Dave Grohl has a reputation for being one of music’s good guys, and it’s because of reasons like this: amid a break from Foo Fighters’ Australian tour, Grohl spent the day cooking food for the homeless.
News.com.au reports that Grohl volunteered with The Big Umbrella foundation in Melbourne on Friday, handing out meals to people in need. According to a post on The Big Umbrella’s Instagram, Grohl treated the community to “an epic American style BBQ with all the trimmings.”
“It will be a day ‘our friends on the streets’ will never forget as they brushed up against a rock legend and one of the nicest guys on the planet who genuinely cares for people in need. No words can fully capture the impact of this positive experience.
Dave and his mates… spent 18 hours preparing and lovingly smoking 120kgs of pork ribs, pork butt and...
News.com.au reports that Grohl volunteered with The Big Umbrella foundation in Melbourne on Friday, handing out meals to people in need. According to a post on The Big Umbrella’s Instagram, Grohl treated the community to “an epic American style BBQ with all the trimmings.”
“It will be a day ‘our friends on the streets’ will never forget as they brushed up against a rock legend and one of the nicest guys on the planet who genuinely cares for people in need. No words can fully capture the impact of this positive experience.
Dave and his mates… spent 18 hours preparing and lovingly smoking 120kgs of pork ribs, pork butt and...
- 12/9/2023
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Music
Ed Sheeran is known for his musicianship, thoughtful lyrics, and way of interpreting thoughts and feelings into unforgettable songs. However, his generosity expands beyond the world of music. Sheeran has found a way to memorialize the most significant moments of those closest to him by building a structure on his property that houses a grave where he and others close to him will be laid to rest. Here are all the details.
Rumors of a grave are true, says Ed Sheeran, but it’s much more than that
In an interview with GQ Magazine, Ed Sheeran confirmed rumors he has a grave located on his property. However, the structure where the grave is located is much more than that, he explains.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a crypt,” he clarified. Consequently, the structure is a chapel.
Sheeran built the chapel to house the cremated remains of people closest to him who had died.
Rumors of a grave are true, says Ed Sheeran, but it’s much more than that
In an interview with GQ Magazine, Ed Sheeran confirmed rumors he has a grave located on his property. However, the structure where the grave is located is much more than that, he explains.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a crypt,” he clarified. Consequently, the structure is a chapel.
Sheeran built the chapel to house the cremated remains of people closest to him who had died.
- 10/24/2023
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Ed Sheeran has cleared up the rumours about a “crypt” behind his home, shedding light on the true nature of his construction project.
In a recent interview with GQ, Sheeran explained that it’s not a crypt at all; instead, he has built a chapel on his property to honour the memory of loved ones who were cremated. This sanctuary also serves as a venue for hosting wedding ceremonies for friends.
Read More: Backstreet Boys Dish On Whether They’ll Tour With Reunited Nsync, Ed Sheeran Collab Hopes & Howie D’s 50th Bahamas Bash
“It’s a hole that’s dug in the ground with a bit of stone over it, so whenever the day comes and I pass away, I get to go in there,” he revealed. “People think it’s really weird and really morbid, but I’ve had friends die without wills, and no one knows what to do.
In a recent interview with GQ, Sheeran explained that it’s not a crypt at all; instead, he has built a chapel on his property to honour the memory of loved ones who were cremated. This sanctuary also serves as a venue for hosting wedding ceremonies for friends.
Read More: Backstreet Boys Dish On Whether They’ll Tour With Reunited Nsync, Ed Sheeran Collab Hopes & Howie D’s 50th Bahamas Bash
“It’s a hole that’s dug in the ground with a bit of stone over it, so whenever the day comes and I pass away, I get to go in there,” he revealed. “People think it’s really weird and really morbid, but I’ve had friends die without wills, and no one knows what to do.
- 10/5/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Just hours after news broke of the death of Robbie Robertson, Bruce Springsteen paid tribute to the co-founder of The Band during the kickoff show of his North American tour (get tickets here) in Chicago.
While closing out his marathon three-hour set at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night, Springsteen dedicated his somber ballad “I’ll See You in My Dreams” to “my good friend Robbie Robertson.” Watch the fan-shot video of the performance below.
“I’ll See You in My Dreams” appeared on The Boss and E Street Band’s 2020 album, Letter to You, and was later dedicated to the late Australian record executive Michael Gudinski following his death in March 2021.
As the Asbury Park Press points out, Robertson spent time with The Band honing their skills on the Jersey Shore in the mid-1960s — just ahead of Springsteen’s early years of performing regularly in the region.
Prior to the concert,...
While closing out his marathon three-hour set at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night, Springsteen dedicated his somber ballad “I’ll See You in My Dreams” to “my good friend Robbie Robertson.” Watch the fan-shot video of the performance below.
“I’ll See You in My Dreams” appeared on The Boss and E Street Band’s 2020 album, Letter to You, and was later dedicated to the late Australian record executive Michael Gudinski following his death in March 2021.
As the Asbury Park Press points out, Robertson spent time with The Band honing their skills on the Jersey Shore in the mid-1960s — just ahead of Springsteen’s early years of performing regularly in the region.
Prior to the concert,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
The Melbourne International Film Festival has unveiled the full lineup for its 2023 edition, with “Shayda,” by Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari, set as the opening title.
The festival will run as a live event August 3-20, at venues around the city and its suburbs, and online Aug 18 – 27. The hybrid format was developed during the Covid pandemic and Miff found it useful as a tool to reach further away audiences and wider demographics than a strictly in-theater edition.
The ‘Bright Horizons’ competition section open to films by first- or second-time feature directors contains an 11-title mix of new and recently-debuted works.
As well as opening the festival, “Shayda” will play in competition. The competition’s other Australian-made title was announced as “The Rooster,” from actor turned writer-director Mark Leonard Winter.
International titles in competition include “Banel & Adama,” by Franco-Senegalese director Ramata-Toulaye Sy, which played in competition in Cannes; “How to Have Sex,...
The festival will run as a live event August 3-20, at venues around the city and its suburbs, and online Aug 18 – 27. The hybrid format was developed during the Covid pandemic and Miff found it useful as a tool to reach further away audiences and wider demographics than a strictly in-theater edition.
The ‘Bright Horizons’ competition section open to films by first- or second-time feature directors contains an 11-title mix of new and recently-debuted works.
As well as opening the festival, “Shayda” will play in competition. The competition’s other Australian-made title was announced as “The Rooster,” from actor turned writer-director Mark Leonard Winter.
International titles in competition include “Banel & Adama,” by Franco-Senegalese director Ramata-Toulaye Sy, which played in competition in Cannes; “How to Have Sex,...
- 7/11/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Sean Keenan and Ben O’Toole will play best friends turned bitter rivals in ABC surfing drama Barons, which has wrapped filming in Nsw.
Produced by Fremantle, Micanical Media, and 2Jons, the eight-part ’70s-set series follows a surf-crazed group of hippy friends whose desire for ultimate freedom and the perfect wave takes them from the beach to the boardroom as they build billion-dollar surf empires.
Keenan, fresh from roles in festival darlings Nitram and The Power of the Dog, plays Trotter opposite O’Toole, known for Halifax: Retribution and Amazing Grace, as Snapper. Jillian Nguyen takes on the role of Trotter’s wife and business partner, Tracy.
The supporting cast includes Hunter Page-Lochard, George Pullar, Lincoln Younes, Sophia Forrest, Vivienne Awosoga, Nicholas Burton, Karina Banno, newcomer Megan MacKenzie, Kick Gurry, Catherine Van-Davies, Alexander England, and British-American actress Ione Skye.
Directing the drama are Shawn Seet, Fadia Abboud, and Emmy award-winning surf director Taylor Steele,...
Produced by Fremantle, Micanical Media, and 2Jons, the eight-part ’70s-set series follows a surf-crazed group of hippy friends whose desire for ultimate freedom and the perfect wave takes them from the beach to the boardroom as they build billion-dollar surf empires.
Keenan, fresh from roles in festival darlings Nitram and The Power of the Dog, plays Trotter opposite O’Toole, known for Halifax: Retribution and Amazing Grace, as Snapper. Jillian Nguyen takes on the role of Trotter’s wife and business partner, Tracy.
The supporting cast includes Hunter Page-Lochard, George Pullar, Lincoln Younes, Sophia Forrest, Vivienne Awosoga, Nicholas Burton, Karina Banno, newcomer Megan MacKenzie, Kick Gurry, Catherine Van-Davies, Alexander England, and British-American actress Ione Skye.
Directing the drama are Shawn Seet, Fadia Abboud, and Emmy award-winning surf director Taylor Steele,...
- 9/29/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Business and the beach are set to collide in the ABC’s Barons, an eight-part ’70s-set surfing drama from Fremantle, Micanical Media and 2Jons, due to kick off later this year in Nsw.
The ABC has been developing the series, created by Micanical’s Michael Lawrence, 2Jon’s John Molloy and scribe Liz Doran, since 2019, confirming that it has taken it to commission today.
Shawn Seet and Emmy-Award winning surf director Taylor Steele will helm the drama, which has parallels to the Billabong and Quiksilver sagas.
Barons follows a group of surf-crazy hippy friends who turn their backs on the world in search of their ideal patch of surfing paradise.
Little do they know that their desire for ultimate freedom and the perfect wave, will take them from the beach to the boardroom, creating billion-dollar empires. But in selling their surfing dream to the world, these best friends will become...
The ABC has been developing the series, created by Micanical’s Michael Lawrence, 2Jon’s John Molloy and scribe Liz Doran, since 2019, confirming that it has taken it to commission today.
Shawn Seet and Emmy-Award winning surf director Taylor Steele will helm the drama, which has parallels to the Billabong and Quiksilver sagas.
Barons follows a group of surf-crazy hippy friends who turn their backs on the world in search of their ideal patch of surfing paradise.
Little do they know that their desire for ultimate freedom and the perfect wave, will take them from the beach to the boardroom, creating billion-dollar empires. But in selling their surfing dream to the world, these best friends will become...
- 4/22/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Ed Sheeran is honoring the memory of "father figure" Michael Gudinski. On Wednesday, March 24, the singer took to the stage to perform a new song dedicated to the late Australian entrepreneur, who Ed previously described as a "tornado of joy." Ed traveled to Australia from Britain and quarantined for two weeks to personally attend the services at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. He explained to the more than 7,000 people in the audience, "In lockdown I was able to have a guitar for quarantine and I always find the best way to process stuff is to write songs, be it good news, bad news or whatever and here is a song I finished last week." The song "Visiting Hours"...
- 3/25/2021
- E! Online
Michael Gudinski, founder and chairman of the Mushroom Group, died overnight at home in Melbourne. He was 68.
One of the key figures in the Australian music industry, Gudinski started Mushroom Records in 1972 at just 20 years old.
Over the decades, the label worked with some the biggest names in Australian music, such as Jimmy Barnes, Kylie Minogue, Archie Roach, Hunters & Collectors, Paul Kelly, The Angels and Yothu Yindi.
The Mushroom Group also grew to become an entertainment empire, with brands across touring, record labels, publishing, merchandising, booking agencies, film and television production and creative services.
Mushroom Pictures, its production and distribution arm, was formed in 1993.
Gudinski was the executive producer on feature films such as Chopper, Horseplay, Gettin’ Square, Wolf Creek, Macbeth, Storm Warning, Cedar Boys, Mad Bastards, Killing Ground and Boys in the Trees, as well as Seven miniseries Molly.
His most recent project was Stan’s eight-part series The Gloaming,...
One of the key figures in the Australian music industry, Gudinski started Mushroom Records in 1972 at just 20 years old.
Over the decades, the label worked with some the biggest names in Australian music, such as Jimmy Barnes, Kylie Minogue, Archie Roach, Hunters & Collectors, Paul Kelly, The Angels and Yothu Yindi.
The Mushroom Group also grew to become an entertainment empire, with brands across touring, record labels, publishing, merchandising, booking agencies, film and television production and creative services.
Mushroom Pictures, its production and distribution arm, was formed in 1993.
Gudinski was the executive producer on feature films such as Chopper, Horseplay, Gettin’ Square, Wolf Creek, Macbeth, Storm Warning, Cedar Boys, Mad Bastards, Killing Ground and Boys in the Trees, as well as Seven miniseries Molly.
His most recent project was Stan’s eight-part series The Gloaming,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Michael Gudinski, the Australian music pioneer whose Mushroom Group would become the template for independent music companies and who, with his rambunctious, exuberant personality, became the face of his country’s music scene, has died. He was 68.
Gudinski died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Melbourne on Monday night, his passing a shock to everyone connected with Australia’s music industry.
Speaking with Billboard just last week, Gudinski was his typical, enthusiastic self, looking ahead to new TV projects, the vaccine rollout and the return of full-scale touring in these parts.
No other figure has done more to shape the ...
Gudinski died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Melbourne on Monday night, his passing a shock to everyone connected with Australia’s music industry.
Speaking with Billboard just last week, Gudinski was his typical, enthusiastic self, looking ahead to new TV projects, the vaccine rollout and the return of full-scale touring in these parts.
No other figure has done more to shape the ...
Michael Gudinski, the Australian music pioneer whose Mushroom Group would become the template for independent music companies and who, with his rambunctious, exuberant personality, became the face of his country’s music scene, has died. He was 68.
Gudinski died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Melbourne on Monday night, his passing a shock to everyone connected with Australia’s music industry.
Speaking with Billboard just last week, Gudinski was his typical, enthusiastic self, looking ahead to new TV projects, the vaccine rollout and the return of full-scale touring in these parts.
No other figure has done more to shape the ...
Gudinski died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Melbourne on Monday night, his passing a shock to everyone connected with Australia’s music industry.
Speaking with Billboard just last week, Gudinski was his typical, enthusiastic self, looking ahead to new TV projects, the vaccine rollout and the return of full-scale touring in these parts.
No other figure has done more to shape the ...
Starz has acquired the US and Canadian rights to The Gloaming, with the eight-episode drama to premiere across each of the cable network’s platforms next month.
Filmed in Tasmania, The Gloaming stars Emma Booth and Ewen Leslie as two detectives with a tragic past that investigate a brutal murder.
In a journey to find the truth, their fate is coerced by the ghosts of the unsettled dead that linger in the liminal space between life and death — known as “The Gloaming.”
The series also features Martin Henderson (Grey’s Anatomy), Aaron Pedersen (Mystery Road), Rena Owen (The Orville), Josephine Blazier (True History of the Kelly Gang), and Matt Testro (Nowhere Boys).
Written and created by Victoria Madden, who also serves as showrunner, The Gloaming is a co-production between Sweet Potato Films and John Molloy’s 2 Johns Productions and ABC Signature, a division of Disney Television Studios.
There are directorial contributions from including Greg McLean,...
Filmed in Tasmania, The Gloaming stars Emma Booth and Ewen Leslie as two detectives with a tragic past that investigate a brutal murder.
In a journey to find the truth, their fate is coerced by the ghosts of the unsettled dead that linger in the liminal space between life and death — known as “The Gloaming.”
The series also features Martin Henderson (Grey’s Anatomy), Aaron Pedersen (Mystery Road), Rena Owen (The Orville), Josephine Blazier (True History of the Kelly Gang), and Matt Testro (Nowhere Boys).
Written and created by Victoria Madden, who also serves as showrunner, The Gloaming is a co-production between Sweet Potato Films and John Molloy’s 2 Johns Productions and ABC Signature, a division of Disney Television Studios.
There are directorial contributions from including Greg McLean,...
- 2/22/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Mark Morrissey.
Morrissey Management’s First Option Pictures expects to announce its first three projects – all TV series – in the next few weeks.
Two are international series and the other is local but all have Australian elements, Mark Morrissey told Screen Producers Australia CEO Matt Deaner in a webinar on Monday.
Morrissey said he launched the film and TV production company – his second following a joint venture with Michael Gudinski’s Mushroom Pictures – 18 months ago with a Melbourne-based partner, whom he did not name.
One series is based on a book about a Melbourne-born trade unionist who went to San Francisco in the 1930s and was the target of five court cases. “He changed the face of unionism but no one in Australia knows about this man,” he said.
Morrissey commissioned a pilot script from an international writer who in turn introduced him to his CAA agent, who is packaging the project.
Morrissey Management’s First Option Pictures expects to announce its first three projects – all TV series – in the next few weeks.
Two are international series and the other is local but all have Australian elements, Mark Morrissey told Screen Producers Australia CEO Matt Deaner in a webinar on Monday.
Morrissey said he launched the film and TV production company – his second following a joint venture with Michael Gudinski’s Mushroom Pictures – 18 months ago with a Melbourne-based partner, whom he did not name.
One series is based on a book about a Melbourne-born trade unionist who went to San Francisco in the 1930s and was the target of five court cases. “He changed the face of unionism but no one in Australia knows about this man,” he said.
Morrissey commissioned a pilot script from an international writer who in turn introduced him to his CAA agent, who is packaging the project.
- 9/22/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Pop-star Taylor Swift has cancelled her performance at Australia’s Melbourne Cup for the fall. Swift was scheduled to perform at the Victoria Racing Club on November 5, as she embarks on a tour to promote her new album Lover. Michael Gudinski from Mushroom Events, the company organizing the cup, released a statement online offering their […]
The post Taylor Swift Pulls Out Of Melbourne Cup Performance After Animal Rights Protests appeared first on uInterview.
The post Taylor Swift Pulls Out Of Melbourne Cup Performance After Animal Rights Protests appeared first on uInterview.
- 9/24/2019
- by Reagan Babione
- Uinterview
Australian streaming service, Stan has commissioned “The Gloaming,” as an 8-part drama series created by Victoria Madden (“The Kettering Incident”.) Disney’s ABC Studios will handle international distribution.
Pitched by Stan as “genre-bending,” the series follows an unorthodox and troubled female cop who leads an investigation into the murder of an unidentified woman. To solve the case, she has to team up with a man she has not spoken to in twenty years. They discover that the murder has links to a case from the past and what begins as a routine investigation exposes something more insidious.
The series will be shot in Tasmania, against the backdrop of Tasmania’s capital city Hobart and brooding outdoor locations. It will premiere on Stan in 2019.
“The Gloaming” will be produced by Australian companies Sweet Potato Films and 2 Jons, in association with Mushroom Pictures. Producer credits go to John Molloy, Victoria Madden, Fiona McConaghy.
Pitched by Stan as “genre-bending,” the series follows an unorthodox and troubled female cop who leads an investigation into the murder of an unidentified woman. To solve the case, she has to team up with a man she has not spoken to in twenty years. They discover that the murder has links to a case from the past and what begins as a routine investigation exposes something more insidious.
The series will be shot in Tasmania, against the backdrop of Tasmania’s capital city Hobart and brooding outdoor locations. It will premiere on Stan in 2019.
“The Gloaming” will be produced by Australian companies Sweet Potato Films and 2 Jons, in association with Mushroom Pictures. Producer credits go to John Molloy, Victoria Madden, Fiona McConaghy.
- 6/5/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
ABC Studios International, the Disney-owned global production unit, is deepening its ties down under with an eight-part series for streaming service Stan.
The division, which is run by former ABC casting chief Keli Lee, is producing crime drama The Gloaming with The Kettering Incident’s Victoria Madden and Boys In The Trees producer John Molloy.
The drama, which will be shot in Tasmania, follows unorthodox, troubled cop Molly McGee, who leading an investigation into the murder of an unidentified woman. To solve the case, Molly has to team up with Alex O’Connell, a man she hasn’t spoken to in twenty years, and they discover that the murder has links to a cold case from the past. What begins as a routine investigation exposes something more insidious, and to catch the killer, Molly and Alex have to face the ghosts of their past.
Australian production companies Sweet Potato Films,...
The division, which is run by former ABC casting chief Keli Lee, is producing crime drama The Gloaming with The Kettering Incident’s Victoria Madden and Boys In The Trees producer John Molloy.
The drama, which will be shot in Tasmania, follows unorthodox, troubled cop Molly McGee, who leading an investigation into the murder of an unidentified woman. To solve the case, Molly has to team up with Alex O’Connell, a man she hasn’t spoken to in twenty years, and they discover that the murder has links to a cold case from the past. What begins as a routine investigation exposes something more insidious, and to catch the killer, Molly and Alex have to face the ghosts of their past.
Australian production companies Sweet Potato Films,...
- 6/5/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Emma Jensen.
Brisbane native Emma Jensen talks to Harry Windsor about her career as a writer and the path to her first feature, 'A Storm in the Stars', starring Elle Fanning and Douglas Booth and set for release this year.
How did you get into writing?
My background is in script development. I started as a producer.s assistant in London 17 years ago at Film4. I was their second assistant. I went to Queensland College of Art and studied film and television, and then graduated and thought — now what do I do? So I spent a few years in illustrious careers like Sizzler and working in a bank and I got to the point where I thought, maybe I should do that backpacking thing. I signed up with a temp agency and they asked if I wanted to do half a day at Film4, and I was like,...
Brisbane native Emma Jensen talks to Harry Windsor about her career as a writer and the path to her first feature, 'A Storm in the Stars', starring Elle Fanning and Douglas Booth and set for release this year.
How did you get into writing?
My background is in script development. I started as a producer.s assistant in London 17 years ago at Film4. I was their second assistant. I went to Queensland College of Art and studied film and television, and then graduated and thought — now what do I do? So I spent a few years in illustrious careers like Sizzler and working in a bank and I got to the point where I thought, maybe I should do that backpacking thing. I signed up with a temp agency and they asked if I wanted to do half a day at Film4, and I was like,...
- 2/2/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Gillian Armstrong's 1971 student film The Roof Needs Mowing.
Secret City director Emma Freeman remembers Vca Film and Television School, where she studied for three years in the early 2000.s, .as a place where .a lot of people were really scraping things together to make their movie..
.That's what I loved about that school., Freeman says..
.It taught me about being a storyteller and it also taught me to be resourceful. Never to be limited by what you have..
Vca Film and TV is celebrating 50 years of scraping things together this year, from its opening at Swinburne in 1966 to the jump to the Vca in 1992 and beyond.
Cinematographer Ian Baker (Japanese Story, Words and Pictures) was one of the first, in 1968..
..I had no idea what I wanted to do when I completed the course,. Baker says.
.I didn't really know that I wanted to be a cinematographer, even though...
Secret City director Emma Freeman remembers Vca Film and Television School, where she studied for three years in the early 2000.s, .as a place where .a lot of people were really scraping things together to make their movie..
.That's what I loved about that school., Freeman says..
.It taught me about being a storyteller and it also taught me to be resourceful. Never to be limited by what you have..
Vca Film and TV is celebrating 50 years of scraping things together this year, from its opening at Swinburne in 1966 to the jump to the Vca in 1992 and beyond.
Cinematographer Ian Baker (Japanese Story, Words and Pictures) was one of the first, in 1968..
..I had no idea what I wanted to do when I completed the course,. Baker says.
.I didn't really know that I wanted to be a cinematographer, even though...
- 8/4/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Proof 20th anniversary screening and Q&A.
Growing Aacta's year-round member events program is a key pillar of the organisation's five-year plan, CEO Damian Trewhella said at the AFI-Aacta Agm on Tuesday night..
Guests who have participated in Aacta events over the last couple of years include Andrew Knight, Jeremy Sims, Jan Chapman, Tony Ayres, Joel Edgerton, Richard Roxburgh, Deborah Mailman, Penny Chapman, Ariel Kleiman, Megan Riakos and Ryan Griffen.
.Our member events are providing a platform for the public and the industry to come together to watch, discuss and share insights into great Australian productions and the creative process, and we.re pleased to have expanded our program to include television premieres on the big screen, including our upcoming screening of Foxtel.s Secret City", Trewhella said. .
Other upcoming events include next month.s Directing The Dressmaker Vivid Sydney event with Jocelyn Moorhouse in conversation with Gillian Armstrong and Margaret Pomeranz,...
Growing Aacta's year-round member events program is a key pillar of the organisation's five-year plan, CEO Damian Trewhella said at the AFI-Aacta Agm on Tuesday night..
Guests who have participated in Aacta events over the last couple of years include Andrew Knight, Jeremy Sims, Jan Chapman, Tony Ayres, Joel Edgerton, Richard Roxburgh, Deborah Mailman, Penny Chapman, Ariel Kleiman, Megan Riakos and Ryan Griffen.
.Our member events are providing a platform for the public and the industry to come together to watch, discuss and share insights into great Australian productions and the creative process, and we.re pleased to have expanded our program to include television premieres on the big screen, including our upcoming screening of Foxtel.s Secret City", Trewhella said. .
Other upcoming events include next month.s Directing The Dressmaker Vivid Sydney event with Jocelyn Moorhouse in conversation with Gillian Armstrong and Margaret Pomeranz,...
- 5/25/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Overtime - Official Trailer from Craig D. Foster..
.
Sydney-based short horror/comedy film Overtime is set to open the 33rd St Kilda Film Festival.
Overtime was one of the final films supported by the Nsw screen resource centre Metro Screen before the organisation was forced to close due to funding cuts late in 2015.
Filmmakers Emma McKenna (producer/writer/editor) and Craig D. Foster (director/writer/producer) said they were very proud that their film was able to represent the legacy of what was a great organisation..
.To be able to represent Metro Screen on opening night of the St Kilda Film Festival is a great honour and I hope it showcases the value that such organisations bring to the Australian film industry in their support of emerging filmmakers. said McKenna.
Overtime is an 8-minute film about a meek accountant, Ralph, who is forced to work overtime on the night of...
.
Sydney-based short horror/comedy film Overtime is set to open the 33rd St Kilda Film Festival.
Overtime was one of the final films supported by the Nsw screen resource centre Metro Screen before the organisation was forced to close due to funding cuts late in 2015.
Filmmakers Emma McKenna (producer/writer/editor) and Craig D. Foster (director/writer/producer) said they were very proud that their film was able to represent the legacy of what was a great organisation..
.To be able to represent Metro Screen on opening night of the St Kilda Film Festival is a great honour and I hope it showcases the value that such organisations bring to the Australian film industry in their support of emerging filmmakers. said McKenna.
Overtime is an 8-minute film about a meek accountant, Ralph, who is forced to work overtime on the night of...
- 5/4/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
After starring in Martin Scorsese.s Hugo, Steven Spielberg.s Lincoln and Tim Burton.s Dark Shadows, Gulliver McGrath is playing his first co-lead role in an Australian feature.
Not bad for the Aussie actor who turned 17 last month.
In Boys in the Trees McGrath and Toby Wallace (Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of Inxs, Parer.s War) are playing teenagers who embark on a surreal journey on Halloween night in 1997.
The feature debut of writer-director Nicholas Verso, it starts a five-week shoot in Adelaide on Monday, funded by the South Australian Film Corp., Mushroom Pictures and private investors.
The producer is Mushroom Pictures. John Molloy with Hedone Productions. Kate Croser and Sandy Cameron as co-producers.
Verso wrote the feature in 2011 and then went through the Afc.s Springboard, which funded his short The Last Time I Saw Richard, which was named best short fiction film at the Aacta Awards.
Not bad for the Aussie actor who turned 17 last month.
In Boys in the Trees McGrath and Toby Wallace (Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of Inxs, Parer.s War) are playing teenagers who embark on a surreal journey on Halloween night in 1997.
The feature debut of writer-director Nicholas Verso, it starts a five-week shoot in Adelaide on Monday, funded by the South Australian Film Corp., Mushroom Pictures and private investors.
The producer is Mushroom Pictures. John Molloy with Hedone Productions. Kate Croser and Sandy Cameron as co-producers.
Verso wrote the feature in 2011 and then went through the Afc.s Springboard, which funded his short The Last Time I Saw Richard, which was named best short fiction film at the Aacta Awards.
- 9/25/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Michael Gudinski.s Mushroom group is re-activating its theatrical distribution arm, kicking off with the documentaries Unity and Heaven Adores Us.
Writer-director Shaun Monsoon.s Unity explores the themes of love, tragedy and hope as it examines humanity.s impact on the world.
The cast of 100 narrators includes Ellen DeGeneres, Geoffrey Rush, Jennifer Aniston, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Spacey, Helen Mirren, Amanda Seyfried, Rose Byrne, Minnie Driver, Missy Higgins, Moby, Olivia Wilde, Phil Donahue, Portia de Rossi and Susan Sarandon.
Mushroom Distribution has booked 21 cinemas and the limited season begins on August 12 in a simultaneous worldwide release.
The venues include the Jam Factory, Cinema Nova and Rivoli in Melbourne; Event Cinemas George Street, Palace Cinemas Leichardt and the Chauvel in Sydney; Palace Centro in Brisbane; Palace East End in Adelaide; and Cinema Paradiso in Perth. A New Zealand season will follow.
Mushroom.s Kate Gudinski decided to buy the rights for...
Writer-director Shaun Monsoon.s Unity explores the themes of love, tragedy and hope as it examines humanity.s impact on the world.
The cast of 100 narrators includes Ellen DeGeneres, Geoffrey Rush, Jennifer Aniston, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Spacey, Helen Mirren, Amanda Seyfried, Rose Byrne, Minnie Driver, Missy Higgins, Moby, Olivia Wilde, Phil Donahue, Portia de Rossi and Susan Sarandon.
Mushroom Distribution has booked 21 cinemas and the limited season begins on August 12 in a simultaneous worldwide release.
The venues include the Jam Factory, Cinema Nova and Rivoli in Melbourne; Event Cinemas George Street, Palace Cinemas Leichardt and the Chauvel in Sydney; Palace Centro in Brisbane; Palace East End in Adelaide; and Cinema Paradiso in Perth. A New Zealand season will follow.
Mushroom.s Kate Gudinski decided to buy the rights for...
- 8/11/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Wme | Img has acquired Australia’s leading music booking agency, Artist Voice. Artist Voice was co-founded in 2010 by Brett Murrihy and Matt Gudinski as part of Michael Gudinski’s Mushroom Group. The acquisition will conclude Mushroom Group’s shareholding of Artist Voice. Led by co-founder and CEO Brett Murrihy, Artist Voice books local and international music acts for tours and performances throughout Australia and Asia, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, and Hong Kong. See Photos: 17 Best & Worst Grammy Awards Moments Artist Voice will be absorbed into the company’s music division, and Murrihy will become head of Asia Pacific for music,...
- 4/15/2015
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
We’re saddened to have to tell you that Future Music Festival will not be returning in 2016 as the Australian festival, which first started back in 2006, has been cancelled.
“We’re very sad to say that we’ve decided 2015 was the last year for Future Music Festival,” organizers wrote. “It’s been a difficult decision to make but in the end travelling the festival in its current form across Australia simply doesn’t make financial sense anymore. We want to thank you all for your support over the years – we’re grateful for all the unforgettable times we’ve shared together.”
Despite a spectacular outing in 2015 that boasted Drake, Avicii, The Prodigy, Afrojack, Martin Garrix and more, ticket sales weren’t enough to justify keeping the festival in existence. The Mushroom Group (who bought Future a few years back) stated that a travelling festival just isn’t feasible anymore and simply doesn’t make sense.
“We’re very sad to say that we’ve decided 2015 was the last year for Future Music Festival,” organizers wrote. “It’s been a difficult decision to make but in the end travelling the festival in its current form across Australia simply doesn’t make financial sense anymore. We want to thank you all for your support over the years – we’re grateful for all the unforgettable times we’ve shared together.”
Despite a spectacular outing in 2015 that boasted Drake, Avicii, The Prodigy, Afrojack, Martin Garrix and more, ticket sales weren’t enough to justify keeping the festival in existence. The Mushroom Group (who bought Future a few years back) stated that a travelling festival just isn’t feasible anymore and simply doesn’t make sense.
- 4/2/2015
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
If you.ve been watching Ian .Molly. Meldrum on TV for years and think you know a lot about the former Countdown host, the Molly biopic on the Seven Network is likely to surprise.
.Viewers will learn a lot about the man they thought they knew well; there are many dimensions to Molly,. says John Molloy, who is producing the two-part program in Melbourne.
Meldrum wanted Samuel Johnson to portray him, which happily coincided with the views of Molloy, director Kevin Carlin and the network. .Molly knew Sam and really trusts him,. Molloy tells If on Thursday, day 14 of the 37-day shoot.
The supporting cast includes Tom O.Sullivan (Wonderland, Packed to the Rafters) as executive producer Michael Shrimpton and T. J Power (The Little Death, Underbelly) as producer-director Rob Weekes, who co-created Countdown with Meldrum in 1974.
The show ran until 1987, launching and supporting the careers of dozens of acts including Inxs,...
.Viewers will learn a lot about the man they thought they knew well; there are many dimensions to Molly,. says John Molloy, who is producing the two-part program in Melbourne.
Meldrum wanted Samuel Johnson to portray him, which happily coincided with the views of Molloy, director Kevin Carlin and the network. .Molly knew Sam and really trusts him,. Molloy tells If on Thursday, day 14 of the 37-day shoot.
The supporting cast includes Tom O.Sullivan (Wonderland, Packed to the Rafters) as executive producer Michael Shrimpton and T. J Power (The Little Death, Underbelly) as producer-director Rob Weekes, who co-created Countdown with Meldrum in 1974.
The show ran until 1987, launching and supporting the careers of dozens of acts including Inxs,...
- 2/19/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The ailing screen production sector is set to get a major boost with more than $80 million worth of films, TV dramas and a documentary receiving funding from Screen Australia.
The agency is investing more than $12 million in four features, four adult dramas, two children.s dramas and a theatrical doc. In addition Scroz is providing completion funding to sex comedy The Little Deaths, writer-director Josh Lawson.s feature debut.
The projects include a Blinky Bill animated movie, a comedy set during the Cronulla race riots, the long-mooted Molly Meldrum TV drama and The Principal, the first drama commissioned by Sbs since Better Man.
.We have backed some of our great contemporary writers, directors and producers, alongside some exciting new voices, . said Screen Australia head of production Sally Caplan.
.The projects target audiences as diverse as Australia is today, with projects which are ambitious, risk-taking and culturally important, revealing we have...
The agency is investing more than $12 million in four features, four adult dramas, two children.s dramas and a theatrical doc. In addition Scroz is providing completion funding to sex comedy The Little Deaths, writer-director Josh Lawson.s feature debut.
The projects include a Blinky Bill animated movie, a comedy set during the Cronulla race riots, the long-mooted Molly Meldrum TV drama and The Principal, the first drama commissioned by Sbs since Better Man.
.We have backed some of our great contemporary writers, directors and producers, alongside some exciting new voices, . said Screen Australia head of production Sally Caplan.
.The projects target audiences as diverse as Australia is today, with projects which are ambitious, risk-taking and culturally important, revealing we have...
- 8/6/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The Rolling Stones’ postponed tour of Australia is back on track. The legendary British rockers confirmed on Friday that they’d wheel into Australia for new tour dates between Oct. 25 and Nov. 22. Australian promoter Michael Gudinski, whose Frontier Touring is presenting the band Down Under alongside Aeg Live, had earlier told Billboard that talks were underway to bring the band back in October/November. Story: Designer L'Wren Scott Found Dead in Apparent Suicide The Stones’ tour Down Under was nixed following the March 17 death of L’Wren Scott, the partner of frontman Mick Jagger. All told, seven dates were dropped, including a
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- 4/4/2014
- by Lars Brandle, Billboard
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This story first appeared on billboard.com The Rolling Stones, forced to postpone the Australian leg of the band's 14 On Fire tour due to the death of L’Wren Scott, longtime girlfriend of Mick Jagger, is working with promoters to return to the territory by the fall of this year, according to Michael Gudinski, whose Frontier Touring is presenting the band in Australia/New Zealand in association with Aeg Live. "Everyone is working very closely together, and it's looking very likely that the rescheduled dates for Australia/New Zealand will be October-November, 2014," Gudinski tells Billboard. Photos: Hollywood's Notable Deaths
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- 3/20/2014
- by Ray Waddell, Billboard
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Morrissey Molloy Entertainment, Garry Charny.s Spotted Turquoise Films and Michael Gudinski.s Mushroom Pictures have unveiled a joint venture which aims to produce at least six films.
The first two projects are Boys in the Trees, a drama starring Harrison Gilbertson and Alice Englert, and Wake Up Dead, which has Alex Russell and Luke Ford attached.
.We each bring different skills and strong national and international contacts to the joint venture,. Charny tells If. The .matchmaker. was Maura Fay casting agent Marianne Jade, who is casting both films.
"She suggested we get together for a cup of coffee and we realised we were each producing a film we liked and respected,. said Molloy, who is developing Boys in the Trees for the co-venture between Mushroom and Morrissey Molloy.
Wake Up Dead is the first Australian film from Spotted Turquoise. Charny produced Ray Lawrence.s Jindabyne in his former role as head of April Films.
The first two projects are Boys in the Trees, a drama starring Harrison Gilbertson and Alice Englert, and Wake Up Dead, which has Alex Russell and Luke Ford attached.
.We each bring different skills and strong national and international contacts to the joint venture,. Charny tells If. The .matchmaker. was Maura Fay casting agent Marianne Jade, who is casting both films.
"She suggested we get together for a cup of coffee and we realised we were each producing a film we liked and respected,. said Molloy, who is developing Boys in the Trees for the co-venture between Mushroom and Morrissey Molloy.
Wake Up Dead is the first Australian film from Spotted Turquoise. Charny produced Ray Lawrence.s Jindabyne in his former role as head of April Films.
- 2/26/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Don Groves is a Deadline contributor based in Sydney. Violet Town is directed by Mark Joffe and is an adaptation of Steven Carroll’s novel The Art Of The Engine Driver, a 1957-set tale about a couple who attend a neighbor’s New Year’s Eve party where buried secrets are revealed. Guy Pearce and Rosamund Pike will play the couple in the pic, which is due to begin shooting in third-quarter 2013. Bryan Brown is also attached to the Matt Cameron script, which is co-produced by Essential Media and Entertainment’s Ian Collie. The feature is the first from an Aussie film and TV production co-venture between Mushroom Pictures and Morrissey Molloy Entertainment. Formed in 2011, the partnership also is co-producing The Road To Freedom Peak, a feature-length documentary that follows former child soldier Jonathan Okwir and journalist Corrin Varady as they ride bicycles across three East African countries. Varady’s...
- 11/28/2012
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Screen Australia has committed more than $450,000 in development funding across 19 feature films.
Of the 19 projects, six are new to Screen Australia.s developmental slate, while the other 13 will continue to receive support.
The new projects include the drama script Clive, about a privileged man whose life is transformed after a serious accident, and Em, a comedic take on Jane Austen.s classic Emma.
Clive comes from writer/director Natasha Pincus, producer Bridget Ikin and executive producer John Maynard.
Em will be set in 1950s rural Australia and comes from writer Matthew Dabner, director Kate Riedl and producers Karen Radzyner and Anna Vincent.
Psychological thriller Lonely Girl will also receive developmental support. Written by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and produced by Samantha Jennings, the project was also supported through Screen Australia.s Springboard Program.
The crime drama My Country, written by Sam Meikle and Serhat Caradee and produced by Matthew Dabner, will also receive funding.
Of the 19 projects, six are new to Screen Australia.s developmental slate, while the other 13 will continue to receive support.
The new projects include the drama script Clive, about a privileged man whose life is transformed after a serious accident, and Em, a comedic take on Jane Austen.s classic Emma.
Clive comes from writer/director Natasha Pincus, producer Bridget Ikin and executive producer John Maynard.
Em will be set in 1950s rural Australia and comes from writer Matthew Dabner, director Kate Riedl and producers Karen Radzyner and Anna Vincent.
Psychological thriller Lonely Girl will also receive developmental support. Written by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and produced by Samantha Jennings, the project was also supported through Screen Australia.s Springboard Program.
The crime drama My Country, written by Sam Meikle and Serhat Caradee and produced by Matthew Dabner, will also receive funding.
- 11/19/2012
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
Over $450 000 in funding will be spread across 19 feature films following an announcement from Screen Australia today.
Of the 19 projects, six are new to Screen Australia.s developmental slate, while the other 13 will continue to receive support.
The new projects include the drama script Clive, about a privileged man whose life is transformed after a serious accident, and Em, a comedic take on Jane Austen.s classic Emma.
Clive comes from writer/director Natasha Pincus, producer Bridget Ikin and executive producer John Maynard.
Em will be set in 1950s rural Australia and comes from writer Matthew Dabner, director Kate Riedl and producers Karen Radzyner and Anna Vincent.
.Pyschological thriller Lonely Girl will also receive developmental support. Written by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and produced by Samantha Jennings, the project was also supported through Screen Australia.s Springboard Program.
The crime drama My Country, written by Sam Meikle and Serhat Caradee and produced by Matthew Dabner,...
Of the 19 projects, six are new to Screen Australia.s developmental slate, while the other 13 will continue to receive support.
The new projects include the drama script Clive, about a privileged man whose life is transformed after a serious accident, and Em, a comedic take on Jane Austen.s classic Emma.
Clive comes from writer/director Natasha Pincus, producer Bridget Ikin and executive producer John Maynard.
Em will be set in 1950s rural Australia and comes from writer Matthew Dabner, director Kate Riedl and producers Karen Radzyner and Anna Vincent.
.Pyschological thriller Lonely Girl will also receive developmental support. Written by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and produced by Samantha Jennings, the project was also supported through Screen Australia.s Springboard Program.
The crime drama My Country, written by Sam Meikle and Serhat Caradee and produced by Matthew Dabner,...
- 11/19/2012
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
Brendan Cowell
Writer and actor Brendan Cowell will make his feature film directorial debut with the adaptation of his play Ruben Guthrie - the story of a wild-boy agency creative who burns himself out.
Cowell’s project is among 19 films to receive a cut of the $450,000 development support from Screen Australia.
Cowell has teamed up with Yael Bergman, producer of I Love You Too, which starred Cowell, and executive producers Laura Waters and Andrea Denholm.
The film’s synopsis reads: “By day, 29-year-old Ruben Guthrie is the wunderkind creative at one of Sydney’s hottest boutique ad agencies; by night, he is one of Sydney’s most notorious party boys until he jumps off a hotel roof into a wading pool and nearly kills himself. Over the next 12 months, Ruben tries to build a life around AA, cups of tea, inner growth and sex with a reformed addict. His friends,...
Writer and actor Brendan Cowell will make his feature film directorial debut with the adaptation of his play Ruben Guthrie - the story of a wild-boy agency creative who burns himself out.
Cowell’s project is among 19 films to receive a cut of the $450,000 development support from Screen Australia.
Cowell has teamed up with Yael Bergman, producer of I Love You Too, which starred Cowell, and executive producers Laura Waters and Andrea Denholm.
The film’s synopsis reads: “By day, 29-year-old Ruben Guthrie is the wunderkind creative at one of Sydney’s hottest boutique ad agencies; by night, he is one of Sydney’s most notorious party boys until he jumps off a hotel roof into a wading pool and nearly kills himself. Over the next 12 months, Ruben tries to build a life around AA, cups of tea, inner growth and sex with a reformed addict. His friends,...
- 11/19/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Commercial Radio Australia and record company Mushroom Group have launched a new search for music talent. First Break will replace the New Artists 2 Radio program which has run the past ten years.
The announcement:
“First Break” – commercial radio industry and Mushroom Group join forces in the search for new Australian music talent
The commercial radio industry has launched an exciting new initiative, called First Break, to help discover the next big thing in Australian music.
Chief executive of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said the new initiative was open to unsigned artists who have not charted in the top 100 Australian national airplay chart.
“The industry, which will provide airtime across major metropolitan and regional networks to promote the new artist, has also joined forces with the Mushroom Group to financially support the winner for the release of two singles and touring and marketing – which is very exciting.”
Michael Gudinski, Chairman...
The announcement:
“First Break” – commercial radio industry and Mushroom Group join forces in the search for new Australian music talent
The commercial radio industry has launched an exciting new initiative, called First Break, to help discover the next big thing in Australian music.
Chief executive of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said the new initiative was open to unsigned artists who have not charted in the top 100 Australian national airplay chart.
“The industry, which will provide airtime across major metropolitan and regional networks to promote the new artist, has also joined forces with the Mushroom Group to financially support the winner for the release of two singles and touring and marketing – which is very exciting.”
Michael Gudinski, Chairman...
- 8/2/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
To the launch party for McM’s new deal with music video offering Vevo.
And somewhat bravely, McM put outspoken musical impressario Michael Gudinski on stage. Where he promptly dropped a large hint that there’s a big deal with Channel Nine in the offing.
Fair to say that McM staff remained tight lipped about what it might be.
But as McM has a strong track record in producing music TV and radio, he’d be willing to take a bet…...
And somewhat bravely, McM put outspoken musical impressario Michael Gudinski on stage. Where he promptly dropped a large hint that there’s a big deal with Channel Nine in the offing.
Fair to say that McM staff remained tight lipped about what it might be.
But as McM has a strong track record in producing music TV and radio, he’d be willing to take a bet…...
- 4/17/2012
- by mumbrella
- Encore Magazine
Kylie Minogue has been inducted into the Aria Hall of Fame. The Australian singer, who is best known for hit singles such as 'Better the Devil You Know' and 'Spinning Around', accepted the award on stage at the 25th anniversary of the annual music awards in Sydney last night. After being inducted by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Minogue told the audience that she felt "amazement [that she is] still here [plus] gratitude, humility, wonderment and pride". She thanked her long-term manager Terry Blamey, mentor Michael Gudinski and boyfriend Andres Velencoso, saying: "My boyfriend Andres... is in love with this country... you've (more)...
- 11/28/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Seventeen feature films have received support for development by Screen Australia, with a spend totalling $500,000.
The productions include projects involving Emile Sherman, Johnathan Teplitzky, Helen Pankhurst and Jan Sardi.
Martha Coleman, Screen Australia’s head of development, said: “I’m proud of our association with this compelling group of feature projects by such talented filmmaking teams. The quality and range of projects we are seeing is hugely inspiring and our development team care passionately about assisting the filmmakers we are working with to achieve the best possible version of their story. This is a very exciting time.”
Projects include:
Tim Winton’s best selling surfing story, Breath will get an adaptation by Simon Baker producing with Jamie Hilton and Mark Johnson and written by Peter Duncan. Four comedies have received funding including Ali’s Wedding, written by Osamah Sami and Andrew Knight will be developed by producers Helen Panckhurst, Michael McMahon...
The productions include projects involving Emile Sherman, Johnathan Teplitzky, Helen Pankhurst and Jan Sardi.
Martha Coleman, Screen Australia’s head of development, said: “I’m proud of our association with this compelling group of feature projects by such talented filmmaking teams. The quality and range of projects we are seeing is hugely inspiring and our development team care passionately about assisting the filmmakers we are working with to achieve the best possible version of their story. This is a very exciting time.”
Projects include:
Tim Winton’s best selling surfing story, Breath will get an adaptation by Simon Baker producing with Jamie Hilton and Mark Johnson and written by Peter Duncan. Four comedies have received funding including Ali’s Wedding, written by Osamah Sami and Andrew Knight will be developed by producers Helen Panckhurst, Michael McMahon...
- 10/14/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
The Aria awards may get an overhaul for their 25th anniversary later this year, according to reports. Music mogul Michael Gudinski, who is the boss of Mushroom Records, used his keynote speech at the Australian Music Prize nominations launch in Sydney earlier this week to encourage Aria chief executive Dan Rosen to make some changes to the event. According to Aap, Gudinski said to Rosen: "It's lucky you're a bright boy because boy, you've got some work to do on the 25th anniversary (more)...
- 2/4/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Australian rocker James Freud has been found dead at his home in Melbourne just days after his band Models was inducted into the Aria Hall of Fame. The body of the 51-year-old singer/bass player was discovered by his family on Thursday morning, November 4. Police have confirmed his death is not suspicious and a statement from his Mushroom record label alleges the star "took his own life".
Michael Gudinski of Mushroom Music says, "It is with much sorrow that we share the news of the passing of James Freud... James' battle with alcoholism has been well chronicled. His two books on his recovery and five years sobriety were bestsellers and gave a lot of people who were suffering the same affliction comfort and hope."
"Unfortunately, James has succumbed to his disease and taken his own life this morning." The rock band was inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association awards...
Michael Gudinski of Mushroom Music says, "It is with much sorrow that we share the news of the passing of James Freud... James' battle with alcoholism has been well chronicled. His two books on his recovery and five years sobriety were bestsellers and gave a lot of people who were suffering the same affliction comfort and hope."
"Unfortunately, James has succumbed to his disease and taken his own life this morning." The rock band was inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association awards...
- 11/5/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Ben Cousins's drug addiction is set to be revealed in a "confronting" TV documentary later this year. The 32-year-old Australian Football League star, who currently plays for Richmond, was banned from playing sport for a year after being arrested for drug possession in 2007. According to the Herald Sun, the programme will show Cousins dancing in his underpants, crying having taken unknown drugs and admitting to the camera "My name is Ben Cousins. I'm a drug addict." Executive producer Michael Gudinski said: "When Ben came to me 18 months ago and we talked, I knew he had an important story to tell. The (more)...
- 8/11/2010
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Arriving as the guest of honor, Dannii Minogue was spotted making her way into a baby shower in Toorak, Melbourne on Saturday (May 29).
Joined by her boyfriend, Kris Smith, the Aussie singer looked beautiful in an orange dress as she made her way into Michael Gudinski’s home.
In related news, Ms Minogue recently chatted with Sydney’s 2DayFM radio station about their upcoming bundle of joy, telling, “I reckon it’s going to be early. Kris and I can’t wait.”
Word has it, Danni and Kris have been house hunting for a home in Melbourne.
Joined by her boyfriend, Kris Smith, the Aussie singer looked beautiful in an orange dress as she made her way into Michael Gudinski’s home.
In related news, Ms Minogue recently chatted with Sydney’s 2DayFM radio station about their upcoming bundle of joy, telling, “I reckon it’s going to be early. Kris and I can’t wait.”
Word has it, Danni and Kris have been house hunting for a home in Melbourne.
- 5/29/2010
- GossipCenter
Brisbane, Australia -- The Melbourne leg of the March 14 Sound Relief bushfire benefit concerts has become the biggest live music show in Australia's history after selling out its capacity of 78,000-plus tickets, organizers said today.
The boxoffice feat for the Melbourne Cricket Ground show eclipses the previous record for a paying event of 74,600 tickets sold for a Guns 'N Roses concert at Melbourne's Calder Park motor racing track in 1993.
With tickets for the benefit concerts priced at $75 Australian ($47), the Melbourne event alone has generated more than $5.85 million Australian ($3.7 million). All profits will be donated to help rebuild communities shattered by bush fires in the state of Victoria.
Frontier Touring managing director Michael Gudinski, who is steering the Melbourne Cricket Ground show confirmed the record today, when he announced the addition of Kylie Minogue to the star-studded bill. Minogue, who will also co-host the concert, will grace the stadium's stage with...
The boxoffice feat for the Melbourne Cricket Ground show eclipses the previous record for a paying event of 74,600 tickets sold for a Guns 'N Roses concert at Melbourne's Calder Park motor racing track in 1993.
With tickets for the benefit concerts priced at $75 Australian ($47), the Melbourne event alone has generated more than $5.85 million Australian ($3.7 million). All profits will be donated to help rebuild communities shattered by bush fires in the state of Victoria.
Frontier Touring managing director Michael Gudinski, who is steering the Melbourne Cricket Ground show confirmed the record today, when he announced the addition of Kylie Minogue to the star-studded bill. Minogue, who will also co-host the concert, will grace the stadium's stage with...
- 3/9/2009
- by By Lars Brandle, Billboard
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It seems everyone in the world is reacting to the devastating fires raging across southern Australia. Everyone from musicians to actors to Queen Elizabeth is stepping up to offer money and assistance to try and help those involved.
Singer Kylie Minogue is reportedly planning to host a benefit gig in London with her sister Dannii, along with singer Natalie Imbruglia, to raise money for the victims.
Musician Leonard Cohen has donated 4,000 to help the thousands of victims who are now homeless. Cohen is currently touring with Paul Kelly, an Australian music icon. Tour promoter Michael Gudinski said, "Leonard has loved his time in Australia on this tour and is shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the fires."
"Leonard, Paul, their touring parties and everyone at AEGLive UK and The Frontier Touring Company wish to extend their heartfelt sympathies to those that have suffered the loss of loved ones...
Singer Kylie Minogue is reportedly planning to host a benefit gig in London with her sister Dannii, along with singer Natalie Imbruglia, to raise money for the victims.
Musician Leonard Cohen has donated 4,000 to help the thousands of victims who are now homeless. Cohen is currently touring with Paul Kelly, an Australian music icon. Tour promoter Michael Gudinski said, "Leonard has loved his time in Australia on this tour and is shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the fires."
"Leonard, Paul, their touring parties and everyone at AEGLive UK and The Frontier Touring Company wish to extend their heartfelt sympathies to those that have suffered the loss of loved ones...
- 2/12/2009
- icelebz.com
Leonard Cohen and his tour party have made a donation of Au $$200,000 (£90,430) to victims of the bushfires raging in Australia. The Canadian singer-songwriter has been touring the country, which has been afflicted by deadly fires during its ongoing heatwave. Michael Gudinski, managing director of the Frontier Touring Company, said: "Leonard has loved his time in Australia on this tour and is shocked and deeply saddened (more)...
- 2/10/2009
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
NEW YORK -- Dimension Films acquired all North American, Australian and New Zealand rights to the horror flick Storm Warning.
The film, which combines elements of Deliverance and Straw Dogs, follows a husband and wife on a fishing trip gone very wrong. When they're captured by deranged locals, the wife fights back in a gory battle that director Jamie Blanks (Urban Legend) delivers with vivid prosthetic and digital effects.
Dimension execs bought Warning from Arclight division Darclight based on a screening of post-production footage. The film, shot in Melbourne, Australia, is scheduled for completion in May and tentatively set for theatrical release next year.
"It's pretty full-on in terms of its violence, with a more heightened reality than 'Wolf Creek, '" said producer Gary Hamilton, one of several Creek creators on the film. Peter Ford also produced, and Martin Fabinyi, Michael Gudinski, Greg Sitch and Mark Pennell served as execitive producers.
Nadia Fares, Robert Taylor, John Brumpton, David Lyons and Mathew Wilkinson round out the cast of Warning, which was written by Everett De Roche.
The film, which combines elements of Deliverance and Straw Dogs, follows a husband and wife on a fishing trip gone very wrong. When they're captured by deranged locals, the wife fights back in a gory battle that director Jamie Blanks (Urban Legend) delivers with vivid prosthetic and digital effects.
Dimension execs bought Warning from Arclight division Darclight based on a screening of post-production footage. The film, shot in Melbourne, Australia, is scheduled for completion in May and tentatively set for theatrical release next year.
"It's pretty full-on in terms of its violence, with a more heightened reality than 'Wolf Creek, '" said producer Gary Hamilton, one of several Creek creators on the film. Peter Ford also produced, and Martin Fabinyi, Michael Gudinski, Greg Sitch and Mark Pennell served as execitive producers.
Nadia Fares, Robert Taylor, John Brumpton, David Lyons and Mathew Wilkinson round out the cast of Warning, which was written by Everett De Roche.
- 12/12/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SYDNEY -- Baz Luhrmann set the bar high for maverick adaptations of Shakespeare, but fellow Aussie director Geoffrey Wright takes a game leap at it with his postmodern rendering of Macbeth. While this juiced-up, drugs 'n' guns reworking can't match the startling originality or sheer mad spectacle of Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet," the two share a sexy swagger aimed at young viewers who might otherwise balk at the 400-year-old language.
Absent Hollywood stars in the league of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, Macbeth can't expect "Romeo + Juliet's" robust international boxoffice, but receipts should be healthy at home, and the heady mix of nudity, uber-violence and a swoonworthy leading man will stir curiosity abroad.
This is Shakespeare as action film -- furiously paced and unapologetically cinematic. If the baroque sets and costumes often overwhelm the acting, it's unlikely the hipsters will mind. Wright, who directed Russell Crowe in the bruising neo-Nazi film Romper Stomper, has matched the sound and fury of the Bard's most bloodthirsty play with depictions of carnage that border on sadistic.
The slaying of Lady Macduff and her son prompted walk-outs in test screenings. Macbeth's frenzied butchering of Duncan, a murder that occurs offstage in the play, is shown here in gruesome detail.
Throw in a casually naked, coke-snorting Lady Macbeth and an orgy with the three witches -- portrayed as bare-breasted teenagers who look like they wandered in from The O.C. -- and you have a Macbeth that would give Roman Polanski pause.
Shakespeare's immortal tragedy about a Scottish prince's murderous quest for power has been relocated to the underworld of Melbourne's present-day gang wars, where the concept of bloody vengeance mirrors that of feudal times.
Macbeth (a lusty performance from Somersault's Sam Worthington) is now henchman to crime boss Duncan (a strong Gary Sweet), and the play's lords and noblemen become rock-star-ready hoods packing heat. The film opens with a flashily edited massacre following a dead-of-night drug deal, and it is a good 10 minutes before the first word is spoken.
The Elizabethan English jars at first (and some heavy Strine accents add another layer of bizarre), but soon the medieval-chic sets, the sleek black SUVs and machine guns and the florid but conversationally spoken language all mesh into a gothic parallel universe that makes its own kind of sense.
It is a bit Reservoir Dogs with a set borrowed from The Crow.
It helps that the original text is magnificent and the plot so precise; Wright and his co-writer Victoria Hill (who also plays a glamorous Lady Macbeth) have produced a fairly faithful, if heavily edited, reading of this timeless tale.
Duncan rewards Macbeth for his service during the earlier battle but, while under the influence of celebratory drugs and alcohol at a derelict nightclub, our hero is visited by the trio of witches who prophesy a much greater prize -- delivering their "fair is foul" speech as a glitter ball spins overhead.
Spurred on by the poisonously ambitious Lady Macbeth, Macbeth kills Duncan and seizes power. As the new crime lord's reign of terror continues and the body count grows, guilt plunges him into madness. With Worthington exhibiting less of the imperial hubris that defined previous Macbeths and more of a wild-eyed, Jack Black-style craziness that proves the film's weakest link.
Staggering drunkenly about his country mansion, dissolute and spooked while those around him plot revenge, the character discourages sympathy. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, acquires an uncommon vulnerability with the implication that she is grieving the loss of a child.
Production design is as wicked as the narrative, all blood-red furnishings and misty, brooding exteriors, with John Clifford White's clamorous soundtrack and cinematographer Will Gibson's skewed camera adding to the disquiet.
Some of the minor players stumble over the dialogue, but performances generally are strong, though style mavens may be too busy drooling over the voguish costumes and opulent interiors to notice.
MACBETH
Mushroom Pictures
Credits:
Director: Geoffrey Wright
Screenwriters: Geoffrey Wright, Victoria Hill
Adapted from the play by: William Shakespeare
Producer: Martin Fabinyi
Executive producers: Michael Gudinski, Gary Hamilton, Greg Sitch, Antonio Zeccola
Director of photography: Will Gibson
Production designer: David McKay
Music: John Clifford White
Co-producer: Jenni Tosi
Costume designer: Jane Johnston
Editor: Jane Usher
Cast:
Macbeth: Sam Worthington
Lady Macbeth: Victoria Hill
Macduff: Lachy Hulme
Banquo: Steve Bastoni
Duncan: Gary Sweet
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 109 minutes...
Absent Hollywood stars in the league of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, Macbeth can't expect "Romeo + Juliet's" robust international boxoffice, but receipts should be healthy at home, and the heady mix of nudity, uber-violence and a swoonworthy leading man will stir curiosity abroad.
This is Shakespeare as action film -- furiously paced and unapologetically cinematic. If the baroque sets and costumes often overwhelm the acting, it's unlikely the hipsters will mind. Wright, who directed Russell Crowe in the bruising neo-Nazi film Romper Stomper, has matched the sound and fury of the Bard's most bloodthirsty play with depictions of carnage that border on sadistic.
The slaying of Lady Macduff and her son prompted walk-outs in test screenings. Macbeth's frenzied butchering of Duncan, a murder that occurs offstage in the play, is shown here in gruesome detail.
Throw in a casually naked, coke-snorting Lady Macbeth and an orgy with the three witches -- portrayed as bare-breasted teenagers who look like they wandered in from The O.C. -- and you have a Macbeth that would give Roman Polanski pause.
Shakespeare's immortal tragedy about a Scottish prince's murderous quest for power has been relocated to the underworld of Melbourne's present-day gang wars, where the concept of bloody vengeance mirrors that of feudal times.
Macbeth (a lusty performance from Somersault's Sam Worthington) is now henchman to crime boss Duncan (a strong Gary Sweet), and the play's lords and noblemen become rock-star-ready hoods packing heat. The film opens with a flashily edited massacre following a dead-of-night drug deal, and it is a good 10 minutes before the first word is spoken.
The Elizabethan English jars at first (and some heavy Strine accents add another layer of bizarre), but soon the medieval-chic sets, the sleek black SUVs and machine guns and the florid but conversationally spoken language all mesh into a gothic parallel universe that makes its own kind of sense.
It is a bit Reservoir Dogs with a set borrowed from The Crow.
It helps that the original text is magnificent and the plot so precise; Wright and his co-writer Victoria Hill (who also plays a glamorous Lady Macbeth) have produced a fairly faithful, if heavily edited, reading of this timeless tale.
Duncan rewards Macbeth for his service during the earlier battle but, while under the influence of celebratory drugs and alcohol at a derelict nightclub, our hero is visited by the trio of witches who prophesy a much greater prize -- delivering their "fair is foul" speech as a glitter ball spins overhead.
Spurred on by the poisonously ambitious Lady Macbeth, Macbeth kills Duncan and seizes power. As the new crime lord's reign of terror continues and the body count grows, guilt plunges him into madness. With Worthington exhibiting less of the imperial hubris that defined previous Macbeths and more of a wild-eyed, Jack Black-style craziness that proves the film's weakest link.
Staggering drunkenly about his country mansion, dissolute and spooked while those around him plot revenge, the character discourages sympathy. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, acquires an uncommon vulnerability with the implication that she is grieving the loss of a child.
Production design is as wicked as the narrative, all blood-red furnishings and misty, brooding exteriors, with John Clifford White's clamorous soundtrack and cinematographer Will Gibson's skewed camera adding to the disquiet.
Some of the minor players stumble over the dialogue, but performances generally are strong, though style mavens may be too busy drooling over the voguish costumes and opulent interiors to notice.
MACBETH
Mushroom Pictures
Credits:
Director: Geoffrey Wright
Screenwriters: Geoffrey Wright, Victoria Hill
Adapted from the play by: William Shakespeare
Producer: Martin Fabinyi
Executive producers: Michael Gudinski, Gary Hamilton, Greg Sitch, Antonio Zeccola
Director of photography: Will Gibson
Production designer: David McKay
Music: John Clifford White
Co-producer: Jenni Tosi
Costume designer: Jane Johnston
Editor: Jane Usher
Cast:
Macbeth: Sam Worthington
Lady Macbeth: Victoria Hill
Macduff: Lachy Hulme
Banquo: Steve Bastoni
Duncan: Gary Sweet
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 109 minutes...
- 9/11/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY -- Wolf Creek could be the scariest film at Sundance this year--and the bloodiest. An auspicious debut from first time Aussie writer/director Greg McLean, film combines the style of cheesy horror films and the flair of classic thrillers. Picked up by Dimension before the start of the fest, pic should turn into a major genre hit for the distrib, with even some crossover from the film savvy indie crowd.
Based on two unsolved crimes in the Outback, Wolf Creek turns the image of the heroic Bushman like Crocodile Dundee on its ear and creates a staggeringly evil Australian boogie man. It's a story bound to give even the most seasoned thrill seeker nightmares.
Following the model of Alien, the film takes its time with not much happening for the first forty-five minutes. Mclean is careful to build sympathy for his characters before all hell breaks loose. Liz Hunter (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy Earl (Kestie Morassi) are typical British girls on holiday in Australia looking for a good time. When they meet up with up with Aussie native Ben Mitchell (Nathan Phillips), they set out by car to explore the remote meteor sites at Wolf Creek. Along the way, we get to see them as flawed, vulnerable kids, so that when they get in trouble we care about them.
Mclean is constantly confounding expectations and violating rules for the well-written screenplay. Initially film seems to be heading in the direction of UFO's since the region is famous for sightings, then Ben gives the girls the chills around the campfire with eyewitness accounts of flying saucers.
But when their car conks out in the middle of nowhere and their watches stop working at the same moment (a major plot point for which there is no explanation), help arrives in the form of backwoods giant Mick Taylor (John Jarratt). Despite some ominous signs, they allow him to tow the car back to his place, an abandoned mining camp, where he starts to work on the repairs. Next thing we know, Liz wakes up bound and gagged in a room that makes a dungeon look appealing. Any doubt about Mick's intentions are gone, and the rest of the film is a sadistic cat and mouse game in which he seeks and destroys his prey in the most vicious and gory fashion. Mclean is purposely pushing things for effect but one wonders what is the line between terror and torture?
Whatever it is, it's stylishly done. Mclean manipulates nature so that it starts out as a positive force and then cloud formations and even flies buzzing gradually take on an ominous tone, heightened by Francois Tetaz's creepy score. Shot with great panache by Jason Ballantine on HD, color grading and blow up make the film look more like Halloween than the overly polished recent remake of Dawn of the Dead.
But the real attraction here is Mick, who is sure to enter the annals of great slasher film villains. With his icy stare, scratchy beard and cackling laugh, this a monster without an ounce of human compassion, and judging by the collection of crucified bodies on his walls, he's made quite a career of duping unsuspecting tourists. Whatever social commentary Mclean throws in about the nature of pure evil and the need to track down these people, the real reason for Wolf Creek to exist is the fun of scaring the hell out of people. Mission accomplished.
WOLF CREEK
Dimension Films
The True Crime Channel
Credits:
Director: Greg Mclean
Writer: Mclean
Producers: Mclean, David Lightfoot
Executive producer: Gary Hamilton, Simon Hewitt, Martin Fabinyi, George Adams, Michael Gudinski
Director of photography: Will Gibson
Production designer: Robert Webb
Music: Francois Tetaz
Co-producer: Matt Hearn
Costume designer: Nicola Dunn
Editor: Jason Ballantine.
Cast:
Mick Taylor: John Jarratt
Ben Mitchell: Nathan Phillips
Liz Hunter: Cassandra Magrath
Kristy Earl: Kestie Morassi
Old Man: Gordon Poole
No
MPAA rating
Running time -- 98 minutes...
Based on two unsolved crimes in the Outback, Wolf Creek turns the image of the heroic Bushman like Crocodile Dundee on its ear and creates a staggeringly evil Australian boogie man. It's a story bound to give even the most seasoned thrill seeker nightmares.
Following the model of Alien, the film takes its time with not much happening for the first forty-five minutes. Mclean is careful to build sympathy for his characters before all hell breaks loose. Liz Hunter (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy Earl (Kestie Morassi) are typical British girls on holiday in Australia looking for a good time. When they meet up with up with Aussie native Ben Mitchell (Nathan Phillips), they set out by car to explore the remote meteor sites at Wolf Creek. Along the way, we get to see them as flawed, vulnerable kids, so that when they get in trouble we care about them.
Mclean is constantly confounding expectations and violating rules for the well-written screenplay. Initially film seems to be heading in the direction of UFO's since the region is famous for sightings, then Ben gives the girls the chills around the campfire with eyewitness accounts of flying saucers.
But when their car conks out in the middle of nowhere and their watches stop working at the same moment (a major plot point for which there is no explanation), help arrives in the form of backwoods giant Mick Taylor (John Jarratt). Despite some ominous signs, they allow him to tow the car back to his place, an abandoned mining camp, where he starts to work on the repairs. Next thing we know, Liz wakes up bound and gagged in a room that makes a dungeon look appealing. Any doubt about Mick's intentions are gone, and the rest of the film is a sadistic cat and mouse game in which he seeks and destroys his prey in the most vicious and gory fashion. Mclean is purposely pushing things for effect but one wonders what is the line between terror and torture?
Whatever it is, it's stylishly done. Mclean manipulates nature so that it starts out as a positive force and then cloud formations and even flies buzzing gradually take on an ominous tone, heightened by Francois Tetaz's creepy score. Shot with great panache by Jason Ballantine on HD, color grading and blow up make the film look more like Halloween than the overly polished recent remake of Dawn of the Dead.
But the real attraction here is Mick, who is sure to enter the annals of great slasher film villains. With his icy stare, scratchy beard and cackling laugh, this a monster without an ounce of human compassion, and judging by the collection of crucified bodies on his walls, he's made quite a career of duping unsuspecting tourists. Whatever social commentary Mclean throws in about the nature of pure evil and the need to track down these people, the real reason for Wolf Creek to exist is the fun of scaring the hell out of people. Mission accomplished.
WOLF CREEK
Dimension Films
The True Crime Channel
Credits:
Director: Greg Mclean
Writer: Mclean
Producers: Mclean, David Lightfoot
Executive producer: Gary Hamilton, Simon Hewitt, Martin Fabinyi, George Adams, Michael Gudinski
Director of photography: Will Gibson
Production designer: Robert Webb
Music: Francois Tetaz
Co-producer: Matt Hearn
Costume designer: Nicola Dunn
Editor: Jason Ballantine.
Cast:
Mick Taylor: John Jarratt
Ben Mitchell: Nathan Phillips
Liz Hunter: Cassandra Magrath
Kristy Earl: Kestie Morassi
Old Man: Gordon Poole
No
MPAA rating
Running time -- 98 minutes...
- 1/27/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opened
Thursday, Oct. 9
Australia
SYDNEY -- "Gettin' Square" represents a big jump for filmmaker Jonathan Teplitzky. His first film was the low-key, quietly effective "Better Than Sex", starring Susie Porter and David Wenham, which showcased a director adept at building character and mixing laughs into drama. Both talents are on display in "Gettin' Square", but they're played out on a much bigger canvas.
A tricky, snaking debut screenplay by criminal lawyer/crime fiction author Chris Nyst introduces a big crew of colorful characters just as Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and Guy Ritchie's "Snatch" did. While Teplitzky doesn't exhibit the same trailblazing flair as those two hipster icons, he does put his own stamp on the film, serving up its dark, noir-inflected themes with gloriously bright, sparkling cinematography. Queensland's glitzy, emotionally hollow Gold Coast almost becomes another character in the film, trapping the other players with its criminal allure.
Barry Wirth (Sam Worthington) is a young crook with a good heart. He's just out of prison and desperately trying to keep his nose clean on the slightly sleazy Gold Coast. But wherever Wirth turns, his old life snaps back to bite him.
A straight job at a "clean" restaurant turns out to be slightly bent: The owner is Barrington (Mike Leigh regular Timothy Spall), an expatriate Englishman who hides a criminal past. Meanwhile, a tough mobster in a sharkskin suit (Gary Sweet) wants to pull Wirth back into the life, while the corrupt cop (David Field) who put him away will never let him forget who he is.
But the biggest thorn in Wirth's side is Johnny "Spit" Spitieri (Wenham), a prison buddy who wants to get clean too but is sidelined by heroin and a distinct lack of brainpower. Even with a supportive social worker (Freya Stafford) on his side, going straight is a very tricky business for Wirth.
Teplitzky loses his footing a bit with the wildly convoluted plot. When the film sticks with the characters, it's a rugged delight. When Wirth gets involved with a dangerous heist (which bookends the film to put a nonlinear spin on things), the director has trouble keeping up with the twisting machinations of his own film. The plot convolutions take on a life of their own, and you'll have to hang on tight to wade through the labyrinthine narrative twists.
The characters and performances are where "Gettin' Square" really thrives. Worthington and Stafford ground the film with winning charm by playing it straight and letting the supporting players indulge in theatrics. Sweet and Field mix malice and dark humor as the bad guys, while Spall gives his character a real sense of warmth and bittersweet regret.
But it's Wenham who owns the film. His comic timing is right on the money (a couple of scenes seem solely devised to show off his physical comedy skills), making the hopeless junkie much more than just a caricature.
Slick and effortlessly stylish, "Gettin' Square" scores with its salty mix of street comedy and criminal high jinks, and showcases a rogue's gallery of colorful performances.
GETTIN' SQUARE
Macquarie Nine Film and Television Investment & Working Title present in association with Film Finance Corporation Australia a Mushroom Pictures and WTA production in association with Freshwater Pictures
Credits:
Director: Jonathan Teplitzky
Screenwriter: Chris Nyst
Producers: Martin Fabinyi, Tim White, Trish Lake
Executive producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Michael Gudinski, Kris Noble
Co-producer: Chris Nyst
Director of photography: Garry Phillips
Editor: Ken Sallows
Production designer: Nicholas McCallum
Costume designer: Jackline Sassine
Music: Machine Gun Fellatio
Cast:
Barry Wirth: Sam Worthington
Johnny Spitieri: David Wenham
Darren Barrington: Timothy Spall
Chicka Martin: Gary Sweet
Annie Flynn: Freya Stafford
Arnie De Viers: David Field
Craig "Crusher" Knob: Richard Carter
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Thursday, Oct. 9
Australia
SYDNEY -- "Gettin' Square" represents a big jump for filmmaker Jonathan Teplitzky. His first film was the low-key, quietly effective "Better Than Sex", starring Susie Porter and David Wenham, which showcased a director adept at building character and mixing laughs into drama. Both talents are on display in "Gettin' Square", but they're played out on a much bigger canvas.
A tricky, snaking debut screenplay by criminal lawyer/crime fiction author Chris Nyst introduces a big crew of colorful characters just as Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and Guy Ritchie's "Snatch" did. While Teplitzky doesn't exhibit the same trailblazing flair as those two hipster icons, he does put his own stamp on the film, serving up its dark, noir-inflected themes with gloriously bright, sparkling cinematography. Queensland's glitzy, emotionally hollow Gold Coast almost becomes another character in the film, trapping the other players with its criminal allure.
Barry Wirth (Sam Worthington) is a young crook with a good heart. He's just out of prison and desperately trying to keep his nose clean on the slightly sleazy Gold Coast. But wherever Wirth turns, his old life snaps back to bite him.
A straight job at a "clean" restaurant turns out to be slightly bent: The owner is Barrington (Mike Leigh regular Timothy Spall), an expatriate Englishman who hides a criminal past. Meanwhile, a tough mobster in a sharkskin suit (Gary Sweet) wants to pull Wirth back into the life, while the corrupt cop (David Field) who put him away will never let him forget who he is.
But the biggest thorn in Wirth's side is Johnny "Spit" Spitieri (Wenham), a prison buddy who wants to get clean too but is sidelined by heroin and a distinct lack of brainpower. Even with a supportive social worker (Freya Stafford) on his side, going straight is a very tricky business for Wirth.
Teplitzky loses his footing a bit with the wildly convoluted plot. When the film sticks with the characters, it's a rugged delight. When Wirth gets involved with a dangerous heist (which bookends the film to put a nonlinear spin on things), the director has trouble keeping up with the twisting machinations of his own film. The plot convolutions take on a life of their own, and you'll have to hang on tight to wade through the labyrinthine narrative twists.
The characters and performances are where "Gettin' Square" really thrives. Worthington and Stafford ground the film with winning charm by playing it straight and letting the supporting players indulge in theatrics. Sweet and Field mix malice and dark humor as the bad guys, while Spall gives his character a real sense of warmth and bittersweet regret.
But it's Wenham who owns the film. His comic timing is right on the money (a couple of scenes seem solely devised to show off his physical comedy skills), making the hopeless junkie much more than just a caricature.
Slick and effortlessly stylish, "Gettin' Square" scores with its salty mix of street comedy and criminal high jinks, and showcases a rogue's gallery of colorful performances.
GETTIN' SQUARE
Macquarie Nine Film and Television Investment & Working Title present in association with Film Finance Corporation Australia a Mushroom Pictures and WTA production in association with Freshwater Pictures
Credits:
Director: Jonathan Teplitzky
Screenwriter: Chris Nyst
Producers: Martin Fabinyi, Tim White, Trish Lake
Executive producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Michael Gudinski, Kris Noble
Co-producer: Chris Nyst
Director of photography: Garry Phillips
Editor: Ken Sallows
Production designer: Nicholas McCallum
Costume designer: Jackline Sassine
Music: Machine Gun Fellatio
Cast:
Barry Wirth: Sam Worthington
Johnny Spitieri: David Wenham
Darren Barrington: Timothy Spall
Chicka Martin: Gary Sweet
Annie Flynn: Freya Stafford
Arnie De Viers: David Field
Craig "Crusher" Knob: Richard Carter
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/28/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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