The Dark of 'Night'

If you think you've been having a tough time lately, just remember that things could be worse. "I just finished a picture called 'Late Last Night' says actor Steven Weber("Sour Grapes") "It's a cross between "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Trainspotting." "It's written and directed by a guy named Steven Brill(creator of "The Mighty Ducks")and Emilio Estevez is in it. It's really unlike many movies that you've seen. It's very challenging certainly."

Weber seems to be working non-stop these days. He has roles opposite Bridget Fonda in the upcoming "The Break-Up" and with Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino in "At First Sight." He says "Late Last Night" is a classic film nightmare.

"It's about a fellow at the end of his tether," Weber says. "He's a businessman, he's left his wife, and he just wants one night of cutting loose and being a stupid male. That's Emilio's role. And he calls up this guy who's played by me, who's kind of the epitome of that, a disbarred lawyer, a kind of a burnout who's been down the road and he shows him a good night, kind of a nightmarish good night, in a way to kind of teach him a lesson. That's the "Willie Wonka" aspect of it. The "Trainspotting" aspect is that the places that these guys go to are of the druggie variety. And so it's compelling and extremely nightmarish. It's a very dark, funny film. This is one of my favorite ones that I've done."

Another dark and nasty vision of real life will come to theaters in October with the arrival of Bryan Singer's "Apt Pupil" The acclaimed director of "The Usual Suspect" adapted "Apt Pupil" a dark script based on a Stephen King short story for the screen and recruited Sir Ian McKellan to star as an ex-Nazi commandant, an old man living in obscurity in a typical American suburb. Brad Renfro plays the teen-age boy who discovers his horrible past and agrees to keep it a secret in return for hearing detailed stories of the atrocities he saw committed in the concentration camps. It's a nightmarish tale to be sure, but the repercussions resulting from the shooting of one scene has been even worse. It seems the filmmakers allegedly used underage teens in a brutal shower sequence and since have faced a firestorm of negative publicity and threatened lawsuits. While no litigation is in the courts, Singer must feel like he's living in a very bad dream.


Associated Press Article. Typed by Amy for PRESENTING...EMILIO!!!