Like many '60s rock stars, Jim Morrison lived fast, died young, and became a music icon. Known for his soothing voice, poetic lyrics, and public antics, The Doors' leadman was celebrated for pushing boundaries with his music and lyrics after bursting onto the rock scene in the late '60s. In addition to pushing boundaries on stage, Morrison exposed himself on stage, mocked concert audiences, and experimented with hard drugs. In 1971, "The Lizard King" joined the tragic 27 club when he died of heart failure in a french bathtub. It's suspected that drugs contributed to Morrison's death, but an autopsy wasn't performed.
Never one to shy away from a controversial event or character, Oliver Stone co-wrote and directed "The Doors," a biopic focused on Morrison and his chaotic life. After portraying an elite navy pilot in the '80s hit, "Top Gun," Val Kilmer grew his hair, slid into skintight leather pants,...
Never one to shy away from a controversial event or character, Oliver Stone co-wrote and directed "The Doors," a biopic focused on Morrison and his chaotic life. After portraying an elite navy pilot in the '80s hit, "Top Gun," Val Kilmer grew his hair, slid into skintight leather pants,...
- 9/27/2022
- by Christian Gainey
- Slash Film
Update (November 21): Oliver Stone has made an official statement to Deadline regarding Gilbert’s harassment accusation: “We auditioned dozens of actors for roles in ‘The Doors’ and it was made clear from the outset that our film was going to be a raunchy, no-holds-barred rock ‘n’ roll movie. Anyone auditioning was told the scenes would be rehearsed and performed from a script, with my casting director, Risa Bramon Garcia, present throughout the process to ensure a safe environment for all actors who auditioned.”
Earlier: Melissa Gilbert, the actress best known for starring in the television series “Little House on the Prairie,” recently appeared on Andy Cohen’s radio show “Radio Andy” and shared an Oliver Stone audition story she calls “humiliating and horrid.” The audition was to play Jim Morrison’s girlfriend Pamela Courson in “The Doors.” According to Gilbert, Stone made her audition a “special scene” that was a “really dirty,...
Earlier: Melissa Gilbert, the actress best known for starring in the television series “Little House on the Prairie,” recently appeared on Andy Cohen’s radio show “Radio Andy” and shared an Oliver Stone audition story she calls “humiliating and horrid.” The audition was to play Jim Morrison’s girlfriend Pamela Courson in “The Doors.” According to Gilbert, Stone made her audition a “special scene” that was a “really dirty,...
- 11/21/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Actress Caitlin O’Heaney claims Val Kilmer hit her during an audition for his 1991 film The Doors.
O’Heaney, 64, detailed the alleged incident to Buzzfeed, saying that she was inspired to come forward by the Harvey Weinstein scandal. She also claims she is breaking a nondisclosure agreement by speaking out.
“Women have come together, saying, ‘We’re not going to be f—– by you,’” she told the website. “I finally have the confidence to speak about this. It’s too long that I’ve sat on this story.”
O’Heaney alleged that she and Kilmer, 57, were arguing while reading a...
O’Heaney, 64, detailed the alleged incident to Buzzfeed, saying that she was inspired to come forward by the Harvey Weinstein scandal. She also claims she is breaking a nondisclosure agreement by speaking out.
“Women have come together, saying, ‘We’re not going to be f—– by you,’” she told the website. “I finally have the confidence to speak about this. It’s too long that I’ve sat on this story.”
O’Heaney alleged that she and Kilmer, 57, were arguing while reading a...
- 10/26/2017
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
Former actress Caitlin O’Heaney has joined the chorus of women speaking out about their experiences being assaulted in the entertainment industry. The “Tales of the Gold Monkey” star spoke to BuzzFeed — breaking a decades-old settlement and nondisclosure agreement in order to do so — about an alleged assault at the hands of actor Val Kilmer during an early audition for the Oliver Stone docudrama film “The Doors.”
In 1989, O’Heaney was set to audition for the lead female role in the film about Jim Morrison and his sixties-era rock band, Morrison’s girlfriend Pamela Courson (the role later played by Meg Ryan in the film). Her audition pages included a scene in which Morrison and Pamela get into an argument, and while the scene involves the throwing of objects at each other, it does not include any hitting or slapping.
Read More:Mimi Haleyi, Former Production Assistant, Shares Graphic Harvey Weinstein...
In 1989, O’Heaney was set to audition for the lead female role in the film about Jim Morrison and his sixties-era rock band, Morrison’s girlfriend Pamela Courson (the role later played by Meg Ryan in the film). Her audition pages included a scene in which Morrison and Pamela get into an argument, and while the scene involves the throwing of objects at each other, it does not include any hitting or slapping.
Read More:Mimi Haleyi, Former Production Assistant, Shares Graphic Harvey Weinstein...
- 10/25/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Quips, lightning-fast dialogue, and rattled exposition are back in the newly revived “Gilmore Girls.” The former WB/the CW show, which centers on the relationship between a single mom and her teen daughter, is returning with show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, this time on everyone’s favorite binge marathon go-to, Netflix. The series, which originally ended in 2007, saw its cancellation come a season after the exit of its creator, a move that ultimately tanked the series. Netflix, however, looks to reformat the beloved show into four 90-minute movie-type episodes with original stars Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Kelly Bishop, and Scott Patterson. The series, cast by Jami Rudofsky, the original casting director, and Risa Bramon Garcia, has yet to acquire another series staple, Melissa McCarthy, for the project. Shooting will start in Los Angeles in early February. Time to book that Warner Bros. tour, as the fictional town from the series, Stars Hollow,...
- 1/13/2016
- backstage.com
Yesterday, I wrote about my first year in Los Angeles, which was all just a matter of settling in. Remember, when I moved to La, I knew a grand total of zero people who lived or worked here. I was not laden with contacts and strolling into a situation where everything was guaranteed to work out. Scott Swan and I took a huge chance when we packed up and moved out, and I am so horrified by how little money we had saved that I'm almost embarrassed to say the number. I was insanely naive when I arrived in town. I am still haunted by a choice we made in those early days, when we answered an ad in one of the trades that was looking for writers willing to work on a "per sketch" basis. I forget how much the rate was… $100 or so, but definitely not more than that…...
- 6/9/2015
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Lady Filmmakers Festival honoree Risa Bramon Garcia is a leader and a living example of excellence for women in the world of film. Her experience and wisdom comes from 35 years as a director, producer, casting director, writer and teacher. Her open mind, hard work and versatility has resulted in an amazing career in film, television, theatre, and explorations in new media.
Her seemingly endless list of accomplishments span from directing dozens of plays in New York and Los Angeles, “200 Cigarettes” and “The Con Artist”, to casting for more than 65 films including “Desperately Seeking Susan”, “Fatal Attraction”, “The Doors”, “Benny and June”, and shows including “CSI: NY” and the new Showtime series “Masters of Sex.”
Risa’s newest and exciting endeavor is The Bgb Studio - in partnership with Steve Braun – a home where actors train, workout and evolves their careers in transformative ways.
Risa shares her journey and perspective on how to approach mentorship as a filmmaker.
How did you begin your film career?
I came to film later than most filmmakers do, because I came via my theater life. I always dreamed and imagined that my life as a director would be in the theater. What was interesting is that I started casting in film while I was directing theater – casting was my waitressing job and frankly, it still is. It’s something I’m good at, and it helps me to make money. It allows me to stay a part of the business, so I can support myself and do the things that I love - which is really directing and running my studio. The studio makes me much happier than I ever imagined would be possible. I always thought that if you teach, you’re at the end of your career and it has failed. That’s what I always believed it, but it’s not at all true.
Regarding film, I studied theater in college, dipping my toe in film, but devoted myself to the theater. I ran to New York for the theater. In my early New York days I realized that a number of people I worked with were casting movies, and that seemed like a good way to make money. And I wouldn’t have to tough it out all night at a rock and roll club called The Bottom Line in the village anymore. I could actually support myself in the business. Things started working with “Desperately Seeking Susan”, the first film that Billy Hopkins and I cast. It didn’t fall in our laps, but it was one of those “put it out to the universe and the universe answers” kinds of things.
We knew some people who were big casting directors in NY who relied on us for fresh ideas. They recommended us for “Susan” when they couldn’t do the film. That was a real break and my entrance into the film business.
In the beginning of my casting work I was lucky enough to be mentored by some big filmmakers who allowed me to be on set and to be in process with them in a way that most casting people aren’t allowed. I didn’t know anything different. I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to go to the set everyday. I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to be in rehearsal and work with actors on the script, but that’s what I did because that’s what I did in the theater as a director and producer.
I was lucky in that they allowed me to do that, and it taught me everything about movies.
The thing that I didn't develop as quickly was visual storytelling. I'm incredibly intrigued by it, but because I worked with actors and new scripts in the theater, those areas were my first strengths. I learned to tell stories through people and words.
How did you find your mentors?
I always found mentors because I went to the work first. For me, if you’re the last one standing and working incredibly hard, if you are willing to put in 150% and do what no body else will do, and be smart about it, mentors will find you. Because you’re the one doing the work, and often strong work.
That’s what happened to me. I just showed up, worked hard, and was always the last person to leave. The mentors found me. I never really thought, “Oh, you’ll be my mentor.” That’s what happened at the Ensemble Studio Theater, which was the theater at which I came up in New York. The artistic director there saw something in me and decided to mentor me. I didn’t know he was mentoring me - I just knew that he believed in me, schooled me, challenged me to do my best work.
My mentors were mostly strong-minded, somewhat misogynistic men, but I just felt like they were giving me an opportunity. They were taking me seriously. They were willing to teach me, and they all gave me the same message – don’t wait for someone to hire you. Go out and make your own work. That’s how I’ve done it, and that’s what I’m doing now. It was always the way that I found success. I created it.
When I was casting, directors like Oliver Stone and Adrian Lyne were really generous. They allowed me to be on set and learn from them. They took me seriously and asked for my input. I was able to watch and learn from amazing cinematographers at work like Bob Richardson. Funny enough, when I did Desperately Seeking Susan, it was Ed Lachman, the cinematographer, who I watched and learned from. I so crave that mentorship still.
I don’t know what that means when people come to me and ask me if I’ll be a mentor. Show up and work hard. Show yourself and rise up to it, and when we’re in a working relationship, then I can mentor you. I don’t know what it means otherwise. I think young people make the mistake of thinking they’re going to go out and find a mentor. Do the work, and a mentor will find you.
Is there any other advice you have for new filmmakers?
Just keep making your own stuff, but also make things that are also going to be commercial. I don’t mean commercial in a slick way. Tell a story that you think the world wants to see. Be provocative; be commercial in that you’re trying to reach an audience - even if it’s a specific audience – work that’s going to be both provocative and entertaining. Entertaining doesn’t have to be ‘fun’. It can be something that’s emotionally challenging, but get in there and don’t be afraid to do something really thought-provoking. Many people either play it safe, or do something that nobody is interested in. Just keep making stuff, over and over… because every good filmmaker made a lot of crap before they got here.
What are you working on now?
I’ve been casting, which has been great. I have a few films that I’m developing as a director, but the thing that I’m most interested in is the work I’m doing with my partner, Steve Braun, in the studio that we have – The Bgb Studio (see website here). It started off with just a few acting classes, but now we’re doing a lot more. We’re creating an artistic home, a safe haven for actors in Los Angeles, where they can come and explore their artistry in a number of ways. A lot of our actors are taking our writing classes. We’re doing everything from yoga, writing classes, intensive Meisner workouts, to high-end rehearsal and audition classes. Steve and I are writing a book and have launched an online training business. It’s exciting and very rewarding. Really, for the first time in my career, I’m my own boss. Writing is really interesting to me now, and that’s where my heart is. And being able to be in the work with fellow artists every day.
Her seemingly endless list of accomplishments span from directing dozens of plays in New York and Los Angeles, “200 Cigarettes” and “The Con Artist”, to casting for more than 65 films including “Desperately Seeking Susan”, “Fatal Attraction”, “The Doors”, “Benny and June”, and shows including “CSI: NY” and the new Showtime series “Masters of Sex.”
Risa’s newest and exciting endeavor is The Bgb Studio - in partnership with Steve Braun – a home where actors train, workout and evolves their careers in transformative ways.
Risa shares her journey and perspective on how to approach mentorship as a filmmaker.
How did you begin your film career?
I came to film later than most filmmakers do, because I came via my theater life. I always dreamed and imagined that my life as a director would be in the theater. What was interesting is that I started casting in film while I was directing theater – casting was my waitressing job and frankly, it still is. It’s something I’m good at, and it helps me to make money. It allows me to stay a part of the business, so I can support myself and do the things that I love - which is really directing and running my studio. The studio makes me much happier than I ever imagined would be possible. I always thought that if you teach, you’re at the end of your career and it has failed. That’s what I always believed it, but it’s not at all true.
Regarding film, I studied theater in college, dipping my toe in film, but devoted myself to the theater. I ran to New York for the theater. In my early New York days I realized that a number of people I worked with were casting movies, and that seemed like a good way to make money. And I wouldn’t have to tough it out all night at a rock and roll club called The Bottom Line in the village anymore. I could actually support myself in the business. Things started working with “Desperately Seeking Susan”, the first film that Billy Hopkins and I cast. It didn’t fall in our laps, but it was one of those “put it out to the universe and the universe answers” kinds of things.
We knew some people who were big casting directors in NY who relied on us for fresh ideas. They recommended us for “Susan” when they couldn’t do the film. That was a real break and my entrance into the film business.
In the beginning of my casting work I was lucky enough to be mentored by some big filmmakers who allowed me to be on set and to be in process with them in a way that most casting people aren’t allowed. I didn’t know anything different. I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to go to the set everyday. I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to be in rehearsal and work with actors on the script, but that’s what I did because that’s what I did in the theater as a director and producer.
I was lucky in that they allowed me to do that, and it taught me everything about movies.
The thing that I didn't develop as quickly was visual storytelling. I'm incredibly intrigued by it, but because I worked with actors and new scripts in the theater, those areas were my first strengths. I learned to tell stories through people and words.
How did you find your mentors?
I always found mentors because I went to the work first. For me, if you’re the last one standing and working incredibly hard, if you are willing to put in 150% and do what no body else will do, and be smart about it, mentors will find you. Because you’re the one doing the work, and often strong work.
That’s what happened to me. I just showed up, worked hard, and was always the last person to leave. The mentors found me. I never really thought, “Oh, you’ll be my mentor.” That’s what happened at the Ensemble Studio Theater, which was the theater at which I came up in New York. The artistic director there saw something in me and decided to mentor me. I didn’t know he was mentoring me - I just knew that he believed in me, schooled me, challenged me to do my best work.
My mentors were mostly strong-minded, somewhat misogynistic men, but I just felt like they were giving me an opportunity. They were taking me seriously. They were willing to teach me, and they all gave me the same message – don’t wait for someone to hire you. Go out and make your own work. That’s how I’ve done it, and that’s what I’m doing now. It was always the way that I found success. I created it.
When I was casting, directors like Oliver Stone and Adrian Lyne were really generous. They allowed me to be on set and learn from them. They took me seriously and asked for my input. I was able to watch and learn from amazing cinematographers at work like Bob Richardson. Funny enough, when I did Desperately Seeking Susan, it was Ed Lachman, the cinematographer, who I watched and learned from. I so crave that mentorship still.
I don’t know what that means when people come to me and ask me if I’ll be a mentor. Show up and work hard. Show yourself and rise up to it, and when we’re in a working relationship, then I can mentor you. I don’t know what it means otherwise. I think young people make the mistake of thinking they’re going to go out and find a mentor. Do the work, and a mentor will find you.
Is there any other advice you have for new filmmakers?
Just keep making your own stuff, but also make things that are also going to be commercial. I don’t mean commercial in a slick way. Tell a story that you think the world wants to see. Be provocative; be commercial in that you’re trying to reach an audience - even if it’s a specific audience – work that’s going to be both provocative and entertaining. Entertaining doesn’t have to be ‘fun’. It can be something that’s emotionally challenging, but get in there and don’t be afraid to do something really thought-provoking. Many people either play it safe, or do something that nobody is interested in. Just keep making stuff, over and over… because every good filmmaker made a lot of crap before they got here.
What are you working on now?
I’ve been casting, which has been great. I have a few films that I’m developing as a director, but the thing that I’m most interested in is the work I’m doing with my partner, Steve Braun, in the studio that we have – The Bgb Studio (see website here). It started off with just a few acting classes, but now we’re doing a lot more. We’re creating an artistic home, a safe haven for actors in Los Angeles, where they can come and explore their artistry in a number of ways. A lot of our actors are taking our writing classes. We’re doing everything from yoga, writing classes, intensive Meisner workouts, to high-end rehearsal and audition classes. Steve and I are writing a book and have launched an online training business. It’s exciting and very rewarding. Really, for the first time in my career, I’m my own boss. Writing is really interesting to me now, and that’s where my heart is. And being able to be in the work with fellow artists every day.
- 11/3/2014
- by Erin Grover
- Sydney's Buzz
This year's 6th annual Lady Filmmakers Festival will happen this Friday through Sunday in Beverly Hills. Lady Filmmakers Festival Extraordinary Women Honorees include Vivica A. Fox, LisaGay Hamilton, Neema Barnette, and Natasha Foster-Owens, Risa Bramon Garcia. Learn more about its exciting celebrity and film lineup below and learn how you can attend by visiting the festival website:
The festival will honor Natasha Foster-Owens, (Director, Production-hbo West Coast Production), with the 2014 Trailblazer Award, Actresses Vivica A. Fox and LisaGay Hamilton are in the Spotlight, Director Neema Barnette with the Moving Image Award, Risa Bramon Garcia with the Illumination Award. Ms. Foster-Owens, Ms. Garcia and Ms. Barnette speak on panels during the festival along with other distinguished industry experts in Television & Film. The festival boasts 6 feature films and 42 short films with several World, Us, West Coast, and La Premieres including “Night Vet” starring James Cromwell, Joanna Cassidy, Larry Miller & Irma P Hall; Opening Night Film “Redemption Trail” Starring LisaGay Hamilton, Lily Rabe, Jake Weber, and Hamish Linklater; “Today’s The Day” starring Danny Devito. Harvey Weinstein produced Operation Barn Owl. Special industry speakers confirmed so far are Joyce Cox (Avatar, Dark Knight, Great Gatsby, Men In Black III), Gary Sommerstein (Entertainment Lawyer), Elizabeth Bell, Andrew Sugerman (Premonition, Conviction), Louise Levison (The Blair Witch Project), Hammad Zaidi (Lonely Seal Releasing), Gil Cates Jr (Life After Tomorrow, Lucky, Job), Pam Dixon, Csa (Zorro, City Slickers, Gosford Park), Lance Still (The Golden Compass), Neema Barnette (Women Thou Art Loosed On The 7th Day, My Super Sweet 16 The Movie), Y. Shireen Razack (Rizzoli & Isles, Undercovers), Kerry Barden, Csa (Boys Don’t Cry, American Psycho), Natasha Foster-Owens (Director, Production-hbo West Coast Production), Sandra Avila (President of Avila Entertainment), Risa Bramon Garcia (Masters Of Sex, Twister, Speed). This year the festival will screen films from all over the world including the Czech Republic, India, Syria, UK, New Zealand, Sweden and Germany. 2009 - 2013 selected films were made by or showcased up-and-coming as well as celebrity filmmakers and actors including Courteney Cox, Laura Dern, Rita Wilson, Anna Paquin, Sharon Stone, Maria Bello, Olivia Wilde, Chris Evans, Bryce Dallas Howard, Danny Glover, Glenn Close, James Brolin, John Mahoney, Lilli Taylor, Barrie Osborne, David Lynch, Clancy Brown, Mel Rodriguez and Stephen Gyllenhaal, just to name a few.... Regardless of the films selected, one thing is certain -- this festival will highlight a variety of cultures and worldviews. "Lady Filmmakers is a festival where people of diverse backgrounds converge with common interests and goals. It’s a Film Festival that recognizes and celebrates the tremendous contribution of women to film and the importance in the collaborative spirit amongst men and women,” says Disalvo Viayra. One goal of the festival is to screen entertaining independent Us and international films to show people that they can enjoy Indie films just as much as the big blockbusters. The fest promotes artists and musicians, recognizes and empowers lady filmmakers, artists, and musicians from all ethnic, religious, and Lgbt communities. To qualify for the festival, films must have at least one woman in the role of writer, director, cinematographer, producer, editor, or production designer. . For more information on the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival, bios on the festival organizers, instructions for submitting films or to become a sponsor of the festival, please visit our website.
The festival will honor Natasha Foster-Owens, (Director, Production-hbo West Coast Production), with the 2014 Trailblazer Award, Actresses Vivica A. Fox and LisaGay Hamilton are in the Spotlight, Director Neema Barnette with the Moving Image Award, Risa Bramon Garcia with the Illumination Award. Ms. Foster-Owens, Ms. Garcia and Ms. Barnette speak on panels during the festival along with other distinguished industry experts in Television & Film. The festival boasts 6 feature films and 42 short films with several World, Us, West Coast, and La Premieres including “Night Vet” starring James Cromwell, Joanna Cassidy, Larry Miller & Irma P Hall; Opening Night Film “Redemption Trail” Starring LisaGay Hamilton, Lily Rabe, Jake Weber, and Hamish Linklater; “Today’s The Day” starring Danny Devito. Harvey Weinstein produced Operation Barn Owl. Special industry speakers confirmed so far are Joyce Cox (Avatar, Dark Knight, Great Gatsby, Men In Black III), Gary Sommerstein (Entertainment Lawyer), Elizabeth Bell, Andrew Sugerman (Premonition, Conviction), Louise Levison (The Blair Witch Project), Hammad Zaidi (Lonely Seal Releasing), Gil Cates Jr (Life After Tomorrow, Lucky, Job), Pam Dixon, Csa (Zorro, City Slickers, Gosford Park), Lance Still (The Golden Compass), Neema Barnette (Women Thou Art Loosed On The 7th Day, My Super Sweet 16 The Movie), Y. Shireen Razack (Rizzoli & Isles, Undercovers), Kerry Barden, Csa (Boys Don’t Cry, American Psycho), Natasha Foster-Owens (Director, Production-hbo West Coast Production), Sandra Avila (President of Avila Entertainment), Risa Bramon Garcia (Masters Of Sex, Twister, Speed). This year the festival will screen films from all over the world including the Czech Republic, India, Syria, UK, New Zealand, Sweden and Germany. 2009 - 2013 selected films were made by or showcased up-and-coming as well as celebrity filmmakers and actors including Courteney Cox, Laura Dern, Rita Wilson, Anna Paquin, Sharon Stone, Maria Bello, Olivia Wilde, Chris Evans, Bryce Dallas Howard, Danny Glover, Glenn Close, James Brolin, John Mahoney, Lilli Taylor, Barrie Osborne, David Lynch, Clancy Brown, Mel Rodriguez and Stephen Gyllenhaal, just to name a few.... Regardless of the films selected, one thing is certain -- this festival will highlight a variety of cultures and worldviews. "Lady Filmmakers is a festival where people of diverse backgrounds converge with common interests and goals. It’s a Film Festival that recognizes and celebrates the tremendous contribution of women to film and the importance in the collaborative spirit amongst men and women,” says Disalvo Viayra. One goal of the festival is to screen entertaining independent Us and international films to show people that they can enjoy Indie films just as much as the big blockbusters. The fest promotes artists and musicians, recognizes and empowers lady filmmakers, artists, and musicians from all ethnic, religious, and Lgbt communities. To qualify for the festival, films must have at least one woman in the role of writer, director, cinematographer, producer, editor, or production designer. . For more information on the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival, bios on the festival organizers, instructions for submitting films or to become a sponsor of the festival, please visit our website.
- 9/23/2014
- by Erin Grover
- Sydney's Buzz
You're an actor—you already know that the going can get tough. And if you live in L.A., you're familiar with seeking out the tiniest edge that will slip you ahead of your competitors. To help you find that edge, we've compiled a list of 23 must-follow casting directors on Twitter (listed alphabetically below). Whether they're tweeting about audition tips or just reacting to what they're watching on TV, their insights can be beneficial. Besides, it doesn't hurt having your name pop up as a notification in their Twitter account. 1. Amy Jo Berman Amy Jo Berman is former Vice President of Casting at HBO and for 14 years has overseen the casting of over 150 films, mini-series, and series. She is the founder of Audition Polish, a membership-based audition coaching program that has helped actors around the globe nail their auditions on the first take. 2. Risa Bramon Garcia Risa Bramon Garcia is...
- 9/18/2014
- backstage.com
The Academy has announced the new class of invited members for 2014 and, as is typical, many of which are among last year's nominees, which includes Barkhad Abdi, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Mads Mikkelsen, Lupita Nyong'o and June Squibb in the Actors branch not to mention curious additions such as Josh Hutcherson, Rob Riggle and Jason Statham, but, okay. The Directors branch adds Jay and Mark Duplass along with Jean-Marc Vallee, Denis Villeneuve and Thomas Vinterberg. I didn't do an immediate tally of male to female additions or other demographics, but at first glance it seems to be a wide spread batch of new additions on all fronts. The Academy is also clearly attempting to aggressively bump up the demographics as this is the second year in a row where they have added a large number of new members, well over the average of 133 new members from 2004 to 2012. As far as...
- 6/26/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
- 6/26/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o of 12 Years a Slave were two of the 271 artists and industry leaders invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which determines nominations and winners at the annual Oscars. The entire list of Academy membership—which numbers about 6,000—isn’t public information so the annual invitation list is often the best indication of the artists involved in the prestigious awards process. It’s worth noting that invitations need to be accepted in order for artists to become members; some artists, like two-time Best Actor winner Sean Penn, have declined membership over the years.
- 6/26/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Pop quiz: What do Chris Rock, Claire Denis, Eddie Vedder and Josh Hutcherson all have in common? Answer: They could all be Oscar voters very soon. The annual Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences invitation list always makes for interesting reading, shedding light on just how large and far-reaching the group's membership is -- or could be, depending on who accepts their invitations. This year, 271 individuals have been asked to join AMPAS, meaning every one of them could contribute to next year's Academy Awards balloting -- and it's as diverse a list as they've ever assembled. Think the Academy consists entirely of fusty retired white dudes? Not if recent Best Original Song nominee Pharrell Williams takes them up on their offer. Think it's all just a Hollywood insiders' game? Not if French arthouse titans Chantal Akerman and Olivier Assayas join the party. It's a list that subverts expectation at every turn.
- 6/26/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- Hitfix
"Casting By," the critically acclaimed documentary about the role of the casting director in the movie-making process, makes its Hollywood debut this weekend at Arena Cinema. To celebrate, the filmmakers have scheduled Q&As with some of the industry's top CDs to follow this weekend's screenings: Nov. 15, 7:45 p.m.: Deb Aquila; Wally Nicita; Robin Lippin; Cathy Sandrich Nov. 16, noon: Gary Zuckerbrod, Marci Liroff Nov. 16, 2 p.m.: Richard Hicks; Jane Jenkins Nov. 16, 7:45 p.m.: Barbara McCarthy, April Webster Nov. 17, noon: Deb Zane; Roger Mussenden; John Papsidera; Julie Hutchinson; Deb Barylski Nov. 17, 2 p.m.: Ronna Kress, Heidi Levitt Nov. 17, 7 p.m.: Risa Bramon Garcia; Caroline Liem For updates and ticket information, visit arenascreen.com...
- 11/13/2013
- backstage.com
Below is an article originally published in Backstage that gives actors perspective on working with an agent or a manager. It's also pretty important advice for filmmakers to be aware of when they're trying to figure out why agents and managers are acting the way they are. The original article, written by casting director Risa Bramon Garcia and actor Steve Braun, can be found here. If you're interested in more information about finding an acting agent, check out Backstage's "How to Get an Agent" feature. Conventional wisdom suggests that you need an agent and/or manager to make your acting dreams come true. They sign you and introduce you to casting directors who then introduce you to the decision-makers, and the result is champagne and red carpets. Well, conventional wisdom is all kinds of wrong. Agents are human beings with human limitations who require some understanding. Whether you're looking for...
- 7/17/2013
- by Risa Bramon García and Steve Braun
- Indiewire
Four more network pilots have landed casting directors, Backstage has learned. CBS’ new comedy pilot “Bad Teacher” will be cast by Bruce H. Newberg. Based on the 2011 Cameron Diaz film of the same name, the pilot is written and executive-produced by Hilary Winston (“Community”) and also executive-produced by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, who were behind the film. The show focuses on a foul-mouthed divorcée who lands a job as a teacher because she wants to scout for a new husband. The casting for the network’s newest drama pilot, “The Ordained,” will be handled by Risa Bramon Garcia, with New York casting controlled by Bernard Telsey. There are plans to begin shooting in March in New York. Penned by journalist Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and executive produced by Frank Marshall (“The Bourne Legacy”) and Larry Shuman (“Devious Maids”), this show centers on the son of a powerful political family who...
- 2/6/2013
- backstage.com
In 1994, I had my first play produced as part of a one-act theater festival here in Los Angeles at the Met Theater. The festival was cast by Risa Bramon Garcia, who was one of the biggest casting agents in the business at the time, and one of the other plays that was produced as part of the festival was "Betrayal By Everyone," by Kenneth Lonergan. That was eventually expanded into "This Is Our Youth," and the play put both Lonergan and Mark Ruffalo on the map. During the festival, I made time to see the play that Ruffalo was in...
- 4/19/2012
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Danielle Eskinazi, who was born in Egypt and lived in Paris and New York before her family settled in Los Angeles, knew she wanted to work in the entertainment industry but wasn't sure in what capacity. In the 1980s, an agent acquaintance asked if she had ever thought about casting. The agent introduced Eskinazi to her CD friends Risa Bramon and Billy Hopkins, who were looking for a West Coast assistant on their film "At Close Range," starring Christopher Walken, Sean Penn, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Kiefer Sutherland. "I went every day and had no idea what I was doing, but they would give me instructions every morning," Eskinazi says. "We would have these amazing actors come in, and I would read with them, which I loved. I loved the joy of calling up an agent and telling them an actor got the job. I loved watching actors take a.
- 3/2/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Jessica Gardner)
- backstage.com
Two new cable pilots have casting directors, Back Stage has confirmed."Rewind," a drama/sci-fi pilot for SyFy, will be cast by Risa Bramon Garcia and Toby Guidry. The pilot, produced by Universal Cable Productions and BermanBraun, centers on a team of military operatives and scientists who, in the aftermath of a devastating nuclear attack, travel back to the past in hopes of altering the present. Shooting is scheduled to get under way in Toronto in late April. As is the case with many potential SyFy series, "Rewind" will be shot as a two-hour backdoor pilot so the network has the option of airing it as a standalone movie in the event that it doesn't get a series order.This is Bramon Garcia's second pilot this season, as she is also casting NBC comedy pilot "Downwardly Mobile," which reteams Roseanne Barr and John Goodman in the leads. She also did the Los Angeles.
- 2/29/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Pete Keeley)
- backstage.com
Roseanne co-stars Roseanne Barr and John Goodman together again. I’ve learned that, after lengthy negations, Goodman is in final negotiations to join Barr’s new sitcom, the NBC pilot Downwardly Mobile. Co-created by Barr, her boyfriend John Argent and Eric Gilliland, who will serve as showrunner, the multicamera Downwardly Mobile stars Barr as the proprietor of a mobile home park and surrogate mother to all of the unique people who live there in a challenging economy. Goodman will play a man who works at the park and has a buddy relationship with Barr’s character. Barr and Gilliland wrote the script and are executive producing with Argent. Goodman’s casting completes a big Roseanne reunion on the pilot. Gilliland is a former Roseanne executive producer. Gail Mancuso, who spent seven years on the ABC comedy and got her start as a director there, is directing the pilot. And Downwardly...
- 2/10/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Scott Ellis is directing three multicamera pilots this season. The CAA-repped Ellis, who already helmed ABC’s off-cycle pilot The Manzanis, has signed on to direct two NBC pilots: the untitled Kari Lizer female buddy comedy and the untitled Jimmy Fallon male buddy comedy. Veteran multicamera director Gail Mancuso has signed on to direct Roseanne Barr’s NBC pilot Downwardly Mobile, marking a reunion between Roseanne star Barr and Mancuso, who spent seven years on the ABC comedy and got her start as a director there. Also part of the Roseanne reunion is Eric Gilliland, who co-wrote Downwardly Mobile and is executive producing, and Downwardly Mobile’s casting director Risa Bramon Garcia, who with Billly Hopkins cast the pilot for Roseanne. Mancuso is with ICM. Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor) is set to direct NBC’s firefigher drama pilot Chicago Fire, written by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt and produced by Dick Wolf’s company.
- 2/9/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Celebrate New Year's Eve with Tribeca! What better way to ring in the New Year than with a great film? With a little help from the Tribeca staff, we've pulled together some memorable New Year's Eve movies that will ensure a great start to 2012! Let's begin with the Nye classics.... Four Rooms Dirs. Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, 1995 This New Year's Eve anthology film truly has something for everyone! It features not one, but four very different end of the year celebrations! However, the real treat is Tarantino's The Man From Hollywood segment that ends the film. 200 Cigarettes Dir. Risa Bramon Garcia, 1999 A blast to the past! Set in 1981, 200 Cigarettes is about an assortment of twentysomethings that try to find love and cope with their own neuroses on New Year's Eve in NYC. The Godfather, Part II Dir. Francis Ford Coppola, 1974 Maybe you don't have to...
- 12/30/2011
- TribecaFilm.com
DVD Playhouse—July 2011
By Allen Gardner
The Music Room (Criterion) Satyajit Ray’s 1958 masterpiece looks at the life of a fallen aristocrat as a metaphor for an India that is not only becoming Westernized, but modernized technologically and culturally beyond recognition. When the beloved music room, where he has hosted lavish concerts in the past, starts falling into disrepair as attendance drops steadily, the man realizes his way of life is vanishing. Stunningly shot in black & white, one of Ray’s finest works. Bonuses: Documentary on Ray from 1984 by Shyam Benegal; Interviews with Ray biographer Andrew Robinson and filmmaker Mira Nair; Excerpt from 1981 roundtable discussion between Ray, critic Michael Ciment, director Claude Sautet. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Full screen. Dolby 1.0 mono.
Beauty And The Beast (Criterion) Jean Cocteau’s sublime adaptation of the classic fairy tale become a beloved classic upon its 1946 release, and hasn’t faded since.
By Allen Gardner
The Music Room (Criterion) Satyajit Ray’s 1958 masterpiece looks at the life of a fallen aristocrat as a metaphor for an India that is not only becoming Westernized, but modernized technologically and culturally beyond recognition. When the beloved music room, where he has hosted lavish concerts in the past, starts falling into disrepair as attendance drops steadily, the man realizes his way of life is vanishing. Stunningly shot in black & white, one of Ray’s finest works. Bonuses: Documentary on Ray from 1984 by Shyam Benegal; Interviews with Ray biographer Andrew Robinson and filmmaker Mira Nair; Excerpt from 1981 roundtable discussion between Ray, critic Michael Ciment, director Claude Sautet. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Full screen. Dolby 1.0 mono.
Beauty And The Beast (Criterion) Jean Cocteau’s sublime adaptation of the classic fairy tale become a beloved classic upon its 1946 release, and hasn’t faded since.
- 7/7/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Entertainment One will release the action comedy heist movie The Con Artist on DVD on June 14.
Rebecca Romijn helps Rossif Sutherland see the future in The Con Artist.
When ex-con Vince (Rossif Sutherland, Timeline) is forced back into stealing cars by a vicious crime boss (Donald Sutherland, The Mechanic), he finds solace wielding sculptures out of discarded auto parts. But after a sexy and calculating art dealer (Rebecca Romijn, TV’s Ugly Betty) discovers his talent, Vince finds himself torn between the art world and a criminal lifestyle.
Directed by noted casting director Risa Bramon Garcia (who directed the minor cult title 200 Cigarettes in 1999 when she was casting such films as Twister, Inventing the Abbotts, Speed 2 and Dead Presidents), the 2010 film is premiering on DVD.
In addition to the father-and-son team of Donald and Rossif Sutherland, The Con Artist also stars Sarah Roemer (Disturbia) and Russell Peters (Source Code)
Director...
Rebecca Romijn helps Rossif Sutherland see the future in The Con Artist.
When ex-con Vince (Rossif Sutherland, Timeline) is forced back into stealing cars by a vicious crime boss (Donald Sutherland, The Mechanic), he finds solace wielding sculptures out of discarded auto parts. But after a sexy and calculating art dealer (Rebecca Romijn, TV’s Ugly Betty) discovers his talent, Vince finds himself torn between the art world and a criminal lifestyle.
Directed by noted casting director Risa Bramon Garcia (who directed the minor cult title 200 Cigarettes in 1999 when she was casting such films as Twister, Inventing the Abbotts, Speed 2 and Dead Presidents), the 2010 film is premiering on DVD.
In addition to the father-and-son team of Donald and Rossif Sutherland, The Con Artist also stars Sarah Roemer (Disturbia) and Russell Peters (Source Code)
Director...
- 3/26/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Fern Champion on Cameron DiazWe were working at New Line, casting 1994's "The Mask." The story that everybody knows now is that Anna Nicole Smith was the first choice because the men at New Line thought she was stunning. Didn't say she could walk and talk, but she was stunning. We needed someone to talk. The good news is Anna Nicole opted to do "Naked Gun 33 1/3." Oh, too bad. So Fern's back to the drawing board. I'm at my wit's end, because we had gone through all the top models and all the top actors, and nobody was pleasing New Line co-ceo Bob Shaye, executive producer Mike De Luca, and director and executive producer Chuck Russell.I called my girlfriend at the talent agency upstairs at the New Line building, and I said, "Is there anybody we haven't seen?" She said, "I have to tell you something: There's one gal; she hasn't done any acting.
- 7/7/2010
- backstage.com
If you're an enthusiast of heist flicks, the upcoming Canadian film The Con Artist should interest you. For that matter, the trailer of the film can be seen.
Vince (Rossif Sutherland) is an ex-con on parole after a five year stint in prison. Unable to go straight due to a vicious crime boss (Donald Sutherland) on his heels, Vince returns to stealing cars. But his luck begins to shift when Belinda (Rebecca Romijn), a sexy art dealer, discovers Vince has more to offer than just a tricky past.
The film also stars Sarah Roemer, Russell Peters, Mac Fyfe, Jed Rees, Mary Walsh, Deborah Theaker, Cory Lee, Terra Vnesa, Pedro Miguel Arce and Joel Hynes.
The story was penned by Michael Melski and Collin Friesen.
Finally, no release date has been announced for this film directed by Risa Bramon Garcia. However, the film is currently being showcased at the 2010 Cannes Film Market.
Vince (Rossif Sutherland) is an ex-con on parole after a five year stint in prison. Unable to go straight due to a vicious crime boss (Donald Sutherland) on his heels, Vince returns to stealing cars. But his luck begins to shift when Belinda (Rebecca Romijn), a sexy art dealer, discovers Vince has more to offer than just a tricky past.
The film also stars Sarah Roemer, Russell Peters, Mac Fyfe, Jed Rees, Mary Walsh, Deborah Theaker, Cory Lee, Terra Vnesa, Pedro Miguel Arce and Joel Hynes.
The story was penned by Michael Melski and Collin Friesen.
Finally, no release date has been announced for this film directed by Risa Bramon Garcia. However, the film is currently being showcased at the 2010 Cannes Film Market.
- 5/19/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
While Xavier Dolan's Les amours imaginaires and Noah Pink's ZedCrew are competing at the Cannes Film Festival, other Canadian films will be looking for distributors. Now, let's have a look at the Canadian presence at the 2010 Cannes Film Market.
2 fois une femme
Director: François Deslile
Starring: Evelyne Rompré, Marc Béland, Étienne Laforge, David Boutin, Michelle Rossignol, Marie Brassard, Alexandre Goyette, Catherine de Léan and Brigitte Pogonat
After having her life threatened by her violent husband one night, Catherine heads for northern Quebec with her son under another identity. Slowly, she rebuilds her confidence and rediscovers who she is while trying to win over her son’s affection.
Stained
Director: Karen Lam
Starring: Tinsel Korey, Sonja Bennett, Steph Song, Anna Mae Routledge and Stephen Lobo
When Isabelle’s former lover suddenly appears at her shabby bookstore, she is elated and they resume their relationship. Her protective foster sister, Jennifer,...
2 fois une femme
Director: François Deslile
Starring: Evelyne Rompré, Marc Béland, Étienne Laforge, David Boutin, Michelle Rossignol, Marie Brassard, Alexandre Goyette, Catherine de Léan and Brigitte Pogonat
After having her life threatened by her violent husband one night, Catherine heads for northern Quebec with her son under another identity. Slowly, she rebuilds her confidence and rediscovers who she is while trying to win over her son’s affection.
Stained
Director: Karen Lam
Starring: Tinsel Korey, Sonja Bennett, Steph Song, Anna Mae Routledge and Stephen Lobo
When Isabelle’s former lover suddenly appears at her shabby bookstore, she is elated and they resume their relationship. Her protective foster sister, Jennifer,...
- 5/12/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Principal photography for the romantic comedy .Love Child. starring Donald Sutherland, Rossif Sutherland, Rebecca Romijn and Sarah Roemer is underway in Toronto. .Love Child. will be the first on-screen collaboration of the Sutherland father-son duo.According to Variety, Risa Bramon Garcia (.200 Cigarettes.) is directing the Michael Melski-written screenplay..Love Child. focuses on a recently paroled ex-con whose plan of going straight is threatened by a loan shark looking to collect on an old debt. Myriad Pictures and Alcina Pictures will handle the producing duties.Paul Barkin and Larissa Giroux will produce for Alcina while Myriad Pictures president and CEO Kirk D.Amico will exec produce. Also assisting with the production of the film will be Telefilm Canada, the Ontario Media Development Corp. and...
- 5/6/2009
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Donald Sutherland and his son Rossif are teaming up on film for the first time in an upcoming romantic comedy.
The pair will join American actress/models Rebecca Romijn and Sarah Roemer in Love Child - about an ex-convict in heavy debt who finds himself at the mercy of a loan shark.
200 Cigarettes director Risa Bramon will direct the film, currently in production in Toronto, Ontario, reports Variety.
Rossif, 30, is one of three children Sutherland shares with third wife, actress Francine Racette. The 73-year-old actor is also father to 24 actor Kiefer Sutherland and his twin sister, Rachel.
The pair will join American actress/models Rebecca Romijn and Sarah Roemer in Love Child - about an ex-convict in heavy debt who finds himself at the mercy of a loan shark.
200 Cigarettes director Risa Bramon will direct the film, currently in production in Toronto, Ontario, reports Variety.
Rossif, 30, is one of three children Sutherland shares with third wife, actress Francine Racette. The 73-year-old actor is also father to 24 actor Kiefer Sutherland and his twin sister, Rachel.
- 5/4/2009
- WENN
Here's your dose of film news for May 4, 2009:
• Ben Stiller is ready to direct "Help Me Spread Goodness," a dramedy that focuses on a Chicago banker who gets involved in a Nigerian Interney scam. Mark Friedman wrote the script. Stiller recently directed "Tropic Thunder." He's also got "The Trial of the Chicago 7" lined up. (Variety)
• Donald Sutherland, Rossif Sutherland, Rebecca Romijn and Sarah Roemer are starring in Risa Bramon Garcia's romantic comedy "Love Child," which is currently filming. Michael Melski wrote the script, which follows an ex-con whose plans to start over are ruined by a loan shark who reminds him of a debt he has to repay. (Variety)
• Ray Stevenson, Jaime King and Stephen Moyer have joined Robert Duvall and James Caan in Philippe Martinez's postapocalyptic thriller "Tribes of October." Written by Nick Vallelonga and Paul Sloan, the film is set in futuristic New York and...
• Ben Stiller is ready to direct "Help Me Spread Goodness," a dramedy that focuses on a Chicago banker who gets involved in a Nigerian Interney scam. Mark Friedman wrote the script. Stiller recently directed "Tropic Thunder." He's also got "The Trial of the Chicago 7" lined up. (Variety)
• Donald Sutherland, Rossif Sutherland, Rebecca Romijn and Sarah Roemer are starring in Risa Bramon Garcia's romantic comedy "Love Child," which is currently filming. Michael Melski wrote the script, which follows an ex-con whose plans to start over are ruined by a loan shark who reminds him of a debt he has to repay. (Variety)
• Ray Stevenson, Jaime King and Stephen Moyer have joined Robert Duvall and James Caan in Philippe Martinez's postapocalyptic thriller "Tribes of October." Written by Nick Vallelonga and Paul Sloan, the film is set in futuristic New York and...
- 5/4/2009
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
Variety reports that Donald Sutherland, Rossif Sutherland, Rebecca Romijn and Sarah Roemer will star in the romantic comedy Love Child for Myriad Pictures and Alcina Pictures. Principal photography is under way in Toronto, with Risa Bramon Garcia ( 200 Cigarettes ) directing from a screenplay by Michael Melski. The story centers on an ex-con on parole who finds his plan to go straight is thwarted by a loan shark, who reminds him of a hefty debt he has to repay.
- 5/4/2009
- Comingsoon.net
In one single swipe Myriad Pictures has landed their title cast for their upcoming romantic comedy Love Child. Donald Sutherland, Rossif Sutherland, Rebecca Romijn and Sarah Roemer have all been picked up to topline.
Love Child Cast
Not a moment too soon, as production on Love Child is already underway in Toronto.
Directed by Risa Bramon Garcia off a script by Michael Melski, Love Child centers on an ex-con on parole who finds his plan to go straight is thwarted by a loan shark, who reminds him of a hefty debt he has to repay.
Love Child Cast
Not a moment too soon, as production on Love Child is already underway in Toronto.
Directed by Risa Bramon Garcia off a script by Michael Melski, Love Child centers on an ex-con on parole who finds his plan to go straight is thwarted by a loan shark, who reminds him of a hefty debt he has to repay.
- 5/4/2009
- www.canmag.com
Rossif Sutherland, his father Donald Sutherland, Rebecca Romijn and Sarah Roemer are starring in "Love Child," which has begun production in Toronto.
Written by Michael Melski and directed by Risa Bramon Garcia, the film follows Rossif Sutherland as an ex-con trying to go straight whose plan is thwarted by a loan shark played by Donald Sutherland, forcing the ex-con to attempt one last heist.
A Myriad Pictures/Alcina Pictures production, the film is being produced by Alcina's Paul Barkin and Larissa Giroux. Myriad president and CEO Kirk D'Amico is exec producing.
The film is being produced with participation from Telefilm Canada, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Harold Greenberg Fund. Maple Pictures will distribute in Canada.
Written by Michael Melski and directed by Risa Bramon Garcia, the film follows Rossif Sutherland as an ex-con trying to go straight whose plan is thwarted by a loan shark played by Donald Sutherland, forcing the ex-con to attempt one last heist.
A Myriad Pictures/Alcina Pictures production, the film is being produced by Alcina's Paul Barkin and Larissa Giroux. Myriad president and CEO Kirk D'Amico is exec producing.
The film is being produced with participation from Telefilm Canada, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Harold Greenberg Fund. Maple Pictures will distribute in Canada.
- 5/3/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The following is a list of the top 25 Power Casting Directors in film and television (including Casting Director of the Year, Debra Zane; see page 9). We began with more than 100 candidates. In some cases, collaborations were so closely tied that we considered multiple people as one entity. Several drafts later, all 25 spots were cast.Notably omitted from the list are in-house casting executives at studios and networks, the inclusion of whom would have ballooned our list to 50 or more. But read about them online at www.backstage.com/spotlight. Focusing on independent casting directors leveled the playing field and highlighted people whose puissance is not affected by one scale-tipping affiliation. Now, on to the top 25!Kerry BardenCan you imagine Monster's Ball starring Erykah Badu, or American Psycho starring Leonardo DiCaprio? Kerry Barden can, because he saw them read the parts. "There are so many great actors that sometimes it's a...
- 4/2/2009
- backstage.com
Rebecca Romijn and Donald Sutherland will have a hand in birthing The Love Child of Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono. According to Production Weekly they've joined the cast of this oddly named film. The movie tells the story of a working class guy caught up in the complicated art world. It does not seem to actually involve Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono having sex which I suppose, is a blessing, unless of course they've cast Rebecca Romijn as Yoko. Maybe that wouldn't be very historically accurate but at least it's visually pleasing. Directed by Risa Bramon Garcia it starts shooting in Toronto at the end of the month. Here's the official plot synopsis: "When Vince is paroled from his five-year stint for a heist gone wrong, he finds life on the outside to be incredibly challenging. Forced back into a dangerous life of crime by his former boss Kranski, Vince...
- 3/22/2009
- cinemablend.com
Ann Donahue, one of the executive producers of CBS' CSI series franchise and showrunner of CSI: Miami, is set to talk about the casting process as keynote speaker during the Talent Managers Assn.'s "An Evening With CBS," to be held Tuesday at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. The event, moderated by Robert J. Dowling, editor-in-chief and publisher of The Hollywood Reporter, also will feature a preview and discussion of CBS' new lineup. The panel discussions will include five senior casting executives from CBS: Peter Golden, executive vp talent and casting; Sheila Guthrie, senior vp talent and casting, network TV; Fern Orenstein, vp casting, movies and miniseries; Lucy Cavallo, vp casting, drama; and Karen Church, vp casting, comedy. Also involved in the panel discussion will be series casting directors including Risa Bramon-Garcia (CSI: NY), Lisa Miller Katz (CBS' Everybody Loves Raymond) and Molly Lopata (movies-of-the-week and miniseries). The event, which starts at 7 p.m., is open to TMA members, managers, agents, industry professionals and media. TMA is a 50-year-old nonprofit trade group that represents professional managers in the entertainment industry.
While its arrival would seem a bit after the fact, "Like Mike", a Cinderella story of a kid's basketball fantasy, should nevertheless score major points with young and not-so-young audiences.
It's got a winning personality and a solid lineup of actual NBA players, but most of all it's got young hip-hop star Lil' Bow Wow in his motion picture debut, and the kid happens to be a natural.
Add in a touching story line that travels shrewdly in and out of the basketball court, and you've got a vehicle that will handily extend its reach beyond the hoop-dreaming male demo.
Bow Wow, as he prefers to be known these days (the "Lil'" part kind of loses its charm when you've got hair on your upper lip), brings a nicely rooted conviction to his portrayal of Calvin Cambridge, a 4-foot-8-inch 14-year-old orphan who resides at the Chesterfield Group Home.
He's been there long enough to see his share of prospective parent days ending with the adoption of one of the younger, cuter "puppies," stranding Calvin and his buddies Murph (Jonathan Lipnicki) and Reg (Brenda Song) with the home's operator, the calculating Bittleman (Crispin Glover).
But things change dramatically one day when Sister Theresa (Anne Meara) brings over a box of donated clothes, including an old pair of Nikes, which she seems to recall had originally belonged to some tall, bald basketball player. The sneakers, which bear the fading initials "M.J.", fit Calvin like the proverbial glass slipper.
Before you can say "Michael Jordan", Calvin soon finds himself as the star attraction of the Los Angeles Knights basketball team, and his newly discovered way with a 30-foot jump shot is helping to give the once-struggling team a real shot at postseason play.
Off the court, meanwhile, Calvin and his reluctant mentor, teammate Tracey Reynolds (Morris Chestnut), manage to teach each other some valuable life lessons.
We're talking formula all the way, but it's a formula that works reasonably well, with director John Schultz ("Drive Me Crazy") hitting all the requisite posts of the Michael Elliot and Jordan Moffet screenplay.
While it doesn't stint on the heart moments, that script could have easily stood some stronger comedy, not to mention a little more inventiveness when it came to Calvin's wire-assisted b-ball gymnastics.
But the artist formerly known as Shad Gregory Moss pulls off both the necessary charm and the dramatic weight to make it tough to quibble. Chestnut is also immensely likable, while Glover, Eugene Levy as the team's nervous general manager and Robert Forster as the evenhanded coach all play their parts to order.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to get the NBA officially involved in your production if you're looking for the kind of street cred that only the presence of Allen Iverson, Gary Payton, Vince Carter and Chris Webber (among others) could provide.
Tech credits deliver the cost-effective goods, with Master Wow dusting off the vintage Kurtis Blow rap anthem "Basketball" for the energetic soundtrack produced by Jermaine Dupri and Michael Mauldin.
LIKE MIKE
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox presents in association with NBA Entertainment
A Heller Highwater/Josephson Entertainment production
Credits:
Director: John Schultz
Screenwriters: Michael Elliot, Jordan Moffet
Story: Michael Elliot
Producers: Barry Josephson, Peter Heller
Executive producers: Adam Silver, Gregg Winik
Director of photography: Shawn Maurer
Production designer: Arlan Jay Vetter
Editor: Peter Berger
Costume designer: Mary Jane Fort
Music: Richard Gibbs
Casting: Risa Bramon Garcia, Brennan du Fresne
Cast:
Calvin Cambridge: Lil' Bow Wow
Tracey Reynolds: Morris Chestnut
Frank Bernard: Eugene Levy
Murph: Jonathan Lipnicki
Stan Bittleman: Crispin Glover
Coach Wagner: Robert Forster
Sister Theresa: Anne Meara
Reg Stevens: Brenda Song
Running time: 100 minutes
MPAA rating -- PG...
It's got a winning personality and a solid lineup of actual NBA players, but most of all it's got young hip-hop star Lil' Bow Wow in his motion picture debut, and the kid happens to be a natural.
Add in a touching story line that travels shrewdly in and out of the basketball court, and you've got a vehicle that will handily extend its reach beyond the hoop-dreaming male demo.
Bow Wow, as he prefers to be known these days (the "Lil'" part kind of loses its charm when you've got hair on your upper lip), brings a nicely rooted conviction to his portrayal of Calvin Cambridge, a 4-foot-8-inch 14-year-old orphan who resides at the Chesterfield Group Home.
He's been there long enough to see his share of prospective parent days ending with the adoption of one of the younger, cuter "puppies," stranding Calvin and his buddies Murph (Jonathan Lipnicki) and Reg (Brenda Song) with the home's operator, the calculating Bittleman (Crispin Glover).
But things change dramatically one day when Sister Theresa (Anne Meara) brings over a box of donated clothes, including an old pair of Nikes, which she seems to recall had originally belonged to some tall, bald basketball player. The sneakers, which bear the fading initials "M.J.", fit Calvin like the proverbial glass slipper.
Before you can say "Michael Jordan", Calvin soon finds himself as the star attraction of the Los Angeles Knights basketball team, and his newly discovered way with a 30-foot jump shot is helping to give the once-struggling team a real shot at postseason play.
Off the court, meanwhile, Calvin and his reluctant mentor, teammate Tracey Reynolds (Morris Chestnut), manage to teach each other some valuable life lessons.
We're talking formula all the way, but it's a formula that works reasonably well, with director John Schultz ("Drive Me Crazy") hitting all the requisite posts of the Michael Elliot and Jordan Moffet screenplay.
While it doesn't stint on the heart moments, that script could have easily stood some stronger comedy, not to mention a little more inventiveness when it came to Calvin's wire-assisted b-ball gymnastics.
But the artist formerly known as Shad Gregory Moss pulls off both the necessary charm and the dramatic weight to make it tough to quibble. Chestnut is also immensely likable, while Glover, Eugene Levy as the team's nervous general manager and Robert Forster as the evenhanded coach all play their parts to order.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to get the NBA officially involved in your production if you're looking for the kind of street cred that only the presence of Allen Iverson, Gary Payton, Vince Carter and Chris Webber (among others) could provide.
Tech credits deliver the cost-effective goods, with Master Wow dusting off the vintage Kurtis Blow rap anthem "Basketball" for the energetic soundtrack produced by Jermaine Dupri and Michael Mauldin.
LIKE MIKE
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox presents in association with NBA Entertainment
A Heller Highwater/Josephson Entertainment production
Credits:
Director: John Schultz
Screenwriters: Michael Elliot, Jordan Moffet
Story: Michael Elliot
Producers: Barry Josephson, Peter Heller
Executive producers: Adam Silver, Gregg Winik
Director of photography: Shawn Maurer
Production designer: Arlan Jay Vetter
Editor: Peter Berger
Costume designer: Mary Jane Fort
Music: Richard Gibbs
Casting: Risa Bramon Garcia, Brennan du Fresne
Cast:
Calvin Cambridge: Lil' Bow Wow
Tracey Reynolds: Morris Chestnut
Frank Bernard: Eugene Levy
Murph: Jonathan Lipnicki
Stan Bittleman: Crispin Glover
Coach Wagner: Robert Forster
Sister Theresa: Anne Meara
Reg Stevens: Brenda Song
Running time: 100 minutes
MPAA rating -- PG...
A potentially great cast is not the same as an undeniably hot one, and even the dreamiest lineup of actors can't make up for a mediocre screenplay. But Take That might-be-great cast and combine it with a tired concept and corrosively irritating final script and you get "200 Cigarettes" by debut filmmaker Risa Bramon Garcia (a successful casting director), who has an altogether stagey approach to the ensemble comedy set on New Year's Eve 1981. It's not exactly the 1999 party film that distributor Paramount might have got rich on.
Current fortysomethings will appreciate the inclusion of rocker Elvis Costello in Garcia and screenwriter Shana Larsen's agenda, but the targeted younger audience is going to be dazed and confused by this retro adventure. A substantial limited release, "200 Cigarettes" is not destined to smoke the competition its opening weekend or inhale big profits in post-theatrical markets.
Nobody talks about martial law in Poland, the assassination of Sadat or even Princess Di's wedding in this sometimes genuine, but more often shallow look at the era. Jumping around from couples or pairs on their roundabout ways to a Manhattan party being held by Monica (Martha Plimpton), the movie is almost exclusively interested in sex and the quest for it.
Alas, "200 Cigarettes" makes one titanic miscalculation. The buildup to Monica's blowout takes 95% of the movie and the best laughs occur in the wrap-up montage where you find out who ended up in bed with whom. Other than snapshots taken by the ubiquitous Disco Cabbie (Dave Chapelle), there are no scenes of the party -- nada. And so effectively does this make the bulk of the film instantly forgettable that one is puzzled at what Garcia and crew thought they were up to.
Instead of seeing Janeane Garofalo's feisty East Village artist pump it up with a famous rock star, we are teased with the idea. The whole movie is a tease, personified best by Courtney Love's "I dare you to fuck me" challenge to whiny, hard-luck case Paul Rudd, who is Garofalo's former boyfriend. At least there's some rewarding sense of anticipation as these old friends circle around each other.
While Love and Rudd's subplot is easily the most involving, vying for the least rewarding is Christina Ricci and Gaby Hoffmann as a pair of Long Island cuties looking for the party and ending up with nicer-than-they-look punk rockers (Casey Affleck, Guillermo Diaz). Also not amounting to much is the pursuit of Nicole Parker's irritable, would-be femme fatale of a show-offy but cute bartender (Ben Affleck), with her man-hungry friend (Angela Featherstone) also on the hunt.
Old-as-the-hills jokes about sexy guys who are slimy yuppies, guys who can't please any woman and can't figure out why, girls who have meltdowns when nobody comes early to their party and klutzy virgins with the wrong guys are ultimately all the film has to offer. When the performers are inspired by the material -- Kate Hudson as a daffy mate to Jay Mohr's slick romeo, Plimpton as the frazzled hostess -- the film has its share of hilarious moments. But what about that party?
David Johansen and Costello make brief appearances to go along with the gargantuan song list, including cuts by Blondie, the Cars, Queen, Grace Jones and Nick Lowe. Soundtrack music and a couple of songs are supplied by Devo founders Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh.
200 CIGARETTES
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures and Lakeshore Entertainment present
in association with MTV Films and Dogstar Films
Director: Risa Bramon Garcia
Screenwriter: Shana Larsen
Producers: Betsy Beers, David Gale, Van Toffler
Executive producers: Tom Rosenberg, Mike Newell, Alan Greenspan, Ted Tannebaum, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Director of photography: Frank Prinzi
Production designer: Ina Mayhew
Editor: Lisa Zeno Churgin
Costume designer: Susan Lyall
Music: Bob and Mark Mothersbaugh
Casting: Deborah Aquila, Sarah Halley Finn
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lucy: Courtney Love
Kevin: Paul Rudd
Cindy: Kate Hudson
Jack: Jay Mohr
Val: Christina Ricci
Stephie: Gaby Hoffman
Monica: Martha Plimpton
Eric: Brian McCardie
Disco Cabbie: Dave Chappelle
Bridget: Nicole Parker
Caitlyn: Angela Featherstone
Ellie: Janeane Garofalo
Running time -- 101 minutes
MPAA rating: R*...
Current fortysomethings will appreciate the inclusion of rocker Elvis Costello in Garcia and screenwriter Shana Larsen's agenda, but the targeted younger audience is going to be dazed and confused by this retro adventure. A substantial limited release, "200 Cigarettes" is not destined to smoke the competition its opening weekend or inhale big profits in post-theatrical markets.
Nobody talks about martial law in Poland, the assassination of Sadat or even Princess Di's wedding in this sometimes genuine, but more often shallow look at the era. Jumping around from couples or pairs on their roundabout ways to a Manhattan party being held by Monica (Martha Plimpton), the movie is almost exclusively interested in sex and the quest for it.
Alas, "200 Cigarettes" makes one titanic miscalculation. The buildup to Monica's blowout takes 95% of the movie and the best laughs occur in the wrap-up montage where you find out who ended up in bed with whom. Other than snapshots taken by the ubiquitous Disco Cabbie (Dave Chapelle), there are no scenes of the party -- nada. And so effectively does this make the bulk of the film instantly forgettable that one is puzzled at what Garcia and crew thought they were up to.
Instead of seeing Janeane Garofalo's feisty East Village artist pump it up with a famous rock star, we are teased with the idea. The whole movie is a tease, personified best by Courtney Love's "I dare you to fuck me" challenge to whiny, hard-luck case Paul Rudd, who is Garofalo's former boyfriend. At least there's some rewarding sense of anticipation as these old friends circle around each other.
While Love and Rudd's subplot is easily the most involving, vying for the least rewarding is Christina Ricci and Gaby Hoffmann as a pair of Long Island cuties looking for the party and ending up with nicer-than-they-look punk rockers (Casey Affleck, Guillermo Diaz). Also not amounting to much is the pursuit of Nicole Parker's irritable, would-be femme fatale of a show-offy but cute bartender (Ben Affleck), with her man-hungry friend (Angela Featherstone) also on the hunt.
Old-as-the-hills jokes about sexy guys who are slimy yuppies, guys who can't please any woman and can't figure out why, girls who have meltdowns when nobody comes early to their party and klutzy virgins with the wrong guys are ultimately all the film has to offer. When the performers are inspired by the material -- Kate Hudson as a daffy mate to Jay Mohr's slick romeo, Plimpton as the frazzled hostess -- the film has its share of hilarious moments. But what about that party?
David Johansen and Costello make brief appearances to go along with the gargantuan song list, including cuts by Blondie, the Cars, Queen, Grace Jones and Nick Lowe. Soundtrack music and a couple of songs are supplied by Devo founders Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh.
200 CIGARETTES
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures and Lakeshore Entertainment present
in association with MTV Films and Dogstar Films
Director: Risa Bramon Garcia
Screenwriter: Shana Larsen
Producers: Betsy Beers, David Gale, Van Toffler
Executive producers: Tom Rosenberg, Mike Newell, Alan Greenspan, Ted Tannebaum, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Director of photography: Frank Prinzi
Production designer: Ina Mayhew
Editor: Lisa Zeno Churgin
Costume designer: Susan Lyall
Music: Bob and Mark Mothersbaugh
Casting: Deborah Aquila, Sarah Halley Finn
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lucy: Courtney Love
Kevin: Paul Rudd
Cindy: Kate Hudson
Jack: Jay Mohr
Val: Christina Ricci
Stephie: Gaby Hoffman
Monica: Martha Plimpton
Eric: Brian McCardie
Disco Cabbie: Dave Chappelle
Bridget: Nicole Parker
Caitlyn: Angela Featherstone
Ellie: Janeane Garofalo
Running time -- 101 minutes
MPAA rating: R*...
- 2/26/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Successful music video and commercial director David Dobkin, like bosses Ridley and Tony Scott before him, makes a notable feature debut with "Clay Pigeons", a quirky, darkly comedic thriller.
While the logistics of character motivation don't appear to be particularly embraced by fellow newcomer Matt Healy's playful script, the gathered ensemble of indie faves (including Janeane Garofalo, Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix) makes it all quite entertaining.
Recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Gramercy release should hit the specialty market target while establishing Dobkin as one to watch.
Set in the fictional, comatose town of Mercer, Mont., the seamy intrigue kicks in early with laconic protagonist Clay Bidwell (Phoenix) finding himself staring into a gun barrel being trained on him by his best buddy Earl (Gregory Sporleder). Seems Earl has some pretty convincing evidence that Clay's been carrying on with his very willing wife, but rather than kill him, he plans to use Clay's gun to do himself in, thereby intending to frame him for his apparent murder.
With Earl having successfully carried out his deed, the panic-stricken Clay runs to the newly widowed Amanda (Georgina Cates) for help, but she makes it very clear she wants no part in the whole situation other than to resume their Wednesday afternoon trysts. Left to his own devices, Clay will make the first of many bad decisions.
Just when it seems things couldn't get any worse, along comes Lester Long (Vaughn), a swaggering James Dean wannabe with a greasy, ingratiating manner and a fake laugh who's intent on being Clay's new best friend at any cost.
Meanwhile, astute FBI Agent Dale Shelby (Garofalo) has been sniffing around investigating the disappearances of a number of local women, and despite assurances to the contrary from the fatherly town sheriff (Scott Wilson), Clay's looking to be a prime suspect.
While Healy's script ultimately offers surprisingly few surprises, there's a nicely warped sense of irrelevance to the proceedings -- a body pops up in the middle of a fishing expedition with a minimum of histrionics; the narcoleptic sheriff's deputy (Vince Vieluf) is actually named Deputy Barney -- that keep things blackly amusing.
Among the standout performances in the uniformly able cast are heavies Vaughn and Cates, who play their nasty characters with relish. Vaughn lays on the smarm factor thickly while actress Cates ("An Awfully Big Adventure") sheds her customarily refined British accent for her take-no-prisoners, cold-hearted hussy role.
Behind-the-camera, music videographer-turned-cinematographer Eric Edwards ("To Die For", "Cop Land") bathes the picture in what can best be described as sun-drenched noir. Composer John Lurie's idiosyncratic score blends nicely with the similarly eclectic song selection by Mary Ramos and Michelle Kuznetsky, which runs the gamut from Pat Boone and Elvis Presley to Lyle Lovett and Sister Hazel.
CLAY PIGEONS
Gramercy
Director: David Dobkin
Screenwriter: Matt Healy
Producers: Ridley Scott, Chris Zarpas
Executive producers: Tony Scott, Guy East, Nigel Sinclair
Director of photography: Eric Edwards
Production designer: Clark Hunter
Editor: Stan Salfas
Costume designer: Laura Goldsmith
Music supervisors: Mary Ramos, Michelle Kuznetsky
Music: Rod Lurie
Casting: Risa Bramon Garcia, Randi Hiller
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lester Long: Vince Vaughn
FBI Agent Dale Shelby: Janeane Garofalo
Clay Bidwell: Joaquin Phoenix
Amanda: Georgina Cates
Sheriff Mooney: Scott Wilson
Earl: Gregory Sporleder
Deputy Barney: Vince Vieluf
Agent Reynard: Phil Morris
Running time -- 104 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
While the logistics of character motivation don't appear to be particularly embraced by fellow newcomer Matt Healy's playful script, the gathered ensemble of indie faves (including Janeane Garofalo, Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix) makes it all quite entertaining.
Recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Gramercy release should hit the specialty market target while establishing Dobkin as one to watch.
Set in the fictional, comatose town of Mercer, Mont., the seamy intrigue kicks in early with laconic protagonist Clay Bidwell (Phoenix) finding himself staring into a gun barrel being trained on him by his best buddy Earl (Gregory Sporleder). Seems Earl has some pretty convincing evidence that Clay's been carrying on with his very willing wife, but rather than kill him, he plans to use Clay's gun to do himself in, thereby intending to frame him for his apparent murder.
With Earl having successfully carried out his deed, the panic-stricken Clay runs to the newly widowed Amanda (Georgina Cates) for help, but she makes it very clear she wants no part in the whole situation other than to resume their Wednesday afternoon trysts. Left to his own devices, Clay will make the first of many bad decisions.
Just when it seems things couldn't get any worse, along comes Lester Long (Vaughn), a swaggering James Dean wannabe with a greasy, ingratiating manner and a fake laugh who's intent on being Clay's new best friend at any cost.
Meanwhile, astute FBI Agent Dale Shelby (Garofalo) has been sniffing around investigating the disappearances of a number of local women, and despite assurances to the contrary from the fatherly town sheriff (Scott Wilson), Clay's looking to be a prime suspect.
While Healy's script ultimately offers surprisingly few surprises, there's a nicely warped sense of irrelevance to the proceedings -- a body pops up in the middle of a fishing expedition with a minimum of histrionics; the narcoleptic sheriff's deputy (Vince Vieluf) is actually named Deputy Barney -- that keep things blackly amusing.
Among the standout performances in the uniformly able cast are heavies Vaughn and Cates, who play their nasty characters with relish. Vaughn lays on the smarm factor thickly while actress Cates ("An Awfully Big Adventure") sheds her customarily refined British accent for her take-no-prisoners, cold-hearted hussy role.
Behind-the-camera, music videographer-turned-cinematographer Eric Edwards ("To Die For", "Cop Land") bathes the picture in what can best be described as sun-drenched noir. Composer John Lurie's idiosyncratic score blends nicely with the similarly eclectic song selection by Mary Ramos and Michelle Kuznetsky, which runs the gamut from Pat Boone and Elvis Presley to Lyle Lovett and Sister Hazel.
CLAY PIGEONS
Gramercy
Director: David Dobkin
Screenwriter: Matt Healy
Producers: Ridley Scott, Chris Zarpas
Executive producers: Tony Scott, Guy East, Nigel Sinclair
Director of photography: Eric Edwards
Production designer: Clark Hunter
Editor: Stan Salfas
Costume designer: Laura Goldsmith
Music supervisors: Mary Ramos, Michelle Kuznetsky
Music: Rod Lurie
Casting: Risa Bramon Garcia, Randi Hiller
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lester Long: Vince Vaughn
FBI Agent Dale Shelby: Janeane Garofalo
Clay Bidwell: Joaquin Phoenix
Amanda: Georgina Cates
Sheriff Mooney: Scott Wilson
Earl: Gregory Sporleder
Deputy Barney: Vince Vieluf
Agent Reynard: Phil Morris
Running time -- 104 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/17/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
He's the "Babe" of birds.
The title character of the delightful "Paulie" is a precocious blue-crown Conure who doesn't merely parrot but can carry on entire conversations in Brooklynese with Joe Pesci-style intonations.
An all-ages audience-pleaser that puts a smile on the lips and a lump in the throat, the handsomely assembled picture dispenses sentimentality without the syrup. It's moving but never mawkish.
The payoff should amount to a whole lot more than birdseed for DreamWorks, which could see "Paulie" best its "Mouse Hunt" at the boxoffice.
Gracefully directed by John Roberts (who previously helmed the underrated "The War of the Buttons") from a winning script by novice screenwriter Laurie Craig, the bird-meets-girl, bird-loses-girl, bird-gets-girl adventure begins in a research lab, where a caged and clipped Paulie (voiced by Jay Mohr and played by an assortment of real-life and animatronic parrots) stuns Russian immigrant janitor Misha (Tony Shalhoub) with his no-nonsense approach to the English language.
Contending that his mouth has always gotten him in trouble, Paulie proceeds to tell Misha his story, beginning with the day little stuttering Marie Hallie Kate Eisenberg) raised him from a fledgling.
Concerned that she was becoming too attached to her pet, Marie's parents (Matt Craven and Laura Harrington) send Paulie out into the big, Cold World. Eventually landing in a pawn shop, Paulie is purchased by a lonely widow (Gena Rowlands), whom he convinces to embark on a cross-country journey in her long-dormant Winnebago in search of his beloved Marie.
Their association proves shortlived, but Paulie eventually reaches his goal -- give or take a few years -- with a little help from Misha, a fellow fish-out-of-water.
While the early pacing is somewhat slow to take flight and Roberts and Craig could have afforded to go funnier (especially where the younger viewers are concerned) without fear of upsetting the film's delicate balance, there remains a finely tuned timelessness to "Paulie" that it shares with those perennial family classics.
Rather than the going tendency toward broadly played cartoonish characters, Paulie's human supporting cast keeps it warmly low-key with affectingly defined performances from Rowlands, Shalhoub and young Eisenberg, as well as from Cheech Marin (as an East L.A. entertainer whose act is literally for the birds) and Bruce Davison (as a research scientist who sees Paulie as his ticket to a Nobel Prize).
Mohr gives Paulie's vocal chords the right blend of smart-alecky brashness and gentle innocence, and in addition he plays the part of Benny, a two-bit thief,
Technical attributes are equally impressive. Animal wrangler Boone Narr (who also corralled the rodents for "Mouse Hunt") coaxes fine work from his feathered friends while the more demanding stuff has been seamlessly handled by a Stan Winston Studio animatronic stand-in.
Cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts ("A Room With a View", "Howards End"), meanwhile, lends the Los Angeles and Arizona backdrops a classy vibrance as John Debney's thoughtful score quietly nudges -- but never tugs at -- the heartstrings.
PAULIE
DreamWorks
A Mutual Film Co. production
Credits: Director, John Roberts; Screenwriter, Laurie Craig; Producers, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Allison Lyon Segan; Executive producer, Ginny Nugent; Director of photography, Tony Pierce-Roberts; Production designer, Dennis Washington; Editor, Bruce Cannon; Costume designer, Mary Zophres; Music, John Debney; Casting, Risa Bramon Garcia, Randi Hiller, Sarah Finn. Cast: Ivy: Gena Rowlands; Misha: Tony Shalhoub; Ignacio: Cheech Marin; Dr. Reingold: Bruce Davison; Adult Marie: Trini Alvarado; Voice of Paulie/Benny: Jay Mohr; Artie: Buddy Hackett; Marie: Hallie Kate Eisenberg; Warren Alweather: Matt Craven. Color/stereo. Running time - 91 minutes. MPAA rating: PG.
The title character of the delightful "Paulie" is a precocious blue-crown Conure who doesn't merely parrot but can carry on entire conversations in Brooklynese with Joe Pesci-style intonations.
An all-ages audience-pleaser that puts a smile on the lips and a lump in the throat, the handsomely assembled picture dispenses sentimentality without the syrup. It's moving but never mawkish.
The payoff should amount to a whole lot more than birdseed for DreamWorks, which could see "Paulie" best its "Mouse Hunt" at the boxoffice.
Gracefully directed by John Roberts (who previously helmed the underrated "The War of the Buttons") from a winning script by novice screenwriter Laurie Craig, the bird-meets-girl, bird-loses-girl, bird-gets-girl adventure begins in a research lab, where a caged and clipped Paulie (voiced by Jay Mohr and played by an assortment of real-life and animatronic parrots) stuns Russian immigrant janitor Misha (Tony Shalhoub) with his no-nonsense approach to the English language.
Contending that his mouth has always gotten him in trouble, Paulie proceeds to tell Misha his story, beginning with the day little stuttering Marie Hallie Kate Eisenberg) raised him from a fledgling.
Concerned that she was becoming too attached to her pet, Marie's parents (Matt Craven and Laura Harrington) send Paulie out into the big, Cold World. Eventually landing in a pawn shop, Paulie is purchased by a lonely widow (Gena Rowlands), whom he convinces to embark on a cross-country journey in her long-dormant Winnebago in search of his beloved Marie.
Their association proves shortlived, but Paulie eventually reaches his goal -- give or take a few years -- with a little help from Misha, a fellow fish-out-of-water.
While the early pacing is somewhat slow to take flight and Roberts and Craig could have afforded to go funnier (especially where the younger viewers are concerned) without fear of upsetting the film's delicate balance, there remains a finely tuned timelessness to "Paulie" that it shares with those perennial family classics.
Rather than the going tendency toward broadly played cartoonish characters, Paulie's human supporting cast keeps it warmly low-key with affectingly defined performances from Rowlands, Shalhoub and young Eisenberg, as well as from Cheech Marin (as an East L.A. entertainer whose act is literally for the birds) and Bruce Davison (as a research scientist who sees Paulie as his ticket to a Nobel Prize).
Mohr gives Paulie's vocal chords the right blend of smart-alecky brashness and gentle innocence, and in addition he plays the part of Benny, a two-bit thief,
Technical attributes are equally impressive. Animal wrangler Boone Narr (who also corralled the rodents for "Mouse Hunt") coaxes fine work from his feathered friends while the more demanding stuff has been seamlessly handled by a Stan Winston Studio animatronic stand-in.
Cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts ("A Room With a View", "Howards End"), meanwhile, lends the Los Angeles and Arizona backdrops a classy vibrance as John Debney's thoughtful score quietly nudges -- but never tugs at -- the heartstrings.
PAULIE
DreamWorks
A Mutual Film Co. production
Credits: Director, John Roberts; Screenwriter, Laurie Craig; Producers, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Allison Lyon Segan; Executive producer, Ginny Nugent; Director of photography, Tony Pierce-Roberts; Production designer, Dennis Washington; Editor, Bruce Cannon; Costume designer, Mary Zophres; Music, John Debney; Casting, Risa Bramon Garcia, Randi Hiller, Sarah Finn. Cast: Ivy: Gena Rowlands; Misha: Tony Shalhoub; Ignacio: Cheech Marin; Dr. Reingold: Bruce Davison; Adult Marie: Trini Alvarado; Voice of Paulie/Benny: Jay Mohr; Artie: Buddy Hackett; Marie: Hallie Kate Eisenberg; Warren Alweather: Matt Craven. Color/stereo. Running time - 91 minutes. MPAA rating: PG.
- 4/14/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A good defense lawyer only needs to cast a reasonable doubt to get his client off the hook, we Kennedy followers have learned, and 1960s slugger Oliver Stone proves he's a masterful litigant in this gumbo-filled historical reconstruction of John F. Kennedy's assassination.
Essentially, it's not about Kennedy but rather the tale of New Orleans D.A. Jim Garrison who -- not believing the Warren Commission's Report that a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, shot down JFK -- launched a widespread investigation, eventually prosecuting one New Orleans citizen Clay Shaw for the crime. In Garrison's eye, Shaw was a cog in a murderous conspiracy hatched by the CIA, the defense industry, Southern rednecks, Cuban refugees and all sorts of goose hunters.
If any cause or special interest group wanted to hire a filmmaker to document the rightness of their issue, Stone would be unbeatable. In this view of nimble bombast, it's not doubtful that Stone could spin a masterful cinematic web linking John Sununu's resignation with the collapse of Pan Am. Aesthetically, ''JFK'' is crafty, super-skilled filmmaking: propaganda every bit as cinematically splendid as Frank Capra's ''Why We Fight'' or Leni Riefenstahl's ''Triumph of the Will.''
Dignifying D.A. Garrison, who even in the jambalaya of this country's screwiest state was considered a Loose Cannon, is the savvy casting of good-old-reliable, salt-of-the-earth Kevin Costner. As the obsessed litigant, Costner evens sucks on a pipe, avuncularly a la the great wise man of the era, Walter Cronkite.
Opposing this judicious breadwinner are the wide array of ''conspirators, '' shrewdly chosen among Hollywood's finest nutcase players -- prominently Joe Pesci as a hypertensive co-conspirator and Donald Sutherland as a slithery CIA op. Down the French Quarter line, you've also got died-blonde Tommy Lee Jones as gay Clay Shaw and Ed Asner as a swaggering redneck. Before we even present the facts, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, which side would you trust: gray-suited Kevin or Joe Pesci and the boys.
In the film, Garrison quotes Adolf Hitler as saying the bigger the lie, the more people are likely to believe it; paraphrasing that cynicism, the bigger the movie the more likely people are going to believe it, especially in this post-literate age where college kids only know JFK as the president who got laid a lot. And screenwriters Stone and Zachary Sklar present the ''facts'' in a stentorian wave of shrewd and sometimes dubious juxtapositions (aided and abetted by muted trumpet and stacatto of the snares).
The narrative movement is thus: Garrison espouses theory, interrogates slimeball who lies to him, followed by flashback to ''reality'' shot in black-and-white showing Garrison's suppositions are correct.
Indeed, Stone's savvy, documentary-style black-and-white footage casts an aura of truth over this theoretical treatise. Stone has built his case, starting with documentary clips of Dwight Eisenhower's warning of the terrors of the ''military industrial complex, '' through a winning montage of Camelot (the energy of the New Frontier; the disastrous Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the triumph of ''Ich Bin Ein Berliner'' speech, to Dallas.
Throughout, Stone stretches one thread: the CIA and military industrial complex, furious at Kennedy for not providing air support in the Bay of Pigs and fearing his pulling out of Vietnam, hatched a plot.
At its most questionable, a voice-over enumerates the military/industrial types who would benefit from JFK's death -- while panning over the likes of the Joint Chiefs and LBJ. While Oliver Stone has certainly stirred up the waters, with good conscience and, in JFK's own parlance, ''with vigah, '' most people are likely to regard ''JFK'' as BS.
JFK
Warner Bros.
In Association with Le Studio Canal Plus, Regency Enterprises and Alcor Films
An Ixtlan Corp. and an A. Kitman Ho Production
Producers A. Kitman Ho, Oliver Stone
Director Oliver Stone
Screenwriters Oliver Stone, Zachary Sklar
Executive producer Arnon Milchan
Director of photography Robert Richardson
Production designer Victor Kempster
Co-producer Clayton Townsend
Editors Joe Hutshing, Pietro Scalia
Music John Williams
Costume designer Marlene Stewart
Casting Risa Bramon Garcia, Billy Hopkins, Heidi Levitt
Based on the books ''On the Trail of the Assassins'' by Jim Garrison and ''Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy'' by Jim Marrs
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Jim Garrison Kevin Costner
Liz Garrison Sissy Spacek
David Ferrie Joe Pesci
Clay Shaw Tommy Lee Jones
Lee Harvey Oswald Gary Oldman
Bill Broussard Michael Rooker
Lou Ivon Jay O. Sanders
Susie Cox Laurie Metcalf
Jack Martin Jack Lemmon
Sen. Long Walter Mattheu
Dean Andrews John Candy
Guy Bannister Ed Asner
Willie O'Keefe Kevin Bacon
Earl Warren Jim Garrison
Running time -- 188 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Essentially, it's not about Kennedy but rather the tale of New Orleans D.A. Jim Garrison who -- not believing the Warren Commission's Report that a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, shot down JFK -- launched a widespread investigation, eventually prosecuting one New Orleans citizen Clay Shaw for the crime. In Garrison's eye, Shaw was a cog in a murderous conspiracy hatched by the CIA, the defense industry, Southern rednecks, Cuban refugees and all sorts of goose hunters.
If any cause or special interest group wanted to hire a filmmaker to document the rightness of their issue, Stone would be unbeatable. In this view of nimble bombast, it's not doubtful that Stone could spin a masterful cinematic web linking John Sununu's resignation with the collapse of Pan Am. Aesthetically, ''JFK'' is crafty, super-skilled filmmaking: propaganda every bit as cinematically splendid as Frank Capra's ''Why We Fight'' or Leni Riefenstahl's ''Triumph of the Will.''
Dignifying D.A. Garrison, who even in the jambalaya of this country's screwiest state was considered a Loose Cannon, is the savvy casting of good-old-reliable, salt-of-the-earth Kevin Costner. As the obsessed litigant, Costner evens sucks on a pipe, avuncularly a la the great wise man of the era, Walter Cronkite.
Opposing this judicious breadwinner are the wide array of ''conspirators, '' shrewdly chosen among Hollywood's finest nutcase players -- prominently Joe Pesci as a hypertensive co-conspirator and Donald Sutherland as a slithery CIA op. Down the French Quarter line, you've also got died-blonde Tommy Lee Jones as gay Clay Shaw and Ed Asner as a swaggering redneck. Before we even present the facts, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, which side would you trust: gray-suited Kevin or Joe Pesci and the boys.
In the film, Garrison quotes Adolf Hitler as saying the bigger the lie, the more people are likely to believe it; paraphrasing that cynicism, the bigger the movie the more likely people are going to believe it, especially in this post-literate age where college kids only know JFK as the president who got laid a lot. And screenwriters Stone and Zachary Sklar present the ''facts'' in a stentorian wave of shrewd and sometimes dubious juxtapositions (aided and abetted by muted trumpet and stacatto of the snares).
The narrative movement is thus: Garrison espouses theory, interrogates slimeball who lies to him, followed by flashback to ''reality'' shot in black-and-white showing Garrison's suppositions are correct.
Indeed, Stone's savvy, documentary-style black-and-white footage casts an aura of truth over this theoretical treatise. Stone has built his case, starting with documentary clips of Dwight Eisenhower's warning of the terrors of the ''military industrial complex, '' through a winning montage of Camelot (the energy of the New Frontier; the disastrous Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the triumph of ''Ich Bin Ein Berliner'' speech, to Dallas.
Throughout, Stone stretches one thread: the CIA and military industrial complex, furious at Kennedy for not providing air support in the Bay of Pigs and fearing his pulling out of Vietnam, hatched a plot.
At its most questionable, a voice-over enumerates the military/industrial types who would benefit from JFK's death -- while panning over the likes of the Joint Chiefs and LBJ. While Oliver Stone has certainly stirred up the waters, with good conscience and, in JFK's own parlance, ''with vigah, '' most people are likely to regard ''JFK'' as BS.
JFK
Warner Bros.
In Association with Le Studio Canal Plus, Regency Enterprises and Alcor Films
An Ixtlan Corp. and an A. Kitman Ho Production
Producers A. Kitman Ho, Oliver Stone
Director Oliver Stone
Screenwriters Oliver Stone, Zachary Sklar
Executive producer Arnon Milchan
Director of photography Robert Richardson
Production designer Victor Kempster
Co-producer Clayton Townsend
Editors Joe Hutshing, Pietro Scalia
Music John Williams
Costume designer Marlene Stewart
Casting Risa Bramon Garcia, Billy Hopkins, Heidi Levitt
Based on the books ''On the Trail of the Assassins'' by Jim Garrison and ''Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy'' by Jim Marrs
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Jim Garrison Kevin Costner
Liz Garrison Sissy Spacek
David Ferrie Joe Pesci
Clay Shaw Tommy Lee Jones
Lee Harvey Oswald Gary Oldman
Bill Broussard Michael Rooker
Lou Ivon Jay O. Sanders
Susie Cox Laurie Metcalf
Jack Martin Jack Lemmon
Sen. Long Walter Mattheu
Dean Andrews John Candy
Guy Bannister Ed Asner
Willie O'Keefe Kevin Bacon
Earl Warren Jim Garrison
Running time -- 188 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 12/16/1991
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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