The Cabin

Author(s): Chris M.
Location: NJ

"The Cabin"

Produced, Written, and Directed by Christopher Nolan
Original Score composed by Howard Shore
Cinematography by Wally Pfister
Film Editing by Dody Dorn
Original Music written by Bob Dylan

Main Cast
Jeremy Irons as Rory Colme
Kathy Bates as Anne Marie Courtney
Christian Bale as Robert Burns
Sandra Bulluck as Loraine Devine
Mos Def as Rondell Anthony

Tagline: "For them it was their shot at a dream, for him, their dream was his next novel"

Synopsis: Best selling author Rory Colme (Irons) is holding a contest for his most ardent fans. For over one month, contestants around the country submitted short stories they have written for a chance to win a spot in Colmes personal cabin in Wyoming. This cabin is where Colme’s has written every single one of his thirty best-selling novels. Four lucky contestants will be chosen and will spend three months in the cabin; they will compete in complete isolation from the outside world, a condition similar to what Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and others faced in the nineteenth century; that isolated group produced works such as Frankenstein; who knows what this group will produce. The ultimate winner will have their final product published by Colmes. Colmes hand picks each contestant, whom are, Anne-Marie Courtney (Bates), a housewife and mother of four from Maine, Robert Burns (Bale), a recent divorcee, who is a history professor at the University of Colorado, Rondell Anthony (Def), a working class family man from Georgia, and Loraine Devine (Bullock), a bakery owner from Texas, who was recently widowed. What happens when four strangers are stuck together in small quarters for three months, completely isolated from the outside world? Tempers rise, sanity is questioned, and survival is a goal. The contest is really a clever guise for Colmes real ambition, he has the cabin under surveillance and is writing his newest novel based on the behavior of these four very different contestants.

What the Press would say:
Christopher Nolan has successfully woven another psychological thriller in his modern masterpiece, “The Cabin”. Nolan has created another heart pounding film. Nolan will be recognized by the academy for his incredible script and intelligent direction. Instead of big budgets and special effects, Nolan allows his actors and script to leave his mark and it’s a powerful mark that he leaves. Look for an acting nomination for Christian Bale, who plays a troubled college professor who is coming to terms with his recent divorce, and is on the verge of losing his sanity. Critics are hailing his performance as one of the most realistic portrayals of a mental breakdown in film history. Bale is not only going to be nominated but he will win the Best Supporting Actor. Kathy Bates is incredible as Anne-Marie Courtney, a sheltered housewife and mother from Maine whose hobby has been writing short stories with aspirations of becoming a famous novelist. She shines in this role; she is socially awkward and does not deal well with the situation she has entered. Bates has created an endearing character that the audiences sympathies with, and come January, so will the Academy. Sandra Bullock plays Loraine Devine, and delivers the strongest performance of her career, in a role that is a departure from the lighter fare she is known for. Bullock dives into the role of Loraine Devine, a clinically depressed woman who hopes that this contest will help her in her process of grieving the loss of her deceased husband. Her condition worsens over time and she contemplates suicide only to survive with the unlikely ally of Rondell Anthony. Rondell is played by Mos Def who continues to build a resume of impressive work. He is the mediator who prevents confrontations between his housemates from escalating. He questions his own sanity but fights to the very end to return to his family. Jeremy Irons is brilliant as Rory Colmes, a two faced novelist who jeopardizes the sanity and health of four contestants in order to create his next best selling book. He plays his character effectively, as the man we love to hate. Irons will most certainly be rewarded for his work as the manipulative author. “The Cabin” is operatic in its ambition; a great, joyous leap into melodrama and coincidence, with ragged emotions, crimes and punishments, generational turmoil and celestial intervention, all scored to Bob Dylan’s inventive music. The more you think about “The Cabin”, the dry wit, the bravura staging, the intricate design, the wondrous performances, the better and more unusual the film seems. “The Cabin” is an impressive film with superior acting; featuring career best performances from its distinguished cast, a cant miss this awards season.

FYC:
Best Picture
Best Director – Christopher Nolan
Best Actor – Jeremy Irons
Best Supporting Actor – Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actor – Mos Def
Best Supporting Actress – Kathy Bates
Best Supporting Actress – Sandra Bullock
Best Original Screenplay – Christopher Nolan
Best Cinematography - Wally Pfister
Best Film Editing - Dody Dorn
Best Original Score – Howard Shore
Best Original Song – Bob Dylan