Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. Lionsgate releases the film in theaters and on VOD and digital on Friday, August 4.
Orson (Jon Hamm) is an upwardly mobile corporate drone who suffers from Main Character Syndrome in a Kafkaesque work environment, his arrogance so vigorously rubbing against his anonymity that the friction created between those two forces is almost powerful enough to sustain the ultra-droll office satire that “Corner Office” constructs around it. Adapted from Jonas Karlsson’s lightly surreal (but extremely Scandinavian) novella, “The Room,” Joachim Back’s feature-length debut promotes a typical skewering of corporate drudgery with the hint of a curious new twist.
Whereas stories about paper-pushing worker drones have been done to death — to the point that Back’s film can seem perversely familiar when it isn’t futzing with the blueprints of reality — the human cog at the center...
Orson (Jon Hamm) is an upwardly mobile corporate drone who suffers from Main Character Syndrome in a Kafkaesque work environment, his arrogance so vigorously rubbing against his anonymity that the friction created between those two forces is almost powerful enough to sustain the ultra-droll office satire that “Corner Office” constructs around it. Adapted from Jonas Karlsson’s lightly surreal (but extremely Scandinavian) novella, “The Room,” Joachim Back’s feature-length debut promotes a typical skewering of corporate drudgery with the hint of a curious new twist.
Whereas stories about paper-pushing worker drones have been done to death — to the point that Back’s film can seem perversely familiar when it isn’t futzing with the blueprints of reality — the human cog at the center...
- 6/10/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
In “Mad Men,” Jon Hamm had his corner office: the room with a view, overlooking Madison Avenue, where Don Draper could work, drink and brainstorm in peace. Maybe that’s why the actor was drawn to playing a lowly paper-pusher with a bad mustache and big dreams of occupying such a space in “Corner Office,” a low-key, screw-loose workplace satire that offers audiences a side of Hamm they’ve never seen before — and might not be in such a hurry to experience again, unless the toil-from-home blues of the pandemic have made them receptive to the call of cubicle life.
Premiering at the Tribeca Festival, “Corner Office” is director Joachim Back’s slightly taxing cinematic take on “The Room,” a slender novel by Swedish actor-cum-author Jonas Karlsson, unread by me, that bills itself as “a short, sharp and fiendish fable in the tradition of Franz Kafka, Samuel Beckett and Charlie Kauffman.
Premiering at the Tribeca Festival, “Corner Office” is director Joachim Back’s slightly taxing cinematic take on “The Room,” a slender novel by Swedish actor-cum-author Jonas Karlsson, unread by me, that bills itself as “a short, sharp and fiendish fable in the tradition of Franz Kafka, Samuel Beckett and Charlie Kauffman.
- 6/10/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Adrian Glynn McMorran, Magda Apanowicz, John Cassini, Aleks Paunovic, Frank Cassini, Bill Marchant | Written by Tony Dean Smith, Ryan W. Smith | Directed by Tony Dean Smith
Less all-out horror and more a sci-fi thriller, Volition tells the story of James, who sees his mother die in a car crash in a vision two days before it actually happens. Unable to stop it because no-one will believe him, twenty-odd years later he has come out of the foster care system struggling with life because he knows everything is predestined. He then sees his own death and follows a path that he hopes will stop it.
Volition manages to have an interesting, captivating and detailed story that could easily get really confusing but because of how well the film is edited and made, is surprisingly easy to follow. We head back and forth in time, always leading back to present day...
Less all-out horror and more a sci-fi thriller, Volition tells the story of James, who sees his mother die in a car crash in a vision two days before it actually happens. Unable to stop it because no-one will believe him, twenty-odd years later he has come out of the foster care system struggling with life because he knows everything is predestined. He then sees his own death and follows a path that he hopes will stop it.
Volition manages to have an interesting, captivating and detailed story that could easily get really confusing but because of how well the film is edited and made, is surprisingly easy to follow. We head back and forth in time, always leading back to present day...
- 3/2/2021
- by Alain Elliott
- Nerdly
After witnessing his own murder in the future, a clairvoyant man has no choice but to change his destiny in the new sci-fi thriller Volition. With the film out now on Apple TV, Prime Video, and other Digital platforms via Giant Pictures, we caught up with co-writer/director/co-producer Tony Dean Smith and co-writer/producer Ryan W. Smith in a new Q&a feature to discuss how real-life epiphanies shaped the movie's story, filming grueling night shoots in Vancouver, and collaborating with friends and family to make their movie a reality.
Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us, and congratulations on Volition! How and when did you come up with the idea for this film?
Tony Dean Smith: The kernel for Volition came to me in film school. Back then it was a short film about a scientist who was always late, but who then stumbles upon...
Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us, and congratulations on Volition! How and when did you come up with the idea for this film?
Tony Dean Smith: The kernel for Volition came to me in film school. Back then it was a short film about a scientist who was always late, but who then stumbles upon...
- 7/10/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Snarled loops of time travel have proved a surprisingly versatile and rewarding fantasy-cinema trope in recent years, from the big-budget likes of “Edge of Tomorrow” to such enterprising indies as “Predestination,” not to mention comedies (“Palm Springs”), horror (“Happy Death Day”), romance (“Before I Fall”) and more. “Volition” makes a worthy addition to that roster: . Tony Dean Smith’s clever thriller lands July 10 on digital platforms and available theater screens, where it should continue to be as well-received by sci-fi fans as it has been on the genre-festival circuit.
Living above an auto shop, lagging on rent, his appearance an unpromising cross between aging hipster and Ratso Rizzo, James aka Jimmy (Adrian Glynn McMorran) exudes a scraping-by vibe unimproved by his landlord’s eviction threats. If he feels like he’s “stuck watching the rerun” of his own life, that turns out to be for very good reason. Before we quite suss why,...
Living above an auto shop, lagging on rent, his appearance an unpromising cross between aging hipster and Ratso Rizzo, James aka Jimmy (Adrian Glynn McMorran) exudes a scraping-by vibe unimproved by his landlord’s eviction threats. If he feels like he’s “stuck watching the rerun” of his own life, that turns out to be for very good reason. Before we quite suss why,...
- 7/10/2020
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Title: Volition In Theaters: July 10, 2020 Available Apple TV, Prime Video & Other Digital Platforms: July 10, 2020 Director: Tony Dean Smith Writers: Tony Dean Smith & Ryan W. Smith Cast: Adrian Glynn McMorran, Magda Apanowicz, John Cassini, Frank Cassini, Aleks Paunovic, Bill Marchant Synopsis: In this time-bending cerebral science-fiction thriller, a man afflicted …
The post Volition – First Look Poster and Trailer appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.
The post Volition – First Look Poster and Trailer appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.
- 6/15/2020
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
Presents Volition Available Apple TV, Prime Video & Other Digital Platforms: July 10, 2020 **Please note this film is available to pre-buy on Apple.com** apple.co/2XvzKBr Adrian Glynn McMorran, Magda Apanowicz, John Cassini, Frank Cassini, Aleks Paunovic, Bill Marchant A man afflicted with clairvoyance tries to change his fate when a series of events leads to …
The post **Official Trailer and Poster** Volition Releasing July 10, 2020 appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.
The post **Official Trailer and Poster** Volition Releasing July 10, 2020 appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.
- 5/30/2020
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
"Maybe it's time you learn the truth about your condition." Giant Pictures has debuted an official trailer for an indie sci-fi thriller titled Volition, which won the Best Feature award at the Philip K. Dick Film Festival last year. The word "volition" means "a choice or decision made by the will"; making the choice for yourself. The film is about a man afflicted with clairvoyance who tries to change his fate when a series of events leads to a vision of his own imminent murder. An interesting twist. It's described as a "tightly-wound puzzle of a ride", and a "mind-bending science-fiction thriller, where the line between fate and free-will blurs." Starring Adrian Glynn McMorran, Magda Apanowicz, John Cassini, Frank Cassini, Aleks Paunovic, and Bill Marchant. Not really sure what to make of this from this trailer, there's a lot going on but not a lot of it makes sense at first.
- 5/28/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A man afflicted with clairvoyance tries to change his fate when a series of events leads to a vision of his own imminent murder in Volition. Check out the trailer:
From the Smith Brothers and Director Tony Dean Smith comes Volition — a mind-bending science-fiction thriller, where the line between fate and free-will blurs.
When you know your world is predetermined, it’s hard to care about your choices. This is true for James Odin. On a rain-soaked night in 1991, two cars collide, leaving all drivers dead on the scene, including the mother of the lone survivor — a child — James Odin. It’s a tragedy. But what’s more tragic is that seven-year-old James foresaw the accident happening two months prior. He tried to prevent it, but who’s going to believe a kid who claims to see the future? Twenty-plus years later, James is a product of the failed foster care system.
From the Smith Brothers and Director Tony Dean Smith comes Volition — a mind-bending science-fiction thriller, where the line between fate and free-will blurs.
When you know your world is predetermined, it’s hard to care about your choices. This is true for James Odin. On a rain-soaked night in 1991, two cars collide, leaving all drivers dead on the scene, including the mother of the lone survivor — a child — James Odin. It’s a tragedy. But what’s more tragic is that seven-year-old James foresaw the accident happening two months prior. He tried to prevent it, but who’s going to believe a kid who claims to see the future? Twenty-plus years later, James is a product of the failed foster care system.
- 5/28/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
When a man foresees his own murder, he tries to change the future in the new sci-fi thriller Volition. After winning the best feature award at the Philip K. Dick Film Festival, Volition has been acquired by Giant Pictures for U.S. distribution, with a July 10th release scheduled for Apple TV, Prime Video, and additional digital platforms.
Press Release: Los Angeles, May 5, 2020 – Giant Pictures has acquired the U.S. rights to the sci-fi/thriller Volition. The film will be released in theaters, on Apple TV, Prime Video and other Digital Platforms on July 10, 2020.
Volition is the feature directorial debut for Tony Dean Smith (Rakka), who co-wrote the script with his brother and producing partner Ryan W. Smith (Next Gen). The film stars Adrian Glynn McMorran (The Revenant), Magda Apanowicz (You), John Cassini (The Possession), Frank Cassini (Watchmen), Aleks Paunovic (War for the Planet of the Apes), and Bill Marchant...
Press Release: Los Angeles, May 5, 2020 – Giant Pictures has acquired the U.S. rights to the sci-fi/thriller Volition. The film will be released in theaters, on Apple TV, Prime Video and other Digital Platforms on July 10, 2020.
Volition is the feature directorial debut for Tony Dean Smith (Rakka), who co-wrote the script with his brother and producing partner Ryan W. Smith (Next Gen). The film stars Adrian Glynn McMorran (The Revenant), Magda Apanowicz (You), John Cassini (The Possession), Frank Cassini (Watchmen), Aleks Paunovic (War for the Planet of the Apes), and Bill Marchant...
- 5/7/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
In today’s film news roundup, casting executives Deborah Aquila and Tricia Wood land at Paramount, sci-fi thriller “Volition” finds a home and Everlast Pictures launches in Los Angeles.
Casting Executives
Veteran casting executives Deborah Aquila and Tricia Wood have been hired as executive VPs of casting for Paramount Pictures and Paramount Television Studios.
The duo will act as one cohesive team, but Aquila will run point on TV, reporting to Nicole Clemens, president of Paramount Television Studios; Wood will run point for the film side, reporting to Wyck Godfrey, president of Paramount’s Motion Picture Group. Geraldine Leder, Paramount’s senior VP of sasting will report to Aquila, while VP of Casting Monika Mikkelsen has transitioned to a new role as the casting executive for Paramount Animation.
Wood and Aquila previously headed Aquila Wood Casting on behalf of Lionsgate. Aquila’s most recent films include Paramount’s “The Tomorrow War,...
Casting Executives
Veteran casting executives Deborah Aquila and Tricia Wood have been hired as executive VPs of casting for Paramount Pictures and Paramount Television Studios.
The duo will act as one cohesive team, but Aquila will run point on TV, reporting to Nicole Clemens, president of Paramount Television Studios; Wood will run point for the film side, reporting to Wyck Godfrey, president of Paramount’s Motion Picture Group. Geraldine Leder, Paramount’s senior VP of sasting will report to Aquila, while VP of Casting Monika Mikkelsen has transitioned to a new role as the casting executive for Paramount Animation.
Wood and Aquila previously headed Aquila Wood Casting on behalf of Lionsgate. Aquila’s most recent films include Paramount’s “The Tomorrow War,...
- 5/5/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Adrian Glynn McMorran, Magda Apanowicz, John Cassini, Aleks Paunovic, Frank Cassini, Bill Marchant | Written by Tony Dean Smith, Ryan W. Smith | Directed by Tony Dean Smith
Less all-out horror and more a sci-fi thriller, Volition still fits nicely alongside the rest of this year’s varied Frightfest line-up… James sees his mother die in a car crash in a vision two days before it actually happens. Unable to stop it because no-one will believe him, twenty-odd years later he has come out of the foster care system struggling with life because he knows everything is predestined. He then sees his own death and follows a path that he hopes will stop it.
Volition manages to have an interesting, captivating and detailed story that could easily get really confusing but because of how well the film is edited and made, is surprisingly easy to follow. We head back and forth in time,...
Less all-out horror and more a sci-fi thriller, Volition still fits nicely alongside the rest of this year’s varied Frightfest line-up… James sees his mother die in a car crash in a vision two days before it actually happens. Unable to stop it because no-one will believe him, twenty-odd years later he has come out of the foster care system struggling with life because he knows everything is predestined. He then sees his own death and follows a path that he hopes will stop it.
Volition manages to have an interesting, captivating and detailed story that could easily get really confusing but because of how well the film is edited and made, is surprisingly easy to follow. We head back and forth in time,...
- 8/25/2019
- by Alain Elliott
- Nerdly
Comedian/actor Tom Arnold is coming to "Psych" for Season 8 -- how will he fit into Gus and Shawn's world working with the Santa Barbara Police Department?
Paranormally, of course. Arnold has been cast as Garth Mathers, a paranormal police consultant for the Anchorage Police Department. He'll appear as a "ghost whisperer" of sorts in the seventh episode of the 10-episode season. Alongside him will be Bernie, his possibly-alcoholic sidekick.
The two have come to Santa Barbara to appear on a Cutting Edge Consultants panel hosted by Professor Stein (Bill Marchant), but they pitch in when murder most foul comes to town as well.
Arnold joins Mira Sorvino, Cary Elwes and Kristy Swanson on the list of guest stars appearing in Season 8. "Psych" returns to USA in 2014.
...
Paranormally, of course. Arnold has been cast as Garth Mathers, a paranormal police consultant for the Anchorage Police Department. He'll appear as a "ghost whisperer" of sorts in the seventh episode of the 10-episode season. Alongside him will be Bernie, his possibly-alcoholic sidekick.
The two have come to Santa Barbara to appear on a Cutting Edge Consultants panel hosted by Professor Stein (Bill Marchant), but they pitch in when murder most foul comes to town as well.
Arnold joins Mira Sorvino, Cary Elwes and Kristy Swanson on the list of guest stars appearing in Season 8. "Psych" returns to USA in 2014.
...
- 7/16/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Tom Arnold will guest star in Season 8 of USA Network‘s Psych. He’ll play the role of Garth Mathers, the paranormal police consultant for the Anchorage Police Department who comes to Santa Barbara with his trusty spirit sidekick Bernie to participate in the Cutting Edge Consultants panel hosted by Professor Stein (Bill Marchant), but when a murder occurs, they pitch in to solve the case. Arnold will join Oscar winner Mira Sorvino, who was recently tapped to do a multi-episode arc on the series. Arnold currently hosts My Big Redneck Wedding and recently had a recurring on FX’s Sons Of Anarchy. Psych is executive produced by Steve Franks, Kelly Kulchak and Chris Henze, from Universal Cable Prods in association with Tagline Pictures. Mel Damski serves as exec producer/director. Saladin K. Patterson, Andy Berman and Todd Harthan are co-exec producers/writers. Arnold is repped by Apa and Klwgn Entertainment.
- 7/16/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
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