Official site: http://www.paramountclassics.com/leland/
June 20, 2004
Leland on DVD - According to DVD Pacific, The United States of Leland will be available on Region 1 DVD on September 7. Thanks Jacqueline.
April 18, 2004
Court TV - Hollywood Heat: The United States of Leland, 6pm EST. Repeats on Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 11pm. 30 minutes. Scene clips with Kevin in them, but no interview with him.
http://www.courttv.com/onair/shows/hollywood_heat/The link below takes you to information about the Sundance Channel's TV show Anatomy of a Scene. This episode features two scenes from the film. The first showing is on Tuesday night and other showings are spread throughout the following week.
http://www.sundancechannel.com/anatomy/
April 13, 2004
I've added an interview with Kevin and Matthew Ryan Hoge to the Leland Articles page. That can be found here.
The following link takes you to an interview with Matthew Hoge in which he discusses working with, and for, Kevin Spacey.
What You Need To Know About Dramatic/Romantic Movies With Rebecca Murray: In-Depth Interview With Writer/Director Matthew Ryan Hoge
http://romanticmovies.about.com/cs/unitedstatesleland/a/usldmh041204.htm
Big thanks to Joanne.
I'll also take this time to remind people that there is an interview of Ryan Gosling by Kevin Spacey in a February 2003 issue of Interview magazine that is in the Interviews/Articles section of this very site.
April 8, 2004
Here's a link to some great pictures from the Sundance Film Festival at a site devoted to Ryan Gosling:
http://www.slightlyaskew.net/pics4.html
Thanks, Erin.
I added an article from FilmStew.com to the new Leland Articles page. If you want your article with pictures, it can be found here.
Thanks to Joanne.
April 6, 2004
So far, the reviews for the film haven't been exactly glowing, but on the bright side, in the Kevin's Hair poll, his chest hair is less than 30 votes away from 500, which would make it (or is that them?) the poll choice with the most votes ever.
April 5, 2004
There was a commercial for the movie on E! yesterday and at the end it said that the film would be in theaters on Friday. Maybe they've decided to go ahead and release it "wide" now instead of spreading it out over the next month.
April 3, 2004
I've added 2 of the 3 reviews that were in yesterday's Washington Post to the reviews page. I'll add the other one tomorrow.
April 2, 2004
Lordy. The Washington Times review is the only review of the film that I've read so far which refers to the film as a Kevin Spacey movie. In fact, in the print edition, the review takes up nearly half a page, uses Kevin's picture (the one above) and has a headline 1 inch tall that states "Add 'Leland' to Spacey's losing streak".
This was by the same film critic who wrote the article last year asking what has happened to Kevin's career. That was called "Lost on a Spacey career path." and was from March 2003. That article is here and the Leland review is here. I've added a few more reviews and will try to add several more tomorrow. As always, beware of possible SPOILERS in reviews.
April 1, 2004
I saw the end of the trailer on TV this afternoon. I don't know if Kevin was in it or not.
March 31, 2004
From Variety
Spacey tugs Trigger hand
Addie Morfoot, STAFF writerKevin Spacey put on his producer's cap for Monday night's bow of "The United States of Leland" at the ArcLight. At the Cinespace after-bash, the thesp enthused about his ability to nurture filmmakers such as writer-director Matthew Ryan Hoge through his Trigger Street banner. Chris Klein, Rachael Leigh Cook, Ryan Gosling and Jena Malone were also in attendance.
March 30, 2004
The reviews are starting to come in. I have posted one on the Reviews page.
The Hollywood premier of The United States of Leland was held in Hollywood last night. Lots of photo thumbnails at wireimage.com (the Kevin Spacey search brings up all of the Spacey photos) and rexfeatures.com .March 29, 2004
Delayed since last September: CNN's People In The News
Donald Trump stars on the reality show, ``The Apprentice''; Kevin Spacey's new movie, ``The United States of Leland.'' Host: Daryn Kagan.April 3: 5am, 11am, 5pm April 4: 5am, 2pm, 7pm
March 23, 2004
The US of Leland site now has a listing of theaters that will be showing the movie as it opens in different towns over the month of April. Very limited release.
~
The Washington Times, March 23, 2004, Entertainment section.
Taking NamesKlein-hearted
Actor Chris Klein got a call from Kevin Spacey asking him to consider a roll in director Matthew Ryan Hoge's "United States of Leland."
"For a young actor, to be getting calls from Kevin Spacey," Mr. Klein says over the phone, "it's a great compliment. That guy's got an amazing eye for material."
Needless to say, he took the part. The movie, about a horrific juvenile crime, opens here April 2.
http://www.washtimes.com/entertainment/20040322-092353-2237r.htmMarch 15, 2004
Premiere, April 2004 Special Collector's Edition.
Previews: The Movies That Matter This Month by Susannah Gora
April 2 - The United States of Leland
Leland Fitzgerald (Murder By Numbers' Ryan Gosling), the teenage son of a famous author (Kevin Spacey), kills an autistic child, and his community struggles to make sense of the crime. Don Cheadle, Jena Malone, Michelle Williams, Chris Klein, Martin Donovan, and Ann Magnuson costar. The Bottom Line: Audiences will be far from united in their reaction to this sure-to-be controversial film. (Paramount Classics)Page 18, small photo of Ryan Gosling.
~
The movie is already the subject of a boycott petition that is online.
March 14, 2004
The official site has been revamped.
March 9, 2004
The official site continues to add things. A trailer for the film is now online. Why is Kevin not one of the actors on the entrance page?
March 7, 2004
The United States of Leland official web site now has 4 clips from the film.
February 25, 2004
Swiped from Legacy: The United States Of Leland is having it's southwest regional premiere at this year's South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival.
Although April 2nd, 2004 is the slated USA opening of the film, it is currently scheduled to screen March 12th and 14th in Austin TX.Thanks, Lizzie.
February 4, 2004Spring Movie Review
"The United States of Leland -- Hailing from the Sundance class of '03, this family drama features two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey as the insensitive dad of Leland Fitzgerald (The Believer's Ryan Gosling), a troubled young man whose murder of an autistic shocks a community. (April 2)"
Page 33, Entertainment Weekly, Issue # 752, February 20, 2004. No picture.February 6, 2004
Movie City News has added another clip from the film. This one has Kevin and Don Cheadle.
www.moviecitynews.com Click on Leland link or:
http://www.moviecitynews.com/arrays/media/2004/leland_1b.html
And a third video clip (also with Don Cheadle):
http://www.moviecitynews.com/arrays/media/2004/leland_1c.html
February 5, 2004
Movie City News has a QuickTime video that shows Kevin in a scene from the film.
www.moviecitynews.com Click on Leland link.
http://www.moviecitynews.com/arrays/media/2004/leland_1a.html
The official movie site now has cast info, a letter from Mathew Hoge and clips are coming soon. Link to official site above.
February 4, 2004
The Washington Post, Sunday Arts section, Spring Arts: Film Calendar, April 2004
April 2 -- "The United States of Leland" stars Ryan Gosling as a sensitive teenager imprisoned for killing an autistic child out of sympathy for his condition.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63773-2004Jan30_3.htmlJanuary 10, 2004
The MDP web site has some pictures from Leland. This is the only one with Kevin.
http://www.mdpworldwide.com/mdp/movies.asp?movieID=12
December 3, 2003
Comingsoon.net now says that the film will open in limited release on April 2, 2004 instead of March 2004.
Thanks, Kotomi.
October 29, 2003
From Pitchforkmedia.com, October 20, 2003The Fire Theft's Jeremy Enigk To Score Film
by Chris Leslie-Hynan
<snip>
"[The film is] about a troubled fifteen-year-old kid who's done some bad things," Enigk told Rolling Stone. Apparently writer/director Matthew Ryan Hoge was a devotee of Enigk's previous solo album, 1996's Return of the Frog Queen. So much a fan was Hoge that, as Enigk says: "He tracked me down and asked me for six months. I kept on saying 'No, I don't have time, I'm doing the Fire Theft,' until finally [producer] Brad Wood just said, 'Dude, you talk about it all the time, just do it!' I gave Matthew a call, he came out to Washington and played me the rough cut, and I was blown away. It was tough, but an amazing thing to accomplish."
The United States of Leland looks like another entrant into the growing genre of suburban angst movies, which means one of Enigk's songs will surely be played while a family eats dinner at an impeccably-furnished table and makes pitifully stilted attempts to speak to one another. Still, the flick has got some things going for it. Granted, the titular Leland is played by former Mickey Mouse Clubber Ryan Gosling, and it's directed by a guy whose only previous credit is a film about living in a storage space (an idea which at least two separate stoners I know claim separately to have stumbled upon, and which was recently lampooned in The Onion). The cast also boasts Don Cheadle, Donnie Darko's Jena Malone, and former Twin Peaks
sexpot Sherilyn Fenn.<snip>
Thanks to trillian at Legacy.
September 23, 2003The United States of Leland didn't win any prizes at Deauville, but a few people saw the film and attended a press conference attended by director Mathew Ryan Hoge, producer Mark Damon, and the star of the film Ryan Gosling. Here's what they had to say about the film and press conference.
From a fan named Marie:
Mr. Hoge stated that the character played by Don Cheadle is based on his own experiences as a teacher in a prison for delinquent teens. He said that he wanted to "talk" about teenagers who are "monsters" in a way and explained that the American government puts them in prison and forgets them for years. When he was a teacher, he saw some of them laughing and joking even though he knew that they had done very bad crimes. He considers that life is not finished for them.
Ryan Gosling joked about his relationship with Kevin after being asked by a journalist. He also said that he had been nervous at the start of the film's shoot but that he learned a lot by observing Kevin, specifically the way Kevin gives life and reality to his character thanks to his attention to tiny details.
The producer, Mark Damon, said that Kevin sent him the script and they both thought that it was a very good story but Damon was worried about whether Hoge could be as good as a director as he was as a screenwriter. But he said that the film is more beautiful than the screenplay.
~
And from a fan named Véronique:
Mathew Ryan Hoge and Ryan Gosling presented the film and then held the press conference.
The audience was pleased with the film. There was much applause. Some critics liked it too and according to the 'Le perisien' newspaper, the film has found a French distributor.
Kevin was in a few scenes and has a kind of cynical character that he plays perfectly. The film left an impression of melancholy for a a very moving story.
~September 1, 2003
Leland in France The United States of Leland will be presented in competition at the American Film Festival in Deauville on September 9th. I don't know if Kevin plans to attend this year, but writer/director Mathew Ryan Hoge will be attending a press conference. More later. Thanks, Marie.
August 28, 2003
Kevin on CNN September 6 & 7 - People In The News. Kevin Spacey, Tom Hanks: Kevin Spacey's new movie ``The United States of Leland''; from TV sitcom star to Hollywood powerhouse, the career of actor Tom Hanks. 60 Minutes
July 15, 2003
Darn! Comingsoon.net says that the movie will open in March of 2004 instead of September of 2003! There's also a link for the official studio site (which is under construction) listed. Thanks for the information, Kotomi.
http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/u/unitedstatesofleland.php
May 19, 2003
From Screendaily.com:
Solo grabs MDP pair for Germany
Mike Goodridge in Cannes, May 19, 2003Solo Film has bought German rights to two films from MDP Worldwide – 11:14 starring Hilary Swank and The United States Of Leland produced by and starring Kevin Spacey. The deals were negotiated by Mark Damon of MDP with Peter Heinzemann and Marcus Shofer of Solo Film.
http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp?storyid=12426
Thanks, Vivienne. I think we all know that Kevin isn't going to be starring in the film and actually will only be seen for a small part of the film, so there's no need for me to point that out, right?
May 17, 2003
There's a new picture of Kevin on the set to be found here:
http://www.mdpworldwide.com/mdp/movies.asp?movieID=12Thanks, Vivienne.
March 28, 2003
The IMDB lists September 12, 2003 as a date for the limited release of The United States of Leland is . Thanks, Margie.
February 5, 2003
I'm finally getting caught up on emails people sent me with links! Here's a link to a review of the TUSOL script. Thank you, anonymous feedbacker.http://www.tnmc.org/dp/0117031.shtml
January 21, 2003 -
Washington Post Kevin's picture is in the paper this morning (right). Style section, page C2. The online version has the picture of Don Cheadle which is also in the paper. The article is about Sundance and includes a section about The United States of Leland.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19530-2003Jan20.html
Ain't It Cool News The site has a positive review of the movie. It's been so long since Spacey fans saw a good review for anything, that I'm surprised it was recognizable! Thanks, anonymous tipster.
THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND (Matthew Ryan Hoge) * * * *
Easily one of the strongest films at this year's festival, I'm hoping it wins either the Grand Prize or the Audience Award on Saturday night. Ryan Gosling (whose breathtaking performance two years ago in THE BELIEVER deserved even more recognition than it received [and who also turned in a pretty tight act in last year's THE SLAUGHTER RULE]) with THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND is sure to cement his standing as one of the premiere new talents of the last few years. He is aided by equally strong performances by Don Cheadle and Kevin Spacey. Gosling plays Leland Fitzgerald, a well-educated, well-traveled 16-year-old who murders a young mentally challenged kid. Why did he do it? THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND is about the frustration of trying to understand whys in a world that has none. The real power of this film comes from its provocative, yet thoughtful script that resonates locally while pondering globally. Newcomer writer/director Matthew Ryan Hoge [even though he didn't show up for the Q&A today... what's with that?] is going to be a name to watch in the coming years. ~ Memento Man
http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=14244
Sundance bits from E!:
Movie Scoop - Meanwhile, Kevin Spacey's Trigger Street Productions hosted an after-party for the premiere of The United States of Leland at the Riverhorse. Which meant rubbing elbows with Spacey, Sundance darling Ryan Gosling, Gina Gershon and a shorn Jena Malone.
http://www.eonline.com/Features/Features/Sundance2003/Scoop/030119b.html
Buzz Films - The United States of Leland: There's already an online controversy brewing. Sundance favorite Ryan Gosling (The Believer) stars as Leland, a young man who kills his autistic friend out of pity and gets placed in a juvenile detention center, where Don Cheadle helps him understand the ugliness of his crime. Organizations that support and treat autistic children are urging a boycott of both the film and Sundance itself. They contend the movie sympathizes with Leland. Boycott or no, the film promises to feature some of the strongest, most heartfelt performances of the fest.
http://www.eonline.com/Features/Features/Sundance2003/Buzz/index.htmlThanks, Jessie.
January 20, 2003
Many thumbnails of Kevin at Sundance at wireimage.com and Yahoo Movies. Thanks, Margie, Ruth and Borislava.
~
Interview with Kevin Spacey and Ryan Gosling
by Rebecca Ascher-WalshRebecca Ascher-Walsh: We're in the Main Street Studio with Ryan Gosling and Kevin Spacey who are in THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND together. Ryan, your character is a troubled teen? Is that a fair way to describe him?
Ryan Gosling: He's kind of a hard character to describe, but he's different and has a unique perspective on the world and the way things go. At the beginning of the film there is a violent act which it would appear that Leland is responsible for.
Kevin Spacey: Which you don't see.
RG: He's put into a juvenile detention center and while he's in there he meets an inspiring writer who is a teacher played by Don Cheadle. And [Cheadle] smells a book and he's a fan of my father who is played by Kevin Spacey.
KS: Hi.
RG: (laughs) Kevin Spacey.
RA-W: (laughing) Nice to meet you.
RG: So, his intentions aren't pure initially, in his interest in the character, but they develop this sort of friendship and the film really takes off from there. The film really deals with loss and the effects of loss on everybody. It's more complicated than how I'm putting it but that's the best I can do.
RA-W: (To Spacey) You sort of came along and saved the day with the script. What's your sense of why you responded so quickly.
KS: Well, it was a remarkably astute complex group of characters. You know, you don't just follow Ryan and Don Cheadle who are at the center of the film as the student and the teacher, so to speak. You follow every character that is affected by this horrible act. Because we tend to box people in who do violent acts. We bury it in the back yard as Matt [Ryan Hoge] says in the film. They're either Nazi's or they were listening to rock music or they're on drugs or they're anything that's not "like us." They're the "other." "My kid wouldn't do that. Your kid wouldn't do that". But in fact, our kids are doing it. And what we never really spend the time investigating is "why." How does a thing like this happen. And so that's what the film operates on. That's what it's an exploration of. And I just felt he remarkably made it all come to life. We believed in him and his vision and we would do anything to get it made.
RA-W: You were meanwhile quietly producing this film but not committing to the role that you finally took on. What was your decision to stay out of it as an actor?
KS: Well, because I have a production company and it is very important to me that Trigger Street function without me having to offer myself up in every movie that we make. Because very often that's how movies get made. You know, if an actor is producing it they have to take a role because that's how you get financing. I wanted to raise the money for this movie without having to barter myself. And we did. And it was only after we raised the money and we had Ryan and we had Don and we had most of the cast that I then made the decision to take on the role. It was actually a function of me trying to make sure that the strength of the film was enough on it's own merit, without having to say, "Oh, I'll also play a role in it."
RA-W: Matthew Hoge, this was his first film, was not interested in [Ryan] originally for the role.
RG: Well, my manager read it, and before she even talked to me she wrote an email and said, "I have your Leland." And I went and met Matt and he wrote back, "No, you don't".
KS: (laughing) No, you don't.
RG: (laughs) And we said, "But, give me another chance." So, we talked again and I auditioned a bunch of times.
KS: Well, only because if you take it on the face of it looking at Ryan's incredible performance in THE BELIEVER it's a very specific kind of character. When Matt saw THE BELIEVER he thought, "Oh, this is a remarkable talent, but he's not Leland." But, then it was after a series of meetings that they had, and then Ryan was generous enough to come in and actually audition, that Matt began to see that clearly inside of Ryan was this part that he felt it was almost inevitable. And it was almost as if all of the actors that wanted to play Leland just disappeared out of Matt's mind and we had our Leland. (To Ryan) So, your manager was right in the first place.
RA-W: Kevin Spacey. Ryan Gosling. Thanks so much for joining us.
http://www.sundancechannel.com/festival/interviews/index.php?ixContent=2940
Link above has picture of Kevin Spacey and Ryan Gosling, along with a link to an audio version of the interview. Thanks, char.
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Interview Magazine - February 2003
First Time Interview contributor Kevin Spacey didn't cut Ryan Gosling any slack just because the two are friends. "I was going for the throat of that little Canadian rat," Spacey joked about his Ontario-born costar in The United States of Leland, which Spacey also produced. Spacey next stars in The Life Of David Gale.
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Sundance Film Festival: All showings sold out!
Sat, Jan 18, 11:30am -Park City Library Center
Sat, Jan 18, 8:30pm -Park City Library Center
Sun, Jan 19, 8:30am -Park City Library Center
Tue, Jan 21, 9:45pm -Broadway Cinema 5
Fri, Jan 24, Noon -Eccles Theaterhttp://festival.sundance.org/index.aspx
The effect of a senseless killing on the lives of two families is the impetus for this poignant yet powerful exploration of human frailty, ambition, and empathy. Fashioning a multilayered drama that superbly interweaves multiple storylines and characters, first-time director Matthew Ryan Hoge displays the rare ability to construct a film that resonates on emotional and ideational planes simultaneously.
Beginning with the killing of a boy by 16-year-old Leland Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling), whose subsequent arrest and imprisonment precipitates a relationship with prison teacher Pearl Madison (Don Cheadle), The United States of Leland (also the name for Leland's journal) asks why such a horrible tragedy could take place. And as we quickly learn, Leland is, among many things, the son of world-famous writer Albert Fitzgerald (Kevin Spacey), whose imperious attitude and expatriate status could certainly have set the stage for his son's actions. But this film is anything but about simplistic explanations. Struggles between Madison and Leland pére, both of whom stand accused of mining the boy for material, as well as the actions of Leland's girlfriend Becky (Jena Malone) and her sister's boyfriend Allen (Chris Klein), are only part of a complex and wonderfully produced film rich in moral ambiguity and questions about the human condition.
--- Geoffrey Gilmore ---http://filmguide.sundance.org/filmguide/filmnote.php?FCode=UNITE
© 2000 - 2004 Driving Mr. Spacey!
