Whether it’s superhero fatigue or something else, there’s no denying that the MCU and the DC Universe are falling on hard times. Secret Invasion set record lows for Marvel, as did the reviews for Ant-Man the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Flash stumbled to become the lowest money maker in Warner Bros. history.
But let’s get a little perspective, shall we? These movies aren’t great, but superhero movies are, on the whole, better than what came before the MCU launched in 2008. Throughout the 80s and 90s, superhero movies were almost embarrassed to be about superheroes, forcing Batman into a lame revenge plot for the 1989 film and refusing to let Frank Castle wear his death’s head logo in the Cannon Films direct-to-video release. With the embrace of the genre has come better effects, brighter costumes, and outrageous plots that better reflect the high stakes the genre demands.
But let’s get a little perspective, shall we? These movies aren’t great, but superhero movies are, on the whole, better than what came before the MCU launched in 2008. Throughout the 80s and 90s, superhero movies were almost embarrassed to be about superheroes, forcing Batman into a lame revenge plot for the 1989 film and refusing to let Frank Castle wear his death’s head logo in the Cannon Films direct-to-video release. With the embrace of the genre has come better effects, brighter costumes, and outrageous plots that better reflect the high stakes the genre demands.
- 8/23/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
Actors Sherri Shepherd and Jo Marie Payton have joined the feature film “ImPossible” in key roles.
The movie, from executive producer and NFL champ Donald Driver, will weave narrative with Brandon Keith Lewis’ real-life diabetes battle. He stars and co-wrote the film with partner Seckeita Lewis, who directs. Lewis contends with morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes onscreen and in his life.
Shepherd and Payton (the beloved matriarch of the TV classic “Family Matters”) are joined by supporting cast Gregg Daniel and Irma P. Hall. Principal photography recently wrapped in Texas and New Mexico, and a second unit documenting Lewis’ efforts to change his body and life will soon get underway.
“ImPossible” received a Panavision New Filmmakers grant and was incubated at the Sundance Collab producers’ course. Milan Chakraborty of Marginal MediaWorks (“Assassination Nation”) will produce with Lewis. A distributor is not presently attached.
According to the CDC, more than 100 million...
The movie, from executive producer and NFL champ Donald Driver, will weave narrative with Brandon Keith Lewis’ real-life diabetes battle. He stars and co-wrote the film with partner Seckeita Lewis, who directs. Lewis contends with morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes onscreen and in his life.
Shepherd and Payton (the beloved matriarch of the TV classic “Family Matters”) are joined by supporting cast Gregg Daniel and Irma P. Hall. Principal photography recently wrapped in Texas and New Mexico, and a second unit documenting Lewis’ efforts to change his body and life will soon get underway.
“ImPossible” received a Panavision New Filmmakers grant and was incubated at the Sundance Collab producers’ course. Milan Chakraborty of Marginal MediaWorks (“Assassination Nation”) will produce with Lewis. A distributor is not presently attached.
According to the CDC, more than 100 million...
- 2/18/2022
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
“Hap and Leonard” has been canceled after three seasons, Variety has confirmed.
The SundanceTV anthology series was based on the novel series of the same name written by Joe R. Lansdale, with each season based on one of the novels. It followed two lifelong best friends, Hap Collins (James Purefoy), an East Texas white boy with a weakness for Southern women, and Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams), a gay, black Vietnam vet with a hot temper. Over the three seasons, the show also featured stars like Christina Hendricks, Jimmi Simpson, Tiffany Mack, Cranston Johnson, Brian Dennehy, and Irma P. Hall.
Season 1 was based on the book “Savage Season,” while Season 2 was based on “Mucho Mojo.” Season 3 was based on “Two Bear Mambo.” “Hap and Leonard” was a wholly-owned original series produced by AMC Studios. John Wirth served as showrunner and executive producer for Season 3, and Jim Mickle, Nick Damici, Jeremy...
The SundanceTV anthology series was based on the novel series of the same name written by Joe R. Lansdale, with each season based on one of the novels. It followed two lifelong best friends, Hap Collins (James Purefoy), an East Texas white boy with a weakness for Southern women, and Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams), a gay, black Vietnam vet with a hot temper. Over the three seasons, the show also featured stars like Christina Hendricks, Jimmi Simpson, Tiffany Mack, Cranston Johnson, Brian Dennehy, and Irma P. Hall.
Season 1 was based on the book “Savage Season,” while Season 2 was based on “Mucho Mojo.” Season 3 was based on “Two Bear Mambo.” “Hap and Leonard” was a wholly-owned original series produced by AMC Studios. John Wirth served as showrunner and executive producer for Season 3, and Jim Mickle, Nick Damici, Jeremy...
- 5/15/2018
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Even though the season two finale was called "No Mo' Mojo," The Hap and Leonard TV show has not been cancelled. In fact SundanceTV has just renewed Hap and Leonard for a third season. John Wirth will return as showrunner, and will executive produced with Jim Mickle, Nick Damici, Jeremy Platt, and Linda Moran. A dark comedy crime drama, Hap and Leonard stars James Purefoy and Michael Kenneth Williams in the title roles. In season two, the Sundance TV series also starred Brian Dennehy, Irma P. Hall, Dohn Norwood, Tiffany Mack, and Cranston Johnson. The third season will be inspired by Joe R. Lansdale's book, The Two-Bear Mambo. Read More…...
- 5/2/2017
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Joe R. Lansdale fans rejoice: SundanceTV has renewed Hap and Leonard for a six-episode third season that will premiere in 2018.
An adaptation of Lansdale's book series that is essential reading for those looking for top-notch entertainment on the printed page, Hap and Leonard will probably (according to the current pattern) adapt the third novel in the series, The Two-Bear Mambo, following season 1's take on Savage Season and the Mucho Mojo adaptation of season 2. You can read the official press release below, and prepare to likely head to Grovetown in season 3...
Press Release: New York – May 1, 2017 – SundanceTV announced today the renewal of the network’s genre-bending original scripted anthology series “Hap and Leonard.” The darkly comic series set in the late 1980s is based on the celebrated book series of the same name by famed author Joe R. Lansdale, and follows two lifelong best friends, Hap Collins (James Purefoy), an...
An adaptation of Lansdale's book series that is essential reading for those looking for top-notch entertainment on the printed page, Hap and Leonard will probably (according to the current pattern) adapt the third novel in the series, The Two-Bear Mambo, following season 1's take on Savage Season and the Mucho Mojo adaptation of season 2. You can read the official press release below, and prepare to likely head to Grovetown in season 3...
Press Release: New York – May 1, 2017 – SundanceTV announced today the renewal of the network’s genre-bending original scripted anthology series “Hap and Leonard.” The darkly comic series set in the late 1980s is based on the celebrated book series of the same name by famed author Joe R. Lansdale, and follows two lifelong best friends, Hap Collins (James Purefoy), an...
- 5/1/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
4/13 Update: Cancellation cancelled. Sundance TV has issued a correction. The Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo TV show is not ending with the season two finale episode, "No Mo' Mojo." The Hap and Leonard TV season two finale airs on SundanceTV on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at 10:00pm Et/Pt.In final episode of the season, SundanceTV says Hap (James Purefoy) and Leonard (Michael Kenneth Williams) will find the missing piece "hidden in plain sight." As the investigation comes full circle, the guys will seek revenge for past transgressions. Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo also stars Brian Dennehy, Irma P. Hall, Dohn Norwood, Tiffany Mack, and Cranston Johnson.Read More…...
- 4/13/2017
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
“For far too long, our community has been divided,” declares Brian Dennehy in this exclusive clip from the upcoming episode of “Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo.” Currently in its second season, the SundanceTV original series looks to draw parallels between its storyline and current events.
Evoking far too many memories of recent police shootings, the upcoming episode of the SundanceTV original series aims to tackle the all-too real issue as seen in this exclusive clip from the episode “Ticking Mojo.” The clip features the wealthy and powerful Sheriff Valentine Otis (Brian Dennehy) as he eulogizes a young boy in front of the African community he is supposed to protect, much to the chagrin of a mistrusting Hap (James Purefoy).
Read More: ‘Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo’: Sundance TV Favorite Returns This March — First Look
Adapted from the second book in Joe R. Landsdale’s popular “Hap and Leonard” series,...
Evoking far too many memories of recent police shootings, the upcoming episode of the SundanceTV original series aims to tackle the all-too real issue as seen in this exclusive clip from the episode “Ticking Mojo.” The clip features the wealthy and powerful Sheriff Valentine Otis (Brian Dennehy) as he eulogizes a young boy in front of the African community he is supposed to protect, much to the chagrin of a mistrusting Hap (James Purefoy).
Read More: ‘Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo’: Sundance TV Favorite Returns This March — First Look
Adapted from the second book in Joe R. Landsdale’s popular “Hap and Leonard” series,...
- 3/21/2017
- by Juan Diaz
- Indiewire
SundanceTV has announced that the second season for “Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo” will premiere on March 15, 2017 at 10:00 p.m. Based on the popular ’90s book series by Joe R. Lansdale, the dark comedy noir follows Hap Collins (James Purefoy) and Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams), two lifelong friends who attempt to solve murder mysteries in the Deep South during the 1980s. Like the first, this upcoming season consists of six episodes which will air on Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m., followed by the network’s critically acclaimed crime series “Gomorrah.”
Read More: SundanceTV Releases Title Sequence for New Series ‘Hap and Leonard’ + a Clip
Joining the series for the second seaosn are new cast members Brian Dennehy (“First Blood”), Irma P. Hall (“Collateral”, “The Ladykillers”), Cranston Johnson (“Find a Way”, “Atlanta”), Dohn Norwood (“Hells on Wheels”), and Tiffany Mack (“Timeless”).
“Hap and Leonard” will continue to be...
Read More: SundanceTV Releases Title Sequence for New Series ‘Hap and Leonard’ + a Clip
Joining the series for the second seaosn are new cast members Brian Dennehy (“First Blood”), Irma P. Hall (“Collateral”, “The Ladykillers”), Cranston Johnson (“Find a Way”, “Atlanta”), Dohn Norwood (“Hells on Wheels”), and Tiffany Mack (“Timeless”).
“Hap and Leonard” will continue to be...
- 1/20/2017
- by Michael Gonzalez
- Indiewire
The “Boys Are Back” in the first trailer for Season 2 of SundanceTV’s Hap and Leonard, which also now has a premiere date — Wednesday, March 15 at 10/9c.
RelatedIoan Gruffudd, Joanne Froggatt to Star in Sundance Miniseries Thriller
In the series’ “Mucho Mojo”-themed, six-episode sophomore run (based off the second Joe R. Lansdale novel), Hap Collins (played by James Purefoy) and Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams) find themselves caught in the middle of a murder mystery, one that begins with a skeleton, Trudy’s missing ashes, a literal pissing match with a neighborhood drug dealer and a piece of MeMaw’s famous pie.
RelatedIoan Gruffudd, Joanne Froggatt to Star in Sundance Miniseries Thriller
In the series’ “Mucho Mojo”-themed, six-episode sophomore run (based off the second Joe R. Lansdale novel), Hap Collins (played by James Purefoy) and Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams) find themselves caught in the middle of a murder mystery, one that begins with a skeleton, Trudy’s missing ashes, a literal pissing match with a neighborhood drug dealer and a piece of MeMaw’s famous pie.
- 1/13/2017
- TVLine.com
Hell’s Kitchen‘s renewal news just came in a double portion.
Fox has renewed Gordon Ramsay’s cooking competition series for Seasons 17 and 18, it was announced Friday.
Related 2016 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?
Season 16, meanwhile, premieres in two weeks — on Friday, Sept. 23 at 8/7c.
Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…
* Supernatural is keeping its promise to put the focus on hunters in Season 12. Kara Royster (Pretty Little Liars) will guest-star in Episode 6 as Alicia, a monster-killer who was raised by a witch, our sister site Variety reports.
Fox has renewed Gordon Ramsay’s cooking competition series for Seasons 17 and 18, it was announced Friday.
Related 2016 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?
Season 16, meanwhile, premieres in two weeks — on Friday, Sept. 23 at 8/7c.
Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…
* Supernatural is keeping its promise to put the focus on hunters in Season 12. Kara Royster (Pretty Little Liars) will guest-star in Episode 6 as Alicia, a monster-killer who was raised by a witch, our sister site Variety reports.
- 9/9/2016
- TVLine.com
SundanceTV announced today the start of production on season two of the network’s critically-acclaimed original scripted series “Hap and Leonard,” on September 19th in Atlanta, Georgia. Joining the cast as recurring guest stars for season two are Irma P. Hall and… Continue Reading →...
- 9/9/2016
- by shadowandact
- ShadowAndAct
Updated with additional details: Brian Dennehy has joined the Season 2 cast of SundanceTV’s Hap & Leonard in a recurring role. He’ll play Valentine Otis, a sheriff and all-around boss-hog in Marvel Creek. Along with Dennehy, the network announced additional cast as production begins on the second season. Irma P. Hall (A Family Thing) joins as recurring, along with Dohn Norwood (All the Way, Hell on Wheels), and Tiffany Mack (Wicked Love) and Cranston Johnson who board as…...
- 9/9/2016
- Deadline TV
Clint Eastwood's mint juleps 'n' murder epic is an easygoing pleasure. Kevin Spacey, John Cusack and a host of great performances guarantee interest, but maybe I have to go to the book to really understand what's going on. A solid 'A' for this one, Clint. The Savannah tourism board must bless you in their nightly prayers. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Blu-ray The Warner Archive Collection 1997 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 155 min. / Street Date September 27, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 21.99 Starring John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Jack Thompson, Irma P. Hall, Jude Law, Alison Eastwood, Paul Hipp, The Lady Chablis, Dorothy Loudon, Anne Haney, Kim Hunter, Geoffrey Lewis, Richard Herd, Jo Ann Pflug. Cinematography Jack N. Green Original Music Lennie Niehaus Written by John Lee Hancock from the book by John Berendt Produced by Clint Eastwood, Arnold Stiefel Directed by Clint Eastwood
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Clint Eastwood...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Clint Eastwood...
- 9/5/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In January 2014, I spoke with Will Scheffer about his HBO series "Getting On" for this publication:
You can read that interview Here
And now we fast forward almost two years later and the show is in its third and final season. In our interview, Scheffer looks back at his experiences with the show and talks about collaborating with his husband, Mark V Olsen – creator, executive producer and writer of "Getting On" and their other shows, including "Big Love."
In addition to the HBO American cable channel, "Getting On" can be seen on HBO Latin America and HBO Europe and Asia, and through Sky (France, UK, Spain, and so on.)
Kouguell: With the increase of the global cable markets and increasing platforms, reaching a broader audience, how has this affected your shows?
Scheffer: It was gratifying to have read about "Getting On’s" reception in Paris (where they love the show) before the recent attacks and to know that this show speaks particularly to issues of loss and wounding and grief but in a way that enables laughter to mix with heartbreak. This season has so much more resonance to me as it is a comedy. It’s not escapist. It’s healing comedy. You can laugh and cry in the darkest of hours and to me, that’s the greatest service to provide as an artist. To allow people to experience their common humanity. Without self-importance. Experiencing and accepting the fragility of life, of being human, is a wonderful place to begin from.
Kouguell: Looking back at the three seasons of "Getting On," what were some of the most poignant and/or memorable moments for you working with the actors and writers?
Scheffer: We felt that by choosing "Getting On" to adapt we were entering into “stewarding” function with our British team. We wrote all of the episodes and the first two seasons had a lot of material from the original series to adapt, but the final season was all original story. Still, we went to London and ran our ideas by the original creators and worked with them. That relationship, receiving their input bonded us in a way that was unique to most adaptations. The fact that Vicki Pepperdine and Joanna Scanlan appear in Episode 4 as their original characters and meet their American counterparts, and vice versa— felt so amazing. It’s something we’d never seen before and it speaks to the way the British show and the American show are so different but like siblings, so connected. We share the same blood. So that’s a long-winded way of saying, going to London for a week to work with “the girls’ was a high point.
It’s hard to single out moments because working with our actors was the greatest experience of my career. Watching Niecy Nash bloom, seeing Mel Rodriguez and Alex Borstein prove how brilliant they are. Experiencing Laurie Metcalf’s genius (I mean she is a national treasure — beyond, beyond) and then all of our guest and co-stars. Just this season alone: Harry Dean Stanton, Mary Kay Place, Francis Conroy, Rhea Perlman, June Sqibb, Kristen Johnson, Jonathan Silverman, Jayma Mays, Daniel Stern, Rita Moreno, Grant Bowler, Janis Ian!!! Meeting Didi’s family -- Marsha, Corey, Gloria and Scott -- they felt like a real family. Anne Guilbert as Birdie. Not to mention the other great women we were able to work with like Betty Buckley, Tsai Chin, Jean Smart, Irma P. Hall, Alia Shawkat, Carrie Preston, Molly Shannon— I can’t even list them all, I know I’m forgetting people and not even mentioning the supporting cast who were brilliant. These diverse, brilliant actors in just 18 episodes.
Kouguell: This is the second show you have created for HBO, "Big Love" ran for 5 seasons and like "Getting On," pushed the envelope in its examination of timely, hot button issues. For Big Love, the show was not just about polygamy and the power of the church, at its core it was about family. In "Getting On," some of the major topics/themes you tackle are ageism and the health care system. While "Getting On" is very funny, it also strikes a major chord of realism. Truth is stranger than fiction.
Scheffer: I think I mentioned already the theme of human frailty. And I just can’t stress enough how I believe it is an “undervalued” value in our society. I mean we all get old and die. It’s not sexy but it’s part of life. And it doesn’t have to be shoved out of our consciousness or romanticized or treated sentimentally or “importantly.” It’s life. And I wish people knew what they were missing by avoiding dealing with their fears about it. It’s like, do you wanna deal with those fears now or do it later when it’s gonna be a real drag?
It was such a privilege for Mark and me to both be with our moms when they were dying. Sure it was hard, but it was incredibly layered and sometimes funny and of course heartbreaking -- but it was like I wanted to tell everyone: “Hey, you really should experience this, because it’s so amazing, even though it hurts, too.”
Kouguell: The main characters (with the exception of the brilliant Patsy) focus mainly on women and their relationships with their patients and with their colleagues. There is so much talk in the industry now about the lack of women’s roles particularly in the ‘over 40’ category. What are your thoughts on this?
Scheffer: Yeah. Well. That’s always been the case. And I think it’s finally changing. The volatility in the business is palpable and I think that finally that really big ugly fact about Hollywood is going to change. It has to. I know we’re going to keep writing great roles for women because, lucky for us, we’re good at it, I think.
Kouguell: What can we expect from this final season?
Scheffer: Well. It’s the final season. So expect big stories, some big reveals and I’d say that I think the finale is one I will always be very proud of.
Learn more about "Getting On": http://www.hbo.com/getting-on
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
You can read that interview Here
And now we fast forward almost two years later and the show is in its third and final season. In our interview, Scheffer looks back at his experiences with the show and talks about collaborating with his husband, Mark V Olsen – creator, executive producer and writer of "Getting On" and their other shows, including "Big Love."
In addition to the HBO American cable channel, "Getting On" can be seen on HBO Latin America and HBO Europe and Asia, and through Sky (France, UK, Spain, and so on.)
Kouguell: With the increase of the global cable markets and increasing platforms, reaching a broader audience, how has this affected your shows?
Scheffer: It was gratifying to have read about "Getting On’s" reception in Paris (where they love the show) before the recent attacks and to know that this show speaks particularly to issues of loss and wounding and grief but in a way that enables laughter to mix with heartbreak. This season has so much more resonance to me as it is a comedy. It’s not escapist. It’s healing comedy. You can laugh and cry in the darkest of hours and to me, that’s the greatest service to provide as an artist. To allow people to experience their common humanity. Without self-importance. Experiencing and accepting the fragility of life, of being human, is a wonderful place to begin from.
Kouguell: Looking back at the three seasons of "Getting On," what were some of the most poignant and/or memorable moments for you working with the actors and writers?
Scheffer: We felt that by choosing "Getting On" to adapt we were entering into “stewarding” function with our British team. We wrote all of the episodes and the first two seasons had a lot of material from the original series to adapt, but the final season was all original story. Still, we went to London and ran our ideas by the original creators and worked with them. That relationship, receiving their input bonded us in a way that was unique to most adaptations. The fact that Vicki Pepperdine and Joanna Scanlan appear in Episode 4 as their original characters and meet their American counterparts, and vice versa— felt so amazing. It’s something we’d never seen before and it speaks to the way the British show and the American show are so different but like siblings, so connected. We share the same blood. So that’s a long-winded way of saying, going to London for a week to work with “the girls’ was a high point.
It’s hard to single out moments because working with our actors was the greatest experience of my career. Watching Niecy Nash bloom, seeing Mel Rodriguez and Alex Borstein prove how brilliant they are. Experiencing Laurie Metcalf’s genius (I mean she is a national treasure — beyond, beyond) and then all of our guest and co-stars. Just this season alone: Harry Dean Stanton, Mary Kay Place, Francis Conroy, Rhea Perlman, June Sqibb, Kristen Johnson, Jonathan Silverman, Jayma Mays, Daniel Stern, Rita Moreno, Grant Bowler, Janis Ian!!! Meeting Didi’s family -- Marsha, Corey, Gloria and Scott -- they felt like a real family. Anne Guilbert as Birdie. Not to mention the other great women we were able to work with like Betty Buckley, Tsai Chin, Jean Smart, Irma P. Hall, Alia Shawkat, Carrie Preston, Molly Shannon— I can’t even list them all, I know I’m forgetting people and not even mentioning the supporting cast who were brilliant. These diverse, brilliant actors in just 18 episodes.
Kouguell: This is the second show you have created for HBO, "Big Love" ran for 5 seasons and like "Getting On," pushed the envelope in its examination of timely, hot button issues. For Big Love, the show was not just about polygamy and the power of the church, at its core it was about family. In "Getting On," some of the major topics/themes you tackle are ageism and the health care system. While "Getting On" is very funny, it also strikes a major chord of realism. Truth is stranger than fiction.
Scheffer: I think I mentioned already the theme of human frailty. And I just can’t stress enough how I believe it is an “undervalued” value in our society. I mean we all get old and die. It’s not sexy but it’s part of life. And it doesn’t have to be shoved out of our consciousness or romanticized or treated sentimentally or “importantly.” It’s life. And I wish people knew what they were missing by avoiding dealing with their fears about it. It’s like, do you wanna deal with those fears now or do it later when it’s gonna be a real drag?
It was such a privilege for Mark and me to both be with our moms when they were dying. Sure it was hard, but it was incredibly layered and sometimes funny and of course heartbreaking -- but it was like I wanted to tell everyone: “Hey, you really should experience this, because it’s so amazing, even though it hurts, too.”
Kouguell: The main characters (with the exception of the brilliant Patsy) focus mainly on women and their relationships with their patients and with their colleagues. There is so much talk in the industry now about the lack of women’s roles particularly in the ‘over 40’ category. What are your thoughts on this?
Scheffer: Yeah. Well. That’s always been the case. And I think it’s finally changing. The volatility in the business is palpable and I think that finally that really big ugly fact about Hollywood is going to change. It has to. I know we’re going to keep writing great roles for women because, lucky for us, we’re good at it, I think.
Kouguell: What can we expect from this final season?
Scheffer: Well. It’s the final season. So expect big stories, some big reveals and I’d say that I think the finale is one I will always be very proud of.
Learn more about "Getting On": http://www.hbo.com/getting-on
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
- 11/21/2015
- by Susan Kouguell
- Sydney's Buzz
Outside of Martin Scorsese, there are very few clean slates in Hollywood – and even He has Bringing Out The Dead blotting his copybook (discuss…). The Coen brothers though, have created an unbroken conga-line of stunningly original movies, mixing and mastering genres, and even creating new ones.
If there was a bump in the road in 1994 time, it seems, has since been kind to The Hudsucker Proxy. A bigger budget (courtesy of ’80s alpha-producer Joel Silver) and an initially unresponsive family audience had it labelled as the Coen’s first flop, but watched now its pleasures are myriad and unmistakably Coenesque (including a great, late-vintage performance from Paul Newman).
The Coens announced themselves to the world in 1984 with the instant neo-noir classic, Blood Simple. Now, just mull the following subsequent film titles over in your mind like a mouthful of Chateau Petrus. Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy,...
If there was a bump in the road in 1994 time, it seems, has since been kind to The Hudsucker Proxy. A bigger budget (courtesy of ’80s alpha-producer Joel Silver) and an initially unresponsive family audience had it labelled as the Coen’s first flop, but watched now its pleasures are myriad and unmistakably Coenesque (including a great, late-vintage performance from Paul Newman).
The Coens announced themselves to the world in 1984 with the instant neo-noir classic, Blood Simple. Now, just mull the following subsequent film titles over in your mind like a mouthful of Chateau Petrus. Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy,...
- 1/22/2014
- by Cai Ross
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Chicago – One of the more unique independent films that worked the festival circuit in 2012 and ’13 was the drama “Mr. Sophistication.” The main character was Ron Waters, a comedian described as “Richard Pryor’s protegé.” Actor Harry Lennix took on the character, breathing in both the drama of the show business story and the particular style of stand-up.
The film was recently released in downloadable and DVD formats. While on that festival circuit, Harry Lennix and the production crew – writer/director Danny Green and producers Jon E. Edwards and Albena Dodeva – stopped by Chicago, and HollywoodChicago.com spoke to them about the film.
Actor Harry Lennix, Portrays Ron Waters in “Mr. Sophistication”
Harry Lennix and Robert Patrick in ‘Mr. Sophistication’
Photo credit: Mr. Smoothie Company
HollywoodChicago.com: You were born in Chicago and have the Chicago influence in the story of Ron Waters. How important was it to give Ron a...
The film was recently released in downloadable and DVD formats. While on that festival circuit, Harry Lennix and the production crew – writer/director Danny Green and producers Jon E. Edwards and Albena Dodeva – stopped by Chicago, and HollywoodChicago.com spoke to them about the film.
Actor Harry Lennix, Portrays Ron Waters in “Mr. Sophistication”
Harry Lennix and Robert Patrick in ‘Mr. Sophistication’
Photo credit: Mr. Smoothie Company
HollywoodChicago.com: You were born in Chicago and have the Chicago influence in the story of Ron Waters. How important was it to give Ron a...
- 11/25/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
To many people, nursing homes are no laughing matter, but a new Americanization of a British show is aiming to mine humor from that environment.
Premiering Sunday, Nov. 24, HBO's "Getting On" casts three-time "Roseanne" Emmy winner Laurie Metcalf as the supervisor of an extended-care facility in Long Beach, Calif. She thinks the assignment is only temporary, but she finds out differently ... meaning she'll have to find ways to deal with the often challenging bureaucracy, encompassing a by-the-book nurse (Alex Borstein, the voice of Lois Griffin on Fox's "Family Guy").
"We're all going to deal with this at some point," Metcalf reasons to Zap2it of the subject matter "Getting On" tackles. "It's a dramedy, I guess you'd call it, so there is humor ... but this is a tough subject. I was so impressed with the BBC version, within the first five minutes, I knew this was something I wanted to do.
Premiering Sunday, Nov. 24, HBO's "Getting On" casts three-time "Roseanne" Emmy winner Laurie Metcalf as the supervisor of an extended-care facility in Long Beach, Calif. She thinks the assignment is only temporary, but she finds out differently ... meaning she'll have to find ways to deal with the often challenging bureaucracy, encompassing a by-the-book nurse (Alex Borstein, the voice of Lois Griffin on Fox's "Family Guy").
"We're all going to deal with this at some point," Metcalf reasons to Zap2it of the subject matter "Getting On" tackles. "It's a dramedy, I guess you'd call it, so there is humor ... but this is a tough subject. I was so impressed with the BBC version, within the first five minutes, I knew this was something I wanted to do.
- 11/24/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Brains of a Blonde: Thornton’s Unnecessary Return to the Director’s Chair
After his astonishingly strong 1996 directorial debut, Sling Blade, you’d be hard pressed to find another new director more highly anticipated than Billy Bob Thornton during that time period. After two viciously unsuccessful followups (a failed Cormac McCarthy adaptation, All the Pretty Horses, 2000, and a jarringly delayed family drama, Daddy and Them, made in 1999 and released on DVD in 2001), Thornton finally debuts a fourth feature, Jayne Mansfield’s Car, which continues his fascination with sprawling Southern family sagas where familial relations are strange and in-laws interminably spout second-tier Tennessee Williams tropes, and where an attempt at depicting culture clash really only plays out like misguided narrative clash. Sadly, this southern fried period piece is as headless as the corpse in the car it references, the tacky Mansfield car a garish metaphor for Thornton’s cinematic offering, touring...
After his astonishingly strong 1996 directorial debut, Sling Blade, you’d be hard pressed to find another new director more highly anticipated than Billy Bob Thornton during that time period. After two viciously unsuccessful followups (a failed Cormac McCarthy adaptation, All the Pretty Horses, 2000, and a jarringly delayed family drama, Daddy and Them, made in 1999 and released on DVD in 2001), Thornton finally debuts a fourth feature, Jayne Mansfield’s Car, which continues his fascination with sprawling Southern family sagas where familial relations are strange and in-laws interminably spout second-tier Tennessee Williams tropes, and where an attempt at depicting culture clash really only plays out like misguided narrative clash. Sadly, this southern fried period piece is as headless as the corpse in the car it references, the tacky Mansfield car a garish metaphor for Thornton’s cinematic offering, touring...
- 9/13/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
HBO has announced that Getting On, their new comedy series, will premiere on Sunday, November 24th, at 10pm. There are six episodes in the first season.
From the creators of Big Love (Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer), Getting On takes place in a women’s extended-care facility of a Long Beach hospital. The series follows "the daily lives of put-upon nurses and doctors as they struggle with the darkly comic realities of caring for the elderly in an overwhelmed healthcare system."
Based on a British series, Getting On stars Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein, Niecy Nash and Mel Rodriguez. Guests stars this season will include Molly Shannon, Daniel Stern, Harry Dean Stanton, June Squibb and Irma P. Hall.
What do you think? Does Getting On sound like your kind of show? Will you check it out?...
From the creators of Big Love (Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer), Getting On takes place in a women’s extended-care facility of a Long Beach hospital. The series follows "the daily lives of put-upon nurses and doctors as they struggle with the darkly comic realities of caring for the elderly in an overwhelmed healthcare system."
Based on a British series, Getting On stars Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein, Niecy Nash and Mel Rodriguez. Guests stars this season will include Molly Shannon, Daniel Stern, Harry Dean Stanton, June Squibb and Irma P. Hall.
What do you think? Does Getting On sound like your kind of show? Will you check it out?...
- 9/11/2013
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Here's your first look at the trailer for the just-completed indie feature film Lady Luck, which has an unusual credit... to its credit. Starring Irma P. Hall, Don Battèe, Zonya Maraet, La Tricia L. Cleveland, Swisyzinna and D. Ellis, the film was written by Clifton McCurry, Jonathan White and Tricia Woodgett. But what makes it unusual is that three directors are credited for the film, including Mr. McCurry, Ms. Woodgett but also the singularly named Jirard. No doubt, because of the storyline of the film, which involves three separate stories that are somehow intertwined, each director handled one of the plot threads. According the synopsis the film deals...
- 4/16/2013
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
Watch the trailer for John Eschenbaum's 3 Blind Saints, starring Richard Speight, Jr., Stelio Savante, Elijah Rock, Barry Corbin, Murray Gershenz, Audrey Matos and Irma P. Hall. The comedy finds DVD release on November 20th via FilmWorks Entertainment. Brad Wilson produces alongside writer Steve Gray. The story follows three childhood friends, Sam (Richard Speight, Jr., TV's Supernatural, Justified, Band of Brothers), Jamal (Elijah Rock), and Frankie (Stelio Savante) have schemed since they were kids to make it big. While cruising in Sam’s beat up “classic” convertible on a road trip they find themselves in the small town of Rocky Road where Rusty Pickens (Barry Corbin, No Country For Old Men) pretty much has everybody in his back pocket.
- 10/8/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch the trailer for John Eschenbaum's 3 Blind Saints, starring Richard Speight, Jr., Stelio Savante, Elijah Rock, Barry Corbin, Murray Gershenz, Audrey Matos and Irma P. Hall. The comedy finds DVD release on November 20th via FilmWorks Entertainment. Brad Wilson produces alongside writer Steve Gray. The story follows three childhood friends, Sam (Richard Speight, Jr., TV's Supernatural, Justified, Band of Brothers), Jamal (Elijah Rock), and Frankie (Stelio Savante) have schemed since they were kids to make it big. While cruising in Sam’s beat up “classic” convertible on a road trip they find themselves in the small town of Rocky Road where Rusty Pickens (Barry Corbin, No Country For Old Men) pretty much has everybody in his back pocket.
- 10/8/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Hiding In Plain Sight is the feature film debut from director M. Legend Brown. The faith-based family drama stars Kelly O’Neil Jackson and Sharice Henry-Chasi as Darius and Josey Blackmon, a 30-something couple struggling to keep their family safe after their fall from the middle-class forces them, and their two children, to live in their car. Darius’ once unshakeable faith, in himself and God, is beginning to fall apart, as life on the street, the struggle to find work, the constant pressures of keeping the kids in school, and the authorities from separating the family, all start to take their toll. Irma P. Hall co-stars in the drama as Grandma Ida Blackmon. ...
- 9/24/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Indie Beat today sees the first trailer and release date date announcement for Three Blind Saints, an upcoming comedy about three childhood friends with schemes and dreams to 'make it big'.
Here at TheMoviePool we like to talk about all aspects of filmmaking and movie news. To that end, we now have Indie Beat where we'll highlight some of the latest news, trailers, and PR releases from the indie filmmaker scene. So if you're an independent filmmaker and want some coverage on our site, be sure to drop us a line at jordan@themoviepool.com. Now onto the news!
Three Blind Saints, the family-friendly comedy about three childhood friends scheming to make it big, announced Friday Sept1st that it has signed a deal with FilmWorks Entertainment Inc. for DVD, digital and video-on-demand Nov. 20, 2012. (The U.S. release is set just in time for Thanksgiving).
"Three Blind Saints" is produced...
Here at TheMoviePool we like to talk about all aspects of filmmaking and movie news. To that end, we now have Indie Beat where we'll highlight some of the latest news, trailers, and PR releases from the indie filmmaker scene. So if you're an independent filmmaker and want some coverage on our site, be sure to drop us a line at jordan@themoviepool.com. Now onto the news!
Three Blind Saints, the family-friendly comedy about three childhood friends scheming to make it big, announced Friday Sept1st that it has signed a deal with FilmWorks Entertainment Inc. for DVD, digital and video-on-demand Nov. 20, 2012. (The U.S. release is set just in time for Thanksgiving).
"Three Blind Saints" is produced...
- 9/5/2012
- by feeds@themoviepool.com (Jordan Maison)
- Cinelinx
Set for release on DVD, digital and video-on-demand, just in time for Thanksgiving, on November 20, 2012 is the indie comedy, Three Blind Saints, directed by John Eschenbaum, produced by Hungry Horse Media Productions and stars Richard Speight, Jr., Stelio Savante, Elijah Rock, Barry Corbin, Murray Gershenz, Audrey Matos, and Irma P. Hall. Synopsis reads: "Three Blind Saints" is a fun story of three guys whose road trip turns into a jail sentence. Pretending to get saved, their scheme backfires when the judge assigns them to a local church for community service. When corruption is discovered, it's up to the guys to rise to the occasion and prove they have what it...
- 9/4/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Photo: DreamWorks Pictures Movie: Collateral Release Year: 2004 Studio: DreamWorks Pictures Director: Michael Mann Starring: Tom Cruise as Vincent, Jamie Foxx as Max, Jada Pinkett Smith as Annie, Mark Ruffalo as Fanning, Peter Berg as Richard Weidner, Bruce McGill as Pedrosa, Irma P. Hall as Ida and Barry Shabaka Henley as Daniel Cinematographer: Dion Beebe (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha) and Paul Cameron (Man on Fire, Deja Vu) Photo: DreamWorks Pictures Photo: DreamWorks Pictures Photo: DreamWorks Pictures When I did the map of locations in Collateral this is one location I couldn't findPhoto: DreamWorks Pictures Photo: DreamWorks Pictures Photo: DreamWorks Pictures Photo: DreamWorks Pictures Photo: DreamWorks Pictures Photo: DreamWorks Pictures It's amazing how intense this scene is in full-motion, but slowed down how fake it looks. This shot, however, was great. I only wish Barry Shabaka Henley's eyes had been open.Photo: DreamWorks Pictures Photo: DreamWorks Pictures There are a...
- 8/29/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Rel Dowdell's 2nd feature film, Changing The Game, which stars Tony Todd (Candyman, 24, The Event); Sean Riggs (Stomp the Yard), actor/rapper Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones (A Day in the Life, Blade: The Series, Law & Order, NCIS: La) and Irma P. Hall (Soul Food) is heading to DVD on August 28. The film had a limited theatrical release back in May of this year. To recap, here's the full synopsis: An epic tale about a supremely intelligent young African-American male who rises from the ferocious and oppressive streets of North Philadelphia to being a shining star in the lucrative world of high finance at Wall Street's most prestigious firm....
- 7/31/2012
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Back in 1996, when Billy Bob Thornton directed Sling Blade, its success seemed like a pretty big opportunity for the actor to change up his career focus and start accumulating awards by sitting in the director’s chair. That didn’t happen, though. Thornton has only made a handful of films since, and none that have come close to being as well-regarded as his first. However, it’s looking like this year could serve as Thornton’s best chance since Sling Blade at accumulating some more awards, because his latest film, Jayne Mansfield’s Car, looks like it’s got all of that good stuff that people who give out golden statues like. It’s a comedy of manners that throws excitable Southerners and stuffy Brits in the same space and examines the ways they chafe against each other, it’s set in the ’60s (so it’s got that oh-so-important element of nostalgia going for it, and...
- 7/20/2012
- by Nathan Adams
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Directored and written by Ya’Ke Smith
Featuring Irma P. Hall, Eugene Lee, Jordan Cooper, Shelton Jolivette, Mikala Gibson
While the topic of molestation among church officials and vulnerable members of the congregation is one that has been explored thoroughly in many different films, TV shows and books, rarely has it hit home as acutely as in the new film Wolf, which debuted at SXSW. The film, written and directed by Ya’Ke Smith, brings the situation into the setting of a black congregation.
Nona (Gibson) is a powerful, strong, intelligent young woman working hard to put herself through college to become a psychiatrist while her husband Jaymund (Jolivette) is a long-distance truck driver. Nona is raising her teenage son Carl (Cooper), who from the opening scene is shown to be a withdrawn, disturbed young man on the verge of complete mental breakdown and in the business of self-harm behind closed doors.
Featuring Irma P. Hall, Eugene Lee, Jordan Cooper, Shelton Jolivette, Mikala Gibson
While the topic of molestation among church officials and vulnerable members of the congregation is one that has been explored thoroughly in many different films, TV shows and books, rarely has it hit home as acutely as in the new film Wolf, which debuted at SXSW. The film, written and directed by Ya’Ke Smith, brings the situation into the setting of a black congregation.
Nona (Gibson) is a powerful, strong, intelligent young woman working hard to put herself through college to become a psychiatrist while her husband Jaymund (Jolivette) is a long-distance truck driver. Nona is raising her teenage son Carl (Cooper), who from the opening scene is shown to be a withdrawn, disturbed young man on the verge of complete mental breakdown and in the business of self-harm behind closed doors.
- 3/14/2012
- by Amanda Rebholz
- Planet Fury
You may remember Ya'Ke Smith's 2010 short Katrina's Son from Austin Film Festival, where it won Best Narrative Short. Smith, who is not only a filmmaker but an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Arlington, is back with the controversial feature Wolf, premiering in the Emerging Visions category. And check out the top-notch cast, listed below.
Slackerwood: Describe your film for us in a couple of sentences.
Ya'Ke Smith: A family is shaken to the core when they discover their son has been molested. As they struggle to deal with the betrayal, their son heads toward a total mental collapse because of his love for his abuser, while his abuser attempts to exorcise his own past demons. The film stars Irma P. Hall (Soul Food, Collateral, The Ladykillers), Eugene Lee (Lackawanna Blues, Coach Carter) and newcomers Mikala Gibson (Gretchen), Shelton Jolivette and Jordan Cooper.
What’s one...
Slackerwood: Describe your film for us in a couple of sentences.
Ya'Ke Smith: A family is shaken to the core when they discover their son has been molested. As they struggle to deal with the betrayal, their son heads toward a total mental collapse because of his love for his abuser, while his abuser attempts to exorcise his own past demons. The film stars Irma P. Hall (Soul Food, Collateral, The Ladykillers), Eugene Lee (Lackawanna Blues, Coach Carter) and newcomers Mikala Gibson (Gretchen), Shelton Jolivette and Jordan Cooper.
What’s one...
- 3/1/2012
- by Jenn Brown
- Slackerwood
Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas fest taking place March 9-17, including 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. As previously announced, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods will have the honours of opening the festival, and now they have released the full list of films – and it’s looking pretty amazing. Enjoy!
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
- 2/3/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry, shot by Bob Gruen in 1977
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
- 2/1/2012
- MUBI
With Sundance 2012 Film Festival over, the next big one on the horizon is South by Southwest, which we’ll be heavily covering. The biggest chunk of the line-up has been announced today, which has some great premieres including 21 Jump Street, Tiff and Sundance hit The Raid, Will Ferrell‘s Casa de mi Padre, the documentary Girl Model (which we liked at Tiff), as well as the next from Broken Lizard, The Babymakers. There are many other promising titles included and you can see them all below. Check back for our coverage for the fest, kicking off March 9th.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
- 2/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Attendees of South by Southwest 2012 are in for a treat. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas festival taking place March 9-17. Among them are 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The organization already announced [1] Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods would open the festival (the movie is phenomenal [2]) and today the majority of the remaining line up has been revealed. One of the highlights is the unbelievably smart and hilarious 21 Jump Street, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Both of those are World Premieres. Other highlights include The Hunter, Killer Joe, The Babymakers, frankie goes boom, God Bless America, The Imposter, The Raid, Bernie and Casa de mi Padre just to name a few. After the jump, read descriptions of all the films that have been announced so far. Before I copy and paste the rest of the list, a few minor notes.
- 2/1/2012
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
Why the brothers Coen, that's who. In their almost thirty year career, Joel and Ethan Coen have shown impeccable taste when casting their leading ladies. I haven't come here to bury Michael Bay's ladies. What is apparent, however, is that Bay is looking to cast pure eye candy. He's got a thing for luscious lips and talent seems to be a bit of an afterthought. Sometimes he lucks out, I have no beef with Gabrielle Union, Liv Tyler has a wealth of Empire Records cred and Kate Beckinsale can be good even if she was wooden and alarmingly orange in Pearl Harbor. I get it, Bay is casting for a different type of movie. As Shia LeBeouf recently said, "Mike films women in a way that appeals to a 16-year-old sexuality. It's summer. It's Michael's style." And, hey, I'm not going to call it sexist, per se. It's not like LeBeouf or Josh Duhamel,...
- 6/29/2011
- by Joanna Robinson
The 2nd Annual Indie Soap Awards presented by We Love Soaps were held at The Ailey Studios in New York City on Monday, February 21, hosted by the hilarious Martha Byrne, creator and star of Gotham. Video from the event is coming soon but in the meanwhile, you can check out our exclusive pictures from photographer Gustavo Monroy below.
Byrne opened the show with a hilarious monologue which covered a variety of topics from producing shows on low budgets, merchandising (she took not one, but two drinks from a Gotham mug), the impact of secret weapon Nadia Bjorlin, confusing sexuality, and so much more. Byrne introduced the presenters and cracked jokes throughout.
Here's a rundown of the show:
Breakthrough Performance
Presented by: Nick Mathews, In Between Men
Nominees: Pasha Diallo, Anacostia; Jessy Hodges, Anyone But Me; Leon, Diary Of A Single Mom; Afton Boggiano, Empire; Bianca Magick, Miss Behave; Kate Conway,...
Byrne opened the show with a hilarious monologue which covered a variety of topics from producing shows on low budgets, merchandising (she took not one, but two drinks from a Gotham mug), the impact of secret weapon Nadia Bjorlin, confusing sexuality, and so much more. Byrne introduced the presenters and cracked jokes throughout.
Here's a rundown of the show:
Breakthrough Performance
Presented by: Nick Mathews, In Between Men
Nominees: Pasha Diallo, Anacostia; Jessy Hodges, Anyone But Me; Leon, Diary Of A Single Mom; Afton Boggiano, Empire; Bianca Magick, Miss Behave; Kate Conway,...
- 2/24/2011
- by We Love Soaps TV
- We Love Soaps
Sergio profiled this film last summer, June 2009, when it was announced that it would screen at the Chicago International Film Festival later in the fall (read that post Here). A trailer for it has surfaced, and the film is now officially on DVD and VOD, so you can check it out if you haven’t already.
Rain stars Cch Pounder, Irma P. Hall, Nicki Micheaux and Renel Brown, as the title character, Rain, a young Bahamian girl determined to reconcile with the mother who abandoned her when she was just a toddler, summoning the strength needed to find her own place in the world.
The film, shot in 2008, described as an “intimate family drama,” was written and directed by Maria Govan, her debut. It played the festival circuit in 2009, and, as I stated, is now available on DVD and VOD.
Check out the trailer below:...
Rain stars Cch Pounder, Irma P. Hall, Nicki Micheaux and Renel Brown, as the title character, Rain, a young Bahamian girl determined to reconcile with the mother who abandoned her when she was just a toddler, summoning the strength needed to find her own place in the world.
The film, shot in 2008, described as an “intimate family drama,” was written and directed by Maria Govan, her debut. It played the festival circuit in 2009, and, as I stated, is now available on DVD and VOD.
Check out the trailer below:...
- 8/6/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
This is the review of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, directed by Werner Herzog and starring Michael Shannon, Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, Udo Kier, Michael Peña, Grace Zabriskie, Brad Dourif, Irma P. Hall and Loretta Devine. Herzog returns in a collaboration with David Lynch which tickles the senses. Michael Shannon plays Brad, who in the past embarked on a journey with some hippy friends to Peru and was spoken to by God. God told him not to ride the rapids with his friends as they would all die but none of his friends would listen to him and so they all paddled to their death, except Brad who stayed watching from the river bank.
- 7/7/2010
- by Neil Rolland
- Pure Movies
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Directed by: Werner Herzog Written by: Willam M. Finkelstein Starring: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Shawn Hatosy, Irma P. Hall, Val Kilmer, Xzibit There was a lot of confusion when it was first announced that Werner Herzog would be directing a remake of the 1992 film Bad Lieutenant starring Harvey Keitel, and even more confusion when a trailer finally surfaced online last year. As it turns out, the movie is not a remake of Abel Ferrara's original at all, and shares little more than a title and the same general premise. But if it isn't a remake and it isn't a sequel, the question remains... what exactly is it? Somehow the folks at Millennium Films (Rambo, Brooklyn's Finest) managed to scoop up the rights to the original, and thought that it might make a good starting point for a franchise. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans...
- 4/15/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Rating: 2.5/5.0
Chicago – When David Lynch came to Chicago for an “Inland Empire” screening back in 2007, he offered memorable advice to a moviegoer baffled by his work. He said that his audience should meditate not on the “intellectual experience” provided by his films, but the emotional ideas that they conjure. Meditating on anything else would prove useless because, as Lynch put it, “If you meditate on buttermilk, you’ll end up going to the dairy.”
Such advice may prove useful to adventurous moviegoers eager to get their minds warped by “My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done,” a truly bizarre experiment forged by two of our greatest living filmmakers. It was executive produced by Lynch and directed by Werner Herzog as a sort of riff on Lynch’s work, while also delving into his own trademark obsessions. It’s as much a work of free association filmmaking as Lynch’s “Empire,...
Chicago – When David Lynch came to Chicago for an “Inland Empire” screening back in 2007, he offered memorable advice to a moviegoer baffled by his work. He said that his audience should meditate not on the “intellectual experience” provided by his films, but the emotional ideas that they conjure. Meditating on anything else would prove useless because, as Lynch put it, “If you meditate on buttermilk, you’ll end up going to the dairy.”
Such advice may prove useful to adventurous moviegoers eager to get their minds warped by “My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done,” a truly bizarre experiment forged by two of our greatest living filmmakers. It was executive produced by Lynch and directed by Werner Herzog as a sort of riff on Lynch’s work, while also delving into his own trademark obsessions. It’s as much a work of free association filmmaking as Lynch’s “Empire,...
- 4/14/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Nicolas Cage is ill-served by this very silly movie.
Xzibit and Nicolas Cage in "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"
Photo: Millennium Films
Do fish have dreams? Do they dream of ominous iguanas, perhaps? Or maybe the disembodied breakdancing souls of freshly capped gangsters? More to the point, will Nicolas Cage ever make another movie that makes sense? Judging by his new one, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," and considering his current financial straits, the prospects seem dim.
The director — the esteemed Werner Herzog, stupefyingly enough — claims never to have seen Abel Ferrara's original 1992 "Bad Lieutenant," and I think we can take him at his word. The Ferrara movie, which I'd recommend seeing before — or better yet instead of — this one, concerns a viciously bent New York City cop; and Harvey Keitel, in the title role, is the embodiment of rank, skeezy corruption. In Herzog's take on the story,...
Xzibit and Nicolas Cage in "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"
Photo: Millennium Films
Do fish have dreams? Do they dream of ominous iguanas, perhaps? Or maybe the disembodied breakdancing souls of freshly capped gangsters? More to the point, will Nicolas Cage ever make another movie that makes sense? Judging by his new one, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," and considering his current financial straits, the prospects seem dim.
The director — the esteemed Werner Herzog, stupefyingly enough — claims never to have seen Abel Ferrara's original 1992 "Bad Lieutenant," and I think we can take him at his word. The Ferrara movie, which I'd recommend seeing before — or better yet instead of — this one, concerns a viciously bent New York City cop; and Harvey Keitel, in the title role, is the embodiment of rank, skeezy corruption. In Herzog's take on the story,...
- 11/20/2009
- MTV Movie News
Nic Cage acting all hopped up on drugs and stuttering his way through a story about pirate treasure and a missing spoon while showing off his shack/childhood castle? Nic Cage does that in his sleep, buddy, and he does it here, in this clip from Werner Herzog’s “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”. The loony crime/drama co-stars Cage, Mendes, Val Kilmer, Fairuza Balk, Jennifer Coolidge, Brad Dourif, Michael Shannon, Shawn Hatosy, Xzibit, Denzel Whitaker, Shea Whigham, Irma P. Hall, and probably won’t be entertaining you in a theater near you anytime soon. Unfortunately for Kilmer, this looks like it’ll hit a couple of theaters in limited release before going directly to DVD and cable; but then again, Kilmer is probably used to that. Via Apple.
- 10/24/2009
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
Chicago – Backed by industry giants Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, the new film “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire,” had a red carpet premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival on October 14th.
Walking the red carpet was the transcendent star of Precious, Gabby Sidibe, who portrays the title character. Accompanying her was the director Lee Daniels, an extraordinary creative force of nature.
Also partaking of the film and walking the carpet, the exceptional Chicago character actress Irma P. Hall (”Soul Food,” “The Ladykillers”) and the star of another festival film, the radiant Jossie Thacker.
HollywoodChicago was there, and elicited the following interplay from the participants.
Gabby Sidibe, star of “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire”
‘Precious’ Star: Gabby Sidibe at the Chicago International Film Festival, October 14, 2009.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
HollywoodChicago: Your character often dreamed of a better life. What was your...
Walking the red carpet was the transcendent star of Precious, Gabby Sidibe, who portrays the title character. Accompanying her was the director Lee Daniels, an extraordinary creative force of nature.
Also partaking of the film and walking the carpet, the exceptional Chicago character actress Irma P. Hall (”Soul Food,” “The Ladykillers”) and the star of another festival film, the radiant Jossie Thacker.
HollywoodChicago was there, and elicited the following interplay from the participants.
Gabby Sidibe, star of “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire”
‘Precious’ Star: Gabby Sidibe at the Chicago International Film Festival, October 14, 2009.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
HollywoodChicago: Your character often dreamed of a better life. What was your...
- 10/15/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Toronto International Film Festival Special Presentation Wed Sept 16 Elgin Theatre David Lynch produces Werner Herzog.s surreal morality tale starring the excellent Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road and Shotgun Stories) Chloe Sevigny, Willem Dafoe, Brad Dourif, Irma Hall, and Loretta Devine. This phenomenally unconventional look at the ritual murder of a woman by her son is relentlessly disturbing and insanely fascinating, served up with a huge dollop of dread. It.s a dreamscape filled with violence and fear so strong that knowing wasn.t enough to stop a savage act. It.s loaded with its own imagery dolled up as Greek, and takes us on a wild ride careening between San Diego, Mexico and the middle of a teeming Arab marketplace. Ostriches,...
- 9/15/2009
- by Anne Brodie
- Monsters and Critics
O Mr. Trailer Voice, how I wish to unleash crazy Michael Shannon on your obvious-stating pie-hole. Ignoring that for the moment, the film, lengthily titled My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? does feature the awesome ensemble acting talent from Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, Michael Shannon, Brad Dourif, Grace Zabriskie, Irma P. Hall and Udo Kier. And shepherded to the screen via Werner Herzog (directing) and David Lynch (producing) the film involves a take on the true crime events where a man begins to experience mystifying events that lead him to slay his mother with a sword. Anyone have dibs on which 2009 Herzog film will be crazier, this or Bad Lieutenant 2? For those travelling to Toronto in September, both are playing at the Toronto International Film Festival. Nice.
Trailer is embedded after the Jump.
Trailer is embedded after the Jump.
- 8/18/2009
- by Kurt Halfyard
- Screen Anarchy
Werner Herzog has two films premiering at the Toronto Film Festival this year, which, as you can probably guess, has at least one of us very excited. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is probably the higher profile of the two being that it is a remake of sorts and it also stars Nicolas Cage, but the other film is perhaps even more intriguing to me. My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done is a Herzog film based on the true story of Mark Yarovsky, a San Diego man who was cast in a stage production of Sophocles' Orestes and started to act the story out in real life, eventually killing his mother with a sword. If you know Herzog, you can guess that it will probably only be very based loosely on truth, and in fact, he is quoted as saying that "about 70 percent of the script...
- 8/18/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Isaiah Washington has signed to appear in new basketball movie Patriots.
The former Grey's Anatomy actor will star alongside Forest Whitaker in the Weinstein Company production, claims The Hollywood Reporter.
It will be his first major film role since he was dropped from the ABC medical drama last June.
Taraji P. Henson, Robbie Jones, Jackie Long, Eric Hill, Bow Wow, Lil' Wayne, Irma Hall, Jaren Einsohn, J.S. Smoove and Chyna Mcclain are also among the cast of the fact-based . . .
The former Grey's Anatomy actor will star alongside Forest Whitaker in the Weinstein Company production, claims The Hollywood Reporter.
It will be his first major film role since he was dropped from the ABC medical drama last June.
Taraji P. Henson, Robbie Jones, Jackie Long, Eric Hill, Bow Wow, Lil' Wayne, Irma Hall, Jaren Einsohn, J.S. Smoove and Chyna Mcclain are also among the cast of the fact-based . . .
- 4/22/2008
- by Beth_Hilton_imdb_@digitalspy.co.uk (Beth Hilton)
- Digital Spy
Isaiah Washington joins 'Patriots'
UPDATED 5:27 p.m. PT, April 21, 2008
CORRECTED 10:56 a.m. PT, April 22, 2008
Isaiah Washington has booked his first major feature film role since exiting "Grey's Anatomy" in June.
Washington will star opposite Forest Whitaker in "Patriots", the Dimension's sports drama being directed by Tim Story.
Also joining the cast are Taraji P. Henson, Robbie Jones, Jackie Long, Eric Hill, Bow Wow, Lil' Wayne, Irma Hall, Jarod Einsohn, J.B. Smoove and Chyna McClain.
"Patriots", based on a true story, is set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when Al Collins, a high school basketball coach in Marrero, La., assembled a team of players who previously attended five different schools and led them on the path to the state championships.
Washington will play an assistant coach at John Ehret High who helps lead the squad.
Robert Eisele ("The Great Debaters") and Greg Allen Howard ("Remember the Titans") wrote the script. Raymond Brothers and Scott Glassgold of IAM Entertainment and Stephanie Allain and Michael Beugg are producing.
Shooting begins this week in New Orleans.
CORRECTED 10:56 a.m. PT, April 22, 2008
Isaiah Washington has booked his first major feature film role since exiting "Grey's Anatomy" in June.
Washington will star opposite Forest Whitaker in "Patriots", the Dimension's sports drama being directed by Tim Story.
Also joining the cast are Taraji P. Henson, Robbie Jones, Jackie Long, Eric Hill, Bow Wow, Lil' Wayne, Irma Hall, Jarod Einsohn, J.B. Smoove and Chyna McClain.
"Patriots", based on a true story, is set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when Al Collins, a high school basketball coach in Marrero, La., assembled a team of players who previously attended five different schools and led them on the path to the state championships.
Washington will play an assistant coach at John Ehret High who helps lead the squad.
Robert Eisele ("The Great Debaters") and Greg Allen Howard ("Remember the Titans") wrote the script. Raymond Brothers and Scott Glassgold of IAM Entertainment and Stephanie Allain and Michael Beugg are producing.
Shooting begins this week in New Orleans.
- 4/21/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ruffalo eyes Kilmer's role in 'Collateral'
Mark Ruffalo, who is attracting heat for his performance in Jane Campion's In the Cut, is in talks to replace Val Kilmer in Michael Mann's Collateral opposite Tom Cruise for DreamWorks Pictures. The Stuart Beattie-penned project stars Cruise as a contract killer who forces a taxi driver (Jamie Foxx) to chauffeur him around on a series of hits. Ruffalo would play a detective on the heels of Cruise's character. Jada Pinkett Smith, Dennis Farina and Irma Hall round out the cast. Frank Darabont is producing along with Julie Richardson. At the studio, the project is being shepherded by exec Marc Haimes. Ruffalo is repped by WMA and manager Robert Stein. He is onscreen opposite Sarah Polley in My Life Without Me and recently finished 13 Going on 30 for Revolution Studios.
- 10/13/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Farina in as Kilmer exits 'Collateral'
Val Kilmer, who was to have played a leading role in Michael Mann's Collateral for DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures, has left the project in favor of Oliver Stone's Alexander, sources have confirmed. Although Kilmer had been in negotiations to appear in Mann's film, his role in Intermedia's Alexander the Great project, which is filming, left him unable to do both projects at the same time. The role he was to have played in Collateral is open. Meanwhile, Dennis Farina is stepping into another of the parts in Collateral. Shooting starts next month on the Stuart Beattie-penned project, which stars Tom Cruise as a contract killer who forces a taxi driver (Jamie Foxx) to chauffeur him around on a series of hits. Farina will play a detective on the run after Cruise's character. Jada Pinkett Smith and Irma Hall also star. Farina is repped by the Gersh Agency and Amy Guenther at Gateway Management and attorney Kevin Yorn. He also recently signed on to star in Empire Falls for HBO and director Fred Schepisi.
- 9/26/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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