Golden Globe nominee Malcolm McDowell is returning to the airwaves next month to promote the DVD release of Red Roses And Petrol. As he did in 2008, McDowell will be doing live interviews via the Envision Radio Network for multiple morning shows in the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, and Denver. Listeners can expect the actor, who can be seen currently in Rob Zombie’s Halloween II, to discuss his continued passion for the Irish family film and his experience working with the close-knit ensemble cast and their director, Tamar Simon Hoffs.
The prestigious Irish Arts Center in New York is welcoming back Red Roses And Petrol on Monday, October 19, at 8 p.m. Originally shown there in October 2000 in the form of Joseph O’Connor’s wickedly funny play, the Irish family story will be reintroduced to audiences as film via a special screening in honor of the DVD release. “It’s truly a full-circle moment to bring Red Roses And Petrol back there,” enthuses director Tamar Simon Hoffs who first felt inspired by the story after seeing it performed there. [With the screening], I’m hoping to embrace the far-reaching Irish community in Manhattan.” The Irish Arts Center is located at 553 West 51 Street, New York, NY 10019. For tickets, which run $10 for general admission and $8 for members, visit http://www.irishartscenter.org/film.htm or call (212) 868-4444.
Heads up, Red Roses & Petrol fans! The soundtrack from the film will be released on Tuesday, October 13, from Warrior Records. Amongst the 30 tracks included will be “Catch The Wind” and “The Water Is Wide” as performed by Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles. In addition to original tunes and score selections by Seth Podowitz, Norman Sachs, and Charlie Lennon, the CD also includes special music inspired by the memorable, Irish-American tale. Those songs are “Send A Prayer” by The Elders, “Someone’s Crossing Over” by Joe Puerta of Ambrosia, and “To The Hum” by The Rainmakers. The soundtrack, which will be available on iTunes and in stores, will also be for sale at http://www.warriorrecords.com/redrosesandpetrol. Pre-orders for the CD, which sells for $9.98, are being accepted now.
The wait is finally over! On Tuesday, October 13th, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation will be releasing the DVD of Red Roses and Petrol with pre-sale orders beginning starting Tuesday, September 8th. The soundtrack, which features music from Flogging Molly and Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles, will also be hitting stores near you. Additionally, WWMPC is in the final stages of negotiating for ancillary sales of the film. Be sure to check back here soon for more details!
World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is pleased to announce that Red Roses & Petrol will be hitting the high seas! As a result of a new deal with Swank Motion Pictures, Inc., the largest, one of the most prominent ancillary film sales companies in the industry, the film has been licensed to Princess Cruises. Beginning in early February, it will be screened internationally on nine of the company’s flagships. Swank also distributes films to such non-theatrical venues as educational campuses, museums, motorcoaches, hospitals, libraries and tradeshows. Check back soon for news about where they’ll be sending Red Roses & Petrol next!
World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is pleased to announce that Warrior Records, a division of L.A. Entertainment, Inc., will be releasing the soundtrack to Red Roses and Petrol. Jim Ervin, who has handled the music of superstars Pat Benatar and Eddie Money, will be overseeing the distribution of the CD to national outlets and will be making it available for download from iTunes. The movie itself will be coming soon to DVD. Check back at www.redrosesandpetrol.com for updates and pre-ordering information.
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.