‘Crown and Anchor’ opening on the big screen in St. John’s this weekend
The St. John’s-filmed independent feature film will open at Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre in the Avalon Mall Friday, launching a North American theatrical run that will also include screens in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Atlanta, Los Angeles and more.
“Crown and Anchor” is the first feature film for longtime friends, former bandmates and collaborators Mike Rowe (of “Arrow” and “Ninjak Vs. the Valiant Universe” fame) and Matt Wells (former Much Music and MTV host), who created the film as a way of realizing their life-long dream of making a movie in their hometown of St. John’s. Rowe’s brother, accomplished short filmmaker Andrew Rowe, served as writer and director.
The trio admits “Crown and Anchor” isn’t a film for everybody, but those who get it, get it good. When it screened at the Nickel film fest, it took home the Audience Choice Award.
“For us, this had to be a movie driven by character, not plot,” Andrew explains, saying “Crown and Anchor” was inspired by cinema from the 1970s. “It had to have a defined visual style that served the characters, not the filmmaker, and it had to be honest and true to human behaviour, no matter how ugly or uncomfortable Being able to stick to that vision on my first feature and now have the opportunity for a theatrical release is very exciting.”
Set to a punk soundtrack, “Crown and Anchor” is the slow-burning, gritty story of estranged cousins James (played by Mike) and Danny (Matt). Where one was inspired by chaos to live a disciplined and straight-edged life, the other drew from a similar inspiration to turn to drugs and booze. Forced into each other’s lives, the past comes back to haunt them with tragic consequences.
Other “Crown and Anchor” castmembers include Robert Joy, Andy Jones, Stephen Mchattie, Natalie Brown, Jonathan Watton, Ben Cotton and Sofia Wells.
For a schedule of “Crown and Anchor” showtimes, visit www. cineplex.com.