, who defines
his character's psychological and spiritual evolution as the
journey of someone "trying to better (his life) one day at a time."
Regarding what he and Sunborne might have in common,
Del Toro states that "nothing comes easy" to him.
"That's something I've experienced as well,"
declared the Puerto Rican actor.
Seen as an actor who is opening doors for Latino actors
in Hollywood, he says he feels "happy that it's happening but
I can't take the credit. There have been other actors who opened
the doors for me: Edward James Olmos, Raúl Julia, Andy García,
and Antonio Banderas."
A wonderful thing about Things We Lost in the Fire is that
the actors' background has no bearing on the characters they play.
"I think it works and it shows you that skin color is not a factor
in telling a good story," he states.
Winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor can open
the doors a lot wider for anyone, at least for a time.
Del Toro offers another perspective.
"I hope that having won an Oscar didn't change me," he states.
"What changed, a little, is the business side of things.
My representatives can negotiate more "ambitious" projects.
Now
they take my preferences more seriously after the Óscar."
Since Del Toro was honored with the award in 2001,
getting
good roles "is a little easier."
"It's hard to get a job but it's harder still to do a good job,"
says
the actor. "That's something that hasn't and will never change."
Some of the projects he is currently involved in include
his characterization of the controversial
Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna, which started filming
a few weeks ago and The Wolf Man in which he'll play a werewolf.
Controversial roles aside, nobody can deny that Del Toro
is one of today's most important actors. The level of excellence
and realism in his performance in Things We Lost in the Fire might
earn him another Oscar nomination, this time as best actor.
In regards to the importance of his new film in his filmography,
he says he would place it among the top three next to Traffic
and the surreal comedy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,
in which he costarred with Johnny Depp.
Regarding the celebrity status that always goes hand in hand
with a successful film career, Del Toro points out that it can have
its
positive and negative side.
"I love it when someone says hello to me and tells me
they like my work," he confesses. "What I don't like is having
a camera flash in front of my face as I'm leaving somewhere."
(Source: Vida En El Valle)
October 30, 2007
Recent reviews of Things We Lost In The Fire:
Paul Kopasz / LEO Weekly (Louisville Eccentric Observer)
[...the film] presents Benicio Del Toro in the full flowering
of his considerable artistic powers. His performance here is ...
far and away the best thing. It’s [an] Oscar-caliber performance...
it is Del Toro’s commanding performance that makes
the film work... It’s easily among the best performances
of an admittedly tepid (thus far) movie year.
* * *
Oren Rosenberg / The Daily Cardinal
Del Toro’s performance fits perfectly into the aesthetic
of the film. His minimalist dialogue leaves him a lot of room
to portray his character nonverbally, and the skill with which
he accomplishes it is unsurpassed... His performance is
phenomenal and, if not Oscar-worthy, then certainly
worthy of at least nomination.
October 29, 2007
A new unofficial fan site has been created for the film The Argentine.
Click on the banner below to access the site:
October 29, 2007
Click on the photo below to view a video of Benicio
talking to the press at the premiere of
Things We Lost In The Fire in Puerto Rico.
(Scroll down to the middle of the page and click on
"Parte de la conferencia de Benicio del Toro")
(Source: PrimeraHora.com)
October 29, 2007
An article published today in PrimeraHora.com stated that
Benicio does not like to watch himself on the big screen.
At the premiere of Things We Lost In The Fire last Saturday
in Puerto Rico, Benicio said "I am very nervous... I am here
because my father is here, because if not ... I get very nervous
when I see my films," he said between laughs, after stating that
his professional commitments haven't allowed him to spend
a lot of time with his family.
Benicio also said that it has been "fantastic" to work
for the first time in his homeland adding "I have ten more days
on the Island and then we go to Mexico. The filming here is
the same as in the United States. It has been great to work here."
Benicio attends the premiere of Things We Lost In The Fire in Puerto Rico.
(Photo: Carlos Giusti)
(Source: PrimeraHora.com)
October 28, 2007
In an article published today in El Mañana about a
press conference held before the screening in
Puerto Rico of Things We Lost In The Fire, Benicio
confessed that his characterization of Jerry in the film
was a challenge, and that attempted to show the
human side of narcotics addition.
"All the characters are difficult. (I tried) to give the
problem of addiction a more human side, as it is a
struggle for people who have this problem,"
Benicio said at the press conference.
Benicio said he felt satisfied with the selection
of
Maldeamores to represent Puerto Rico for an Oscar in the
category of best foreign. About directors Carlitos Ruiz and
Mariem Pérez, Benicio said "I am quite glad, they did a
fabulous job, and I think it is very important to stimulate
the cinema industry here, the young people, because
there
is a lot of talent here".
Benicio mentioned that in about ten days, he
will leave
for Mexico to continue with the filming of The Argentine and that,
according to his calculations, the film is going to arrive
in movie theaters next year.
October 28, 2007
Benicio, accompanied by his father, attended yesterday
the premiere of Things We Lost In The Fire which took place
at one of the cinemas on the San Patricio Plaza in Guaynabo,
Puerto Rico.
"I do so again for the public. And I saw the film, and I get
very nervous," Benicio said in a meeting with the press
minutes before the film started.
"There's always hope," said Benicio to synthesize
the message that carries the film.
"All the characters are difficult. This one, in particular,
because it is about giving respect to the issue of addiction.
It has to be understood as a struggle," he added.
About working with Halle Berry, Benicio said "We
worked
in Canada and the experience was very nice. The final
product makes me very happy and I think that Halle Berry
is giving here one of her best performances, and she has
done a lot of good. I like a lot how she works and it proved to
be different from what it said the script, which planned for
a white woman, then that gave another angle to the libretto."
Benicio mentioned that filming The Argentine in
Puerto Rico
will take about 40 days.
He also mentioned that the Puerto Rican film
Maldeamores,
on which he is executive producer, has been selected
to qualify for an Oscar nomination.
"I am quite glad. I think it is a wonderful piece of work
and
it is important to encourage young talents," he said.
Once in the theater, Benicio
went to the front to greet
attendees. "I hope they like the movie ... And I do not know
what else to say," he said with a shy smile.
After everything went dark and the movie started...
(Source: El Nuevo Dia)
October 27, 2007
(Photo: Ángel Luis García)
Benicio arrives for the premiere
of Things We Lost in the Fire
in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge)
October 27, 2007
In a recent interview with El Nuevo Dia, actor Nestor Rodulfo
talked about working with Benicio in Guerrilla and The Argentine:
"He lives for his work. The experience with him was superb.
At all times I saw how he sat next to fellow workers to
discuss and analyze the scenes. Sometimes renowned
players like him are not very accessible, but Benicio is
very cooperative."
Néstor Rodulfo (right) is working with Benicio in The Argentine.
(Source: El Nuevo Dia)
October 27, 2007
More reviews of Things We Lost In The Fire:
Danika Fears / Yale Daily News
Benicio Del Toro’s face alone speaks volumes
in every shot he’s in. The camera pays particularly
close attention to his eyes, which hint not only at
his inner demons but also at his sense of hope when
in the presence of Audrey and her two children.
Del Toro’s nuanced performance forces us to sympathize
with an addict who is the seeming antithesis
of his deceased best friend.
* * *
Betty Jo Tucker / ReelTalk
...Del Toro uses every bone in his huge body as well as
every muscle in his charismatic face to project the
behavior of an addict trying to clean himself up.
Anyone who’s gone through a similar experience will find
some of the scenes in this movie excruciatingly painful
to sit through. Del Toro infuses the withdrawal sequence
with such raw realism that I came close to
leaving the theater during this part of the film.
* * *
Tom Murray / SEE Magazine
...Del Toro is the key here... [he] overpowers the scene.
* * *
Chevonne Harris / The Independent Collegian
...remarkable acting... Del Toro sets the acting bar
for the rest of the cast. With his piercing eyes,
offbeat mannerisms and intriguing mysteriousness,
Del Toro's portrayal of a recovering drug addict quickly
draws audiences in... and in such a heavy film,
Del Toro serves as a much-needed comedic release,
at times giving audiences something to smile about
with his witty remarks and "no holds barred" tongue.
Del Toro plays the role of a drug addict with such sincerity
and passion that it is both haunting and brilliant...
October 27, 2007
Director Sam Mendes jokes about Benicio's absence
at the London premiere of Things We Lost In The Fire,
saying "Benicio Del Toro sends his apologies. He'd like to be here
but he's making two or three films about Che Guevara in Cuba
or Mexico or somewhere like that."
(Source: Starpulse News Blog)
October 26, 2007
Here's one of the reviews of Things We Lost In The Fire
that was published today:
Tyrone Reid / The Jamaica Observer
...del Toro captivate[s]... [an] electrifying
performance by Benicio del Toro...
...[he] is particularly outstanding...
...he disappears into the role...
...and before long we forget that
we are watching an actor perform...
Do not be surprised if del Toro's name shows up
on the list of Oscar nominees in January.
In his performance, he sidesteps all temptations
at overacting and makes his presence felt.
October 25, 2007
Ebert & Roeper's review of Things We Lost In The Fire
is now available online. Click on the photo below to view the clip:
October 25, 2007
Part of the film The Argentine is scheduled
to be shot in Havana, Cuba.
(Source: People's Weekly World Newspaper Online)
October 25, 2007
Reviews are still coming in for Things We Lost In The Fire:
... [Del Toro's] performance will keep you plugged...
* * *
Jim Lane / NewsReview.com
...raw and anguished performance from especially Del Toro,
who seems utterly devoid of an actor’s vanity.
October 24, 2007
Today's reviews for Things We Lost In The Fire:
Diana Green / Gazette.net
Del Toro is the best part of the movie.
* * *
Steve Furay / Badger Herald
Del Toro is fantastic for his realistic
portrayal of the heroin addict Jerry.
Jerry ... rightly steals the show.
* * *
Ken Hanke / Mountain Xpress
Benicio Del Toro’s performance [is one of] [t]he most
remarkable thing about [the film]... [a] feeling of
something authentic whenever Del Toro is on the screen...
in the end, the thing that gives [the film] its biggest plus
is Benicio Del Toro. Even when the film is falling to pieces
around him, Del Toro convinces us of the reality and the
intelligence of his character. He never overplays what could
have been a too showy role, but neither does he underplay it.
He hits just the right note in every scene. The expressiveness
of his eyes and his facial movements make him
believable and human...
* * *
Nate Deen / Film School Rejects
... this may be Del Toro’s best performance of
his career. He is nothing short of magnificent as Jerry.
The upside: Del Toro’s best performance ever.
October 23, 2007
Benjamin Bratt is no longer associated with
The Argentine and Guerrilla.
In an interview with MTV, Mr. Bratt said:
"It didn’t work out; I’m not doing them, unfortunately.
I was on something else and the dates didn’t work out...
I was kind of heartbroken about it.”
(Source: MTV Movies blog)
October 23, 2007
A few more reviews for Things We Lost In The Fire:
Bob Grimm / Tucson Weekly
Benicio Del Toro is total greatness... [He] really gets a
chance to show his stuff here, and he’s more than up to the
challenge...if you like powerhouse acting—Del Toro brings it.
* * *
Matt Brunson / Connect Savannah
...Del Toro’s staggering performance will have tongues
wagging throughout award season. Del Toro’s face can
be a map of emotions, and he’s allowed to unfold it freely
as Jerry, a decent man who tries to keep smiling
even through all the heartbreak.
* * *
Chris Beaumont / Blogcritics
Benicio Del Toro is excellent... Just watch his eyes,
there is an extraordinary depth there.
* * *
Jane Horowitz / The Washington Post
...Del Toro is great.
* * *
John P. Meyer / Pegasus News
Mr. Del Toro injects the complex character of Jerry
with a tragic blend of self-destructiveness and worldly wisdom...
October 22, 2007
Benicio is in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to attend the premiere of
Things We Lost In The Fire. He will participate in a special event
of limited access, which allows the audience to hear first-hand how
the filmed was filmed. The film will be released in
Puerto Rican theaters on November 1, 2007.
(Source: Prensa Latina)
October 22, 2007
Benicio and Halle Berry take us inside Things We Lost In The Fire
(click on the photo below to access the video):
(Source: CNN)
October 22, 2007
Latest photos from the set of The Argentine:
Benicio
Benicio
Santiago Cabrera (with the beard) as Camilo Cienfuegos
Demián Bichir as Fidel Castro
Rodrigo Santoro as Raúl Castro
Jsu Garcia as Jorge Sotus
Jsu Garcia
Jorge Perugorría (center) as Juan Vitalio Acuña Nuñez
Jsu Garcia (left) and Norman Santiago (right) as Carlos Coello
Juan Almeida Bosque
Rebels
Steven Soderbergh
(Source: IMDB)
October 22, 2007
Today's reviews of Things We Lost In The Fire:
Scott Holleran / Box Office Mojo
... the movie really belongs to Benicio Del Toro...
... Del Toro dominates...
* * *
Colleen Seidel / The Pitt News
...Del Toro is just idiosyncratic enough to make his
drug-addicted, recovering character believable without
being over-the-top eccentric... it's a film worth sticking
through if only to understand, when those Oscar nods finally
do come out, why Del Toro's name is on that list.
* * *
Daniel M. Kimmel / Telegram & Gazette Reviewer
...stick around for Del Toro's performance...
He plays someone who had the education and opportunity
to have a successful career, and yet who throws it all away
in his pursuit of the next high. His character arc is one
we've seen before - someone who hits bottom and begins
the process of reclaiming his life - but Del Toro makes it
worth watching.Things We Lost in the Fire is a story that
features an outstanding performance by Del Toro.
* * *
Tim Goernert / JoBlo.com
WOW! Just give [Del Toro] the Oscar now.
He did an incredible performance that will be remembered
for a long time. You really believed that this guy wanted to
get his life back in order. One minute you’re intrigued by the
guy, the next minute you’re happy for him and then you’re
pissed at him. Amazing! The detox scene was intense!
This was probably his finest role to date.
* * *
Phillip Stephens / Pajiba.com
Del Toro is, of course, exceptional...
* * *
Don Ellis / Martiniboys.com
...Del Toro's performance is right up there, going beyond
the parameters of a character as written and creates
a being of his own.
* * *
Jeff Meyers / Metro Times
Del Toro is nothing short of astonishing. Soulful, broken
but proud, he avoids shameless overemoting to portray
drug addiction as an intensely personal demon. It's a
brilliant turn that channels his bizarrely alien approach
to character into something authentic. We learn little
of Jerry's past or why he threw his life away, but there's
never any doubt that we're watching a real person struggle
with profound changes. In the films' lengthy cold turkey
scene, Del Toro underplays the pain and drama —
it becomes a convincingly personal battle.
October 21, 2007
Two more release dates have been announced for The Wolfman:
Netherlands: April 30, 2009
Norway: May 1, 2009
(Source: IMDB and BoxOfficeMojo)
October 21, 2007
Some of the latest reviews about Things We Lost In The Fire:
Beth Accomando / KPBS
[Del Toro] has a knack for getting under the skin of a
character and making those characters totally believable.
He achieves this yet again with Jerry. He makes him
sympathetic despite his flaws, and maneuvers through tricky
emotional terrain with deft skill. He’s also good at observing.
While many actors want to grab attention and impress with
histrionics, Del Toro is often content to be an observer in a scene
or to silently react to what’s going on. Yet in those silences he still
conveys the internal life of his character. His performance as Jerry is
one of the best of his career and he anchors the film with his honest
portrayal... a quietly riveting performance by Benicio Del Toro.
* * *
Lactose / Moviethunder.com
I really enjoy watching Benicio Del Toro... really stealing the show.
Del Toro's acting in this movie simply looks award-winning;
there's no other way to describe it. He really nails the
Jerry character in an uncanny, superhuman sort of way.
I mean, there are some scenes that just seem too real to be
staged. He's awesome, and my respect level for him is
totally off the charts now.
* * *
Brian Tallerico / Screentalk
Oscar-worthy work by Benicio Del Toro... [he] makes
Jerry a completely believable, three-dimensional character,
who we completely believe has walked the tightrope of
addiction for decades. Del Toro is completely riveting and it's
partially due to the fact that he's one of the best actors alive,
but also due to the complex character that Loeb has
given him, Del Toro can do anything and it will be award-worthy,
so his turn in Things We Lost In The Fire is no real revelation...
* * *
The Weekend Wrap-Up / Boxoffice Prophets
...Del Toro's performance is getting raves
even from critics that didn't like the film...
October 21, 2007
Kansas City Star's Robert W. Butler interviewed
Susanne Bier about Things We Lost In The Fire.
Here's an excerpt from the interview:
SUSANNE BIER:
"Well, I knew I didn’t want to make drugs sexy or appealing.
Benicio and I talked about that — it’s a lot more about the pain
of drug addiction than the escapism. That could have been too
heavy, but Benicio is really a very funny guy, and he brought to
the part this sort of quiet exasperation of a long-time junkie who
finds himself trapped in this suburban setting. He has this weird
sense of humor, and he was always using it to make his
character less tragic."
(Source: KansasCity.com)
October 20, 2007
More reviews are available today for Things We Lost In The Fire:
David Schultz / NLCN.com
Benicio Del Toro generates an electric performance of
the self destructive junkie going in and out between his
addiction and recovery in a performance that captures
the despair within his role.
* * *
Stan Urankar / Cleveland.com
...an award-worthy performance by Benicio Del Toro
is what audiences will remember from this at-times
moving drama.The brilliance of Del Toro different, indeed,
from his dogged and understated Best Supporting Actor
turn in Traffic, yet immensely more powerful.
* * *
Frank Ochieng / World Voice News
...convincing performance by Benicio Del Toro.
[He] is the real find in this motivating but soggy saga.
Del Toro's participation in this fable about sorrow and
redemption may very well earn him another well-deserved
Academy Award nomination.
* * *
Mina Hochberg / amNY.com
...a flawless Oscar-worthy performance [by] Benicio Del Toro
* * *
Glenn Whipp / LA.com
Del Toro plays Jerry and avoids every genre pitfall
possible... Del Toro does all this without one false
movement or grandstanding moment. He is absolutely amazing.
There's an emotional truth at the center of the movie, and that
honesty is heightened every time Del Toro is on the screen.
Rather than wallow in anguish, Del Toro plays Jerry with a
quicksilver weightlessness that constantly produces unexpected
moments, gestures, sparks. You can't take your eyes off him.
* * *
Carla Meyer / The Sacramento Bee
Del Toro delivers one of the best performances of the year
so far... Every moment Del Toro is on, the screen comes alive.
A naturally vivid presence, he showcases but also reins in his
character's quirks so they punctuate moments instead of spilling
into goofiness. The film's depiction of the cycle of addiction seems
truthful, with Del Toro convincing at every stage. Rather than go
over the top during more dramatic moments, Del Toro keeps his
character consistent... watching Del Toro bring glimmers of
intelligence and kindness to his character's messed-up surface
makes the audience want to stick with him through the movie.
* * *
Tom Long / The Detroit News
...what a powerfully charismatic and completely natural
actor Benicio Del Toro is. From the moment he first appears,
he lights up this otherwise relentlessly dreary story of grief,
loss and addiction. He even makes the inevitable heroin
withdrawal scenes somehow interesting...
Del Toro get[s] to make an obvious Oscar bid.
* * *
Matthew F. Newlin / PLAYBACK:stl
Del Toro is phenomenal, giving the year's best performance
so far. Del Toro brings humor and sadness to a character
that could easily be played as just a druggie.
* * *
Susan Granger / Arizona Reporter
Benicio Del Toro’s cleverly nuanced
performance [is] memorable.
* * *
Warren Curry / Entertainment Insiders
...captivating performance by Del Toro...
* * *
Anhoni Patel / SF Station
Del Toro's performance is absolutely mindblowing.
Don't be surprised if [he] get[s] nominated for an Academy Award.
* * *
Ron Henriques / Latino Review
Del Toro has the ability to make the best of any scene...
He gives an accurate portrayal of an addict and has
one of the best withdrawal scenes in a movie.
* * *
Steve Warren / The Sunday Paper
There’s no doubt that Things We Lost in the Fire is
Del Toro’s movie. If anyone gets an Oscar nomination
from the cast, it will be him.
October 19, 2007
Confirmed:
Anthony Hopkins in
for The Wolf Man
Hopkins will play Sir John Talbot,
father to Benicio’s Lawrence Talbot,
the character who becomes afflicted with the werewolf curse.
(Source: MTV Movies blog)
October 19, 2007
More reviews of Things We Lost In The Fire were published today:
Brandon Griggs / The Salt Lake Tribune
...a vivid performance by Benicio Del Toro...
The standout here is Del Toro, who nails the twitchy
self-loathing of a decent man trying to escape the corrosive
grip of his addiction. Del Toro makes us feel his cravings
through small gestures, such as the intensity with which
he sucks on his cigarettes. Smart, sensitive and slyly amusing,
if maybe a little too noble, his Jerry is the film's most indelible figure.
* * *
Tom Long / The Detroit News
Things We Lost in the Fire serves as strong reminder
of what a powerfully charismatic and completely natural
actor Benicio Del Toro is. From the moment he first appears,
playing a junkie named Jerry Sunborne, he lights up this
otherwise relentlessly dreary story of grief, loss and addiction.
He even makes the inevitable heroin withdrawal
scenes somehow interesting. Del Toro get[s] to
make obvious Oscar bids.
* * *
Caren Ostrow / The News & Observer
Benicio Del Toro is marvelous.
* * *
Brandy McDonnell / NewsOK.com
Powerful performance from Benicio Del Toro...
* * *
Garrett Conti / The Pittsburgh Tribune
...noteworthy performance by Benicio Del Toro...
* * *
Claudia Puig / USA Today
...powerful performance [by] Benicio Del Toro. He perfectly
captures the charisma of this knowing but troubled guy
who seems to have a clear-eyed understanding of what
he has become and where it will lead him. Del Toro has not
had such a multifaceted and challenging role since
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas nearly a decade ago.
It's worth seeing, mostly to soak up the complex shades
of Del Toro's performance.
* * *
Sean O'Connell / Filmcritic.com
...Del Toro, a commanding actor who rarely receives
the amount of credit he deserves. In the past, actors
playing drug addicts have viewed the role as a free pass
to over-emote. Del Toro takes the opposite path,
holding Jerry's demons so close to the vest that they
threaten to suffocate him from within. When he is given
a lengthy detoxification scene, Del Toro gives just enough to
convince us of the pain without making it painful to sit through.
* * *
Clint O'Connor / Cleveland.com
... I loved Del Toro's performance.... he displays a range
and charm that shout best-actor Oscar nomination.
He moves so effortlessly from disinterested drifter to
fun-uncle type to gentle friend to struggling addict.
Bier takes us deep inside Jerry, but Del Toro makes sure
there are still more layers left to unravel.
* * *
Bruce Kirkland / The Winnipeg Sun
The acting is simply stunning. Del Toro starts off wasted,
and yet still manages to play his character with a wry
sense of humour. Despite scenes in which he relapses --
they are harrowing -- he deliberately goes to the light side
of a dark man, creating empathy.
* * *
Robert Horton / HeraldNet.com
...Del Toro's shaggy performance is the real attraction.
* * *
Glen Schaefer / The Province
...Del Toro breathes in-the-moment life into every scene.
* * *
Walter Addiego / SFGate.com
Benicio Del Toro turns in a first-rate performance.
* * *
Jack Mathews / NY Daily News
Del Toro gives a career performance
* * *
Calvin Wilson / The St. Louis Post
Del Toro is unforgettable as Jerry.
* * *
Kelly Jane Torrance / The Washington Times
Oscar-worthy performance [by] Mr. Del Toro.
* * *
Robin and Laura Clifford / Reelingreviews.com
Benicio Del Toro, never a disappointment on the big screen,
gives one of best performances to date...
* * *
Willie Waffle / WaffleMovies.com
Del Toro is so natural and captivating you will be amazed
at his approach to giving some soul to a troubled character
many people would write off as a lost cause. He’s never
over the top or asking for a pity party...
he puts in an Oscar-worthy performance...
* * *
Peter Sobczynski / EFilmcritic.com
...there is one element to the film that work[s]
spectacularly well and that is the central performance
by Benicio Del Toro... he plays the character closer to
the vest and while we never get any scenes that painfully
explain to us who he was and how he came to throw his
life away, we nevertheless get the sense of a real person
going through deep and profound changes whenever he is
on the screen. In the past, Del Toro has given a variety of
bold, high-wire performances but with the possible exception
of his work in Traffic, I can’t recall one that cuts as deep as
his work here. It is a brilliant bit of acting – it actually cuts so
close to the bone that the word “acting” somehow sounds
demeaning in discussing it – that will soon go down as
one of the high-water marks of an already remarkable career...
* * *
Anita Katz / The Examiner
Del Toro... is excellent
* * *
Mary F. Pols / Contra Costa Times
Del Toro [is] a naturalistic actor who goes beyond
the parameters of a character as written and creates
a being of his own... when Del Toro's on camera,
you're aware of him, not the space around him.
* * *
Gary Kramer / Aroundphilly.com
A powerhouse performance by Benicio Del Toro...
Del Toro uses his eyes and amazing facial expressions to
communicate his character’s every thought and emotion.
The actor just gives such an astonishing performance,
it’s hard to steal the film from him.
* * *
Ken Fox / Filmspot.com
Del Toro turn[s] in the kind of performance that wins Oscars,
or at least Oscar nominations: Del Toro's Jerry is both
haunted and enormously charismatic.
* * *
Unknown / TwinCities.com
...the MVP is Benicio Del Toro. Del Toro smolders.
Soulful and complicated, Del Toro is an actor we easily
believe has lots going on beneath the surface. He doesn't
soft-pedal the unpleasant aspects of his character,
but he locates a weird kind of nobility in this man's attempt
to keep his drug habit from affecting the people he loves.
... Del Toro is able to convince us that each new aspect
of his character makes perfect sense. Should you go?
Yes, mostly because Del Toro is electrifying.
* * *
Edward Douglas / Comingsoon.net
...strong performance by Del Toro...
Jerry is certainly one of Del Toro's more complex characters
in terms of the many different sides we see of him.
* * *
Jeffrey Westhoff / Northwest Herald
... the strength of [Del Toro's] performance is
the way he expresses pain through subtleties.
* * *
Paul Kosidowski / Journal Sentinel
Del Toro is reserved, but also vibrant and charming.
With spare dialogue, he's able to convey the frustrated
isolation of addiction, but also the fire and restlessness
that drives him toward altered states.
* * *
Melissa Silverstein / The Huffington Post
Del Toro [is] terrific. His scenes of a drug relapse
and then detox are brutally real and hard to watch.
* * *
Liam Lacey / Globe and Mail
Del Toro's performance is the real attraction here,
not for the usual junkie sweats, eye rolling and
stoned twitching for which acting awards are earned,
but for his everyday reactions... he offers a compelling
emotional slideshow of responses — wry, belligerent,
sheepish — to his weird new life in the suburban idyll.
* * *
Gary Cogill / WFAA.com
Benicio Del Toro is terrific...
* * *
Robert Sims / Hollywood.com
... heart-wrenching performance given by Benicio Del Toro.
* * *
James Rocchi / Cinematical
...a completely brilliant, wholly absorbing performance
from one of our best actors, a piece of acting so good
you can feel the entire movie reaching and working to try
to come up to his level.You could deconstruct and dissect
every moment of Del Toro's performance; as casual and
shambling and ruined as Jerry looks, Del Toro's built that
sprawling collapsed structure brick by brick. But it never
feels mannered or forced, either, and if you did analyze it,
you'd miss the simple immediacy and power of his work.
... And I can't say what, exactly, it is Del Toro gets right
in each of [the] scenes.
* * *
Sara Michelle Fetters / MovieFreak.com
[Benicio Del Toro] is magnificent, easily delivering one
of the single best performances I have seen this year.
Jerry goes through an astonishing transition, all of it
registered in the actor’s expressive facial features with a subtle
grace that’s truly breathtaking. As good as he’s been this might
just be the best I’ve ever seen the actor, Del Toro simply
beyond breathtaking in this role.
* * *
Cole Smithey / AltWeeklies.com
It's [Benicio Del Toro’s] commitment to his role,
and to the story, that keeps things interesting.
* * *
Harvey S. Karten / CompuServe
...stunning performance [by] Benicio Del Toro as
Jerry Sunborne, an acting job that has already started
Oscar buzz and a possible nomination from
New York Film Critics Online... his expressions run
the gamut from projecting self-deprecating humor,
physical and psychological pain...
* * *
Pat Trabi / Shakefire.com
I am impressed with Benicio Del Toro. I think he gives
an Oscar-worthy performance portraying Jerry. I cannot think
of any other actor to play this role so well. As he slowly turns
his life around, he changes from a scary, lonely, hopeless and
filthy junkie to a boyish, sympathetic and charming character.
His facial expressions, especially his big eyes, often do not need
additional words. Benecio Del Toro fans will not be disappointed.
* * *
Tricia Olszewski / Washington City Paper
Del Toro is simply riveting. Again, his triumphs are small,
mostly matters of expression... Of course, the character is a user,
so there are moments when Del Toro needs to dial it up.
Even as Jerry’s relapsing, though, Del Toro spares us the
histrionics. You’ve never seen anyone play half-dead better.
* * *
Scooter Thompson / MovieEveryDay.com
Benicio Del Toro is absolutely unreal. This is unlike
any role he's ever played before, and it affords him the
opportunity to show his more humane qualities as an actor
as well. The impact he has on his fellow characters is likely
to be the same as the one he has on viewers...
Benicio Del Toro transforms himself way beyond anything
he's done before to portray this incredibly complex character.
* * *
Glenn Kenny / Premiere
Benicio Del Toro's subtle, searing, get-under-your-skin
performance as a junkie seeking redemption — while
wondering what the hell redemption is any good for anyway —
is your first, best reason to see this ambitious and
largely artful drama from acclaimed Danish director Bier
but Del Toro sets himself apart from these pitfalls and
keeps Jerry painfully human. The film's two-pronged finale has
one sappily sentimental component and another harrowingly
ambiguous one; it's the latter, enacted by Del Toro speaking
directly into the camera, which will stick with you.
* * *
Lester Gray / The Examiner
[Benicio Del Toro] breaks down without becoming pitiful.
He feels shame, apologizes, but does not wallow.
Del Toro’s Jerry brings a feathered touch from a heavy soul.
* * *
Michelle Solomon / Kpho.com
As Jerry, Del Toro never falls victim to
"playing" the addict; he is the addict.
* * *
Rachel Shephard / 2theadvocate.com
Oscar-worthy performances [by] Benicio Del Toro...
Del Toro without a doubt has never portrayed a character
as well as Jerry. He is able to switch between the role
of father figure and a drug addict in withdrawal so well
you don’t even think about the acting.
He makes this challenging role seem effortless.
* * *
Michael Janusonis / The Providence Journal
Benicio Del Toro... makes for such a magnetic character
on screen. His funny double takes give buoyancy to the
character and the story... it’s a pleasure to watch Del Toro
make this loser a likable character, pulling for him right through
a harrowing cold turkey drug-withdrawal scene that is chilling in
its intensity. It’s a grabber performance, the kind that wins awards.
* * *
Steve Persall / St. Petersburgh Times
...white-hot performance by Benicio Del Toro.
Give Benicio Del Toro any role, and you'll glimpse greatness.
October 19, 2007
Here an excerpt from an interview with Susanne Bier
done by Orlando Sentinel movie critic Roger Moore:
QUESTION:
Were you
a fan of Benicio's work?
SUSANNE BIER:
"Oh yes, for years."
QUESTION:
He seems quite different here. What sorts of things
did you do to bring out this vulnerable, likable side of him?
SUSANNE BIER:
"He is very subdued, very clear, in a way. His pacing is very
specific. There's a clarity to him which
I
think serves his part..."
Susanne Bier
(Photo: Wireimage)
(Source: OrlandoSentinel.com)
October 19, 2007
Cindy Pearlman wrote the following about
Benicio and Halle Berry in Things We Lost In The Fire:
A look at people and personalities now at cineplexes nationwide:
Halle Berry and Benicio del Toro: Do they sizzle?
They do, but forget about any love scenes between
these two hotties in Things We Lost in the Fire.
How could this happen? Why? "It couldn't just be
Halle and Benicio want to kiss onscreen," Berry says,
laughing in response. "Plus, in this movie, a love scene
could never happen because it would be wrong for
our characters to go there."
Berry plays a widow who takes in her late husband's
heroin-addicted best friend (Del Toro), a man she has
always hated. Berry and Del Toro do have a few almost
moments. "It was right for them to attempt it. I do see him
in the shower and he takes my breath away.
He has a moment where I take his breath away.
We got lost in that rapture," she says, adding,
"Sure, there was sexual tension. But if we acted on it,
then it would have been like my husband in the film
never lived. We just couldn't cross that line."
(Source: Chicago Sun-Times)
October 18, 2007
Benicio is on the first page of the
current edition of Montréal's weekly Hour.
Read the article here.
(Source: Hour.ca)
October 18, 2007
Reviews for Things We Lost In The Fire are pouring in!!
Here are some reviews published today from various sources:
Roger Ebert / Relish Now!
The key performance in the film is by Del Toro,
who never overplays, who sidesteps any temptation to
go over the top, and whose intelligence as a onetime lawyer
shows through his street-worn new reality. He is puzzled
and surprised that Audrey invites him into her home,
but with his options, it’s the best offer he’ll ever receive.
* * *
Robert W. Butlers / Kansas City Star
Benicio Del Toro give[s] a performance full of depth,
power and vulnerability
* * *
Zachary Herrmann / Diamondbackonline.com
In what may be his finest hour yet, Del Toro channels
the ghost of James Dean to exorcise the demons from
the heroin-addicted, chain-smoking Jerry. As Dean did in
his tragically brief filmography, Del Toro commands the entire
frame with the simple flicker of a brow, the slightest bulging
of the eyes. Each facial twitch twists the knife a bit deeper,
bringing forth pain and nervous laughter at Jerry's struggle to
grasp his surroundings... Del Toro lifts the picture on his shoulders,
enduring the most oppressive aspects of Bier's lens gaze.
* * *
Adrienne Mansard / The Daily Californian
The film would not be what it is without the performance
of Del Toro. His gestures, expressions and the simple gaze
of his sullen eyes are enough to move a person to tears...
* * *
Lauren Ventura / The Daily Aztec
Del Toro will certainly get Oscar nods for [his] portrayal in this film.
* * *
Andrew Wright / The Stranger
Highlighted by a performance by Benicio Del Toro
at his most magnetically bedraggled... Mainly though,
you're going to be watching Del Toro, who somehow
slinkys and random-tangents his way into a fully realized
being who's never more soulful than when he's dealing with
the monkey on his back.
* * *
Manny the Movie Guy / Desert Post Weekly
I also admire Del Toro's acting. An actor playing a
drug-addict can easily rely on histrionics to convey
emotion. But Del Toro wisely chose to give his character
an oddly humanistic and captivating charm.
* * *
James Ward / Visalia (Calif.) Times-Delta
Benicio Del Toro give[s] a superb performance...
* * *
Alonso Duralde / MSNBC
...the movie features blisteringly powerful work by del Toro...
* * *
James Berardinelli / Reelviews.net
Benicio Del Toro finds himself once again in a sober drama,
although this one isn't as bleak as 21 Grams. The actor's
past work has shown that he's up to any challenge,
and his interpretation here re-asserts that impression.
* * *
Roger Moore / Orlando Sentinel
Del Toro, abandoning the years of mumbling that
characterized his acting, builds Jerry into both a
convincing junkie, but also the sort of friend
you might hang onto, no matter what.
* * *
Betsy Pickle / Scripps Howard News Service
Del Toro [is] a wonderful performer who
makes his character come to life.
* * *
Susan Kandell / Pop Syndicate
Del Toro is splendid as Jerry Sunborne.
* * *
Michael Phillips / Chicago Metromix
Del Toro knows how to play a flawed good man
without qualifying him for sainthood.
* * *
Josh Rosenblatt / The Austin Chronicle
Close your eyes, spin around three times, and point
a finger at Del Toro’s résumé: Dollars to donuts, you’re
going to land on one of the better acting performances
of the last 20 years. Basquiat. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Traffic. 21 Grams. He can do it all. Yet somehow, with
Things We Lost in the Fire, he’s managed to top even himself;
this most recent performance is right up there with the best
screen turns not just of his generation, but of all time:
Brando in Waterfront. Hopkins in Nixon.
Washington in Training Day. Rarefied air.
* * *
Bill Wine / Celebrity News Service
Del Toro is Oscar-level brilliant, overcoming the
limitations of an underwritten role and contributing
an idiosyncratic, serious but good-humored portrait
of a stumbling but recovering junkie that feels freshly
observed and genuine in every scene and shot. If ever
a performance rises above the level of the script,
it's Del Toro's Jerry.
* * *
Carrie Rickey / Philly.com
...a sensational performance from Del Toro...
* * *
Peter Travers / Rolling Stone
Just watching Del Toro's eyes provides an emotional fire
Allan Loeb's script can't hope to match. [He] is astoundingly
good... [he] is the movie's force field. This is a performance
you will not forget.
* * *
Dezhda Mountz / E!Online
...Benicio Del Toro acts [his] heart out...
* * *
Dustin Putman / TheMovieBoy.com
Del Toro is utterly convincing from start to finish...
* * *
Geoff Berkshire / Los Angeles Metromix
Benicio del Toro fuels this optimistic tragedy...
[He] emerges as the film’s heart, in a beautifully delivered
lead performance full of humor and subtly played pathos.
* * *
Melissa Starker / ColumbusAlive.com
Del Toro is given another potentially one-dimensional role,
the junkie seeking redemption, but he delivers the film's
one true source of joy, a performance that's alternately
harrowing, heartbreaking and effortlessly funny.
* * *
Prairie Miller / Long Island Press
Things We Lost in the Fire comes with the first Oscar-worthy
male performance this year, courtesy of Del Toro as a humble,
sensitive and self-effacing man struggling to kick his habit...
* * *
Bruce Feld / Film Journal International
Del Toro makes his addict ultra-sympathetic
and intelligent, and at the same time lost and
desolate. It is a nimble balance, a tribute to his skill as
an actor rather than the plausibility of Loeb’s screenplay.
* * &nb