Writer-director James Gray re- created elements of his childhood for Focus Features’ Armageddon Time, set in 1980 Queens. Banks Repeta plays Paul Graff, the onscreen avatar for Gray: an aspiring artist whose rambunctious behavior infuriates his parents (played by Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway) but delights his aging grandfather (Anthony Hopkins). The latter supports young Paul in his creative pursuits and, when Paul admits that his classmates use bad words to describe his Black friend Johnny (Jaylin Webb), orders his grandson to “be a mensch” and stick up for those who are not in a position to defend themselves.
Gray naturally turned to his own family history when crafting this personal tale, poring through photo albums that he says offered “a moment frozen in irretrievable time — both sad and beautiful at the same time.” Armageddon Time is imbued with melancholy and nostalgia, with the wide-eyed Paul experiencing firsthand the privilege he...
Gray naturally turned to his own family history when crafting this personal tale, poring through photo albums that he says offered “a moment frozen in irretrievable time — both sad and beautiful at the same time.” Armageddon Time is imbued with melancholy and nostalgia, with the wide-eyed Paul experiencing firsthand the privilege he...
- 1/12/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stars: Banks Repeta, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Jaylin Webb, Anthony Hopkins | Written and Directed by James Gray
A deeply personal story about the strength of family, the complexity of friendship, and the generational pursuit of the American Dream.
James Gray‘s Armageddon Time is without a doubt not only one of the most unique films of last year but also one of the most unique coming-of-age films I’ve ever seen. This is a searing and oftentimes emotionally heart-wrenching drama that never pulls any punches. It’s so raw and unfiltered and it’s what makes it so special. Gray could’ve easily put together a film that utilized the tried-and-true formula of other coming-of-age films that have been successful, but instead, he wanted to toy with a few things and pull some tricks that you won’t see coming. This completely feels like an Oscar-worthy drama.
The writing and...
A deeply personal story about the strength of family, the complexity of friendship, and the generational pursuit of the American Dream.
James Gray‘s Armageddon Time is without a doubt not only one of the most unique films of last year but also one of the most unique coming-of-age films I’ve ever seen. This is a searing and oftentimes emotionally heart-wrenching drama that never pulls any punches. It’s so raw and unfiltered and it’s what makes it so special. Gray could’ve easily put together a film that utilized the tried-and-true formula of other coming-of-age films that have been successful, but instead, he wanted to toy with a few things and pull some tricks that you won’t see coming. This completely feels like an Oscar-worthy drama.
The writing and...
- 1/5/2023
- by Caillou Pettis
- Nerdly
Click here to read the full article.
Anne Hathaway knew James Gray’s script for his semi-autobiographical film Armageddon Time, in which she plays a version of the director’s own mother, was special. But it was five specific words that really sold her on wanting to take on the role.
“When I heard ‘James Gray, age-appropriate part,’ I was like, ‘Say yes, we’ll figure out the details later,’ ” Hathaway tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And then I read it and I found it a piece of searing honesty. It’s a film about moral regret and the parallels that he draws between 1980 and 2022. All of it just really spoke to me: the intelligence, the humor, the warmth, the sadness, the violence, all of it. I just thought, ‘This is really, really rare.’ And I met with him, and after a few meetings, and a little bit of time, he...
Anne Hathaway knew James Gray’s script for his semi-autobiographical film Armageddon Time, in which she plays a version of the director’s own mother, was special. But it was five specific words that really sold her on wanting to take on the role.
“When I heard ‘James Gray, age-appropriate part,’ I was like, ‘Say yes, we’ll figure out the details later,’ ” Hathaway tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And then I read it and I found it a piece of searing honesty. It’s a film about moral regret and the parallels that he draws between 1980 and 2022. All of it just really spoke to me: the intelligence, the humor, the warmth, the sadness, the violence, all of it. I just thought, ‘This is really, really rare.’ And I met with him, and after a few meetings, and a little bit of time, he...
- 12/22/2022
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Every director brings a piece of themselves to their work, but this Oscar season has seen films becoming ever more personal. And it’s up to the cinematographer to work with their director to bring those stories to life.
James Gray explores his relationship with his grandfather and a pivotal childhood friendship in Armageddon Time; a young, gay Black man looks for his mother’s approval by joining the Marines in The Inspection, using actual quotes from Elegance Bratton’s mother; and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans shows the early life of a young filmmaker and his family’s influence on his art.
Related Story Golden Globes Film Analysis: Cruise Is Snubbed, Fraser Isn't & A Mixed Bag For Diversity Related Story Steven Spielberg Tells Martin Scorsese Why A Very Private Director Made 'The Fabelmans' & How Laura Dern Convinced David Lynch To Play John Ford Related Story 'Bardo' Brothers: Alejandro González...
James Gray explores his relationship with his grandfather and a pivotal childhood friendship in Armageddon Time; a young, gay Black man looks for his mother’s approval by joining the Marines in The Inspection, using actual quotes from Elegance Bratton’s mother; and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans shows the early life of a young filmmaker and his family’s influence on his art.
Related Story Golden Globes Film Analysis: Cruise Is Snubbed, Fraser Isn't & A Mixed Bag For Diversity Related Story Steven Spielberg Tells Martin Scorsese Why A Very Private Director Made 'The Fabelmans' & How Laura Dern Convinced David Lynch To Play John Ford Related Story 'Bardo' Brothers: Alejandro González...
- 12/12/2022
- by Ryan Fleming
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
In educated, middle-class Jewish homes, it’s not uncommon for the kids to boast artistic passions and ambitions. To judge by Focus Features’ Armageddon Time and Universal’s The Fabelmans, two semi-autobiographical dramas from directors James Gray and Steven Spielberg, respectively, art is a thematic centerpiece, opening up a Pandora’s box of conflicting values.
An array of pragmatic and moral dilemmas, stemming in part from the protagonists’ identity as Jews, is at the core of each film. Our protagonists and their family members are conversant in the outlier’s life, having experienced antisemitism. Many of their self-assessments, goals and responses to others emerge from those defining events. Most relevant, both films are coming-of-age narratives filtered through the distorting lens of memory, colored in varying degrees of nostalgia, embellishment and the need for reconciliation with past events and significant others whose spectral presence haunts their respective filmmakers.
In educated, middle-class Jewish homes, it’s not uncommon for the kids to boast artistic passions and ambitions. To judge by Focus Features’ Armageddon Time and Universal’s The Fabelmans, two semi-autobiographical dramas from directors James Gray and Steven Spielberg, respectively, art is a thematic centerpiece, opening up a Pandora’s box of conflicting values.
An array of pragmatic and moral dilemmas, stemming in part from the protagonists’ identity as Jews, is at the core of each film. Our protagonists and their family members are conversant in the outlier’s life, having experienced antisemitism. Many of their self-assessments, goals and responses to others emerge from those defining events. Most relevant, both films are coming-of-age narratives filtered through the distorting lens of memory, colored in varying degrees of nostalgia, embellishment and the need for reconciliation with past events and significant others whose spectral presence haunts their respective filmmakers.
- 12/9/2022
- by Simi Horwitz
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
James Gray’s “Armageddon Time” is a personal look at his upbringing in Flushing, N.Y., around 1980. Awards voters might assume it’s an affectionate remembrance about growing up. They would be wrong.
“I never saw this as a coming-of-age story,” he tells Variety. “I saw it as a moment in time of people trapped within a system.” Aside from the personal story, the movie is a subtle study of how American economy and politics changed. And Gray offers some insights rarely portrayed in films.
If this sounds like heavy going, filmmaker Gray — no relation, Btw — made sure it’s entertaining: “It’s not medicine. It’s not lecturing you. I wanted the film to be tender and funny.”
The Oscar contender centers on Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), his friendship with Black classmate Johnny (Jaylin Webb), and his relationship with his parents and grandfather (Anthony Hopkins).
It was always intended...
“I never saw this as a coming-of-age story,” he tells Variety. “I saw it as a moment in time of people trapped within a system.” Aside from the personal story, the movie is a subtle study of how American economy and politics changed. And Gray offers some insights rarely portrayed in films.
If this sounds like heavy going, filmmaker Gray — no relation, Btw — made sure it’s entertaining: “It’s not medicine. It’s not lecturing you. I wanted the film to be tender and funny.”
The Oscar contender centers on Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), his friendship with Black classmate Johnny (Jaylin Webb), and his relationship with his parents and grandfather (Anthony Hopkins).
It was always intended...
- 12/9/2022
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
In Focus Features’ 1980-set Armageddon Time, Banks Repeta plays Paul Graff, a Jewish kid living in Queens with his close-knit family. An aspiring artist, Paul is at an age where the expectations placed upon him by his parents (played by Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong) are becoming more serious and intense. But while young Paul couldn’t care less about what the future holds for him as a grown-up (especially when he’s only starting sixth grade), he slowly discovers that the world around him is not created equal for everybody — a hard lesson he learns after becoming friends with Johnny (Jaylin Webb), a Black classmate.
Based on writer-director James Gray’s childhood memories, Armageddon Time is a portrait of two boys who realize that their differences put them on competing life tracks — unfairly so. Repeta, 14, and Webb, 16, sat down with THR to...
In Focus Features’ 1980-set Armageddon Time, Banks Repeta plays Paul Graff, a Jewish kid living in Queens with his close-knit family. An aspiring artist, Paul is at an age where the expectations placed upon him by his parents (played by Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong) are becoming more serious and intense. But while young Paul couldn’t care less about what the future holds for him as a grown-up (especially when he’s only starting sixth grade), he slowly discovers that the world around him is not created equal for everybody — a hard lesson he learns after becoming friends with Johnny (Jaylin Webb), a Black classmate.
Based on writer-director James Gray’s childhood memories, Armageddon Time is a portrait of two boys who realize that their differences put them on competing life tracks — unfairly so. Repeta, 14, and Webb, 16, sat down with THR to...
- 12/7/2022
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Formative Friendships in Armageddon Time
The 1980 backdrop of James Gray’s semi-autobiographical drama feels familiar: A celebrity turned politician challenges the establishment, racial tensions simmer and socioeconomic disparities loom large. And one comforting time-honored aspect endures: Queens sixth-graders Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) and Johnny Davis (Jaylin Webb) dress alike. “Because they’re best friends,” says costume designer Madeline Weeks, who kept the cast in late-’70s wardrobe, conveying the era’s pre-fast-fashion consumer mindset.
Paul, from a middle-class, two-parent Jewish family, and Johnny, a Black boy confronting the daily trauma of racism at school (and in the world at large), bond over their creative aspirations. Paul fantasizes of being a “famous artist,” while Johnny yearns to join NASA and see a Sugarhill Gang concert. “Johnny and Paul love style,” says Weeks. Like the period’s New York City youth, Paul, in burnt orange and green,...
Formative Friendships in Armageddon Time
The 1980 backdrop of James Gray’s semi-autobiographical drama feels familiar: A celebrity turned politician challenges the establishment, racial tensions simmer and socioeconomic disparities loom large. And one comforting time-honored aspect endures: Queens sixth-graders Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) and Johnny Davis (Jaylin Webb) dress alike. “Because they’re best friends,” says costume designer Madeline Weeks, who kept the cast in late-’70s wardrobe, conveying the era’s pre-fast-fashion consumer mindset.
Paul, from a middle-class, two-parent Jewish family, and Johnny, a Black boy confronting the daily trauma of racism at school (and in the world at large), bond over their creative aspirations. Paul fantasizes of being a “famous artist,” while Johnny yearns to join NASA and see a Sugarhill Gang concert. “Johnny and Paul love style,” says Weeks. Like the period’s New York City youth, Paul, in burnt orange and green,...
- 12/4/2022
- by Fawnia Soo Hoo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Armageddon Time is a movie written and directed by James Gray, starring Michael Banks Repeta, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong and Anthony Hopkins.
A well presented story, perfectly coordinated, balanced and magnificently interpreted. So tender yet bitter, which Gray has rendered onto film with the perfectly measured amount of drama.
Premise
Set in Queens, New York in the early 1980’s, it tells the story of Paul, a boy with a Jewish background who befriends his rebellious classmate Johnny, a Black American. Their friendship is not welcome by Paul’s family, and he has to face the truth of inequality and prejudice.
Armageddon Time (2022) Movie Review
A wonderfully sober feature for film critics, yet rather slow and melancholy for the audience at large. So, we should probably side with both, thinking that it is not James Gray’s pretension to make a movie that will become a mass phenomenon with this number,...
A well presented story, perfectly coordinated, balanced and magnificently interpreted. So tender yet bitter, which Gray has rendered onto film with the perfectly measured amount of drama.
Premise
Set in Queens, New York in the early 1980’s, it tells the story of Paul, a boy with a Jewish background who befriends his rebellious classmate Johnny, a Black American. Their friendship is not welcome by Paul’s family, and he has to face the truth of inequality and prejudice.
Armageddon Time (2022) Movie Review
A wonderfully sober feature for film critics, yet rather slow and melancholy for the audience at large. So, we should probably side with both, thinking that it is not James Gray’s pretension to make a movie that will become a mass phenomenon with this number,...
- 11/24/2022
- by Martin Cid
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Armageddon Time review: Trump and Reagan provide a backdrop to a flawed yet interesting family drama
Dir: James Gray. Starring: Banks Repeta, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Jaylin Webb, Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Sell. 15, 115 minutes.
I’m convinced James Gray makes films not out of desire, but out of compulsion. Behind the thorny intimacy of Two Lovers (2008) or the cobwebbed dreams of dead explorers in The Lost City of Z (2016) lies a desperate search for answers to ugly questions. In Ad Astra (2019), Brad Pitt’s astronaut travels to the furthest reaches of the solar system in order to find his father, only to be told to go home and leave papa be. How does someone even start to process a rejection that profound?
Gray’s latest, Armageddon Time, is a flawed work. But it sees the filmmaker at his most vulnerable, as he twists the camera back on himself and asks: of all the paths that brought me here, how many were carved out by my own privilege?...
I’m convinced James Gray makes films not out of desire, but out of compulsion. Behind the thorny intimacy of Two Lovers (2008) or the cobwebbed dreams of dead explorers in The Lost City of Z (2016) lies a desperate search for answers to ugly questions. In Ad Astra (2019), Brad Pitt’s astronaut travels to the furthest reaches of the solar system in order to find his father, only to be told to go home and leave papa be. How does someone even start to process a rejection that profound?
Gray’s latest, Armageddon Time, is a flawed work. But it sees the filmmaker at his most vulnerable, as he twists the camera back on himself and asks: of all the paths that brought me here, how many were carved out by my own privilege?...
- 11/20/2022
- by Clarisse Loughrey
- The Independent - Film
“I don’t necessarily associate the 80s with a period piece because it just doesn’t feel that long ago to me,” admits production designer Happy Massee as he reflects on his work on “Armageddon Time.” The new James Gray film takes place in Queens, New York, in 1980, and centers on the friendship between two middle-school students across social divisions of race and class. The set decorator lived in New York in the 80s, so bringing that period to life did not take an inordinate amount of research. He shares, “The research were my personal experiences. I sort of re-lived something that I lived when I was in my early 20s.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“Armageddon Time” is Massee’s third collaboration with Gray on a feature, having previously worked with the director on “Two Lovers” and “The Immigrant.” He recounts meeting the writer-director for the first time,...
“Armageddon Time” is Massee’s third collaboration with Gray on a feature, having previously worked with the director on “Two Lovers” and “The Immigrant.” He recounts meeting the writer-director for the first time,...
- 11/18/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
This story about “Armageddon Time” first appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
You can count James Gray among the recent directors looking to their past for inspiration. In the director’s “Armageddon Time,” audiences are transported back to 1980 Queens, where Gray-proxy Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) struggles to find his place in an era of cultural unrest, as the presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan serves as a magnifying glass for issues of race, class and privilege that remain all too relevant today.
While Paul is essentially the same age that Gray was at that time, living in the same city and going to the same school, what sets “Armageddon Time” apart from some of its memoir-adjacent ilk is Gray’s refusal to rose-tint his memories. Absent unearned nostalgia, the film paints an unsparing view of the past and of his young and often unlikable lead character.
You can count James Gray among the recent directors looking to their past for inspiration. In the director’s “Armageddon Time,” audiences are transported back to 1980 Queens, where Gray-proxy Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) struggles to find his place in an era of cultural unrest, as the presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan serves as a magnifying glass for issues of race, class and privilege that remain all too relevant today.
While Paul is essentially the same age that Gray was at that time, living in the same city and going to the same school, what sets “Armageddon Time” apart from some of its memoir-adjacent ilk is Gray’s refusal to rose-tint his memories. Absent unearned nostalgia, the film paints an unsparing view of the past and of his young and often unlikable lead character.
- 11/10/2022
- by Libby Hill
- The Wrap
James Gray's "Armageddon Time" is the closest thing to stepping inside a director's memory. It's so authentic that the creative team used Gray's father's photo collection to build a near-identical replica of his family home on set — matching the wallpaper, paneling, and posters on his bedroom wall. If Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), standing in for a young Gray, was not made out to be a pretty terrible person, it might be easy to call the whole exercise self-indulgent, or at least an expensive form of therapy. But we also shouldn't single out Gray, as he's not the first director in recent years to bring their childhoods to life on the big screen.
The semi-autobiographical film as a genre is far from new, with Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" (2000) and George Lucas' "American Graffiti" (1973) being classic examples. The pace at which these types of films are releasing, however, does seem...
The semi-autobiographical film as a genre is far from new, with Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" (2000) and George Lucas' "American Graffiti" (1973) being classic examples. The pace at which these types of films are releasing, however, does seem...
- 11/7/2022
- by Walter Roberts
- Slash Film
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on Wbgr-fm on November 3rd, 2022, reviewing “Armageddon Time,” a memoir from writer and director James Gray, in theaters beginning November 5th.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) is a teenage boy in 1980 whose middle class Jewish family is struggling with recession and angst, with his mother Esther (Anne Hathaway) and father Irving (Jeremy Strong) trying to keep body and soul together, with help from Aaron (Anthony Hopkins), Paul’s grandfather and family patriarch. He befriends a poverty-stricken African American named Johnny (Jaylin Webb), who is a co-conspirator in some bad boy antics. When Paul’s parents sends him to private school because of his behavior, its benefactor is none other than Fred Trump, father of Donald. As the 1980 election year rolls on, the election of Ronald Reagan becomes one more background warning for Paul and his family.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) is a teenage boy in 1980 whose middle class Jewish family is struggling with recession and angst, with his mother Esther (Anne Hathaway) and father Irving (Jeremy Strong) trying to keep body and soul together, with help from Aaron (Anthony Hopkins), Paul’s grandfather and family patriarch. He befriends a poverty-stricken African American named Johnny (Jaylin Webb), who is a co-conspirator in some bad boy antics. When Paul’s parents sends him to private school because of his behavior, its benefactor is none other than Fred Trump, father of Donald. As the 1980 election year rolls on, the election of Ronald Reagan becomes one more background warning for Paul and his family.
- 11/5/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Armageddon Time’s title is a reference to the song by Willie Williams, covered by The Clash (spelled “Armagideon Time”), whose lyrics contain the line “a lot of people won’t get no justice tonight.” The title also calls to mind a world on the brink of war or a period of finality.
All these meanings tie into the themes of James Gray’s semi-autobiographical drama. It’s a movie about a young man discovering that factors beyond his control have afforded him a safety and privilege unavailable to others. It’s about a nation wracked with Cold War anxiety approaching the back half of the Reagan era. And it’s about reckoning with the realization that the institutions and worldviews that shaped you might also be better left behind.
Armageddon Time tackles some of these themes with more finesse than others, but when it works, Gray’s latest is a thoughtful,...
All these meanings tie into the themes of James Gray’s semi-autobiographical drama. It’s a movie about a young man discovering that factors beyond his control have afforded him a safety and privilege unavailable to others. It’s about a nation wracked with Cold War anxiety approaching the back half of the Reagan era. And it’s about reckoning with the realization that the institutions and worldviews that shaped you might also be better left behind.
Armageddon Time tackles some of these themes with more finesse than others, but when it works, Gray’s latest is a thoughtful,...
- 11/5/2022
- by Chris Williams
- CinemaNerdz
This review originally ran May 19, 2022, in conjunction with the film’s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Kenneth Branagh’s childhood was transformed by the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Mike Mills had very eccentric parents and Cameron Crowe was a teenage rock critic — and we know these things because all three directors have made films that drew upon their own childhoods. And now it’s James Gray’s turn to offer his own look back with “Armageddon Time,” which premiered to a rousing ovation in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.
And what does the film tell us about the young Gray? For starters, he was a dreamer, he was a brat, he didn’t understand the privileges he was born into and he went on his own path. In other words, he was the kind of person who just might grow up to make...
Kenneth Branagh’s childhood was transformed by the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Mike Mills had very eccentric parents and Cameron Crowe was a teenage rock critic — and we know these things because all three directors have made films that drew upon their own childhoods. And now it’s James Gray’s turn to offer his own look back with “Armageddon Time,” which premiered to a rousing ovation in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.
And what does the film tell us about the young Gray? For starters, he was a dreamer, he was a brat, he didn’t understand the privileges he was born into and he went on his own path. In other words, he was the kind of person who just might grow up to make...
- 11/4/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Plot: In the early 80s in New York City, a white Jewish student, Paul (Banks Repeta), befriends a black student, Jimmy (Jaylin Webb). When the two are caught smoking marijuana, Paul’s parents (Jeremy Strong & Anne Hathaway) send him to an elite private school, driving a wedge between him and his friend that he’s too naive to recognize.
Review: James Gray has said that Armageddon Time is essentially a biographical drama, with the main character, Banks Repeta’s Paul Graff, a stand-in for him at the same age (12-13). Like Gray, Paul is an aspiring artist, with his love of painting encouraged by his doting grandfather (Anthony Hopkins). At the same time, his upwardly mobile parents wish he’d focus on something more potentially lucrative. It has a whole lot in common with Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, another autobiographical tale, but while that one is warm and affectionate,...
Review: James Gray has said that Armageddon Time is essentially a biographical drama, with the main character, Banks Repeta’s Paul Graff, a stand-in for him at the same age (12-13). Like Gray, Paul is an aspiring artist, with his love of painting encouraged by his doting grandfather (Anthony Hopkins). At the same time, his upwardly mobile parents wish he’d focus on something more potentially lucrative. It has a whole lot in common with Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, another autobiographical tale, but while that one is warm and affectionate,...
- 11/4/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
[Editor’s note: The following post contains spoilers for “Armageddon Time” and its ending.]
Like many viewers of “Armageddon Time,” star Jeremy Strong is still wrestling with his thoughts on its conclusion. Although the incredibly personal film from writer-director James Gray, about a young Jewish kid named Paul Graff living in Queens during the 1980 rise of Ronald Reagan, offers its protagonist the option to do the right thing and stand against the anti-Black racism he’s become more and more privy too, the character (played by Banks Repeta) never takes an explicit public stance.
“Complicity is the engine that keeps racism going and keeps inequity and injustice going,” said Strong in conversation with IndieWire during the 2022 Telluride Film Festival. “Complicity, I would say, more than active harm.” The actor’s comment is both part of a conversation about the third act of “Armageddon Time,” where Paul convinces his Black classmate Johnny (Jaylin Webb) to unsuccessfully pawn a stolen computer,...
Like many viewers of “Armageddon Time,” star Jeremy Strong is still wrestling with his thoughts on its conclusion. Although the incredibly personal film from writer-director James Gray, about a young Jewish kid named Paul Graff living in Queens during the 1980 rise of Ronald Reagan, offers its protagonist the option to do the right thing and stand against the anti-Black racism he’s become more and more privy too, the character (played by Banks Repeta) never takes an explicit public stance.
“Complicity is the engine that keeps racism going and keeps inequity and injustice going,” said Strong in conversation with IndieWire during the 2022 Telluride Film Festival. “Complicity, I would say, more than active harm.” The actor’s comment is both part of a conversation about the third act of “Armageddon Time,” where Paul convinces his Black classmate Johnny (Jaylin Webb) to unsuccessfully pawn a stolen computer,...
- 11/4/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
(L to R) Michael Banks Repeta as “Paul Graff” and Anthony Hopkins as “Grandpa Aaron Rabinowitz” in director James Gray’s Armageddon Time, a Focus Features release. Courtesy of Anne Joyce / Focus Features
Well, it’s been over two years now. I’m talking about the near-global pandemic “time-out”. So, do you recall what you did to pass the hours? Was “recall” part of it, as in revisiting old memories and childhood experiences? It appears that many “creatives”, including lots of filmmakers, took a “sentimental journey”. Of course, that’s not rare as many movie makers have opened up about their past, from Fellini to Scorsese. And now, with a few years put into making them, the nostalgic film “floodgates” are opening up. In the next few weeks, we’ll delve into the recollections of Sam Mendes and Steven Spielberg. This weekend another artist gives us his “take” on the “coming of age” saga.
Well, it’s been over two years now. I’m talking about the near-global pandemic “time-out”. So, do you recall what you did to pass the hours? Was “recall” part of it, as in revisiting old memories and childhood experiences? It appears that many “creatives”, including lots of filmmakers, took a “sentimental journey”. Of course, that’s not rare as many movie makers have opened up about their past, from Fellini to Scorsese. And now, with a few years put into making them, the nostalgic film “floodgates” are opening up. In the next few weeks, we’ll delve into the recollections of Sam Mendes and Steven Spielberg. This weekend another artist gives us his “take” on the “coming of age” saga.
- 11/3/2022
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
November officially brings us into the holiday movie season, although it’s starting a bit slower than usual, being that there’s only one new wide release this weekend. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.
Instead of a studio movie with a big name star, Crunchyroll comes along with its latest anime film from Japan, “One Piece Film: Red,” a movie that has already grossed 144 million worldwide before getting its North American theatrical release, both in subtitled and dubbed into English versions.
Anime films have already been one of my weak spots in terms of the box office, only because I’m just not someone who watches all the modern manga series that are out there on the streamers (including Crunchyroll). Otherwise, I might have been familiar with “Red,” which is the 15th feature film in the series based on the “One Piece” comics by Eiichiro Oda,...
Instead of a studio movie with a big name star, Crunchyroll comes along with its latest anime film from Japan, “One Piece Film: Red,” a movie that has already grossed 144 million worldwide before getting its North American theatrical release, both in subtitled and dubbed into English versions.
Anime films have already been one of my weak spots in terms of the box office, only because I’m just not someone who watches all the modern manga series that are out there on the streamers (including Crunchyroll). Otherwise, I might have been familiar with “Red,” which is the 15th feature film in the series based on the “One Piece” comics by Eiichiro Oda,...
- 11/2/2022
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
For actor Andrew Polk, finding inspiration for his role as middle-school teacher Mr. Turkeltaub in James Gray’s “Armageddon Time” came fairly easily. Set in 1980 in Queens, New York, the film tackles the integration of public schools through the friendship of sixth-graders Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) and Johnny Davis (Jaylin Webb). Raised in Berkeley, California, the actor remembers the “first stab at integration” in his own community, an experience he sees as a “mirror” to the events of the movie. As a parent, he also felt he could tap into the “frustration” of a teacher having to handle 42 students by himself. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
By happenstance, Polk had the opportunity to learn about the real Mr. Turkeltaub through his “dear friend” and fellow performer Amy Ryan, who attended Ps 173 in Queens and actually had the teacher in fifth grade. “She sent me a picture of her in...
By happenstance, Polk had the opportunity to learn about the real Mr. Turkeltaub through his “dear friend” and fellow performer Amy Ryan, who attended Ps 173 in Queens and actually had the teacher in fifth grade. “She sent me a picture of her in...
- 11/1/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
“Paul’s an artist and a dreamer… he doesn’t let anybody try and stop him,” describes actor Banks Repeta about his starring role as middle-schooler Paul Graff in James Gray’s “Armageddon Time.” The film takes place in Queens, New York, in 1980 and chronicles the shifting class dynamics of American society. It is loosely based on screenwriter and director Gray himself and his own adolescence, an aspect of the role that the actor says made the project feel “a little more special.” While some might be daunted by stepping into those shoes, the performer admits, “In the end, it’s all art.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
Far too young to experience the 1980s firsthand, Repeta says “walking on set” really transported him to this earlier moment in time. He credits the exemplary work of production designer Happy Massee, who “really gave a feel for me to know...
Far too young to experience the 1980s firsthand, Repeta says “walking on set” really transported him to this earlier moment in time. He credits the exemplary work of production designer Happy Massee, who “really gave a feel for me to know...
- 10/31/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Filmmaker James Gray’s “Armageddon Time” opens in limited release this weekend, Friday, October 28. A soulful, melancholy drama about family, friendship, loss, privilege, and more, it’s also a movie, like many of Gray’s films about class and America, and how its 1980s-set Ronald Regan-era echoes back to where we are today.
Based on his own childhood in 1980s New York, “Armageddon Time” centers on the Graffs, a middle-class Jewish family living in Queens, with the story mainly being told through the eyes of 9-year-old Paul Graff (Banks Repeta).
Continue reading ‘Armageddon Time’: James Gray Talks Jessica Chastain’s Cameo & Says They Plan On Working Together Again at The Playlist.
Based on his own childhood in 1980s New York, “Armageddon Time” centers on the Graffs, a middle-class Jewish family living in Queens, with the story mainly being told through the eyes of 9-year-old Paul Graff (Banks Repeta).
Continue reading ‘Armageddon Time’: James Gray Talks Jessica Chastain’s Cameo & Says They Plan On Working Together Again at The Playlist.
- 10/28/2022
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
"Armageddon Time" is the latest dramatic entry from writer/director James Gray. A film based on Gray's own childhood, "Armageddon Time" follows Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), a Jewish boy whose artistic aspirations conflict with his family's well-meaning emphasis on aiming him at a "respectable" occupation. Paul becomes friends with a less economically privileged but hopeful boy named Johnny (Jaylin Webb), before the pair are separated when Paul is sent to his brother's conservative private school on the eve of Reagan's America.
It's a film that tackles issues around racism and the American Dream through a variety of lenses, with excellent performances from Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Anthony Hopkins as well as its young stars. (Read our review here.) In a new interview, I spoke with James Gray, Banks Repeta, and Jaylin Webb about the film's origins, the challenges of using your own life history as cinematic fuel, working with Anthony Hopkins,...
It's a film that tackles issues around racism and the American Dream through a variety of lenses, with excellent performances from Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Anthony Hopkins as well as its young stars. (Read our review here.) In a new interview, I spoke with James Gray, Banks Repeta, and Jaylin Webb about the film's origins, the challenges of using your own life history as cinematic fuel, working with Anthony Hopkins,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Jeff Ewing
- Slash Film
(from left) Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong in James Gray’s Armageddon Time. Photo: Focus Features There’s a moment in Armageddon Time where Jeremy Strong is the ultimate lovable goofball dad, singing a wake-up-and-go-to-school song into a kitchen utensil while busting out horrendous dance moves. Later he beats the...
- 10/27/2022
- by Jordan Hoffman
- avclub.com
It’s easy to take Anne Hathaway for granted. She’s that smart tall girl who always does her homework, raises her hand, and knows the answer. She’s been in demand in Hollywood since her 2001 breakout in “The Princess Diaries” and she’s been rewarded for her doing her best: She earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her recovering addict in Jonathan Demme’s 2009 drama “Rachel Getting Married, and she won the Supporting Actress Oscar in 2013 for her moist and skeletal singing of “I Dreamed a Dream” in “Les Misérables.”
And then, social media slagged Hathaway for her goody-two-shoes perfectionism. At last week’s Elle annual Women in Hollywood tribute, Hathaway admitted that her time in the virtual hate box left scars. “Ten years ago, I was given an opportunity to look at the language of hatred from a new perspective,” she said. “For context — this was a...
And then, social media slagged Hathaway for her goody-two-shoes perfectionism. At last week’s Elle annual Women in Hollywood tribute, Hathaway admitted that her time in the virtual hate box left scars. “Ten years ago, I was given an opportunity to look at the language of hatred from a new perspective,” she said. “For context — this was a...
- 10/25/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Armageddon Time director on James Gray on what he said to cinematographer Darius Khondji about Susan Sontag’s collection of essays On Photography: “I said to him, and I quoted from it many times, it’s so brilliant …” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
James Gray’s Armageddon Time, starring Anthony Hopkins, Banks Repeta, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Jaylin Webb was the Main Slate special 60th anniversary screening event at the New York Film Festival. Gray gives thanks to Cate Blanchett (who stars in Todd Field’s Main Slate highlight TÁR with Nina Hoss and Sophie Kauer) and Robert De Niro and a very special thanks to his longtime editor John Axelrad in the end credits.
Dennis Lim with James Gray and Armageddon Time stars Anne Hathaway, Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb and Jeremy Strong Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In Armageddon Time, James Gray revisits ghosts of his childhood in 1980 Queens, NY. Central is...
James Gray’s Armageddon Time, starring Anthony Hopkins, Banks Repeta, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Jaylin Webb was the Main Slate special 60th anniversary screening event at the New York Film Festival. Gray gives thanks to Cate Blanchett (who stars in Todd Field’s Main Slate highlight TÁR with Nina Hoss and Sophie Kauer) and Robert De Niro and a very special thanks to his longtime editor John Axelrad in the end credits.
Dennis Lim with James Gray and Armageddon Time stars Anne Hathaway, Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb and Jeremy Strong Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In Armageddon Time, James Gray revisits ghosts of his childhood in 1980 Queens, NY. Central is...
- 10/23/2022
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
“You can be oppressed and oppressor at the same time,” said writer-director James Gray about the complex political themes of his film “Armageddon Time,” which screened as the special 60th anniversary selection at the New York Film Festival. He discussed it with press and industry on October 12 and explained that while it’s a semiautobiographical look at his childhood in New York City, he didn’t see it as a coming-of-age film. Watch the “Armageddon Time” NYFF press conference above.
SEENoah Baumbach opened New York Film Festival with ‘White Noise,’ which taps into the ‘confusion’ and ‘fear’ of Covid [Watch]
“Armageddon Time” tells the story of Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), the child of a middle-class Jewish family who have experienced blatant antisemitism but are also afforded some of the protections and privileges of whiteness in 1980 America on the eve of Ronald Reagan‘s election as president. “It’s easy to point a finger,...
SEENoah Baumbach opened New York Film Festival with ‘White Noise,’ which taps into the ‘confusion’ and ‘fear’ of Covid [Watch]
“Armageddon Time” tells the story of Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), the child of a middle-class Jewish family who have experienced blatant antisemitism but are also afforded some of the protections and privileges of whiteness in 1980 America on the eve of Ronald Reagan‘s election as president. “It’s easy to point a finger,...
- 10/15/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
James Gray’s “Armageddon Time” explores the complexity of the American Dream — the idea that every citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and initiative — from the perspective of a Jewish family in 1980.
“In some ways,” according to star Anne Hathaway, the status of this idealistic pursuit has remained “very similar” over the years. At the same time, the actor pinpointed a notable societal change that she hopes continues to persist.
“If there’s one thing that I really do hope that we keep coming to a different place about because it keeps coming up at such an impossibly high cost, is that we’re more willing to see ourselves as a part of the problem,” Hathaway told Variety on Wednesday night at the “Armaggedon Time” New York Film Festival premiere. “Not in a fragile way, but in a way that we can affect change by changing ourselves.
“In some ways,” according to star Anne Hathaway, the status of this idealistic pursuit has remained “very similar” over the years. At the same time, the actor pinpointed a notable societal change that she hopes continues to persist.
“If there’s one thing that I really do hope that we keep coming to a different place about because it keeps coming up at such an impossibly high cost, is that we’re more willing to see ourselves as a part of the problem,” Hathaway told Variety on Wednesday night at the “Armaggedon Time” New York Film Festival premiere. “Not in a fragile way, but in a way that we can affect change by changing ourselves.
- 10/13/2022
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
It was a (fictional) family affair in New York City on Wednesday to celebrate Armageddon Time at the New York Film Festival.
Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Jaylin Webb, Banks Repeta, Andrew Polk and more of the cast and crew of the film made their way to Alice Tully Hall to celebrate the New York premiere of their upcoming film, based on a true story from writer-director James Gray.
The film is set in 1980s Queens against the backdrop of a country going through an ominous sociopolitical change. It follows Jewish-American student Paul Graff (Repeta) and his friend Johnny (Webb), who is targeted by their racist teacher (Polk), as Paul finds himself at odds with his parents (Strong and Hathaway).
“I’m glad that we’re telling the story at this time because I think that in the past few years so many of...
It was a (fictional) family affair in New York City on Wednesday to celebrate Armageddon Time at the New York Film Festival.
Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Jaylin Webb, Banks Repeta, Andrew Polk and more of the cast and crew of the film made their way to Alice Tully Hall to celebrate the New York premiere of their upcoming film, based on a true story from writer-director James Gray.
The film is set in 1980s Queens against the backdrop of a country going through an ominous sociopolitical change. It follows Jewish-American student Paul Graff (Repeta) and his friend Johnny (Webb), who is targeted by their racist teacher (Polk), as Paul finds himself at odds with his parents (Strong and Hathaway).
“I’m glad that we’re telling the story at this time because I think that in the past few years so many of...
- 10/13/2022
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Anthony Hopkins Urges His Grandson To Fight Back Against Racism In New Trailer For ‘Armageddon Time’
The trailer for James Gray’s “Armageddon Time”, starring Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hathaway, and more, is here.
Hopkins’ onscreen grandson Paul Graff, played by Banks Repeta, is told off for hanging out with his Black best friend Johnny Crocker (Jaylin Webb) in the newly-released trailer.
Hopkins’ Aaron Graff then talks about his own Jewish heritage in the clip, recalling how his mother had to move to the U.S. otherwise she’d get killed.
He asks his grandson when the youngster says he didn’t say anything to the bullies, “You think that’s smart?”
“Next time those schmucks say anything bad, you’re going to say something,” Hopkins tells his grandson in the teaser, adding: “You’re going to be a mensch, okay?”
Michael Banks Repeta as Paul Graff and Anthony Hopkins as Grandpa Aaron Rabinowitz in director James Gray’s “Armageddon Time”. — Courtesy of Anne Joyce / Focus Features...
Hopkins’ onscreen grandson Paul Graff, played by Banks Repeta, is told off for hanging out with his Black best friend Johnny Crocker (Jaylin Webb) in the newly-released trailer.
Hopkins’ Aaron Graff then talks about his own Jewish heritage in the clip, recalling how his mother had to move to the U.S. otherwise she’d get killed.
He asks his grandson when the youngster says he didn’t say anything to the bullies, “You think that’s smart?”
“Next time those schmucks say anything bad, you’re going to say something,” Hopkins tells his grandson in the teaser, adding: “You’re going to be a mensch, okay?”
Michael Banks Repeta as Paul Graff and Anthony Hopkins as Grandpa Aaron Rabinowitz in director James Gray’s “Armageddon Time”. — Courtesy of Anne Joyce / Focus Features...
- 9/6/2022
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Here’s your first look at the trailer for Armageddon Time.
From acclaimed filmmaker James Gray, Armageddon Time is a deeply personal story on the strength of family, the complexity of friendship and the generational pursuit of the American Dream. The film features an all-star cast including Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb, Tovah Feldshuh, Ryan Sell, and Anthony Hopkins.
Focus Features will release Armageddon Time in select theaters on Friday, October 28th nationwide on Friday, November 11th.
https://www.focusfeatures.com/armageddon-time
(L to R) Michael Banks Repeta as “Paul Graff” and Anthony Hopkins as “Grandpa Aaron Rabinowitz” in director James Gray’s Armageddon Time, a Focus Features release. Courtesy of Anne Joyce / Focus Features
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Read the review Here.
Armageddon Time received its North American gala at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2nd. Deadline has the...
From acclaimed filmmaker James Gray, Armageddon Time is a deeply personal story on the strength of family, the complexity of friendship and the generational pursuit of the American Dream. The film features an all-star cast including Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb, Tovah Feldshuh, Ryan Sell, and Anthony Hopkins.
Focus Features will release Armageddon Time in select theaters on Friday, October 28th nationwide on Friday, November 11th.
https://www.focusfeatures.com/armageddon-time
(L to R) Michael Banks Repeta as “Paul Graff” and Anthony Hopkins as “Grandpa Aaron Rabinowitz” in director James Gray’s Armageddon Time, a Focus Features release. Courtesy of Anne Joyce / Focus Features
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Read the review Here.
Armageddon Time received its North American gala at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2nd. Deadline has the...
- 9/6/2022
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The first trailer has arrived for James Gray’s Armageddon Time, the 1980-set film that’s loosely based on the director’s own experience growing up Jewish in Flushing, Queens. After premiering at Cannes earlier this year and screening at Telluride and the NYFF, the film will hit U.S. theaters via Focus Features on October 28. Armageddon Time follows 12-year-old Paul Graff, who forms a budding friendship with a Black peer named Johnny (Jaylin Webb). When the two are caught toking in their public school’s bathroom, Paul is immediately enrolled in a private (and almost entirely white) school by […]
The post Trailer Watch: James Gray’s Armageddon Time first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: James Gray’s Armageddon Time first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 9/6/2022
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
James Gray is reminiscing about his childhood in Queens in the first trailer for his semi-autobiographical film “Armageddon Time.”
Inspired by the director’s upbringing in 1980s Queens, the film loosely follows Gray’s experiences as a student at the Kew-Forest School in New York City — where Donald Trump also attended. Starring newcomer Banks Repeta as Paul Graff, “Armageddon Time” also includes Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway as Paul’s parents Irving and Esther, and Anthony Hopkins as his grandfather. Additional cast members include Jaylin Webb, Ryan Sell, Tovah Feldshuh and John Diehl as Fred Trump.
In May, Hathaway and Gray broke into tears as the film received a seven-minute standing ovation following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Viewers were also surprised to see Jessica Chastain appear in a small cameo as Donald Trump’s sister, Maryanne.
Chastain told Variety in June that she agreed to play the...
Inspired by the director’s upbringing in 1980s Queens, the film loosely follows Gray’s experiences as a student at the Kew-Forest School in New York City — where Donald Trump also attended. Starring newcomer Banks Repeta as Paul Graff, “Armageddon Time” also includes Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway as Paul’s parents Irving and Esther, and Anthony Hopkins as his grandfather. Additional cast members include Jaylin Webb, Ryan Sell, Tovah Feldshuh and John Diehl as Fred Trump.
In May, Hathaway and Gray broke into tears as the film received a seven-minute standing ovation following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Viewers were also surprised to see Jessica Chastain appear in a small cameo as Donald Trump’s sister, Maryanne.
Chastain told Variety in June that she agreed to play the...
- 9/6/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Whether it’s ancient cities in the Amazon jungle, uncharted regions of the solar system, or the bleak trenches of WW1, James Gray’s worlds are always meticulously crafted and endlessly immersive. For his upcoming semi-autobiographical work, “Armageddon Time,” things are slightly more earthbound than “Ad Astra,” but they promise to be just as broad, if not broader in scope.
Read More: ‘Armageddon Time’ Review: James Gray Reflects On Privilege & Says Goodbye To The Past With Great Empathy [Cannes]
Set in the 1980s, “Armageddon Time” charts the misadventures of 12-year-old Paul Graff growing up with his rowdy family in Queens, New York.
Continue reading ‘Armageddon Time’ Trailer: Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins & More Star In James Gray’s Coming-Of-Age Film at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Armageddon Time’ Review: James Gray Reflects On Privilege & Says Goodbye To The Past With Great Empathy [Cannes]
Set in the 1980s, “Armageddon Time” charts the misadventures of 12-year-old Paul Graff growing up with his rowdy family in Queens, New York.
Continue reading ‘Armageddon Time’ Trailer: Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins & More Star In James Gray’s Coming-Of-Age Film at The Playlist.
- 9/6/2022
- by Oliver Weir
- The Playlist
James Gray taps back into his own childhood growing up in 1980s Queens for his rapturously praised movie memoir, “Armageddon Time.” The latest from the director of “Ad Astra” and “The Immigrant,” “Armageddon Time” gathered raves in Cannes before solidifying its position in the Oscar race in Telluride over the past weekend.
Next up, it plays the New York Film Festival before Focus Features opens the film on October 28. Watch the official trailer below.
The all-star ensemble for “Armageddon Time” features Emmy winner Jeremy Strong, along with Anthony Hopkins and Anne Hathaway. All are already in the awards mix for their turns, but especially Strong, who plays a moody plumber father (to Banks Repeta) weathering societal change up against the backdrop of the rise of Ronald Reagan, on the cusp of becoming president in 1980.
Per IndieWire’s review out of Cannes, “On its surface, ‘Armageddon Time’ is the unsparingly well-remembered...
Next up, it plays the New York Film Festival before Focus Features opens the film on October 28. Watch the official trailer below.
The all-star ensemble for “Armageddon Time” features Emmy winner Jeremy Strong, along with Anthony Hopkins and Anne Hathaway. All are already in the awards mix for their turns, but especially Strong, who plays a moody plumber father (to Banks Repeta) weathering societal change up against the backdrop of the rise of Ronald Reagan, on the cusp of becoming president in 1980.
Per IndieWire’s review out of Cannes, “On its surface, ‘Armageddon Time’ is the unsparingly well-remembered...
- 9/6/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Director James Gray has revealed to Deadline that Johnny, a pivotal character portrayed by Jaylin Webb (The Wonder Years) in Gray’s autobiographical film Armageddon Time, was killed during a drug deal in the mid-1980s, some six years after we last see him in the movie.
”I loved that kid!” Gray said repeatedly in an interview. “Here’s the thing: I never had a ton of friends. I loved him.”
Gray explained that Johnny, who was Black, was his closest friend at public school in Queens, New York. He is a major presence in the picture that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Armageddon Time will receive its North American gala at the Telluride Film Festival today.
Telluride Film Festival Set With World Premieres Of Sam Mendes’ ‘Empire Of Light’, Sarah Polley’s ‘Women Talking’, Cate Blanchett Tribute And More
Gray’s film is set in...
”I loved that kid!” Gray said repeatedly in an interview. “Here’s the thing: I never had a ton of friends. I loved him.”
Gray explained that Johnny, who was Black, was his closest friend at public school in Queens, New York. He is a major presence in the picture that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Armageddon Time will receive its North American gala at the Telluride Film Festival today.
Telluride Film Festival Set With World Premieres Of Sam Mendes’ ‘Empire Of Light’, Sarah Polley’s ‘Women Talking’, Cate Blanchett Tribute And More
Gray’s film is set in...
- 9/2/2022
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Kicking off on September 30th for its 60th edition, the New York Film Festival have now unveiled the 32 films in its Main Slate section. Featuring an exciting mix of established auteurs and newcomers, it includes the latest work from Park Chan-wook, Todd Field, Frederick Wiseman, Claire Denis, Kelly Reichardt, Hong Sangsoo, Mia Hansen-Løve, Paul Schrader, Jafar Panahi, Albert Serra, and many more.
“If there is one takeaway from this year’s Main Slate, it is cinema’s limitless capacity for renewal,” said Dennis Lim, artistic director, New York Film Festival. “Collectively, the films in the program suggest that this renewal takes many forms: breathtaking debuts, veterans pulling off new tricks, filmmakers of all stripes seeking new and surprising forms of expression and representation. We love the range and eclecticism of this group of films and are excited to share it with audiences.”
See the Main Slate lineup below.
Opening Night
White Noise
Noah Baumbach,...
“If there is one takeaway from this year’s Main Slate, it is cinema’s limitless capacity for renewal,” said Dennis Lim, artistic director, New York Film Festival. “Collectively, the films in the program suggest that this renewal takes many forms: breathtaking debuts, veterans pulling off new tricks, filmmakers of all stripes seeking new and surprising forms of expression and representation. We love the range and eclecticism of this group of films and are excited to share it with audiences.”
See the Main Slate lineup below.
Opening Night
White Noise
Noah Baumbach,...
- 8/9/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
James Gray’s Armageddon Time will be a main slate selection of the New York Film Festival as well as a special 60th anniversary screening event celebrating the history of the fest.
It will premiere at Alice Tully Hall Oct. 12 with Gray and cast in attendance, along with NYFF filmmakers and supporters who have been integral to the success of the festival, which runs from Sept. 30 through Oct. 16.
Gray has represented at NYFF with The Immigrant and The Lost City of Z.
Separately, as part of its 60th, NYFF said it will screen a selection of films in all five boroughs in partnership with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (Staten Island), The Bronx Museum of the Arts (Bronx), Maysles Documentary Center (Harlem) and The Museum of the Moving Image (Queens), throughout the festival.
The complete list of films and showtimes will be announced later this month. Tickets go on sale to the...
It will premiere at Alice Tully Hall Oct. 12 with Gray and cast in attendance, along with NYFF filmmakers and supporters who have been integral to the success of the festival, which runs from Sept. 30 through Oct. 16.
Gray has represented at NYFF with The Immigrant and The Lost City of Z.
Separately, as part of its 60th, NYFF said it will screen a selection of films in all five boroughs in partnership with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (Staten Island), The Bronx Museum of the Arts (Bronx), Maysles Documentary Center (Harlem) and The Museum of the Moving Image (Queens), throughout the festival.
The complete list of films and showtimes will be announced later this month. Tickets go on sale to the...
- 8/5/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Cannes Film Festival may have ended, but its impact on world cinema is just starting. And while the venerated festival gave out a wide variety of awards at its conclusion, including big wins for familiar names like Ruben Östlund, Lukas Dhont, Claire Denis, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, and Park Chan-wook, that’s only the tip of the metaphorical cinema iceberg when it comes to considering the best of the fest’s stacked lineup.
The best films of this year’s festival run the gamut: again, including familiar names, plus other perennial favorites like James Gray, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Cristian Mungiu, and David Cronenberg. But we also went wild for entirely new visions from rising stars like Charlotte Wells, Léa Mysius, and Lola Quivoron.
These films include everything from a wise donkey to a visceral underground biker culture, found families and fractured clans, organs grown at a premium and hearts broken way beyond repair,...
The best films of this year’s festival run the gamut: again, including familiar names, plus other perennial favorites like James Gray, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Cristian Mungiu, and David Cronenberg. But we also went wild for entirely new visions from rising stars like Charlotte Wells, Léa Mysius, and Lola Quivoron.
These films include everything from a wise donkey to a visceral underground biker culture, found families and fractured clans, organs grown at a premium and hearts broken way beyond repair,...
- 5/30/2022
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich, Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
James Gray’s hotly anticipated Armageddon Time promised much: a heady cast, led by Anthony Hopkins as the paterfamilias of a dysfunctional Jewish family, an analysis of the formation and inexorable rise of Donald Trump and a look at the ever-present issues of racism, religious intolerance and integration in the USA. Gray set himself a daunting task and it seems curmudgeonly to point out the director’s failings, but ultimately the film promised a lot and delivers too little.
The film opens during the gritty, dangerous days of 1980: Ronald Reagan is about to take power, disco is dying and our twelve-year-old protagonist Paul Graff (newcomer Michael Banks Repeta) is about to embark on his new school yearin a New York public school. He appears to be your typical child hero: cute, artistic, a bit of an oddball and a joker. He quickly gets into trouble with his class teacher,...
The film opens during the gritty, dangerous days of 1980: Ronald Reagan is about to take power, disco is dying and our twelve-year-old protagonist Paul Graff (newcomer Michael Banks Repeta) is about to embark on his new school yearin a New York public school. He appears to be your typical child hero: cute, artistic, a bit of an oddball and a joker. He quickly gets into trouble with his class teacher,...
- 5/23/2022
- by Jo-Ann Titmarsh
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Notebook is covering the Cannes Film Festival with an on going correspondence between critics Leonardo Goi and Lawrence Garcia, and editor Daniel Kasman.Armageddon Time.Dear Lawrence and Leo,I’m happy to learn of your appreciation for One Fine Morning, a superficially normative bourgeois French drama that slowly but surely reveals its touching nuances and gentle expressions through Léa Seydoux’s restrained performance and Mia Hansen-Løve’s ineffable ability to pinpoint the tenor of a scene or a character through a deceptively unobtrusive, gently luminous style. Its aspect of being a drama of personal memory from the director I’m less enthused by, but still found it to be one of the best films at the festival so far.I never would have thought to compare Hansen-Løve to American director James Gray, but of course one of the much-remarked upon pleasures—as well as hackneyed writing devices—of festival-going...
- 5/22/2022
- MUBI
Past is present, and nailing those specifics turns James Gray’s heartfelt 1980 Queens family drama into something universal. Gray’s fifth Cannes entry and best film to date, “Armageddon Time” is carried by Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Sir Anthony Hopkins as the parents and grandfather, respectively, of sixth-grade rebel Paul Graff as the younger filmmaker.
At a sunset dinner in Antibes ahead of the Thursday night premiere, Focus chairman Peter Kujawski told the “Armageddon Time” team, “This is the last night the movie is yours.” The movie played like gangbusters at the Palais and is generating upbeat reviews. Filmgoers beyond Cannes could embrace this likely Focus fall release (it’s a natural for the New York Film Festival), which like most Universal movies these days, from “The Northman” to “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” will hit PVOD three weeks after theaters, followed by Peacock. With the right handling, it...
At a sunset dinner in Antibes ahead of the Thursday night premiere, Focus chairman Peter Kujawski told the “Armageddon Time” team, “This is the last night the movie is yours.” The movie played like gangbusters at the Palais and is generating upbeat reviews. Filmgoers beyond Cannes could embrace this likely Focus fall release (it’s a natural for the New York Film Festival), which like most Universal movies these days, from “The Northman” to “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” will hit PVOD three weeks after theaters, followed by Peacock. With the right handling, it...
- 5/20/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” a deeply personal look at how the auteur became the auteur we, or at least the French, came to know and love, debuted to warm applause on Thursday. However, the film’s problematic depiction of racial inequalities in the Reagan era may turn off awards voters. Plus, Gray has hardly been a major Oscar contender in the past.
Following the likes of “Roma” (2018) from Alfonso Cuarón and “Belfast” (2021) from Kenneth Branagh, Gray is the latest auteur to bring the story of his childhood to the screen. Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival the day after “Top Gun: Maverick” is no easy feat. But the Cannes crowd ate it up, giving it a seven-minute standing ovation, a signal that international members of AMPAS may find aspects to embrace, notably the performances of Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway.
The intimate portrait follows sixth-grader Paul Graff...
Following the likes of “Roma” (2018) from Alfonso Cuarón and “Belfast” (2021) from Kenneth Branagh, Gray is the latest auteur to bring the story of his childhood to the screen. Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival the day after “Top Gun: Maverick” is no easy feat. But the Cannes crowd ate it up, giving it a seven-minute standing ovation, a signal that international members of AMPAS may find aspects to embrace, notably the performances of Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway.
The intimate portrait follows sixth-grader Paul Graff...
- 5/20/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Armageddon Time is the sort of film usually invoked as a “portrait of the nation” or “state of the union address,” something taking the temperature of a country—most likely the United States—at a particular time in history. But it’s also a work that makes self-consciousness a virtue: its wonderful writer-director, James Gray, is informed up to his eyes about the virtues and pitfalls of films like these, and here makes something so idiosyncratically his own but that audiences and critics might still mislabel with one of those aforementioned ideas.
It finds the specific in micro-gradations of the specific rather than suggest one family’s struggle represents anything more than itself. It’s a deeply observed New York story airing a middle-class Jewish family’s dirty laundry for all to see. The relevance of bringing up these more symbolic family struggles is this: Armageddon Time could well be one in a lesser guise,...
It finds the specific in micro-gradations of the specific rather than suggest one family’s struggle represents anything more than itself. It’s a deeply observed New York story airing a middle-class Jewish family’s dirty laundry for all to see. The relevance of bringing up these more symbolic family struggles is this: Armageddon Time could well be one in a lesser guise,...
- 5/20/2022
- by David Katz
- The Film Stage
“Armageddon Time” may be a film about James Gray’s childhood in Queens, New York, but the writer-director told a Cannes press conference on Friday that he very deliberately used that setting to address ways in which today’s America is broken.
“I think we’re in serious trouble today, don’t you?” said Gray, whose film stars Banks Repeta as Paul Graff, a version of the director as a sixth-grader, and Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway as his parents. “What happened? How’d we get here, where there’s, like, two people who own everything and a bunch of authoritarians trying to take over the planet?”
The system of inequality, he added, extends to Hollywood and to the plight of filmmakers and artists today. “The market is God,” he said. “If you tell someone under 20 ‘you’re a sellout,’ they think it means they have no more tickets left.
“I think we’re in serious trouble today, don’t you?” said Gray, whose film stars Banks Repeta as Paul Graff, a version of the director as a sixth-grader, and Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway as his parents. “What happened? How’d we get here, where there’s, like, two people who own everything and a bunch of authoritarians trying to take over the planet?”
The system of inequality, he added, extends to Hollywood and to the plight of filmmakers and artists today. “The market is God,” he said. “If you tell someone under 20 ‘you’re a sellout,’ they think it means they have no more tickets left.
- 5/20/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Writer-director James Gray has been to the Cannes Film Festival in competition on four previous occasions with We Own the Night, The Yards, The Immigrant and Two Lovers but has yet to walk away with a prize. Maybe the fifth time will be the charm? It certainly would be deserving as Gray comes back to his beloved New York City roots with the highly autobiographical and intriguingly titled Armageddon Time.
Lest you think that with that title this is more akin to his previous film, the Brad Pitt-starring sci-fi Ad Astra, think again. It couldn’t be farther apart and reps a return to his more frequent thoughtful character-driven family drama explorations rather than space, though that figures in at least one way. With Ad Astra and the exceptional and haunting jungle epic The Lost City of Z (my favorite of all his films and one of the best...
Lest you think that with that title this is more akin to his previous film, the Brad Pitt-starring sci-fi Ad Astra, think again. It couldn’t be farther apart and reps a return to his more frequent thoughtful character-driven family drama explorations rather than space, though that figures in at least one way. With Ad Astra and the exceptional and haunting jungle epic The Lost City of Z (my favorite of all his films and one of the best...
- 5/19/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
There are any number of memorable images from James Gray’s “Ad Astra,” a singularly introspective space adventure in which Brad Pitt journeys to the outer limits of our solar system just to hear Daddy Lee Jones tell him that he doesn’t care, but none have stayed with me quite like the shot of Pitt’s astronaut landing on the Moon — the very first stop on his interstellar voyage into the heart of darkness. Once the ultimate symbol of humanity’s possibility and the nearest proof of our species’ infinite reach, the Moon has since been reduced to a low-gravity version of Newark Airport, complete with American fast food restaurants and the general vibe of an upscale New Jersey outlet mall. The point is clear even before Pitt’s character double-underlines it: There is nothing truly new for man to discover among the vast ocean of stars, because we...
- 5/19/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Returning to Cannes with one of his most personal forays director James Gray deserves to be in with a chance of one of those elusive prizes.
It is a touching and heartfelt evocation plucked from the director’s own childhood, growing up in the 1980s in his beloved Queens district of New York where family life was disruptive and yet somehow still loving.
It exudes emotional authenticity and boasts a cast of fine performances from the likes of Anne Hathaway as the frazzled mother trying to hold family and home together, Jeremy Strong as the husband struggling with his plumbing business and the relationship with his younger son, and Anthony Hopkins as the grandfather with English roots (based on Gray’s own grandfather).
Gray was a descendant of Jewish immigrants who came to the promised land from Eastern Europe.
Much of the focus rests on the director’s alter ego as the young Paul Graff.
It is a touching and heartfelt evocation plucked from the director’s own childhood, growing up in the 1980s in his beloved Queens district of New York where family life was disruptive and yet somehow still loving.
It exudes emotional authenticity and boasts a cast of fine performances from the likes of Anne Hathaway as the frazzled mother trying to hold family and home together, Jeremy Strong as the husband struggling with his plumbing business and the relationship with his younger son, and Anthony Hopkins as the grandfather with English roots (based on Gray’s own grandfather).
Gray was a descendant of Jewish immigrants who came to the promised land from Eastern Europe.
Much of the focus rests on the director’s alter ego as the young Paul Graff.
- 5/18/2022
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Festival de Cannes has announced the lineup for the official selection, including the Competition and Un Certain Regard sections, as well as special screenings, for the 75th edition of the festival. See also the full lineups of Directors' Fortnight and Critics’ Week.Crimes of the FutureCOMPETITIONHoly Spider (Ali Abbasi): We follow family man Saeed as he embarks on his own religious quest — to “cleanse” the holy Iranian city of Mashhad of immoral and corrupt street prostitutes. After murdering several women, he grows ever more desperate about the lack of public interest in his divine mission.The Almond Tree (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi): The story takes place at the end of the 1980s. Stella, Victor, Adèle, Etienne are twenty years old. They pass the entrance examination for the famous school created by Patrice Chéreau and Pierre Romans at the Théâtre des Amandiers in Nanterre.Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg...
- 5/3/2022
- MUBI
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