Gregg Araki is set to direct Olivia Wilde in his next feature, Black Bear’s provocative thriller “I Want Your Sex.”
The film features an original script penned by Araki and Karley Sciortino which blithely explores desire, domination and fantasy.
When fresh-faced Elliot lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.
Arlie Day (“To Leslie”) and Mike Page (“The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry”) are casting the picture. The film will be produced by Seth Caplan, a past winner of the John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, alongside Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler.
The film features an original script penned by Araki and Karley Sciortino which blithely explores desire, domination and fantasy.
When fresh-faced Elliot lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.
Arlie Day (“To Leslie”) and Mike Page (“The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry”) are casting the picture. The film will be produced by Seth Caplan, a past winner of the John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, alongside Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler.
- 5/9/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
Olivia Wilde (Don’t Worry Darling) has signed on to star in I Want Your Sex, a new thriller from director Gregg Araki (Mysterious Skin) and Black Bear.
Blithely exploring desire, domination and fantasy, the film asks the question, how far is too far? When fresh-faced Elliot lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.
Written by Karley Sciortino & Araki, the film will be produced by Seth Caplan, as well as Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler. Exec producers include John Friedberg and Courtney L. Cunniff. Black Bear will also fully finance the picture...
Blithely exploring desire, domination and fantasy, the film asks the question, how far is too far? When fresh-faced Elliot lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.
Written by Karley Sciortino & Araki, the film will be produced by Seth Caplan, as well as Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler. Exec producers include John Friedberg and Courtney L. Cunniff. Black Bear will also fully finance the picture...
- 5/9/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Gregg Araki will direct Olivia Wilde in I Want Your Sex, an erotic thriller set in the art world which Black Bear is launching in Cannes next week.
The feature is based on a screenplay co-written by Karley Sciortino and Araki and is scheduled to start production in Los Angeles. Casting is underway.
A story of desire, domination and fantasy set against the art world, I Want Your Sex follows Elliot, who lands a job for renowned artist and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde) as her sexual muse.
However Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him...
The feature is based on a screenplay co-written by Karley Sciortino and Araki and is scheduled to start production in Los Angeles. Casting is underway.
A story of desire, domination and fantasy set against the art world, I Want Your Sex follows Elliot, who lands a job for renowned artist and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde) as her sexual muse.
However Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him...
- 5/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Christmas-themed slasher It’s a Wonderful Knife (read our review Here) received a theatrical release on November 10th, and in the build-up to that release we heard that the movie would eventually be streaming on the Shudder service as well. Now we know exactly when the movie is going to reach Shudder: December 1st. So it will be on there in time for viewings throughout the holiday season.
Coming our way from the team of Tragedy Girls director Tyler MacIntyre and Freaky screenwriter Michael Kennedy, the film has the following synopsis: Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back,...
Coming our way from the team of Tragedy Girls director Tyler MacIntyre and Freaky screenwriter Michael Kennedy, the film has the following synopsis: Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back,...
- 11/20/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
European territories have sold, in addition to the US, Middle East and Taiwan.
UK sales and production outfit Independent Entertainment has landed key territories for Christmas slasher It’s A Wonderful Knife.
The film has sold to Germany (Capelight), Italy (DNC) and Spain (Twelve Oaks); deals with France and Portugal are imminent. Tragedy Girls filmmaker Tyler MacIntyre directs the feature, which world premiered at LA’s Beyond Fest earlier in October.
Yellowjackets’ Jane Widdop stars in the lead role, as a teenager grappling with the aftermath a year on from saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve.
UK sales and production outfit Independent Entertainment has landed key territories for Christmas slasher It’s A Wonderful Knife.
The film has sold to Germany (Capelight), Italy (DNC) and Spain (Twelve Oaks); deals with France and Portugal are imminent. Tragedy Girls filmmaker Tyler MacIntyre directs the feature, which world premiered at LA’s Beyond Fest earlier in October.
Yellowjackets’ Jane Widdop stars in the lead role, as a teenager grappling with the aftermath a year on from saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve.
- 10/26/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
The Christmas-themed slasher It’s a Wonderful Knife is set to receive a theatrical release on November 10th, and today a poster has arrived online – you can check it out at the bottom of this article – along with the news that the movie has been given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association ratings board! It’s a Wonderful Knife earned its rating for “bloody violence, drug use and language“.
Coming our way from the team of Tragedy Girls director Tyler MacIntyre and Freaky screenwriter Michael Kennedy, the film has the following synopsis: Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back,...
Coming our way from the team of Tragedy Girls director Tyler MacIntyre and Freaky screenwriter Michael Kennedy, the film has the following synopsis: Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back,...
- 10/18/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Being a Christmas-themed slasher with a goofy title earns It’s a Wonderful Knife the honor of being one of my most highly anticipated horror releases of the year – and with the film’s November 10th theatrical release date just one month away, a trailer for It’s a Wonderful Knife has arrived online. You can watch it in the embed above.
Coming our way from the team of Tragedy Girls director Tyler MacIntyre and Freaky screenwriter Michael Kennedy, the film has the following synopsis: Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit...
Coming our way from the team of Tragedy Girls director Tyler MacIntyre and Freaky screenwriter Michael Kennedy, the film has the following synopsis: Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit...
- 10/5/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Earlier this year, we shared the news that Tragedy Girls director Tyler MacIntyre had teamed up with Freaky screenwriter Michael Kennedy for a Christmas slasher called It’s a Wonderful Knife, which had just wrapped production at the time. Now we know when audiences are going to have the chance to see the film. It’s a Wonderful Knife is set to have its world premiere at Beyond Fest on October 8th – then Rlje Films, which has acquired all English language territory rights to the film, will be giving it a theatrical release in the United States on November 10th.
It’s a Wonderful Knife will eventually be streaming on the Shudder service as well.
The film has the following synopsis: Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born,...
It’s a Wonderful Knife will eventually be streaming on the Shudder service as well.
The film has the following synopsis: Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born,...
- 9/26/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Rlje Films and Shudder have acquired rights for all English-language territories to It’s a Wonderful Knife, a horror film starring Jane Widdop (Yellowjackets), Joel McHale (Community) and Justin Long (Barbarian) that is set to make its world premiere at L.A.’s Beyond Fest October 8th.
Directed by Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls) from Michael Kennedy’s (Freaky) script, the film will be released only in theaters across the U.S. on November 10, becoming available for streaming on Shudder at a later date.
Billed as It’s a Wonderful Life by way of Scream, the pic centers on Winnie Carruther (Widdop), who saves her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve. A year later, her life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now, the killer is back,...
Directed by Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls) from Michael Kennedy’s (Freaky) script, the film will be released only in theaters across the U.S. on November 10, becoming available for streaming on Shudder at a later date.
Billed as It’s a Wonderful Life by way of Scream, the pic centers on Winnie Carruther (Widdop), who saves her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve. A year later, her life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now, the killer is back,...
- 9/26/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
We Are Still Here and Mohawk director Ted Geoghegan‘s supernatural horror film Brooklyn 45 is set to start streaming on both the Shudder and AMC+ services next month – on June 9th, to be exact – and today a trailer for the film has arrived online to start building the hype. You can check it out in the embed above.
Scripted by Geoghegan and his late father, a disabled Air Force Veteran-turned-history teacher, Brooklyn 45 has the following synopsis: Friday, December 27, 1945. Five military veterans gather in the ornate parlour of a Brooklyn brownstone. Best friends since childhood, they’ve reunited to support their troubled host – but when his invitation for cocktails turns into an impromptu séance, the metaphoric ghosts of their past become all-too-literal. Trapped in their host’s lounge, the Greatest Generation now finds themselves put to one final test…with their only route to freedom being more bloodshed.
The...
Scripted by Geoghegan and his late father, a disabled Air Force Veteran-turned-history teacher, Brooklyn 45 has the following synopsis: Friday, December 27, 1945. Five military veterans gather in the ornate parlour of a Brooklyn brownstone. Best friends since childhood, they’ve reunited to support their troubled host – but when his invitation for cocktails turns into an impromptu séance, the metaphoric ghosts of their past become all-too-literal. Trapped in their host’s lounge, the Greatest Generation now finds themselves put to one final test…with their only route to freedom being more bloodshed.
The...
- 5/17/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Tragedy Girls director Tyler MacIntyre has managed to get a Christmas slasher with the clever title It’s a Wonderful Knife through production without anyone noticing – and now that the film is in post-production, Deadline has broken the news that the film stars Jane Widdop (Yellowjackets), Joel McHale (Community), and Justin Long (Barbarian)!
Scripted by Freaky‘s Michael Kennedy, It’s a Wonderful Knife has the following synopsis: Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit to identify the killer and get back to her own reality.
Widdop plays Winnie Carruthers,...
Scripted by Freaky‘s Michael Kennedy, It’s a Wonderful Knife has the following synopsis: Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit to identify the killer and get back to her own reality.
Widdop plays Winnie Carruthers,...
- 4/28/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
From writer Michael Kennedy (Freaky) and director Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls) comes It’s a Wonderful Knife, an upcoming Christmas slasher announced today.
Independent Entertainment (My Policeman) is executive producing the Christmas movie, from producers Divide/Conquer (Freaky) and Seth Caplan (Brooklyn 45) and in association with Fourth Culture Films (The Reckoning). It will launch sales in Cannes, Bd has learned.
It’s a Wonderful Knife stars Jane Widdop (“Yellowjackets”) in the lead role of ‘Winnie Carruthers’, with Joel McHale (“Community”) set to play Winnie’s father ‘David’ and Justin Long (Barbarian) playing the town’s patron ‘Mr Waters’.
The story is set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much,...
Independent Entertainment (My Policeman) is executive producing the Christmas movie, from producers Divide/Conquer (Freaky) and Seth Caplan (Brooklyn 45) and in association with Fourth Culture Films (The Reckoning). It will launch sales in Cannes, Bd has learned.
It’s a Wonderful Knife stars Jane Widdop (“Yellowjackets”) in the lead role of ‘Winnie Carruthers’, with Joel McHale (“Community”) set to play Winnie’s father ‘David’ and Justin Long (Barbarian) playing the town’s patron ‘Mr Waters’.
The story is set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much,...
- 4/27/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Jane Widdop (Yellowjackets), Joel McHale (Community) and Justin Long (Barbarian) have been set to lead under-the-radar slasher horror It’s A Wonderful Knife, which is now in post-production.
Here’s the official synopsis: “Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit to identify the killer and get back to her own reality.” Below is a first look image from the movie.
Widdop, one of the young breakouts from Showtime’s hit series Yellowjackets, stars in the lead role of Winnie Carruthers. McHale plays Winnie’s father David and Long plays the town patron Mr Waters.
Here’s the official synopsis: “Set in idyllic Angel Falls. A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit to identify the killer and get back to her own reality.” Below is a first look image from the movie.
Widdop, one of the young breakouts from Showtime’s hit series Yellowjackets, stars in the lead role of Winnie Carruthers. McHale plays Winnie’s father David and Long plays the town patron Mr Waters.
- 4/27/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
About a year ago, we heard that We Are Still Here and Mohawk director Ted Geoghegan‘s supernatural horror film Brooklyn 45 had gone into production and would be released through the Shudder streaming service when it was ready to make its way out into the world. Brooklyn 45 has since been completed, but before it heads to Shudder it’s going to have its premiere at the SXSW film festival this Sunday, March 12th. Ahead of that premiere, a poster for Brooklyn 45 has arrived online and can be seen at the bottom of this article.
Scripted by Geoghegan and his late father, a disabled Air Force Veteran-turned-history teacher, Brooklyn 45 has the following synopsis: Friday, December 27, 1945. Five military veterans gather in the ornate parlour of a Brooklyn brownstone. Best friends since childhood, they’ve reunited to support their troubled host – but when his invitation for cocktails turns into an impromptu séance,...
Scripted by Geoghegan and his late father, a disabled Air Force Veteran-turned-history teacher, Brooklyn 45 has the following synopsis: Friday, December 27, 1945. Five military veterans gather in the ornate parlour of a Brooklyn brownstone. Best friends since childhood, they’ve reunited to support their troubled host – but when his invitation for cocktails turns into an impromptu séance,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
One of the biggest media events of the year is about to begin.
This week brings the 30th edition of the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX, from March 10-19, with a jam-packed lineup brimming with genre offerings.
No, seriously, the programming for this year’s fest is packed with horror movie and television premieres and activations that allow fans to get immersive through interactive experiences.
In anticipation of the fest, here are 13 world premieres and SXSW-exclusive experiences that we can’t wait to check out.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Directors: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Producers: Jeremy Latcham, Brian Goldner, Nick Meyer, Screenwriters: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Michael Gilio
A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.
Cast List: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page,...
This week brings the 30th edition of the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX, from March 10-19, with a jam-packed lineup brimming with genre offerings.
No, seriously, the programming for this year’s fest is packed with horror movie and television premieres and activations that allow fans to get immersive through interactive experiences.
In anticipation of the fest, here are 13 world premieres and SXSW-exclusive experiences that we can’t wait to check out.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Directors: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Producers: Jeremy Latcham, Brian Goldner, Nick Meyer, Screenwriters: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Michael Gilio
A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.
Cast List: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Holy hell this year’s SXSW Film Festival isn’t messing around.
The official lineup has just been revealed and it’s a banger, starting off with a special screening of Evil Dead Rise!
In addition, they have several prominent horror titles that will premiere as part of the Midnighters program, including the Sundance hit Talk to Me and the surprise sequel to Becky, The Wrath of Becky!
“Midnighters don’t need to be exclusively horror films, they just need to perk you up and get your blood pumping,” said Peter Hall, Film & TV Festival Programmer. “That’s why this year’s SXSW Midnighters class is a mix of horror, bone-crunching action, and mind-melting genre hybrids. Some of them introduce new, terrifying lore to the canon of suburban horror movies, some will worm around in your brain like thoughts you can’t shake, but all of them will make you...
The official lineup has just been revealed and it’s a banger, starting off with a special screening of Evil Dead Rise!
In addition, they have several prominent horror titles that will premiere as part of the Midnighters program, including the Sundance hit Talk to Me and the surprise sequel to Becky, The Wrath of Becky!
“Midnighters don’t need to be exclusively horror films, they just need to perk you up and get your blood pumping,” said Peter Hall, Film & TV Festival Programmer. “That’s why this year’s SXSW Midnighters class is a mix of horror, bone-crunching action, and mind-melting genre hybrids. Some of them introduce new, terrifying lore to the canon of suburban horror movies, some will worm around in your brain like thoughts you can’t shake, but all of them will make you...
- 1/11/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: AMC Network’s genre-focused streaming service Shudder has commissioned its latest original movie, Brooklyn 45, written and directed by Ted Geoghegan. The streamer will launch the pic exclusively in 2022.
The film, which began principal photography on December 2, is set on a freezing evening in December 1945, as five military veterans gather together in the ornate parlour of a Brooklyn brownstone. Best friends since childhood, they have reunited to support their troubled host – but when his invitation for cocktails turns into an impromptu séance, the metaphoric ghosts of their past become all-too-literal.
Geoghegan penned the screenplay with assistance from his late father, a disabled Air Force Veteran-turned-history teacher.
“Since losing my dad, I’ve been obsessed with bringing the powerful, timely script we collaborated on to the screen. A story of the ghosts, rage, and toxicity that follow all human conflict, the heart of Brooklyn 45 beats just...
The film, which began principal photography on December 2, is set on a freezing evening in December 1945, as five military veterans gather together in the ornate parlour of a Brooklyn brownstone. Best friends since childhood, they have reunited to support their troubled host – but when his invitation for cocktails turns into an impromptu séance, the metaphoric ghosts of their past become all-too-literal.
Geoghegan penned the screenplay with assistance from his late father, a disabled Air Force Veteran-turned-history teacher.
“Since losing my dad, I’ve been obsessed with bringing the powerful, timely script we collaborated on to the screen. A story of the ghosts, rage, and toxicity that follow all human conflict, the heart of Brooklyn 45 beats just...
- 12/15/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Film Independent is looking to enrich and inspire the industry with its latest lineup of keynotes, films and panelists for its 14th annual Film Independent Forum. Keynotes will be delivered by Late Night filmmaker Nisha Ganatra and Len Amato President of HBO Films. The Forum will kick off with a screening of Olivia Wilde’s comedy Booksmart and will also feature Justin Chon’s drama Ms. Purple. The event, which continues to champion inclusive storytelling in film, takes place April 26 – 28 at the Lmu Playa Vista Campus and Harmony Gold Theater.
“Once again, I am thrilled to congregate our community to explore the work of the most interesting creators this year,” said Maria Raquel Bozzi, Senior Director of Education and International Initiatives. “From our screenings of Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and Justin Chon’s Ms. Purple to our Keynotes by acclaimed writer-director Nisha Ganatra and HBO Films President Len Amato,...
“Once again, I am thrilled to congregate our community to explore the work of the most interesting creators this year,” said Maria Raquel Bozzi, Senior Director of Education and International Initiatives. “From our screenings of Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and Justin Chon’s Ms. Purple to our Keynotes by acclaimed writer-director Nisha Ganatra and HBO Films President Len Amato,...
- 4/9/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Film previously titled The Loner debuted at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to The Persian Connection, written and directed by Daniel Y-Li Grove.
The film, which premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, is slated for release in theatres, on demand and digital this summer.
The gangster drama centres on a former child soldier who, after being wrongly accused of stealing from his former boss, must return to the Persian opium underworld of Los Angeles to hunt down stolen drugs as events from his past and present clash, spiraling out of control. Cast include Reza Sixo Safai, Helena Mattsson, Parviz Sayyad and Julian Sands.
“The Persian Connection is an artistic take on a modern gangster film,” said Peter Goldwyn, president of Samuel Goldwyn Films. “Daniel’s imagining of the gritty side of Tehrangeles is a unique world from a neon lens, of which the likes you’ve never seen before...
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to The Persian Connection, written and directed by Daniel Y-Li Grove.
The film, which premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, is slated for release in theatres, on demand and digital this summer.
The gangster drama centres on a former child soldier who, after being wrongly accused of stealing from his former boss, must return to the Persian opium underworld of Los Angeles to hunt down stolen drugs as events from his past and present clash, spiraling out of control. Cast include Reza Sixo Safai, Helena Mattsson, Parviz Sayyad and Julian Sands.
“The Persian Connection is an artistic take on a modern gangster film,” said Peter Goldwyn, president of Samuel Goldwyn Films. “Daniel’s imagining of the gritty side of Tehrangeles is a unique world from a neon lens, of which the likes you’ve never seen before...
- 3/21/2017
- ScreenDaily
Film previously titled The Loner debuted at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to The Persian Connection, written and directed by Daniel Y-Li Grove.
The film, which premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, is slated for release in theatres, on demand and digital this summer.
The gangster drama centres on a former child soldier who, after being wrongly accused of stealing from his former boss, must return to the Persian opium underworld of Los Angeles to hunt down stolen drugs as events from his past and present clash, spiraling out of control. Cast include Reza Sixo Safai, Helena Mattsson, Parviz Sayyad and Julian Sands.
“The Persian Connection is an artistic take on a modern gangster film,” said Peter Goldwyn, president of Samuel Goldwyn Films. “Daniel’s imagining of the gritty side of Tehrangeles is a unique world from a neon lens, of which the likes you’ve never seen before...
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to The Persian Connection, written and directed by Daniel Y-Li Grove.
The film, which premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, is slated for release in theatres, on demand and digital this summer.
The gangster drama centres on a former child soldier who, after being wrongly accused of stealing from his former boss, must return to the Persian opium underworld of Los Angeles to hunt down stolen drugs as events from his past and present clash, spiraling out of control. Cast include Reza Sixo Safai, Helena Mattsson, Parviz Sayyad and Julian Sands.
“The Persian Connection is an artistic take on a modern gangster film,” said Peter Goldwyn, president of Samuel Goldwyn Films. “Daniel’s imagining of the gritty side of Tehrangeles is a unique world from a neon lens, of which the likes you’ve never seen before...
- 3/21/2017
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The Toronto-based distributor and sales agent arrives at the Efm with four new titles to introduce to buyers.
Owen Egerton’s claustrophobic horror-thriller Follow premiered at Fantastic Fest and tells of a painter who wakes up to find a gun in his hand and his girlfriend dead.
Noah Segan from Starry Eyes pays the lead and the producers are Seth Caplan and Chris Colbert.
Jason William Lee’s The Evil In Us (pictured) tells the story of six best friends who fall victim to a terrorist organisation when they ingest a drug that transforms them into cannibals. Dalj Brar and Michael Gyori produced.
Nathan Hendrickson’s The Hollow One is about two sisters who must stop a demonic force unleashed upon a small farm town.
Gaurav Seth’s sci-fi thriller Prisoner X centres on a CIA agent who heads to at a secret underground prison to interrogate a time-travelling terrorist.
Romano Orzari, [link...
Owen Egerton’s claustrophobic horror-thriller Follow premiered at Fantastic Fest and tells of a painter who wakes up to find a gun in his hand and his girlfriend dead.
Noah Segan from Starry Eyes pays the lead and the producers are Seth Caplan and Chris Colbert.
Jason William Lee’s The Evil In Us (pictured) tells the story of six best friends who fall victim to a terrorist organisation when they ingest a drug that transforms them into cannibals. Dalj Brar and Michael Gyori produced.
Nathan Hendrickson’s The Hollow One is about two sisters who must stop a demonic force unleashed upon a small farm town.
Gaurav Seth’s sci-fi thriller Prisoner X centres on a CIA agent who heads to at a secret underground prison to interrogate a time-travelling terrorist.
Romano Orzari, [link...
- 2/9/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Thomas S. Hammock Digs Deep With The Last Survivors
By Terry Keefe
With the growth of technology over the past decade, it’s become possible for literally anybody to record a song, write a book or make a movie. With the inundation of content into the marketplace, it’s become more difficult than ever before for real filmmakers to get their work made, seen and, perhaps most significantly, monetized. Hollywood wants $300 million-budgeted tentpole comic book movies that will play as well in Beijing and New Delhi as they do in Muncie and Canoga Park. The indie film movement, once occupied by names like Quentin Tarantino, P.T. Anderson and Steven Soderbergh during its 1990s heyday, is basically non-existent now, those filmmakers having moved on to big-budget (or at least bigger than their salad days), more epic filmmaking. Many aspiring directors and producers find this landscape to be a bleak one, akin...
By Terry Keefe
With the growth of technology over the past decade, it’s become possible for literally anybody to record a song, write a book or make a movie. With the inundation of content into the marketplace, it’s become more difficult than ever before for real filmmakers to get their work made, seen and, perhaps most significantly, monetized. Hollywood wants $300 million-budgeted tentpole comic book movies that will play as well in Beijing and New Delhi as they do in Muncie and Canoga Park. The indie film movement, once occupied by names like Quentin Tarantino, P.T. Anderson and Steven Soderbergh during its 1990s heyday, is basically non-existent now, those filmmakers having moved on to big-budget (or at least bigger than their salad days), more epic filmmaking. Many aspiring directors and producers find this landscape to be a bleak one, akin...
- 8/14/2015
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
In the deserted, drought-stricken world that filmmakers Tom Hammock, Seth Caplan, and Chris Harding created, every role impacted "The Last Survivors." The film revolves around Kendal, a young woman who is trying to find water while protecting herself and her sick companion, Dean, from others fighting for the limited water supply. The producers budgeted their limited funds wisely and brought in Arlie Day to cast the three main roles, which were integral to the film. Casting the right actor for the pivotal role of Kendal (Haley Lu Richardson) was essential. Before hiring a casting director, the producers had seen a few actors for the role. “They just weren’t getting it…She needs this toughness about her, but yet this innocence at the same time,” Day says, noting that Richardson “really brought this vulnerability that [the] other girls didn’t.” Or if they did, “you would never believe that they would...
- 8/7/2015
- backstage.com
R.L. Stine's Goosebumps novels have been terrifying children since 1992, and inspired Cavity Colors to create apparel based on the 11th book in the series, The Haunted Mask. Also: Ejecta Blu-ray details, The Last Survivors trailer, and Clowntown photos.
Cavity Colors's The Killer Mask: R.L. Stine's The Haunted Mask tells the story of a girl who discovers that the Halloween mask she purchased has become permanently attached to her face.
The Killer Mask collection of apparel was designed by artists Coki Greenway and Aaron Crawford. With a retail price of $24.00 apiece, The Killer Mask T-Shirt and Tank Top are black in color and 100% Cotton. The limited edition print is priced at $40.00, and the stickers / buttons are priced at $10.00 for a pack of two.
For more information on this apparel, visit the Cavity Colors online shop.
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Ejecta: Press Release: "From the writer of Pontypool and Septic Man comes Ejecta,...
Cavity Colors's The Killer Mask: R.L. Stine's The Haunted Mask tells the story of a girl who discovers that the Halloween mask she purchased has become permanently attached to her face.
The Killer Mask collection of apparel was designed by artists Coki Greenway and Aaron Crawford. With a retail price of $24.00 apiece, The Killer Mask T-Shirt and Tank Top are black in color and 100% Cotton. The limited edition print is priced at $40.00, and the stickers / buttons are priced at $10.00 for a pack of two.
For more information on this apparel, visit the Cavity Colors online shop.
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Ejecta: Press Release: "From the writer of Pontypool and Septic Man comes Ejecta,...
- 7/17/2015
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Shout! Factory TV is spreading fear all summer long with a plethora of classic films including John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper's Body Bags. Also: a Cthulhu Vinyl Bank from Diamond Select Toys and Blu-ray and DVD release details for The Last Survivors.
Shout! Factory TV's Summer of Fear: Press Release: "This July, summer hats up with a plethora of new programming on Shout! Factory TV that is sure to beat those binge cravings. Shout! Factory TV is unveiling Summer of Fear, a fright fest sure to please! A collection of classic horror films debut this month, featuring Body Bags, Day of the Dead, Night of the Demons, Q: The Winged Serpent, The Final Terror and many more.
Shout! Factory TV grants an insider’s insight into these films with the premiere of audio commentaries on the streaming service. This month, directors John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Kevin Tenney,...
Shout! Factory TV's Summer of Fear: Press Release: "This July, summer hats up with a plethora of new programming on Shout! Factory TV that is sure to beat those binge cravings. Shout! Factory TV is unveiling Summer of Fear, a fright fest sure to please! A collection of classic horror films debut this month, featuring Body Bags, Day of the Dead, Night of the Demons, Q: The Winged Serpent, The Final Terror and many more.
Shout! Factory TV grants an insider’s insight into these films with the premiere of audio commentaries on the streaming service. This month, directors John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Kevin Tenney,...
- 7/4/2015
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
"Just make a movie." That was "Short Term 12" producer Asher Goldstein’s advice for first-time filmmakers at the production case studies panel at the Film Independent Forum in October: Just make it, "not to make a ton of money—or make your money back, even—just making a movie, just to make it, to prove that you can." Read More: What I Wish I Knew About Film Distribution Before Self-Distributing "I Am Not a Hipster" Goldstein, his producing partner Ron Najor and "Land Ho!" writer-director Aaron Katz were on the panel discussing their films' paths to the big screen. Moderating the panel was Seth Caplan, producer of "The Young Kieslowski," which premiered at the 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival, and Spirit Award winner "In Search of a Midnight Kiss," which he discussed on this same panel at a past Forum. "I was in one of your guys’ seats a few years ago,...
- 1/21/2015
- by Mary Sollosi
- Indiewire
We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes Save Yourself first details, a new clip from The Well, a look at the first four minutes from Discopath, the teaser trailer for Bestseller, and much more:
New Clip from The Well and Screening Details: “At the edge of an expansive barren valley, all that remains of The Wallace Farm for Wayward Youth is a few hollowed-out husks of buildings. Seventeen-year-old Kendal (Haley Lu Richardson) can barely recall when the Oregon valley was still lush. It’s been a decade since the last rainfall, and society at large has dried up and blown away. Kendal and the few others that remain barely scrape by, while dreaming of escape. When a greedy water baron lays claim to what little of the precious resource remains underground, Kendal must decide whether...
New Clip from The Well and Screening Details: “At the edge of an expansive barren valley, all that remains of The Wallace Farm for Wayward Youth is a few hollowed-out husks of buildings. Seventeen-year-old Kendal (Haley Lu Richardson) can barely recall when the Oregon valley was still lush. It’s been a decade since the last rainfall, and society at large has dried up and blown away. Kendal and the few others that remain barely scrape by, while dreaming of escape. When a greedy water baron lays claim to what little of the precious resource remains underground, Kendal must decide whether...
- 6/8/2014
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
In a post-apocalyptic world you have to do whatever it takes to survive against its many dangers. Need an example? Check out this exclusive clip from Tom Hammock's (You're Next, V/H/S/2, The Guest) new flick, The Well.
From the Press Release
At the edge of an expansive barren valley, all that remains of The Wallace Farm for Wayward Youth is a few hollowed-out husks of buildings. Seventeen-year-old Kendal (Haley Lu Richardson) can barely recall when the Oregon valley was still lush.
It's been a decade since the last rainfall, and society at large has dried up and blown away. Kendal and the few others that remain barely scrape by, while dreaming of escape. When a greedy water baron lays claim to what little of the precious resource remains underground, Kendal must decide whether to run and hide or bravely fight for the few cherished people and things she has left.
From the Press Release
At the edge of an expansive barren valley, all that remains of The Wallace Farm for Wayward Youth is a few hollowed-out husks of buildings. Seventeen-year-old Kendal (Haley Lu Richardson) can barely recall when the Oregon valley was still lush.
It's been a decade since the last rainfall, and society at large has dried up and blown away. Kendal and the few others that remain barely scrape by, while dreaming of escape. When a greedy water baron lays claim to what little of the precious resource remains underground, Kendal must decide whether to run and hide or bravely fight for the few cherished people and things she has left.
- 5/21/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
Production company Ketchum Labs, a creative incubator challenging conventional entertainment models of production and distribution, and BlackBoxTV, the #1 online genre channel with over 600,000 loyal fans, will launch a strategic production and distribution partnership.
From the Press Release
The first two projects to go into production are Fight Of The Living Dead, a hybrid-reality series set to shoot in Los Angeles in May and the feature film Villisca, which unravels the mystery surrounding one of the most haunted houses in America.
Ketchum co-founder and principal Kevin Abrams and BlackBoxTV founder and creator Tony Valenzuela made the announcement.
A competition series with horror overtones, Fight Of The Living Dead (Fotld) is an unprecedented mash-up of the reality and scripted genres. The show will follow six top YouTube stars as they attempt to survive the first 24 hours of a highly simulated Zombie Apocalypse. What they do to eliminate each other from the competition...
From the Press Release
The first two projects to go into production are Fight Of The Living Dead, a hybrid-reality series set to shoot in Los Angeles in May and the feature film Villisca, which unravels the mystery surrounding one of the most haunted houses in America.
Ketchum co-founder and principal Kevin Abrams and BlackBoxTV founder and creator Tony Valenzuela made the announcement.
A competition series with horror overtones, Fight Of The Living Dead (Fotld) is an unprecedented mash-up of the reality and scripted genres. The show will follow six top YouTube stars as they attempt to survive the first 24 hours of a highly simulated Zombie Apocalypse. What they do to eliminate each other from the competition...
- 4/30/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
La-based creative incubator and production company Ketchum Labs has signed a strategic production and distribution partnership for ‘over the top’ content with online genre channel BlackBoxTV.
The first two projects are the upcoming hybrid reality series Fight Of The Living Dead and the feature Villisca, which shot in and around Los Angeles including YouTube’s production facility in Playa Del Rey.
Fight Of The Living Dead will shoot in Los Angeles and follows six YouTube stars as they attempt to survive 24 hours in a simulated zombie apocalypse.
The partners claim that BlackBoxTV’s stated following of more than 600,000 genre fans combined with the fanbase of confirmed YouTube stars such as vlogger Joey Graceffa and former The Amazing Race contestant Meghan Camarena will create a launch viewership of 10m.
Ketchum Labs and Revolver Picture Company produce Fight, while Ketchum co-founder and principal Kevin Abrams, Jamie Denenberg and Aaron Lewis serve as executive producers.
Villisca focuses...
The first two projects are the upcoming hybrid reality series Fight Of The Living Dead and the feature Villisca, which shot in and around Los Angeles including YouTube’s production facility in Playa Del Rey.
Fight Of The Living Dead will shoot in Los Angeles and follows six YouTube stars as they attempt to survive 24 hours in a simulated zombie apocalypse.
The partners claim that BlackBoxTV’s stated following of more than 600,000 genre fans combined with the fanbase of confirmed YouTube stars such as vlogger Joey Graceffa and former The Amazing Race contestant Meghan Camarena will create a launch viewership of 10m.
Ketchum Labs and Revolver Picture Company produce Fight, while Ketchum co-founder and principal Kevin Abrams, Jamie Denenberg and Aaron Lewis serve as executive producers.
Villisca focuses...
- 4/28/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
La-based creative incubator and production company Ketchum Labs has signed a strategic production and distribution partnership for ‘over the top’ content with online genre channel BlackBoxTV.
The first two projects are the upcoming hybrid reality series Fight Of The Living Dead and the feature Villisca, which shot in and around Los Angeles including YouTube’s production facility in Playa Del Rey.
Fight Of The Living Dead will shoot in Los Angeles and follows six YouTube stars as they attempt to survive 24 hours in a simulated zombie apocalypse.
The partners claim that BlackBoxTV’s stated following of more than 600,000 genre fans combined with the fanbase of confirmed YouTube stars such as vlogger Joey Graceffa and former The Amazing Race contestant Meghan Camarena will create a launch viewership of 10m.
Ketchum Labs and Revolver Picture Company produce Fight, while Ketchum co-founder and principal Kevin Abrams, Jamie Denenberg and Aaron Lewis serve as executive producers.
Villisca focuses...
The first two projects are the upcoming hybrid reality series Fight Of The Living Dead and the feature Villisca, which shot in and around Los Angeles including YouTube’s production facility in Playa Del Rey.
Fight Of The Living Dead will shoot in Los Angeles and follows six YouTube stars as they attempt to survive 24 hours in a simulated zombie apocalypse.
The partners claim that BlackBoxTV’s stated following of more than 600,000 genre fans combined with the fanbase of confirmed YouTube stars such as vlogger Joey Graceffa and former The Amazing Race contestant Meghan Camarena will create a launch viewership of 10m.
Ketchum Labs and Revolver Picture Company produce Fight, while Ketchum co-founder and principal Kevin Abrams, Jamie Denenberg and Aaron Lewis serve as executive producers.
Villisca focuses...
- 4/28/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Renaissance man Owen Egerton is on fire.
... metaphorically speaking, of course. But the redhead's career has been making sparks in national literary, film and comedy circles recently.
Next month, the Texas State University Mfa alum will lead readers through a bizarre apocolypse, filled with Jesus clones, a prophetic hermit crab and a slacker couple who are haunted by ghosts as they wait out their final days on Earth in his latest novel, Everyone Says That at the End of the World.
The Austin-based master multi-tasker also debuted his short film Follow, about one man's dangerous challenge to open a gift by his wife (starring local actor Jonny Mars), this week in the SXSW Film Midnight Shorts collection. Egerton based the film on a short story from his 2007 collection How Best to Avoid Dying.
Egerton and producer Seth Caplan are currently raising production funds for a feature-length version of Follow. I...
- 3/14/2013
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
The timing might be just right for John Cassavetes Award for The Best Independent Film of 2009 winner Alex Holdridge to break into Sundance. I imagine he tried with his previous three features, Wrong Numbers (2001), Sexless (2003), and the SXSW selected In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2008), but his latest, Meet Me In Montenegro appears to be a better fit. Teamed with his dp Robert Murphy, this was filmed in Berlin, Los Angeles and the titular Montenegro and stars Rupert Friend and Deborah Ann Woll (pictured above on set).
Gist: Linnea Saasen’s screenplay sees a failed European dancer who has a chance meeting in Berlin and starts an affair despite the fact that they are moving to opposite ends of the earth. Rupert Friend plays the writer’s best friend who is in a fading relationship and toys with the idea of taking his girlfriend – played by Jennifer Ulrich (The Wave) – to a sex club.
Gist: Linnea Saasen’s screenplay sees a failed European dancer who has a chance meeting in Berlin and starts an affair despite the fact that they are moving to opposite ends of the earth. Rupert Friend plays the writer’s best friend who is in a fading relationship and toys with the idea of taking his girlfriend – played by Jennifer Ulrich (The Wave) – to a sex club.
- 11/21/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Austin filmmaker Dano Johnson along with producers Jeffrey Travis and Seth Caplan are the inventors behind the animated family-friendly film Flatland 2: Sphereland. It's a follow-up to Flatland: The Movie -- both take kids on journeys into alternate dimensions with heroine Hex (Kristen Bell) and her trusty and mathematically inclined sidekick Puncto (voiced by Danny Pudi). Based on Edwin A. Abbott's Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, these movies tell the stories of dwellers who live in a two-dimensional world with no knowledge or interest in dimensions behond their own.
In Flatland 2: Sphereland, young scientist Hex encounters more mathematical mysteries as she and her sidekick race to save a mission into Flatland's "outer space" and discover the true shape of the universe. Because Flatland exists in a world where the only dimensions known are length and width, Hex's felllow inhabitants don't believe of the existence of a third dimension.
- 10/26/2012
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
HollywoodNews.com: Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced nominations this morning for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner served as presenters and 2011 Spirit Awards host Joel McHale was also on hand. Nominees for Best Feature include “127 Hours,” “Black Swan,” “Greenberg,” “The Kids Are All Right” and “Winter’s Bone.”
“Please Give” was selected for the Robert Altman Award, which is given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.
“The artistic side of independent film is stronger than ever, and it’s especially impressive to see the developed craft of extraordinary independent filmmakers who have only gotten better over the years. Past nominees such as Darren Aronofsky, Noah Baumbach, Danny Boyle, Lisa Cholodenko, Debra Granik, Nicole Holofcener and John Cameron Mitchell continue to create original and compelling films that move and amaze us.
“Please Give” was selected for the Robert Altman Award, which is given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.
“The artistic side of independent film is stronger than ever, and it’s especially impressive to see the developed craft of extraordinary independent filmmakers who have only gotten better over the years. Past nominees such as Darren Aronofsky, Noah Baumbach, Danny Boyle, Lisa Cholodenko, Debra Granik, Nicole Holofcener and John Cameron Mitchell continue to create original and compelling films that move and amaze us.
- 11/30/2010
- by Linny Lum
- Hollywoodnews.com
Film Independent has rounded up such panelists as John August, Michael London and Cathy Schulman to take part in its fifth annual Filmmaker Forum, which will be held Oct. 9-11 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles.
The three-day forum includes panel discussions, case studies and networking with filmmakers and industry leaders.
Speakers will include: Richard Abramowitz, Abramorama Entertainment; Claire Aguilar, Itvs; writer-director August; Peter Broderick, Paradigm Consulting; producer Seth Caplan; journalist Michael Cieply; director Laura Gabbert; director Alex Holdridge; Kevin Iwashina, IP Advisors/Hunting Lane Films; director Scott Kennedy; Richard Klubeck, UTA; producer Ted Kroeber; producer London; Rena Ronson; producer Cathy Schulman; director Matt Tyrnauer; and president Laurie Woodrow.
The three-day forum includes panel discussions, case studies and networking with filmmakers and industry leaders.
Speakers will include: Richard Abramowitz, Abramorama Entertainment; Claire Aguilar, Itvs; writer-director August; Peter Broderick, Paradigm Consulting; producer Seth Caplan; journalist Michael Cieply; director Laura Gabbert; director Alex Holdridge; Kevin Iwashina, IP Advisors/Hunting Lane Films; director Scott Kennedy; Richard Klubeck, UTA; producer Ted Kroeber; producer London; Rena Ronson; producer Cathy Schulman; director Matt Tyrnauer; and president Laurie Woodrow.
Fox Searchlight's "The Wrestler" was named best feature at the 2009 Film Independent's Spirit Awards. It also scored trophies for actor Mickey Rourke and cinematograper Maryse Alberti.
"The thing I love about the Spirit Awards is every film here is a passion piece; we all bled to get to this room," director-producer Darren Aronofksy said as he accepted the award with fellow producer Scott Franklin at the free-wheeling ceremony held Saturday in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
"I realized while doing special effects on a space movie that I really loved working with actors more than anything else," Aronofsky said about his decision to make a movie about a washed-up wrestler trying to reclaim his life.
In the weekend's first showdown between Rourke and "Milk's" Sean Penn, it was Rourke who triumphed as best male lead.
In a raucous acceptance speech, in which he freely lobbed...
"The thing I love about the Spirit Awards is every film here is a passion piece; we all bled to get to this room," director-producer Darren Aronofksy said as he accepted the award with fellow producer Scott Franklin at the free-wheeling ceremony held Saturday in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
"I realized while doing special effects on a space movie that I really loved working with actors more than anything else," Aronofsky said about his decision to make a movie about a washed-up wrestler trying to reclaim his life.
In the weekend's first showdown between Rourke and "Milk's" Sean Penn, it was Rourke who triumphed as best male lead.
In a raucous acceptance speech, in which he freely lobbed...
- 2/21/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Family drama "Rachel Getting Married", border-smuggling saga "Frozen River" and struggling mother tale "Ballast" have shown their domination on the run for the 2009 Spirit Awards. Upon the announcement of the awards' nominees on Tuesday, December 2, it has been revealed that those three films have collected six counts each.
From all of the nominations "Rachel", "Frozen" and "Ballast" received, the three will have to go head-to-head for best feature title along with "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler". Their directors, Jonathan Demme, Courtney Hunt and Lance Hammer, will also compete for the best director prize which also lists Ramin Bahrani of "Chop Shop" and Tom McCarthy of "The Visitor" as the competitors.
On the performer categories, it is uncovered that Javier Bardem of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", Sean Penn of "Milk" and Mickey Rourke of "The Wrestler" are among the contenders for best male lead. Additionally, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams have...
From all of the nominations "Rachel", "Frozen" and "Ballast" received, the three will have to go head-to-head for best feature title along with "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler". Their directors, Jonathan Demme, Courtney Hunt and Lance Hammer, will also compete for the best director prize which also lists Ramin Bahrani of "Chop Shop" and Tom McCarthy of "The Visitor" as the competitors.
On the performer categories, it is uncovered that Javier Bardem of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", Sean Penn of "Milk" and Mickey Rourke of "The Wrestler" are among the contenders for best male lead. Additionally, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams have...
- 12/3/2008
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
By Stephen Saito
Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh braved the early call time this morning in Los Angeles to announce this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards. The awards will take place on February 21st, and will be broadcast live and uncut on IFC at 5pm Et/2pm PT. Here are the nominees:
Best Feature
"Ballast"
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
"Frozen River"
Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae
"Rachel Getting Married"
Producers: Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt
"Wendy and Lucy"
Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani
"The Wrestler"
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
Best Director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"
Best First Feature
"Afterschool"
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond
"Medicine for Melancholy"
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber
"Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell
"Sleep Dealer"
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman
"Synechdoce, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
"In Search of a Midnight Kiss"
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy
"Prince of Broadway"
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean
"The Signal"
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh
"Take Out"
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou
"Turn the River"
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong
Best First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"
Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Best Female Lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"
Best Male Lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best Supporting Female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Supporting Male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"
Best Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crowley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"
Best Documentary
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World"
Director: Werner Herzog
"Man on Wire"
Director: James Marsh
"The Order of Myths"
Director: Margaret Brown
"Up the Yangtze"
Director: Yung Chang
Best Foreign Film
"The Class" (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet
"Gomorrah" (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone
"Hunger" (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
"Synecdoche, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams
Someone to Watch Award
Barry Jenkins, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Nina Paley, "Sita Sings the Blues"
Lynn Shelton, "My Effortless Brilliance"
Truer Than Fiction Award
Margaret Brown, "The Order of Myths"
Sacha Gervasi, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
Darius Marder, "Loot"
Producers Award
Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"
Jason Orans, "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish"
Heather Rae, "Frozen River" and "Ibid"...
Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh braved the early call time this morning in Los Angeles to announce this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards. The awards will take place on February 21st, and will be broadcast live and uncut on IFC at 5pm Et/2pm PT. Here are the nominees:
Best Feature
"Ballast"
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
"Frozen River"
Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae
"Rachel Getting Married"
Producers: Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt
"Wendy and Lucy"
Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani
"The Wrestler"
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
Best Director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"
Best First Feature
"Afterschool"
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond
"Medicine for Melancholy"
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber
"Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell
"Sleep Dealer"
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman
"Synechdoce, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
"In Search of a Midnight Kiss"
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy
"Prince of Broadway"
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean
"The Signal"
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh
"Take Out"
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou
"Turn the River"
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong
Best First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"
Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Best Female Lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"
Best Male Lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best Supporting Female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Supporting Male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"
Best Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crowley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"
Best Documentary
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World"
Director: Werner Herzog
"Man on Wire"
Director: James Marsh
"The Order of Myths"
Director: Margaret Brown
"Up the Yangtze"
Director: Yung Chang
Best Foreign Film
"The Class" (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet
"Gomorrah" (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone
"Hunger" (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
"Synecdoche, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams
Someone to Watch Award
Barry Jenkins, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Nina Paley, "Sita Sings the Blues"
Lynn Shelton, "My Effortless Brilliance"
Truer Than Fiction Award
Margaret Brown, "The Order of Myths"
Sacha Gervasi, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
Darius Marder, "Loot"
Producers Award
Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"
Jason Orans, "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish"
Heather Rae, "Frozen River" and "Ibid"...
- 12/2/2008
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
- I’m getting to this a little late today – I had morning and afternoon screenings for Milk and Doubt respectively, but for the most part I’m pleased by some of the names and film titles that were nominated in the fifteen categories and especially glad to see that Lance Hammer’s Ballast grabbed six nominations but I’m perplexed by one of the two films it shares a total of six nominations with. Perhaps I need to see Frozen River for a second time --- with the exception of Melissa Leo’s perf, I couldn’t help but feel that everything came across as manufactured, by the numbers and that it played out like a Hollywood movie rather than a poignant indie film with a punch. Below you’ll find the different categories, the nominations and some commentary on my part on who will win and who should win.
- 12/2/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
AFI Fest
MILL VALLEY, Calif. -- In Search of a Midnight Kiss, an amusing ensemble piece about the troubles of dislocated twentysomethings attempting to find their way through life and love, is most effective as a vehicle for its attractive young performers and the film's promising writer-director, Alex Holdridge.
Holdridge aspires to a Woody Allen-style romantic comedy in the vein of Manhattan -- a hard act to follow even for a more seasoned filmmaker -- but needs stronger writing and character development to pull it off. Dispensing with crude jokes wouldn't hurt, either. Robert Murphy's crisp, black-and-white cinematography lends class and style to a standard story of a lovable, depressed slacker who blossoms when he finds love in an unlikely place.
If the film gets support from critics and is marketed to a young demographic, it could find an audience, but boxoffice is likely to be modest. The film, which also screened at the Mill Valley Film Festival, has been acquired by IFC First Take.
Kiss opens magically with "As Time Goes By" on the soundtrack and the sight of couples kissing on city streets at night. For Wilson (a winning Scoot McNairy), a writer adrift in Los Angeles, unable to sell his screenplay or get over the breakup with his girlfriend, being kissed at midnight on New Year's Eve is his one tangible goal in life. Noting that Wilson is unable to get action or traction, his best friend, the sweet, gawky Jacob (Brian Matthew McGuire), who's smitten with the lovely but faithless Min (Katy Luong), urges Wilson to put a personal ad on Craigslist.
No sooner does he write, "Misanthrope seeks Misanthrope" than he's contacted by Vivian (Sara Simmonds), an out-of-control, neurotic, pill-popping blonde with an alienating habit of uttering whatever insensitive remark comes into her head. The pair gets off to a rocky start as lovers and antagonists, but as they walk the seedy streets of downtown Los Angeles, they slowly find common ground.
Simmonds has an uphill battle as she's trapped in a caricature -- a double-header male fantasy of the nightmare "crazy chick" and the wild, tough-talking girl with a secret vulnerability -- though she shines in sequences where she's allowed dimension. An extraneous subplot involving Vivian's possessive, red-neck ex-boyfriend, Jack, is over the top.
Pushing 30, Wilson is stuck between adolescence and adulthood, and McNairy (Six Feet Under, Art School Confidential) projects the likability, intelligence and basic decency underneath his character's slovenly exterior. He's a find, the kind of actor one longs to see again.
With his tall, lanky physicality, McGuire, once Holdridge's real-life roommate, shows a natural comedic aptitude as Wilson's would-be mentor in the love department, a guy who's clueless when it comes to women. Both men display tenderness and hurt feelings in their romantic relationships, which is a refreshing change from the usual glibness.
Inconsistent in tone, Kiss vacillates among wistfulness, the genuinely funny and juvenile crudity. Holdridge's dialogue is sometimes forced or hit-and-miss, and he doesn't always stage his shots to best advantage, but he has assembled a crew of talented collaborators.
IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS
IFC First Take
Midnight Kiss Prods.
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Alex Holdridge
Producer: Seth Caplan, Scoot McNairy
Executive producer: Anne Walker-McBay
Director of photography: Robert Murphy: Editors: Frank Reynolds, Jacob Vaughn
Cast:
Wilson: Scoot McNairy
Vivian: Sara Simmonds
Jacob: Brian Matthew McGuire
Min: Katy Luong
Wilson's Mom: Twink Caplan
Jack: Robert Murphy
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating...
MILL VALLEY, Calif. -- In Search of a Midnight Kiss, an amusing ensemble piece about the troubles of dislocated twentysomethings attempting to find their way through life and love, is most effective as a vehicle for its attractive young performers and the film's promising writer-director, Alex Holdridge.
Holdridge aspires to a Woody Allen-style romantic comedy in the vein of Manhattan -- a hard act to follow even for a more seasoned filmmaker -- but needs stronger writing and character development to pull it off. Dispensing with crude jokes wouldn't hurt, either. Robert Murphy's crisp, black-and-white cinematography lends class and style to a standard story of a lovable, depressed slacker who blossoms when he finds love in an unlikely place.
If the film gets support from critics and is marketed to a young demographic, it could find an audience, but boxoffice is likely to be modest. The film, which also screened at the Mill Valley Film Festival, has been acquired by IFC First Take.
Kiss opens magically with "As Time Goes By" on the soundtrack and the sight of couples kissing on city streets at night. For Wilson (a winning Scoot McNairy), a writer adrift in Los Angeles, unable to sell his screenplay or get over the breakup with his girlfriend, being kissed at midnight on New Year's Eve is his one tangible goal in life. Noting that Wilson is unable to get action or traction, his best friend, the sweet, gawky Jacob (Brian Matthew McGuire), who's smitten with the lovely but faithless Min (Katy Luong), urges Wilson to put a personal ad on Craigslist.
No sooner does he write, "Misanthrope seeks Misanthrope" than he's contacted by Vivian (Sara Simmonds), an out-of-control, neurotic, pill-popping blonde with an alienating habit of uttering whatever insensitive remark comes into her head. The pair gets off to a rocky start as lovers and antagonists, but as they walk the seedy streets of downtown Los Angeles, they slowly find common ground.
Simmonds has an uphill battle as she's trapped in a caricature -- a double-header male fantasy of the nightmare "crazy chick" and the wild, tough-talking girl with a secret vulnerability -- though she shines in sequences where she's allowed dimension. An extraneous subplot involving Vivian's possessive, red-neck ex-boyfriend, Jack, is over the top.
Pushing 30, Wilson is stuck between adolescence and adulthood, and McNairy (Six Feet Under, Art School Confidential) projects the likability, intelligence and basic decency underneath his character's slovenly exterior. He's a find, the kind of actor one longs to see again.
With his tall, lanky physicality, McGuire, once Holdridge's real-life roommate, shows a natural comedic aptitude as Wilson's would-be mentor in the love department, a guy who's clueless when it comes to women. Both men display tenderness and hurt feelings in their romantic relationships, which is a refreshing change from the usual glibness.
Inconsistent in tone, Kiss vacillates among wistfulness, the genuinely funny and juvenile crudity. Holdridge's dialogue is sometimes forced or hit-and-miss, and he doesn't always stage his shots to best advantage, but he has assembled a crew of talented collaborators.
IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS
IFC First Take
Midnight Kiss Prods.
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Alex Holdridge
Producer: Seth Caplan, Scoot McNairy
Executive producer: Anne Walker-McBay
Director of photography: Robert Murphy: Editors: Frank Reynolds, Jacob Vaughn
Cast:
Wilson: Scoot McNairy
Vivian: Sara Simmonds
Jacob: Brian Matthew McGuire
Min: Katy Luong
Wilson's Mom: Twink Caplan
Jack: Robert Murphy
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/1/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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