The Playlist

Exclusive: John Hawkes Dreams Of Dancers In Deleted Scene From 'The Sessions'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 12, 2013 11:18 AM
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News

The journey for "The Sessions" is nearly over, but it has been one helluva ride. Premiering in January 2012 at the Sundance Film Festival, the film by writer/director Ben Lewin left Park City with considerable buzz, which Fox Searchlight continued to build over the course of the year, culminating in Golden Globe and Indie Spirit nominations for stars John Hawkes and Helen Hunt, and an Oscar nod for Hunt as well. The film tells the remarkable true story of Mark O'Brien, a man afflicted by polio and confined to an iron lung who endeavors to lose his virginity via the help of a sex surrogate. It's a fascinating and often surprisingly funny true story, but the original draft of the tale included some more fantastical elements.

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Exclusive: Go Behind The Scenes Of 'The Playroom' With John Hawkes & Molly Parker In 7 Minute Featurette

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 7, 2013 11:05 AM
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News

While he may have missed out on an Academy Award nomination for yet another great performance in "The Sessions," fans of actor John Hawkes don't have to wait long to see him again on the big screen. Once again changing gears, the actor stars alongside the underrated Molly Parker in the indie drama "The Playroom," a film that promises a peek behind the curtain of seemingly stable suburban life.

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Watch: New Sigur Ros Video Starring John Hawkes & Elle Fanning, Directed By Floria Sigismondi

By Kevin Jagernauth
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December 10, 2012 10:16 AM
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News

So Sigur Ros' latest album Valtari came out last spring and they've used it as an opportunity to corral a number of artists and directors to helm videos for each song on the album. While none will likely top Shia LaBeouf's wang-bearing work in "Fjogur Piano," the Icelandic post-rock group is still attracting big talent to what they have dubbed their "Mystery Film Experiment."

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Mark Ruffalo Out, John Hawkes In To Play Jazz Musician Joe Albany In 'Low Down'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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November 12, 2012 4:30 PM
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News

Damn, as far as indie movie hand offs go, this one is pretty great. So, Mark Ruffalo can no longer do your movie? How about John Hawkes instead? That's precisely what's happening with "Low Down," the developing jazz biopic focused on Joe Albany.

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Watch: 2 New Clips From Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln'

By Cain Rodriguez
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November 8, 2012 9:23 AM
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1 Comment

News

Now that the U.S. presidential election is out of the way, folks will be gearing up to see another president in action with Steven Spielberg’s long-brewing “Lincoln.” And with the film opening in select theaters this weekend, a pair of new clips have been released.

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Oscars: Can 'The Sessions' Star John Hawkes Beat Out Better Known Competition To Win Best Actor?

By Oliver Lyttelton
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October 22, 2012 1:59 PM
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15 Comments

Features

Only a few years ago, John Hawkes was one of Hollywood's best kept secrets. He'd been acting for decades, and cropped up in dozens of big film and TV projects, but at best was simply one of those "Hey, it's that guy!" character actors. But the mid '00s saw him eke towards center stage with a lead role in Miranda July's "Me and You and Everyone We Know," and as a regular on "Deadwood," and 2010 saw him finally make an indelible mark, as the terrier-like Teardrop in "Winter's Bone," which saw him pick up a surprise Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

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Interview: Writer/Director Ben Lewin Talks Uncovering The Amazing True Story Of 'The Sessions' And Casting John Hawkes

By Oliver Lyttelton
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October 22, 2012 12:03 PM
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Interviews

Sundance likes nothing more than an overnight success. Countless directors have, over the thirty-odd years of the festival, gone from total unknowns to the hot new thing, and they're usually some fresh-faced whippersapper, relatively speaking. This year's festival had one of those, in "Beasts of the Southern Wild" director Benh Zeitlin, but it also had, in the shape of "The Sessions" helmer Ben Lewin, a rather more atypical overnight success, as Lewin is a 65-year-old filmmaker with credits stretching back nearly four decades.

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Review: Life & Lust Find A Way In Well-Performed But Standard-Issue 'The Sessions'

By James Rocchi
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October 18, 2012 3:56 PM
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Reviews

Inspired by the life and writings of Mark O'Brien -- a polio-stricken but determined journalist and poet confined to an iron lung since age six -- "The Sessions" offers a less comprehensive look at O'Brien's life than Jessica Yu's excellent documentary "Breathing Lessons," but instead focuses on a small sliver of his life and living. In 1988, O'Brien, then 38, made a decision to explore his own sexuality -- despite his paralysis -- in part inspired by his research into a story on sex and disability. Unsure about his ability to forge a relationship -- and concerned, as he puts it to his Catholic Priest and confessor, that he's "approaching his use-by date," O'Brien looks into hiring a sex surrogate. The surrogate, Cheryl Cohen Greene, explains that she's not a prostitute, but a therapist -- she and Mark will have six sessions, and then terminate their relationship. It sounds complex. It gets more so.

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Exclusive: New Photos From 'The Sessions' Starring John Hawkes & Helen Hunt

By Katie Walsh
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October 12, 2012 11:09 AM
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News

The journey from the wintry hills of Park City to the red carpet and bright lights of the Dolby Theater is a long one. Few films can manage that mileage, but "The Sessions" looks like one that will go the distance. The based on a true story tale has been earning strong notices since its premiere in January -- particularly for its performances -- and with the awards season in full swing, Fox Searchlight is bringing the movie to theaters.

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"Oh God": John Hawkes & William H. Macy Talk Sex In New Clip From 'The Sessions' Plus New Pics From The Film

By Kevin Jagernauth
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September 27, 2012 10:48 AM
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1 Comment

News

Sex, drama and comedy are familiar ingredients for any number of movies, but those elements have never quite come together as uniquely as they do in "The Sessions." While much of the Oscar talk over at Fox Searchlight has shifted for the time being to "Hitchcock," which recently threw its hat in the ring with a surprise release date announcement, the indie shingle might have a couple of nominations up their sleeve with this Sundance hit.

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