Did you miss Red Roses and Petrol in the theaters? Don’t despair — the movie is coming soon to DVD! Check www.redrosesandpetrol.com again in the near future for additional information and release dates. Having completed its US theatrical run, the movie will be moving on next to Europe. Cities and theaters will be announced shortly.
Audiences loved Red Roses and Petrol in Boston, where World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation was pleased to have the film showcased in the area’s top theater: the AMC Loews Harvard Square, last week. As it did in New York, Los Angeles and Orange County, CA, the picture again received a high audience rating. Advertising was run in three local papers, but it was The Boston Globe that returned with our favorite review to date (see below).
“Petrol” Is A Mordantly Funny Affair
By Michael Hardy
Globe CorrespondentWhen a movie’s main character dies before the opening credits, you begin to suspect the filmmakers of morbidity. When the first song turns out to be Flogging Molly’s “The Worst Day Since Yesterday,” you might be tempted to head for the exits.
But stay put: As Samuel Beckett wisely noted, “Nothing is funnier than unhappiness.” And although it never achieves the bleak hilarity of “Endgame,” “Red Roses and Petrol,” an adaptation of Irish writer Joseph O’Connor’s play, boasts its share of Beckettian moments — I’m thinking especially of the point when one of the characters snorts two lines of his father’s ashes, mistaking them for cocaine.
Those ashes are the remnants of Enda (Malcolm McDowell), the craggy, domineering paterfamilias of the Doyle clan. A heart attack fells Enda in the first scene of the film, but he lingers on through his video diary, which the Doyles watch during his wake. In the Irish ballad “Finnegan’s Wake,” the rowdy mourners bring the departed back to life with their festivities. In “Petrol,“ on the other hand, there are no festivities at all, and the family’s greatest concern seems to be making sure that Enda stays good and dead.
Enda, you see, is not exactly in line for beatification. A tyrannical father and an unfaithful husband, he bequeaths to his family a lifetime’s worth of grievances. Perhaps the most aggrieved is Enda’s son Johnny (Max Beesley), a whiskey-sodden ne’er-do-well collapsing under the weight of unfulfilled expectations. Enda’s two daughters struggle with their own problems: Medbh is planning to elope to Australia, and Catherine is introducing her fiancé to the family for the first time. And Enda’s wife, Moya, suffers for the sins of everyone, assuming the Sisyphean responsibility of maintaining family unity.
Because “Petrol” is so grim, its few moments of repentance and reconciliation don’t feel as contrived as they might otherwise; if any film has earned the right to be sentimental, it’s this one. The darkness is also broken by Beesley’s inflammable performance, which recalls McDowell’s own star-making turn in “A Clockwork Orange.” “Petrol,” it’s true, follows in the footsteps of earlier, better plays by Eugene O’Neill and Harold Pinter. But between its extraordinary performances and some of the most inventive cursing I’ve ever heard (all in a creamy Irish brogue), this film, like adaptations of “The Homecoming” and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” before it, deserves its own place in the sun.
Greg Ellis, who plays Catherine’s fiancé, Tom, in Red Roses and Petrol, has been busy with several new projects. For the comedy portal www.funlittlemovies.com (known for producing videos for distribution to mobile devices and the Internet), Ellis appears as “Rupert” in the premiere episode of TURBO DATES. The comedy, which peeks into the world of speed dating, stars Alexa Havins (ALL MY CHILDREN) and Haynes Brooke. Ellis’ episode, which has yet to be posted, is titled “English as a Second Language.” Coming mid-season to TNT is the comedy, TRUST ME, which delves into the private and professional lives of staffers at a Chicago advertising agency. Ellis will play Simon Cochran, opposite well-known TV stars Sara Clarke (24), Eric McCormack (WILL AND GRACE), Monica Potter (BOSTON LEGAL), and Thomas Cavanagh (ELI STONE, ED).
Malcolm McDowell hit the airwaves this week to promote the continued U.S. rollout of the film. His radio tour included chats with Lewis & Michael on KRFX in Denver; Greg, Kevin & LB on WAAF in Boston; Waggs & Elliott on WLVQ in Columbus; Johnny & Carrie on KQRC in Kansas City; B.D. & Rick on WEGR in Memphis; and Mike & Marc on WRIF in Detroit. During the interviews, the acclaimed actor described his experience playing Enda Doyle in the movie, talked about his passion for Red Roses and Petrol, and made reference to how much he enjoyed working with the young ensemble cast including fellow UK actor Max Beesley (Johnny Doyle) as his son.
Renowned acting coach Robert Easton — known to Hollywood as “The Dialect Doctor” — plays the geezer who was dragged from the Dublin pub to Enda’s wake in Red Roses and Petrol. The talented man will be returning to the screen soon as a personal guru in the upcoming comedy, The Ones. In it, a struggling scribe (played by writer/director/star John Romo) hears of a female friend’s plight to find her Mr. Right and creates a bogus dating service in order to make some fast cash.
This October, Max Beesley’s (Johnny Doyle) new BBC series, SURVIVORS, will debut in the UK. In it, the Red Roses and Petrol star plays Tom Price, a prisoner whose survival skills are called upon following a viral outbreak. Word has it that the drama will reach BBC America at a later date.
Next, Greg Ellis (Tom Ivers) lends his voice to the role of Alister Fletcher in the videogame, Tomb Raider: Underworld. In the November 18 release, Lara’s Croft’s new adventure will take her around the world, exploring ancient underworlds and battling unearthly foes. Visit http://www.tombraider.com for a sneak peak.
Great news! The nationwide rollout of Red Roses and Petrol continues with the Friday, September 12, release of the film in Boston at the AMC Loews Harvard Square 5, one of the top theaters in the United States. Additionally, the movie will open in two other major markets, Chicago and Denver, on Friday, September 19, at the Neighborhood Flix Cinema & Café and the Nova 8 Cinemas, respectively. The addresses for all three theaters are provided below. Check back at www.redrosesandpetrol.com as the date gets closer to purchase advance tickets.
AMC Loews Harvard Square 5
10 Church St.
Cambridge, MA 02138-3716
Neighborhood Flix Cinema & Café
250 East Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO 80206
Nova 8 Cinemas
352 State Route 59
Naperville, IL 60540
Susanna Hoffs, who contributes to the Red Roses and Petrol soundtrack, will be ringing in the new year by performing with her successful 80s girl band, The Bangles, island style! Catch the show on Sunday, December 31, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village located at 2005 Kalia Rd, Honolulu, HI, 96815. For tickets and additional information, visit www.thebangles.com and click on the “tour” tab.
Fans descended on the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel during the weekend of August 6-9. Their goal? To chance meet and greet the more than 50 Star Trek stars gathered to celebrate the many incarnations of the popular film and television series. Amongst the favorites in attendance was Red Roses and Petrol’s own Malcolm McDowell (Enda). To Trek fans everywhere, he’s better known as Dr. Tolian Soran, the man who killed Captain Kirk in the 1994 movie, Star Trek: Generations. Interestingly, Red Roses co-star Greg Ellis (Tom) will be seen as Chief Engineer Olsen in the 2009 Star Trek feature film, which will chronicle the early days Captain Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members.
Red Roses and Petrol’s Malcolm McDowell often plays villains, but in the new Xbox360 videogame “Fallout 3,” the renowned actor provides the voice of the President! He’ll be joined by actors Ron Perlman, Liam Neeson, and Heather Marie Marsden. The much-anticipated game, which will be released on Tuesday, October 7, allows unlimited customization of characters and invites users to fight for survival against terrors of the outside world, radiation, and mutants after nuclear fallout.
Don’t miss the premiere of the three-hour, Lifetime Original movie event, Coco Chanel, on Saturday, September 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The film, which stars Oscar-winner Shirley MacLaine as the famous fashionista, also features Red Roses and Petrol’s Malcolm McDowell as Marc Bouchier, Chanel’s trusted confidante and business associate. The story begins in 1954, and through flashbacks, relates Chanel’s personal crises and her difficult climb to success that spanned both World Wars. Coco Chanel is a Lux Vide S.p.A., Pampa Productions and Alchemy Television Group Production, in association with RAI, France 2, and Lifetime Networks.