Elizabeth Banks' new film "Cocaine Bear" was indeed inspired by true events. In 1985, a drug smuggler dropped a duffel bag containing $15 million worth of cocaine from a plane into the woods below. There, it was found by a 175-pound black bear, who proceeded to consume the cocaine. Unlike in Banks' movie, where the bear eats the cocaine and goes on a killing spree, the real-life bear wasn't known to have killed anyone. The bear simply died of a drug overdose. Because it was so well-preserved, the bear was taxidermied and subsequently passed around among various owners, not all of whom knew its cause of death. Waylon Jennings owned the Cocaine Bear at one point. These days, one can visit the Kentucky Fun Mall in Lexington, Ky, and visit the bear's taxidermied body. Its current owners, Whit Hiler and Griffin VanMeter, have cleverly named their prize "Pablo Escobear."
Banks' film is refreshingly uncomplicated.
Banks' film is refreshingly uncomplicated.
- 2/24/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Exclusive: The Goldbergs star Wendi McLendon-Covey has signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television, the studio behind the hit ABC comedy series. Under the pact, McLendon-Covey will develop for the studio across all platforms.
The pact was made in conjunction with McLendon-Covey recently signing a new contract to continue to portray matriarch Beverly Goldberg on The Goldbergs, which paved the way for the show to receive a Season 10 renewal. McLendon-Covey, who also serves as an executive producer on The Goldbergs, has been nominated for two Critics Choice Awards for her role.
“There is no one funnier, more unique and talented than Wendi,” said Dawn Steinberg, EVP Worldwide Talent & Casting and Glenn Adilman, EVP Comedy Development for Sony Pictures Television. “She is the longstanding pride of our Sony family and we are thrilled to be deepening our relationship both behind and in front of the camera.”
A standout from the...
The pact was made in conjunction with McLendon-Covey recently signing a new contract to continue to portray matriarch Beverly Goldberg on The Goldbergs, which paved the way for the show to receive a Season 10 renewal. McLendon-Covey, who also serves as an executive producer on The Goldbergs, has been nominated for two Critics Choice Awards for her role.
“There is no one funnier, more unique and talented than Wendi,” said Dawn Steinberg, EVP Worldwide Talent & Casting and Glenn Adilman, EVP Comedy Development for Sony Pictures Television. “She is the longstanding pride of our Sony family and we are thrilled to be deepening our relationship both behind and in front of the camera.”
A standout from the...
- 4/28/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Vanessa Hudgens, Finn Wittrock, and Jack Dylan Grazer have joined the cast for the upcoming feature at Sony Pictures, ‘Downtown Owl.’
Lily Rabe, Ed Harris, and August Blanco Rosenstein have also joined the film adaptation of Chuck Klosterman’s story.
Set somewhere in rural North Dakota in 1983 is the fictional town called Owl where you won’t find cable or pop culture, but you will find downtown with a first-rate Chevrolet dealership, three bars and a new high school English teacher whose presence upends the lives of locals just in time for a white-out blizzard for the ages.
Also in news – Will Ferrell joins Margot Robbie on ‘Barbie’ movie
Rabe will also be directing the pic with long-time collaborator Hamish Linklater, joining her as co-director. Richard Linklater has also adapted the screenplay. The film will be produced by Bettina Barrow and Rabe of Kill Claudio Productions, Rebecca Green and Linklater.
Lily Rabe, Ed Harris, and August Blanco Rosenstein have also joined the film adaptation of Chuck Klosterman’s story.
Set somewhere in rural North Dakota in 1983 is the fictional town called Owl where you won’t find cable or pop culture, but you will find downtown with a first-rate Chevrolet dealership, three bars and a new high school English teacher whose presence upends the lives of locals just in time for a white-out blizzard for the ages.
Also in news – Will Ferrell joins Margot Robbie on ‘Barbie’ movie
Rabe will also be directing the pic with long-time collaborator Hamish Linklater, joining her as co-director. Richard Linklater has also adapted the screenplay. The film will be produced by Bettina Barrow and Rabe of Kill Claudio Productions, Rebecca Green and Linklater.
- 4/14/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Exclusive: Sony Pictures has set an all-star cast for its adaptation of Chuck Klosterman’s Downtown Owl with Lily Rabe, Academy Award nominee Ed Harris , Vanessa Hudgens, Finn Wittrock, Jack Dylan Grazer and August Blanco Rosenstein. Rabe will also be directing the pic with long-time collaborator Hamish Linklater, joining her as co-director. Linklater, who most recently starred in Midnight Mass, also adapted the screenplay. T Bone Burnett is doing the music.
The film was part of the Sundance Institute Creative Producing Summit and Talent Forum and will be produced by Bettina Barrow and Rabe of Kill Claudio Productions, Rebecca Green and Linklater. Laura Rister is exec producing as well as Lee Broda. Tom McLeod is co-executive producer. The pic is currently in production in Minnesota.
Three Point Capital is financing the pic. Initial artist support funding provided by Esme Grace Media.
The story is set somewhere in rural North Dakota...
The film was part of the Sundance Institute Creative Producing Summit and Talent Forum and will be produced by Bettina Barrow and Rabe of Kill Claudio Productions, Rebecca Green and Linklater. Laura Rister is exec producing as well as Lee Broda. Tom McLeod is co-executive producer. The pic is currently in production in Minnesota.
Three Point Capital is financing the pic. Initial artist support funding provided by Esme Grace Media.
The story is set somewhere in rural North Dakota...
- 4/13/2022
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2021, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
2021 was a year of major highs and lows for me, a year where past relationships and cherished loved ones disappeared from this mortal coil, and where new ones manifested and blossomed in their wake. In terms of cinematic releases, this was the year I saw the least new releases since 2013, itself the first year I properly got into seeing all the contemporary cinema I could. Life has been taking me in directions that are no longer encapsulated by my relationship to cinema; I’ve not always had the concentration or energy to lose myself in it completely. While this medium will always be one of the most fundamental aspects of my life, grief has taught me that my relationship to art cannot be the dominant way I...
2021 was a year of major highs and lows for me, a year where past relationships and cherished loved ones disappeared from this mortal coil, and where new ones manifested and blossomed in their wake. In terms of cinematic releases, this was the year I saw the least new releases since 2013, itself the first year I properly got into seeing all the contemporary cinema I could. Life has been taking me in directions that are no longer encapsulated by my relationship to cinema; I’ve not always had the concentration or energy to lose myself in it completely. While this medium will always be one of the most fundamental aspects of my life, grief has taught me that my relationship to art cannot be the dominant way I...
- 1/11/2022
- by Logan Kenny
- The Film Stage
ABC has taken in for development Candygram, a spy drama from writing duo Katie J. Stone and David Daitch (Shooter), John Wick scribe Derek Kolstad, Rebelle Media (Long Weekend) and 20th Television.
Written by Stone and Daitch, Candygram revolves around a street smart local learns that her unique skill set is exactly what the CIA needs when they set up shop in her hometown of Las Vegas. But although her unconventional methods provide new challenges for by-the-book Station Chief and his diverse team of operatives, they’ll work toward a common goal despite their differences: that’s real life spy craft.
Stone and Daitch executive produce with Kolstad and Laura Lewis, Christy Thornton and Stephanie Noonan for Rebelle Media. 20th Television is the studio.
The writing team of Stone and Daitch have credits that include Netflix’s Splinter Cell, USA’s Shooter, Call of Duty, and previously developed dramas Interceptor...
Written by Stone and Daitch, Candygram revolves around a street smart local learns that her unique skill set is exactly what the CIA needs when they set up shop in her hometown of Las Vegas. But although her unconventional methods provide new challenges for by-the-book Station Chief and his diverse team of operatives, they’ll work toward a common goal despite their differences: that’s real life spy craft.
Stone and Daitch executive produce with Kolstad and Laura Lewis, Christy Thornton and Stephanie Noonan for Rebelle Media. 20th Television is the studio.
The writing team of Stone and Daitch have credits that include Netflix’s Splinter Cell, USA’s Shooter, Call of Duty, and previously developed dramas Interceptor...
- 11/4/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Finn Wittrock and Zoë Chao in Long Weekend is currently available on Digital and DVD
When down-on-his-luck Bart has a chance encounter with the enigmatic Vienna, the two fall fast and hard. An enchanted weekend courtship leads to unexpected revelations, but the secrets both carry could be their undoing or the chance for a fresh start.
Co-starring Damon Wayans Jr. (New Girl), Casey Wilson (Happy Endings), Jim Rash (Community) and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids). The film is written and directed by Steve Basilone and produced by Deanna Barillari, Laura Lewis, Theodora Dunlap, Sam Bisbee, Audrey Rosenberg, and Jess Jacobs. Franklin Carson, Lance Acord, and Jackie Kelman Bisbee served as executive producers.
Long Weekend is Written by and Directed By: Steve Basilone and stars Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story), Zoë Chao (Love Life), Casey Wilson (Happy Endings), Jim Rash (Community), Damon Wayans Jr. (New Girl), and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids)
The post Finn...
When down-on-his-luck Bart has a chance encounter with the enigmatic Vienna, the two fall fast and hard. An enchanted weekend courtship leads to unexpected revelations, but the secrets both carry could be their undoing or the chance for a fresh start.
Co-starring Damon Wayans Jr. (New Girl), Casey Wilson (Happy Endings), Jim Rash (Community) and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids). The film is written and directed by Steve Basilone and produced by Deanna Barillari, Laura Lewis, Theodora Dunlap, Sam Bisbee, Audrey Rosenberg, and Jess Jacobs. Franklin Carson, Lance Acord, and Jackie Kelman Bisbee served as executive producers.
Long Weekend is Written by and Directed By: Steve Basilone and stars Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story), Zoë Chao (Love Life), Casey Wilson (Happy Endings), Jim Rash (Community), Damon Wayans Jr. (New Girl), and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids)
The post Finn...
- 5/28/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Theaters may be reopening, but physical media is forever — Alonso Duralde spotlights the best new DVDs and Blu-rays
New Indie
Peter Sarsgaard and Rashida Jones make a somewhat unusual couple in “The Sound of Silence” (IFC Films), a somewhat unusual film. And it’s not that Sarsgaard and Jones don’t have chemistry to burn; it’s that the movie operates at its own pace while diving deeply into the Sarsgaard character’s obsessions with the thrums and throbs and vibrations of our day-to-day lives. He “tunes” his clients’ New York City apartments, looking for the sounds (whether they’re on the outside or coming from household appliances) that are disturbing the tenants, and Jones plays a social worker who turns to him for his unique services. Somewhere between “The Conversation” and last year’s “Sound of Metal,” it’s a uniquely eccentric tale that might make you pay more...
New Indie
Peter Sarsgaard and Rashida Jones make a somewhat unusual couple in “The Sound of Silence” (IFC Films), a somewhat unusual film. And it’s not that Sarsgaard and Jones don’t have chemistry to burn; it’s that the movie operates at its own pace while diving deeply into the Sarsgaard character’s obsessions with the thrums and throbs and vibrations of our day-to-day lives. He “tunes” his clients’ New York City apartments, looking for the sounds (whether they’re on the outside or coming from household appliances) that are disturbing the tenants, and Jones plays a social worker who turns to him for his unique services. Somewhere between “The Conversation” and last year’s “Sound of Metal,” it’s a uniquely eccentric tale that might make you pay more...
- 5/6/2021
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
‘Long Weekend’ Opens In Theaters To Add Coins To Specialty Box Office; ‘Come True’ And ‘Dutch’ Debut
Theaters are beginning to open up on both coasts and the specialty box office life is starting to get some shine with each passing week. Things are slowly yet surely are gravitating to something a little more — dare I say — normal?
This weekend, the Stage 6 Films rom-com Long Weekend from director Steve Basilone played in 814 theaters. The pic starring Finn Wittrock and Zoë Chao debuted with an estimated $245K with a per-theater average of $300.
Other new theatrical releases this weekend included the IFC Films’ Come True. The sleep-study-gone-wrong sci-fi thriller from filmmaker Anthony Scott Burns and starring Julia Sarah Stone played in 96 theaters across the country to earn an estimated $27.5K with an average of $671.
The drama Dutch from Preston A. Whitmore II, also posted its box office numbers, debuting in 202 theaters and is projected to earn $135,618 with an average of $671.
As more theaters open, perhaps titles like Focus...
This weekend, the Stage 6 Films rom-com Long Weekend from director Steve Basilone played in 814 theaters. The pic starring Finn Wittrock and Zoë Chao debuted with an estimated $245K with a per-theater average of $300.
Other new theatrical releases this weekend included the IFC Films’ Come True. The sleep-study-gone-wrong sci-fi thriller from filmmaker Anthony Scott Burns and starring Julia Sarah Stone played in 96 theaters across the country to earn an estimated $27.5K with an average of $671.
The drama Dutch from Preston A. Whitmore II, also posted its box office numbers, debuting in 202 theaters and is projected to earn $135,618 with an average of $671.
As more theaters open, perhaps titles like Focus...
- 3/14/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Another week, another step toward the world as we knew it before Covid-19, thanks to nationwide vaccination efforts and the gradual reopening of theaters. A week after New York cinemas cautiously reopened, Los Angeles plans to do the same, and distributors are serving up movies they’d kept on the sidelines to serve the venues that have suffered so greatly this past year — although after last week’s deluge, this one brings a pretty meager menu of new releases.
Perhaps most tantalizing is Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Human Voice,” starring Tilda Swinton. Sony Pictures Classics is releasing the 30-minute short film, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival (one of 2020’s few in-person events), in just a handful of theaters, along with a fresh restoration of the Spanish master’s “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.” That means audiences can come just for a short, social-distanced experience (ducking...
Perhaps most tantalizing is Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Human Voice,” starring Tilda Swinton. Sony Pictures Classics is releasing the 30-minute short film, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival (one of 2020’s few in-person events), in just a handful of theaters, along with a fresh restoration of the Spanish master’s “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.” That means audiences can come just for a short, social-distanced experience (ducking...
- 3/12/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Are you ready for the weekend? Specifically, are you ready for a Long Weekend? Of course, we’re referring to the rom-com from Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions’ Stage 6 Films.
Long Weekend will make its debut in theaters today and marks the feature directorial debut of Steve Basilone, who also wrote the script.
The rom-com stars Finn Wittrock as Bart who has a serendipitous meeting with Vienna played by Zoë Chao. She’s a little bit of a mystery, but the two end up having a connection and they spend a whirlwind weekend together (hence the title of the movie). As the two fall fast and hard for each other, they dont realize that both carry secrets that could be their undoing… or the chance for a fresh start.
The film also features Casey Wilson, Jim Rash and Damon Wayans, Jr. Long Weekend is produced by Deanna Barillari, Laura Lewis, Theodora Dunlap,...
Long Weekend will make its debut in theaters today and marks the feature directorial debut of Steve Basilone, who also wrote the script.
The rom-com stars Finn Wittrock as Bart who has a serendipitous meeting with Vienna played by Zoë Chao. She’s a little bit of a mystery, but the two end up having a connection and they spend a whirlwind weekend together (hence the title of the movie). As the two fall fast and hard for each other, they dont realize that both carry secrets that could be their undoing… or the chance for a fresh start.
The film also features Casey Wilson, Jim Rash and Damon Wayans, Jr. Long Weekend is produced by Deanna Barillari, Laura Lewis, Theodora Dunlap,...
- 3/12/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
(they feel like the ones who got away before they’ve even left!), Steve Basilone’s “Long Weekend” is too hung up on the soft mystery of its premise to ever arrive at something that resembles a point, which is all the more frustrating because several of them appear to be shimmering just beyond the movie’s reach. One particularly entrancing notion that Basilone’s debut only flirts with from a distance: The idea that committing to a functional relationship with anyone, unstuck in time or not, requires you to believe that they’re from the future. Or at least from your future.
Which isn’t to spoil whether Vienna really is an N.S.A. agent who’s been sent back to pre-covid Los Angeles from the year 2052 in order to make a few minor adjustments, or if she’s just some delusional stranger whom our handsome protagonist meet-cutes...
Which isn’t to spoil whether Vienna really is an N.S.A. agent who’s been sent back to pre-covid Los Angeles from the year 2052 in order to make a few minor adjustments, or if she’s just some delusional stranger whom our handsome protagonist meet-cutes...
- 3/11/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
“Boy meets girl” doesn’t exactly happen in stereotypical fashion in writer-director Steve Bailone’s “Long Weekend.” There’s no string-swelling orchestral accompaniment. Gone is a golden-hour glow haloing the protagonists’ first glances. And their meet-cute isn’t announced with an air of whimsical calamity. These star-crossed lovers’ worlds collide on an average day totally by chance in this . By tweaking each of those formulas slightly, the results are refreshing and inventive.
Bart (Finn Wittrock) has been going through a rough time. The compounding crises of his mother’s death and a tumultuous breakup have caused him to suffer a nervous breakdown. The fallout from the fracture with his ex-girlfriend forces him to move out of their idyllic Los Angeles apartment since he can’t afford the rent on his own. Memories of their time together haunt the place anyway, so his prospective transitional housing situation — staying in his cool...
Bart (Finn Wittrock) has been going through a rough time. The compounding crises of his mother’s death and a tumultuous breakup have caused him to suffer a nervous breakdown. The fallout from the fracture with his ex-girlfriend forces him to move out of their idyllic Los Angeles apartment since he can’t afford the rent on his own. Memories of their time together haunt the place anyway, so his prospective transitional housing situation — staying in his cool...
- 3/11/2021
- by Courtney Howard
- Variety Film + TV
If you ever wondered what Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy would be like without the insightful writing, sharp directing and intuitive performances, “Long Weekend” will pretty much fill the bill.
The film’s aim-for-the-back-fence plot twists might have worked in a movie where audiences were invested in characters that were already grounded in a recognizable reality, but so much of the film’s lurching running time seems trapped in a woozy approximation of countless 1990s a-guy-and-a-girl movies that it’s hard to care about the love story on its face, much less to follow along as it takes wild leaps and bounds.
Those leaps aren’t revealed in the trailer, so they will not be mentioned here; suffice it to say that they won’t take viewers out of the story only because there’s so little story to begin with.
Watch Video: Yes, 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace' Confused...
The film’s aim-for-the-back-fence plot twists might have worked in a movie where audiences were invested in characters that were already grounded in a recognizable reality, but so much of the film’s lurching running time seems trapped in a woozy approximation of countless 1990s a-guy-and-a-girl movies that it’s hard to care about the love story on its face, much less to follow along as it takes wild leaps and bounds.
Those leaps aren’t revealed in the trailer, so they will not be mentioned here; suffice it to say that they won’t take viewers out of the story only because there’s so little story to begin with.
Watch Video: Yes, 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace' Confused...
- 3/11/2021
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Some movies benefit from good timing. Such is the case with Steve Bailone’s feature debut about a whirlwind romance suffused with sci-fi underpinnings. In normal times, one might be tempted to poke holes at the plot contrivances and fantastical elements of Long Weekend. But after a year of pandemic-related social isolation, the film instead provides a moving reminder of the simple joys of making a meaningful emotional and physical connection with another human being.
Finn Wittrock, often seen to more malevolent effect via his roles in such Ryan Murphy projects as American Horror Story and Ratched, plays Bart, a financially struggling writer ...
Finn Wittrock, often seen to more malevolent effect via his roles in such Ryan Murphy projects as American Horror Story and Ratched, plays Bart, a financially struggling writer ...
- 3/11/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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