Somewhere between Scanners and Beyond The Gates exists Game Of Death, a kill-em-all deathmatch rooted in Hasbro innocence. Directors Sebastien Landry and Laurence “Baz” Morais inject nihilistic curiosity into a gruesome, head-splitting gore flick that abides by predetermined rules. Questions about existence first, visceral body-mutilating second. Or is it bloody, practical-fx-driven cranium combusting first, existential dread second? There’s a constant tug-of-war at play between bewildered contestants and unlucky bystanders, who are slain in the name of diabolical decisions. Are there any winners in the Game Of Death? That’s for you to decide.
It all starts with millennial partying. Attractive hardbodies swill liquor and get high while chillaxing poolside at some lavish crash pad. Ashley (Emelia Hellman) hooks up with boyfriend Matt (Thomas Vallieres). Kenny (Nick Serino) wakes up with a cartoon dick on his face. Brother Tom (Sam Earle) receives a sensual lap dance from sister Beth (Victoria Diamond) – wait,...
It all starts with millennial partying. Attractive hardbodies swill liquor and get high while chillaxing poolside at some lavish crash pad. Ashley (Emelia Hellman) hooks up with boyfriend Matt (Thomas Vallieres). Kenny (Nick Serino) wakes up with a cartoon dick on his face. Brother Tom (Sam Earle) receives a sensual lap dance from sister Beth (Victoria Diamond) – wait,...
- 3/14/2017
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
Talk about a defining moment.
On last night's episode of HBO's The Leftovers, we got to see what life was like in Mapleton before Oct. 14 – that life-changing day when millions disappeared. Turns out things weren't all that bad, but they were headed there fast.
Kevin (not yet Chief) Garvey
He wasn't in charge yet, but Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) had a lot more going for him. That included a gorgeous home with his lovely psychiatrist wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) and their happy-go-lucky tween daughter Jill (she actually used to sing and skip around!).
Even stepson Tom (Chris Zylka) comes around.
On last night's episode of HBO's The Leftovers, we got to see what life was like in Mapleton before Oct. 14 – that life-changing day when millions disappeared. Turns out things weren't all that bad, but they were headed there fast.
Kevin (not yet Chief) Garvey
He wasn't in charge yet, but Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) had a lot more going for him. That included a gorgeous home with his lovely psychiatrist wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) and their happy-go-lucky tween daughter Jill (she actually used to sing and skip around!).
Even stepson Tom (Chris Zylka) comes around.
- 8/25/2014
- by Janine Rayford Rubenstein, @JanineRayford
- People.com - TV Watch
Talk about a defining moment. On last night's episode of HBO's The Leftovers, we got to see what life was like in Mapleton before Oct. 14 - that life-changing day when millions disappeared. Turns out things weren't all that bad, but they were headed there fast. Kevin (not yet Chief) GarveyHe wasn't in charge yet, but Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) had a lot more going for him. That included a gorgeous home with his lovely psychiatrist wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) and their happy-go-lucky tween daughter Jill (she actually used to sing and skip around!). Even stepson Tom (Chris Zylka) comes around.
- 8/25/2014
- by Janine Rayford Rubenstein, @JanineRayford
- PEOPLE.com
Talk about a defining moment. On last night's episode of HBO's The Leftovers, we got to see what life was like in Mapleton before Oct. 14 - that life-changing day when millions disappeared. Turns out things weren't all that bad, but they were headed there fast. Kevin (not yet Chief) GarveyHe wasn't in charge yet, but Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) had a lot more going for him. That included a gorgeous home with his lovely psychiatrist wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) and their happy-go-lucky tween daughter Jill (she actually used to sing and skip around!). Even step-son Tom (Chris Zylka) comes around.
- 8/25/2014
- by Janine Rayford Rubenstein, @JanineRayford
- PEOPLE.com
Anywhere Road Entertainment
NEW YORK -- According to "Black Irish", the directorial debut of Brad Gann (screenwriter of "Invincible"), it sure isn't easy being a working-class Irish family in Boston.
Among the multitude of plot elements in this gritty drama are an unwanted pregnancy, a botched hold-up, a terminal illness, financial struggles and the accidental death of a pet bird. It's all nearly as exhausting for the audience as it is for the characters.
The central character, as is so often the case for these sorts of coming-of-age dramas, is a sensitive young man. Here it is 15-year-old Cole McKay (the talented up-and-comer Michael Angarano), an alter boy who much prefers spending his time on the baseball diamond.
Cole has a lot to contend with. His parents' marriage seems to be floundering, with his brusque father (Brendan Gleeson) having lost his job and now forced to make his living shining shoes, and his rigidly religious mother (Melissa Leo) attempting to preserve the family's reputation even though her unwed daughter (Emily VanCamp) is pregnant. His black sheep older Brother Tom Guiry) is drifting into a life of crime and is so abusive that he literally beats the pants off Cole in front of his school friends.
While the film has many well-observed moments -- such as Cole's interactions with a mobbed-up restaurant owner (Michael Rispoli) who gives him his first job, and his awkward birds and the bees talk with his clearly uncomfortable father -- it ultimately suffers from its relentless piling on of crises. The writer-director's gift for sensitively drawn characterizations and pungently real dialogue is overwhelmed by his propensity for melodrama, with the result that "Black Irish" too often unflattering recalls the Warner Bros. dramas of the 1930s, only without the comforting presence of Pat O'Brien.
NEW YORK -- According to "Black Irish", the directorial debut of Brad Gann (screenwriter of "Invincible"), it sure isn't easy being a working-class Irish family in Boston.
Among the multitude of plot elements in this gritty drama are an unwanted pregnancy, a botched hold-up, a terminal illness, financial struggles and the accidental death of a pet bird. It's all nearly as exhausting for the audience as it is for the characters.
The central character, as is so often the case for these sorts of coming-of-age dramas, is a sensitive young man. Here it is 15-year-old Cole McKay (the talented up-and-comer Michael Angarano), an alter boy who much prefers spending his time on the baseball diamond.
Cole has a lot to contend with. His parents' marriage seems to be floundering, with his brusque father (Brendan Gleeson) having lost his job and now forced to make his living shining shoes, and his rigidly religious mother (Melissa Leo) attempting to preserve the family's reputation even though her unwed daughter (Emily VanCamp) is pregnant. His black sheep older Brother Tom Guiry) is drifting into a life of crime and is so abusive that he literally beats the pants off Cole in front of his school friends.
While the film has many well-observed moments -- such as Cole's interactions with a mobbed-up restaurant owner (Michael Rispoli) who gives him his first job, and his awkward birds and the bees talk with his clearly uncomfortable father -- it ultimately suffers from its relentless piling on of crises. The writer-director's gift for sensitively drawn characterizations and pungently real dialogue is overwhelmed by his propensity for melodrama, with the result that "Black Irish" too often unflattering recalls the Warner Bros. dramas of the 1930s, only without the comforting presence of Pat O'Brien.
- 11/21/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- New indie distributor Anywhere Road acquired all domestic rights to its sophomore release, Black Irish, starring Michael Angarano, Brendan Gleeson and Melissa Leo.
Writer-director Brad Gann's feature debut follows the trials of an Irish-American family in South Boston. Angarano (Snow Angels) portrays a teen struggling with an emotionally distant father (Gleeson, of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), a pregnant, unwed sister (Emily Van Camp), a bullying Brother Tom Guiry) and a mother (Leo) who wants him to join the priesthood.
Anywhere Road will release the film Sept. 28 in New York and Boston, followed by a national rollout through the fall. The company's first pickup, the Brazilian musical drama Antonia (jointly acquired with Netflix's Red Envelope Entertainment), will hit theaters Aug. 17.
The film was produced by Gann, J. Todd Harris, Kelly Crean, Jeffrey Orenstein and Mark Donadio. Gann's credits include the screenplay for the football drama Invincible, starring Mark Wahlberg.
The deal was negotiated by Harris on behalf of the filmmakers with Anywhere Road president Robert Ogden Barnum and executive vp Kaiser Wahab.
Writer-director Brad Gann's feature debut follows the trials of an Irish-American family in South Boston. Angarano (Snow Angels) portrays a teen struggling with an emotionally distant father (Gleeson, of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), a pregnant, unwed sister (Emily Van Camp), a bullying Brother Tom Guiry) and a mother (Leo) who wants him to join the priesthood.
Anywhere Road will release the film Sept. 28 in New York and Boston, followed by a national rollout through the fall. The company's first pickup, the Brazilian musical drama Antonia (jointly acquired with Netflix's Red Envelope Entertainment), will hit theaters Aug. 17.
The film was produced by Gann, J. Todd Harris, Kelly Crean, Jeffrey Orenstein and Mark Donadio. Gann's credits include the screenplay for the football drama Invincible, starring Mark Wahlberg.
The deal was negotiated by Harris on behalf of the filmmakers with Anywhere Road president Robert Ogden Barnum and executive vp Kaiser Wahab.
- 7/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Excessively moody and mired in muddy storytelling overall, writer-director Eric Drilling's feature debut is based on his play of the same name about two brothers caught in the stormy aftermath of patricide, committed by the eldest against their violent sire.
"River Red" stars Tom Everett Scott ("An American Werewolf in Paris") as insecure, repressed Dave Holden, a New Hampshire guy going nowhere who becomes a killer and masked bandit to protect his younger Brother Tom (David Moscow). But starting with the shaky performances, Drilling's downer drama is not memorably involving, and boxoffice potential for the Castle Hill limited release is light.
Scott is appropriately sweaty and nervous, with an unruly crop of hair and twitchy body -- he might have made a good Norman Bates. His character is able to instantly concoct a plan to have minor Tom serve the time for Dave's impulsive fatal stabbing of their punching pop (Denis O'Hare).
But after that fateful event, given a "second chance," Dave is apparently rendered dumb by his guilt and paranoia. While Tom has a bumpy ride in the pokey, Dave hits the sauce and holds up gas stations to pay off a stack of bills left by Dad. He has enough cash to also date a nice girl (Cara Buono), who doesn't suspect he's turning into his own worse nightmare.
Tom gets the picture soon enough when he's released (after years?) and sees what a cold, self-destructive thing Dave has become. Meanwhile, it's hard to believe Dave could get away with his cover story of a rich relative leaving a large inheritance.
While it strives to be a probing character study, "River Red" is all but swamped by Drilling's fudging on details, while the filmmaker relies far too much on Johnny Hickman's oppressive score to underline every portentous moment and simmering emotion.
RIVER RED
Castle Hill
Drilling Films in association with
Miller Entertainment and Frontier Films
Writer-director: Eric Drilling
Producers: Eric Drilling, Stephen Schlueter, Avram Ludwig, Tom Everett Scott, Tischa Gomez
Executive producers: David Miller, Gary Kauffman
Director of photography: Stephen Schlueter
Production designer: Roshelle Berliner
Editor: Paul Streicher
Costume designer: Cindy Evans
Music: Johnny Hickman
Casting: Gabriella Leff
Color/stereo
Cast:
Dave Holden: Tom Everett Scott
Tom Holden: David Moscow
Rachel: Cara Buono
Father: Denis O'Hare
Billy: David Lowery
Frankie: Michael Kelly
Judge Perkins: Leo Burmester
Running time -- 104 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
"River Red" stars Tom Everett Scott ("An American Werewolf in Paris") as insecure, repressed Dave Holden, a New Hampshire guy going nowhere who becomes a killer and masked bandit to protect his younger Brother Tom (David Moscow). But starting with the shaky performances, Drilling's downer drama is not memorably involving, and boxoffice potential for the Castle Hill limited release is light.
Scott is appropriately sweaty and nervous, with an unruly crop of hair and twitchy body -- he might have made a good Norman Bates. His character is able to instantly concoct a plan to have minor Tom serve the time for Dave's impulsive fatal stabbing of their punching pop (Denis O'Hare).
But after that fateful event, given a "second chance," Dave is apparently rendered dumb by his guilt and paranoia. While Tom has a bumpy ride in the pokey, Dave hits the sauce and holds up gas stations to pay off a stack of bills left by Dad. He has enough cash to also date a nice girl (Cara Buono), who doesn't suspect he's turning into his own worse nightmare.
Tom gets the picture soon enough when he's released (after years?) and sees what a cold, self-destructive thing Dave has become. Meanwhile, it's hard to believe Dave could get away with his cover story of a rich relative leaving a large inheritance.
While it strives to be a probing character study, "River Red" is all but swamped by Drilling's fudging on details, while the filmmaker relies far too much on Johnny Hickman's oppressive score to underline every portentous moment and simmering emotion.
RIVER RED
Castle Hill
Drilling Films in association with
Miller Entertainment and Frontier Films
Writer-director: Eric Drilling
Producers: Eric Drilling, Stephen Schlueter, Avram Ludwig, Tom Everett Scott, Tischa Gomez
Executive producers: David Miller, Gary Kauffman
Director of photography: Stephen Schlueter
Production designer: Roshelle Berliner
Editor: Paul Streicher
Costume designer: Cindy Evans
Music: Johnny Hickman
Casting: Gabriella Leff
Color/stereo
Cast:
Dave Holden: Tom Everett Scott
Tom Holden: David Moscow
Rachel: Cara Buono
Father: Denis O'Hare
Billy: David Lowery
Frankie: Michael Kelly
Judge Perkins: Leo Burmester
Running time -- 104 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 11/23/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cross "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" with "The Magnificent Seven", and you get some idea of this truly bizarre western, which received its world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival. Set for commercial release in April, this Mario Van Peebles starrer, which he also scripted, will prove a significant challenge to market. Cable seems a safer bet.
"Los Locos" was directed by French-Canadian Jean-Marc Vallee, who a couple of years ago scored a success at the festival (and a commercial hit in Canada) with his contemporary thriller "Liste Noir". He handles the reins of this western with surprising ease and manages to make the film look much more expensive than its $2.4 million budget. It should not be long before Hollywood beckons.
Van Peebles plays Chance, a disgraced scout who, when we first see him, is recovering from the effects of a tar and feathering, inflicted when he misled his military platoon during battle. He's nursed back to health by the loincloth-wearing Buck (Paul Lazar), one of six "locos" who reside in a mission led by the dictatorial Sister Drexel (Rusty Schwimmer).
When he recovers, Chance is recruited to lead the sister and her mentally challenged flock to their new home across the desert. During the treacherous journey, Chance and the locos encounter a series of adventures and violent confrontations, capped by a brutal battle with a group of nasty bandits. Along the way, Chance finds time for a romantic bath with the beautiful Allison (Melora Walters), who is eager to be impregnated. Through Chance's positive influence, the locos eventually emerge from their shell and fight like warriors.
The film is mostly a routine western, made distinctive only by its bizarre cast of characters. Unfortunately, the filmmakers were unable to resist infusing the movie with a severe case of the cutes, resulting in what often resembles a hyperviolent version of the 1966 hit "King of Hearts".
Van Peebles, though he brings his usual charisma and likability to his role, is mainly reduced to playing straight man to the rambunctious cast, which includes Rene Auberjonois as a mild-mannered autistic who late in the game realizes he has the heart (and skills) of a gunslinger. The film would seem to have pretensions to examine the need for tolerance of the mentally ill, but its serious aspirations are lost amid the gunplay.
LOS LOCOS
Gramercy Pictures
A Propaganda Films/
Van Peebles Films production
Producers Mario Van Peebles, John Vohlers
Executive producer Allan Poul
Director Jean-Marc Vallec
Screenplay Mario Van Peebles
Director of photography Pierre Gill
Editor Jean-Marc Vallee
Music Leslie Barber
Sound Bruce Nazarian
Art direction Greta Grigorian
Casting Christine Sheaks
Color/stereo
Cast:
Chance Mario Van Peebles
Allison Melora Walters
The president Rene Auberjonois
Buck Paul Lazar
Batista Danny Trejo
Baby Brother Tom Dorfmeister
Spackman Eric Winzenreid
Sister Drexel Rusty Schwimmer
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
"Los Locos" was directed by French-Canadian Jean-Marc Vallee, who a couple of years ago scored a success at the festival (and a commercial hit in Canada) with his contemporary thriller "Liste Noir". He handles the reins of this western with surprising ease and manages to make the film look much more expensive than its $2.4 million budget. It should not be long before Hollywood beckons.
Van Peebles plays Chance, a disgraced scout who, when we first see him, is recovering from the effects of a tar and feathering, inflicted when he misled his military platoon during battle. He's nursed back to health by the loincloth-wearing Buck (Paul Lazar), one of six "locos" who reside in a mission led by the dictatorial Sister Drexel (Rusty Schwimmer).
When he recovers, Chance is recruited to lead the sister and her mentally challenged flock to their new home across the desert. During the treacherous journey, Chance and the locos encounter a series of adventures and violent confrontations, capped by a brutal battle with a group of nasty bandits. Along the way, Chance finds time for a romantic bath with the beautiful Allison (Melora Walters), who is eager to be impregnated. Through Chance's positive influence, the locos eventually emerge from their shell and fight like warriors.
The film is mostly a routine western, made distinctive only by its bizarre cast of characters. Unfortunately, the filmmakers were unable to resist infusing the movie with a severe case of the cutes, resulting in what often resembles a hyperviolent version of the 1966 hit "King of Hearts".
Van Peebles, though he brings his usual charisma and likability to his role, is mainly reduced to playing straight man to the rambunctious cast, which includes Rene Auberjonois as a mild-mannered autistic who late in the game realizes he has the heart (and skills) of a gunslinger. The film would seem to have pretensions to examine the need for tolerance of the mentally ill, but its serious aspirations are lost amid the gunplay.
LOS LOCOS
Gramercy Pictures
A Propaganda Films/
Van Peebles Films production
Producers Mario Van Peebles, John Vohlers
Executive producer Allan Poul
Director Jean-Marc Vallec
Screenplay Mario Van Peebles
Director of photography Pierre Gill
Editor Jean-Marc Vallee
Music Leslie Barber
Sound Bruce Nazarian
Art direction Greta Grigorian
Casting Christine Sheaks
Color/stereo
Cast:
Chance Mario Van Peebles
Allison Melora Walters
The president Rene Auberjonois
Buck Paul Lazar
Batista Danny Trejo
Baby Brother Tom Dorfmeister
Spackman Eric Winzenreid
Sister Drexel Rusty Schwimmer
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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