Jane Lynch is a comedic force. But even her funniest onscreen performances are rooted in a commitment to the truth of human nature, a quality that carries over into her more recent dramatic work. The three-time Emmy winner has created indelible characters of all sorts -- most notably as Sue Sylvester on Glee -- over the course of nearly three decades in Hollywood. But perhaps none have loomed as large in the popular imagination as U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, whom the actress portrays in Discovery Channel’s latest scripted project, Manhunt: Unabomber.
The eight-episode anthology series, created by Andrew Sodroski, follows the FBI’s pursuit of Ted Kaczynski (Paul Bettany) and his ultimate capture based on breakthrough linguistic evidence assembled by agent Jim Fitzgerald (Sam Worthington). In just a few short scenes, Lynch embodies a key player in the true-crime drama, and perhaps the sole character as recognizable to the American public as the Unabomber...
The eight-episode anthology series, created by Andrew Sodroski, follows the FBI’s pursuit of Ted Kaczynski (Paul Bettany) and his ultimate capture based on breakthrough linguistic evidence assembled by agent Jim Fitzgerald (Sam Worthington). In just a few short scenes, Lynch embodies a key player in the true-crime drama, and perhaps the sole character as recognizable to the American public as the Unabomber...
- 8/7/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Last Week’S Review: In ‘Painful Evacuation,’ Major Revelations Shake Up the Status Quo
[Spoilers follow for “Girls” Season 6, Episode 5, “Gummies.”]
Love Her or Hate Her
This week Hannah pretty much skipped the baby part of having a baby and went right into becoming the mother of two teens, otherwise known as Loreen and Elijah. Both characters made the baby all about them after Loreen sucked back a few too many pot gummies and Elijah helped Hannah scour the city in order to find her. For Loreen, the baby signified another nail in her coffin, while Elijah selfishly didn’t want to give up his current living situation with Hannah.
As a result Hannah seemed a lot more grown up this week than usual, proving that pregnancy looks good on her — at least in the early stages (the opening shot put the pregnancy at about six weeks). Not only had she been thinking the situation through...
[Spoilers follow for “Girls” Season 6, Episode 5, “Gummies.”]
Love Her or Hate Her
This week Hannah pretty much skipped the baby part of having a baby and went right into becoming the mother of two teens, otherwise known as Loreen and Elijah. Both characters made the baby all about them after Loreen sucked back a few too many pot gummies and Elijah helped Hannah scour the city in order to find her. For Loreen, the baby signified another nail in her coffin, while Elijah selfishly didn’t want to give up his current living situation with Hannah.
As a result Hannah seemed a lot more grown up this week than usual, proving that pregnancy looks good on her — at least in the early stages (the opening shot put the pregnancy at about six weeks). Not only had she been thinking the situation through...
- 3/13/2017
- by Amber Dowling
- Indiewire
It’s funny how time can change your perception on things. Back in 2014, I moderated a post-screening panel for the documentary film and festival favorite, “Food Chains.” Producers Sanjay Rawal (who also directed), Smriti Kasahari, and Eva Longoria were all on hand to discuss how their film documented criminal labor practices in the U.S. food industry. “Food Chains” focused on farmers who hire illegal immigrants and drive them into debt, claiming their hourly wages, production, and general efforts to make an honest living don’t cover the costs of feeding and housing these workers.
Even though the food is slop and the housing just a crate packed with 20 men, no one questions the system because they can’t. There’s nowhere for workers to go and no one they can call for help. They live in fear of being deported or of their bosses — who physically and mentally abuse them,...
Even though the food is slop and the housing just a crate packed with 20 men, no one questions the system because they can’t. There’s nowhere for workers to go and no one they can call for help. They live in fear of being deported or of their bosses — who physically and mentally abuse them,...
- 3/9/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Today is not only International Women’s Day, but a day when many are choosing to strike for A Day Without Women, an economic protest to remind the nation just how important women’s contributions to society are. And as part of that, IndieWire has assembled a powerful list of shows, all currently streaming online, that would not exist without the brilliant female creators at their center. This is the great TV that happens when women show up. Don’t take it for granted.
“30 Rock” (NBC, Netflix)
Did we fully appreciate the gift we had in Tina Fey’s absurdist take on life behind the scenes of a sketch comedy show, while it was on the air? Maybe not, but here’s what matters: “30 Rock” was one of the most original, bizarre, hilarious and unapologetically female shows of its time, and it holds up damn well.
“Broad City” (Comedy Central,...
“30 Rock” (NBC, Netflix)
Did we fully appreciate the gift we had in Tina Fey’s absurdist take on life behind the scenes of a sketch comedy show, while it was on the air? Maybe not, but here’s what matters: “30 Rock” was one of the most original, bizarre, hilarious and unapologetically female shows of its time, and it holds up damn well.
“Broad City” (Comedy Central,...
- 3/8/2017
- by Hanh Nguyen and Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “The Americans” Season 5, Episode 1, “Amber Waves.”]
Immediate Reaction:
Hans will be missed, but what his fateful fall represents is far more harrowing for the future of “The Americans.” Not only was it a worrisome reminder that the Jennings’ secret life is unpredictably perilous, but Hans was a skilled trainee who never saw old age. Hell, he never really kicked the training wheels. Elizabeth and Philip had been doing their best to bring him along, and he’d proven helpful to their missions in the past. But now that Paige is in training, the Jennings have to imagine their daughter in his shoes: If she goes along with their plan, adopts a life of service, and someday finds herself looking up at her mother with a cut hand, would Elizabeth be so quick to pull the trigger?
I think not, and it seems like Elizabeth is starting to think similarly. Her comments in the episode don’t mesh with her actions,...
Immediate Reaction:
Hans will be missed, but what his fateful fall represents is far more harrowing for the future of “The Americans.” Not only was it a worrisome reminder that the Jennings’ secret life is unpredictably perilous, but Hans was a skilled trainee who never saw old age. Hell, he never really kicked the training wheels. Elizabeth and Philip had been doing their best to bring him along, and he’d proven helpful to their missions in the past. But now that Paige is in training, the Jennings have to imagine their daughter in his shoes: If she goes along with their plan, adopts a life of service, and someday finds herself looking up at her mother with a cut hand, would Elizabeth be so quick to pull the trigger?
I think not, and it seems like Elizabeth is starting to think similarly. Her comments in the episode don’t mesh with her actions,...
- 3/8/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
[Spoilers follow for “Girls” Season 6, Episode 4, “Painful Evacuation.”]
It’s the final season of “Girls,” and it is not going gently into that good night. Following last week’s tremendous bottle episode, “American Bitch,” the series has thrown a major landmine into the narrative with the reveal this week that Hannah (Lena Dunham) has become pregnant thanks to her one night stand in the season opener with Paul-Louis (Riz Ahmed).
Read More: ‘Girls’ Review: In ‘Painful Evacuation,’ Major Revelations Shake Up the Status Quo
It’s a major shake-up for the HBO comedy created by Dunham, but while it might have caught us off guard, it was a shocking moment six years in the making.
Executive producer Jenni Konner revealed to IndieWire that Hannah getting pregnant was a part of Dunham’s plan for the show “from the very beginning… Creatively, she saw that as something that could be the next step in Hannah’s journey.”
The cherry...
It’s the final season of “Girls,” and it is not going gently into that good night. Following last week’s tremendous bottle episode, “American Bitch,” the series has thrown a major landmine into the narrative with the reveal this week that Hannah (Lena Dunham) has become pregnant thanks to her one night stand in the season opener with Paul-Louis (Riz Ahmed).
Read More: ‘Girls’ Review: In ‘Painful Evacuation,’ Major Revelations Shake Up the Status Quo
It’s a major shake-up for the HBO comedy created by Dunham, but while it might have caught us off guard, it was a shocking moment six years in the making.
Executive producer Jenni Konner revealed to IndieWire that Hannah getting pregnant was a part of Dunham’s plan for the show “from the very beginning… Creatively, she saw that as something that could be the next step in Hannah’s journey.”
The cherry...
- 3/7/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Last Week’S Review: Two Characters Arrive at a Moral Crossroads in ‘Hostiles and Calamities’
Whose Episode Is It?
If you were hankering for some Rick last week, worry not, because he and Michonne are the focus of “Say Yes,” as they try to scrounge up the guns that the Dumpsters demanded in “New Best Friends.” Meanwhile, Rosita is still stewing about blowing her shot at Negan (as she should, he was right there) and Tara expounded her moral conundrum to a baby. It’s hardly a barn-burner of an episode, but it gets the job done, and there are a few deft touches here and there that set it apart from other by-the-numbers “Walking Dead” installments.
Obligatory Zombie Action
For the first time this season, the main plot centers exclusively on a zombie operation, as Rick and Michonne find a school carnival that was turned into a military outpost...
Whose Episode Is It?
If you were hankering for some Rick last week, worry not, because he and Michonne are the focus of “Say Yes,” as they try to scrounge up the guns that the Dumpsters demanded in “New Best Friends.” Meanwhile, Rosita is still stewing about blowing her shot at Negan (as she should, he was right there) and Tara expounded her moral conundrum to a baby. It’s hardly a barn-burner of an episode, but it gets the job done, and there are a few deft touches here and there that set it apart from other by-the-numbers “Walking Dead” installments.
Obligatory Zombie Action
For the first time this season, the main plot centers exclusively on a zombie operation, as Rick and Michonne find a school carnival that was turned into a military outpost...
- 3/6/2017
- by Jeff Stone
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Big Little Lies” Episode 3, “Living the Dream.”]
Sex and violence have been interlinked throughout “Big Little Lies,” but Episode 3 took on the connection directly. A powerful, slow-building scene at the heart of the episode between Celeste (Nicole Kidman) and Perry (Alexander Skarsgard) voiced the internal dilemma facing an abusive couple who doesn’t fully understand their dangerous desires. Does Celeste like her “dirty secret”? Is Perry always aware where the line is? Are they addicted to the danger? The pain? The violence? Or is Celeste merely trapped in an abusive relationship she doesn’t know how to free herself from?
Signs certainly point toward the latter, but the show’s darkly comic cuts emphasize the complicated connection between passion and rage. Immediately following Celeste and Perry’s quiet confession, we cut to Renata (Laura Dern) and Gordon (Jeffrey Nordling) having loud, angry sex in his office bathroom. Despite Renata’s concerns about having sex on his desk...
Sex and violence have been interlinked throughout “Big Little Lies,” but Episode 3 took on the connection directly. A powerful, slow-building scene at the heart of the episode between Celeste (Nicole Kidman) and Perry (Alexander Skarsgard) voiced the internal dilemma facing an abusive couple who doesn’t fully understand their dangerous desires. Does Celeste like her “dirty secret”? Is Perry always aware where the line is? Are they addicted to the danger? The pain? The violence? Or is Celeste merely trapped in an abusive relationship she doesn’t know how to free herself from?
Signs certainly point toward the latter, but the show’s darkly comic cuts emphasize the complicated connection between passion and rage. Immediately following Celeste and Perry’s quiet confession, we cut to Renata (Laura Dern) and Gordon (Jeffrey Nordling) having loud, angry sex in his office bathroom. Despite Renata’s concerns about having sex on his desk...
- 3/6/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Last Episode Review: Alec Baldwin Proves There Are Two Types of Problems: Regular, And Trump
After a few weeks’ hiatus, “Saturday Night Live” returned with a surprising episode: It alternately commented on politics and race, made ample use of its Academy Award-winning host, and surprised us with its liberal use of the word “bitch.” This episode was silly, and weird, and best of all, it was consistent. The season thus far has been light on impactful episodes from cold open to the goodnights – Dave Chappelle, of course, is the crucial exception – but last night’s episode got pretty close to nailing it. Can McKinnon doing a Kellyanne Conway sight gag be a running joke through the rest of the season, please?
Host: Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer is a really good host, you guys. She’s already likeable, of course, but her exuberance felt infectious. Hers was a shorter monologue than...
After a few weeks’ hiatus, “Saturday Night Live” returned with a surprising episode: It alternately commented on politics and race, made ample use of its Academy Award-winning host, and surprised us with its liberal use of the word “bitch.” This episode was silly, and weird, and best of all, it was consistent. The season thus far has been light on impactful episodes from cold open to the goodnights – Dave Chappelle, of course, is the crucial exception – but last night’s episode got pretty close to nailing it. Can McKinnon doing a Kellyanne Conway sight gag be a running joke through the rest of the season, please?
Host: Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer is a really good host, you guys. She’s already likeable, of course, but her exuberance felt infectious. Hers was a shorter monologue than...
- 3/5/2017
- by Sophy Ziss
- Indiewire
“Custody” is the cliched wedding toast of movies. Actually, it’s the drunken cliched wedding toast of movies, in that it starts by defining the title — “the protective care or guardianship of someone or something,” in case you’re unfamiliar with the lofty legal term — before spiraling wildly off-topic, delving full-on into the lives of the wedding guests and often forgetting why these stories are relevant to the happy couple.
In other words, it’s a mess, and if you’re purely interested in Viola Davis’ involvement, I urge you to skip to the first and only paragraph below staring with “Viola Davis” (or the one ending with “our beloved Vi Vi”).
To continue the wedding analogy, the happy couple at the heart of “Custody” is Sara Diaz (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and her kids. A single mother working at a dry cleaner, Diaz is constantly worried about her kids getting into trouble,...
In other words, it’s a mess, and if you’re purely interested in Viola Davis’ involvement, I urge you to skip to the first and only paragraph below staring with “Viola Davis” (or the one ending with “our beloved Vi Vi”).
To continue the wedding analogy, the happy couple at the heart of “Custody” is Sara Diaz (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and her kids. A single mother working at a dry cleaner, Diaz is constantly worried about her kids getting into trouble,...
- 3/5/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Is it the merging of SAG and AFTRA that has led this group to look more and more like rebels? Is it that their membership is by far the largest...
- 1/30/2017
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
After a few months away, The Blacklist has once again returned to our television screens. I’m not sure how to feel. On the one hand, it’s the same show and characters that I’ve come to know and love. On the other hand, I’m not sure the show feels the same as it has in the past. Although after this episode, it’s at least somewhat likely that the status quo will have almost completely reestablished. This week on The Blacklist: Harold attempts to get Liz reinstated into the FBI now that Kirk is gone, but struggles convincing the proper authorities. Samar’s divided allegiance to the
The Blacklist Review: The Show’s Status Quo Shifts Again...
The Blacklist Review: The Show’s Status Quo Shifts Again...
- 1/6/2017
- by Nick Hogan
- TVovermind.com
Paul McCartney is looking back on the time he spent working with the late George Michael.
“George Michael’s sweet soul music will live on even after his sudden death,” McCartney, 74, wrote in a statement released on his website.
He recalled working with the “Faith” singer on Michael’s song “Heal the Pain.”
“Having worked with him on a number of occasions his great talent always shone through and his self-deprecating sense of humour made the experience even more pleasurable.”
Michael died of heart failure and was found in his home on Christmas Day, his rep told People and Entertainment Weekly.
“George Michael’s sweet soul music will live on even after his sudden death,” McCartney, 74, wrote in a statement released on his website.
He recalled working with the “Faith” singer on Michael’s song “Heal the Pain.”
“Having worked with him on a number of occasions his great talent always shone through and his self-deprecating sense of humour made the experience even more pleasurable.”
Michael died of heart failure and was found in his home on Christmas Day, his rep told People and Entertainment Weekly.
- 12/27/2016
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Rick Parfitt, a British guitarist and songwriter for the the rock band Status Quo, has died in Spain at the age of 68. The musician’s manager, Simon Porter, said Parfitt died from a severe infection after being admitted to hospital on Thursday following complications to a shoulder injury. In a statement on Facebook, Porter wrote: “We […]
Source: uInterview
The post Status Quo Guitarist Rick Parfitt Dies At 68 appeared first on uInterview.
Source: uInterview
The post Status Quo Guitarist Rick Parfitt Dies At 68 appeared first on uInterview.
- 12/24/2016
- by Aleks Simeonova
- Uinterview
Rock legends are mourning the death of Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt, who died in a hospital in Marbella, Spain on Friday. Parfitt’s manager, Simon Porter, said Saturday that he died from a severe infection after “having been admitted to hospital on Thursday evening following complications to a shoulder injury incurred by a previous fall.” “We are truly devastated to have to announce that Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt has passed away at lunchtime today,” a statement on the band’s Facebook page read. “This tragic news comes at a time when Rick was hugely looking forward to launching a solo career with an.
- 12/24/2016
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
“Great art is always speaking to the time it’s in,” David Oyelowo tells Et. The actor, previously seen in Selma and HBO’s Nightingale, is currently starring opposite Daniel Craig in New York Theater Workshop’s sold out, limited engagement of Othello. In the wake of the presidential election, #OscarsSoWhite controversy and the Black Lives Matter movement, William Shakespeare’s play feels as relevant as ever -- especially considering it was written over 400 years ago.
“No writer has so beautifully and consistently and in such a complex way understood the human experience like Shakespeare. Othello is hitting people square between the eyes,” the actor says. The play’s core theme of racial prejudice is magnified by the “political climate we are in, the gender climate we are in, the relational climate we are in.”
More: How David Oyelowo Is Challenging Himself and the Status Quo
In the play directed by Sam Gold, Oyelowo plays the...
“No writer has so beautifully and consistently and in such a complex way understood the human experience like Shakespeare. Othello is hitting people square between the eyes,” the actor says. The play’s core theme of racial prejudice is magnified by the “political climate we are in, the gender climate we are in, the relational climate we are in.”
More: How David Oyelowo Is Challenging Himself and the Status Quo
In the play directed by Sam Gold, Oyelowo plays the...
- 12/2/2016
- Entertainment Tonight
Last night, something hideously unnatural and eminently appropriate for the Halloween season took place on Fox: Executives exhumed a 40-year-old cult classic and reanimated it with Frankensteinian mad-scientist abandon. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, still a regular seat-filler at raucous and generously sexual late-night screenings nationwide, got a primetime slot and a new audience, thanks to Fox's latest attempt to capitalize on the recent televised-musical trend. This time, they've ditched the live-performance aspect and pre-taped the special, casting Disney alumni Victoria Justice and Ryan McCartan as imperiled lovers Brad and Janet,...
- 10/21/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Amidst festival season and the constant awards chatter, the ongoing debate over the lack of diversity in Hollywood rages on. In an interview with Toronto International Film Festival director Cameron Bailey, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs discussed the Academy’s push for diversity and how she hopes the general debate will lead to better representation for minorities.
Read More: Motion Picture Academy Sticks With Status Quo
However, she also says that the industry routinely falls back on “traditional” hiring practices, such as hiring people they’ve worked with before rather than actively seeking out people outside of their usual circles. “You do tend to not look further than your own space and we’re asking everyone to look further,” says Boone. “The more that we see talent that is more diverse the more we’ll recognize, ‘Oh my goodness, they’re actually out there.
Read More: Motion Picture Academy Sticks With Status Quo
However, she also says that the industry routinely falls back on “traditional” hiring practices, such as hiring people they’ve worked with before rather than actively seeking out people outside of their usual circles. “You do tend to not look further than your own space and we’re asking everyone to look further,” says Boone. “The more that we see talent that is more diverse the more we’ll recognize, ‘Oh my goodness, they’re actually out there.
- 9/11/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present and future.
Elisabeth Subrin’s feature directorial debut, “A Woman, A Part,” is a film about now. The film follows Maggie Siff as actress Anna Baskin, star of a seemingly popular and well-regarded network television series, who has grown increasingly disenfranchised with the work afforded to her by her industry. Fresh off a recent battle with an autoimmune disease and frustrated by a career path that doesn’t value her creative input, Anna takes a break from her show and heads back to the familiar environs of New York City, where she got her start in experimental theater.
Anna’s success on the small screen has alienated her from her friends, including her closest confidants and former performing partners, Kate (Cara Seymour) and Isaac (John Ortiz). When she returns to NYC (and Kate and Isaac), some old wounds are reopened and some hard truths – especially about the intersection of emotion and art – are revealed. “A Woman, A Part” confronts industry-wide sexism head on, making it clear that Anna’s experiences are not unique and dismantling any romantic notions about how Hollywood operates.
Read More: ‘A Woman, A Part’ Captures the Ripples from a Hollywood Actress’ Return to New York
Although the film is Subrin’s narrative feature debut, the visual artist and filmmaker has long used film and video to tell her stories, and it’s not the first story she wanted to turn into a long-form offering. In 2003, Subrin was picked for the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Directing and Screenwriting Labs, where she worked on her first feature-length screenplay, “Up.” The film’s plotline proved to be prescient: The film, about the dotcom bubble, was scrapped because of the American economy went topside in the early aughts. (Subrin, however, is still dedicated to making the film and expects to make it after shooting another experimental short.)
Heartbroken over the fate of “Up,” Subrin backed away from filmmaking for years, until her producer Scott Macaulay encouraged her to channel her professional frustrations and personal pain into a new script. That screenplay eventually became “A Woman, A Part.”
“I kind of put all my personal challenges into it,” Subrin recently told IndieWire. The result is an intimate film with a big message, and a feminist feature that embraces equality in all its forms, both in front of and behind the camera. That it’s also about the industry it actively subverts is just icing on the cake.
Two Women, Two Parts
Siff was Subrin’s first choice for the complicated role of Anna, a part that Siff personally sparked to early on. “I was intrigued and also sort of intimidated by it, because it bears a lot of resemblance to my own life, not so much in whom the character is or what necessarily her psychology and crises are, but the life of the actor and the things that you struggle with and the lifestyle in Los Angeles,” Siff said. “You burn out.”
Having previously worked with Seymour, Subrin knew what she could bring to the also complex demands of playing Kate. “This is a brilliant actor, and she’s not getting big enough parts that reflect everything she can do,” Subrin said of Seymour. “I knew she could sink herself into this.”
“It’s always nice to get something you can really sink your teeth into, and to explore a character with many dimensions,” Seymour said. “I knew it wasn’t just about playing someone who is both sympathetic and angry, or alcoholic and a lesbian, it’s about the spiritual dimension of a character. You think it’s familiar, but it’s not.”
“It’s Just Not the Status Quo”
Another thing that wasn’t familiar? The on-set vibe provided by having not only a female director, but a crew that was evenly split between the genders. “There was a really, really different kind of vibe on set,” Siff said. “It was one of those things that once you’re inside of it, because it’s just not the status quo, you’re like, ‘This is amazing!'”
Subrin’s sensibilities and sensitivities permeated every part of the production, something the filmmaker made clear to her performers early on.
“She said to me, ‘Just so you know, this film is not going to have a male gaze,'” Siff remembered. “Usually, the camera is operated by a guy and it’s something that’s written by a guy and directed by a guy, so of course the camera is the male gaze. When she said that, I was intrigued. She said, ‘I’m not going to fetishize your body. It’s not going to be about you looking sexy. It’s going to be about a woman’s emotional experience of moment. You’re not going to feel objectified.”
For Siff, the end result was an experience like no other and one she’d like to have much more often. “Why can’t 50 percent of my experiences be like this? Why is this one in a hundred? Why isn’t this one out of two?” Siff said.
One obvious impediment to Siff and other performers having this kind of experience is film financing. For Subrin, it wasn’t easy to get the funds to make “A Woman, A Part,” despite her background, her passion and her cast.
Finding Financing
“We went the traditional route first, the usual suspects, who said really nice things about the script, and either wanted bigger name actors or couldn’t connect to it. It’s a very particular film, and we were really prepared for that,” Subrin said.
But despite being “a very particular film,” Subrin admits that “A Woman, A Part” does share some large similarities with other films that have gone before it and that have been both critically and financially successful. But that’s not something that investors connected to.
“One potential investor said, ‘The last thing I’m interested in is a story about a burnt out fortysomething actress who moves to New York and gets in a play to try to find herself,’ and [producer] Scott was just like, ‘Unless it’s a little movie called “Birdman.”‘ It is ‘Birdman’! It is the same film,” Subrin said. “That kind of says it all.”
Subrin, however, remained committed to getting the film made. “We recognized that we needed to find smaller investors and build up the budget, teeny piece by teeny piece,” she said. They did just that, eventually cobbling together the money to make the film, though its production was threatened by Siff and Seymour’s tight schedules on “Billions” and “The Knick,” respectively. Subrin forged ahead.
“We probably had no business going into production when we did. We were like, ‘Do we wait a year?’ and I was like, ‘No way. I’ve waited a decade,'” Subrin said.
The Narrow Ideas of Women
Early in the film, Anna has a breakdown that culminates with her reading through a stack of scripts for potential roles, only to discover that each screenplay is filled with one-dimensional female characters, trope-laden narratives and wooden dialogue. Already on edge, Anna throws each and every script into her pool.
It’s a situation that rang true for both Siff and Seymour.
“There is just an ocean of roles and scripts that you’re sort of reading through that are really trite and redundant. There are a lot of tropes for women you encounter over and over and over again, depending on your type,” Siff said.
“I myself have thrown scripts across the room, and I know many actresses who do. It’s getting better, but it’s unbelievable how we’re asked to represent the narrow [ideas of women],” Seymour said.
“For a long time, I felt like I was getting scripts when I was younger that were sort of like the ‘sardonic bitchy best friend.’ It’s like, ‘Oh, there’s the bitchy best friend again that I have no interest in playing,’ then you graduate to the ‘bitchy ex-wife,'” Siff added. “It kind of goes on from there.”
Parts like that of Anna and Kate in “A Woman, A Part” afforded both actresses the chance to do something more meaningful. “When you read something that’s actually got depth and warmth and feels real, it almost feels like a shock to the system,” Siff said. “‘Oh wait, that feels real, that feels true. That feels like something we’ve never seen before. Why haven’t I ever seen this before?'”
“I feel really excited about the way Maggie and Cara’s performances are being received, because they’re complex characters and they’re not always likable and they’re not twenty-five,” Subrin said.
“Kicking and Screaming”
For Seymour, the possibilities laid out by Subrin’s film (and its unique production) have her excited for the future. “One day, we’ll see it as just hilarious, [how getting parts was] based entirely on what you look like and how fuckable you are and how that defines how much screen time you get and how much you are allowed to express yourself.”
Subrin, however, is a little more restrained when talking about the future.
Read More: 10 Essential Films About Women In Crisis
“I’m not sure I totally agree that things are changing, because I think we’re pretty much at a primordial state in change. The first thing is a lot of kicking and screaming, and we have been doing that forever,” Subrin said. “When I look at what films are in the festivals, when I look at the statistics of what is in the festivals, when I look at the 2016 statistics, it hasn’t changed. I just want to see other stories.”
“A Woman, A Part” is screening at BAMcinemaFest on Sunday, June 19. It is currently seeking distribution.
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Elisabeth Subrin’s feature directorial debut, “A Woman, A Part,” is a film about now. The film follows Maggie Siff as actress Anna Baskin, star of a seemingly popular and well-regarded network television series, who has grown increasingly disenfranchised with the work afforded to her by her industry. Fresh off a recent battle with an autoimmune disease and frustrated by a career path that doesn’t value her creative input, Anna takes a break from her show and heads back to the familiar environs of New York City, where she got her start in experimental theater.
Anna’s success on the small screen has alienated her from her friends, including her closest confidants and former performing partners, Kate (Cara Seymour) and Isaac (John Ortiz). When she returns to NYC (and Kate and Isaac), some old wounds are reopened and some hard truths – especially about the intersection of emotion and art – are revealed. “A Woman, A Part” confronts industry-wide sexism head on, making it clear that Anna’s experiences are not unique and dismantling any romantic notions about how Hollywood operates.
Read More: ‘A Woman, A Part’ Captures the Ripples from a Hollywood Actress’ Return to New York
Although the film is Subrin’s narrative feature debut, the visual artist and filmmaker has long used film and video to tell her stories, and it’s not the first story she wanted to turn into a long-form offering. In 2003, Subrin was picked for the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Directing and Screenwriting Labs, where she worked on her first feature-length screenplay, “Up.” The film’s plotline proved to be prescient: The film, about the dotcom bubble, was scrapped because of the American economy went topside in the early aughts. (Subrin, however, is still dedicated to making the film and expects to make it after shooting another experimental short.)
Heartbroken over the fate of “Up,” Subrin backed away from filmmaking for years, until her producer Scott Macaulay encouraged her to channel her professional frustrations and personal pain into a new script. That screenplay eventually became “A Woman, A Part.”
“I kind of put all my personal challenges into it,” Subrin recently told IndieWire. The result is an intimate film with a big message, and a feminist feature that embraces equality in all its forms, both in front of and behind the camera. That it’s also about the industry it actively subverts is just icing on the cake.
Two Women, Two Parts
Siff was Subrin’s first choice for the complicated role of Anna, a part that Siff personally sparked to early on. “I was intrigued and also sort of intimidated by it, because it bears a lot of resemblance to my own life, not so much in whom the character is or what necessarily her psychology and crises are, but the life of the actor and the things that you struggle with and the lifestyle in Los Angeles,” Siff said. “You burn out.”
Having previously worked with Seymour, Subrin knew what she could bring to the also complex demands of playing Kate. “This is a brilliant actor, and she’s not getting big enough parts that reflect everything she can do,” Subrin said of Seymour. “I knew she could sink herself into this.”
“It’s always nice to get something you can really sink your teeth into, and to explore a character with many dimensions,” Seymour said. “I knew it wasn’t just about playing someone who is both sympathetic and angry, or alcoholic and a lesbian, it’s about the spiritual dimension of a character. You think it’s familiar, but it’s not.”
“It’s Just Not the Status Quo”
Another thing that wasn’t familiar? The on-set vibe provided by having not only a female director, but a crew that was evenly split between the genders. “There was a really, really different kind of vibe on set,” Siff said. “It was one of those things that once you’re inside of it, because it’s just not the status quo, you’re like, ‘This is amazing!'”
Subrin’s sensibilities and sensitivities permeated every part of the production, something the filmmaker made clear to her performers early on.
“She said to me, ‘Just so you know, this film is not going to have a male gaze,'” Siff remembered. “Usually, the camera is operated by a guy and it’s something that’s written by a guy and directed by a guy, so of course the camera is the male gaze. When she said that, I was intrigued. She said, ‘I’m not going to fetishize your body. It’s not going to be about you looking sexy. It’s going to be about a woman’s emotional experience of moment. You’re not going to feel objectified.”
For Siff, the end result was an experience like no other and one she’d like to have much more often. “Why can’t 50 percent of my experiences be like this? Why is this one in a hundred? Why isn’t this one out of two?” Siff said.
One obvious impediment to Siff and other performers having this kind of experience is film financing. For Subrin, it wasn’t easy to get the funds to make “A Woman, A Part,” despite her background, her passion and her cast.
Finding Financing
“We went the traditional route first, the usual suspects, who said really nice things about the script, and either wanted bigger name actors or couldn’t connect to it. It’s a very particular film, and we were really prepared for that,” Subrin said.
But despite being “a very particular film,” Subrin admits that “A Woman, A Part” does share some large similarities with other films that have gone before it and that have been both critically and financially successful. But that’s not something that investors connected to.
“One potential investor said, ‘The last thing I’m interested in is a story about a burnt out fortysomething actress who moves to New York and gets in a play to try to find herself,’ and [producer] Scott was just like, ‘Unless it’s a little movie called “Birdman.”‘ It is ‘Birdman’! It is the same film,” Subrin said. “That kind of says it all.”
Subrin, however, remained committed to getting the film made. “We recognized that we needed to find smaller investors and build up the budget, teeny piece by teeny piece,” she said. They did just that, eventually cobbling together the money to make the film, though its production was threatened by Siff and Seymour’s tight schedules on “Billions” and “The Knick,” respectively. Subrin forged ahead.
“We probably had no business going into production when we did. We were like, ‘Do we wait a year?’ and I was like, ‘No way. I’ve waited a decade,'” Subrin said.
The Narrow Ideas of Women
Early in the film, Anna has a breakdown that culminates with her reading through a stack of scripts for potential roles, only to discover that each screenplay is filled with one-dimensional female characters, trope-laden narratives and wooden dialogue. Already on edge, Anna throws each and every script into her pool.
It’s a situation that rang true for both Siff and Seymour.
“There is just an ocean of roles and scripts that you’re sort of reading through that are really trite and redundant. There are a lot of tropes for women you encounter over and over and over again, depending on your type,” Siff said.
“I myself have thrown scripts across the room, and I know many actresses who do. It’s getting better, but it’s unbelievable how we’re asked to represent the narrow [ideas of women],” Seymour said.
“For a long time, I felt like I was getting scripts when I was younger that were sort of like the ‘sardonic bitchy best friend.’ It’s like, ‘Oh, there’s the bitchy best friend again that I have no interest in playing,’ then you graduate to the ‘bitchy ex-wife,'” Siff added. “It kind of goes on from there.”
Parts like that of Anna and Kate in “A Woman, A Part” afforded both actresses the chance to do something more meaningful. “When you read something that’s actually got depth and warmth and feels real, it almost feels like a shock to the system,” Siff said. “‘Oh wait, that feels real, that feels true. That feels like something we’ve never seen before. Why haven’t I ever seen this before?'”
“I feel really excited about the way Maggie and Cara’s performances are being received, because they’re complex characters and they’re not always likable and they’re not twenty-five,” Subrin said.
“Kicking and Screaming”
For Seymour, the possibilities laid out by Subrin’s film (and its unique production) have her excited for the future. “One day, we’ll see it as just hilarious, [how getting parts was] based entirely on what you look like and how fuckable you are and how that defines how much screen time you get and how much you are allowed to express yourself.”
Subrin, however, is a little more restrained when talking about the future.
Read More: 10 Essential Films About Women In Crisis
“I’m not sure I totally agree that things are changing, because I think we’re pretty much at a primordial state in change. The first thing is a lot of kicking and screaming, and we have been doing that forever,” Subrin said. “When I look at what films are in the festivals, when I look at the statistics of what is in the festivals, when I look at the 2016 statistics, it hasn’t changed. I just want to see other stories.”
“A Woman, A Part” is screening at BAMcinemaFest on Sunday, June 19. It is currently seeking distribution.
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Related storiesReview: Ti West's 'In A Valley Of Violence' Is A Western 'John Wick,' But Mostly Shoots Blanks'The Childhood Of A Leader' Review: Brady Corbet's Directorial Debut Is An Enthralling Mind-f*ck12 Must-See Films at BAMCinemaFest 2016...
- 6/16/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Comedy is coming back to CBS. A year after the network downsized to just two total hours of sitcoms in the fall — and went without comedies on Mondays for the first time since the earliest days of television — the network is doubling up its sitcom presence, with four-comedy blocs on both Mondays and Thursdays (once the network's NFL commitment is done) in the fall. The new Monday bloc will be filled with recognizable faces, including Kevin James and Matt LeBlanc (reuniting on the night with Matthew Perry, whose Odd Couple was renewed), while Joel McHale's The Great Indoors is the one new Thursday comedy. The network is, like everyone else in the network TV business, also loading up on recognizable brands. As new CBS entertainment president Glenn Geller put it about the MacGyver remake — which is undergoing significant retooling from the original pilot episode — "When you have an IP like MacGyver,...
- 5/18/2016
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
Say goodbye to ABC's all-Shonda Thursday lineup — at least until midseason. Kerry Washington's pregnancy has delayed (and shortened) the next season of Scandal, which means the schedule ABC announced today will be the first in a few years featuring a show not produced by Shonda Rhimes airing on that night in the fall. In this case, it's Notorious with Piper Perabo, one of two new ABC legal dramas whose descriptions in the press release includes the word "sexy," just in case we weren't clear on the branding. On the whole, ABC's schedule has many more changes, and more new shows, than either the NBC schedule or Fox schedule announced earlier in upfront week. Among the shifts: with Castle done for, ABC will have a new post-Dancing with the Stars drama — Conviction with Hayley Atwell (the other "sexy" legal show) — for the first time in years; Agents of Shield...
- 5/17/2016
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
Upfront week continues with Fox's schedule announcement for next season. Technically, you need three for a trend, but based on Fox's plans and what NBC announced yesterday, it does seem as if we may be heading for a season where the broadcast nets save most of their new material for winter and spring, and lean heavily on returning series in the fall, when the attrition rate tends to be higher. Fox's fall schedule will only have a trio of newbies — two of them, Lethal Weapon and The Exorcist, adapting popular movie series — while the network plans to roll out nine different freshman series — including high-profile sequels to 24 and Prison Break, plus Lee Daniels' first new series since Empire — after the calendar turns to 2017, with both new and returning shows shuttling on and off the air between January and spring to avoid repeats wherever possible. The schedule, night-by-night: Monday: Status quo...
- 5/16/2016
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
From Bananaman to Grange Hill, join us in a spot of TV nostalgia as we celebrate 50 great 1980s kids' TV theme songs...
There comes a time to turn away from the horrors of the world and retreat underneath the soft, comforting duvet of nostalgia. That time is Friday. That metaphorical duvet is below.
Here are fifty of the best kids’ TV theme songs (spread over two pages and in arbitrary order) of the 1980s. Some, like Alan Hawkshaw’s distinctive Grange Hill intro, are unarguable classics of the era, while others, like Mike Harding's Count Duckula, only started in the late-eighties and spent the rest of their run in the next decade.
Obviously, there being only 50 on this list, we may have missed out your favourite (deliberately or otherwise). Let us know if so, but remember that links may take a while to appear in the comments thread because...
There comes a time to turn away from the horrors of the world and retreat underneath the soft, comforting duvet of nostalgia. That time is Friday. That metaphorical duvet is below.
Here are fifty of the best kids’ TV theme songs (spread over two pages and in arbitrary order) of the 1980s. Some, like Alan Hawkshaw’s distinctive Grange Hill intro, are unarguable classics of the era, while others, like Mike Harding's Count Duckula, only started in the late-eighties and spent the rest of their run in the next decade.
Obviously, there being only 50 on this list, we may have missed out your favourite (deliberately or otherwise). Let us know if so, but remember that links may take a while to appear in the comments thread because...
- 7/29/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Read More: 11 Controversial Documentaries That Challenged the Status Quo In 1948, years after the end of World War II, Jewish American pilots smuggled planes out of the Unites States and flew for Israel during the Arab-Israeli War. Nancy Spielberg, sister of Steven, has brought their story to film in the documentary "Above and Beyond," for which Indiewire has the exclusive poster premiere above. The film's official synopsis reads: "In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of Jewish American pilots answered a call for help. In secret and at great personal risk, they smuggled planes out of the U.S., trained behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia and flew for Israel in its War of Independence. As members of Machal - "volunteers from abroad" - this ragtag band of brothers not only turned the tide of the war; they also embarked on personal journeys of discovery and renewed Jewish pride.
- 4/14/2015
- by Casey Cipriani
- Indiewire
Read More: 11 Controversial Documentaries That Challenged the Status Quo Alex Gibney's Scientology-skewering documentary "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief," based on Lawrence Wright's book of the same name, has been experiencing plenty of backlash from the church. Now, Funny or Die is taking on the ridiculousness of the religion, and not shying away from suggesting the whole thing is a cult. In the Fod video above, a Scientology leader decided to show his followers the film "Going Clear," but let's just say it's a highly highly edited version of the film. (Something tells me that no one would complain about toilet paper that's too soft or all-you-can-eat cakes.) "Going Clear" is available on HBO Go. Read More: Sundance Review: Alex Gibney's 'Going Clear' is a Shocking Overview of Scientology's Demented Leadership...
- 4/6/2015
- by Casey Cipriani
- Indiewire
Director: Pierre Morel; Screenwriter: Don MacPherson, Pete Travis, Sean Penn; Starring: Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Javier Bardem, Mark Rylance, Ray Winstone, Jasmine Trinca; Running time: 115 mins; Certificate: 15
There used to be a time when nothing was more cringe-worthy than a middle-aged action hero. Remember Roger Moore smooching Bond Girls 30 years his junior in the twilight years of his 007 reign? Or Sean Connery trying to recapture the glory days next to Catherine Zeta-Jones in Entrapment? That was then and this is now.
The slightly creaking older leading man is now a sizeable mini-industry in itself, primarily thanks to Liam Neeson's Bryan Mills in the Taken series. Beyond that Denzel Washington had The Equalizer, Kevin Costner had 3 Days to Kills and every action icon you remember from the '80s united for The Expendables.
The latest seasoned star to throw his hat into the still-got-lead-in-the-pencil ring is Sean Penn, teaming with...
There used to be a time when nothing was more cringe-worthy than a middle-aged action hero. Remember Roger Moore smooching Bond Girls 30 years his junior in the twilight years of his 007 reign? Or Sean Connery trying to recapture the glory days next to Catherine Zeta-Jones in Entrapment? That was then and this is now.
The slightly creaking older leading man is now a sizeable mini-industry in itself, primarily thanks to Liam Neeson's Bryan Mills in the Taken series. Beyond that Denzel Washington had The Equalizer, Kevin Costner had 3 Days to Kills and every action icon you remember from the '80s united for The Expendables.
The latest seasoned star to throw his hat into the still-got-lead-in-the-pencil ring is Sean Penn, teaming with...
- 3/18/2015
- Digital Spy
From BAFTA to DGA, the Latest Winners this Awards Season
With the Oscars upon us, the awards season is almost over! But the last trek to the Academy Awards include many guild awards and of course, BAFTA! So here.s the latest congratulatory awards list of the winners from BAFTA to DGA, from Annie to Ace and everything in between!
Your full BAFTA winners (winners are highlighted):
Best Film
Birdman Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole
Boyhood Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland
The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson
The Imitation Game Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman
The Theory Of Everything Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten
Director
Birdman Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Boyhood Richard Linklater
The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson
The Theory Of Everything James Marsh
Whiplash Damien Chazelle
Leading Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch The Imitation Game
Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything...
With the Oscars upon us, the awards season is almost over! But the last trek to the Academy Awards include many guild awards and of course, BAFTA! So here.s the latest congratulatory awards list of the winners from BAFTA to DGA, from Annie to Ace and everything in between!
Your full BAFTA winners (winners are highlighted):
Best Film
Birdman Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole
Boyhood Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland
The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson
The Imitation Game Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman
The Theory Of Everything Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten
Director
Birdman Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Boyhood Richard Linklater
The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson
The Theory Of Everything James Marsh
Whiplash Damien Chazelle
Leading Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch The Imitation Game
Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything...
- 2/9/2015
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
On Saturday evening the Art Directors Guild (Adg) announced the winners of its 19th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards, in eleven categories of film, television, commercials and music videos during a black-tie ceremony at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Birdman and Guardians Of The Galaxy were the night’s big winners.
Christopher Nolan received the Guild’s prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award presented by Anne Hathaway, star of Interstellar, currently nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Production Design.
George Clooney presented Production Designer Jim Bissell with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Photo by Mathew Imaging/WireImage
Winners For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2014:
Period Film
The Grand Budapest Hotel Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Fantasy Film
Guardians Of The Galaxy Production Designer: Charles Wood
Contemporary Film
Birdman Production Designer: Kevin Thompson
Winners For Excellence In Production...
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Birdman and Guardians Of The Galaxy were the night’s big winners.
Christopher Nolan received the Guild’s prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award presented by Anne Hathaway, star of Interstellar, currently nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Production Design.
George Clooney presented Production Designer Jim Bissell with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Photo by Mathew Imaging/WireImage
Winners For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2014:
Period Film
The Grand Budapest Hotel Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Fantasy Film
Guardians Of The Galaxy Production Designer: Charles Wood
Contemporary Film
Birdman Production Designer: Kevin Thompson
Winners For Excellence In Production...
- 2/1/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Period, fantasy, and contemporary films each received their own category for the Art Directors Guild awards! Take a look at the full nomination list below. Winners of the Adg Awards will be revealed on Saturday, January 31 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Feature Film
Period Film
Inherent Vice
Production Designer: David Crank
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
The Imitation Game
Production Designer: Maria Djurkovic
The Theory Of Everything
Production Designer: John Paul Kelly
Unbroken
Production Designer: Jon Hutman
Fantasy Film
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Production Designer: Peter Wenham
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
Production Designer: James Chinlund
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Production Designer: Charles Wood
Interstellar
Production Designer: Nathan Crowley
Into The Woods
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner
Contemporary Film
American Sniper
Production Designers: James J. Murakami, Charisse Cardenas
Birdman
Production Designer: Kevin Thompson
Foxcatcher
Production Designer: Jess Gonchor
Gone Girl
Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt...
Feature Film
Period Film
Inherent Vice
Production Designer: David Crank
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
The Imitation Game
Production Designer: Maria Djurkovic
The Theory Of Everything
Production Designer: John Paul Kelly
Unbroken
Production Designer: Jon Hutman
Fantasy Film
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Production Designer: Peter Wenham
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
Production Designer: James Chinlund
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Production Designer: Charles Wood
Interstellar
Production Designer: Nathan Crowley
Into The Woods
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner
Contemporary Film
American Sniper
Production Designers: James J. Murakami, Charisse Cardenas
Birdman
Production Designer: Kevin Thompson
Foxcatcher
Production Designer: Jess Gonchor
Gone Girl
Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt...
- 1/14/2015
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Birdman, Gone Girl, Nightcrawler, The Theory Of Everything among Art Directors Guild nominees.
As previously announced, Christopher Nolan will receive the Guild’s Cinematic Imagery Award and production designer Jim Bissell, senior illustrator Camille Abbott, senior set designer John P Bruce and scenic artist Will Ferrell will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Hall Of Fame inductees are John Gabriel Beckman, Charles Lisanby and Walter Tyler.
The 19th Adg Awards are set to take place on January 31 in Los Angeles.
The 2014 production design nominees are:
Motion Pictures
Period Film
Inherent Vice
Production Designer: David Crank
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
The Imitation Game
Production Designer: Maria Djurkovic
The Theory Of Everything
Production Designer: John Paul Kelly
Unbroken
Production Designer: Jon Hutman
Fantasy Film
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Production Designer: Peter Wenham
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
Production Designer: James Chinlund
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Production...
As previously announced, Christopher Nolan will receive the Guild’s Cinematic Imagery Award and production designer Jim Bissell, senior illustrator Camille Abbott, senior set designer John P Bruce and scenic artist Will Ferrell will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Hall Of Fame inductees are John Gabriel Beckman, Charles Lisanby and Walter Tyler.
The 19th Adg Awards are set to take place on January 31 in Los Angeles.
The 2014 production design nominees are:
Motion Pictures
Period Film
Inherent Vice
Production Designer: David Crank
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
The Imitation Game
Production Designer: Maria Djurkovic
The Theory Of Everything
Production Designer: John Paul Kelly
Unbroken
Production Designer: Jon Hutman
Fantasy Film
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Production Designer: Peter Wenham
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
Production Designer: James Chinlund
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Production...
- 1/5/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Art Directors Guild today announced nominations in 11 categories of Production Design for theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials and music videos competing in the Art Directors Guild’s 19th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards. The nominations were announced by Adg Council Chair Marcia Hinds and Awards co-producers Dave Blass and James Pearse Connelly.
The black-tie ceremony revealing winners will take place on Saturday, January 31, 2015, from the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills with comedian Owen Benjamin serving as host.
As previously announced, the recipient of the Guild’s prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award will be Academy Award winner Christopher Nolan, whose film Interstellar is in current release.
Production Designer Jim Bissell, Senior Illustrator Camille Abbott, Senior Set Designer John P. Bruce and Scenic Artist Will Ferrell will be awarded the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. Hall of Fame inductees are John Gabriel Beckman, Charles Lisanby and Walter Tyler.
The black-tie ceremony revealing winners will take place on Saturday, January 31, 2015, from the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills with comedian Owen Benjamin serving as host.
As previously announced, the recipient of the Guild’s prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award will be Academy Award winner Christopher Nolan, whose film Interstellar is in current release.
Production Designer Jim Bissell, Senior Illustrator Camille Abbott, Senior Set Designer John P. Bruce and Scenic Artist Will Ferrell will be awarded the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. Hall of Fame inductees are John Gabriel Beckman, Charles Lisanby and Walter Tyler.
- 1/5/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The lavish, ornate designs of “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” the druggy 70s’ SoCal beach-city look of “Inherent Vice” and the fairy-tale landscape of “Into the Woods” are among the work nominated by the members of the Art Directors Guild for the Adg’s 19th annual Excellence in Production Design Awards.
In nominations announced on Monday, the Adg singled out 15 feature films and a number of television programs for its awards, which will be handed out on Jan. 31 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Because the Adg separates its feature-film nominations into separate categories for period films, fantasy films and contemporary films,...
In nominations announced on Monday, the Adg singled out 15 feature films and a number of television programs for its awards, which will be handed out on Jan. 31 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Because the Adg separates its feature-film nominations into separate categories for period films, fantasy films and contemporary films,...
- 1/5/2015
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Are Status Quo's Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt actually starring in their own action movie?
It's surely a hallucination: an action movie, cobbled together to mark Status Quo's 50th anniversary, in which Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi are forced on the run in Fiji after exposing an illegal gambling ring. I may have witnessed Craig Fairbrass thumping somebody into unconsciousness with a flip-flop. The hits ring out loud and clear, and Parfitt and Rossi are typically laidback and likable. The rest's rather too relaxed: all low-octane, MacGyver-y escapes on golf buggies and scenic railways, it's cosily plodding and not notably rock'n'roll – but then, isn't that somehow so very Quo?
Continue reading...
It's surely a hallucination: an action movie, cobbled together to mark Status Quo's 50th anniversary, in which Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi are forced on the run in Fiji after exposing an illegal gambling ring. I may have witnessed Craig Fairbrass thumping somebody into unconsciousness with a flip-flop. The hits ring out loud and clear, and Parfitt and Rossi are typically laidback and likable. The rest's rather too relaxed: all low-octane, MacGyver-y escapes on golf buggies and scenic railways, it's cosily plodding and not notably rock'n'roll – but then, isn't that somehow so very Quo?
Continue reading...
- 7/3/2013
- by Mike McCahill
- The Guardian - Film News
Bula Quo!, currently being shot in Fiji, will feature a soundtrack of 12 songs by the British rockers
British rockers Status Quo are working on their very own action film in the vein of James Bond, reports NME.com.
Titled Bula Quo!, the movie will feature a soundtrack of 12 "classic" songs from the London-based band. It is currently being shot in Fiji, with Us comic Jon Lovitz and former EastEnders actor Craig Fairbrass joining the cast. British stunt co-ordinator turned director Stuart St Paul is in charge of the cameras for the project, which will hit cinemas next year.
"The one thing Quo fans know is to expect the unexpected," said singer Francis Rossi. Guitarist Rick Parfitt added: "This is an amazing chance for us to do something new and we're all really excited."
It is not known whether Rossi and Parfitt plan to star in the film themselves or merely take producers' credits.
British rockers Status Quo are working on their very own action film in the vein of James Bond, reports NME.com.
Titled Bula Quo!, the movie will feature a soundtrack of 12 "classic" songs from the London-based band. It is currently being shot in Fiji, with Us comic Jon Lovitz and former EastEnders actor Craig Fairbrass joining the cast. British stunt co-ordinator turned director Stuart St Paul is in charge of the cameras for the project, which will hit cinemas next year.
"The one thing Quo fans know is to expect the unexpected," said singer Francis Rossi. Guitarist Rick Parfitt added: "This is an amazing chance for us to do something new and we're all really excited."
It is not known whether Rossi and Parfitt plan to star in the film themselves or merely take producers' credits.
- 7/3/2012
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Chopped my finger off while preparing dinner – strange, I didn't hear a big, dramatic chord in the background. Whispered sweet words in my wife's ear – strange again, I couldn't hear the beautiful sound of harps trilling in the background. And stranger still, when I tripped over in the street, I didn't once hear silly whaa-whaa-whaaaaa comedy music. Just deafening laughter from passers by.
Yet whenever I see most TV programmes and films these days, there's musical cues ahoy to be found in the background. TV, in particular, can't seem to get through a programme without striking up the band. Even In EastEnders – although music is strictly limited to a pointedly chosen classic hit from years gone by. Say that furious hard nut Derek Branning is threatening hapless cheeky chappie Alfie Moon in the Queen Vic over a packet of pork scratchings, the cunning producers will heavily signpost the scenario with...
Yet whenever I see most TV programmes and films these days, there's musical cues ahoy to be found in the background. TV, in particular, can't seem to get through a programme without striking up the band. Even In EastEnders – although music is strictly limited to a pointedly chosen classic hit from years gone by. Say that furious hard nut Derek Branning is threatening hapless cheeky chappie Alfie Moon in the Queen Vic over a packet of pork scratchings, the cunning producers will heavily signpost the scenario with...
- 4/25/2012
- Shadowlocked
Status Quo have been named 2008's hardest working band after playing the most arena concerts throughout the year. The rockers, who played their first gig together in 1962, performed 35 major shows in the UK last year, with over 300,000 fans paying to see them. Frontman Francis Rossi said: "Playing to our fans is still and has always been the most important thing for the band. (more)...
- 1/2/2009
- by By Lara Martin
- Digital Spy
When the aliens come, and they want to blow us out of the galaxy for being such a waste of organic chemistry, and we’re all like, “Oh no, no, we’re good, we’re noble, we’re worth not killing,” and the aliens decide, “Okay, you puny humans can be, like, our court jesters, just entertain us and we’ll spare your miserable monkey lives,” let’s make sure we hide this movie away and not offer it up as an example of how entertaining we can be. Because otherwise we’re, like, totally doomed. There’s a running bit here about how people -- or civilizations -- only really change when threatened with extinction or destruction, and you would think that a movie that allegedly is all about pushing humanity to that precipice would actually feel like it was teetering on some kind of, you know, precipice, instead...
- 12/12/2008
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Oasis do not know how to rock, according to Status Quo star Francis Rossi. The veteran musician has claimed that the Gallagher brothers lack expression during their performances because they want to appear "cool". "We're from a generation of acts that are very physical, we put physicality into it, but some of the younger bands don't want to put that physical commitment in," he told The Sun. "What always comes to mind is Oasis. They call themselves a rock band and they stand there (more)...
- 11/29/2008
- by By Michael Thornton
- Digital Spy
A conman who claimed to be Status Quo member Francis Rossi has duped Dover officials out of a year's worth of VIP perks. The faker, who said he preferred to be called Graham to remain incognito, explained that he lacked the singer's trademark ponytail because it was simply a gimmick attached to his head before concerts. He told council bosses that he would perform at the town's (more)...
- 11/15/2008
- by By Michael Thornton
- Digital Spy
While promoting his role on TNT’s Raising the Bar, J. August Richards was asked about Gunn’s role in the Angel: After the Fall comic. The comic, from IDW, continues the WB’s series as a sixth season which saw Gunn turned into a vampire and becoming the latest Big Bad.
“You’re kidding!” he exclaimed to ifmagazine. “Oh, my God. I need to see this. That is crazy. I was told that that was what was going to happen if we were to continue or do a TV movie, but I’m so happy to actually see it happening somewhere. I always thought Gunn’s end should be, he should turn into a vampire and kill himself. That’s always how I saw that character ending. I hope I get to act that one day, I really do. I’m still connected to that character.”...
“You’re kidding!” he exclaimed to ifmagazine. “Oh, my God. I need to see this. That is crazy. I was told that that was what was going to happen if we were to continue or do a TV movie, but I’m so happy to actually see it happening somewhere. I always thought Gunn’s end should be, he should turn into a vampire and kill himself. That’s always how I saw that character ending. I hope I get to act that one day, I really do. I’m still connected to that character.”...
- 9/23/2008
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Dance crew fans would be glad to know that Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew will be returning sooner than they might have expected! With the debut season of the hit show ending late in March, we saw the victory of the Jabbawockeez, who ultimately grabbed the much-coveted title of champions from their competitors, Status Quo. Following the season finale, the champions from San Diego had been performing and appearing as guests in various shows, and were also able to bag the Breakout Performance Award at the East West Players 42nd Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner last month.
Now, MTV is set to launch another aspiring dance crew into stardom with the second season of America’s Best Dance Crew, which kicks off next month.
Our judges, Jc Chasez, Lil Mama and Shane Sparks will return to the panel along with backstage correspondent Layla Kayleigh and host Mario Lopez,...
Now, MTV is set to launch another aspiring dance crew into stardom with the second season of America’s Best Dance Crew, which kicks off next month.
Our judges, Jc Chasez, Lil Mama and Shane Sparks will return to the panel along with backstage correspondent Layla Kayleigh and host Mario Lopez,...
- 5/23/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
JabbaWockeeZ.jpg" alt="Americas Best Dance Crew - JabbaWockeeZ " />The debut season of America's Best Dance Crew was warmly welcomed by the American audiences, garnering impressively high ratings since its premiere episode. With 38 million votes cast in to determine the winner of the dance competition, the guys from the West Coast who tag themselves as JabbaWockeeZ emerged victorious against the East Coast competitors, Status Quo. Right after the sizzling finale, AOL got a chance to chat with the JabbaWockeeZ to talk about how the season went, and what were the challenges they had to overcome to eventually win the Championship title of America's Best Dance Crew.
"Honestly, the biggest competition we thought, when we first got on the show, was Kaba Modern and Live in Color," JabbaWockeeZ member Rynan Shawn Paguio admitted. "But Status Quo made us turn some heads. They came through with an amazing show and it was like,...
"Honestly, the biggest competition we thought, when we first got on the show, was Kaba Modern and Live in Color," JabbaWockeeZ member Rynan Shawn Paguio admitted. "But Status Quo made us turn some heads. They came through with an amazing show and it was like,...
- 4/4/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
Jc Chasez in America's Best Dance Crew" src="http://www.buddytv.com/articles/Image/Americas-Best-Dance-Crew/Jc-Chasez_BestDanceCrew.jpg" />Last Thursday we saw the live finale of Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew, in which we saw two very talented groups battle it out for the win on the dance floor. It was down to San Diego's JabbaWockeeZ and Boston's Status Quo, and they were to impress judges Shane Sparks, Lil' Mama and Jc Chasez and the rest of America for one last time. Eventually, 38 million votes were counted in and JabbaWockeeZ was named as America's Best Dance Crew. The group received a prize of $100,000, and a ticket to ultimate stardom.
The show's first season was surprisingly a success, and it would not have been possible through the efforts of those who made it as wonderfully entertaining as it was. In a recent chat with Seventeen Magazine, the Dance Crew...
The show's first season was surprisingly a success, and it would not have been possible through the efforts of those who made it as wonderfully entertaining as it was. In a recent chat with Seventeen Magazine, the Dance Crew...
- 4/1/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
WASHINGTON -- On the eve of a critical vote on legislation that would increase the fines broadcasters face for violating indecency rules, a pair of top lawmakers gave the measure a boost. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the No. 2 House Republican, and Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., the top Senate Democrat, each pushed the legislation before a broadcast-industry conference. "The entertainment industry, and I include the advertising industry in there, has collectively decided the bad press they suffer for producing trash is worth the benefits they enjoy for hyperstimulating the innocent imaginations of 7-year-olds with gratuitous sex and violence," DeLay told the National Association of Broadcasters annual leadership conference. "My message to you and everyone in your industry is this: The Status Quo will not stand."...
To hear chairman Lowell "Bud" Paxson call it, there's no way his Paxson Communications Corp. can really lose its binding arbitration with NBC, a decision on which is expected shortly after Labor Day.
At stake is Paxson's agreement to be acquired by NBC, a deal that was seriously complicated when NBC instead decided to buy Spanish-language television network Telemundo and risk running afoul of station ownership caps by potentially owning three networks.
"For us, a loss is Status Quo -- it's living with the agreement that we have in place through 2004, where we have a right to take NBC out," Paxson recently told investors and analysts in discussing the company's second-quarter earnings.
NBC not only invested $415 million in Paxson as a first step toward acquiring the company's family-oriented Pax TV network and 65 stations but also gained various contractual rights, including an opportunity to buy out Bud Paxson's shares.
"A win for us is probably an arbitrator saying (NBC) violated the contract and you can take them out now and don't have to wait until 2004," Paxson said. "Either way we are in serious negotiations now with more than one investment banker and will be choosing one shortly to -- following the decision of the arbitrator -- evaluate our strategic options."
The West Palm Beach, Fla.-based company, whose Pax TV network is behind such shows as "Doc" and "It's a Miracle," clearly wants to find a new partner (interested parties are said to include the Walt Disney Co., Sony Corp., Viacom and MGM) and is eager to do so as soon as it can put the arbitration behind it.
The reality may be a lot more complicated and, analysts say, obligate Paxson to repay NBC its investment, plus 8%, even if it prevails in court. Both sides made their final arguments July 24, and the ruling cannot be appealed.
At stake is Paxson's agreement to be acquired by NBC, a deal that was seriously complicated when NBC instead decided to buy Spanish-language television network Telemundo and risk running afoul of station ownership caps by potentially owning three networks.
"For us, a loss is Status Quo -- it's living with the agreement that we have in place through 2004, where we have a right to take NBC out," Paxson recently told investors and analysts in discussing the company's second-quarter earnings.
NBC not only invested $415 million in Paxson as a first step toward acquiring the company's family-oriented Pax TV network and 65 stations but also gained various contractual rights, including an opportunity to buy out Bud Paxson's shares.
"A win for us is probably an arbitrator saying (NBC) violated the contract and you can take them out now and don't have to wait until 2004," Paxson said. "Either way we are in serious negotiations now with more than one investment banker and will be choosing one shortly to -- following the decision of the arbitrator -- evaluate our strategic options."
The West Palm Beach, Fla.-based company, whose Pax TV network is behind such shows as "Doc" and "It's a Miracle," clearly wants to find a new partner (interested parties are said to include the Walt Disney Co., Sony Corp., Viacom and MGM) and is eager to do so as soon as it can put the arbitration behind it.
The reality may be a lot more complicated and, analysts say, obligate Paxson to repay NBC its investment, plus 8%, even if it prevails in court. Both sides made their final arguments July 24, and the ruling cannot be appealed.
- 8/27/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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