Search - The Player

Robert Altman takes a scalpel to Hollywood ethics in the 1990s (or the lack thereof) in his acidic satire The Player, adapted from Michael Tolkin's novel. (Tolkin also wrote the screenplay.) The film concerns a sleek and smooth Hollywood studio executive who starts receiving death threats from a disgruntled writer because he has committed the ultimate Hollywood sin -- he promised the writer he would call him back and he never did. This is particularly ironic because the studio executive, Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins), is considered "writer-friendly," spending his days listening to pitches from such noted screenwriters as Buck Henry, who is pushing "The Graduate, Part II" and Alan Rudolph, who is hawking a Bruce Willis action film described as "Ghost meets The Manchurian Candidate." But The Player finds Griffin's comfortable life style in danger of collapse. He is trying to find a way to unload his girlfriend (Cynthia Stevenson) whose independence and intelligence make her a poor candidate for a trophy wife. More importantly, it seems that Larry Levy (Peter Gallagher), a slippery executive from Twentieth Century Fox, is angling for his job. And then there are those nasty postcards and faxes from a screenwriter threatening to kill him. Altman cast over 65 stars in cameo roles as texture for his scabrous tale. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Tim Robbins - Griffin Mill
Greta Scacchi - June Gudmundsdottir
Fred Ward - Walter Stuckel
Whoopi Goldberg - Det. Susan Avery
Peter Gallagher - Larry Levy

1992	David Lean Award (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Robert Altman
1992	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Michael Tolkin
1992	Best Actor (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Tim Robbins
1992	Editing Award (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Geraldine Peroni
1993	Best Picture (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Michael Tolkin
1993	Best Picture (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Robert Altman
1992	Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com (winner)	Golden Globe	Tim Robbins
1992	Best Director (nominee)	Golden Globe	Robert Altman
1992	Best Screenplay (nominee)	Golden Globe	Michael Tolkin
1992	Best Director (nominee)	Directors Guild of America	Robert Altman
1992	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Michael Tolkin
1992	Best Director (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Robert Altman
1992	Best Editing (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Geraldine Peroni
1992	Best Actor (winner)	Cannes Film Festival	Tim Robbins
1992	Best Director (winner)	Cannes Film Festival	Robert Altman
1992	Best Director (Runner-up) (winner)	National Society of Film Critics	Robert Altman
1992	Best Director (winner)	New York Film Critics Circle	Robert Altman
1992	Best Cinematography (winner)	New York Film Critics Circle	Jean Lepine

Robert Altman junkies are in for a treat with the New Line Cinema Platinum Edition of The Player. This double-sided DVD features an anamorphic, high-definition widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital Multi-Channel Surround Sound -- enabling the appreciation of the acerbic multi-level dialogue, which is a trademark of this director. Another characteristic of Altman's work is his use of an expansive cast, and The Player's impressive array of star cameos is highlighted by a cameo filmography feature, which allows viewers to jump to the scene the particular actor appears in. There is also a one page filmography/biography on the main cast, which includes Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, and Whoopi Goldberg. The meatiest of the features comes in the form of a detailed and informative audio commentary on side A by Altman and Michael Tolkien (who wrote both the novel and screenplay ), and a featurette on the director on side B. Both are successful in taking the audience into the film's deeper themes as well as into the minds of its creators. The audio commentary is particularly terrific in the detailing of the famous eight-minute opening shot, observing each actor's part in the jigsaw of the whole and how the director linked the improvisational elements together in one continuous flow. Additional features include five deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailer. This special edition caters to both the first-timer and the aficionado, enhancing for all the appreciation of the elements in a work of such ambition. ~ Marsha Mehran, All Movie Guide

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15	The Accused (R)
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10	The Killer
3	Lost in America (R)
11	Deep Cover (R)
37	White Men Can't Jump (R)
3	Harry and Tonto (R)
21	Grand Canyon (R)
5	Breaking In (R)
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21	Postcards from the Edge (R)
2	Stunt Man (R)
10	Blow Out (R)
1	The Last Tycoon (PG)
6	A Kiss Before Dying (R)
9	The French Lieutenant's Woman (R)
8	A Star Is Born (PG)
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6	Nashville (R)
6	Bob Roberts (R)
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38	Tootsie (PG)
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47	The Firm (R)
1	Robert Altman Collection
4	Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle [Special Edition] (R)
16	White Palace [Fullscreen] (R)
These movies cover the same subjects as The Player...
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