Hilary Brougher made a splash at the fest with her sophomore Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award winning drama Stephanie Daley (Sundance ’06) but it’s been nada since this minor stroke of genius. After some early casting hiccups, Brougher’s adaptation of Jane Mendelsohn’s 2000 teen novel of the same name found Sophie Curtis, Kelly Reilly and Graham Phillips toplining. Production took place during the summer, with post production beginning in August, which means with some overtime work, Innocence – a Killer Films’ production could be ready for a showcase. Brougher reteams with cinematographer David Rush Morrison and editor Keith Reamer and with Production Designer Susan Block (The Believer, Grace Is Gone) also contributes.
Gist: Co-written by Brougher and Tristine Skyler, set in NYC, this centers on a moody teenager who discovers her elite private school is home to a vampire gang.
Production Co./Producers: Killer Films’ Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon
Prediction: Premieres Program
U.
Gist: Co-written by Brougher and Tristine Skyler, set in NYC, this centers on a moody teenager who discovers her elite private school is home to a vampire gang.
Production Co./Producers: Killer Films’ Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon
Prediction: Premieres Program
U.
- 11/20/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
American Swing (2009) Direction: Mathew Kaufman and Jon Hart Screenplay: Keith Reamer Interviewees: Buck Henry, Annie Sprinkle, Melvin van Peebles, Ron Jeremy, Jamie Gillis, Helen Gurley Brown, and others By way of interviews, photos, and home movies, Mathew Kaufman and journalist Jon Hart’s American Swing humorously chronicles the rise and fall of all-American entrepreneur Larry Levenson, free-sex advocate and self-proclaimed "King of Swing," while painting a nostalgic — though hardly all-flattering — portrait of the heyday of Plato’s Retreat, New York City’s foremost sex club-disco of the late 1970s. Earlier in the decade, wholesale meat purveyor Larry Levenson had decided to reinvent himself as a Sexual Liberation Messiah. Even so, it’s debatable whether Levenson actually saw himself as a Man with a Mission, or whether he was just a cunning self-promoter with his eye on the cash flowing into his Upper West Side club in the basement of Manhattan’s Ansonia Hotel.
- 4/3/2009
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
by indieWIRE (January 4, 2009) Editors Note: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling dramatic and documentary competition and American Spectrum directors who have films screening at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Muna Farah, a Palestinian single mom, struggles to maintain her optimistic spirit in the daily grind of intimidating West Bank checkpoints, the constant nagging of a controlling mother, and the haunting shadows of a failed marriage. Everything changes one day when she receives a letter informing her that her family has been granted a U.S. green card. Reluctant to leave her homeland, but realizing it may be the only way to secure a future for Fadi, her teenage son, Muna decides to quit her job at the bank and visit her relatives in Illinois to see about a new life in a land that gives newcomers a run for their money.
Amreeka
Director: Cherien Dabis...
Muna Farah, a Palestinian single mom, struggles to maintain her optimistic spirit in the daily grind of intimidating West Bank checkpoints, the constant nagging of a controlling mother, and the haunting shadows of a failed marriage. Everything changes one day when she receives a letter informing her that her family has been granted a U.S. green card. Reluctant to leave her homeland, but realizing it may be the only way to secure a future for Fadi, her teenage son, Muna decides to quit her job at the bank and visit her relatives in Illinois to see about a new life in a land that gives newcomers a run for their money.
Amreeka
Director: Cherien Dabis...
- 1/5/2009
- by brian
- indieWIRE - People
"Restaurant" is a spirited tale about a group of show-business aspirants who, naturally, hold jobs at an upscale bar and grill.
While romance and comedy dominate its sleek surfaces, director Eric Bross and writer Tom Cudworth let dramatic undercurrents involving race and prejudice slowly work their way to the surface. What results is a satisfying entertainment featuring a lively hip-hop soundtrack and a bunch of talented young actors led by Adrien Brody and Elise Neal.
Still, playability doesn't always translate into marketability. Producer-distributor Palisades Pictures will have to put marketing muscle behind "Restaurant" if it hopes to plug into the "Swingers" audience. The film, which has been sitting on a shelf for the better part of two years, can at least take advantage of the presence of Lauryn Hill (albeit in a small role), who has won five Grammys since making the film, and Brody, now a recognizable name since "Liberty Heights" and "Son of Sam" last year.
The central figure is Brody's Chris Calloway, a sometime playwright and full-time bartender at J.T. McClure's in Hoboken, N.J. Chris has sworn off alcohol after his latest binge caused him to miss auditions for his own play. What drove him to drink in the first place was his breakup with girlfriend Leslie (Hill) -- and especially his discovery that she cheated on him with a fellow worker and sometime actor Kenny (Simon Baker-Denny).
Chris is therefore surprised to find himself flirting with new waitress Jeannine (Neal), who in a replay of his former relationship is not only black but winds up moving in with Leslie's former roommate, Nancy (Catherine Kellner). Unlike Leslie, Jeannine rushes into intimacy with Chris, to whom she is greatly attracted.
But Chris still carries a torch for Leslie, which leads to major problems in his new relationship. And against his better judgment, he lets line cook Reggae (David Moscow) lead him and another cook (Jesse L. Martin) astray in the raunchier areas in Newark.
Another plot line has Chris sponsoring Stephen (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) to move from waiter to bartender, a job change the white manager is determined to resist.
Thus, Bross and Cudworth establish a milieu wherein a group of interracial employees can seemingly work and pal around together -- and even fall in love -- irrespective of any color line. But when tensions rise and a shocking turn of events precipitates heated passions, bigotry can resurface.
Cudworth's script is not free from head-scratchers. He gives no idea how Leslie could turn out to be so pregnant after having broken up with Chris a relatively short time before or why Chris abruptly quits his job without any visible means of support.
Bross' direction is astute, and Horacio Marquinez's camera work maintains an easy fluidity that transports the viewer about the restaurant and food preparation areas.
Mostly though, the film is designed for its actors to shine -- and they do, especially Brody, Baker-Denny and Neal.
RESTAURANT
Palisades Pictures
Palisades Pictures in association with Giv'en Films presents a Chaiken Films production
Credits: Producers: H.M. Coakley, Shana Stein, Eric Bross; Director: Eric Bross;
Writer: Tom Cudworth; Executive producers: Mark D. Severini, Gary J. Palermo, Galt Niederhoffer, Michael Brysch; Director of photography: Horacio Marquinez;
Production designer: Steven McCabe; Music: Theodore Shapiro; Co-producer: Jennifer Chaiken; Costume designer: Elizabeth Shelton; Editor: Keith Reamer. Cast: Chris Calloway: Adrien Brody; Jeannine: Elise Neal; Kenny: Simon Baker-Denny; Reggae: David Moscow; Leslie: Lauryn Hill; Quincy: Jesse L. Martin; Stephen: Malcolm Jamal-Warner. MPAA rating: R. Color/stereo. Running time -- 107 minutes.
While romance and comedy dominate its sleek surfaces, director Eric Bross and writer Tom Cudworth let dramatic undercurrents involving race and prejudice slowly work their way to the surface. What results is a satisfying entertainment featuring a lively hip-hop soundtrack and a bunch of talented young actors led by Adrien Brody and Elise Neal.
Still, playability doesn't always translate into marketability. Producer-distributor Palisades Pictures will have to put marketing muscle behind "Restaurant" if it hopes to plug into the "Swingers" audience. The film, which has been sitting on a shelf for the better part of two years, can at least take advantage of the presence of Lauryn Hill (albeit in a small role), who has won five Grammys since making the film, and Brody, now a recognizable name since "Liberty Heights" and "Son of Sam" last year.
The central figure is Brody's Chris Calloway, a sometime playwright and full-time bartender at J.T. McClure's in Hoboken, N.J. Chris has sworn off alcohol after his latest binge caused him to miss auditions for his own play. What drove him to drink in the first place was his breakup with girlfriend Leslie (Hill) -- and especially his discovery that she cheated on him with a fellow worker and sometime actor Kenny (Simon Baker-Denny).
Chris is therefore surprised to find himself flirting with new waitress Jeannine (Neal), who in a replay of his former relationship is not only black but winds up moving in with Leslie's former roommate, Nancy (Catherine Kellner). Unlike Leslie, Jeannine rushes into intimacy with Chris, to whom she is greatly attracted.
But Chris still carries a torch for Leslie, which leads to major problems in his new relationship. And against his better judgment, he lets line cook Reggae (David Moscow) lead him and another cook (Jesse L. Martin) astray in the raunchier areas in Newark.
Another plot line has Chris sponsoring Stephen (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) to move from waiter to bartender, a job change the white manager is determined to resist.
Thus, Bross and Cudworth establish a milieu wherein a group of interracial employees can seemingly work and pal around together -- and even fall in love -- irrespective of any color line. But when tensions rise and a shocking turn of events precipitates heated passions, bigotry can resurface.
Cudworth's script is not free from head-scratchers. He gives no idea how Leslie could turn out to be so pregnant after having broken up with Chris a relatively short time before or why Chris abruptly quits his job without any visible means of support.
Bross' direction is astute, and Horacio Marquinez's camera work maintains an easy fluidity that transports the viewer about the restaurant and food preparation areas.
Mostly though, the film is designed for its actors to shine -- and they do, especially Brody, Baker-Denny and Neal.
RESTAURANT
Palisades Pictures
Palisades Pictures in association with Giv'en Films presents a Chaiken Films production
Credits: Producers: H.M. Coakley, Shana Stein, Eric Bross; Director: Eric Bross;
Writer: Tom Cudworth; Executive producers: Mark D. Severini, Gary J. Palermo, Galt Niederhoffer, Michael Brysch; Director of photography: Horacio Marquinez;
Production designer: Steven McCabe; Music: Theodore Shapiro; Co-producer: Jennifer Chaiken; Costume designer: Elizabeth Shelton; Editor: Keith Reamer. Cast: Chris Calloway: Adrien Brody; Jeannine: Elise Neal; Kenny: Simon Baker-Denny; Reggae: David Moscow; Leslie: Lauryn Hill; Quincy: Jesse L. Martin; Stephen: Malcolm Jamal-Warner. MPAA rating: R. Color/stereo. Running time -- 107 minutes.
PARK CITY, Utah -- "Three Seasons" is a luminous, delicate and powerful saga of modern-day Saigon. The winner of both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, the film moved audiences throughout the fest and should be a hit on both the festival and select-site circuit for October Films.
A narrative pastiche weaving four separate stories in present-day Vietnam, "Three Seasons" is an eloquent depiction of life in that tumultuous country. Filmmaker Tony Bui, who directed and co-wrote, has painted a provocative picture of the hard life that many Saigon residents face.
Reminiscent of Italian neo-realism, Bui focuses on those who are barely scraping by, including a cyclo driver, a prostitute, a young man who hustles trinkets on the streets and a girl who has been hired to be a personal assistant to a reclusive spiritual master.
Winding between these unconnected, but ultimately inclusive stories, Bui's storytelling is packed with hard city images. Indeed, "Three Seasons" is most eloquent and powerful in its visuals: the kaleidoscope of the scurrying chaos of big-city Saigon is both frightening and dignified.
Unfortunately, the dialogue and writing is often of an expositional nature and occasionally "Three Seasons" is over-arching in making its thematic points. During these junctures, the storytelling takes on a somewhat glossy, "National Geographic" patina.
Overall, "Three Seasons" is an exceptional film, capturing the roiling nature of a country that's torn by its past and gyrating between the old ways and the new. The acting is special as the well-chosen cast members embody their character's everyday essences.
Particularly noteworthy is Ngoc Hiep, whose radiant and fragile nature literally blossoms as she comes to gain strength and uncommon insights in her routine work with a religious master. Don Duong is also noteworthy for his engaging performance as a love-smitten cyclo driver. Harvey Keitel, who also executive produces, is solid as an American G.I. searching for the daughter he left behind during his Vietnam war days.
It's in its technical aspects that "Three Seasons" is most bountiful. Cinematographer Lisa Rinzler deservedly won the festival's Cinematography Award for her masterful lensing, eloquently and touching and conveying the heart and soul of the fractured city. In addition, composer Keith Reamer's full-bodied music, with its dissonant as well as mellifluous tones, also captures the vibrant qualities of Vietnamese life.
THREE SEASONS
A Film by Tony Bui
Producers: Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente, Tony Bui
Screenwriter-director: Tony Bui
Executive producer: Harvey Keitel
Co-executive producer: Charles Rosen
Co-producer: Timothy Linh Bui
Story: Tony Bui, Timothy Linh Bui
Director of photography: Lisa Rinzler
Production designer: Wing Lee
Costume designer: Ghia Ci Fam
Editor: Keith Reamer
Music: Richard Horowitz
Vietnamese songs by: Vy Nhat Tao
Line producer: Trish Hofmann
Casting director: Quan Lelan
Sound: Curtis Choy, Brian Miksis
Color/Stereo
Hai: Don Duong
Kien An Nguyen: Ngoc Hiep
Teacher Dao: Tran Manh Cuong
James Hager: Harvey Keitel
Lan: Zoe Bui
Woody: Nguyen Huu Duco
Truck Driver: Minh Ngoc
Huy: Hoang Phat Trieu
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13...
A narrative pastiche weaving four separate stories in present-day Vietnam, "Three Seasons" is an eloquent depiction of life in that tumultuous country. Filmmaker Tony Bui, who directed and co-wrote, has painted a provocative picture of the hard life that many Saigon residents face.
Reminiscent of Italian neo-realism, Bui focuses on those who are barely scraping by, including a cyclo driver, a prostitute, a young man who hustles trinkets on the streets and a girl who has been hired to be a personal assistant to a reclusive spiritual master.
Winding between these unconnected, but ultimately inclusive stories, Bui's storytelling is packed with hard city images. Indeed, "Three Seasons" is most eloquent and powerful in its visuals: the kaleidoscope of the scurrying chaos of big-city Saigon is both frightening and dignified.
Unfortunately, the dialogue and writing is often of an expositional nature and occasionally "Three Seasons" is over-arching in making its thematic points. During these junctures, the storytelling takes on a somewhat glossy, "National Geographic" patina.
Overall, "Three Seasons" is an exceptional film, capturing the roiling nature of a country that's torn by its past and gyrating between the old ways and the new. The acting is special as the well-chosen cast members embody their character's everyday essences.
Particularly noteworthy is Ngoc Hiep, whose radiant and fragile nature literally blossoms as she comes to gain strength and uncommon insights in her routine work with a religious master. Don Duong is also noteworthy for his engaging performance as a love-smitten cyclo driver. Harvey Keitel, who also executive produces, is solid as an American G.I. searching for the daughter he left behind during his Vietnam war days.
It's in its technical aspects that "Three Seasons" is most bountiful. Cinematographer Lisa Rinzler deservedly won the festival's Cinematography Award for her masterful lensing, eloquently and touching and conveying the heart and soul of the fractured city. In addition, composer Keith Reamer's full-bodied music, with its dissonant as well as mellifluous tones, also captures the vibrant qualities of Vietnamese life.
THREE SEASONS
A Film by Tony Bui
Producers: Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente, Tony Bui
Screenwriter-director: Tony Bui
Executive producer: Harvey Keitel
Co-executive producer: Charles Rosen
Co-producer: Timothy Linh Bui
Story: Tony Bui, Timothy Linh Bui
Director of photography: Lisa Rinzler
Production designer: Wing Lee
Costume designer: Ghia Ci Fam
Editor: Keith Reamer
Music: Richard Horowitz
Vietnamese songs by: Vy Nhat Tao
Line producer: Trish Hofmann
Casting director: Quan Lelan
Sound: Curtis Choy, Brian Miksis
Color/Stereo
Hai: Don Duong
Kien An Nguyen: Ngoc Hiep
Teacher Dao: Tran Manh Cuong
James Hager: Harvey Keitel
Lan: Zoe Bui
Woody: Nguyen Huu Duco
Truck Driver: Minh Ngoc
Huy: Hoang Phat Trieu
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13...
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.