Blaze (2018 film)

Blaze is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Ethan Hawke based on the life of country musician Blaze Foley. The screenplay by Hawke and Sybil Rosen was adapted from the memoir Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze by Rosen. It stars musician Ben Dickey as Foley.[3][4] The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival[5] and was released in the United States on August 17, 2018, by IFC Films.

Blaze
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ethan Hawke
Produced by	Ethan Hawke Ryan Hawke Jake Seal John Sloss
Screenplay by	Ethan Hawke Sybil Rosen
Based on	Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze by Sybil Rosen
Starring	Ben Dickey Alia Shawkat Sam Rockwell Steve Zahn Kris Kristofferson Richard Linklater
Cinematography	Steve Cosens
Edited by	Jason Gourson
Distributed by	IFC Films
Release date	January 21, 2018 (Sundance) August 17, 2018 (United States)
Running time	127 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$680,058[2]

Plot

The movie shows scenes of Foley's life and career, interspersed between two of Foley's friends being interviewed on the radio and his final performance and recording.

Cast

• Ben Dickey as Blaze Foley
• Alia Shawkat as Sybil Rosen, Blaze’s lover
• Charlie Sexton as Townes Van Zandt, one of Blaze’s two friends
• Josh Hamilton as Zee, one of Blaze’s two friends
• Kris Kristofferson as Edwin Fuller, Blaze and Marsha’s father
• Sam Rockwell as Oilman #1
• Steve Zahn as Oilman #2
• Richard Linklater as Oilman #3
• Sybil Rosen as Mrs. Rosen, Sybil’s mother
• Alynda Lee Segarra as Marsha Foley, Blaze’s sister
• James Ourso as Pool Player #2
• David Kallaway as Dennis
• Ritchie Montgomery as T.J.
• Wyatt Russell as Glyn
• Jenn Lyon as Cinnamon
• Martin Bats Bradford as Barry
• Ethan Hawke as a Radio DJ

Production

Principal photography took place in and around Village Studios in East Feliciana, Louisiana and a small amount of photography in Mississippi in early 2017.[3]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 90 reviews, and an average rating of 7.85/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "As lyrical and bittersweet as the music its subject left behind, Blaze takes a decidedly unconventional -- yet richly rewarding -- approach to the musical biopic."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]

On RogerEbert.com, Nick Allen raved that the film is "hands down the best movie of its kind since Inside Llewyn Davis" and added "This movie is all Foley, and the confidence in his words proves incredibly rewarding for Hawke as a cinematic storyteller himself."[8]

References

1. "'18 Sundance Film Festival - U.S. Dramatic Films". www.sundance.org. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
2. "Blaze (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
3. Galuppo, Mia (February 10, 2017). "Richard Linklater, Kris Kristofferson Joining Ethan Hawke's Music Biopic 'Blaze'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
4. Fleming Jr, Mike (January 18, 2017). "Ethan Hawke Helming C&W Tale 'Blaze' With Newcomer Ben Dickey". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
5. Debruge, Peter (November 29, 2017). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils Full 2018 Features Lineup". Variety. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
6. "Blaze (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
7. "Blaze reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
8. Allen, Nick. "Sundance 2018: Blaze". RogerEbert.com.

External links

• Blaze at IMDb