Back in December, the James Cameron films The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water were all given 4K digital releases. Next Tuesday, March 12th, is the day when The Abyss, Aliens, and True Lies are going to get their physical 4K Uhd releases – and to mark the occasion, we got our hands on an Exclusive clip from one of the bonus featurettes that will be on The Abyss disc! You can check it out in the embed above.
The Abyss has the following synopsis: In this underwater sci-fi adventure written and directed by James Cameron, a nuclear sub mysteriously sinks and a private oil rig crew, led by foreman Bud Brigman, is recruited to join a team of Navy SEALs on a search and rescue effort. The group soon finds themselves on a spectacular life-and-death odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, where they find...
The Abyss has the following synopsis: In this underwater sci-fi adventure written and directed by James Cameron, a nuclear sub mysteriously sinks and a private oil rig crew, led by foreman Bud Brigman, is recruited to join a team of Navy SEALs on a search and rescue effort. The group soon finds themselves on a spectacular life-and-death odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, where they find...
- 3/8/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Composer Ben Lanzarone, whose work was featured in television shows such as “Happy Days,” “The Love Boat” and “Dynasty,” died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on Feb. 16. He was 85.
Lanzarone received ASCAP’s “Most Performed Composer Award” for his work composing television scores. He wrote for episodes of “The Tracy Ullman Show,” “The Jay Leno Comedy Hour” and” Mr. Belvedere.” In association with Aaron Spelling and Doug Cramer, he composed many scores for “Dynasty,” “The Love Boat,” “Vegas,” “Matt Houston,” “The Colbys” and “Hotel.” In addition, he wrote the music for numerous episodes of “Happy Days,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy.”
Also an arranger, musical director and pianist, Lanzarone became a force in popular music when he began associating with Bob Crewe and Charles Fox. Lanzarone’s album “In Classic Form” came as a result of their collaboration, showing off his talent as a classical and jazz pianist.
Lanzarone received ASCAP’s “Most Performed Composer Award” for his work composing television scores. He wrote for episodes of “The Tracy Ullman Show,” “The Jay Leno Comedy Hour” and” Mr. Belvedere.” In association with Aaron Spelling and Doug Cramer, he composed many scores for “Dynasty,” “The Love Boat,” “Vegas,” “Matt Houston,” “The Colbys” and “Hotel.” In addition, he wrote the music for numerous episodes of “Happy Days,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy.”
Also an arranger, musical director and pianist, Lanzarone became a force in popular music when he began associating with Bob Crewe and Charles Fox. Lanzarone’s album “In Classic Form” came as a result of their collaboration, showing off his talent as a classical and jazz pianist.
- 2/19/2024
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
December has been packed with 4K releases of James Cameron films. First up was the release of the Titanic 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition 4K Uhd on December 5th. 4K digital releases of The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water followed on December 12th, and the Avatar movies also got new physical media releases on the 19th. March 12, 2024 is the date when Disney is going to give The Abyss, Aliens, and True Lies their physical 4K Uhd releases… but The Digital Bits reports that the 4K digital release of The Abyss has been cancelled in the UK because of “the rat scene“.
Here’s what The Digital Bits had to say: “We’ve learned from industry sources that the 4K Ultra HD release of James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989) in the UK has been cancelled, and for exactly the reason you think—the scene in...
Here’s what The Digital Bits had to say: “We’ve learned from industry sources that the 4K Ultra HD release of James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989) in the UK has been cancelled, and for exactly the reason you think—the scene in...
- 12/27/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
"There is something down there, something not us, not human." 20th Century has revealed a 4K re-release of James Cameron's early sci-fi classic The Abyss, originally released in 1989. This has been in the works for a while! Fans have been awaiting a Blu-ray release of The Abyss for a decade, but for some reason it has never come together. Until now. To celebrate this long-awaited 4K debut of the underwater aliens movie, they're also replaying it in theaters for one night only this December. "If you haven't seen the film before, this is the way to experience it, and if you have, it will be like the first time all over again. So, get out to the theaters and enjoy." A civilian oil rig dive team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species. Starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio,...
- 11/13/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Most of the moviegoing population is probably under the assumption that "Titanic" was director James Cameron's first seafaring movie, but they'd be wrong! That honor goes to "The Abyss," the 1989 sci-fi flick that went on to garner four Academy Award nominations and win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.. The only drawback of "The Abyss," however, is that its availability has long been a matter of concern among film enthusiasts. Years ago, /Film covered the rumors that the movie would finally come to Blu-ray and 4K after only being available on DVD. Last we heard, this was still the plan ... but now we're hearing from the man, myth, and legend himself that fans will finally get the chance to watch the movie exactly the way Cameron intended it -- on the big screen and through the fabled Special Edition.
Cameron announced the news himself on Twitter to immediate celebrations on social media.
Cameron announced the news himself on Twitter to immediate celebrations on social media.
- 11/13/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Seven years have passed since writer/director James Cameron first said he was working on a 4K transfer of his 1989 film The Abyss – and now he’s finally ready to share the 4K version of the film with an audience. 20th Century Studios will be giving The Abyss a special one-night-only theatrical re-release on Wednesday, December 6th. A press release notes, “Fans will be able to experience Cameron’s thrilling underwater sci-fi adventure for the first time in stunning, remastered 4K. Tickets go on sale beginning November 20 and can be purchased at Fandango or wherever tickets are sold.“
Cameron provided the following statement: “If you haven’t seen the film before, this is the way to experience it, and if you have, it will be like the first time all over again. So, get out to the theaters and enjoy.“
The Abyss has the following synopsis: In this underwater sci-fi...
Cameron provided the following statement: “If you haven’t seen the film before, this is the way to experience it, and if you have, it will be like the first time all over again. So, get out to the theaters and enjoy.“
The Abyss has the following synopsis: In this underwater sci-fi...
- 11/13/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Based on the nonfiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan, Akiva Goldsman and Todd Graff bring us a 10-episode anthology about a young teenager who finds himself in a heap of trouble in the Apple+ series The Crowded Room. Played by Tom Holland, Danny Sullivan is an awkward teen in the late ’70s in Manhattan who’s suddenly the center of police attention because he pulled a gun on a man in the middle of Rockefeller Center. As investigator Rya Goodwin goes into depth, trying to explore Danny’s reasons behind his actions, the series reveals certain dark secrets about the teen’s past. Here’s what happens in the first episode of The Crowded Room.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Is Danny Sullivan Arrested?
The first episode of The Crowded Room begins with a subway ride as a nervous-looking boy with shaggy, shoulder-length hair keeps fidgeting with a brown paper bag in his lap.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Is Danny Sullivan Arrested?
The first episode of The Crowded Room begins with a subway ride as a nervous-looking boy with shaggy, shoulder-length hair keeps fidgeting with a brown paper bag in his lap.
- 6/9/2023
- by Indrayudh Talukdar
- Film Fugitives
When people decide to get into theatre, the audience is typically a major reason why they do it. For as personally gratifying it is to deliver a well-crafted monologue, belt out a brash 11 o'clock number, or nail a complicated tap dance routine, the reason all that work is worthwhile is getting an audience to applaud, to laugh, to cry, to gasp, or whatever you are performing is hoping to elicit from the people in the house. This is particularly true in musical theatre, where shows are literally designed to have designated moments for the audience to shower the performers in applause.
Anna Kendrick was a bona fide theatre kid, appearing on Broadway at the early age of 12 in a stage adaptation of the 1956 movie musical "High Society" (which in turn was a musical adaptation of the 1939 play "The Philadelphia Story"). She played the precocious younger sister to the show's leading...
Anna Kendrick was a bona fide theatre kid, appearing on Broadway at the early age of 12 in a stage adaptation of the 1956 movie musical "High Society" (which in turn was a musical adaptation of the 1939 play "The Philadelphia Story"). She played the precocious younger sister to the show's leading...
- 2/6/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Believe it or not, James Cameron’s classic 1989 deep sea sci-fi film The Abyss has never been released on Blu-ray. Well, it looks like that’s finally going to change! Skip Kimball, who has worked in the editorial department on some of Cameron’s films including Avatar and Alita: Battle Angel, has revealed that the film is currently going through the remastering process and getting a 4K overhaul!
View this post on Instagram
This is happening on stage one this weekend! The Abyss, directed by @jamescameronofficial. . . . . . . #theabyss #4k #hdr #remaster #efilmstageone #efilmhollywood #blackmagicdesign #davinciresolve15 #theabyssbluray#colorgrading#jamescameron#bluray
A post shared by Skip Kimball (@skip_kimball) on Mar 3, 2019 at 9:58am Pst
I love The Abyss, and I couldn’t be happier to see that one day in the near future I’m going to get to watch it in 4K glory. I really hope that when they are finished they do a theatrical rerelease!
View this post on Instagram
This is happening on stage one this weekend! The Abyss, directed by @jamescameronofficial. . . . . . . #theabyss #4k #hdr #remaster #efilmstageone #efilmhollywood #blackmagicdesign #davinciresolve15 #theabyssbluray#colorgrading#jamescameron#bluray
A post shared by Skip Kimball (@skip_kimball) on Mar 3, 2019 at 9:58am Pst
I love The Abyss, and I couldn’t be happier to see that one day in the near future I’m going to get to watch it in 4K glory. I really hope that when they are finished they do a theatrical rerelease!
- 3/6/2019
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Say what you will about Jennifer Lopez, but one thing is true: She takes risks. Never sticking to a particular type, she has run the gamut in her choice of films from romantic comedies to thrillers to biopics and beyond. “Second Act” is her first live-action film since 2015’s “The Boy Next Door,” and it feels like a confused puppy, caught between a stale script and a very confused storyline that frequently loses focus.
Maya (Jennifer Lopez) is a big-box store assistant manager who has goals. She wants to wow her boss (Larry Miller) in the hopes of getting a well-deserved promotion to general manager. Instead, he introduces her to the white guy (Dan Bucatinsky) with an Ivy League Mba he hired for the position. Why? Because she isn’t a college grad, and no matter how many years she has put into the store, how loved she is by her co-workers,...
Maya (Jennifer Lopez) is a big-box store assistant manager who has goals. She wants to wow her boss (Larry Miller) in the hopes of getting a well-deserved promotion to general manager. Instead, he introduces her to the white guy (Dan Bucatinsky) with an Ivy League Mba he hired for the position. Why? Because she isn’t a college grad, and no matter how many years she has put into the store, how loved she is by her co-workers,...
- 12/20/2018
- by Yolanda Machado
- The Wrap
Exclusive: The Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab has accepted 15 writers from countries including the U.S., Lebanon, South Africa, Turkey and the UK who will bring 12 projects to the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah from January 18-23.
The January Screenwriters Lab was created and organized under the leadership of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program Founding Director Michelle Satter and Labs Director Ilyse McKimmie. The team of Creative Advisors includes Artistic Director Dana Stevens, Michael Arndt, Thomas Bidegain, Todd Graff, Phil Hay, Erik Jendresen, Richard Lagravenese, Jenny Lumet, Malia Scotch Marmo, Walter Mosley, Nicole Perlman, Susan Shilliday, Zach Sklar, Elena Soarez, Veena Sud, Robin Swicord, Joan Tewkesbury and Tyger Williams. This year’s Lab is dedicated to the memory of two cherished Creative Advisors: Tom Rickman and Audrey Wells. The Lab provides one-on-one story sessions for Fellows with the Creative Advisors. The Lab is the first step in a year-round continuum...
The January Screenwriters Lab was created and organized under the leadership of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program Founding Director Michelle Satter and Labs Director Ilyse McKimmie. The team of Creative Advisors includes Artistic Director Dana Stevens, Michael Arndt, Thomas Bidegain, Todd Graff, Phil Hay, Erik Jendresen, Richard Lagravenese, Jenny Lumet, Malia Scotch Marmo, Walter Mosley, Nicole Perlman, Susan Shilliday, Zach Sklar, Elena Soarez, Veena Sud, Robin Swicord, Joan Tewkesbury and Tyger Williams. This year’s Lab is dedicated to the memory of two cherished Creative Advisors: Tom Rickman and Audrey Wells. The Lab provides one-on-one story sessions for Fellows with the Creative Advisors. The Lab is the first step in a year-round continuum...
- 12/13/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
NBC is getting further into business with Jennifer Lopez. “Major,” a dance drama from JLo and “Joyful Noise” writer-director Todd Graff, in development at the network, an individual with knowledge of the deals tells TheWrap.
Described as being in the tone of “Fame” meets “Chorus Line,” the series is set at the most competitive and prestigious university dance department in the country and focuses on the dancers and the teachers who are all struggling to define themselves, find their voices and pursue their dreams.
The network has given a script sale commitment to “Major,” which will be written, executive produced and directed by Graff. Lopez will also executive produce, along with Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Kristel Laiblin and Benny Medina.
Also Read: Jenna Dewan Exits as 'World of Dance' Host
The series hails from Universal Television in association with Nuyorican Productions.
“Major” would be the most recent in a string...
Described as being in the tone of “Fame” meets “Chorus Line,” the series is set at the most competitive and prestigious university dance department in the country and focuses on the dancers and the teachers who are all struggling to define themselves, find their voices and pursue their dreams.
The network has given a script sale commitment to “Major,” which will be written, executive produced and directed by Graff. Lopez will also executive produce, along with Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Kristel Laiblin and Benny Medina.
Also Read: Jenna Dewan Exits as 'World of Dance' Host
The series hails from Universal Television in association with Nuyorican Productions.
“Major” would be the most recent in a string...
- 10/26/2018
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
NBC has put in development Major, a dance drama from Joyful Noise writer-director Todd Graff, Jennifer Lopez and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas’ Nuyorican Productions and Universal TV where Nuyorican is based.
Written by Graff, Major, said to be in the tone of Fame meets Chorus Line, is set at the most competitive and prestigious university dance department in the country. It focuses on the dancers and the teachers who are all struggling to define themselves, find their voices and pursue their dreams.
Graff executive produces and also is set to direct. Lopez, Goldsmith-Thomas, Kristel Laiblin and Benny Medina executive produce for Nuyorican. Universal TV produces in association with Nuyorican.
This is familiar territory for Graff, who wrote and directed music-themed features Joyful Noise, starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, and Bandslam starring Aly Michalka and Vanessa Hudgeons. Additionally, he is a Tony-nominated Broadway actor.
This is Nuyorican’s second recent broadcast sale.
Written by Graff, Major, said to be in the tone of Fame meets Chorus Line, is set at the most competitive and prestigious university dance department in the country. It focuses on the dancers and the teachers who are all struggling to define themselves, find their voices and pursue their dreams.
Graff executive produces and also is set to direct. Lopez, Goldsmith-Thomas, Kristel Laiblin and Benny Medina executive produce for Nuyorican. Universal TV produces in association with Nuyorican.
This is familiar territory for Graff, who wrote and directed music-themed features Joyful Noise, starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, and Bandslam starring Aly Michalka and Vanessa Hudgeons. Additionally, he is a Tony-nominated Broadway actor.
This is Nuyorican’s second recent broadcast sale.
- 10/26/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
“Money talks nobody walks.” As part of this year’s Greater St. Louis Humanities Festival – which runs from Sept. 23-Oct. 2, and whose theme is “E Pluribus Unum?” – Cinema St. Louis presents a free screening Monday, September 26 at 7 Pm of writer/director John Sayles’ masterful City Of Hope (1991), which compellingly explores the racial attitudes and socioeconomic forces that divide the citizens of the fictional (but all too realistic) Hudson City, N.J.
An ambitious, richly detailed panorama of a city in decline – and rapidly approaching crisis – City Of Hope addresses urban decay in the United States by poking around in Hudson City’s political garbage, turning over and exposing the contaminated dirt of patronage, bribery, and special interests, demonstrating how the toxins trickle down to the middle class and poor, seep into our attitudes, and poison our thoughts. The sprawling cast includes actors from the director’s informal stock company – Joe Morton,...
An ambitious, richly detailed panorama of a city in decline – and rapidly approaching crisis – City Of Hope addresses urban decay in the United States by poking around in Hudson City’s political garbage, turning over and exposing the contaminated dirt of patronage, bribery, and special interests, demonstrating how the toxins trickle down to the middle class and poor, seep into our attitudes, and poison our thoughts. The sprawling cast includes actors from the director’s informal stock company – Joe Morton,...
- 9/23/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Steve Rabineau has just jumped from UTA to join Wme as a partner in the agency's Motion Picture Literary department. Rabineau, who represents directors and writers, has a strong list that is expected to follow him. That includes Oscar-winning Gravity helmer Alfonso Cuaron, Roger Donaldson, Todd Graff, Gavin Hood, Ron Hutchinson, Phillip Noyce, John Romano, Don Roos, Brad Silberling, John Waters and Simon West. Rabineau had been a partner at UTA, where he spent…...
- 7/7/2016
- Deadline
My guest for this month is Herb van der Poll, and he’s joined me to discuss the film I chose for him, the 1988 Dutch–French film The Vanishing. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
The director, George Sluizer, didn’t really direct much else besides this film and its remake The soundtrack definitely has a Tears for Fears vibe to it, which is 100% ok with me Herb checked with his Dutch parents to make sure we pronounced Spoorloos correctly Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu is basically perfect as the villain in this film If you enjoy this film, you’d probably also love Alfred Hitchock’s The Lady Vanishes The actress who plays the second girlfriend Lieneke, Gwen Eckhaus, was randomly in a television series in the Netherlands called Spoorloos verdwenen, which I assume is unrelated Getting a compliment on your film from Stanley Kubrick is a big...
Show notes:
The director, George Sluizer, didn’t really direct much else besides this film and its remake The soundtrack definitely has a Tears for Fears vibe to it, which is 100% ok with me Herb checked with his Dutch parents to make sure we pronounced Spoorloos correctly Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu is basically perfect as the villain in this film If you enjoy this film, you’d probably also love Alfred Hitchock’s The Lady Vanishes The actress who plays the second girlfriend Lieneke, Gwen Eckhaus, was randomly in a television series in the Netherlands called Spoorloos verdwenen, which I assume is unrelated Getting a compliment on your film from Stanley Kubrick is a big...
- 6/18/2016
- by Arik Devens
- CriterionCast
Nicholas Sparks Productions, the film and TV production company founded by the romance author, is shuttering. The company, which was based on the Warner Bros. lot, launched in 2012 with a two-year, first-look deal with Warner Horizon Television to create TV series. Sparks' company also produced 2013's Safe Haven and, as its first indie production, the adaptation of Sparks' book The Choice, which Lionsgate released earlier this year. Nicholas Sparks Productions and Warner Bros. TV had also teamed up last August to develop a TV series based on Sparks' book The Notebook. Todd Graff was hired to pen
read more...
read more...
- 6/9/2016
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Bowie in 'The Hunger' with Catherine Deneuve. David Bowie movies: Iconic singer memorable as fast-aging vampire in 'The Hunger,' Nikola Tesla in 'The Prestige' Singer and sometime actor David Bowie, one of the iconic figures of the English-language music scene of the second half of the 20th century, died of cancer yesterday, Jan. 10, '16. Bowie (born David Robert Jones in the London suburb of Brixton) had turned 69 on Jan. 8. His son, filmmaker Duncan Jones (Moon), has confirmed Bowie's death on Twitter. Bowie was seen in only a couple of dozen movies during his four-decade show business career. Among his most memorable film roles were those in the titles listed below. The Man Who Fell to Earth Directed by Nicolas Roeg (Walkabout, Don't Look Now) from a screenplay by Paul Mayersberg (based on a novel by Walter Tevis), The Man Who Fell to Earth...
- 1/11/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Organisers at the Park City jamboree have added a documentary from New Zealand, a profile of Mike Nichols and a presentation of Dazed And Confused with live commentary by Richard Linklater and Jason Reitman.
New additions include three archive films from The Sundance Collection at UCLA, a film preservation programme established in 1997.
The late arrivals mean the 2016 festival will present 123 features representing 37 countries and 49 first-time filmmakers, including 30 in competition.
These films were selected from 12,793 submissions, including 4,081 features and 8,712 shorts. Of the feature submissions, 1,972 were from the Us and 2,109 were international. A total of 103 features at the festival will be world premieres.
The 2016 Sundance Film Festival is scheduled to run from January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The synopses below were provided by the festival.
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Tickled (New Zealand)
Dirs: David Farrier, Dylan Reeve
A journalist stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition. As he delves...
New additions include three archive films from The Sundance Collection at UCLA, a film preservation programme established in 1997.
The late arrivals mean the 2016 festival will present 123 features representing 37 countries and 49 first-time filmmakers, including 30 in competition.
These films were selected from 12,793 submissions, including 4,081 features and 8,712 shorts. Of the feature submissions, 1,972 were from the Us and 2,109 were international. A total of 103 features at the festival will be world premieres.
The 2016 Sundance Film Festival is scheduled to run from January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The synopses below were provided by the festival.
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Tickled (New Zealand)
Dirs: David Farrier, Dylan Reeve
A journalist stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition. As he delves...
- 12/17/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Of all the Nicholas Sparks adaptations to have us reaching for the tissues – or remote, depending on your personal taste – The Notebook is arguably the one that resonated the most, particularly after New Line’s 2004 hit starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. Heck, Sparks’ romantic drama even treaded the boards as a broadway play a few years back, and Entertainment Weekly now brings word that the love story will makes its small-screen debut on The CW.
Promising to expand the core, heart-wrenching story of Noah and Allie, The CW reportedly has big plans for The Notebook as a TV series, exploring the lovestruck pair’s youth as the grow up in the rural hills of North Carolina post-World War II.
Here’s the official logline per EW:
This series will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship...
Promising to expand the core, heart-wrenching story of Noah and Allie, The CW reportedly has big plans for The Notebook as a TV series, exploring the lovestruck pair’s youth as the grow up in the rural hills of North Carolina post-World War II.
Here’s the official logline per EW:
This series will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship...
- 8/14/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
If you thought it would be tough to sit through another date night rewatching The Notebook with your significant other, how about twelve times the time commitment? Entertainment Weekly has learned that The CW is developing a remake of the Nicholas Sparks novel turned seminal romantic film. The series, if greenlit, will be written by Todd Graff and produced by Sparks himself. There are not plans at this time to... Read More...
- 8/12/2015
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
The latest Hollywood blockbuster to become a television series is The Notebook.
The CW is currently working on adapting Nicholas Sparks's novel-turned-movie into a continuing episodic drama for next season, reports Entertainment Weekly.
An official synopsis reads: "This series will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship as they build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities, and social mores of post-World War II of the late 1940s in North Carolina."
Noah and Allie were famously played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in the 2004 film version of Sparks's 1996 book. Sparks is producing the CW pilot from a script by Todd Graff (Camp).
Television seems to be turning to Hollywood films as the bases for new programming more than ever this year.
CBS has shows based on Limitless...
The CW is currently working on adapting Nicholas Sparks's novel-turned-movie into a continuing episodic drama for next season, reports Entertainment Weekly.
An official synopsis reads: "This series will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship as they build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities, and social mores of post-World War II of the late 1940s in North Carolina."
Noah and Allie were famously played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in the 2004 film version of Sparks's 1996 book. Sparks is producing the CW pilot from a script by Todd Graff (Camp).
Television seems to be turning to Hollywood films as the bases for new programming more than ever this year.
CBS has shows based on Limitless...
- 8/11/2015
- Digital Spy
The Notebook could soon be coming to television. As first reported by EW.com, an adaption of Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling 1996 novel and the 2004 New Line Cinema film, which starred Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as Noah and Allie, is in development at The CW. Here’s the show’s official logline: “This series will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship as they build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities, and social mores of post-World War II of the late 1940s in North Carolina.” The project is a Nicholas Sparks Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Sparks will serve as an executive producer on the potential series along with Theresa Park, while Todd Graff will write and produce the adaptation. If ordered to series, The Notebook would be a…...
- 8/11/2015
- by Chris King
- TVovermind.com
For how many episodes can a star-crossed couple canoodle in a downpour?
The CW aims to explore that question via a pilot adaptation of The Notebook, the 1996 Nicholas Sparks novel that in 2004 was turned into a beloved motion picture starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.
RelatedThe CW Eyeing Dark Little Women Adaptation From NCIS Star
As reported by EW.com, the official logline says the drama will follow the characters of Noah and Allie as they “build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities and social mores of post-World War II...
The CW aims to explore that question via a pilot adaptation of The Notebook, the 1996 Nicholas Sparks novel that in 2004 was turned into a beloved motion picture starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.
RelatedThe CW Eyeing Dark Little Women Adaptation From NCIS Star
As reported by EW.com, the official logline says the drama will follow the characters of Noah and Allie as they “build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities and social mores of post-World War II...
- 8/11/2015
- TVLine.com
Get ready to weep on a weekly basis: The Notebook TV series is in the works at The CW. That's right, the Nicholas Sparks book that became a sobfest on the big screen in 2004 with Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling could be heading to the small screen. E! News has learned The CW just has a script in development with Sparks attached as an executive producer. Theresa Park is also on board the project with Camp scribe Todd Graff writing and executive producing the project. The show would be based on the book and movie of the same name and follow "the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters Noah and Allie" from the start of their relationship to their future together "against the backdrop of...
- 8/11/2015
- E! Online
The CW is teaming with author Nicholas Sparks to develop a TV series based on his iconic romance novel "The Notebook".
The story will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters, Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship.
The pair build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities and social mores of late 1940s in North Carolina.
Todd Graff will pen the script and executive produce alongside Sparks and Theresa Park. The book was previously adapted into the 2004 Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams film.
Source: The Live Feed...
The story will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters, Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship.
The pair build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities and social mores of late 1940s in North Carolina.
Todd Graff will pen the script and executive produce alongside Sparks and Theresa Park. The book was previously adapted into the 2004 Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams film.
Source: The Live Feed...
- 8/11/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Last night, acclaimed director Todd Graff unexpectedly announced plans to film a follow-up to 2003 cult favorite theatre-themed movie musical Camp titled Camp 2 Freaks In Nature set to feature fellow Tony Award-winning icons Patti LuPone and Donna Murphy, among others, inspiring Broadway babies to excitedly anticipate the many musical selections that could potentially be presented as part of the project. Of course, the original film famously featured a young Anna Kendrick memorably belting out the Company 11 o'clocker 'The Ladies Who Lunch' in addiiton to an unforgettable recreation of the original Michael Bennett-staged mini masterpiece from Promises, Promises, 'Turkey Lurkey Time' - plus some standout original tunes by the likes of Michael Gore and Lynn Ahrens, too - not to mention Stephen Sondheim himself appearing onscreen in a cameo role. Now, Graff himself promises at least one showstopper to match the ones in the first film, relaying, 'We're going to introduce some fabulous new additions,...
- 6/17/2015
- by Pat Cerasaro
- BroadwayWorld.com
"It's important to think. It's what separates us from lentils." --Richard Lagravanese, The Fisher King
He did it the hard way, like David battling Goliath this past Valentine's Day. Yes, Richard Lagravanese's latest effort, The Last Five Years, a romantic musical of sorts with next to no spoken dialogue, opened against the whip-wielding Fifty Shades of Grey, a syrupy soft core melodrama with perhaps too much dialogue.
The battle's result so far, at least as of this past Monday: $137,945 versus a worldwide take of $485,791,785. Well, at least David got the better reviews.
Yes, Richard Lagravanese, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of such acclaimed titles as The Fisher King, Behind the Candelabra, The Bridges of Madison County, and Unbroken, which he co-wrote with the Coen Brothers, and the intermittent director of such fare as Living Out Loud and Freedom Writers, is a survivor of numerous Hollywood battles, many won, some lost. Beloved, for example,...
He did it the hard way, like David battling Goliath this past Valentine's Day. Yes, Richard Lagravanese's latest effort, The Last Five Years, a romantic musical of sorts with next to no spoken dialogue, opened against the whip-wielding Fifty Shades of Grey, a syrupy soft core melodrama with perhaps too much dialogue.
The battle's result so far, at least as of this past Monday: $137,945 versus a worldwide take of $485,791,785. Well, at least David got the better reviews.
Yes, Richard Lagravanese, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of such acclaimed titles as The Fisher King, Behind the Candelabra, The Bridges of Madison County, and Unbroken, which he co-wrote with the Coen Brothers, and the intermittent director of such fare as Living Out Loud and Freedom Writers, is a survivor of numerous Hollywood battles, many won, some lost. Beloved, for example,...
- 3/3/2015
- by Brandon Judell
- www.culturecatch.com
From his psychological thriller to Spider-Man to Battle Angel, here's a look at the James Cameron-directed projects that never happened...
In the summer of 1977, James Cameron, like lots of other people that year, went to the cinema and watched Star Wars. But unlike so many others, Cameron didn't feel elation as the room went dark and the first space ship soared overhead - he felt a shiver of mild panic.
"My reaction to it was not, 'Oh, wow, that's cool. I want to see more,'" he later recalled. "It was, 'Oh wow, I better get off my butt because somebody is doing this stuff, you know, and they're beating me to it.'"
Within one year, the 24-year-old Cameron had borrowed some money from a consortium of dentists looking for a tax break, and with it, made the short film Xenogenesis. That film and its title (which could...
In the summer of 1977, James Cameron, like lots of other people that year, went to the cinema and watched Star Wars. But unlike so many others, Cameron didn't feel elation as the room went dark and the first space ship soared overhead - he felt a shiver of mild panic.
"My reaction to it was not, 'Oh, wow, that's cool. I want to see more,'" he later recalled. "It was, 'Oh wow, I better get off my butt because somebody is doing this stuff, you know, and they're beating me to it.'"
Within one year, the 24-year-old Cameron had borrowed some money from a consortium of dentists looking for a tax break, and with it, made the short film Xenogenesis. That film and its title (which could...
- 2/3/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
The CW is getting into the music industry. The network is teaming with uber-producer Scooter Braun and Tony nominee Todd Graff to develop a music drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The untitled entry, which has received a script commitment, is set in the ever-evolving world of music, entertainment and social media. It chronicles the rise of Gary Graham, a brilliant young manager with the talent and ambition to shake up the industry, which is a world gone viral: where stars are minted overnight, relationships are constantly tested and careers can be made or crushed with one perfectly
read more...
read more...
- 12/22/2014
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
54 Below just welcomed a part of its December line-up for a special performance preview, including Tony Award-winner Randy Graff, Tony nominee Todd Graff, and Nikka Graff Lanzarone from 'The Graff Family Holiday Special' running 1214 amp 16 Tony-nominated song-writing team Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire running 1217 Tony nominee Euan Morton running 1212 and Chip Zien running 125 amp 11. Check out photos from the previews below...
- 11/21/2013
- by Jennifer Broski
- BroadwayWorld.com
Lucky Monkey Pictures and Sh-k-Boom Records announced today Academy Award-and Tony Award nominated actress Anna Kendrick and Tony Award and Grammy Award nominated Jeremy Jordan (“Smash,” “Joyful Noise”) will star in the film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown’s acclaimed musical The Last 5 Years to be written and directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Lagravenese.
Lauren Versel, Kurt Deutsch, Richard Lagravenese and Janet Brenner will produce. Steve Norman will Co Produce. Steven Meizler, who has worked extensively with Steven Spielberg, David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh, is the Director of Photography. The film begins shooting this week in New York City. CAA will handle domestic sales, with Brian O’Shea and Nat McCormick handling international sales for The Exchange.
The Last 5 Years is a musical love story for a new generation. Told through emotionally powerful and comic songs from their individual perspectives, “The Last 5 Years” is a deconstruction...
Lauren Versel, Kurt Deutsch, Richard Lagravenese and Janet Brenner will produce. Steve Norman will Co Produce. Steven Meizler, who has worked extensively with Steven Spielberg, David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh, is the Director of Photography. The film begins shooting this week in New York City. CAA will handle domestic sales, with Brian O’Shea and Nat McCormick handling international sales for The Exchange.
The Last 5 Years is a musical love story for a new generation. Told through emotionally powerful and comic songs from their individual perspectives, “The Last 5 Years” is a deconstruction...
- 6/20/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Even though a two-hour biopic about Marvin Gaye.s life probably wouldn.t hold a soul-and-cocaine-fueled candle to the roller coaster that was Gaye.s private life, it.s still a highly anticipated project that has been through all sorts of developmental hell. But like the man says, let.s get together and get our hopes up once again. Deadline is reporting through the grapevine that Jesse L. Martin will suavely step into the role of Gaye in Sexual Healing, to be directed by Julien Temple, well-known for a career full of documentaries. Martin is best known for his work as Det. Ed Green on Law & Order, though he.s recently appeared in Todd Graff.s musical Joyful Noise with Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, as well as the Chris Evans-led drama Puncture. He.d actually been attached to the project back in 2008, when James Gandolfini was producing. Sadly...
- 3/5/2013
- cinemablend.com
The townspeople of Pacashau, Georgia, are struggling. The recession has hit this once vibrant community hard, employment is scarce and spirits are low. The Sacred Divinity Church Choir is the still-beating heart of this beaten-down town and now, with a place at the National Joyful Noise Competition, they have the opportunity to break its losing streak at last.
Cosmetically-tweaked country gal G.G.Sparrow intends to shake a little soul back into the staid and traditional singing group and her rebellious grandson is following right in her footsteps. New choir director Vi Rose Hill has a beautiful daughter with the vocal skill and the passion to take the troupe all the way to the top but sparks between the talented teens threaten to ignite a war between the old guard and the new. Can there ever be harmony in Pacashau again?
Oscar nominees Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton share top...
Cosmetically-tweaked country gal G.G.Sparrow intends to shake a little soul back into the staid and traditional singing group and her rebellious grandson is following right in her footsteps. New choir director Vi Rose Hill has a beautiful daughter with the vocal skill and the passion to take the troupe all the way to the top but sparks between the talented teens threaten to ignite a war between the old guard and the new. Can there ever be harmony in Pacashau again?
Oscar nominees Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton share top...
- 11/7/2012
- by Emily Breen
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Benedict Cumberbatch ("War Horse," "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," "Atonement") has signed on to play Brian Epstein in a biopic about the Beatles' longtime manager. Paul McGuigan, who's directed Cumberbatch in a number of "Sherlock" episodes, will helm the Epstein project. The film is from a script by Todd Graff, focusing on Epstein's tumultuous personal life of gambling and drug addiction, set against the backdrop of history's biggest pop culture mania. Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman of Playtone will produce. No word yet on a title, but it won't be "The Fifth Beatle," as that's already taken for another Epstein project in the works, a film adaptation from Vivek J. Tiwary of the graphic novel. (That project reportedly already has some music rights secured -- a coup.) Fitting that Cumberbatch would sign on for a project related to the Beatles, as the actor has proven to be a phenomenon in his own right,...
- 11/1/2012
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
What is Casting Couch? It’s where Hollywood moms come every day to find out if their actor kids have gotten a job. Remember that movie about the day JFK got shot that Tom Hanks was putting together because these days he’s such a history loving, lame dad? It’s called Parkland, and it just put together an awesome cast. According to Collider, director Vincent Bugliosi has signed the terrific trio of Paul Giamatti, Jackie Weaver, and Billy Boy Thornton to headline the cast. There’s no word on what characters they’ll be playing, but my guess is Giamatti will be JFK, Thornton will be Jackie O, and Weaver will be Lee Harvey Oswald. Makes sense, no? Not only is Benedict Cumberbatch awesome in the BBC’s preemptive Elementary ripoff, Sherlock, he also has the most fun name to say in the entire world. Benedict Cumberbatch. So it’s with great joy we report that...
- 11/1/2012
- by Nathan Adams
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Somebody tell Benedict Cumberbatch that all he needs is love.
According to THR, the Sherlock star and up-and-coming actor is set to play Beatles manager Brian Epstein in a biopic about his life. Todd Graff wrote the script, which THR describes as follows:
Sometimes called the 'fifth Beatle,' Epstein signed the band in 1961 -- before Beatlemania hit -- and died in 1967 from an accidental drug overdose. He was a closet homosexual and suffered from gambling and drug addictions -- and was many times the glue that held the band together. The producers describe the project as the story of “the man who threw the biggest party of the 1960s but ultimately forgot to invite himself.
Tom Hanks is getting back in the music game after writing, starring in, and directing That Thing You Do! by producing this film, which is currently untitled, and the project will reunite Cumberbatch with...
According to THR, the Sherlock star and up-and-coming actor is set to play Beatles manager Brian Epstein in a biopic about his life. Todd Graff wrote the script, which THR describes as follows:
Sometimes called the 'fifth Beatle,' Epstein signed the band in 1961 -- before Beatlemania hit -- and died in 1967 from an accidental drug overdose. He was a closet homosexual and suffered from gambling and drug addictions -- and was many times the glue that held the band together. The producers describe the project as the story of “the man who threw the biggest party of the 1960s but ultimately forgot to invite himself.
Tom Hanks is getting back in the music game after writing, starring in, and directing That Thing You Do! by producing this film, which is currently untitled, and the project will reunite Cumberbatch with...
- 11/1/2012
- by Ben Pearson
- GeekTyrant
"Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch and director Paul McGuigan are re-teaming for a biopic about The Beatles' iconic manager Brian Epstein for Playtone.
The story will not deal with the band but Epstein himself, a closeted gay gambler and addict who signed the band in 1961. He was also a brilliant visionary who helped guide them to international stardom.
Epstein died in 1967, at the age of 32, from an accidental drug overdose. Todd Graff penned the screenplay for this feature. Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Simon Halfon are producing.
Source: THR...
The story will not deal with the band but Epstein himself, a closeted gay gambler and addict who signed the band in 1961. He was also a brilliant visionary who helped guide them to international stardom.
Epstein died in 1967, at the age of 32, from an accidental drug overdose. Todd Graff penned the screenplay for this feature. Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Simon Halfon are producing.
Source: THR...
- 11/1/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
• Benedict Cumberbatch (or, as I’ve unadvisedly taken to calling him, Benny Batch) will star in an untitled biopic about Brian Epstein, the troubled manager for the Beatles, a closeted gay man who died in 1967 from an accidental overdose. Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are producing the film, which will be helmed by Paul McGuigan (a frequent director of Cumberbatch’s acclaimed BBC series Sherlock). Todd Graff (Joyful Noise, Bandslam) penned the script. #BennyBatch #MakeItHappen [THR]
• Yes: Christoph Waltz is in talks to star in the sequel to The Muppets, as an Interpol inspector. While star Jason Segel won’t reprise his role,...
• Yes: Christoph Waltz is in talks to star in the sequel to The Muppets, as an Interpol inspector. While star Jason Segel won’t reprise his role,...
- 11/1/2012
- by Adam B. Vary
- EW - Inside Movies
The iconic true story of Brian Epstein, the troubled first manager of The Fab Four, is so rife with drama that it's hard to believe it's taken this long to get the biopic treatment.
The Hollywood Reporter announced today that Benedict Cumberbatch, who took top spot on our recent Brits on the Brink list, and his "Sherlock" director Paul McGuigan will be teaming up with producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and Simon Halfon to bring screenwriter Todd Graff's look at the "Fifth Beatle" to the big screen.
The Hollywood Reporter announced today that Benedict Cumberbatch, who took top spot on our recent Brits on the Brink list, and his "Sherlock" director Paul McGuigan will be teaming up with producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and Simon Halfon to bring screenwriter Todd Graff's look at the "Fifth Beatle" to the big screen.
- 10/31/2012
- by Emma Badame
- Cineplex
Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody. Help! I really need Benedict Cumberbatch to play Brian Epstein . longtime manager of The Beatles . in a planned biopic. Thankfully, Tom Hanks agrees with the casting, for Cumberbatch has been hired to play Epstein in a Hanks-produced movie that.s making strides toward production, THR reports. Paul McGuigan, who helmed episodes of Cumberbatch.s Sherlock for the BBC, will direct the picture, which will be produced under Hanks' Playtone label. The trade says that it will tell the story of Epstein rather than being a Beatles story told through the manager.s point of view. Todd Graff penned the movie.s screenplay and Hanks will co-produce with Gary Goetzman. So many threads are at play. Hanks, of course, directed his own ode to Beatlemania with the winning comedy That Thing You Do!, making his directorial debut. But Graff.s storyline reportedly will...
- 10/31/2012
- cinemablend.com
Brian Epstein is an odd choice for a biopic, you say? You’re not sure about a Brian Epstein biopic, to be perfectly honest?
Well, Tom Hanks doesn’t agree with you, and he probably knows a bit more about the movies given that he’s been in the business as an actor and producer for, what, thirty years? And a busy producer at that, it seems, given that Hanks recently announced he’s working on a Jkf movie and now he’s working on this one, too, with Benedict Cumberbatch set to star as the infamous Beatles manager. Yes, that’s his real name.
For those of you who are shrugging and saying, “Why not give the Beatles their own bloody biopic?”, you might like to know that Epstein was a rather interesting figure in his own right: he was a closet homosexual, drug addict, 60s swinger and all-round character.
Well, Tom Hanks doesn’t agree with you, and he probably knows a bit more about the movies given that he’s been in the business as an actor and producer for, what, thirty years? And a busy producer at that, it seems, given that Hanks recently announced he’s working on a Jkf movie and now he’s working on this one, too, with Benedict Cumberbatch set to star as the infamous Beatles manager. Yes, that’s his real name.
For those of you who are shrugging and saying, “Why not give the Beatles their own bloody biopic?”, you might like to know that Epstein was a rather interesting figure in his own right: he was a closet homosexual, drug addict, 60s swinger and all-round character.
- 10/31/2012
- by T.J. Barnard
- We Got This Covered
For years, people have been developing films about the so-called “fifth Beatle.” No, not Stuart Sutcliffe: manager Brian Epstein. Now director Paul McGuigan has recruited his Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch to play the iconic music maestro.Todd Graff is responsible for the script, which will focus more on Epstein than the Beatles, including his troubled personal life of gambling and drug addictions, his closeted lifestyle and the contradiction between his private world and the Beatlemania that grew around his most famous clients.According to Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, who are producing the film with their Playtone company, the script will aim to tell the story of “the man who threw the biggest party of the 1960s but ultimately forgot to invite himself.”Cumberbatch seems like a solid shout as he bears a slight resemblance to Epstein and also has the chops to make the role work. He’ll...
- 10/31/2012
- EmpireOnline
Who would have thought that a 36-year-old British actor, mainly seen in ‘stuffed-shirt’ roles on film and TV throughout the last decade, would go boom with 2010 reinvention of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes tale!
Yes, I’m talking about Benedict Cumberbatch, who went from “zero (figuratively, of course) to having his own ‘Cumberbitches’ fan-army” and a neck-full schedule for couple of years in advance – we’ve seen him in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Parade’s End, we’ll hear him in The Hobbit as Smaug, and we’ll see him in Star Trek Into Darkness, Twelve Years a Slave and August: Osage County.
Also, there is talk (and we reported earlier) that he might land a role of Julian Assange in a biopic, and now he’s signed on to play the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein in a new biopic, which will be scripted by Todd Graff.
The...
Yes, I’m talking about Benedict Cumberbatch, who went from “zero (figuratively, of course) to having his own ‘Cumberbitches’ fan-army” and a neck-full schedule for couple of years in advance – we’ve seen him in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Parade’s End, we’ll hear him in The Hobbit as Smaug, and we’ll see him in Star Trek Into Darkness, Twelve Years a Slave and August: Osage County.
Also, there is talk (and we reported earlier) that he might land a role of Julian Assange in a biopic, and now he’s signed on to play the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein in a new biopic, which will be scripted by Todd Graff.
The...
- 10/31/2012
- by Vesna Sunrider
- Filmofilia
Benedict Cumberbatch and his Sherlock director Paul McGuigan are teaming up for a biopic about Brian Epstein, the iconic manager of The Beatles. Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are producing via their Playtone banner along with Simon Halfon.
Todd Graff wrote the screenplay, whose focus is not a story about The Beatles from Epstein’s point of view, but the story of Epstein himself. Sometimes called the "fifth Beatle," Epstein signed the band in 1961 -- before Beatlemania hit -- and died in 1967 from an accidental drug overdose. He
read more...
Todd Graff wrote the screenplay, whose focus is not a story about The Beatles from Epstein’s point of view, but the story of Epstein himself. Sometimes called the "fifth Beatle," Epstein signed the band in 1961 -- before Beatlemania hit -- and died in 1967 from an accidental drug overdose. He
read more...
- 10/31/2012
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. — It's a glorious late summer day in the Catskills Mountains, perfect for a nice dip in the water. But the large, inviting swimming pool at one sleep-away camp is untouched.
This is Stagedoor Manor, where days and nights are spent furiously learning dialogue, taking classes on stagecraft, tackling show tunes and practicing choreography, not lounging about. By summer's end, 867 campers will have starred in some 40 full-scale productions.
It's a place where campers in "Jersey Boys" T-shirts ask each other: "How many pairs of fishnets did you bring?" Or are overheard wondering, "Do we have Makeup and then lunch, or lunch and then Makeup?" On bus trips to the movies or the mall, they are known to proudly sing Stephen Sondheim's "The Ladies Who Lunch" instead of "99 Bottles of Beer."
"Nothing about this is normal," says Konnie Kittrell, the production director who is celebrating her 30th year at Stagedoor.
This is Stagedoor Manor, where days and nights are spent furiously learning dialogue, taking classes on stagecraft, tackling show tunes and practicing choreography, not lounging about. By summer's end, 867 campers will have starred in some 40 full-scale productions.
It's a place where campers in "Jersey Boys" T-shirts ask each other: "How many pairs of fishnets did you bring?" Or are overheard wondering, "Do we have Makeup and then lunch, or lunch and then Makeup?" On bus trips to the movies or the mall, they are known to proudly sing Stephen Sondheim's "The Ladies Who Lunch" instead of "99 Bottles of Beer."
"Nothing about this is normal," says Konnie Kittrell, the production director who is celebrating her 30th year at Stagedoor.
- 8/23/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Dark Horse (15)
(Todd Solondz, 2011, Us) Selma Blair, Jordan Gelber, Christopher Walken, Mia Farrow, Justin Bartha, Zachary Booth. 86 mins
Trust Todd Solondz to give us the flipside of movie man-childhood. There's nothing funny or adorable about 35-year-old Abe (Gelber), who lives with his parents, collects action figures and has no idea of his own uselessness. He meets his match (sort of) in the virtually comatose Blair, and what ensues is a romcom that's neither romantic nor comical, but beneath the misanthropy lurks some kind of compassion.
Killer Joe (18)
(William Friedkin, 2011, Us) Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple. 102 mins
Curdling Texan noir and melodrama in a bizarre, curiously fascinating thriller.
The King Of Devil's Island (12A)
(Marius Holst, 2010, Nor/Fra/Swe/Pol) Stellan Skarsgård, Benjamin Helstad. 116 mins
Prison thriller set on a 1950s Norwegian borstal island.
Storage 24 (15)
(Johannes Roberts, 2012, UK) Noel Clarke, Colin O'Donoghue. 87 mins
Minimal sci-fi thriller set in a London storage unit.
(Todd Solondz, 2011, Us) Selma Blair, Jordan Gelber, Christopher Walken, Mia Farrow, Justin Bartha, Zachary Booth. 86 mins
Trust Todd Solondz to give us the flipside of movie man-childhood. There's nothing funny or adorable about 35-year-old Abe (Gelber), who lives with his parents, collects action figures and has no idea of his own uselessness. He meets his match (sort of) in the virtually comatose Blair, and what ensues is a romcom that's neither romantic nor comical, but beneath the misanthropy lurks some kind of compassion.
Killer Joe (18)
(William Friedkin, 2011, Us) Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple. 102 mins
Curdling Texan noir and melodrama in a bizarre, curiously fascinating thriller.
The King Of Devil's Island (12A)
(Marius Holst, 2010, Nor/Fra/Swe/Pol) Stellan Skarsgård, Benjamin Helstad. 116 mins
Prison thriller set on a 1950s Norwegian borstal island.
Storage 24 (15)
(Johannes Roberts, 2012, UK) Noel Clarke, Colin O'Donoghue. 87 mins
Minimal sci-fi thriller set in a London storage unit.
- 6/29/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
This Georgia-set diva duel sees Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton battle for the hearts and larynxs of a gospel choir
They say strange things in this Georgia-set diva duel over the hearts and larynxs of a gospel choir. "There's always free cheese in the mousetrap," says Queen Latifah, "but trust me: the mice there ain't happy." "Trying to fool me is like trying to sneak sunrise past a rooster," says Dolly Parton. Gradually the homilies become more complex, the references – square eggs, cakes of baby – more oblique and the women work out they're not so different after all. Todd Graff's film sags badly in the middle and is clunky with social context (recession, Asperger's), but there's enough good heart to see you through. Kris Kristofferson dies early on then returns as the world's most brightly lit ghost.
Rating: 3/5
Dolly PartonKris KristoffersonDramaCatherine Shoard
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies.
They say strange things in this Georgia-set diva duel over the hearts and larynxs of a gospel choir. "There's always free cheese in the mousetrap," says Queen Latifah, "but trust me: the mice there ain't happy." "Trying to fool me is like trying to sneak sunrise past a rooster," says Dolly Parton. Gradually the homilies become more complex, the references – square eggs, cakes of baby – more oblique and the women work out they're not so different after all. Todd Graff's film sags badly in the middle and is clunky with social context (recession, Asperger's), but there's enough good heart to see you through. Kris Kristofferson dies early on then returns as the world's most brightly lit ghost.
Rating: 3/5
Dolly PartonKris KristoffersonDramaCatherine Shoard
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies.
- 6/28/2012
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
The promise of a musical number with Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah in it may cause some to stuff cheese in their ears and run for the proverbial hills for cover. Others may welcome the idea as a chance for some vocal chemistry and sparkle on screen. Add in the gospel-singing aspect, and there should be a lot to rejoice about with writer-director Todd Graff’s Joyful Noise. True, a good-natured Parton smile can lighten up the dullest of moments, but after that magic is all used up, Graff’s new film has very little cinematic substance, apart from a good toe-tapping tune or two, and feels like a monumental rip-off of Sister Act proportions.
Set in austerity-hit, small-town Georgia, after the sudden death of choir master Bernard Sparrow (Kris Kristofferson), his glamorous and cantankerous wife G.G (Parton) and her choir nemesis, the fiercely independent Vi Rose Hill (Latifah...
Set in austerity-hit, small-town Georgia, after the sudden death of choir master Bernard Sparrow (Kris Kristofferson), his glamorous and cantankerous wife G.G (Parton) and her choir nemesis, the fiercely independent Vi Rose Hill (Latifah...
- 6/28/2012
- by Lisa Giles-Keddie
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
It’s fruitless denying that there is an audience for a film like Joyful Noise, and with its pairing of Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah in a gospel-themed grudge match, it even might seem to have a little potential. However, with songs wrapped around an insultingly diminutive story – one which somehow manages to run close to two hours – it proves torturous to all but the most ardent fans of the artists involved.
Kris Kristofferson had the right idea; he enters and exits the film within a 3-minute period, playing the late husband of church benefactor G.G. Sparrow (Parton). Upon his death, he leaves the position of choir director vacant, and so it is awarded to long-time second-in-command Vi Rose Hill (Latifa), much to G.G.’s chagrin. However, when the National Gospel Competition looms, the two must try and pool their efforts for the collective good, for...
It’s fruitless denying that there is an audience for a film like Joyful Noise, and with its pairing of Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah in a gospel-themed grudge match, it even might seem to have a little potential. However, with songs wrapped around an insultingly diminutive story – one which somehow manages to run close to two hours – it proves torturous to all but the most ardent fans of the artists involved.
Kris Kristofferson had the right idea; he enters and exits the film within a 3-minute period, playing the late husband of church benefactor G.G. Sparrow (Parton). Upon his death, he leaves the position of choir director vacant, and so it is awarded to long-time second-in-command Vi Rose Hill (Latifa), much to G.G.’s chagrin. However, when the National Gospel Competition looms, the two must try and pool their efforts for the collective good, for...
- 6/26/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
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